Shloka 21
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
शीघ्रास्त्रश्चित्रयोधी च कृती चाद्भुतविक्रम: । गूढोत्पन्न: सुत: कुन्त्या भ्रातास्माकमसौ किल
śīghrāstraś citrayodhī ca kṛtī cādbhuta-vikramaḥ | gūḍhotpannaḥ sutaḥ kuntyā bhrātāsmākam asau kila ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Dia pantas dalam menggunakan senjata, mahir bertempur dengan taktik yang pelbagai dan mengagumkan, serta seorang yang berjaya—berkeperkasaan yang menakjubkan. Lahir secara rahsia sebagai putera Kuntī, dialah benar-benar abang sulung kami, demikianlah yang kami dengar.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of hidden identity and kinship: recognizing Karṇa’s concealed birth reframes hostility as a family tragedy, pressing the listener toward compassion, responsibility, and sober reflection on dharma after war.
In Śānti Parva’s opening context of post-war grief and moral inquiry, Yudhiṣṭhira recalls what he has heard about Karṇa—his exceptional martial qualities and, crucially, that he was secretly born to Kuntī and thus the Pāṇḍavas’ elder brother.