Shloka 3
कुन्ती–कर्णसंवादः
Kuntī–Karṇa Dialogue: Loyalty, Fate, and Constrained Assurance
कानीनस्त्वं मया जात: पूर्वज: कुक्षिणा धृतः । कुन्तिराजस्य भवने पार्थस्त्वमसि पुत्रक,तुम कन्यावस्थामें मेरे गर्भसे उत्पन्न हुए प्रथम पुत्र हो। महाराज कुन्तिभोजके घरमें रहते समय मैंने तुम्हें गर्भभें धारण किया था; अतः बेटा! तुम पार्थ हो
kānīnas tvaṃ mayā jātaḥ pūrvajaḥ kukṣiṇā dhṛtaḥ | kuntirājasya bhavane pārthas tvam asi putraka ||
Karna berkata: “Engkau ialah anak kānīna—lahir daripadaku ketika aku masih belum bersuami—anak sulungku, yang pernah kukandung dalam rahimku. Ketika aku tinggal di istana Raja Kuntibhoja, aku mengandungkanmu. Maka, wahai anakku yang dikasihi, engkau ialah seorang Pārtha.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of birth and identity: acknowledging truth about lineage can redefine social labels (like ‘Pārtha’) and intensify duties of kinship, even amid political conflict.
In Udyoga Parva, as war approaches, Karna speaks about the circumstances of his birth—conceived when Kunti lived in Kuntibhoja’s house—and asserts that the child is ‘Pārtha,’ i.e., Kunti’s son, emphasizing kinship ties at a critical moment.