Shloka 246
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
न चेदं वैशसं घोरं कौरवान्तकरं भवेत् । “अब तो मैं केवल कर्णके ही शोकमें डूब गया हूँ और इस तरह जल रहा हूँ, मानो मुझे किसीने जलती आगमें रख दिया हो। यदि पहले ही यह बात मुझे मालूम हो गयी होती तो कर्णको पाकर हमारे लिये इस जगतमें कोई स्वर्गीय वस्तु भी अलभ्य नहीं होती तथा कुरुकुलका अन्त कर देनेवाला यह घोर संग्राम भी नहीं हुआ होता'
na cedaṃ vaiśasaṃ ghoraṃ kauravāntakaraṃ bhavet |
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Então não teria ocorrido esta calamidade terrível e pecaminosa, que levou os Kauravas ao seu fim. Agora estou submerso apenas no luto por Karṇa, ardendo como se alguém me tivesse colocado num fogo em brasa. Se eu soubesse disso antes, com Karṇa ao nosso lado nada neste mundo—nem mesmo o que se considera celestial—nos seria inalcançável; e esta guerra horrenda, que arruinou a linhagem dos Kurus, não teria acontecido.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames war’s outcome as a moral catastrophe (vaiśasa) that annihilates a lineage, and it highlights how ignorance and delayed recognition can lead to irreversible harm—turning potential strength (Karṇa) into a cause for remorse rather than protection.
In the aftermath of the great war, the speaker conveys an intense lament centered on Karṇa and reflects that, had the truth been known earlier, Karṇa’s presence could have prevented the dreadful conflict that ended the Kauravas and devastated the Kuru family.