Shloka 8
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
अर्जुनेन जित: संख्ये वीरलक्षणलक्षित: । यं सूतपुत्र॑ मन्यध्वं राधेयमिति पाण्डवा:
arjunena jitaḥ saṅkhye vīralakṣaṇalakṣitaḥ | yaṃ sūtaputraṃ manyadhvaṃ rādheyam iti pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Na batalha, ele—marcado pelos sinais de um verdadeiro herói—foi derrotado por Arjuna: justamente aquele que vós, Pāṇḍavas, tínheis por filho de um cocheiro, conhecido como Rādheya (Karna). O verso ressalta como a guerra subverte reputações e como os juízos baseados no nascimento se revelam no acerto moral do campo de batalha.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of social labels in the face of lived action: the one dismissed as ‘sūtaputra’ is still ‘vīralakṣaṇalakṣita’—truly heroic—yet is brought down by destiny and the harsh arithmetic of war. It cautions against reducing a person to birth-status and points to the tragic moral complexity of battlefield outcomes.
Vaiśampāyana recalls that Rādheya (Karna), whom the Pāṇḍavas had long regarded as a charioteer’s son, was defeated by Arjuna in combat. In the Stree Parva’s aftermath setting, such recollections intensify grief and ethical reflection on the war’s cost.