Shloka 173
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
तमग्निमिव वस्त्रेण कथं छादितवत्यसि । जिनकी भुजाओंके प्रतापसे हम सब ओरसे संतप्त रहते थे, कपड़ेमें ढकी हुई आगके समान उन्हें अबतक आपने कैसे छिपा रखा था?
tam agnim iva vastreṇa kathaṃ chāditavaty asi |
वैशम्पायन उवाच—तमग्निमिव वस्त्रेण कथं छादितवत्यसि। यस्य बाहुप्रतापेन वयं सर्वतः संतप्ताः, तं वस्त्रावृतमिव पावकं चिरं कथं निहितवत्यसि॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the simile of fire hidden under cloth to highlight the moral and practical danger of concealing immense destructive power: what is suppressed may still burn others, and secrecy around violence and capability can intensify fear, resentment, and ethical blame.
In the lament-filled context of the Strī Parva, the speaker (as narrated by Vaiśampāyana) voices astonishment and reproach that a formidable warrior—whose arm-might had caused widespread suffering—was kept hidden for so long, comparing him to a flame concealed beneath cloth.