Shloka 21
यदि जानाति मां राजा धर्मात्मा संयतेन्द्रिय: । कुन्त्या: प्रथमजं पुत्र न स राज्यं ग्रहीष्यति
yadi jānāti māṁ rājā dharmātmā saṁyatendriyaḥ | kunyāḥ prathamajaṁ putraṁ na sa rājyaṁ grahīṣyati ||
यदि जानाति मां राजा धर्मात्मा संयतेन्द्रियः । कुन्त्याः प्रथमजं पुत्रं न स राज्यं ग्रहीष्यति ॥
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames rightful rule as inseparable from dharma and self-mastery: a truly righteous king, upon learning a morally decisive truth about lineage, would refuse to seize power unjustly. Political action is shown as accountable to ethical knowledge.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and counsels, Karna reflects on the consequences of revealing his birth: if the king learns that Karna is Kunti’s firstborn, the king’s sense of dharma would prevent him from taking or holding the kingdom in a way that violates rightful claims and kinship obligations.