Shloka 1
कुन्ती–कर्णसंवादः
Kuntī–Karṇa Dialogue: Loyalty, Fate, and Constrained Assurance
अत-#-#कत पजञज्चचत्वारिशर्दाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: कुन्तीका कर्णको अपना प्रथम पुत्र बताकर उससे पाण्डवपक्षमें मिल जानेका अनुरोध कर्ण उवाच राधेयो5हमाधिरथि: कर्णस्त्वामभिवादये । प्राप्ता किमर्थ भवती ब्रूहि किं करवाणि ते,कर्ण बोला--देवि! मैं राधा तथा अधिरथका पुत्र कर्ण हूँ और आपके चरणोंमें प्रणाम करता हूँ। आपने किसलिये यहाँतक आनेका कष्ट किया है? बताइये, मैं आपकी क्या सेवा करूँ?
karṇa uvāca | rādheyo 'ham ādhirathiḥ karṇas tvām abhivādaye | prāptā kimarthaṁ bhavatī brūhi kiṁ karavāṇi te ||
కర్ణుడు అన్నాడు—దేవీ! నేను రాధేయుడను, అధిరథుని కుమారుడను—కర్ణుడను. మీకు నమస్కరిస్తున్నాను. మీరు ఏ ప్రయోజనంతో ఇక్కడికి వచ్చారు? చెప్పండి, నేను మీకు ఏ సేవ చేయగలను?
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical speech and respectful conduct even amid looming conflict: Karna introduces himself by the identities he has lived (Radheya, son of Adhiratha) and offers service to an elder woman, showing that courtesy and duty can persist even when personal and political tensions are high.
In Udyoga Parva, Kuntī approaches Karna privately before the war to reveal his birth and urge him toward the Pāṇḍava side. This verse is Karna’s opening response: he greets her formally, states his known lineage, and asks why she has come and what she wants from him.