Shloka 236
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
स ज्येष्ठपुत्र: कुन्त्या वै भ्रातास्माकं च मातृज: । नारदजी! मेरी माता कुन्तीने कर्णको जन्मके पश्चात् एक पेटीमें रखकर गड़ाजीकी धारामें बहाया था। जिन्हें यह सारा संसार अबतक अधिरथ सूत एवं राधाका पुत्र समझता था
sa jyeṣṭhaputraḥ kuntyā vai bhrātāsmākaṃ ca mātṛjaḥ |
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Tunay ngang siya ang panganay na anak ni Kuntī—isinilang sa iisang ina na tulad namin, kaya siya’y aming sariling kapatid. O Nārada, matapos isilang si Karṇa, inilagay ng aking inang si Kuntī ang sanggol sa isang baul at pinalutang sa agos ng ilog. Ang taong matagal nang inakala ng buong daigdig na anak ng karwaheng si Adhiratha at ni Rādhā, sa katotohanan ay panganay ni Kuntī at aming kapatid na buo.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical weight of truth about lineage and the duties that follow from kinship: recognizing a brother changes one’s moral obligations, intensifying themes of responsibility, remorse, and the tragic consequences of concealed identity.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Nārada and reveals/affirms Karṇa’s true birth: Karṇa was Kuntī’s firstborn, abandoned in a chest and set afloat on a river, later raised as the son of Adhiratha and Rādhā—making him the Pāṇḍavas’ full brother.