Shloka 26
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
गता किल पृथा तस्य सकाशमिति न: श्रुतम्
gatā kila pṛthā tasya sakāśam iti naḥ śrutam | sandhiṃ kartum icchantī sā taṃ jagāda—“tvaṃ mama putraḥ” iti | kintu mahāmanāḥ karṇaḥ pṛthāyāḥ sāṃdhikām icchāṃ na pūrayām āsa ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Narinig namin na si Pṛthā (Kuntī) ay nagtungo sa kanya (kay Karṇa), na nagnanais maghatid ng pagkakasundo sa amin, at sinabi: ‘Ikaw ay anak ko.’ Ngunit si Karṇa, ang dakila ang loob, ay hindi tinupad ang hangarin ni Inang Kuntī para sa kapayapaan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between truth, kinship, and chosen loyalty: even when a mother reveals a hidden bond and seeks peace, a warrior may refuse if he believes his pledged allegiance and prior commitments must be upheld—showing how dharma can appear as competing duties rather than a single clear rule.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls a report that Kuntī went to Karna to prevent conflict by proposing reconciliation and revealing that he was her son; despite this, Karna did not accept her request to make peace, and the war-bound course remained unchanged.