Shloka 20
Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma
आद्ानं मन्त्रसंयुक्त वसन्त्या: पितृवेश्मनि । साहमन्त:पुरे राज्ञ: कुन्तिभोजपुरस्कृता
ādānaṃ mantrasaṃyuktaṃ vasantyāḥ pitṛveśmani | sāham antaḥpure rājñaḥ kuntibhojapuraskṛtā ||
毗舍波耶那说道：当我居于父家之时，得了一项以真言系缚的恩赐。那时我以虔诚侍奉使尊贵的仙人杜尔瓦萨欢喜，他赐我此福：若以真言召请，我便能令任何天神降临我前。父亲昆提菩阇对我极尽礼敬。然而我住在王宫内廷，心中渐生忧惧，反复思量真言之力与其祸患，以及婆罗门口中之言那可畏的效验——原为善意的赐予，若不明其后果，也会化作不安之源。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary powers gained through tapas, mantra, or boons demand discernment and restraint. The verse highlights ethical responsibility: even a legitimate gift can become dangerous if used without understanding its consequences, and it underscores the feared potency of a brāhmaṇa’s word.
Kuntī recounts that while living in her father’s house she served the sage Durvāsā and received a mantra-boon enabling her to summon any deity. Though honored in Kuntibhoja’s household and living in the royal inner palace, she becomes inwardly uneasy, contemplating the strength and risks of mantra-power and the efficacy of a brāhmaṇa’s speech.