Shloka 29
Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma
अतिष्ठत् सूर्यतापार्ता कर्णस्योत्तरवाससि । कौरव्यपत्नी वार्ष्णेयी पद्ममालेव शुष्यती
atiṣṭhat sūryatāpārtā karṇasyottaravāsasi | kauravyapatnī vārṣṇeyī padmamālevā śuṣyatī ||
毗舍波衍那说：为日轮炽热所逼，昆蒂——般度之妻，出自弗利什尼族系，亦与俱卢家有姻亲牵连——立于迦尔纳上衣所投的阴影之下，憔悴如将枯的莲华花鬘。此景更显时刻之沉重：一位母亲身心俱疲，竟也向那命运与将临之战紧系之人求得片刻荫庇，暗示亲缘、义务与战争之间的道德张力。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human vulnerability beneath heroic destinies: even amid political and moral crisis, compassion and kinship persist. It subtly frames the ethical tension of dharma—how family bonds and personal duty strain under the approach of war.
Kuntī, distressed by the sun’s heat, stands in the shade cast by Karṇa’s upper garment, described as withering like a lotus garland. The imagery emphasizes her physical exhaustion and emotional burden in her encounter with Karṇa during the pre-war negotiations.