Shloka 14
Śikhaṇḍin’s Transformation, Daśārṇa Verification, and Kubera’s Conditional Curse
Udyoga Parva 193
तन्न जानाति गाड़्ेयो न द्रोणो न च गौतम: । न च द्रोणसुतो राजन् कुत एव तु सूतज:
tan na jānāti gāṅgeyo na droṇo na ca gautamaḥ | na ca droṇasuto rājan kuta eva tu sūtajaḥ ||
“大王啊，此事连恒河之子毗湿摩也不知，德罗纳也不知，乔达摩（克利帕）亦不知；就连德罗纳之子阿湿婆他曼也不知。如此一来，车夫之子迦尔纳（sūta-born Karṇa）又怎可能知晓？”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues from recognized authority: if even the foremost elders and masters do not know a certain matter, it is unreasonable to claim that a lesser or socially-disputed figure knows it. Ethically, it highlights how appeals to hierarchy and reputation are used to validate (or dismiss) claims in political counsel.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the king and emphasizes that the matter at hand is unknown even to Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and Aśvatthāman; therefore, Karṇa cannot be expected to know it. The statement functions as a pointed rhetorical move within the tense pre-war deliberations of the Udyoga Parva.