वैशंपायन उवाच
ततो गर्भः समभवत् पृथायाः पृथिवीपते ॥
शुक्ले दशोत्तरे पक्षे तारापतिर् इवाम्बरे ॥
सा बान्धवभयाद् बाला तं गर्भं विनिगूहती ॥
धारयाम् आस सुश्रोणी न चैनां बुबुधे जनः ॥
न हि तां वेद नार्य् अन्या का चिद् धात्रेयिकाम् ऋते ॥
कन्यापुरगतां बालां निपुणां परिरक्षणे ॥
ततः कालेन सा गर्भं सुषुवे वरवर्णिनी ॥
कन्यैव तस्य देवस्य प्रसादाद् अमरप्रभम् ॥
तथैव बद्धकवचं कनकोज्ज्वलकुण्डलम् ॥
हर्यक्षं वृषभस्कन्धं यथास्य पितरं तथा ॥
जातमात्रं च तं गर्भं धात्र्या संमन्त्र्य भामिनी ॥
मञ्जूषायाम् अवदधे स्वास्तीर्णायां समन्ततः ॥
मधूच्छिष्टस्थितायां सा सुखायां रुदती तथा ॥
श्लक्ष्णायां सुपिधानायाम् अश्वनद्याम् अवासृजत् ॥
जानती चाप्य् अकर्तव्यं कन्याया गर्भधारणम् ॥
पुत्रस्नेहेन राजेन्द्र करुणं पर्यदेवयत् ॥
समुत्सृजन्ती मञ्जूषाम् अश्वनद्यास् तदा जले ॥
उवाच रुदती कुन्ती यानि वाक्यानि तच् छृणु ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tato garbhaḥ samabhavat pṛthāyāḥ pṛthivīpate ||
śukle daśottare pakṣe tārāpatir ivāmbare ||
sā bāndhavabhayād bālā taṃ garbhaṃ vinigūhatī ||
dhārayām āsa suśroṇī na caināṃ bubudhe janaḥ ||
na hi tāṃ veda nāry anyā kā cid dhātreyikām ṛte ||
kanyāpuragatāṃ bālāṃ nipuṇāṃ parirakṣaṇe ||
tataḥ kālena sā garbhaṃ suṣuve varavarṇinī ||
kanyaiva tasya devasya prasādād amaraprabham ||
tathaiva baddhakavacaṃ kanakojjvalakuṇḍalam ||
haryakṣaṃ vṛṣabhaskandhaṃ yathāsya pitaraṃ tathā ||
jātamātraṃ ca taṃ garbhaṃ dhātryā saṃmantrya bhāminī ||
mañjūṣāyām avadadhe svāstīrṇāyāṃ samantataḥ ||
madhūcchiṣṭasthitāyāṃ sā sukhāyāṃ rudatī tathā ||
ślakṣṇāyāṃ supidhānāyām aśvanadyām avāsṛjat ||
jānatī cāpy akartavyaṃ kanyāyā garbhadhāraṇam ||
putrasnehena rājendra karuṇaṃ paryadevayat ||
samutsṛjantī mañjūṣām aśvanadyās tadā jale ||
uvāca rudatī kuntī yāni vākyāni tac chṛṇu ||
Pṛthā's womb quickened, growing like the moon through its bright fortnight. Young, and fearing her kinsmen, she hid the child within her; none knew of it save the skilled nurse who watched over her in the maidens' chambers. In due time the lovely one gave birth—remaining a virgin still, by the god's grace—to a child of immortal radiance: born with armor already fastened to him, with golden earrings, eyes like a lion's, shoulders like a bull's, the very image of his father. As soon as he was born she took counsel with her nurse, laid the infant in a well-lined casket, soft, smooth, and tightly sealed, coated with wax, and, weeping, set it adrift upon the river Aśvā. Though she knew that a maiden's bearing a child was improper, a mother's love made her weep bitterly.
34a0b1e64e99 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:37:35 PM UTC
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Karṇa's secret begins with a mother's pain. Kuntī does not reject her son in her heart, but fear of worldly disgrace drives her to an act that will become the tragedy of an entire life.