The Water Offerings; Kunti Reveals that Karna Was Her Eldest Son

Verse 1 (11.27.1)

ते समासाद्य गङ्गां तु शिवां पुण्यजलान्विताम् । ह्लादिनीं च प्रसन्नां च महारूपां महावनाम् ॥

te samāsādya gaṅgāṃ tu śivāṃ puṇyajalānvitām | hlādinīṃ ca prasannāṃ ca mahārūpāṃ mahāvanām

Having reached the Ganga, auspicious and rich in holy water, delightful and serene, of great beauty, with great forests along her banks,

Note on the text: Adhyaya note: the page is the right adhyaya (rows labelled 11-27-1 to 11-27-33; the colophon reads सप्तविंशोऽध्यायः । 27); it is the critical edition's 11.27 (24 numbered verses plus star passages). The three summary lines above the table are headings, not verses. TEXT AFTER THE COLOPHON, not added: the page prints one more block, a line अतः परं शान्तिपर्व भविष्यति तस्यायमाद्यः श्लोकः ("after this the Shanti Parva follows; this is its first verse"), a speaker heading वैशम्पायन उवाच, and the opening verse of the Shanti Parva, labelled 11-27-1b/1c: कृत्वोदकं ते सुहृदां सर्वेषां पाण्डुनन्दनाः । विदुरे धृतराष्ट्रश्च सर्वाश्च भरतस्त्रियः (CE 12.1.1, kṛtodakās te suhṛdāṃ …). The glosses printed after the table (11-27-2, 5, 14, 25, 26 and the adhyaya name) are not added either. Not on the page: the CE star passages 11.27.9d*0072_01, 11f*0074_01-06, 19d*0077_01 and 24d*0083_01-05 (vulgate omissions; not added). Mapping of the page's interpolated lines to the CE is given at verses 2, 30-33. Verse 1 line 1 differs from the CE (puṇyajanocitām hradinīṃ vaprasaṃpannām mahānūpām); recension variant.

Verse 2 (11.27.2)

भूषणान्युत्तरीयाणि वेष्टनान्यवमुच्य च । कवचानि विचित्राणि गङ्गामवजगाहिरे ॥

bhūṣaṇānyuttarīyāṇi veṣṭanānyavamucya ca | kavacāni vicitrāṇi gaṅgāmavajagāhire

they took off their ornaments, their upper garments and their head-wrappings, and their varied coats of mail, and went down into the Ganga.

Note on the text: Removed the backtick and closing quote mark around line 2 (wiki marks for an interpolated line). Line 1 = CE 11.27.2a; line 2 is the CE star line 11.27.2b*0071_01 (kavacāni vicitrāṇi gaṅgām avajagāhire), vulgate/star only.

Verse 3 (11.27.3)

ततः पितॄणां भ्रातॄणां पौत्राणां स्वजनस्य च । पुत्राणामार्यकाणां च पतीनां च कुरुस्त्रियः ॥

tataḥ pitṝṇāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ pautrāṇāṃ svajanasya ca | putrāṇāmāryakāṇāṃ ca patīnāṃ ca kurustriyaḥ

Then the Kuru women, for their fathers, brothers, grandsons and kinsmen, for their sons, their grandfathers and their husbands,

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is CE 11.27.2c (tataḥ pitṝṇāṃ pautrāṇāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ svajanasya ca; Wikisource orders pitṝṇām, bhrātṝṇām, pautrāṇām) and line 2 is CE 11.27.3a. The sentence runs into verse 4.

Verse 4 (11.27.4)

उदकं चक्रिरे सर्वा रुदन्त्यो भृशदुःखिताः । सुहृदां चापि धर्मज्ञाः प्रचक्रुः सलिलक्रियाम् ॥

udakaṃ cakrire sarvā rudantyo bhṛśaduḥkhitāḥ | suhṛdāṃ cāpi dharmajñāḥ pracakruḥ salilakriyām

all made the water offering, weeping, deeply grieved; and those who knew dharma performed the water-rite for their friends as well.

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is CE 11.27.3c and line 2 is CE 11.27.3e (suhṛdāṃ cāpi dharmajñāḥ pracakruḥ salilakriyāḥ).

Verse 5 (11.27.5)

उदके क्रियमाणे तु वीराणां वीरपत्निभिः । सूपतीर्थाऽभवद्गङ्गा भूयो विप्रससार च ॥

udake kriyamāṇe tu vīrāṇāṃ vīrapatnibhiḥ | sūpatīrthā'bhavadgaṅgā bhūyo viprasasāra ca

While the water offering was being made for the heroes by the wives of the heroes, the Ganga became easy to descend into, and spread wide once more.

Note on the text: Corrected विरपत्निभिः → वीरपत्निभिः (misprint in Wikisource; the long ī of वीर is dropped, "by the wives of heroes"; the CE has vīrapatnibhiḥ).

Verse 6 (11.27.6)

तन्महोदधिसङ्काशं निरानन्दमनुत्सवम् । वीरपत्नीभिराकीर्णं गङ्गातीरमशोभत ॥

tanmahodadhisaṅkāśaṃ nirānandamanutsavam | vīrapatnībhirākīrṇaṃ gaṅgātīramaśobhata

That bank of the Ganga, crowded with the wives of the heroes, looked like a great ocean, joyless and without festival.

Verse 7 (11.27.7)

ततः कुन्ती महाराज रुदन्ती शोककर्शिता । व्रीडया मन्दया वाचा पुत्रान्वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

tataḥ kuntī mahārāja rudantī śokakarśitā | vrīḍayā mandayā vācā putrānvacanamabravīt

Then Kunti, O great king, weeping, worn with grief, spoke to her sons in a faint voice, in shame:

Note on the text: Line 1 differs from the CE (tataḥ kuntī mahārāja sahasā śokakarśitā); recension variant.

Verse 8 (11.27.8)

यः स वीरो महेष्वासो रथयूथपयूथपः । अर्जुनेन हतः सङ्ख्ये वीरलक्षणलक्षितः ॥

yaḥ sa vīro maheṣvāso rathayūthapayūthapaḥ | arjunena hataḥ saṅkhye vīralakṣaṇalakṣitaḥ

That hero, the great archer, chief of the chiefs of chariot-divisions, slain in battle by Arjuna, marked with the signs of a hero,

Note on the text: Speaker: Kunti (her words to her sons, verses 8-13, unheaded; the input carried Vaishampayana over; verse 7 is the narration introducing them).

Verse 9 (11.27.9)

यं सूतपुत्रं मन्यध्वं राधेयमिति पाण्डवाः । यो व्यराजच्चमूमध्ये दिवाकर इव प्रभुः ॥

yaṃ sūtaputraṃ manyadhvaṃ rādheyamiti pāṇḍavāḥ | yo vyarājaccamūmadhye divākara iva prabhuḥ

whom you, Pandavas, took for a charioteer's son, calling him Radheya, who shone in the midst of the army like the sun, a lord,

Note on the text: Speaker: Kunti, as verse 8.

Verse 10 (11.27.10)

प्रत्ययुध्यत वः सर्वान्पुरा यः सपदानुगान् । दुर्योधनबलं सर्वं यः प्रकर्षन्व्यरोचत ॥

pratyayudhyata vaḥ sarvānpurā yaḥ sapadānugān | duryodhanabalaṃ sarvaṃ yaḥ prakarṣanvyarocata

who in the past fought against you all, with your followers, who shone as he drew along the whole force of Duryodhana,

Note on the text: Speaker: Kunti, as verse 8. Lines 1-2 are CE 11.27.9a and 9c.

Verse 11 (11.27.11)

यस्य नास्ति समो वीर्ये पृथिव्यामपि कश्चन । यो वृणीत यशः शूरः प्राणैरपि सदा भुवि ॥

yasya nāsti samo vīrye pṛthivyāmapi kaścana | yo vṛṇīta yaśaḥ śūraḥ prāṇairapi sadā bhuvi

who had no equal in valour anywhere on earth, who as a hero chose fame even above his life, always, in this world,

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is CE 11.27.10a and line 2 is the CE star line 11.27.10b*0073_01 (yo 'vṛṇīta yaśaḥ śūraḥ prāṇair api sadā bhuvi). Wikisource prints वृणीत (no avagraha / augment) where the star line has 'vṛṇīta; read as "chose". Speaker: Kunti, as verse 8.

Verse 12 (11.27.12)

कर्णस्य सत्यसन्धस्य सङ्ग्रामेष्वपलायिनः । कुरुध्वमुदकं तस्य भ्रातुरक्लिष्टकर्मणः ॥

karṇasya satyasandhasya saṅgrāmeṣvapalāyinaḥ | kurudhvamudakaṃ tasya bhrāturakliṣṭakarmaṇaḥ

perform the water offering for Karna, true to his word, who never fled in battle, your brother of untiring deeds.

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is CE 11.27.10c (satyasaṃdhasya śūrasya saṃgrāmeṣv apalāyinaḥ, with karṇasya for śūrasya) and line 2 is CE 11.27.11a. Speaker: Kunti, as verse 8.

Verse 13 (11.27.13)

स हि वः पूर्वजो भ्राता भास्करान्मय्यजायत । कुण्डली कवची शूरो दिवाकरसमप्रभः ॥

sa hi vaḥ pūrvajo bhrātā bhāskarānmayyajāyata | kuṇḍalī kavacī śūro divākarasamaprabhaḥ

He was your eldest brother, born to me from the Sun, wearing earrings and armour, a hero with a splendour like the sun's.

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is CE 11.27.11c and line 2 is CE 11.27.11e (kuṇḍalī kavacī śūro divākarasamaprabhaḥ). Speaker: Kunti, as verse 8.

Verse 14 (11.27.14)

श्रुत्वा तु पाण्डवाः सर्वे मातुर्वचनमप्रियम् । कर्णमेवानुशोचन्तो भूयश्चात्यातुरा भवन् ॥

śrutvā tu pāṇḍavāḥ sarve māturvacanamapriyam | karṇamevānuśocanto bhūyaścātyāturā bhavan

Hearing their mother's painful words, all the Pandavas grieved for Karna alone and became still more afflicted.

Note on the text: भवन् stands for अभवन् (augmentless form; the page's gloss says अडभाव आर्षः); kept.

Verse 15 (11.27.15)

ततः स पुरुषव्याघ्रः कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः । उवाच मातरं वीरो निःश्वसन्निव पन्नगः ॥

tataḥ sa puruṣavyāghraḥ kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | uvāca mātaraṃ vīro niḥśvasanniva pannagaḥ

Then Yudhishthira, son of Kunti, that hero, tiger among men, sighing like a serpent, spoke to his mother:

Note on the text: Corrected रुन्तीपुत्रो → कुन्तीपुत्रो (misprint in Wikisource; the first letter of कुन्ती is mis-keyed, "son of Kunti"; the CE has kuntīputro).

Verse 16 (11.27.16)

यः शरोर्मिर्ध्वजावर्तो महाभुजमहाग्रहः । तलशब्दप्रणुदितो महारथमहाग्रहः ॥

yaḥ śarormirdhvajāvarto mahābhujamahāgrahaḥ | talaśabdapraṇudito mahārathamahāgrahaḥ

He whose waves were arrows and whose whirlpools were banners, whose great crocodiles were mighty arms, who was lashed by the clap of palms, and whose great crocodiles were great chariot-warriors;

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; the verse is the CE star passage 11.27.13d*0075_01-02, which has महारथमहाह्रदः ("great lake") for Wikisource's महारथमहाग्रहः in line 2; recension variant, Wikisource reading kept. Speaker: Yudhishthira (his reply to his mother, verses 16-26, unheaded; the input carried Vaishampayana over; verse 15 is the narration introducing it).

Verse 17 (11.27.17)

यस्येषुपातमासाद्य कोऽन्यस्तिष्ठेद्धनञ्जयात् । कथं पुत्रो भवत्याः स देवगर्भः पुराऽभवत् । कुण्डली कवची शूरो दिवाकरसमप्रभः ॥

yasyeṣupātamāsādya ko'nyastiṣṭheddhanañjayāt | kathaṃ putro bhavatyāḥ sa devagarbhaḥ purā'bhavat | kuṇḍalī kavacī śūro divākarasamaprabhaḥ

on reaching the fall of whose arrows who but Dhananjaya could stand? How was he, born of a god, once your son: wearing earrings and armour, a hero with a splendour like the sun's?

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match for this verse; lines 1-2 are CE 11.27.14a and 14c (line 1 has कोऽन्यस्तिष्ठेत् for nānyas tiṣṭhet, line 2 भवत्याः for bhavatyām; recension variants). Line 3, printed by the page inside a backtick, repeats CE 11.27.11e (= verse 13, line 2); the backtick is removed and the third line kept, as the page prints it as part of this verse. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 18 (11.27.18)

यस्य बाहुप्रतापेन तापिताः सर्वतो वयम् । तमग्निमिव वस्त्रेण कथं छादितवत्यसि ॥

yasya bāhupratāpena tāpitāḥ sarvato vayam | tamagnimiva vastreṇa kathaṃ chāditavatyasi

By the might of whose arms we were scorched on every side: how could you cover him up, like a fire in a cloth?

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; lines 1-2 are CE 11.27.15a and 15c. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 19 (11.27.19)

यस्य बाहुप्रभावेन वैरमस्मास्वरोचयत् । सुयोधनस्तु तं ज्येष्ठं कथं नोदितवत्यसि ॥

yasya bāhuprabhāvena vairamasmāsvarocayat | suyodhanastu taṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ kathaṃ noditavatyasi

Through the might of whose arms Suyodhana came to like enmity against us: how is it that you never spoke of him, our eldest?

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension): nothing in CE 11.27 or its star passages matches these lines. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 20 (11.27.20)

तथा कर्णं महेष्वासं धार्तराष्ट्रैरुपासितम् । उपासितं यथाऽस्माभिर्बलं गाण्डीवधन्वनः ॥

tathā karṇaṃ maheṣvāsaṃ dhārtarāṣṭrairupāsitam | upāsitaṃ yathā'smābhirbalaṃ gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ

So too Karna, the great archer, was served by the sons of Dhritarashtra, as we have relied on the strength of the wielder of the Gandiva.

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match. Line 1 recasts CE 11.27.15e (yasya bāhubalaṃ ghoraṃ dhārtarāṣṭrair upāsitam); line 2 is the CE star line 11.27.15f*0076_01 (upāsitaṃ yathāsmābhir balaṃ gāṇḍīvadhanvanaḥ), the same words. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 21 (11.27.21)

भूमिपानां च सर्वेषां बलं बलवतां वरः । नान्यः कुन्तीसुतात्कर्णादगृह्णाद्रथिनो रथी ॥

bhūmipānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ balaṃ balavatāṃ varaḥ | nānyaḥ kuntīsutātkarṇādagṛhṇādrathino rathī

He took upon himself the strength of all the kings, the best of the mighty; no other chariot-fighter among chariot-fighters, apart from Karna, Kunti's son, ever did so.

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; line 1 is the CE star line 11.27.15f*0076_02 (bhūmipānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ balaṃ balavatāṃ varaḥ), the same words, and line 2 is CE 11.27.16a. The sense of अगृह्णात् is uncertain. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 22 (11.27.22)

स नः प्रथमजो भ्राता सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरः । असूत तं भवत्यग्रे कथमद्भुतविक्रमम् ॥

sa naḥ prathamajo bhrātā sarvaśastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ | asūta taṃ bhavatyagre kathamadbhutavikramam

He was our eldest brother, best of all who bear weapons: how did you bear him, of marvellous prowess, before the rest of us?

Note on the text: The input found no critical-edition match; lines 1-2 are CE 11.27.16c and 16e. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 23 (11.27.23)

अहो भवत्या मन्त्रस्य गूहनेन वयं हताः । निधनेन हि कर्णस्य पीडितास्तु सबान्धवाः ॥

aho bhavatyā mantrasya gūhanena vayaṃ hatāḥ | nidhanena hi karṇasya pīḍitāstu sabāndhavāḥ

Alas, we have been ruined by your hiding of that secret! With the death of Karna we and our kinsmen are tormented.

Note on the text: Line 1 reads गूहनेन where the CE has pidhānena; the CE star line 11.27.24b*0078_01 has gopanena (same sense). Line 2 reads पीडितास्तु where the CE has pīḍitāḥ sma (recension variants). Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 24 (11.27.24)

अभिमन्योर्विनाशेन द्रौपदेयवधेन च । पाञ्चालानां विनाशेन कुरूणां घातनादपि ॥

abhimanyorvināśena draupadeyavadhena ca | pāñcālānāṃ vināśena kurūṇāṃ ghātanādapi

by the destruction of Abhimanyu and the slaying of the sons of Draupadi, by the destruction of the Panchalas and by the killing of the Kurus as well,

Note on the text: Removed a stray comma after विनाशेन (wiki punctuation). Line 2 differs from the CE (pāñcālānāṃ ca nāśena kurūṇāṃ patanena ca); recension variant. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 25 (11.27.25)

ततः शतगुणं दुःखमिदमापतितं महत् । कर्णमेवानुशोचन्हि दह्याम्यग्नाविवाहितः ॥

tataḥ śataguṇaṃ duḥkhamidamāpatitaṃ mahat | karṇamevānuśocanhi dahyāmyagnāvivāhitaḥ

a grief a hundred times greater than that has now fallen upon me; grieving for Karna alone, I burn like one laid in a fire.

Note on the text: Corrected कर्णमेवानुशोचापि → कर्णमेवानुशोचन्हि (misprint in Wikisource; अनुशोचापि is not a valid form here; the CE has anuśocan hi, "grieving …, I burn"). Line 1 reads इदमापतितं महत् where the CE has idaṃ mām aspṛśad bhṛśam (recension variant). The page's gloss records a variant for line 2 (दग्धामग्नाविवाहुतिम्). Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 26 (11.27.26)

नेह स्म किञ्चिदप्राप्य भवेदपि दिवि स्थितम् । न चेदं वैशसं घोरकं कौरवान्तकरं भवेत् ॥

neha sma kiñcidaprāpya bhavedapi divi sthitam | na cedaṃ vaiśasaṃ ghorakaṃ kauravāntakaraṃ bhavet

Nothing here would have remained unattainable, even if it stood in heaven, and this dreadful slaughter, the end of the Kauravas, would not have come.

Note on the text: Line 1 reads नेह स्म किञ्चिदप्राप्य where the CE has na hi sma kiṃ cid aprāpyam; the page's gloss records the variant न च मे किञ्चिदप्राप्यम्. Recension variant, Wikisource reading kept. Speaker: Yudhishthira, as verse 16.

Verse 27 (11.27.27)

एवं विलप्य बहुलं धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः । व्यरुदच्छनकैः राजंश्चकारास्योदकं प्रभुः ॥

evaṃ vilapya bahulaṃ dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | vyarudacchanakaiḥ rājaṃścakārāsyodakaṃ prabhuḥ

Having lamented at length in this way, Yudhishthira, the king of dharma, wept quietly, O king, and the lord then made the water offering for him.

Note on the text: Line 2 reads व्यरुदच्छनकैः where the CE has vinadañ śanakai (recension variant).

Verse 28 (11.27.28)

ततो विनेदुः सहसा स्त्रियस्ताः खलु सर्वशः । अभितो याः स्थितास्तत्र तस्मिन्नुदककर्मणि ॥

tato vineduḥ sahasā striyastāḥ khalu sarvaśaḥ | abhito yāḥ sthitāstatra tasminnudakakarmaṇi

Then all the women who stood around at that water rite suddenly cried out.

Note on the text: The page has स्त्रियस्ताः; the CE has strīpuṃsāḥ (recension variant).

Verse 29 (11.27.29)

तत आनाययामास कर्णस्य सपरिच्छदाः । स्त्रियः कुरुपतिर्धीमान्भ्रातुः प्रेम्णा युधिष्ठिरः ॥

tata ānāyayāmāsa karṇasya saparicchadāḥ | striyaḥ kurupatirdhīmānbhrātuḥ premṇā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Then wise Yudhishthira, lord of the Kurus, out of love for his brother, had Karna's women brought, with their attendants.

Verse 30 (11.27.30)

स ताभिः सह धर्मात्मा प्रेतकृत्यमनन्तरम् । सर्वं चकार कर्णस्य विधिवद्भूरिदक्षिणम् ॥

sa tābhiḥ saha dharmātmā pretakṛtyamanantaram | sarvaṃ cakāra karṇasya vidhivadbhūridakṣiṇam

Then, together with them, that righteous-souled man performed all the funeral rites for Karna, with full ceremony and rich gifts.

Note on the text: Removed a backtick (wiki mark opening the interpolated passage 30b-31b). Line 1 = CE 11.27.24a; line 2 is the CE star line 11.27.24b*0079_01 (sarvaṃ cakāra karṇasya vidhivad bhūridakṣiṇam), vulgate/star only.

Verse 31 (11.27.31)

स राजा धृतराष्ट्रश्च कृत्वा जलमतन्द्रितः । समुत्ततार गङ्गाया भार्यया सह भारत ॥

sa rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraśca kṛtvā jalamatandritaḥ | samuttatāra gaṅgāyā bhāryayā saha bhārata

And King Dhritarashtra, having done the water-rite without weariness, came up out of the Ganga with his wife, O Bharata.

Note on the text: Removed the stray doubled danda and closing quote mark (wiki marks ending the interpolated passage). Line 1 is the CE star line 11.27.24b*0079_02 (sa rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraś ca kṛtvā jalam atandritaḥ) and line 2 the star line 11.27.24d*0081_01 (samuttatāra gaṅgāyā bhāryayā saha bhārata); vulgate/star only.

Verse 32 (11.27.32)

पापेनासौ मया श्रेष्ठो भ्राता ज्ञातिर्निपातितः । अतो मनसि यद्गुह्यं स्त्रीणां तन्न भविष्यति ॥

pāpenāsau mayā śreṣṭho bhrātā jñātirnipātitaḥ | ato manasi yadguhyaṃ strīṇāṃ tanna bhaviṣyati

Through my sin that noblest of brothers, my own kinsman, was struck down. Therefore what is secret in the minds of women shall not stay hidden.

Note on the text: Removed the opening square bracket (wiki mark; the page prints verses 32-33 in brackets as an interpolation). The lines are the CE star lines 11.27.24b*0080_02-03 (pāpenāsau mayā śreṣṭho bhrātā jñātir nipātitaḥ / ato manasi yad guhyaṃ strīṇāṃ tan na bhaviṣyati); star 24b*0078_02 is a related line. Speaker: Yudhishthira (his words, unheaded and filling the verse; the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 33 (11.27.33)

इत्युक्त्वा स तु गङ्गाया उत्तताराकुलेन्द्रियः । भ्रातृभिः सहितः सर्वैर्गङ्गातीरमुपेयिवान् ॥

ityuktvā sa tu gaṅgāyā uttatārākulendriyaḥ | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ sarvairgaṅgātīramupeyivān

Having said this, he came up out of the Ganga with troubled senses, and, together with all his brothers, went to the bank of the Ganga.

Note on the text: Removed the stray doubled danda and closing square bracket (wiki marks ending the interpolated passage). Loosely parallel to CE 11.27.24c (kṛtvottatāra gaṅgāyāḥ salilād ākulendriyaḥ) and the star line 24d*0082_01 (bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ sarvair gaṅgātīram upāviśat) but worded differently; vulgate reading kept.