वैशम्पायन उवाच एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु धृतराष्ट्रस्य वै सखा। सूतोऽधिरथ इत्येव सदारो जाह्नवीं ययौ॥
Vaishampayana said : At this time one Adhiratha of the Suta tribe and a friend of Dhritarashthra's accompanied by his wife came to the Jahnavi (Ganga).
तस्य भार्याभवद् राजन् रूपेणासदृशी भुवि। राधा नाम महाभागा न सा पुत्रमविन्दत॥
O monarch, his wife named Radha was peerless in beauty on earth. That highly fortunate lady had no son.
अपत्यार्थे परं यत्नमकरोच्च विशेषतः। सा ददर्शाथ मञ्जूषामुह्यमानां यदृच्छया॥
Although, she made the very best endeavours to obtain one. She, then, beheld drifting along the stream, a basket.
दत्तरक्षाप्रतिसरामन्वालम्भनशोभनाम्। ऊर्मीतरङ्गैर्जाह्नव्याः समानीतामुपह्वरम्॥
Containing things preventive of dangers and dyed with saffron. And (that basket) was carried before her by the waves of the Janhavi.
सा तु कौतूहलात् प्राप्तां ग्राहयामास भाविनी। ततो निवेदयामास सूतस्याधिरथस्य वै॥
And that lady, impelled by curiosity had it seized. She then told all to Adhiratha of the Suta caste.
स तामुद्धृत्य मञ्जूषामुत्सार्य जलमन्तिकात्। यन्त्रैरुद्धाटयामास सोऽपश्यत् तत्र बालकम्॥
He (Adhiratha) then carried the basket from the water-side and had it opened by instruments. And therein he teheld a boy.
तरुणादित्यसंकाशं हेमवर्मधरं तथा। मृष्टकुण्डलयुक्तेन वदनेन विराजता॥
(Beautiful) as the morning sun, clad in a golden armour and with a beautiful face adorned with brilliant ear-rings.
स सूतो भार्यया सार्धं विस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचनः। अङ्कमारोप्य तं बालं भार्यां वचनमब्रवीत्॥
That Suta together with his wife with eyes expanded in wonder, took the infant on his lap and spoke these words to her.
इदमत्यद्भुतं भीरु यतो जातोऽस्मि भाविनी। दृष्टवान् देवगर्भोऽयं मन्येऽस्मान् समुपागतः॥
"O timid lady, since my very birth I have never witnessed such a marvel. I think, this boy that has come to us, is begotten by a celestials,
अनपत्यस्य पुत्रोऽयं देवैर्दत्तो ध्रुवं मम। इत्युक्त्वा तं ददौ पुत्रं राधायै स महीपते॥
Surely, considering that I have no son, the gods have sent this child to me.” O lord of the earth, saying this, he made over the child to Radha.
प्रतिजग्राह तं राधा विधिवद् दिव्यरूपिणम्। पुत्रं कमलगर्भामं देवगर्भं श्रिया वृतम्॥
Thereupon, Radha duly adopted that body of celestials appearance and birth, endued with the splendour of the filaments of lotuses and possessed of excellent grace.
पुपोष चैनं विधिवद् ववृधे स च वीर्यवान्। ततः प्रभृति चाप्यन्ये प्रभावन्नौरसाः सुताः॥
She brought him properly up and that mighty boy too began to grow up. Since that time he (Adhiratha) had other sons begotten by him.
वसुवर्मधरं दृष्ट्वा तं बालं हेमकुण्डलम्। नामास्य वसुषेणेति ततश्चक्रुर्द्विजातयः॥
The twice-born ones seeing the boy ciad in a golden armour and adorned with golden earrings called him Vasusena.
एवं स सूतपुत्रत्वं जगामामितविक्रमः। वसुषेण इति ख्यातो वृष इत्येव च प्रभुः॥
Thus did the boy of immeasurable strength and splendour come to be known as the son of a charioteer and was styled Vasusena and Vrisha.
सूतस्य ववृधेऽङ्गेषु श्रेष्ठः पुत्रः स वीर्यवान्। चारेण विदितश्चासीत् पृथया दिव्यवर्मभृत्॥
That the powerful child, clad in celestials armour (known as) the eldest son of the charioteer (Adhiratha) was growing up in the country of the Angas, was known to Pritha through her spies.
सूतस्त्वधिरथः पुत्रं विवृद्धं समयेन तम्। दृष्ट्वा प्रस्थापयामास पुरं वारणसाह्वयम्॥
When the charioteer saw that his son in course of time had grown up, he sent him to the city of Hastina.
तत्रोपसदनं चक्रे द्रोणस्येष्वस्त्रकर्णमि। सख्यं दुर्योधनेनैवमगमत् स च वीर्यवान्॥
There the powerful youth lived with Drona in order to learn weapons and made friends with Duryodhana.
द्रोणात् कृपाच्च रामाच्च सोऽस्त्रग्रामं चतुर्विधम् लब्ध्वा लोकेऽभवत् ख्यातः परमेष्वासतां गतः॥
Having obtained from Drona, Kripa and Rama (i.e. Parashurama), all the four kinds of weapons, he (Karna) became celebrated in the world as a great bowman.
संधाय धार्तराष्ट्रेण पार्थानां विप्रिये रतः। योद्धमाशंसते नित्यं फाल्गुनेन महात्मना॥
Having contracted a friendship with the son of Dhritarashtra, he became hostile to the Parthas and was always desirous of fighting with the high-souled Falguna.
सदा हि तस्य स्पर्धाऽऽसीदर्जुनेन विशाम्पते। अर्जुनस्य च कर्णेन यतो दृष्टो बभूव सः॥
And O lord of the earth, since they first saw each other, he (Karna) challenged Arjuna and Arjuna too challenged him.
एतद् गुह्यं महाराज सूर्यस्यासीन्न संशयः। यः सूर्यसम्भवः कर्णः कुन्त्यां सूतकुले तथा॥
And O great king, that Karna begotten by him on Kunti was growing up in the race of the Sutas, was, no doubt known to Surya.
तं तु कुण्डलिनं दृष्ट्वा वर्मणा च समन्वितम्। अवध्यं समरे मत्वा पर्यतप्यद् युधिष्ठिरः॥
Seeing that he was furnished with armour and ear-rings, Yudhishthira was much pained thinking that he was unslayable in battle.
यदा च कर्णो राजेन्द्र भानुमन्तं दिवाकरम्। स्तौति मध्यन्दिने प्राप्ते प्राञ्जलिः सलिले स्थितः॥ तत्रैनमुपतिष्ठन्ति ब्राह्मणा धनहेतुना। नादेयं तस्य तत्काले किञ्चिदस्ति द्विजातिषु॥
O king of kings, when at noon Karna rose from the water and worshipped the author of the day possessed of rays with joined palms, the Brahmanas prayed to him for riches. And at that time there was nothing that he would not bestow on the twice-born ones.
तमिन्द्रो ब्राह्मणो भूत्वा भिक्षां देहीत्युपस्थितः। स्वागतं चेति राधेयस्तमथ प्रत्यभाषत॥
(For this reason) disguised as a Brahmana Indra came to him and said "give me alms." And the son of Radha replied to him "you are welcome."