01.104
Core-Pancharatra: Kunti's boon and her Son.
Vaiśampāyana said:
Śūra, the foremost among the Yadus and father of Vasudeva, had a daughter named Pṛthā, unmatched in beauty on earth.
He, the mighty one, gave her to his paternal cousin who was childless, having promised in advance that his own powerful offspring would be given.
Thus, desiring to bestow the highest favor on his friend, he gave that first-born maiden to the great-souled Kuntibhoja.
She was appointed in her father's house to worship gods and guests, and served a fierce and terrible Brahmin of firm vows.
Whom they knew as Durvāsas, of hidden resolve in righteousness, him — the fierce and self-disciplined — she pleased with all efforts.
The sage, considering duty in distress, gave her a mantra endowed with magical potency and indeed instructed her.
Whichever god you invoke with this mantra, by his grace you will obtain a son.
Thus instructed by the sage, the illustrious maiden, being chaste, out of curiosity invoked the Sun god.
She saw the Sun, the nourisher of the world, approaching, and being flawless in form, was amazed at that great wonder.
The radiant Sun deposited a seed in her womb, and she gave birth to a hero — the best among all warriors, naturally clad in armor, glorious, god-begotten, and enveloped in splendor.
Karṇa, wearing natural armor and with a face illuminated by earrings, was born — a son renowned in all the worlds.
That supremely radiant being restored her maidenhood and, having done so, the best among givers ascended to heaven.
Fearing her relatives and hiding her transgression, Kuntī abandoned that auspiciously marked boy in the water.
The greatly renowned husband of Rādhā, son of a charioteer, accepted that abandoned infant as his son, along with his wife.
The two gave that boy the name Vasuṣeṇa, saying, “Born with a Vasu, i.e. wealth, let him be called Vasuṣeṇa.”
As he grew up, he became strong and skilled in all weapons, and the mighty one approached the Sun due to the burning of his back.
At that time, the hero, firm in truth, sat reciting, and there was nothing he would refuse to the Brāhmaṇas.
Indra, assuming the form of a Brāhmaṇa and desiring alms, the nourisher of beings, of great splendor, requested from him his earrings and armor.
Sorrowfully cutting off the bleeding armor from his own body and severing his earrings, Karṇa gave them with joined palms.
Indra, amazed, gave him a missile and said, “Among gods, demons, men, Gandharvas, serpents, and Rākṣasas — whomever you hurl this at in anger, he shall not survive.”
Formerly his name was Vasuṣeṇa, as is heard; but by that act, Karṇa became known as Vaikartana — one born of cutting.
