Karna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration) (Tamil : Karnan) is one of the central figures in Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the first son of Kunti, and was thus half brother to the Pandavas, and the eldest of them. Although Duryodhana of the Kauravas appoint him king of Anga, his role in the legend far exceeds the importance of a king. He fought for the Kauravas in the great battle at Kurukshetra.
[edit] Birth
The princess Kunti, while young attended to the sage Durvasa for a full year, while he was a guest at her father's palace. The sage was pleased with her service and so he granted her a boon whereby she could call upon any of the gods through a mantra and the god would grant her a son equal to the god in splendour. Unsure of whether the boon would actually be granted, Kunti, while still an unmarried young girl, decided to test the mantra and called upon Lord Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. When Surya appeared before her, she was completely overawed. Bound by the power of the mantra, Surya granted her a son as radiant and strong as his father, although she did not want a child. Through his divine power, Kunti retains her virginity and honor. Thus Karna was born. As Surya's son, Karna is born with an armour ('Kavacha') and a pair of earrings ('Kundala') which are dipped in Amrit the nectar of immortality.
Kunti was now in the embarrassing position of being an unwed mother. Unable to face the world with her divine child, she placed Karna in a basket and floated him down a river with his jewelry, praying fervently that he would be kept safe.[1]
[edit] Upbringing
The child Karna was borne down the river and picked up by King Dhritarashtra's charioteer, Adhiratha, a suta(meaning son of a Kshatriya man and a Brahmin woman). Karna was raised by him and his wife Radha (not the same Radha who was Lord Krishna's Companion at Mathura) as their son and named Vasusena (born with wealth), due to his natural set of armour and earrings. They knew something of his parentage by the jewellery he was found with, and never hid from him the fact that he was not their biological child. He was also known as Radheya because of the name of his mother Radha. His younger brother, Shon, was born to Adiratha and Radha after Karna's arrival.
The bond between Karna and his foster family was one of pure love, respect and affection despite the lack of blood relationship. Adhiratha was honored by Karna in front of all the warrior kind, and Karna lovingly performed his duties as a son and brother within his foster family, despite his rise as king of Anga and the eventual revelation of his true birth.
[edit] Training
As he grew into adulthood, Karna sought to be a warrior - being a Kshatriya and divine at that, it is said to have run in his blood. He correspondingly moved to Hastinapura. He approached Dronacharya, who at that time had established his school and was training the Kuru princes, requesting admission into his school. Drona refused to teach him, as he was a sutaputra. Karna realized his caste would continue to be a barrier in his quest for knowledge. He decided eventually to approach Parashurama himself. He did so, and was accepted as a student by Parashurama, who was under the impression he was a brahmin. Karna is spoken of as a diligent student, whose attention and concentration mirrored Arjuna's. Parashurama trained him, to the point where he declared him his equal in the arts of war and fighting. During his stay in Vishnuavatar Parashurama's hermitage, Karna befriended many Rakshasas, Yakshas, Gandharvas and Nagas.
As Karna's training comes to completion, Parashurama learns the truth. One afternoon, when he is tired, he requests Karna to bring a pillow for him, so he may sleep outside in the shade. Karna instead offers him his lap as a pillow. While Parashurama is asleep, an insect comes by, and alighting on Karna's thigh, bites him. Despite the pain, Karna does not move as it would disturb his Guru. The insect bites deeply into his leg, causing blood to flow out, the warmth and feel of which wakes up Parashurama. He asks Karna how he could withstand the pain and the sight of blood, neither of which brahmins are capable of. He deduces he is a kshatriya, as only they possess the resolve to withstand such pain. He curses Karna, stating that when he requires an astra (divine weapon) the most, he will be unable to recall its incantations. Radheya pleads with him, upon which Parashurama tells him, in a mollified tone, that while his curse is irrevocable, Karna will eventually achieve what he senses as his goal - fame. He tells Karna that eventually, his name will become immortal.
Karna leaves Parashurama's hermitage, and wanders about for some time. One day, seeing something flash by him, he shoots an arrow at it out of reflex reaction. The arrow kills his target which turns out to be another brahmin's cow. Its owner, seeing it dead, curses Karna stating that when he is fighting the most crucial battle of his life with his dearest enemy, his chariot wheel will sink and he will be helpless.
Cursed twice over, Karna returns to his home. He does not tell his family about the curses, merely that his training is complete. Eventually, he decides to seek out a position at the court in Hastinapura.
[edit] King of Anga and Friendship with Duryodhana
Drona held a tournament at Hastinapura, to display the skills of the Kuru princes, whose training was also complete. Arjuna emerges in this tournament as a particularly gifted archer. Karna, who was at that time a member of the audience, decided to challenge Arjuna, who was fairy complacent about his position and ability. He repeated all of Arjuna's feats, to the chagrin of Drona and the Pandavas, and the amazement of Duryodhana. To establish a clear winner, Karna challenges Arjuna to single combat. Drona, however refuses Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom - according to the rules, only a prince may challenge Arjuna who is a prince of the Kuru house. Duryodhana, eldest of the Kauravas, offers Karna the throne of Anga (today's Bhagalpur in Bihar), so that Karna would be a king and thus eligible to participate in the contest. This act is considered one of the few truly noble actions carried out by Duryodhana. When Karna, who is emotionally overcome at this, asks him what he can do to repay him, Duryodhana tells him all he wants is his friendship. "I want your heart" he tells Karna, to which Karna says it is already his.
This event establishes key relationships in the Mahabharata, namely, the strong bond between Duryodhana and Karna, the intense rivalry between Karna and Arjuna, and the enmity in general between the Pandavas as a whole and Karna.
Karna is spoken as a loyal and true friend to Duryodhana. While he was later party to the infamous game of dice to please Duryodhana, he was opposed to it to begin with. Karna disliked Shakuni, and advised Duryodhana continuously to use his prowess and skill to defeat his enemies, rather than deceit and trickery. When the attempt to kill the Pandavas in the house of lac fails, Karna chides Duryodhana in his despondence, telling him the ways of cowards are doomed to failure and exhorting him to be a warrior and obtain what he wants through valour.
As a king, warrior and friend of Duryodhana, Karna became part of the Hastinapura court. He went on to repeat Bheeshma's actions in bringing the princesses of Kashi to Duryodhana as wives, appearing at the Kashi court, seizing the princesses, and challenging the kings and princes to take them from him if they can.
Another story goes that Karna aided Duryodhana in marrying the princess of Chitragandha(not to be confused with Princess Chitrangada of Manipur). In her swayamvar, the princess rejected Duryodhana and was going to garland some other king when the eldest son of Dhritarasthra forcibly lifted and carried her away. The other kings present at the swayamvar pursued Duryodhana. However, Karna defeated them single-handedly.Among the kings present in the princess of Chitragandha's swayamvar were Jarasandha, Shishupala, Dantavakra and Rukmi.
As a token of his appreciation of Karna's valour, Jarasandha is said to have gifted Karna a portion of Magadha (modern day Bihar)
[edit] Military Campaign
During the Pandavas' exile, Karna took upon himself the task of establishing Duryodhana as the World Emperor. Karna commanded an army to different parts of the country to subjugate kings and made them swear allegiance to Duryodhana, the king of Hastinapura or else die in battle. While Karna succeeded in all the battles, subjugating even the allies of the Pandavas, the conquest was not permanent. In this military adventure, Karna is stated to have waged wars and reduced to submission numerous tribes including those of the Kambojas, the Shakas, the Kekayas, the Avantyas, the Gandharas, the Madarakas, the Trigartas, the Tanganas, the Panchalas, the Videhas, the Suhmas, the Angas, the Vangas, the Nishadas, the Kalingas, the Vatsa, theAshmakas, the Rishikas (i.e south-western Rishikas located in Maharashtra) and numerous others including mlecchas and the forest tribes (MBH 8.8.18-20).
[edit] Generosity
Karna is most famous for his generosity, which was said to surpass that of the gods. Following his appointment as king, he took an oath : Anyone who approached him with a request at midday, when he would worship the Sun, would go away with his request fulfilled. He would never let anyone leave empty-handed. This practice contributed to Karna's fame as well as to his downfall, as Indra and Kunti took advantage of it.
Several stories are told as to Karna's generosity. One goes that a brahmin, who required sandalwood to cremate his departed wife, approached Karna for it. It was raining heavily and the brahmin needed dry sandalwood (an alternate version is that there was a shortage of sandalwood in the city). Karna, unable to procure sandalwood from the market, noticed that the pillars of his palace were of sandalwood, and calling for an axe, cut them down to give the brahmin his wood. His palace collapsed, to the consternation of the brahmin, but Karna told him that as a king, he could rebuild it easily.
This legendary generosity also led him to give off his precious earrings and armor to Indra, even though he knew that it would cost him his life. Similarly, he promised Kunti that he would spare the lives of all her children except Arjuna, who he recognised as his only equal in Battle.
[edit] The Swayamvara of Draupadi
Radheya and Duryodhana were both contestants at the swayamwara of Draupadi. Both attempted to shoot the rotating target. Duryodhana shot with great difficulty, owing to the weight of the bow, and missed. Karna however, was skilled enough to lift and string the bow effortlessly. Before he could take aim however, Draupadi spoke out, saying that she would not wed a person from the suta(labour) community. Alternatively, it is said that Lord Krishna performed some maya by which Karna missed the target. Following Arjuna's garlanding Draupadi, the other kings, angry at the 'brahmins' (the Pandavas were in disguise) attack them.However, Arjuna successfully overcame them. Following the revelation of the Pandavas' identity, Karna's feelings of rivalry towards Arjuna further intensify.
[edit] The Game of Dice
Karna was initially opposed to Shakuni's plans, but went along with it to appease Duryodhana. He came up with the idea that the Pandavas and Draupadi be disrobed[citation needed], which leads to one of the most disturbing scenes in the epic. Arjuna, at this point swears an oath to kill him and his kinsmen in combat. [2]
[edit] The Loss of his Armour
Indra, king of the gods (Devas) and father of Arjuna, realized that Karna's armour and earrings were impregnable, which in essence made him invincible in battle. During the Pandavas' exile, when eventual war was imminent, Indra took it upon himself to weaken Karna. He decided to approach Karna as a poor brahmin during his mid-day worship. He knew of Karna's moral policy and that he would never refuse any request of a Brahmin or beggar at that time of the day. Surya, Karna's father and god of the Sun, informed Karna in a dream that Indra would disguise himself as a beggar and ask for Karna's armour and earrings as alms. Surya exhorted him not to give away the two, as with them on his body, he was all-powerful. Karna did not know that Surya was his father. As Surya had predicted, a disguised Indra approached Karna and asked for his kavacha (body armour) and kundala (ear-rings) as alms. Karna knew that the armour and ear-rings rendered him practically invulnerabe, but nevertheless gave them away. Indra, struck by Karna's genuine kindness, offered Karna the ability to use Indra's most powerful weapon, the Vasavi shakti, but only once. It is at this point, that the name of 'Karna' is given to him, as he cut away the armour from his body without flinching.
[edit] Kunti and Karna
Kunti, fearing the war, approached Karna and revealed her identity as his mother to him. The two share a touching moment together, when she tells him to throw aside the name 'Radheya' and call himself 'Kaunteya' (Kunti's firstborn) instead, and he replies that that is what he has wanted all his life. Upon her requesting him to come with her however, a request that Surya himself reinforces from the sky, Karna refuses.
Karna owes Duryodhana too much. He tells Kunti, that, had she been willing to call him Kaunteya many years ago, when he appeared at the tournament, things might have been different, but now it is too late to do so. He is Duryodhana's friend first and foremost, and must fight the Pandavas. However, he promises her that he will not kill any of the five, save Arjuna. He and Arjuna have sworn to kill each other, and one of them must die. He tells Kunti she can only dream of six sons. She will always have five sons.
Kunti rejected Karna as her son not only just after birth but also at the time when he was humiliated by Pandava’s as sutaputra at a tournament. Throughout the epic, even though she wanted to, she didn’t acknowledge the fact that he is her son until after the battle (and his death).
[edit] The Great War: Kurukshetra
Karna was debarred from fighting by Bheeshma, who refused to fight alongside or command him. He enters the battlefield on the 11th day, Bheeshma having fallen on the 10th.
On the fifteenth day of battle, Drona was killed, and Karna became commander-and-chief of the Kaurava forces. During the course of war Karna defeated almost all major Pandava warriors other than Arjuna at least once. However, he himself was defeated or forced to withdraw from battle by Bhima on at least four separate occasions.[citation needed]
Finally, on the 17th day, Karna fell, dying at the hands of Arjuna.
[edit] The thirteenth day
On the thirteenth day of the battle, Dronacharya (Drona) organized a special formation for the phalanxes called the Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha. Only Krishna and Arjuna on the Pandavas' side knew how to break the scheme; however both were purposely taken away from the battle field by two kings on Duryodhana's side. Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son had partial knowledge of the formation having heard it when he was in his mother's womb when Arjuna, his father, was narrating the Chakravyuha arrangement to his mother, Subhadra, but could not hear all the information as his mother fell asleep in Arjuna's lap. Hence he could enter the Chakravyuha, but did not know how to exit it. It was decided that Abhimanyu would lead the Pandavas into the Chakravyuha and then they would fight their way out. No one that day was able to defeat Abhimanyu, who had entered the Chakravyuha a circular arrangement of soldiers. But Jayadratha, a king in the Kaurava army, prevented the other Pandavas from entering the formation. Abhimanyu was left all alone in the middle of the enemy formation. Once inside, he fought valiantly and single handedly defeated almost all reputed generals of the Kauravas including Karna, Drona and Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Karna chose to gang up on Abhimanyu as per the instructions of Drona. Karna shot arrows that broke Abhimanyu's bow and the reins of his chariot, while the Kauravas ganged up on him. The battle ends with Abhimanyu's death. His father, Arjuna takes up a terrible pledge to kill Jayadratha, or he would sacrifice his own life.
[edit] The night of the 14th day
On the fourteenth day, the battle uncharacteristically spilled over into the night and Ghatotkacha, the half-asura son of the Pandava Bhima began decimating the Kaurava forces (Asuras became extraordinarily powerful at night). Upon Duryodhana's repeated entreaties, Karna was forced to use the Shakti weapon on Ghatotkacha. This had been granted to him by Indra as a mark of respect for his peerless generosity. However, Indra allowed Karna to use the weapon only once, after which it would return to Indra. Karna was now without that weapon and his impregnable armour and earrings. Now Karna did not have a divine weapon that was a serious threat to Arjuna and would have to rely primarily on his skills and prowess to take on Arjuna, who was equipped with a wider range of divine weaponry.
[edit] The Seventeenth day
On the seventeenth day of battle, Karna finally was given the opportunity to encounter Arjuna in combat. They were evenly matched during the spectacular combat. Karna had been gifted a bow by Parashurama called Vijaya(pinakin), one designed by Vishwakarma himself. At Duryodhana's request, Shalya, who was a maternal uncle to Pandavas, agreed to drive his chariot, hence he had a charioteer to equal Krishna (Shalya had mastered the Ashwahridaya - "Art of Horses")
Without the Shakti weapon, Karna had no particular way to kill Arjuna. He had to rely upon his own garnered skill. In a wondrous, intense display of amazing archery, valour and courage, Karna and Arjuna engaged and exhausted all their brilliance, knowledge and passion. Karna devised an intelligent strategy based upon his personal prowess. He stunned Arjuna with a powerful volley that struck his chest. And the instant in which Arjuna was dazzled, Karna let loose another powerful volley intended at killing his powerful foe. King Shalya of Madra, Karna's charioteer (Shalya, who was the uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva, had been tricked into fighting on the Kaurava side, but had promised Yudhisthira that he would not allow Karna to kill Arjuna), told Karna to aim the arrow at Arjuna's chest. However, Karna said that he never took battle advice from another king, and aimed the arrow at Arjuna's head. But Lord Krishna came to his friend and devotee's rescue, plunging the chariot into the earth by his power, causing the fatal arrow to miss Arjuna by a few miserable inches and strike Arjuna's crown instead.
During the course of combat, one of the Karna's chariot wheels got stuck in loose soil, apparently because of a curse put on Karna by the Brahmin. King Shalya, who was his charioteer, refused to get down and remove the wheel from the mud . Hence Karna asked Arjuna to disengage in combat, while he got off his chariot and removed the wheel from the mud. Arjuna agreed. Then Krishna instructed Arjuna to break the code of conduct and shoot Karna while he lifted his wheel out of the mud. Karna's wheel would not budge and the curse of Parashurama ensured that he could not recall the mantras for any of his astras. Arjuna was reminded of Karna's lack of mercy when Abhimanyu was similarly left without a chariot or weapons.
All of Arjuna's tears, pain and anger swelled up within him as he aimed the fatal shaft Anjalika at a desperate Karna, beheading him. Karna's combat with Arjuna fulfilled Parashurama's curse as well as the other Brahmin's curse on Karna.
[edit] After Karna's death
After Karna's death, Kunti informed the Pandavas that she was Karna's mother and that he was the eldest of the Pandavas. The Pandavas grieved for Karna. Yudhisthira, particularly, was incensed on hearing that his mother had kept secret from him and his brothers Karna's true identity, whom it would have been their duty in life to serve and revere as their elder, as his four brothers had served and revered him. He cursed all women, stating that henceforth they would never be able to keep a secret.
Karna remains a tragic figure for millions of Hindus and Indians to this day. He remains a brave hero, a courageous spirit who braved impossible odds in his whole life, and died with terrific courage, valor and honor, to rise to immortality in fame.
[edit] Contrast with Arjuna
There are many parallels between Arjuna and Karna. Both were master archers, and competed for Draupadi's hand. A deeper connection lies in the fact that the two felt strong ties to the Kaurava side, both through friendship and through blood. Karna's ride with Krishna is very similar to the Sacred Bhagavad Gita, in which Krishna reminded Arjuna of his duty. Their decisions, along with the consequences to themselves and their families, are used to emphasize the importance of following duty, as Krishna expounded.
Both Karna and Arjun carry a few blemishes to their name. While Karna's treatment of Draupadi, and role in the killing of Abhimanyu have marred his reputation, Arjun is detested for egging Drona to cut off Eklavya's thumb, to break rules of war and shoot at an unarmed Karna, and to use Shikhandi as a cover when attacking Grand-Sire Bhisma.
[edit] Cultural References
Bhasa, the great Sanskrit poet and playwright, who lived around 500 BC, wrote a play, Karna Bhara, based on the Tragedy of Karna's life. This has become popular and has been staged in many languages, including the original Sanskrit[2][3]
Rashmirathi (रश्मिरथी), meaning 'the Sun's charioteer', is one of the most popular works of the great Hindi poet, Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' which depicts the life of Karna.
Another very famous modern book named "Mrityunjaya" (The story about Karna) explains Karna's whole life including the strength of his character and gives detailed interpretations of incidents that took place in Mahabharata. In Mrityunjaya, Karna's ethics, morals and policies are depicted. This is a unique book in which the whole epic is devoted to one character.
In the popular 80s TV series Mahabharat, Karna was portrayed by television actor Pankaj Dheer.
[edit] Notes
- ^ This birth story bears close resemblence to other myths, sharing common motifs of virginal birth, divine conception, exposure to the river, and rearing by animals. For a detailed comparison of hero births, including Sargon, Moses, Karna, Oedipus, Paris, Telephus, Perseus, Romulus, Gilgamesh, Cyrus, Jesus, and others, reference:
Rank, Otto. The Myth of the Birth of the Hero. Vintage Books: New York, 1932. - ^ A synopsis of the play
- ^ [1], A short clip of the play in Sanskrit, with Malayalam actor Mohanlal playing the role of Karna. The scene in the clip is the one where Karan gifts his kavacha to Indra.
[edit] References
- Sawant, Shivaji (author), "Mrityunjaya". {English Version: "Mrityunjaya, the death conqueror: The story of Karna" - ISBN 81-7189-002-4}
| The Mahabharata by Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Kuru Dynasty | Others |
| Santanu | Ganga | Bhishma | Satyavati | Chitrāngada | Vichitravirya | Ambika | Ambalika | Vidura | Dhritarashtra | Gandhari | Shakuni | Subhadra | Pandu | Kunti | Madri | Yudhisthira | Bhima | Arjuna | Nakula | Sahadeva | Duryodhana | Dushasana | Yuyutsu | Dushala | Draupadi | Hidimbi | Ghatotkacha | Ahilawati | Uttara | Ulupi | Chitrāngadā | Amba | Barbarika | Babruvahana |Iravan | Abhimanyu | Parikshita | Virata | Kichak | Kripa | Drona | Ashwatthama | Ekalavya | Kritavarma | Jarasandha | Satyaki | Mayasura | Durvasa | Sanjaya | Janamejaya | Vyasa | Karna | Jayadratha | Krishna | Balarama | Drupada | Hidimba | Dhristadyumna | Shalya | Adhiratha | Shikhandi |
| Other | |
| Pandava | Kaurava | Hastinapura | Indraprastha | Kingdoms | Kurukshetra war | Bhagavad Gita | |
- 'The Mahabharata' by Smt. Kamala Subramaniam, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Press.
- Shri Krishna,T.V Serial by the Late Shri Ramanand Sagar.
- B.R.Chopra's MAHABHARAT
