Karna

Karna in Javanese Wayang

This article is about a figure in Mahābhārata. For other uses, see Karna (disambiguation).

Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration) is one of the central characters of the Mahābhārata. He was born to Kunti, much before her marriage with Pandu. He is described a close friend of Duryodhana. Karna fought on his behalf against the Pandavas - his brothers- at the Kurukshetra war. He was the son of Surya the Sun-god.

Birth As a Result of Immaculate Conception

Karna's birth occurred, as a result of the immaculate conception granted to his mother Kunti, by his father the solar deity Surya. Karna was born, before his mother's marriage to prince Pandu. When Kunti was young, the sage Durvasa visited her father's palace. She served the sage with utmost care for an entire year. Pleased by her service and hospitality, the sage foresaw her future difficulty after marriage of not having a child through Pandu, and hence granted her a boon to overcome this difficulty. By this boon she could call upon any god of her choice, and beget a child. Out of curiosity, Kunti still being unmarried, decided to test the power of the boon. She invoked the mantra and called Surya. Bounded by the power of the mantra, Surya appeared before her and granted her a son, who was as radiant and robust as Surya himself. This baby was born with an armour ('Kavacha') and a pair of earrings ('Kundala') attached to him. Though Kunti retained her virginity, unwilling to face the world as an unwed mother, she abandoned Karna by putting him in a box and setting him afloat on the holy river Ganga.

Upbringing

The child Karna was brought down by the river and picked up by Adhiratha-- a charioteer of king Dhritarashtra. He and his wife Radha raised Karna as their own son and named him as Vasusena. Karna also came to be known as Radheya - son of Radha (his foster mother). The bond between Karna and his foster parents was filled with pure love, respect and affection. Karna lovingly performed his duties as their son, despite his rise as a king of Anga and the eventual revelation of his true birth. Thus, Karna remained faithful and loyal to his foster parents till his death.

Training

As he grew up, Karna became more interested to learn the art of warfare than to ride a chariot like his father Adhirata. Karna meets Dronacharya, who at that moment of time was an established teacher in the art of warfare. Dronacharya used to teach the entire Kuru princes. But, he refuses Karna as his student, since Karna was a son of a charioteer. Further, Drona wants to teach only the Kshatriyas, a warrior class.

Karna eventually approaches Parashurama, who was known to teach anyone except the Kshatriyas. Karna appears before him as a Brahmin and requests that he be taken as his student. Parashurama accepts him and trains him to such a point, that he declares Karna to be equal to Parasurama himself in the art of warfare and archery. Thus, Karna becomes a diligent student of Parashurama.

Various curses imparted to Karna

Karna gets cursed by his guru Parashurama, a Brahmin and the Earth goddess as described below:

As Karna's training came to completion, Parashurama learned the truth about Karna's origin. One afternoon, he requested Karna to bring a pillow for him to sleep on in a tree's shade. Karna instead offered his teacher his lap. While Parashurama was asleep, a bee stung Karna's thigh. Despite the excruciating pain, Karna did not move so as to not disturb his Guru's sleep. As the stinger bored deeper into Karna's thigh, the wound began to bleed. Parashurama was woken up by the blood from Karna's thigh. He deduced at once that Karna was a Kshatriya and not a Brahmin, as only a Kshatriya would possess the ability to withstand such pain with high patience. Thus, Parashurama, who had sworn vengeance against all Kshatriyas, concluded that Karna lied about being a Brahmin in order to learn from him. So, he cursed Karna that his martial skill including the use of Brahmastra would desert him when he needed them most. This in turn meant that Karna will forget all that he had learnt from Parashurama during his hour of crisis. Karna, who was himself unaware of his royal lineage, pleaded with his Guru that any student in his place would have acted the same way. While he regretted cursing Karna in a moment of anger, Parashurama's curse was irrevocable. He, gifted Karna the Vijaya - Parashurama's personal bow - and blessed him that in the end, Karna would achieve what he wanted the most- an everlasting glory. Some folklore also tells that, it was Lord Indra himself who took the form of a bee to sting Karna's thigh, to expose his intrinsic identity that he was a Kshatriya.

Departing from Parashurama's ashram, Karna wandered for some time. On his way, he mistook a cow for a wild animal and shot an arrow at it and killed it. Incensed by this incident, the Brahmin who owned the cow cursed him, stating that as he had killed an helpless animal, Karna too would be killed in the same way when he was most helpless.

Andhra folklore further states that on his way, Karna encountered a child who was crying over her pot of spilt ghee. On asking her the reason for her dismay, she stated that she feared her step mother who would be angry over her carelessness. Being generous enough Karna tells her that he will give her new ghee. But, the child insists that she wanted only the ghee that was mixed with the soil and refuses to take the new ghee. Taking pity on the girl, Karna started to take the soil mixed with ghee in his fist and squeezes his hand to extract the ghee and pour it back in to the pot. During this process, Karna hears a painful voice of a woman from his hand. When he opens his fist, he finds that it was Bhoomadevi- the Earth goddess. Angered with pain, she criticises Karna for inflicting enormous pain to mother earth just for the sake of a mere child. So, the Earth goddess curses him that in a very crucial battle of his life, she will hold his chariot wheel in the same way he held the fistful of soil thereby making him vulnerable to his enemy.

Thus, Karna is cursed on three separate and independent occasions. Unfortunately, each of these curses becomes operational at the same crucial moment in the Kurukshetra war later making him weaponless, without a chariot and helpless.

King of Anga and Friendship with Duryodhana

Drona held a tournament at Hastinapura, to display the skills of the Kuru princes. Arjuna emerged in this tournament as a particularly gifted archer. Karna arrived at the tournament and after surpassing Arjuna's feats, challenged him to a duel. Kripacharya refused Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom - according to the rules of dueling, only a prince could challenge Arjuna who was a prince of the Kuru house. Duryodhana, the oldest of the Kauravas, offered Karna the throne of Anga, making him eligible to duel Arjuna. When Karna asks him what he can do to repay him, Duryodhana tells him all he wants is his friendship.

This event establishes key relationships in the Mahābhārata, 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 of as a loyal and true comrade 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 valor. Karna aided Duryodhana in marrying the princess of Chitragandha. In her swayamvara, the princess rejected Duryodhana, who subsequently carried her away by force. The other kings present at the swayamvara pursued Duryodhana. However, Karna defeated them singlehandedly. The defeated included Jarasandha, Shishupala, Dantavakra, Salva and Rukmi. As a token of his appreciation, Jarasandha gifted Karna a portion of Magadha. Bheema defeated Jarasandha with the help of Krishna but it was Karna who defeated Jarasandha earlier singlehandedly. Karna was the first one to expose the weak point of Jarasandha about splitting him in two.

Generosity and Character

Following his accession to Anga's throne, Karna took an oath that anyone who approached him with a request at midday, when he would worship the Sun, would not go away with his request unfulfilled. 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.

The Swayamvara of Draupadi

Karna was a suitor for Draupadi at her swayamvara. Unlike most other contenders, he was easily able to wield and string the bow, but as he was ready to set aim, on Krishna's gesture, Draupadi restrained him from shooting the arrow by calling him a soot-putra (son of a charioteer). The Pandavas were also present in the swayamvara, disguised as brahmanas. Following the failure of the other princes, Arjuna stepped into the ring and successfully tackled the target, winning Draupadi's hand. When Arjuna's identity was later revealed, Karna's feelings of rivalry further intensified.

The Game of Dice

Karna was never happy with Shakuni's plan to defeat the Pandavas by trickery and deceit. He preferred the way of battle and repeatedly cajoled Duryodhana to choose that path. To please Duryodhana, however, he chose to be a part of the game, leading to the infamous "Vastra Haran" incident.

After Shakuni had won the game of dice by trickery, the Pandavas' queen Draupadi was dragged into the court by Duhsassana who, incited by Karna, Duryodhana and his brothers, attempted to strip her. Karna insults Draupadi by saying that a woman with more than four husbands is nothing but a 'whore'.

On the spot, Bhima vows that he will personally slaughter Duryodhana and his brothers in battle. Arjuna subsequently swears to kill Karna.

Military Campaign

During the Pandavas' exile, Karna took upon himself the task of establishing Duryodhana as the Emperor of the World. 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. Karna succeeded in all the battles. In this military adventure, Karna is stated to have waged wars and reduced to submission numerous kingdoms 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, the Ashmakas, the Rishikas and numerous others including mlecchas and the forest tribes. (MBH 8.8.18-20).

Krishna and Karna

Following the failed peace negotiations with Duryodhana, Krishna approaches Karna since Karna is the only hope for Duryodhana to win the battle. He reveals to Karna his identity as the eldest Pandava and asks him to join their side. Krishna assures him that since he is the eldest Pandava, Yudhisthira would most certainly give the crown of Indraprasth to Karna who would become a great king.

Karna refuses the enormous offer because he swore Duryodhana his loyalty and would not abandon him at this crucial point. He also remarks to Krishna that as long as he is with Pandavas on the side of Truth, defeat is certain for himself. Krishna happily laughs, appreciates his sense of loyalty, blesses him and leaves.

The Loss of his Armour

Indra, king of the gods (Devas) and father of Arjuna, realized that Karna would be invincible in battle as long as he had the golden armour suit and earrings that he was born with. During the Pandavas' exile, when 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. . Surya warned Karna of Indra's intentions, exhorting him not to give away his armour and earrings. Karna thanks Surya but explains he is bound by his word and can not send anyone from his door empty handed even if it means his death. As Surya had predicted, a disguised Indra approached Karna and asked for his kavacha (body armour) and kundala (earrings) as alms. Karna readily gives them away, cutting the armor and earrings off his body. Indra, shamed into generosity by Karna's gesture, reciprocates by giving Karna the boon to use Indra's most powerful weapon, the Vasavi shakti, but only once. It is at this point that he earns the name Vaikartana, as he cut the armor off his body without flinching.

Kunti and Karna

As the war approached, Kunti met Karna to reveal his true identity. She told him that she was his mother and that he was her son. Then, both of them shared a touching moment together. She told him to call himself as 'Kaunteya' (son of Kunti) instead of 'Radheya', then Karna replies that he wanted the entire world to recognise him as a Radheya and not as a Kaunteya. Kunti asks Karna to join the Pandavas and become the king. Karna refuses and tells Kunti that had she been willing to call him as Kaunteya many years ago when he appeared at the tournament,then things would have been very different. But it was too late now for him to make this change. He further states that being a friend of Duryodhana, he cannot betray the trust of his friend. However, he promises Kunti that he will not kill any of the Pandavas except Arjuna. Both, Karna and Arjuna have sworn to kill each other, and thus one of them were bound to die. So, he tells Kunti that she can only dream of having five sons- the fifth one being either him or Arjuna. Karna requests his mother to keep their relationship and his royal birth a secret until his death.

Kunti also seeks another promise from Karna of not using an arrow / divine weapon more than once. Karna promises her this too. As a result, Karna could not use the Nagastra weapon more than once in the Kurukshetra war later.

The Great War: Kurukshetra

A manuscript of Mahabharata depicting the war at Kurukshetra.

Before the start of the war, Bhishma, the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava force, does not pick Karna as one of his key generals and instead assigns him to a less significant position (to curb his undue hatred of the Pandavas). Insulted, Karna rebels against Bhishma, and refuses to fight under Bhishma's authority. He is aghast when Duryodhana does not intervene to reinstate him. Duryodhana, the astute politician that he is, knows fully well the advantage of having Bhishma on his side even though the grand patriarch of all the warriors, undefeated for several generations, has openly declared that the Pandavas are also dear to him and that he would not kill them.

Karna enters the battlefield only on the eleventh day after Bheeshma's fall on the tenth.

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 drawn far from the battle field by two kings(brothers who ruled the Trigartha kingdom) 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. However, he could not hear all the information as his mother fell asleep in Arjuna's lap and hence he could enter the Chakravyuha, but did not know how to exit it correctly. It was decided that Abhimanyu would lead the Pandavas into the Chakravyuha and then they would fight their way out.

As soon as Abhimanyu had entered the Chakravyuha, Jayadratha, a king in the Kaurava army, blocked it off, thus preventing 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 all reputed generals of the Kauravas including Karna (discussed in detail later in this article), Drona and Duryodhana.

Duryodhana and Karna chose to assist in the elimination of Abhimanyu as per Drona's instructions. Karna shot arrows that broke Abhimanyu's bow and the reins of his chariot, while the Kauravas overwhelmed him. The battle ended with Abhimanyu's death. Arjuna knowing of his son's death at the hands of Kauravas, pledges to kill Jayadratha before sunset the next day failing which to self immolate and die.

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).

Duryodhana and Karna bravely stood and fought him. Finally when it seemed that Ghatotkacha would decimate all the Kaurava forces that very night, Duryodhana requested Karna to salvage the situation. 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.

The Seventeenth day

Before the seventeenth day, Karna fought with all four Pandavas except Arjuna, defeating even the mighty Bhima in one-on-one combat but leaving them all alive and humiliated. This was due to his promise to Kunti that either he would kill Arjuna, or Arjuna would kill him, thus leaving Kunti with five sons either way.

On the seventeenth day of battle, the much anticipated confrontation between Karna and Arjuna finally takes place. They were evenly matched during the spectacular combat. Karna had been gifted a bow by Parashurama called Vijaya, one designed by Vishwakarma himself. At Duryodhana's request, Shalya, who was a maternal uncle to Pandavas, reluctantly agreed to drive Karna's chariot, as he was a charioteer to equal Lord Krishna (Shalya had mastered the Ashwahridaya - "Art of Horses").

During the battle, when Arjuna's arrows struck Karna's chariot, it moved back by several feet. However, when Karna's arrows struck Arjuna's chariot, it moved back only by a few inches. Upon this, Krishna praised Karna. Astonished, Arjuna asked him the reason for his praise, since his(Arjun's) arrows had been more effective. In response, Krishna told Arjuna that Karna's chariot was bearing only the weight of Karna and Shalya, whereas Arjuna's chariot was bearing the weight of the entire universe (since Krishna and Hanuman were on the chariot)- despite this Karna had been able to move it by inches

Karna and Arjuna fight a long and intense duel, utilizing their full knowledge of divine weaponry and tactics against each other. Karna uses his "Nagastra" and aims it at Arjuna's head in an effort to sever it from Arjuna's body. Lord Krishna saves Arjuna from death at Karna's hands by plunging the chariot into the earth. Due to this, the "Nagastra" just pierces Arjuna's crown. The snake Ashwasena that was present as a Nagastra came before Karna and requested him to reuse "Nagastra" again and that this time it will not spare Arjuna. Karna refused to use this arrow again (due to his second promise to mother Kunti). While the duel is initially held at a stalemate, Karna is hampered when his chariot wheel sinks into the ground (Boomi Devi's curse thus coming into effect). He also finds himself unable to remember the incantations for divine weapons, as his teacher Parashurama had foretold. Descending from his chariot to remove the wheel, he requests Arjuna to wait until it is set right, as per the rules of battle. Krishna tells him that he has no right to refer to the rules at this point, having disregarded them himself when killing Abhimanyu. He urges Arjuna to shoot him while he is helpless (The Brahman's curse comes into effect here). Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that if he does not kill Karna at this critical juncture of the war, he may never kill him, and the Pandavas may never win the war. Using a divine arrow, Arjuna decapitates Karna.

After Karna's death

Following the war, funeral rites were performed for all the fallen. Kunti then requests her sons to perform the rites for Karna as well. When they protest, saying he was a suta, she reveals the truth of his birth. The brothers are shocked to find they have committed fratricide. Yudhishtira in particular is furious with his mother, and curses all women to never be able to keep a secret from that point on.

After the 18-day Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra ends, Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to step down from his chariot.When Arjuna does so,Krishna then takes Arjuna some distance away from the chariot. Then he signals to Lord Hanuman seated on the chariot to get up. The moment Lord Hanuman jumps off the chariot, Arjuna's horses are burnt alive and his chariot explodes into pieces. Seeing this, Arjuna is shocked. Krishna then tells him that the deadly astras of Bheeshma, Drona, Karna and Ashwattama had caused the destruction of Arjuna's horses and chariot. It was Krishna's presence and Hanuman's strength that maintained the chariot in a proper condition by postponing the effects of their divine weapons.

Karna,a true hero

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 life, and died with terrific courage, valor and honor, to rise to immortality. He is especially famous for his generosity. He is also an example of how misjudgement renders all the fine qualities of an individual futile. Many of Hindus consider Karna as a man who fought against his misfortunes throughout his life without a single pause. He never got his due, but never gave up his efforts. Many of his contemporaries including Bheeshma and Lord Krishna conceded Karna was a noble spirit who rarely appears in the human race. He is idealized as an inspiration for the struggling humanity to not lose heart.

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. Their decisions, along with the consequences to themselves and their families, are used to emphasize the importance of doing one's duty, as Krishna expounded in the Bhagavad Gita.

Karna serves as an excellent example of a gifted, generous, righteous and brave individual who was still doomed because of his loyalty towards the evil Duryodhana. Karna's affection for Duryodhana led him to, albeit unwillingly, assist his dear friend in all his actions against the Pandavas. Karna was aware of Duryodhana's malicious plans against the Pandavas. Karna was also aware of his own imminent downfall for assisting the evil against the good. While some maintain that he acquired a blemish to his name by his treatment of Draupadi, others maintain that he was justified since it was Draupadi who first dishonored and humiliated him by unjustly denying him the opportunity to compete at her Swayamvara (despite his superior abilities) and by insulting him with an unprovoked racist epithet (soot-putra - referring to him as being of a lower class background) in order to disqualify him; which was akin to stripping him naked in public and humiliating him, despite being a guest, in front of her father's royal court as well as his peers. Karna simply returned the favor to Draupadi at an opportune time rendering his role in this incident, morally neutral. However, his role in the killing of the unarmed and outnumbered Abhimanyu can be interpreted as an act that more directly damaged him as an honorable warrior and doomed him to a similar fate. According to some interpretations of the Mahabharata, it was this deed that solidified Karna's status as a warrior on the wrong side of the war and sealed his fate of being killed by Arjuna despite being unarmed and with his back turned.

References

• Mahābhārata: Karna, by Adam Bowles. Published by NYU Press, 2006. ISBN 0814799817.
• The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahābhārata, by Kevin McGrath. Published by BRILL, 2004. ISBN 9004137297.
• Rashmirathi (The Sun Charioteer) by Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' - A Poetic rendering of Karna's life, his dharma, his friendship and the tragedies (in Hindi)
• Shivaji Sawant(author), "Mrityunjaya"(Marathi). {English Version: "Mrityunjaya, the death conqueror: The story of Karna" - ISBN 81-7189-002-4}
• 'The Mahabharata' by Smt. Kamala Subramaniam, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Press.
• Shri Krishna,T.V Serial by the Late Shri Ramanand Sagar.

External Links

• Karna story