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'Karna' (Sanskrit: कर्ण written ''Karṇa'' in IAST transliteration) 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. He is India's first 'tragic hero'.
[1]. As such, the name Karna (and various other spellings) is a common Indian first name.
Upbringing
The child Karna was borne down the river and picked up by King Dhritarashtra's charioteer, Adhiratha, a suta. 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.
Karna also had a brother named Kshon, the son of Adhiratha & Radha. Karna was not aware of the origin of Kavach & Kundal. He used to inquire from his mother as to why only he had Kavach and Kundal while Kshon did not.
Karna found about the true nature of the Kavach & Kundal one day while he was playing with a bow & arrow. No matter how hard he tried, Karna was unable to harm himself.
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 challenged Arjuna to a duel. However, Kripacharya,well versed in the rules of single combat 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, the oldest of the Kauravas, offers Karna the throne of Anga (today's Bhagalpur in Bihar), so that Karna would be a king and thus be 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.
He defeated Jarasandha in a wrestling duel and as a token of his appreciation of Karna's valour, Jarasandha is said to have gifted Karna a portion of Magadha (modern day Bihar.). The same Jarasandha was later defeated by Bheema (another Pandava prince) in a wrestling combat that lasted 18 days. interestingly Karna defeated same Jarasandha in less than one day)Krishna himselff termed Jarasandha as one of the most valiant warrior on earth with a capacity to defeat all. Karna not only defeated him in wrestling but also in archery.
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).
He had conquered many of the Central Asian countries. This was one of the reason why there is references of most of the foreigners like Yavanas(Greeks)etc.. who has praticipated in that ancient war on the side of Duryodhana. Mahabharata actually means Greater India.
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.
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. He knew that Indra would take advantage of his generousity, as the Sun, father of him, warned him previously about Indra's plan. When Karna gave Indra his earrings and armor, he asked in return the Ekpurushghatini Astra, or sometimes referred as Vasabi Shakti, a divine weapon which can be used only once and will surely kill one enemy, to kill Arjuna in the battlefield. Similarly, he promised Kunti that he would spare the lives of all her children except Arjuna, who he recognized as his only equal in Battle.
The Swayamvara of Draupadi
When Duryodhana heard about some swayamwara is going on in Panchaal. He thought that he would easily won this swayamwara & bring Yagyasena (Dropadi). But when He got to know about the conditions of the swayamwara, he knew that he won't be able to hit the target -- the eye of the fish suspended above while aiming at its reflection in the water below. So he decided to take Karna with him in his entourage, as his best hope to win the contest.
When the other challengers, including Duryodhana and his brothers, failed to hit the target, Karna entered the arena to salvage the pride of the Kauravas. He deftly lifted the bow, strung it, and took aim. At that moment, Draupadi spoke out, that she would not marry a suta putra.
Karna, furious over the insult, storms out of the arena. The Pandavas were also present in the svayamvara, disguised as brahmanas. After all the assembled kings had failed to hit the target, the contest is thrown open. Arjuna then steps up and shoots down the target easily. The other kings, upset that a 'brahmana' had won the top prize in the royal contest, attacked the Pandavas. However, Bhima and Arjuna easily defeated them all. Following the revelation of the Pandavas' identity, Karna's feelings of rivalry towards Arjuna further intensified.
The Game of Dice
Karna was never happy with Shakuni's plan to defeat the Pandavas by trickery and deceit. He always preferred the valiant way of battle instead and many times cajoled Duryodhana to choose that path. However Duryodhana, more a politician than warrior, did not feel too confident about his chances against Bhima and Arjuna in open battle, and went along with Shakuni's idea of using deception. Due to his obligation and bond of friendship with Duryodhana, Karna was forced to condone the misdeeds of the Kauravas. Thus by prolonged association with the wicked and evil-minded, the high-born and noble-hearted Karna eventually brought about his own ruin.
After Shakuni had won the game of dice by trickery, the Pandavas' queen Draupadi was dragged into the court by Duhsassana who attempted to strip her, incited by Karna, Duryodhana and his wicked brothers. When Draupadi's appeals for help went unheeded, even by the great Bhishma, she finally takes refuge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna and prayed fervently to the Lord for help. Krishna manifests His Omnipotence by covering her in an endless loop of sari cloth, thus protecting chaste Draupadi's honour. Duhssana collapses in exhaustion, his wicked efforts thwarted.
On the spot, Bhima vows that he will personally slaughter Duryodhana and his brothers in battle. Arjuna vows that he will kill Karna. Thus by wrong association, Karna became an accessory in the sinful acts of the Kauravas, and incurred the wrath of the divine and saintly Pandavas. As will be seen later on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna will recall Karna's active role in this incident, and also Bhishma's passive stance.
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. 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. Karna's father, the Sun god Surya, 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 his protection. Karna, who did not know that Surya was his father, does not heed the warning. As Surya had predicted, a disguised Indra approached Karna and asked for his kavacha (body armour) and kundala (earrings) as alms. Karna, despite knowing that the armour and earrings were his protection, readily gives them away. In fact, he cuts off his birthsuit armour and earrings from his body without flinching. 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.
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, either him or Arjuna.
Karna requests his mother to keep their relationship and his royal birth heritage a secret until his death. Only then she may reveal to the world that he was actually her first born. It is noteworthy that Karna denies to reveal this secret which makes him, the eldest of the Pandavas, rightful emperor.
The Great War: 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 only enters the battlefield on the 11th day, after Bhishma was struck down the previous day.
Bhishma knew that Karna was Son of Kunti. (from Dhanraj Chakraborty book and many books on Karna)
The thirteenth day
On the thirteenth day of the battle, Dronacharya (Drona) organized a special formation for the phalanxes called the Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha. (Chakravyuh and Padmavyuha are 2 different military formations. While Chakravyuh denotes a circular arrangement, Padmavyuh means a lotus formation). 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 assist to eliminate Abhimanyu as per the instructions of Drona. Karna shot arrows that broke Abhimanyu's bow and the reins of his chariot, while the Kauravas overwhelmed him. The battle ends with Abhimanyu's death. His father, Arjuna takes up a terrible pledge to kill Jayadratha the next day before the sunset, or he would sacrifice his own life by self-immolation.
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 with him. Finally when it semmed that Ghatotkacha would decimate all the Kaurava forces that very night, Duryodhana requested Karna to salvage the situation.Thus,he 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.
Still, Karna knew that he must face Arjuna in battle and one of the two would certainly die.
Death of Dronacharya
On the fifteenth day of battle, Dronacharya, the guru of the warriors on both sides, sacrifices his life and Karna is appointed as the commander-and-chief of the Kaurava forces. In individual confrontations on the battlefield, Karna defeats all the Pandavas, except Arjuna, but chooses to spare their lives, keeping his promise to his mother Kunti.
The Seventeenth day
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(pinakin), one designed by Vishwakarma himself. At Duryodhana's request, Shalya, who was a maternal uncle to Pandavas, reluctantly agreed to drive Karna's 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 of arrows 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 play safe by aiming the arrow at Arjuna's chest. However, Karna refused to heed that advice 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 BhooDevi (Mother Earth). Karna once squeezed a fist of mud to extract ghee which was accidentally dropped by a girl. (Bhoo Devi) Mother Earth angered by his act cursed him that his chariot's wheel will be stuck in loose soil when it is critical and crucial. 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. But Krishna recalled Karna's previous lapses in honourable conduct and ordered Arjuna to shoot at Karna while he was attempting to lift his wheel out of the mud. The chariot wheel remained stuck and the curse of Parashurama ensured that Karna could not recall the mantras necessary to unleash the more powerful weapons of mass destruction. Krishna reminds Arjuna of Karna's ruthlessness against Abhimanyu 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 and beheaded him.
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. He is especially famous for his generosity. He is also an example of misjudgement and how that renders all the fine qualities of an individual futile.
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.
Karna serves as an excellent example of a gifted, righteous and brave individual who was still doomed because of his loyalty towards the evil Duryodhana. Karna's blind affection for Duryodhana led him to, albeit unwillingly, assist his dear friend in all his immoral and unjust actions against the Pandavas. Karna was aware of Duryodhana's malacious plans against the Pandavas. Karna was also aware of his own imminent downfall for assisting the evil against the good. The blemish to his name is his treatment of Draupadi, and his role in the killing of the unarmed and outnumbered Abhimanyu.
Notes
Karna in Popular Culture
Movies about or involving Karna include Daana Veera Soora Karna (Telugu, 1977), Karna (Tamil, 1963, staring Shivaji Ganesan).
The Indian poet Sharanya Manivannan a character named Karna, based and borrowed from the Mahabharata, but who she approaches as a female and self-archetype. She has called her approach a kind of .
Thalapathi, starring Tamil Superstar Rajnikanth, directed by Mani Ratnam, released in 1991 is a modern day adaptation of Karna's story and his friendship with Duroydhana.
References
★ Sawant, Shivaji (author), "Mrityunjaya". {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'.
★ B.R.Chopra and Ravi Chopra's MAHABHARAT
External links
★ Persons and Stories from Mahabharata
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