The Greatest Indian Epic - Mahabharath

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'Bhishma' means 'He of the terrible oath', referring to his vow of life-long celibacy. Devavrata became known as Bhishma because he took the bhishan pratigya — the vow of life-long celibacy and of service to whoever sat on the throne of his father (the throne of Hastinapur). This was because when his father Shantanu wanted to marry a fisherwoman Satyavati, her father refused, on the grounds that his daughter's children would never be rulers as Shantanu already had a son (Devavrata). This made Shantanu despondent. To placate Satyavati's father, Devavrata promised that he would never stake a claim to the throne, implying that the child born to Shantanu and Satyavati would become the ruler after Shantanu. At this, Satyavati's father retorted that even if Devavrata gave up his claim to the throne, his (Devavrata's) children would still claim the throne. At this, Devavrata, to make his father happy, took the terrible vow, thus sacrificing his 'crown-prince' title. This gave him immediate recognition among the gods and his father granted him the boon of Ichha Mrityu (control over his own death — he could choose the time of his death, but not, as may be suggested, one of immortality).

Bhishma was a great archer and a warrior of peerless valour and courage. In the process of finding a bride for the young king Vichitravirya (son of Shantanu and Satyavati) for whom he was the regent, Bhishma challenged the assemblage of suitors at the swayamvar of princesses Amba, Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi (Varanasi) and defeated all of them. Unknown to Bhishma, Salwa, the ruler of Saubala was in love with Amba (the eldest princess) who reciprocated his feelings. On the way to Hastinapura with the princesses, Bhishma was confronted by Salwa who challenged him to a battle for the hand of Amba in marriage. After a hard fight, Salwa was vanquished and admitted defeat. Upon reaching Hastinapur Amba confided in Bhishma that she wished to wed Salwa and no other. When Bhishma sent her back to Salwa, the vanquished ruler turned her down in humiliation of losing the combat. Upon being turned down by Vichitravirya too, as a maiden who had loved another man, Amba was incensed at Bhishma, whose interference she perceived as the root cause of her troubles.

Amba took refuge with Parasurama, the guru of bhisma. Parasurama ordered Bhishma to marry Amba. Bhishma politely refused saying that he is ready to leave his life at the command of the teacher but not the promise that he had made. Upon the refusal Parasurama called him for a fight at Kurukshetra.

At the battlegrounds, while Bhishma was on a chariot, he saw his guru on the ground. He requested Parasurama to be equal to him by taking a chariot and Kavacham (armor). Parasurama blessed Bhishma with the power of divine vision and asked him to look again. When Bhishma looked at his guru with the divine eye-sight, he saw the Earth as Parasurama's chariot, the four Vedas as the horses, the Upanishads as the reins, Vayu as the sarathy (Charioteer) and the Vedic goddesses Gayatri, Savitri & Saraswati as the armor.

Bhishma got down from the chariot and sought the blessings of Parasurama to adhere to his dharma. Parasurama told him that if he would not have behaved in this manner Parasurama would have cursed him. Parasurama advised him to fight to protect his dharma of bramacharya and Prasurama would fight to protect his duty towards the word given to Amba.

They fought for 23 days without any result. Parasurama is a chiranjeev or immortal whereas Bhishma had the boon of death at his wish. On the 22nd night, Bhishma prayed to his ancestors to help him to bring the war to an end. His anscestors gave him a weapon which was not known to Parasurama . They told him that it would put Parasurama to sleep in the battlefield. A person who sleeps in the battlefield is considered to be dead as per Vedas. They advised Bhishma to call back the weapon at the end of day after sunset so that Parasurama will come back to his sense and that shall bring the end to war.

On the 23rd day, when Bhishma took the weapon given by his pitru's, a divine voice spoke to him asking not to use the weapon and insult his guru Parasurama and it told Parasurama that he cannot win over Bhishma in the war. But Parasurama said that he cannot go back from the war when Bhishma is still standing against him in the battlefield. Bhishma in respect of his teacher walked away from the combat and allowed a graceful exit for Parasurama.

Parasurama told Amba that he could not win over Bhishma and gave her the boon of "mahakal shiva". Amba did penance to please Shiva. Shiva gave the boon that she will be instrumental for the death of Bhishma. Amba would be born as a princess in the house of king Drupada, and as a consequence of another boon would be transformed into Shikhandi (female) and be the root cause of Bhishma's death.

almost correct except for few errors

[Sudhaama]

.
.Well-said on BHEESHMA. !

'Bhishma' means 'He of the terrible oath', referring to his vow of life-long celibacy. Devavrata became known as Bhishma because he took the bhishan pratigya — the vow of life-long celibacy and of service to whoever sat on the throne of his father (the throne of Hastinapur). This was because when his father Shantanu wanted to marry a fisherwoman Satyavati, her father refused, on the grounds that his daughter's children would never be rulers as Shantanu already had a son (Devavrata). This made Shantanu despondent. To placate Satyavati's father, Devavrata promised that he would never stake a claim to the throne, implying that the child born to Shantanu and Satyavati would become the ruler after Shantanu. At this, Satyavati's father retorted that even if Devavrata gave up his claim to the throne, his (Devavrata's) children would still claim the throne. At this, Devavrata, to make his father happy, took the terrible vow, thus sacrificing his 'crown-prince' title. This gave him immediate recognition among the gods and his father granted him the boon of Ichha Mrityu (control over his own death — he could choose the time of his death, but not, as may be suggested, one of immortality).

Bhishma was a great archer and a warrior of peerless valour and courage. In the process of finding a bride for the young king Vichitravirya (son of Shantanu and Satyavati) for whom he was the regent, Bhishma challenged the assemblage of suitors at the swayamvar of princesses Amba, Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi (Varanasi) and defeated all of them. Unknown to Bhishma, Salwa, the ruler of Saubala was in love with Amba (the eldest princess) who reciprocated his feelings. On the way to Hastinapura with the princesses, Bhishma was confronted by Salwa who challenged him to a battle for the hand of Amba in marriage. After a hard fight, Salwa was vanquished and admitted defeat. Upon reaching Hastinapur Amba confided in Bhishma that she wished to wed Salwa and no other. When Bhishma sent her back to Salwa, the vanquished ruler turned her down in humiliation of losing the combat. Upon being turned down by Vichitravirya too, as a maiden who had loved another man, Amba was incensed at Bhishma, whose interference she perceived as the root cause of her troubles.

Amba took refuge with Parasurama, the guru of bhisma. Parasurama ordered Bhishma to marry Amba. Bhishma politely refused saying that he is ready to leave his life at the command of the teacher but not the promise that he had made. Upon the refusal Parasurama called him for a fight at Kurukshetra.

At the battlegrounds, while Bhishma was on a chariot, he saw his guru on the ground. He requested Parasurama to be equal to him by taking a chariot and Kavacham (armor). Parasurama blessed Bhishma with the power of divine vision and asked him to look again. When Bhishma looked at his guru with the divine eye-sight, he saw the Earth as Parasurama's chariot, the four Vedas as the horses, the Upanishads as the reins, Vayu as the sarathy (Charioteer) and the Vedic goddesses Gayatri, Savitri & Saraswati as the armor.

Bhishma got down from the chariot and sought the blessings of Parasurama to adhere to his dharma. Parasurama told him that if he would not have behaved in this manner Parasurama would have cursed him. Parasurama advised him to fight to protect his dharma of bramacharya and Prasurama would fight to protect his duty towards the word given to Amba.

They fought for 23 days without any result. Parasurama is a chiranjeev or immortal whereas Bhishma had the boon of death at his wish. On the 22nd night, Bhishma prayed to his ancestors to help him to bring the war to an end. His anscestors gave him a weapon which was not known to Parasurama . They told him that it would put Parasurama to sleep in the battlefield. A person who sleeps in the battlefield is considered to be dead as per Vedas. They advised Bhishma to call back the weapon at the end of day after sunset so that Parasurama will come back to his sense and that shall bring the end to war.

On the 23rd day, when Bhishma took the weapon given by his pitru's, a divine voice spoke to him asking not to use the weapon and insult his guru Parasurama and it told Parasurama that he cannot win over Bhishma in the war. But Parasurama said that he cannot go back from the war when Bhishma is still standing against him in the battlefield. Bhishma in respect of his teacher walked away from the combat and allowed a graceful exit for Parasurama.

Parasurama told Amba that he could not win over Bhishma and gave her the boon of "mahakal shiva". Amba did penance to please Shiva. Shiva gave the boon that she will be instrumental for the death of Bhishma. Amba would be born as a princess in the house of king Drupada, and as a consequence of another boon would be transformed into Shikhandi (female) and be the root cause of Bhishma's death.

almost correct except for few errors

.
.

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thanks a lot

[Raghu]

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

Karna (right) confronts Arjuna, who will later kill Karna, in the Kurukshetra war.Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration) is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata from ancient India. Karna is considered to be the greatest warrior of Mahābhārata by authorities including Krishna and Bhishma, as stated in the original text by Maharishi Ved Vyasa [1][2][3][4]. He was the son of Surya (the Sun god) and Kunti. He was born to Kunti, before her marriage with Pandu. He is described as the closest friend of Duryodhana. Karna fought on his behalf against the Pandavas - his brothers- at the Kurukshetra war. Karna fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Many admire him for this courage and generosity. It is believed that Karna founded the city of Karnal.

Contents [hide]
1 Virgin birth
2 Upbringing
3 Training
4 Various curses imparted to Karna
5 King of Anga and friendship with Duryodhana
6 Generosity and character
7 The Swayamvara of Draupadi
8 Game of dice
9 Military campaign
10 Krishna and Karna
11 Loss of armour
12 Kunti and Karna
13 The Great War: Kurukshetra
13.1 The thirteenth day
13.2 The night of the 14th day
14 Karna Parva
14.1 The sixteenth day
14.2 The seventeenth day
15 After Karna's death
16 Karna as the adulated figure
17 Contrast with Arjuna
18 Factors that contributed towards Karna's death
19 References
20 External links


[edit] Virgin birth
Karna was born 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, she was unwilling to face the world as an unwed mother. She placed the baby Karna in a basket and set him afloat on the holy river Ganga in the hope that he would be taken in by another family.

[edit] Upbringing
The child Karna was found by Adhiratha-- a charioteer of the king Dhritarashtra. He and his wife Radha raised Karna as their own son and named him Vasusena. Karna also came to be known as Radheya - son of Radha (his foster mother) while his original name Karna meant 'ear', because according to legend, the baby Karna came out of Kunti's ear. 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. His wife's name was Vrushali, Ponnuruvi.

As regards his sons, Karna had several sons and the names of nine of his sons are mentioned. Of the nine, only one survived the Kurukshetra war. Vrasasena; Sudhama; Shatrunjaya; Dvipata; Sushena; Satyasea; Chitrasena; Susharma(Banasena); and Vrishakethu.

Sudhama died in the melee that followed Draupadi’s swayamvara. Shatrunjaya and Dvipata died in the Kurukshetra war at the hands of Arjuna during the days when Drona commanded the Kaurava forces. Sushena was killed in the war by Bhima. Satyasena, Chitrasena and Susharma died at the hands of Nakula. Karna’s eldest son Vrasasena died during the last days of the war when Karna was the commanded the battle forces. Vrasasena was killed by Arjuna.

Vrishasena’s death is described in all its gruesome detail:

Vrishasena, angered at the death of Duhshasana and Chitrasena, rushed at Nakula, desiring to fight with his father's enemy. A fierce battle then ensued between those two heroes. Vrishasena managed to kill Nakula's horses and pierce him with many arrows. Descending from his chariot, Nakula took up his sword and shield, and making his way toward Vrishasena, he severed the heads of two thousand horsemen. Vrishasena, seeing Nakula coming towards him whirling that sword like a discus, shattered the sword and shield with four crescent shaped arrows. Nakula then quickly ascended Bhima's chariot. As Arjuna came near, Nakula requested him, "Please slay this sinful person." Arjuna then ordered Lord Krishna, "Proceed toward the son of Karna. I will kill him within his father's sight." Unsupported by anyone, Vrishasena challenged Arjuna releasing many different kinds of arrows. He pierced Arjuna's arm with ten arrows and Krishna also with ten. Arjuna became enraged, and exclaimed loudly to the Kaurava kings including Karna, "Today, O Karna, I will kill your son as you unfairly killed my son, Abhimanyu! Let all the warriors protect him if they can. I will kill him, and then, O fool, I will slay you; and Bhima will slay the wretched Duryodhana, whose evil policies have brought about the great battle." Having threatened Karna, Arjuna struck Vrishasena with ten arrows that weakened him. With four razor headed arrows, Arjuna cut off his bow, his two arms and his head that was adorned with beautiful earrings. Beholding Vrishasena killed, Karna wept bitter tears, and his eyes were red with rage. He then proceeded toward Arjuna challenging him to fight.

Vrishakethu was the only son of Karna that survived the horrific slaughter called Kurukshetra war. He later came under the patronage of the Pandavas. During the campaign that preceded the Ashvamedha –yaga, Vrishakethu accompanied Arjuna and participated in the battles with Sudhava and Babruvahana. During that campaign Vrishakethu married the daughter of king Yavanatha (perhaps a king of the western regions). It is said, Arjuna developed great affection for Vrishakethu, his nephew.

[edit] Training
As he grew up, Karna became more interested in the art of warfare than in being a charioteer like his father Adhirata. Karna met Dronacharya, who at that moment was an established teacher in the art of warfare. Dronacharya taught the Kuru princes, but refused to take Karna as his student, since Karna was a son of a charioteer and Drona only taught Kshatriyas.

After being refused by Drona, Karna decided to be self-taught with his brother Shona's help. But according to Indian culture when you have to learn an art, you must have a Guru(teacher),so Karna decided to make The Sun(God)his guru. Karna learnt all the arts without a Guru. During daytime, he gathered information about various ayudhas(Weapons) and then after sundown, he exercised them.

One day when Karna came to Hastinapur(capital of Kauravas)after a month of holiday, he heard from his friend Ashwathama(son of Drona) that last week Guru Dronacharya decided to test his students in their skill of archery. He hung a wooden bird from the branch of a tree and then summoned his students. He asked the first one to aim for the bird's eye but not shoot just yet. He then asked the student what he could see. The student replied that he could see the garden, the tree, flowers, etc. Drona asked him to step aside and not to shoot. He repeated the same process with a few other students. When it was Arjuna's turn, Arjuna told his Guru that the only thing he could see was the bird's eye. This satisfied the Guru and he allowed Arjuna to shoot the bird and Arjuna successfully hit the eye of that Parrot.

After listening to his brother's version of events, Karna told his brother that if Arjuna could hit the one eye of the parrot then he can hit both eyes of the parrot in a single shot. As they practiced in the night, Karna decided to shoot both eyes of the parrot the same night with the help of Palita(instrument used to lighten homes).As Karna instructed him ,Shona suspended the wooden parrot high above the tree and held the palita beneath. Karna strung the bow with two arrows (slightly changed their position one after the other) and as soon as he got signal from Shona, Karna successfully hit both eyes of the bird in a single shot. This was achieved within a short time's practice, this shows that Karna is the greatest archer in the world of all time.

In a very short period of time Karna was able to learn various arts. But, Karna becomes more interested to learn all the advanced skills of archery including the use of Divine weapons. After being refused by Drona, Karna decides to learn from Parashurama, the guru of Drona. Thus, Karna eventually approached Parashurama, who was known to teach only Brahmins[5]. He appeared before Parashurama as a Brahmin and requested that he be taken as his student. Parashurama accepted him and trained him to such a point, that he declared Karna to be equal to himself in the art of warfare and archery. Thus, Karna became a diligent student of Parashurama.

[edit] Various curses imparted to Karna
Karna was cursed by his guru Bhagvan Parashurama, a Brahmin and the Earth goddess as described below:

As Karna's training came to completion, Parashurama learnt the truth about Karna's origin. The legend goes that one afternoon Parashurama 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 scorpion stung Karna's thigh. Despite the excruciating pain, Karna did not move so as not to disturb his Guru's sleep. As the scorpion 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 Kshatriyas were known for such valour. 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 skills including the use of Brahmastra would desert him when he needed them most. This in turn meant that Karna would forget all that he had learnt from Parashurama during his hour of crisis. Karna, who was 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 with a celestial weapon called Bhargavastra along with Parashurama's personal bow called Vijaya and blessed him that in the end, Karna would achieve what he wanted the most- everlasting glory and immortal fame. Some folklore also says that, it was Lord Indra(the father of Karna's rival, Arjuna) who took the form of a scorpion to sting Karna's thigh in order to expose his intrinsic identity, a Kshatriya.

Departing from Parashurama's ashram, Karna wandered for some time. On his way, while practicing the Shabdavedi Vidya (the ability to hit a target by just observing the sound), 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 a helpless animal, Karna too would be killed in the same way when he was most helpless with his concentration being diverted away from his enemy at that crucial moment.

Andhra folklore further states that once Karna while riding his chariot in his kingdom of Anga, 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 told her that he would give her new ghee. But, the child insisted that she wanted only the ghee that was mixed with the soil and refused to take the new ghee. Taking pity on the girl, Karna took the soil mixed with ghee in his fist and squeezed it with all his might to extract the ghee and pour it back into the pot. During this process, Karna heard the agonized voice of a woman. When he opened his fist, he realized that the voice was that of Bhoomidevi- the Earth goddess. Furious, she chastized Karna for inflicting enormous pain on Mother Earth for the sake of a mere child. So, the Earth goddess cursed him that in a very crucial battle of his life, she would trap his chariot wheel in the same way that he held the fistful of soil,thereby making him vulnerable to his enemy.

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

[edit] 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, who always knew that Pandavas were better than him and his brothers at warfare, saw Karna as his strongest chance against Pandavas and immediately offered him the throne of the kingdom Anga, making him a king and hence 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 single-handedly. The defeated included Jarasandha, Shishupala, Dantavakra, Salya 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 single-handedly. Karna was the first one to expose the weak point of Jarasandha about splitting him in two.

[edit] 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 worshipped 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. Further, Karna was cursed by Bhoomidevi when he tried to fulfill the request of a girl over ghee that fell in the soil.

[edit] 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 HIT the target, winning Draupadi's HAND. When Arjuna's identity was later revealed, Karna's feelings of rivalry further intensified.

[edit] 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 Dushasana who, incited by Karna, Duryodhana and his brothers, attempted to strip her. Karna insulted Draupadi by saying that a woman with more than four husbands is nothing but a 'whore' and that the Pandavas were all like sesame seeds removed from the kernel and she should now find some other husbands.

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

[edit] 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).

[edit] Krishna and Karna
Following the failed peace negotiations with Duryodhana, Krishna approaches Karna, who has come to be known Duryodhana's finest warrior. Krishna 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 Indraprastha to Karna who would become a great king.

Karna refuses the enormous offer because he swore fealty to Duryodhana, and as such, was compelled to stay by his side despite his genetic ties to the Pandavas. He said that Yudhisthira was a righteous man, and knowing that Karna was older than him, Yudhisthira would immediately give up his crown to him. However, to repay his debt to Duryodhana, Karna would have to put the crown of Indraprastha on Duryodhana, which Karna thought was against Dharma. He also remarks to Krishna that as long as he is with Pandavas on the side of Truth, defeat is certain for himself. Krishna is saddened, but appreciating Karna's sense of loyalty, accepts his decision, promising Karna that his lineage would remain a secret. Krishna yet again appreciated Karna for his righteousness, and bowed to him- the one example when divinity bowed down to humanity.

[edit] Loss of armour
Indra, king of the gods (Devas) and father of Arjuna, realized that Karna would be invincible and immortal 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 thanked Surya but explained he was bound by his word and could not send anyone from his door empty handed even if it meant 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 gave them away, cutting the armor and earrings off his body. Indra, shamed into generosity by Karna's gesture, reciprocated 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.

[edit] 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 'Kaunteya' (son of Kunti) instead of 'Radheya', but Karna replied that he wanted the entire world to recognise him as a Radheya and not as a Kaunteya. Kunti asked Karna to join the Pandavas and become king. Karna refused and told 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 stated that being a friend of Duryodhana, he could not betray the trust of his friend. However, he promised Kunti that he would not kill any of the Pandavas except Arjuna. Both Karna and Arjuna had sworn to kill each other, and thus one of them was bound to die. So, he told Kunti that she could only keep five sons- the fifth one being either him or Arjuna. Karna requested his mother to keep their relationship and his royal birth a secret until his death.

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

[edit] The Great War: Kurukshetra

A manuscript of Mahabharata depicting the war at Kurukshetra.Before the war begins, Bhishma, the commander-in-chief of the Kauravas refused Karna's participation in the Great war under his leadership as Karna is a son of a Charioteer. However Duryodana requests Bhishma to consider Karna under his leadership. But, Bhishma still denies Karna's participation in the war under his leadership. Consequently, Karna enters the battlefield only on the eleventh day after the fall of Bheeshma (on the tenth day).

[edit] The thirteenth day
On the thirteenth day of the battle, Dronacharya (Drona) organized a special formation called the Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha to challenge the Pandavas. Only Krishna and Arjuna on the Pandavas's side knew how to break the scheme. However, both were purposely drawn far away 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 Chakrvyuha formation having heard it while he was in his mother's womb when Arjun was narrating the Chakravyuha arrangement to his mother Subhadra. Subhadra had paid attention to only for the first part of the narration and then had fallen asleep, so Abhimanyu only knew how to enter the formation, but not how to extract himself out of it. Thus, the four Pandava brothers decide that Abhimanyu will lead them to enter the Chakravyuha in the absence of Arjuna and Krishna.

But, as soon as Abhimanyu enters the Chakravyuha, Jayadratha-- the sindhu king from the Kaurava army blocked it, thereby preventing other pandavas from entering the formation. Thus, Abhimanyu was left all alone in the middle of the enemy formation. Once inside, he fought valiantly and single-handedly defeated all the reputed generals of the Kauravas including Karna, 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 on learning of the death of Abhimanyu at the hands of Kauravas, pledged to kill Jayadratha before sunset the next day, failing which he would immolate himself in a pyre of fire.

[edit] The night of the 14th day
On the fourteenth day, the battle uncharacteristically extended over the night and Ghatotkacha, the half-asura son of Bhima began to decimate the Kaurava forces. Generally, the asuras become 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 (while donating his armour and earring to Indra). However, this shakti weapon could be used only once after which it would return to Indra. Thus, on using the shakthi weapon on Ghatotkacha, Karna could not use the same on Arjuna later. When Karna spent the shakti weapon to slay Ghatotkacha, Krishna knew that victory theirs for certain, as Karna did not have any divine weapons to fight Arjuna now.

[edit] Karna Parva
The Mahabharat war fought on day 16 and day 17 is documented as Karna Parva where Karna is the commander of Kaurava army.

[edit] The sixteenth day
On the sixteenth day Karna fought as commander in chief of the Kaurava army. There was no fight between Karna and Arjuna as Arjuna's chariot retreated seeing Karna's glorious form. This retreat by Arjuna is widely speculated on by many as ample evidence that Karna was a better warrior than Arjuna. Although, the TV series screened by B.R.Chopra depicts a war between Karna and Arjuna, there is no evidence of the same in Vedavyasa's Mahabharat.

[edit] The seventeenth day
On the seventeenth day of the battle, the much awaited duel between Karna and Arjuna took place.

During the battle, when Arjuna's arrows struck Karna's chariot,it moved back by a few feet. However, when Karna's arrows struck Arjuna's chariot, it moved back only a few inches. Krishna praised Karna for this. But, Arjuna got astonished and asked him the reason for his praise, In response, Krishna told Arjuna that Karna's chariot bore only the weight of Karna and Shalya. On the other hand, Arjuna's chariot bore the weight of the entire universe since Krishna and Hanuman were on the chariot. Despite this, Karna was able to move it.

Karna cut the string of Arjuna's bow multiple times. But, at each instant he found that Arjuna was able to tie back the bow string in the wink of an eye (in an extremely short time). For this, Karna praised Arjuna and remarked to Shalya that now he understood why people called him the greatest archer in the world. Though the duel was initially held at a stalemate, Karna was hampered when his chariot wheel sank into the ground in loose wet soil (BhoomiDevi's curse thus came into effect). He also found himself unable to remember the incantations for divine weapons, as his teacher Parashurama had foretold. Descending from his chariot to remove the wheel, he requested Arjuna to wait until it is set right as per the rules of battle. Krishna told Arjuna that Karna has no right to refer to the rules at this point, after having violated the same himself while killing Abhimanyu. He urged Arjuna to kill Karna while he was helpless (The Brahman's curse came into effect here). Lord Krishna told Arjuna that if he did not kill Karna at this critical juncture of the war, he might never be able to kill him and the Pandavas may never win the war. Thus, Arjuna fatally injured Karna using a divine arrow.

[edit] After Karna's death
Following the war, funeral rites were performed for all the fallen. Kunti then requested her sons to perform the rites for Karna as well. When they protested, saying he was a suta, she revealed the truth of his birth. The brothers were 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.

Lord Krishna went to Gandhari to tell her Karna had died. Karna was the oldest son of Kunti and although he knew who he was, he still fought for Dhuryodhana. Gandhari told Lord Krishna, "you knew what was going to happen and you still could've prevented the war". Gandhari cursed Lord Krishna: "just as my entire family perished, your family will die the same way".

After the 18-day Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra ended, Lord Krishna asked Arjuna to step down from his chariot. When Arjuna did so, Krishna took Arjuna some distance away from the chariot. Then he signaled to Lord Hanuman seated on the chariot to get up. The moment Lord Hanuman jumped off the chariot, Arjuna's horses were burnt alive and his chariot exploded into pieces. Seeing this, Arjuna was shocked. Krishna then told him that the deadly astras of Bheeshma, Drona, Karna and Ashwattama had caused the destruction of Arjuna's horses and chariot. It was the divine presence of Lord Hanuman that maintained the chariot in a proper condition by postponing the effects of their divine weapons.

[edit] Karna as the adulated figure
Even though Karna devoted his services to evil Duryodhana, he remains an adulated figure for millions of Hindus and Indians. Karna is always considered as a formidable warrior, perhaps the greatest warrior of all time, a courageous spirit who braved impossible odds in his life, and died with unique courage, valor and honor. Karna is especially adored for his generosity. He is also considered an example of how misjudgment renders all the fine qualities of an individual futile.

Many 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 struggling humanity to not lose heart. Karna is also a popular Hindu male name.

There are many incidents and quotes which indicate the might and greatness of Karna. One of those incidents is during Karna's war with Arjuna. When Arjuna's chariot was shifted a few inches back by the impact of one of the arrows shot by Karna, Krishna being Arjuna's Sarathi(charioteer) praised Karna. On his comment, Arjuna exclaimed that "while I hit Karna's chariot it moved miles behind so there is no reason to praise Karna on this". Krishna then explained to Arjuna that “On your chariot I, Lord Vishnu am present. I own the weight of entire universe and in addition to it your chariot is the chariot of Agni(the fire god) and it has the blessings of Hanuman in the form of a flag. If you remove these factors your chariot will fly away, revolving around the Earth".

There are also certain incidents those describe Karna's ethics in war as well. One of them is during his duel with Arjuna, when by the blow of Karna's arrow Arjuna fainted. At that moment the cobra king Ashwasen who was sheltered by Karna, crept out of hiding and requested Karna to use his poison against Arjuna because Arjuna had burnt his home(a forest) to the ground. Karna refused to use a snake against any human, saying that it would be treachery towards humanity.

Furthermore; at night on the day of his death as Karna lay dying on the Kurukshetra battlefield, in the Pandava camp Krishna lay saddened. When questioned by Arjuna as to why he was upset, Krishna replied that he was mourning the passing of a great man like Karna. Angered by Krishna's affection for Karna, Arjuna demanded to know why. Then Krishna took Arjuna towards Karna, disguised as two Brahmins; one younger and one older. Krishna, disguised as the older Brahmin, said to Karna

"Oh Karna, you are known to be extremely genenrous, hence I am here requesting something for my sons wedding, what can you give me?"
Karna replied saying "I do not have anything to give you as I lie here dying, but if there is anything you can see which I can give you then please request that which you desire." Upon hearing this Krishna said, upon noting a golden tooth within Karna's mouth, "Oh Karna, I can see within your mouth a golden tooth, can you give me that?" And so Karna, using a nearby rock knocked his tooth out. In order to test Karna even more and in order to demonstrate to Arjuna Karna's generosity, Krishna scolded Karna for giving him something covered in blood which is not suitable for a brahmin to touch. Upon hearing this Karna began to cry and with his tears washed the tooth and gave it to Krishna. After this Krishna left and Arjuna followed. Krishna then told Arjuna that the passing of Karna from this world would mark the passing of generosity and other such qualities which Karna posseses; and hence he was mourning Karna's death.

[edit] Contrast with Arjuna
There are many parallels between Arjuna and Karna. Both were master archers, competed for Draupadi's hand, and had to fight their own brothers in the war. 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 corresponding consequences to themselves and their families, are used to emphasize the importance of doing one's duty as explained in the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna.

Karna serves as an excellent example of a gifted, generous, righteous and brave individual who was still doomed because of his loyalty towards Duryodhana. Karna had the five perfect qualities of a husband for Draupadi, but being with Duryodhana nullified these. 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 on assisting the evil against the good. While some maintain that he acquired a blemished image by his treatment of Draupadi at Dhritrashtra's court, others maintain that he was justified in this act, since it was Draupadi who first dishonored and humiliated him by unjustly denying him the opportunity to compete in her Swayamvara by insulting him with the soot-putra epithet (referring to him as being of a lower class background) in order to disqualify him; however, his role in the killing of an 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 in the same way, being unarmed, chariotless and with his back turned to Arjuna.

[edit] Factors that contributed towards Karna's death
1 The first and foremost contributor towards Karna's death was Sage Durvasa himself. While blessing Kunti with a mantra by which she could call upon any god of her choice, he did not tell her the consequence of this incantation. Thus, Kunti called Surya without being aware of the consequence of the Mantra much before her marriage, panics and subsequently abandoned the baby. His upbringing by the charioteer Adiratha denied Karna the recognition of a Kshatriya. It was Karna, not Yudhishtira or Duryodhana, who was the true heir to the throne of Hastinapur, but this was not realized as his birth was kept secret.

2 Lord Indra who in the form of a scorpion, stung Karna's thigh,which angered the guru Parasurama, who in turn cursed Karna for lying about his caste.

3 The curse of a Brahmin who owned a cow.

4 The curse of Bhoomidevi.

5 The giving away of his Kavacha and Kundala as alms to Lord Indra, this time disguised as a beggar, because of his extremely generous nature.

6 Invoking the Shakti weapon on Ghatotkacha.

7 His two promises to his mother Kunti.

8 Not using the "Nagastra" for the second time in accordance with his second promise to Kunti.

9 Shalya, who tried to dampen Karna's confidence and moral spirit by stating many facts about the Pandavas strength on the seventeenth day of the battle.

10 When Karna came to know that Pandavas were his brothers by Krishna just before the beginning of the Mahabharatha war, then all his hatred towards the Pandavas vanished. But, to be loyal to Duryodhana, Karna decided to fight against Arjuna in the war. On the other hand, none of the Pandavas were aware that Karna was their brother until after Karna's demise.

11 Abhimanyu's death.

12 Lord Krishna, by exhorting Arjuna to kill Karna when he was trying to push his chariot out of the mud.

13 Arjuna's charmed Gandiva bow.

14 Gandhari did not give her blessings to Karna on the seventeenth day.

15 Drona had divine weapons but still asked Karna to kill Ghatokacha with Indra's shakti weapon.

[Badri]

Excellent compilation of information on Dana Veera Soora Karna!

He is known for his generosity, his courage, and above all, his loyalty to Duryodhana, and many compare him with the other 'karna'- Kumbhakarna who fought for Ravana, even though knowing his brother was wrong.

But that is not really an accurate portrait of Karna. No one can deny his valour, his charity and generosity.

But the one thing I find Karna did not have is loyalty. Yes, Karna had not a shred of loyalty to Duryodhana. He was full and full a selfish person who used Duryodhana and his friendship for his own selfish ends! I am not sure whether Karna himself was aware of this or not!

Duryodhana was always jealous of the Pandavas. Ever since Kunti came to the city with her 5 young boys in tow, Duryodhana had not had good sleep. He tried many ways to do away with them - poisoning Bhima and having him thrown into the river, burning the lac house etc.

To him, elevating Karna was his means of placing a counter against his foes, the Pandavas. Thus, Duryodhana, in a way used Karna.

In return, Karna, who spoke often and eloquently, of his abiding friendship with Duryodhana betrayed him in the worst possible way.

Although Duryodhana tried numerous means to do away with the Pandavas, none of them really became the trigger point for the Great War. The War was really caused by the insult to Draupadi at the Kuru Court.

And who was directly responsible for that? None other than Karna!

When Draupadi was lost in the wager, Duryodhana ordered her brought to the court to sweep and clean the palace, for she was a servant. In a way even that was tolerable. Not even he had anything more vile in mind than that.

But it was his "dear friend"Karna who cried out to have her garments stripped, for she was a slave.

Knowing Dharma, knowing what was right and wrong, who is a friend? The one who leads you to sure destruction, or the one who keeps you from it? Is a friend one who simply agrees with you in whatever you say, or points out your faults to you, even though you may find it annoying?

Is a friend one who is interested in your welfare, or uses you and goads you into actions that satisfy his need for revenge, unmindful of the fact that those acts will spell your lasting doom, cause you eternal infamy?

Fie on such friendship! Duryodhana did not need any enemies when he had friends (or fiends) like Karna!

Raghu, in his assessment pointed out to a number of causes that led to Karna's downfall. None more vile, and none more direct as this insult to Draupadi that was instigated by Karna.

Even today, in a court of law, for a premeditated crime, the person who planned and instigated it is held to be as guilty, if not more, as the person who perpetrated it. Then Karna is the guilty one, more than Dushashana or Duryodhana.

Yes, he was valorous, he was generous, but loyal? NO. He was the worst betrayer of all. Like Brutus unto Caesar, this was the unkindest cut of all.

[P_R]

Badri, that is an interesting perspective, but I am not sure where the disloyalty comes from.

Is a friend one who is interested in your welfare, or uses you and goads you into actions that satisfy his need for revenge, unmindful of the fact that those acts will spell your lasting doom, cause you eternal infamy?

This seems to assume that Karna knew that destruction and infamy is all that is surely ahead. That does not seem appropriate.

He had a personal motivation to run the Pandavas aground. But then, it was not something that was at odds with what Duryodhana wanted. At the height of their victory - pushing the Pandava ego to an all time low - it is quite presumable that both Karna and Duryodhana would have thought their positions were quite unassailable.

Only if Karna knew that Duryodhana would be destroyed but still put him in a spot, just for the sake of his personal revenge, can he be called disloyal. Sure, he can be called vindictive and bitter. Curiously at odds with the generosity which is supposed to characteristic of him.

But how could he be called disloyal when he had no reason better than Duryodhana to believe they would lose eventually.

Disclaimer: My reading of the Mahabharatham is rather cursory. So if it indeed was the case that Karna knew they were going to lose, then this argument stands void. One way I would see that happening is if he knew before others that Krishna - was more than just a neighboring King. And with him by their side the Pandavas couldn't lose. So then his loyalty can be judged based on whether he shared such insight with Duryodhana and counseled him accordingly. But as I see, even that knowledge wouldn't have deterred Duryodhana and Karna.

[Badri]

PR,

For a person who was so Dharmic as to indulge in charity left, right and centre, refusing none (for such was his dharma), to not know the consequences of stripping an erstwhile queen in public is a bit rich!

Duryodhana made no pretensions to virtue. Duryodhana refused to do the right, he only wanted to do adharma.

The same cannot be held true of Karna.
Karna could not possibly hide behind the veil that he did not know right from wrong.

He was aware of right and wrong, as can be clearly seen when he lectures to Arjuna later in the battlefield on the adharma of attacking a warrior whose car had been stuck, despite the fact that he did the very same when Arjuna's chariot had been stuck!!!


Therefore it stands to reason that he knew, yet he did not share his insight with Duryodhana. Worse, when angered by Karna's comment, Vikarna, the youngest brother of the 100 pipped up and protested, Karna lectures him as well.

He says, " you young turk, you have no sense of propriety. You are just a stipling, shut up and sit down when your betters and elders are conducting their business!"

And later on, when Krishna comes to tell him to switch sides, he philosophises - yes, I know you are God, I know the Pandavas are dharmic, I know what Duryodhana did would lead him to everlasting infamy and ruin, yet I have to stick with him, for now, I cannot abandon him.

People look at this dialogue and say, aha, what loyalty. But if he knew full well the consequences of their actions, and knowing, he goaded Duryodhana, how can he not be held guilty of betrayal?

[podalangai]

Badri:

You're discussing this in terms of morality. In the received text of the Mahabharata, everybody - Bhishma, Vikarna, Karna, even Draupadi herself - treat the question of her slavery as being a question of interpreting the law on slaves, their spouses and their possessions. Vikarna argues one side of the case and Karna argues the other - but both do so by arguing different interpretations of the law. Vikarna doesn't speak of immorality in the abstract, but frames his arguments with reference to the rules on capacity of persons to transact. In purely legalistic terms, the case put by Karna - that Draupadi was a slave whether validly staked by Yudhishtira or not - is arguably at least as strong as Vikarna's. The received text makes it quite clear that Bhishma was unable to decide which view was the correct one. You are, in essence, faulting Karna for not viewing the situation in terms of a morality which transcended the law. Well, nobody - not even Yudhishtira - seemed to view the situation in those terms.

In other words, what Karna was saying was - arguably - not legally incorrect. So, should Karna have had the foresight to recognise that it was morally wrong, even if strictly within the terms of the law? Not, I would argue, in the framework of the Northern recension of the Mahabharata. Consistently, throughout the text of the Mahabharata, character after character - Yudhishtira included - prove themselves unable to make the distinction between dharma as law and dharma as a broader conception of "sanmarga". So the framing of questions which are profoundly moral as pure questions of interpretation with little reference to broader issues of morality is characteristic of the received text of the Northern recension. The consistent exception is Vidura - during Draupadi's disrobement, too, he was the only one to frame the issue in moral terms - 'satya' and 'dharma' are repeatedly invoked side by side in his speech, in a way we simply don't see in the others.

On this point, therefore, Karna was no more blameworthy than most of the rest of his generation. This shouldn't be surprising: making the point of the general blameworthiness of mankind as we enter the Kali Yuga - the falling away of broader conceptions of morality, an obsession with narrow legalistic conceptions of duty, right and wrong - and its unimaginably destructive consequence was one of the chief polemical purposes of the redactor of this layer in the received text of the Mahabharata. Later commentators - particularly of the Srivaishnavite tradition - draw on this aspect of the work quite a bit.

So did Karna do wrong? Yes, he did. Was his wrongdoing so wilful that he should be condemned as a false, disloyal friend? No. He was as blind, egoistic and imperfect as the rest of his generation, and he was as loyal as his limits allowed him to be. You wouldn't say a blind man was a false friend because he didn't warn a friend that he was walking into a ditch. Karna was, similarly, 'blind' to the idea of binding imperatives or principles beyond legalism. It makes him a flawed man, certainly, but it doesn't make him a false friend.

[PARAMASHIVAN]

Badri

I have to disagree completley about' Maveer Karna's loyality to Duriyodhana, It was Shakuni who persuaded Duriyodhana to take Karna into his web , as he was the 'Only' warrior who could defeat Arjuna.. till his death Karna has always been loyal to his friend...

Regarding panchali, she is not exatcly ' Pure' , is she??? there are harsh words to describe her, but I will refrain from her, she has 'Insulted' Karna in her Swayamvar! however Karna should not have behaved like that during droupadai's ordeal!

[Raghu]

excellent narration



Arjuna has always been a clown in the epic !