In morning I woke up with the poem “Krishna Ki Chetaawani”, now if you wake up with such powerful words, and cherry on cake, said by a powerful person; you are bound to wake up with goosebumps which shall stay on you for the entire day.
The result is I am finally writing a piece about Karna. The man who was a legend in himself. He was son of THE SUN and “Kunti”.
The story says, that Kunti, the daughter of king Sushrut, was blessed by a sage Durvasa, who was well known for his anger. When Durvasa Rishi (Sage) visited king Sushrut, for a lengthy stay, Kunti was directed by her father to ensure that Durvasa’s stay is comfortable. On leaving, having been delighted with his stay and her diligent services, Durvasa thanked her and gave her the siddha mantra (a secret verse) telling her that if she ever wants, she can invoke any deity to give her a child. Once she received the verse, she tried to test it considering who know may be she would have been played by the sage. In here naivety, she tested by calling “Surya Dev” the SUN GOD and gave birth to a child. This child was born with a shiny breastplate and ear rings. Basically born with its own armour, because he was son of God.
You see this was a problem for an unmarried girl. I mean outside the palace her father is searching suitable matches for her and here she is having a child. Who is going to believe it is fathered by the Sun ?? Now the problem is, she cannot take the child with her because she is unmarried and she cannot tell anybody about it, because if anyone in the kingdom comes to know about it, the child for sure will get killed. She does something which take a whole lot of courage to do. She wraps the child in a royal cloth, put it inside the basket and then set it on to the flowing stream of holy Ganges. She then prayed to the Ganga Maiya (mother) “please ensure my child’s safety, I am giving it to you now, take care of him.”
She forgets the child and this episode is over, she gets married to a “King Kuru” and have 5 children, the Pandavs, eldest in all of them is Yudhishtir. The story goes further and Kunti’s life take devastating turns and challenges with time. She along with her children are expelled from their own kingdom and said to get disappeared. Overall a power struggle takes place where she is a victim.
On the other hand, the child which she gave up, is found by a charriot carrier. This guy was childless, and prayed everyday to Ganga Maiya for some miracle to happen in his life. Le behold, he finds this basket and brings it home to his wife and overjoyed wife accepts the child considering a gift from Ganga Maiya. The child is named as “Karna” due to his earings and his shiny armour. The child grows up with time and being a child of “Charriort Carrier” he is of low caste.
The caste of a person was ancient Indian way to maintain economy and skills in the business. We appreciate family business which are even 20 years old. Consider a group of people, who for generations has done just 1 job. Think about their skill for that particular job. This is what caste was. It was a group of people based on the work they have done for generations.
Karna now from kshatriya caste (kings caste) went into a charriot carrier caste, basically a lower caste. Now everytime Karna went anywhere he had to face this, discrimination based on his caste. Being a kshatriya, originally he made friends with royal people. But was denied entry from many places and even called “Sut Putra” which roughly translates to “Son of a Sut” (charriot carrier). Overall he grows up, and somehow comes in contacts with his siblings Pandvas during his childhood training under the “Rishi Dronacharya”.
Rishi Drona used to teach royal children, but due to Karna’s excellent performance with bow and arrow, he was also trained under him, but was never respected as focus was to teach children of king, so that the future king could take his place. Karna never liked this discrimination, and one day when final exam was going on, which was basically a skill test between all the children, it was neck and neck between “Arjun” and “Karna”. Both were warriors of equal might and “Karna” was outsmarting “Arjun” on all fronts.
“Arjun” being a royal, was then given a special bow, “Bhrama Astra” and “Karna” was rejected due to his lower class. Everybody on that ground knew that this was wrong even Guru Drona, but he was bound because the “Future King” was entitled.
Karna this time thought, it is too much and went away from the aashram (school). He then searched for “Parshuram”.
Parshuram was a brahmin warrior, who trained under Shiva. A fierce warrior brahmin, who hated “Kshatriya”, so much so that he once killed all the “Kshatriyas” on the earth and repeated this twice in future. Basically making earth free of a particular group of people. Parshuram had a very fierce personality and he was known for his anger and his strict principles which he abided by.
Karna found him, and disguised himself into a brahmin and then asked Parshuram to train him. He asked to train him with motive to get “Bhrama Astra” from him. Parshuram trained him well and gave him the secret of “Bhrama Astra”. One day while travelling in a jungle, Parshuram was exhausted and wanted to take a nap. Karna offered his lap to Guruji (teacher), saying you can rest your head here and I will sit till you wake up.
Soon after while when the Guruji were asleep, an insect came and sat on the thigh of Karna. The insect started to bite, and kept on. Karna stayed upright because he didnt wanted to disturb the sleep of his Guruji. Blood started flowing from his thigh and after it was too much, Parshuram woke up from the wet blood.
Now when Parshuram saw the blood, he understood it is not Brahmin blood and asked him his reality. Karna then showed his reality and this time “Parshuram” gave him a bane, and said that your acquired knowledge from me, will not help you when you will be in need of it the most. Basically, your knowledge will disappear when you will shall require it urgently.
The problem with bane is, that people forget and they use to continue in their life as usual. Karna also came back and continued his general life. With time he became friends with “Duryodhan” their friendship grew. Once “Duryodhan” took Karna to a royal event, and Karna was mistreated, so “Duryodhan” gave “Karna” 5 villages of “Anga” and made him a “King” and gave a name “AngRaaj” the king of Anga. Karna asked what “Duryodhan” required in return for the status given by him. “Duryodhan” asked “Karna” for his friendship.
Overall life went on, events of Mahabharat took place in future and it was decided there will be a war. Defeating Karna in a war was next to impossible by anyone on the earth. He was a blessed son of God and his around was provided by the Sun himself which ensured his safety. Karna after being trained by Parshuram, started donating to Brahmins after his morning shower in the river. Basically the routine was he would take a shower in river and on the way home first brahmin whom he will meet, he can ask anything and Karna will not refuse him anything.
Krishna knew about this and during wartime, he disguised himself as a brahmin and went to meet Karna during his morning ritual as a brahmin. Karna asked what donation the brahmin require, “Krishna” asked Karna for his armour and ear rings.
These things were attached to “Karna” and were like body part to him but Karna was strict to his words, he took a knife and cut off the armour and ear rings and gave to to Krishna who was disguised as a Brahmin.
Karna in the war of Mahabharat was now less than death himself. For him poets write:
जब उतरा युद्ध समर में वो
नर संघार है ऐसा घोर मचा
रंग गयी लाल, भूमि रक्त में
कुरु भूमि में जैसे स्वयं काल खड़ा
The poet says when Karna entered the warzone, he was so furious in his killings that thousands of men had been killed by him and to the levels where sand got painted in red with blood of men. He was standing in the warzone like “Death” himself is standing there.
Before the wartime, his real mother Kunti, came to meet Karna asking, please join me back and fight from my children’s side or be a Pandav. You will get full respect after we win the War. Karna refused saying, that you never wanted me, you never accepted me. I was banished by you and you never collected enough courage to accept me in public.
Today when I am fighting against you children you are here asking me to come back, tell me is it fair enough ? Secondly I cannot leave the side of “Duryodhan” because he accepted me publicly and made me a crowned prince. He gave me a status. He bought me from low caste to high caste. Tell me how can I betray him, when he needs me the most. But since you are here requesting something for the first time, I will promise you that none of your children will get killed. I will ensure their safety.
This was Karna, a man of his words, a person of largest heart and it was no miracle he was called “Daan Veer”, meaning someone who is a valiant donor.
Anyways, Karna knew inside that going in war from “Duryodhan’s” side will lead to his death and its a one way game. But inspite of this he went into the war zone and reigned a havoc over there. Everyone was quite confident that we will win due to Karna.
At last Karna’s charriot got stuck in the mud and he stepped down from his charriot. Krishna who was towing the charriot of Arjun told him to kill Karna as it was right moment. Arjun hesitated but killed Karna. Karna on the other hand could not do anything as he was totally blank at this moment. He knew his bane is now working and he cannot do anything to save himself and stand boldly to face death
आखिर धसा रथ चक्र भूमि में
मस्तिष्क में ऐसी विस्मृति छायी
याद रहा ना शस्त्र ज्ञान
जीवन पर जब विपदा आयी
याद आ रहा गुरु श्राप अब
जो आज सत्य ही हो रहा
हँस जान कर यही नियति मेरी
रथ चक्र निकालने राधेय चला
यही समय है यही अवसर
माधव ने पार्थ से कहा
भूल जा धर्म अधर्म की बाते
ना हो जाये काल फिर से खड़ा
फिर चला गांडीव बज्र बनकर
वो छाती पर रक्त की धार लिए
सूर्य अस्त हो गया हो जैसे
आंखों मैं करुण रक्त लालिमा लिए
When Karna died Krishna cried and everyone there cried. Arjun could not understand what was going on, and Krishan said this:
छोड़ परशु की विद्या
वो राम यश लिए जा रहा
आरम्भ से जो अपराजित था
आज प्रारब्ध से वो हार रहा
लज्जित है देवराज स्वयं पर
केशव के अश्रु भी झलक रहे
शब्द यही निकलें हैं मुख से
चिरकाल तक हम दोषी रहे
ज्ञात तुझे था, अंत स्वयम का
फिर भी अडिग तू मित्रधर्म पर
हे सूर्यपुत्र, हे महादानी
तुझसा वीर नहीं इस धरा पर
Krishna said, Karna was never defeated in his life. He could not be defeated by anyone, but he got defeated by his own karma. We are all culprit in his death, he was not meant to die like this. He knew he was going in the face of death, but still he stayed true to his friendship and his words. His valour will be remembered by everyone on the earth for ages.
Arjun when heard all these things he got infuriated and said to Krishna:
शब्द सुने ,जब पार्थ ने
व्यथित सा कुछ हो गया
माधव ये मुझको बतलाओ
मुझसे बड़ा वो कैसे हो गया
तीन पग पीछे रथ हटने पर अपना
तुम उसकी प्रशंसा कर जाते थे
मैं दस पग पीछे करता रथ उसका
ये क्यों विस्मृत कर जाते थे
मेरे गांडीव में बल नही
क्या ये कहना तुम चाहते हो?
या है बड़ा वो धनुर्धर मुझसे
ये सिद्ध करना तुम चाहते हो?
Being in my team, you are appreciating him. Whenever our charriot took 3 steps back after his attack you appreciated his efforts but at the same time, forgot my efforts when his charriot took 10 step back on my attacks. Are you trying to say he was a better warrior than me, and my attack does not have enough power. To which Krishna said:
भरे कंठ से तब बोले माधव
अर्जुन तू मुझसे अनजान नही
रथ साध रहा तेरा परम ब्रह्म
जिसका पार किसी के पास नहीं
ये युद्ध तो तूने लड़ा ही नहीं
उसका हर वार तो मैंने काटा था
पर हर बाण को क्षीण करने पर भी
पर तेरा रथ हिल जाता था
जिस रथ को साध रहा था मैं
अनगिनत सृष्टियो का भार लिए
उस रथ का तीन पग हटना क्या
वो रथ हिलना ही मुश्किल था
पर हिला रहा, जो रथ तेरा
अपने हर बाणों के प्रहारों से
नत मस्तक हैं आज देवगण
उसकी शौर्य भरी ललकारों से
न हुआ है ऐसा दानवीर
ना जन्मेगा उससा मित्र दूजा
जो समर में जीवन दान दे
वही है होता रणवीर सच्चा
Krishna said to Arjun, dear you know me well, your charriot was handled by my and other gods who blessed your charriot. You were not even fighting a war, all the blows which were coming were absorbed by the charriot and inspite of that your charriot was going back 3 steps on each blow. I am sitting on your charriot with weights of 3 universes, it is impossible to move the charriot by normal attack and yet his each attack was able to move your charriot, I appreciate his valiant efforts, no such person shall take birth again who is such a valiant donor and a friend like him. He was a real warrior.
The Karna was wronged by society for no mistake of himself. But his skill set, his zest to learn and prove himself to fit in the society is still unmatched.
Only lesson from his personality one can take is, be hungry like Karna for knowledge. Get it by hook or crook, just get it somehow and from any means possible, no matter the result.
The Adventures of Swapnil Sharma from 2020 