12. KARNA:

THE Pandavas and the Kauravas learnt
the practice of arms first from
Kripacharya and later from Drona. A day
was fixed for a test and exhibition of their
proficiency in the use of arms in the
presence of the royal family and as the
public had also been invited to witness the
performance of their beloved princes.
There was a large and enthusiastic crowd.
Arjuna displayed superhuman skill with
his weapons and the vast assemblage was
lost in wonder and admiration.
Duryodhana's brow was dark with envy
and hate.


At the close of the day, there came
suddenly from the entrance of the arena a
sound, loud and compelling like thunder
the sound made by the slapping of mighty
arms in challenge. All eyes turned in that
direction. They saw enter through the
crowd, which made way in awed silence,
a godlike youth from whom light and
power seemed to emanate. He looked
proudly round him, cast a negligent salute
to Drona and Kripa, and strode up to
Arjuna. The brothers, all unaware, by the
bitter irony of fate, of their common
blood, faced one another; for it was
Karna.


Karna addressed Arjuna in a voice deep as
rumbling thunder: "Arjuna, I shall show
greater skill than you have displayed."
With Drona's leave, Karna the lover of
battle, then and there duplicated all of
Arjuna's feats with careless ease. Great
was Duryodhana's exultation. He threw
his arms round Karna and said:
"Welcome, O thou with mighty arms,
whom good fortune has sent to us. I and
this kingdom of the Kurus are at your
command."
Said Karna: "I, Karna, am grateful, O
king. Only two things I seek, your love
and single combat with Partha."
Duryodhana clasped Karna again to his
bosom and said: "My prosperity is all
thine to enjoy."


As love flooded Duryodhana's heart, even
so did blazing wrath fill Arjuna, who felt
affronted. And glaring fiercely at Karna
who stood, stately as a mountain peak,
receiving the greetings of the Kaurava
brothers, he said: "O Karna, slain by me
thou shalt presently go to the hell
appointed for those who intrude uninvited
and prate unbidden."


Karna laughed in scorn: "This arena is
open to all, O Arjuna, and not to you
alone. Might is the sanction of sovereignty
and the law is based on it. But what is the
use of mere talk which is the weapon of
the weak? Shoot arrows instead of words."
Thus challenged, Arjuna, with Drona's
permission, hastily embraced his brothers
and stood ready for combat. While Karna,
taking leave of the Kuru brothers,
confronted him weapon in hand.
And, as though the divine parents of the
heroes sought to encourage their offspring
and witness this fateful battle, Indra, the
lord of the thunderclouds, and Bhaskara of
the in finite rays, simultaneously appeared
in the heavens.


When she saw Karna, Kunti knew him as
her first born and fainted away. Vidura
instructed the maidservant to attend upon
her and she revived. She stood stupefied
with anguish not knowing what to do.
As they were about to join in battle,
Kripa, well-versed in the rules of single
combat, stepped between them and
addressed Karna:
"This prince, who is ready to fight with
thee, is the son of Pritha and Pandu and a
scion of the Kuru race. Reveal O mighty
armed thy parentage and the race rendered
illustrious by thy birth. It is only after
knowing thy lineage that Partha can fight
with thee, for high-born princes cannot
engage in single combat with unknown
adventurers."
When he heard these words, Karna bent
down his head like a lotus under the
weight of rainwater.


Duryodhana stood up and said: "If the
combat cannot take place merely because
Karna is not a prince, why, that is easily
remedied. I crown Karna as the king of
Anga." He then obtained the assent of
Bhishma and Dhritarashtra, performed all
the necessary rites and invested Karna
with the sovereignty of the kingdom of
Anga giving him the crown, jewels and
other royal insignia.
At that moment, as the combat between
the youthful heroes seemed about to
commence, the old charioteer Adhiratha,
who was the foster-father of Karna,
entered the assembly, staff in hand and
quaking with fear.


No sooner did he see him, that Karna, the
newly crowned king of Anga, bowed his
head and did humble obeisance in all filial
reverence. The old man called him son,
embraced him with his thin and trembling
arms, and wept with joy wetting with tears
of love his head already moistened by the
water of the coronation.


At this sight, Bhima roared with laughter
and said: "O he is after all only the son of
a charioteer! Take up the driving whip
then as befits thy parentage. Thou art not
worthy of death at the hands of Arjuna.
Nor shouldst thou reign in Anga as a
king."
At this outrageous speech, Karna's lips
trembled with anguish and he speechlessly
looked up at the setting sun with a deep
sigh.


But Duryodhana broke in indignantly:
"It is unworthy of you, O Vrikodara, to
speak thus. Valor is the hallmark of a
kshatriya. Nor is there much sense in
tracing great heroes and mighty rivers to
their sources. I could give you hundreds
of instances of great men of humble birth
and I know awkward questions might be
asked of your own origin. Look at this
warrior, his godlike form and bearing, his
armor and earrings, and his skill with
weapons. Surely there is some mystery
about him. For how could a tiger be born
of an antelope? Unworthy of being king of
Anga, didst thou say? I verily hold him
worthy to rule the whole world."


In generous wrath, Duryodhana took
Karna in his chariot and drove away.
The sun set and the crowd dispersed in
tumult. There were groups loud in talk
under the light of the lamps, some
glorifying Arjuna, others Karna, and
others again Duryodhana according to
their predilection.


Indra foresaw that a supreme contest was
inevitable between his son Arjuna and
Karna. And he put on the garb of a
brahmana and came to Karna, who was
reputed for his charity and begged of him
his earrings and armor. The Sun god had
already warned Karna in a dream that
Indra would try to deceive him in this
manner.


Still, Karna could not bring himself to
refuse any gift that was asked of him.
Hence he cut off the earrings and armor
with which he was born and gave them to
the brahmana.


Indra, the king of gods, was filled with
surprise and joy. After accepting the gift,
he praised Karna as having done what no
one else would do, and, shamed into
generosity, bade Karna ask for any boon
he wanted.


Karna replied: "I desire to get your
weapon, the Sakti, which has the power to
kill enemies." Indra granted the boon, but
with a fateful proviso. He said: "You can
use this weapon against but one enemy,
and it will kill him whosoever he may be.
But this killing done, this weapon will no
longer be available to you but will return
to me." With these words Indra
disappeared.


Karna went to Parasurama and became his
disciple by representing to him that he
was a brahmana. He learnt of Parasurama
the mantra for using the master weapon
known as Brahmastra.


One day Parasurama was reclining with
the head on Karna's lap when a stinging
worm burrowed into Karna's thigh. Blood
began to flow and the pain was terrible.
But Karna bore it without tremor lest he
should disturb the master's sleep.
Parasurama awoke and saw the blood that
had poured from the wound.
He said: "Dear pupil, you are not a
brahmana. A kshatriya alone can remain
unmoved under all bodily torments. Tell
me the truth."


Karna confessed that he had told a lie in
presenting himself as a brahmana and that
he was in fact the son of a charioteer.
Parasurama in his anger pronounced this
curse on him: "Since you deceived your
guru, the Brahmastra you have learnt shall
fail you at the fated moment. You will be
unable to recall the invocatory mantra
when your hour comes."


It was because of this curse that at the
crisis of his last fight with Arjuna, Karna
was not able to recall the Brahmastra
spell, though he had remembered it till
then. Karna was the faithful friend of
Duryodhana and remained loyally with
the Kauravas until the end.


After the fall of Bhishma and Drona,
Karna became the leader of the Kaurava
army and fought brilliantly for two days.
In the end, the wheel of his chariot stuck
in the ground and be was not able to lift it
free and drive the chariot along. While he
was in this predicament, Arjuna killed
him. Kunti was sunk in sorrow, all the
more poignant because she had, at that
time, to conceal it.