Karna and his fight with destiny

For me, Karna is one of the two most exciting and complex characters from the epic Mahabharat. If anyone matches the complexity of Krishna’s character I think it’s Karna’s character. The story of his birth is also very interesting. He was born to Kunti much before her marriage to Pandu when she accidentally invoked Surya to test the boon given to her by sage Durvasa. It was too late when she discovered that boon really worked and was left with an unwanted child. Ashamed of the baby and scared about social reactions she set the infant afloat on the river praying for his safety. This baby was picked up by Adhiratha, a childless charioteer, he and his wife Radha raised this child like their own son.  He had inborn attributes, his earrings (hence the name Karna) and breastplate which make him invincible. 

Karna’s official entry in the epic is also very dramatic. He enters the public arena as a stranger where sons of Pandu and Dhritarashtra are displaying their martial arts skills. He openly challenges Arjuna and even claims that he can put a better show of skills than Arjuna, and to everyone’s surprise, this stranger fulfills his promise. Then he challenges Arjuna for a duel and from here his conflict with Pandavas begins. Kripacharya, the match referee asks Karna to reveal his identity to confirm his lineage as it seems only Kshatriya can fight with another Kshatriya. Karna’s face fades, this was not the first time his lineage blocked his way.  Mahabharat takes place in a very feudal society, where social status or lineage matters a lot. Karna faced this problem of lineage when he tried to become a student of Drona and also when his Guru Parashuram cursed him for not disclosing his true caste identity. Kunti his biological mother recognizes him as her abandoned son but doesn’t show enough courage to accept him. Bhima insults him as ‘sutaputra’ just because he is a mere charioteer’s son. He stands there as a defenseless victim questioning whether a person's social position should be defined by birth or by the talent they possess. Duryodhana seizes this opportunity and comes to rescue him as he sees that this warrior might come in handy in his fight against Pandavas. A similar incident is repeated many years later in the Kuru assembly where Draupadi gets insulted when Dushasana drags her into the assembly and tries to disrobe her. Karna was also disrobed in public, not literally but the way he got insulted because of his lineage is like getting disrobed in public. In both cases, the victim was targeted for no fault of theirs. If Kauravas had been victorious in war I am sure Karna's insult would have been equivalent to Draupadi's vastraharan.

I am not trying to justify any of Karna’s future actions like his role in Draupadi's insult or killing of Abhimanyu or his loyalty towards Duryodhana. Karna made some mistakes in his life and got punished for each of them. Karna's story is a story of double standards in our society. He was wronged by his teachers, mother, brothers, friends, seniors (Bhishma), and even by Gods (Indra).

Krishna tried to persuade Karna to switch sides by offering him the kingdom by disclosing his true identity as the eldest son of Kunti. Karna not only denied his offer but even requested Krishna to keep the truth about his true identity a secret till his death. Krishna didn’t try to deliver something like Bhagavad Gita to Karna as he knew that Karna didn’t need it. I think most of the celebrated warriors from the Kuru army already understood the principle of Nishkam Karma from Gita, they did their duty without worrying about the results or the end product. I think every one of them knew what their destiny was and even had an opportunity to change it but they didn’t. One can not understand Mahabharat and its characters if we assume in the beginning that one side is right and the other is wrong. It’s not a simple story of victory of hero over villain, but it's a tale of continuous tussle between right and wrong attributes, they are not associated with any particular side or character and there is no clear winner. 

Karna is one of my favorite characters from Mahabharat.  He refused to give up even after so many setbacks and defeats, stood by his friend till the end, fulfilled his promises, and fought against all the odds even after realizing that he couldn't win. He made mistakes and paid for them, at the end of his life his slate was clear, he didn't owe anything to anybody. Even people who killed him and hated him came to pay homage after his death because of his bravery, honesty, and loyalty. For me, he will always remain a symbol of a person's fight with his destiny.

Thanks for reading and your comments are welcome.

(Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing)