Karna

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This article is about a figure in Mahābhārata. For other uses, see Karna (disambiguation).
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Karna (right) confronts Arjuna, who will later kill Karna, in the Kurukshetra war.

Karna (Sanskrit: written Karṇa in IAST transliteration Tibetan: ; Wylie:

gser khrab) or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient
India. He was the King of Anga (present day Bhagalpur). Karna was one of the greatest warriors
whose martial exploits are recorded in the Mahābhārata, an admiration expressed by Krishna and
Bhishma within the body of this work. The Mahābhārata was first written down, according to
tradition, by Maharishi Ved Vyasa, in the first millennium BC. [1][2][3][4]

Karna was the son of Surya (a solar deity) and Kunti. He was born to Kunti before her marriage
with Pandu. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the
Pandavas (his brothers) in the famous Kurukshetra war. Karna fought against misfortune
throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Many admire him for his courage
and generosity. It is believed that Karna founded the city of Karnal.

Contents
1 Mahābhārata
2 Story
o 2.1 Divine birth
o 2.2 Childhood and education
o 2.3 Curse
o 2.4 More curses
o 2.5 King of Anga
 o 2.6 Deepening hostilities
o 2.7 Military campaign
o 2.8 Karna and Krishna
o 2.9 Karna and Indra
o 2.10 Kunti speaks with her eldest son
o 2.11 The Great War: Kurukshetra
 2.11.1 Thirteenth day
 2.11.2 Night of the fourteenth day
 2.11.3 Sixteenth day
 2.11.4 Seventeenth day
o 2.12 After Karna's death
3 Karna's family
o 3.1 Vrishasena
o 3.2 Vrishakethu
4 Reasons for Karna's death
5 Karna as a figure of adulation
6 Differences and similarities with Arjuna
7 Karna devotion to the sun and Chhath Puja
8 Film and television
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links

Mahābhārata
The story of Karna is told in the Mahābhārata, one of the Sanskrit epics from the Indian
subcontinent. The work is written in Classical Sanskrit and its development dates to a period
broadly contemporary with the classical age of ancient Greece and Rome, c. 400 BC–400
AD.[5][6] Like the poetry of Homer, however, this epic is attributed to a figure about whom little
is known – Vyasa, via his scribe Ganesha – and is a record of material that was already in
existence as an oral tradition before it was set down in writing. Its ultimate origins may date to
the eighth or ninth century BC.[7][6] Like the Iliad, the Mahābhārata concerns an ancient war, the
Kurukshetra war; like the Odyssey, where Odysseus recounts his marvellous adventures to King
Alcinous, it is a story within a story. It is, however, much longer than both the Iliad and the
Odyssey combined. Karna was a great warrior in the Kurukshetra war and his story is contained
within the Mahābhārata, as is the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text of the Hindus.

Story
Divine birth

Karna's father was the solar deity Surya and his mother's name was Kunti. Karna was born
before his mother's marriage to prince Pandu. The story of Karna's miraculous birth is this:
When Kunti was a young woman, a wise though irascible old man, the sage Durvasa, visited her
father's palace, where Kunti served him with utmost care for an entire year. Pleased by her
service and hospitality, the sage foresaw that Kunti would have difficulty having a child after her
marriage to Pandu, and granted her a boon to overcome this difficulty. By this boon she could
call upon any god of her choice, and receive a child through him. Out of curiosity, Kunti still
being unmarried, she decided to test the power of the mantra and called upon the god Surya.
Compelled by the power of this mantra, Surya appeared before her and handed her a son, who
was as radiant and powerful as Surya himself. The baby was wearing armour ('Kavacha') and a
pair of earrings ('Kundala'). Though Kunti had not physically given birth to the baby, she was
unwilling to be accused of being an unmarried mother and so with the help of her maid Dhatri,
she placed the baby Karna in a basket and set him afloat on a tributary of the holy river Ganges,
the Ashwanadi, in the hope that he would be taken in by another family.

Childhood and education

The child Karna was found by Adhiratha, a charioteer of King Dhritarashtra of Hastinapur.
Adhiratha and his wife Radha raised the boy as their own son and named him Vasusena. He also
came to be known as Radheya, the son of Radha. The name Karna, however, denotes 'ear',
because Karna was born with divine earrings. The emotional bond between Karna and his foster
parents would remain strong throughout his life, filled with love, respect and affection.

Karna happily performed his duties as their son, but as he grew up, he became more interested in
the art of warfare than in merely being a charioteer like his father Adhirata. Karna met
Dronacharya, who 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
Dronacharya only taught Kshatriyas, or warriors.

After being refused by Dronacharya, Karna sought his brother Shona's help. But according to
Indian culture, to learn an art you must have a guru (teacher), so Karna appointed the sun god as
his guru, learned to wield his weapons during the day by gathering information about the various
ayudhas (weapons) and practiced with them after sundown.

One day, when Karna came to Hastinapur, the seat of the Kauravas dynasty, after a month of
holiday, he heard from his friend Ashwathama that the week before, the guru Dronacharya had
decided to test his students in their skill at archery. He had hung a wooden bird from the branch
of a tree and then summoned his students, asking the first one to aim for the bird's eye but to tell
him first what he could see. The student replied that he could see the garden, the tree, the
flowers, everything – of course! Dronacharya asked him to step aside and not to shoot. He asked
a few other students the same thing, with the same outcome. When it was Arjuna's turn, Arjuna
told his guru that the only thing he could see was the bird's eye. This satisfied Dronacharya and
he allowed Arjuna to shoot at the bird. Arjuna successfully hit the eye of the wooden crow.

After listening also to his brother Shona's account of these events, Karna told him that if Arjuna
could hit the one eye of the wooden crow then he could hit both eyes of it in a single shot. They
practiced with their bows during the night, and Karna decided to shoot both eyes of the wooden
crow there and then, with the help of some household illumination. Karna instructed Shona to
suspend the wooden crow high in a tree and to hold the light underneath. Karna strung his bow
with two arrows (slightly changed their position one after the other) and as soon as he got a
signal from Shona, he successfully hit both eyes of the bird in a single shot.

Like the Irish mythological hero Cú Chulaind, who was possibly a young sun god,[8] Karna was
able to learn various martial arts in a very short time. But, Karna wanted to learn all the advanced
skills of archery including the use of divine weapons. After being refused by Dronacharya, Karna
decided to learn from Parashurama, Dronacharya's own guru, who was known to teach only
Brahmins.[9] He appeared before Parashurama as a Brahmin and requested that he be taken on 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.

Curse

As Karna's training came to completion, Parashurama learned the truth about his star pupil, in the
following way. The legend goes that one afternoon Parashurama requested Karna to bring a
pillow for him to lie his head on in the shade of a tree. Karna offered his teacher his lap, but
while Parashurama was asleep, a giant bee stung Karna's thigh. Despite excruciating pain, Karna
did not move, so as not to disturb his guru's sleep. As the bee bored deeper into Karna's thigh, the
wound began to bleed. Parashurama was woken up by the blood and deduced at once that Karna
was a Kshatriya and not a Brahmin, since only a Kshatriya could have endured such pain.
Parashurama, who had sworn vengeance against all Kshatriyas, laid this curse upon Karna: that
he would forget all the mantras required to wield the divine weapon Brahmastra, the most
destructive weapon in archery, at the moment of his greatest need.

Karna pleaded that any student would have acted in the same way and that he was the son of
Vasusena, a mere charioteer and not a Kshatriya. But while Parashurama regretted cursing Karna
in a moment of anger, his curse was irrevocable. So he gave to Karna as a gift the celestial
weapon called Bhargavastra, along with his personal bow called Vijaya, for being such a diligent
student.

More curses

Karna was cursed also by the Earth goddess, and by a Brahmin. The story is this:

Departing from Parashurama's ashram, Karna wandered for some time. On his way, he slayed a
cow that was rushing at him by shooting an arrow. 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 a crucial moment.

Andhra folklore further relates that Karna was riding his chariot in his kingdom of Anga once
when he 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 that her stepmother would be angry over her
carelessness. Being generous, Karna told the girl that he would give her some 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 her, Karna took the soil mixed with ghee in his fist and squeezed it
with all his might, so that the ghee dripped 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. She furiously chastised Karna for inflicting enormous pain on
Mother Earth for the sake of a mere child and cursed him that at a very crucial moment in battle,
his chariot wheel would be trapped as tightly as he had held that fistful of soil.

Thus, Karna was cursed on three separate and independent occasions. and each of these curses
came true at the same crucial moment in the Kurukshetra war, leaving him weaponless and
without a chariot.

King of Anga

The guru Dronacharya held a tournament at Hastinapur, to display the skills of the Kuru princes.
His student Arjuna was shown to be a particularly gifted archer. Karna arrived at this
tournament, however, and after surpassing Arjuna's feats, challenged him to a duel. Kripacharya
refused Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom; for according to the rules of
duelling, only a prince could challenge Arjuna to a duel since he was a prince of the Kuru house.
Duryodhana, the oldest of the one-hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra, knew that the
Pandavas, the five sons of King Pandu, younger brother of King Dhritarashtra, were better than
he and his brothers at warfare and saw Karna as a chance to get on even terms with them. He
immediately offered Karna the throne of the kingdom of Anga, making him a king and hence
eligible to fight a duel with Arjuna. When Karna asked him what he could do to repay him,
Duryodhana told him that all he wanted was 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 (the sons of King Pandu and Madri and Karna'a mother Kunti) and Karna
himself.

Karna was a loyal and true comrade to Duryodhana. He helped him to marry the princess of
Chitragandha. Following his accession to the throne of Anga, Karna took an oath that anyone
who approached him with a request at midday, when he worshiped the sun, would not leave
empty-handed. This practice contributed to Karna's fame as well as to his downfall, as Indra took
advantage of it. Ultimately, Karna's unfailing generosity resulted in his death on the Kurukshetra
battlefield.

Deepening hostilities

Karna was a suitor for Draupadi at her swayamvara, or her choosing of a marriage partner.
Unlike most other contenders, he was easily able to wield and string the bow, but as he was
ready to set his aim, on Krishna's gesture, Draupadi restrained him from shooting the arrow by
calling him the son of a charioteer. The Pandavas were also present in the swayamvara, disguised
as Brahmins. 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 hostile rivalry with him further intensified.
After Shakuni won a game of dice by trickery, Draupadi, now queen to all five sons of King
Pandu, including Arjuna, was dragged into the court by Dushasana. 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, another of the Pandava brothers, vowed that he would personally slaughter
Duryodhana and his brothers in battle. Arjuna subsequently swore to kill Karna.

Military campaign

The Pandavas were exiled, and during this time, Karna took upon himself the task of establishing
Duryodhana as the Emperor of the World. Karna commanded an army that marched to different
parts of the country to subjugate kings and made them swear allegiance to Duryodhana, the king
of Hastinapur or else die in battle. Karna succeeded in all the battles. In this military adventure,
Karna 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.[10]

Karna and Krishna

Following failed peace negotiations with Duryodhana, Krishna approached Karna, who was
acknowledged as Duryodhana's finest warrior. Krishna revealed to Karna that he was the eldest
son of Kunti, and therefore, technically, the eldest Pandava, and asked him to change sides.
Krishna assured him that Yudhisthira would give the crown of Indraprastha to him.

Karna refused this huge offer because he had sworn fidelity to Duryodhana, and as such, was
compelled to stay by his side despite his blood ties to the Pandavas. He said that Yudhisthira was
a righteous man, and knowing that Karna was older than he was, Yudhisthira would immediately
give up his crown to him, he knew. However, to repay his debt to Duryodhana, Karna would
have to confer the crown of Indraprastha immediately onto Duryodhana, which Karna thought
was against Dharma. Krishna was saddened, but appreciating Karna's sense of loyalty, accepted
his decision, promising Karna that his lineage would remain a secret.

Karna and Indra

The Pandavas were exiled and eventual war seemed certain. Indra, the king of the gods (Devas)
and the father of Arjuna, realized that Karna would be invincible in battle and unable to be killed
as long as he had the golden armour and earrings that he had been born with, so he conceived a
plot to weaken Karna. He decided to approach Karna as a poor Brahmin during Karna's midday
sun worship. Surya warned Karna of Indra's intentions, however, exhorting him not to give away
his armour and earrings. Karna thanked Surya but explained that 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 warned, 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 his most powerful weapon, the Vasavi shakti, but only once. It was then
that Karna earned the name Vaikartana, as he cut the armour off his body without flinching.

Kunti speaks with her eldest son

The story relates that as war approached, Kunti met Karna to reveal to him that she was his
mother. Both of them shared a touching moment together but when she asked him to call himself
Kaunteya (son of Kunti) instead of Radheya, 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, but
Karna refused. He told his mother that, had she been willing to acknowledge him all those years
ago when he appeared at the tournament, then things might have been very different. But it was
too late now. He could not betray the trust of his friend. However, he promised his mother that
he would not attempt to kill any of the Pandavas except for Arjuna.

Karna knew that Arjuna was under the divine aegis of Lord Krishna and hence would be
invincible. But he knew that because of this he would be able to pay off Duryodhana's debt while
performing the duties of an elder brother. He told Kunti that she could only keep five sons – the
fifth would either be himself or Arjuna. Karna requested his mother to keep their relationship and
his royal birth a secret until his death.

The Great War: Kurukshetra

A manuscript of Mahabharata depicting the war at Kurukshetra.

A quarter of the whole length of the Mahābhārata is devoted to an account of the Kurukshetra
war.

The story relates how, before the war began, Duryodana requested Bhishma, the commander-in-
chief of the Kauravas, to consider Karna under his leadership. Bhishma refused, saying that
Karna had insulted his guru Parshuram by insulting Draupadi and nobody disrespecting his guru
can fight under his leadership. Bhishma secretly knew about Karna's true ancestary and did not
want him to fight against his own brothers. Consequently, Karna entered the battlefield only on
the eleventh day, after the fall of Bheeshma. We pick up the story on the thirteenth day.
Thirteenth day

The guru Dronacharya (Drona) had organized a special formation called the
Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha to challenge the Pandavas. Only Krishna and Arjuna on the
Pandavas's side knew how to combat this, but they had been purposely drawn far away from the
field of battle.

Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, however, had heard about the formation while he was in his mother's
womb, when Krishna was narrating the Chakravyuha arrangement to his sister Subhadra.
Subhadra had paid attention only to the first part of the narration and then fallen asleep, so
Abhimanyu only knew how to enter the formation, and not how to extract himself from it.
Notwithstanding this, the four Pandava brothers decided that Abhimanyu should lead them to
enter the Chakravyuha in the absence of Arjuna and Krishna.

But, as soon as Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuha, Jayadratha, a Sindhu king from the
Kaurava army blocked it, thereby preventing other Pandavas from entering the formation.
Abhimanyu was left all alone in the middle of the enemy formation. Once inside, he fought
valiantly and held back all the best warriors of the Kauravas single-handedly, including Karna,
Dronacharya and Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Karna chose to assist in the elimination of
Abhimanyu under Dronacharya's guidance. Karna shot arrows from behind that broke
Abhimanyu's bow and the reins of his chariot, while the Kauravas overwhelmed him. The battle
ended in Abhimanyu's death.

Arjuna, on learning of the death of Abhimanyu at the hands of the Kauravas, pledged to kill
Jayadratha before sunset the next day, failing which he would immolate himself in a fire.

Night of the fourteenth day

Karna (left) kills Ghatotkacha (centre) as Arjuna (right) watches

Uncharacteristically, the battle next day extended into the hours of darkness. Ghatotkacha, the
half-asura son of Bhima, began to destroy the Kaurava forces. It was a characteristic of the
asuras that they became extraordinarily powerful at night. Duryodhana and Karna bravely stood
and fought him. Finally, when it seemed that Ghatotkacha would destroy all the Kaurava forces
that very night, having already badly-wounded Dronacharya, Duryodhana called upon Karna to
use all means necessary. Karna engaged him in a ferocious duel, with every single warrior from
both sides watching in silent awe. As Ghatotkacha began to use his skills of dark magic, Karna
had to use the Vasava Shakti, which had been gifted to him by Lord Indra in return for his divine
armour. Using this weapon, Karna killed the Asura Ghatotkacha.

Although his death was a major disappointment to the Pandavas, there was a serene smile on
Krishna's face. Krishna knew that, because Karna had now expended this fearsome weapon,
Arjuna was no longer vulnerable to it.

Sixteenth day

Karna Parva is the name given to the Eighth Book of the Mahābhārata, describing days 16 and
17 of the Kurukshetra war. Karna is now the commander of the Kaurava army. Anticipating a
likely battle to the death between Karna and Arjura, Lord Krishna spoke to Arjuna:

"Hear in brief, O son of Pandu! I regard the mighty car-warrior Karna as thy equal, or perhaps,
thy superior! With the greatest care and resolution shouldst thou slay him in great battle. In
energy he is equal to Agni. As regards speed, he is equal to the impetuosity of the wind. In
wrath, he resembles the Destroyer himself. Endued with might, he resembles a lion in the
formation of his body. He is eight ratnis in stature. His arms are large. His chest is broad. He is
invincible. He is sensitive. He is a hero. He is, indeed, the foremost of heroes."[citation needed]

Karna single-handedly defeated all but one of the Pandavas on this sixteenth day of the
Kurukshetra war, as related in the Mahābhārata. He overcame Bhima but left him alive, saying
that as Bhima was younger than he was, he wouldn't kill him. He defeated Yudhisthira and also
left him alive, saying that: "It seems that you have forgotten all the teachings which your guru
has taught you, so first go and practice them and then come to fight". Karna then defeated
Nakula and Sahedeva but didn't kill them, since he had promised his mother to spare the lives of
all the Pandava brothers except for Arjuna.

After defeating all of Arjuna's brothers, Karna asked his charioteer, Shalya, to drive his chariot to
where Arjuna was standing. Karna took his powerful weapon, Nagastra and shot it at Arjuna.
Krishna saved Arjuna from certain death by his divine powers; by subtly lowering Arjuna’s
chariot into the earth, through a gentle pressure of his feet. An angry Arjuna showered all his
arrows on Karna, but Karna neutralized them all with his own. Karna then shot more arrows
which incapacitated Arjuna and made him weaponless. But the close of the day spared Arjuna's
life, since both sides observed the codes of war and stopped fighting.

Seventeenth day
Karna's wheel is stuck as Arjuna aims at him

The much-awaited duel between Karna and Arjuna resumed. Both these warriors matched each
other weapon for weapon. This famous duel was witnessed by the gods from the heavens.

Karna cut the string of Arjuna's bow many times. But at each instant he found Arjuna able to tie
back the bowstring in the twinkling of an eye. Karna praised Arjuna for this and remarked to
Shalya that now he understood why people called him the greatest archer in the world.

Although the duel was evenly-fought for a long while, Karna was suddenly stricken by the
playing-out of the curses that had been thrown at him and which would now put him in grave
danger. Hampered as his chariot wheel sank into the ground in loose, wet soil, he found himself
unable to remember the incantations for his divine weapons, as his teacher Parashurama had
foretold. Descending from his chariot to remove the wheel, he requested Arjuna to wait, as the
etiquette of battle allowed; but Krishna told Arjuna that Karna has no right to refer to etiquette at
this point, having violated those same rules himself when killing Abhimanyu, participating in the
laksha-griha conspiracy, assisting Duryodhan in the game of dice and insulting Draupadi in the
Hastinapur court. Lord Krishna told Arjuna that it was not adharma to kill a man who had
supported evil all his life, and urged Arjuna to kill Karna while he could.

Arjuna shot many arrows at the helpless Karna, severely wounding him, but was curiously
unable to kill him. Lord Krishna told him that the great Dharma of noble charity that Karna had
performed during his lifetime was protecting him. Lord Krishna ordered Arjuna to redouble his
efforts. Arjuna complied and Karna was killed.

After Karna's death

Following the Kurukshetra war, Tarpan vidhi 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
Sūta, she revealed the truth of his birth. The brothers were shocked to find that they had
committed fratricide. Yudhishtira, in particular, was furious with his mother and laid a curse
upon all women that they should never thereafter be able to keep a secret.

According to Karna's dying wish, Karna's Antim Sanskar was performed by none other than
Lord Krishna himself. This was the honour given to him by Lord Krishna. Karna is the only
person in the Mahābhārata epic who receives this great honour.

Lord Krishna went to Gandhari to tell her that Karna had died. Gandhari told Lord Krishna:
"You knew what was going to happen and you could have prevented the war." Gandhari cursed
Lord Krishna for this. "Just as my entire family perished, your family will die the same
way."[citation needed] Lord Krishna smiled as he accepted Gandhari's curse.

Karna's family
Karna's wives were Vrushali and Supriya. The names of nine of Karna's sons are mentioned in
the Mahābhārata. Of these nine, only one survived the Kurukshetra war, and his name was
Vrishakethu.

The nine sons of Karna were Vrishasena, Sudaman, Shatrunjaya, Dvipata, Sushena, Satyasea,
Chitrasena, Susharma alias Banasena and Vrishakethu. Sudaman 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 the guru Dronacharya 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 Vrishasena was killed by Arjuna during the last days of the war,
when Karna commanded the battle forces.

Vrishasena

Vrishasena’s death illustrates some gruesome battle detail in the Mahābhārata. Karna's son,
angered at the death of his brother Chitrasena, rushed at Nakula. A fierce battle ensued and
Vrishasena managed to kill Nakula's horses and pierce him with many arrows. Descending from
his chariot and taking up his sword and shield, Nakula severed the heads of two thousand
horsemen as he made his way toward Vrishasena. Vrishasena, seeing Nakula coming towards
him whirling his sword, shattered it with four well-aimed crescent-shaped arrows. Nakula then
quickly ascended Bhima's chariot and, as Arjuna came near, asked him for help.

Arjuna in turn sought Krishna's help and vowed to kill Vrishasena. Vrishasena, however, was
able to release many different kinds of arrows against them both, piercing Arjuna's arm and
Krishna also. Arjuna became enraged, and after threatening Karna with what he would do to his
son, he struck Vrishasena with ten arrows and then with four razor-headed arrows, cut off his
bow, his two arms and his head, adorned as it was with beautiful earrings. It was this killing that
prompted Karna to challenge Arjuna to fight.

Vrishakethu
Vrishakethu was the only one of Karna's sons to survive the horror of the Kurukshetra war. He
later came under the patronage of the Pandavas. During the action that preceded the
Ashvamedha, Vrishakethu accompanied Arjuna and participated in battles with Sudhava and
Babruvahana. During that campaign, Vrishakethu married the daughter of king Yavanatha,
perhaps a king in the west. It is recorded that Arjuna developed a great affection for his nephew
Vrishakethu and trained him to be one of the best archers in the world.

Reasons for Karna's death

Karna's death in the Mahābhārata is brought about by a number of factors. The first and foremost
contributor was the 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 likely consequence of this
incantation. Karna's upbringing by the charioteer Adiratha denied the young warrior his rightful
recognition as a man of Kshatriya status. And it was Lord Indra, in fact, who, in the form of a
giant bee, stung Karna's thigh and caused the guru Parasurama to curse Karna with such a
significant curse, for lying about his caste. It was later revealed that Parasurama knew about the
impending massacre at Kurukshetra; he explained to Karna in a dream, on the night before
Karna's battle with Arjuna, that he purposely cursed him in that way so as to ensure the defeat of
the Kauravas. In this dream, he blesses Karna with everlasting glory after his death, because of
his humble acceptance of the curse.

Having embarked upon the fateful battle, the curse of the Brahmin who owned the cow and the
curse of Bhoomidevi provide the opportunity for Karna's defeat. His giving away of his armour
and earrings as alms to Lord Indra, this time disguised as a beggar, left him vulnerable. His
generous nature and faith in keeping his word also contributed to his downfall by the two
promises he made to his mother Kunti, not to kill his four half-brothers and to use the Nagastra
only once.

Karna's hatred towards the Pandavas lessened when he learned from his mother that they were
his half-brothers. But, to be loyal to Duryodhana, Karna decided to fight against Arjuna in the
war. Karna supported Duryodhana in all his wrongdoings even though he knew the difference
between good and evil perfectly well. Lord Krishna tried to persuade Karna to switch his
allegiance, knowing that without his support, Duryodhan would not fight the war and millions of
lives would be spared. But Karna refused to do so because of his personal honour and his debt to
Duryodhana. The resulting animosity of Lord Krishna towards Karna led ultimately to his fatal
instruction to Arjuna to kill him without mercy.

Karna as a figure of adulation

Even though Karna devoted his services to the evil Duryodhana, in the epic story told in the
Mahābhārata, he remains a figure of adulation for millions of Hindus and Indians, who regard
him as the greatest warrior of all time. 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, his courageous spirit led him to brave impossible odds in his life and he died with
unique courage, valour and honour. In the Mahābhārata, Bheeshma and Lord Krishna concede
that Karna was a noble spirit who rarely appears in the human race. Karna is especially adored
for his generosity. He is idealized as an inspiration for struggling humanity not to lose heart. He
is also considered an example of how misjudgment can render all the finer qualities of an
individual futile.

Karna's might is praised even by Krishna in the Mahābhārata. During his battle with Arjuna,
when Arjuna questions the reason for this praise, Krishna reminds Arjuna that, by having
Krishna as his charioteer, Arjuna's chariot contains the whole weight of the universe and yet
Karna is still able to rock it by the force of his arrows. When the battle is ended and multiple
levels of divine protection are removed from Arjuna's chariot, it explodes into dust through the
blows it has received. Arjuna realizes his mistake and praises Karna as well.

Karna's ethics are admired. During his duel with Arjuna, when, by a blow from one of Karna's
arrows Arjuna is rendered unconscious, the cobra king Ashwasen creeps out of hiding from
Karna's chariot and asks Karna if he may use his poison against Arjuna, because Arjuna had
burnt his forest to the ground. Karna refuses. He will not use a snake against any human, because
it would be treachery towards humanity.

Karna is a popular Hindu male name.

Differences and similarities with Arjuna

There are many parallels between Arjuna and Karna. Both were master archers, both competed
for Draupadi's hand and both had to fight their own brother. Their decisions, and the
consequences of these decisions to themselves and to their families, are used to emphasize the
importance of doing one's duty, as explained in the Bhagavad Gita.

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 and allowed Arjuna to take
her instead. Karna's affection for Duryodhana led him, albeit unwillingly, to 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. He is criticised for insulting Draupadi in the Hastinapur court and for supporting
Duryodhan in his act of dishonoring her. His role in the killing of an unarmed and outnumbered
Abhimanyu can be interpreted as an act that more directly damaged his image as an honorable
warrior and doomed him to a similar fate. According to some interpretations of the Mahābhārata,
it was this deed that cemented Karna's status as a warrior on the wrong side of the war and sealed
his fate, that of being killed by Arjuna in the same way, being unarmed, chariotless and with his
back turned to Arjuna.

Karna devotion to the sun and Chhath Puja

Karna used to pray to his father Surya, the sun god, at noon every day. This tradition of praying
to Surya is still carried out in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in the form of Chhath
Puja.

Film and television

A film adaptation of the story of Karna in the Mahābhārata was made in 1963; the movie
Karnan, an epic Tamil movie depicting the life of Karna and his friendship with Duryodhana,
starring Shivaji Ganesan and N.T. Rama Rao. Other, similar movies soon followed, in Telagu
and Hindi.

In 1977, the telugu movie Daana Veera Soora Karna again starred the Indian film actor, director
and producer N.T Rama Rao, who played three characters – Karna, Duryodhana and Krishna. In
2010, Prakash Jha directed the Bollywood film Raajneeti, a fictional adaptation of the
Mahābhārata, set within a backdrop of Indian Politics and starring the actor Ajay Devgan, who
played Suraj, a character based on Karna. One of the songs from the 1991 Indian movie
Thalapathi, based upon the friendship between Karna and Duryodhana, has been voted number 4
in the BBC's 'World's Top Ten Revealed' worldwide music poll. [11]

Karna was portrayed by Pankaj Dheer in 1988, in the television series Mahabharat

References
1. ^ www.urday.com
2. ^ devdutt.com
3. ^ ammastales.com
4. ^ www.urday.in
5. ^ Brockington, 1998, p 26.
6. ^ a b Buitenen, 1978. 1: The Book of the Beginning. Introduction (Authorship and Date).
7. ^ Winternitz, Maurice.
8. ^ Loomis, Roger Sherman, 1927, reprinted 1997. Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance.
Academy Chicago Publishers, Illinois, USA. Chapter IV, Irish Gods of Sun and Storm,
pp 39–51.
9. ^ Website dedicated to the story of Karna
10. ^ MBH 8.8.18–20.
11. ^ Steve Wright page at bbc.co.uk

Bibliography
Bowles, Adam, 2006. Mahābhārata: Karna. Published by NYU Press. ISBN 0-8147-
9981-7.
Brockington, J, 1998. The Sanskrit Epics. Leiden.
Buitenen, Johannes Adrianus Bernardus, 1978. The Mahābhārata. 3 volumes (translation
/ publication incomplete due to his death). University of Chicago Press.
Desai, Ranjit. Radheya'. ISBN 81-7766-746-7
 Dinkar, Ramdhari Singh. The Sun Charioteer: a poetic rendering of Karna's life, his
dharma, his friendship and tragedies. Rashmirathi; /
" (in Hindi)
McGrath, Kevin, 2004. The Sanskrit Hero: Karna in Epic Mahābhārata. Published by
BRILL. ISBN 90-04-13729-7.
Sawant, Shivaji. Mrityunjaya, the death conqueror: the story of Karna. ISBN 81-7189-
002-4
Subramaniam, Kamala, Smt. The Mahabharata. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Press.
Winternitz, Maurice. A History of Indian Literature, Volume 1. at Google Books

External links
The Story of Karna - The Doomed Hero

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Mahabharata
v · d · eMahabharata
Santanu · Ganga · Bhishma · Satyavati · Chitrāngada · Vichitravirya · Ambika ·
Ambalika · Vidura · Dhritarashtra · Gandhari · Shakuni · Pandu · Kunti · Madri ·
Kuru Yudhisthira · Bhima · Arjuna · Nakula · Sahadeva · Duryodhana · Dushasana ·
Kingdom Yuyutsu · Dushala · Draupadi · Hidimbi · Ghatotkacha · Ahilawati · Subhadra ·
Uttara · Ulupi · Chitrāngadā · Abhimanyu · Iravan · Babruvahana · Barbarika ·
Parikshit · Janamejaya
Karna · Drona · Amba · Vyasa · Krishna · Satyaki · Dhristadyumna · Sanjaya ·
Other Virata · Kichaka · Kripa · Ashwatthama · Ekalavya · Kritavarma · Jarasandha ·
characters Mayasura · Durvasa · Jayadratha · Balarama · Drupada · Hidimba · Shalya ·
Adhiratha · Shikhandi
Mahābhārata and the Indian caste system · Avatars · Pandava · Kaurava · Hastinapur ·
Other
Indraprastha · Kingdoms · Kurukshetra War · Bhagavad Gita
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karna"
Categories: Characters in the Mahabharata
Hidden categories: Wikipedia semi-protected pages | Articles lacking in-text citations from
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Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011

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