Mysteries of Karna's Life
In Mahabharta Karna is the most beloved character along with Arjuna.
Dhritrashtra marries Gandhari who blindfolds herself for life to share her
husband’s condition Pandu marries Kunti and Madri unaware that Kunti has a
secret in her past.The story consist of four parts as below;
Secret of Karna Birth
The story of the secret in Kunti’s past starts, when she was a young woman
growing up in her uncle Kunti bhoj's court She was wise and full of life.
The king, her adopted father loved her as his own daughter. One day sage
Durwasa paid a visit to the court of Kunti bhoj. Durwasa was known for his
fierce temper and his habit of laying curse on the people for the slightest
of offence.Everyone in the palace from ministers to serving maids were
scared of the legendary sage.
Everyone except Kunti. Kunti served the sage with good cheer and kept him
company. She spoke her mind and engaged him in spirited conversation.
Durwasa who was used to people fearing him and keeping their distance, was
delighted with Kunti. When the time came for Durwasa to go he gave Kunti a
gift, He whispered in her ear a Mantra. When the innocent Kunti asked him
what the mantra was for. He only told it was a way for her to summon any God
she wants. Kunti was confused.
Sometime after Durwasa had left, Kunti decided to test the gift he had given. She beheld the blazing sun in the sky and spoke the Mantra. In no time Suryadev, the Sun-god stood before her in all his glory.
Kunti was in shock and could not answer the God when he asked her why
she had summoned him. As she stood in the blinding light of the celestial
being Kunti realized that the mantra was not merely a way to summon a God.
Suryadev took Kunti into his embrace, she was lost in his light.
When the
light faded and Surya left, Kunti found in her arms a child. He was the most
beautiful thing she had seen in her life. He was born with golden ear rings
and was armoured as well. Kunti could sense that he was destined for
greatness. But she also understood how impossible it was for her to keep him
and to claim him as her son. She was after all unmarried.
With a heavy heart Kunti did what no mother should ever have to do. She
paved her son in a basket and took it to the bank of a river. There she
cried in anguish and showered his smiling son with blessings. She looked up
to the sun and begged Suryadev to watch over him. Then she placed the basket
on the waves and watched it float away.
Karna Upbringing
Somewhere far from Hastinapur, a young man by the name of Karna lived a
humble life with his parents his father was a suta -- a charioteer. He knew
however, that he was different somehow and that he was meant for great
things. His body for example, wore an enchanted armour and his ears had
beautiful golden kundals.He had had these gifts for as long as he could remember. One day, he asked
his mother about these gifts and the burning desire in his heart to fight
and pursue the life of a Kshatriya.
In response, Karna's mother told him the story of how he came to be in this family. She told him that years ago, his father had found him floating in the river in a basket. He had brought the baby home with him. The armour and the rings on his ears had grown as he had grown into a man. Having thus understood that he was really a Kshatriya, Karna set out to learn the ways of war. He sought out the greatest master of arms he could find -- Drona. But Drona told him what he had told Ekalavya -- that he only taught Kshatriyas. .
Karna could have told Drona that he was a Kshatriya, but he did not do so
because that would mean demeaning the parents who had brought him up. Karna
returned home disheartened and wept in silence. His parents, who knew he was
suffering because he bore the label "suta putra", blamed themselves. But
Karna never spoke to them about this. He was and would remain his entire
life, someone who bears his pains in silence.
Found a Guru in Parshuram
Karna's mother was surprised one morning when he came running to her and
spoke breathlessly about having found a teacher.She asked him if the guru will teach him despite him not being a Kshatriya.
And if he would was he is guru of repute. Karna answered by saying that
this was a guru beyond any other. His fame spanned ages and there was no one
greater than him in all the realms. And this was also a guru who would never
- not even a thousand years - ever teach the art of war to a Kshatriya.
When
Karna the soot-putra appeared before legendary avatar of Vishnu and begged
to be accepted as his student, the only question Parshuram asked him was if
he was a Kshatriya.
Every fabric of Karna's being wanted to fight. But he knew why Parshuram
asked him this question. In ages past, this Brahmin had picked up his axe
and wiped the earth clean of Kshatriyas - not once but twenty-one times.
Karna, who had been rejected by all teachers he had approached, told
Parshuram that he was not a Kshatriya, but a Brahmin just like him.
Parshuram accepted the young man as his disciple. He saw seeds of greatness
in Karna and taught him all there was to know about the art ofwar. Karna
learnt with eagerness and made himself into one of Parshuram's most
illustrious students. Karna quickly became an archer par excellence and
learnt the use of devastras which could devastate entire worlds.
Parshuram imparted to him knowledge of the highest secrets and the most
dangerous ways of fighting. One day, Parshuram was resting in the noonday
sun and he laid his head on Karna's thigh. A scorpion emerged from the grass
and stung Karna. Karna felt the pain and ignored it so as to not disturb his
beloved teacher'snap.
When Parshuram awoke and found that Karna was bleeding
form the sting He inquired about it, Karna told him that he had quietly
suffered the pain of a scorpion sting. He was very surprised to see his
teacher losing his temper.
Parshuram accused Karna of being a
Kshatriya.He said that no Brahmin could have remained silent through such pain.
Everything Karna said in his defence fell on deaf ears.
Parshuram said that
Karna had betrayed his trust and drove him out and laid a curse upon him in
addition He said that the day that Karna needs his skills the most, he would
forget them. After the Pandavas and the Kauravas learnt all they could from
Kripacharya and Drona, to test their skills, a tournament was organised so
the cousins could exhibit their talents before the royal family and the
public.
In the tournament, Arjuna displayed his extraordinary skills in
archery and the use of weapons. All who saw Arjuna were lost in admiration
and wonder. This was when Karna, who had learnt the art of war from
Parshuram himself, appeared before the crowds.
Karna and Arjuna Face to Face
He wanted to challenge Arjuna's skills. To show his might, Karna performed
feats that outshone everything Arjuna had done so far. Arjuna was greatly
insulted. Since Karna was not invited to the tournament, he was refused the
title of victor to prove their strength over Karna, the Pandavas said they
were ready to battle him However, before the battle between the Pandavas and
Karna could commence, Kripacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas,stepped in.
He announced that a combat could not be staged without knowledge of Karna's
lineage Karna had to be of royal blood to fight the Pandavas.
All Karna could tell them about his lineage was that he had been discovered
in a basket floating down the river and brought up bya humble charioteer and
his wife. As the Pandavas laughed at Karna, what they did not notice was
that their mother Kunti had fainted upon hearing this.Surprisingly, it was
Duryodhan who stepped in and saved Karna from further humiliation. To make
him worthy of challenging the Pandavas, Duryodhan declared Karna the King of
Anga, a kingdom under him.
0 Comments