Reading Diary A Week 9: Karna

1. Kunti looked after Sage Durvasa (who was notoriously angry and hard to please) for a year without angering him. She was given a mantra that would give her the power to call uupon a god to give her a son as a reward for her service. She tested it out and Surya came to her. She was not married so she begged him to return, but the mantra was too powerful and he couldn't. He gave her a son with the Kavacha (armor) and the Kundalas (earrings).

2. Kunti could not raise him so she sent Karna down the river. Adhiratha, a charioteer, found him and brought him to his wife, Radha. 

3. Kunti married Pandu who could not have children. She used her mantra again and her and Madra had the Pandavas. Pandu diead and Madra threw herself on the pyre with him. Kunti took the Pandavas to be raised with the Kauravas. Karna would come and watch and he eventually became a student with them. He resented the Pandavas as the Kauravas did.

4. Karna deceived a sage so he could be taught the Krahmastra. When the sage learned this, he cursed Karna that his knowledge would fail him when he needed it most. Karna then killed a brahman's cow (unknowingly) and was cursed again that he would be killed when he was helpless and unable to defend himself.

5. Karna entered a competition with Arjuna and was able to complete all the same tasks as him. He asked to fight Arjuna as a reward and was asked to reveal his parentage. Duryodhana then crowned him as prince of Anga. They learned he was the son of a charioteer and he was humiliated and left with Duryodhana.

6. Karna blindly sided with the Kauravas in the feud because of his love for Duryodhana. 

7. Indra wanted to protect Arjuna from Karna and Surya wanted to protect Karna from Indra so Surya visited him in a dream to warn him. Indra dressed as a brahman and asked for help and Karna gave away his earrings and armor. Indra gave him his most powerful weapon in return, the Shakti. 

8. Krishna told Karna of his relation to the Pandavas and who his mother was. Karna said his love for Duryodhana was too important to him and that he would not tell anyone his secret until he died.

9. Kunti visited Karna to try to stop the war and he promised to only kill Arjuna.

10. Karna learned that Bheeshma would lead the troops and so he said he would not go on the field until he fell. The battle lasted 18 days and Bheeshma fell on the 10th day. On the 14th day he was fighting Bheema and could have killed him but he promised his mother he would not. Arjuna came to defend him, though. He used his Shakti on Ghatotkacha, though, and he could only use it once. 

11. Karna began leading the forces after Drona died. He died in battle against Arjuna and his mother finally told the Pandavas of their relation to Karna. I liked the line "the sun smiled".

The battle between Karna and Arjuna found on Wikimedia Commons

This story was taken from the comic Karna: Brave, Generous, Ill-Fated Prince by Anant Pai and the additional readings found on the previous link.