Karna The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata

by Kotru, Umesh

  Meanwhile, both Kunti and the Maharishi’s disciples completed preparations for his departure the next morning. It was but natural that Kunti spent a sleepless night on account of excitement that her work of the last one year had reached a satisfactory culmination. Early next morning, as she was busy making final arrangements for the sage’s ceremonial departure, an urgent summons from him seeking her presence in his chambers was received. Kunti complied immediately. She found the Maharishi with a smile on his face, the significance of which she could not quite comprehend. He was all set to leave along with his retinue. While offering a seat to Kunti he dismissed all others present in the room. When the room was empty of all others, he turned his gaze towards her with the same enigmatic smile on his face. Kunti was puzzled but said nothing. The Maharishi then addressed her thus: “Dear Rajkumari, It would be most unfair if I, before my departure don’t thank you for the last time for your hospitality and spirit of service. Let me confess that your rejection of my offer of a boon yesterday angered me initially and in any other case would have resulted in severe retribution from me.” On noticing Kunti trembling with fear, the Maharishi continued, “Dear Rajkumari, don’t be afraid; pay attention to what I say now and be careful not to interrupt me.”

  “When I look at you I see an entity which embodies ingredients of history in making. I also see many other things which I am not at liberty to reveal at present. What I am going to disclose now is a secret abhichara mantra (an occult incantation to control someone else), which you have to swiftly memorise for use at an appropriate time in the future. Before I give you the actual mantra let me warn you to use it only when it is absolutely necessary on account of the fact that its effect is irreversible. By reciting the mantra you can invoke any Devata (deity) of your choice and can have a son by him. The Devata you choose will have no option but to appear before you. Now, come closer to me so that I can recite the mantra in your ear.” Kunti was still hesitant, but observing the stern look of the Maharishi, had no choice but to do his bidding. After giving the mantra to Kunti, Maharishi Durvasa also felt relieved as if some load had been lifted from his shoulders. He called his disciples in the room and all of them went to see King Kuntibhoja to thank him for his hospitality prior to departing on their itinerant course.

  Meanwhile Dhatri was waiting anxiously outside the chambers of Maharishi Durvasa for Kunti to emerge, which she finally did and both friends went to Kunti’s private quarters, chatting about the last one year spent in the service of Maharishi Durvasa. Dhatri was very curious to know as to what transpired between the Maharishi and Kunti before the former left for his onward journey but could not muster enough courage to ask the only question which was occupying her thoughts at the moment. It did not take long for Kunti to see that Dhatri was mostly inattentive and seemed to carry some load on her mind. She said, “Dhatri what is the matter with you? Your thoughts seem to wander all over the place except this room. Are you alright? Should I call the royal physician? The whole world knows that you are my best friend and confidant. God knows that I have always looked towards you more as a sister than as chief Dasi (attendant).” Dhatri replied with tears in her eyes, “Rajkumariji, had what you said just now been true, you would not have hidden from me the details of the last talk you had with Maharishi Durvasa prior to his departure.” Kunti laughed loudly when she realised what was troubling Dhatri to cause her present inattentive behaviour, which Kunti was not accustomed to. After a hearty laugh she pulled Dhatri to her side and said: “I will now tell you what happened in that room prior to Maharishi Durvasa’s departure. But first you have to give me your solemn word that nothing of what I am going to tell you will go outside this room. In other words, this is a secret which you shall reveal to none under any circumstances. But let me also tell you that as far as I am concerned, I find it very hard to attach any practical credibility to what I heard from Maharishi Durvasa.” Dhatri interrupted Kunti and said, “Rajkumariji, why are you prolonging my agony? I am dying to know the secret.” “Alright, close that door and take a seat nearest to me,” said Kunti. “To be frank with you, I have strong doubts about everything Maharishi Durvasa said before he left. The only reason I did not say anything to the Maharishi was because of fear of a curse from him.” To this Dhatri replied, “But Rajkumariji, this does not satisfy my curiosity and, in any case, I can give my comments only after I hear every word of what transpired between you two in that room.” Kunti was left with no alternative but to reveal everything about the secret mantra given to her and its strange effect. Dhatri was stunned into total silence and for sometime the only sound in the room was that of breathing of the two women. The same was finally broken by Kunti herself saying, “Dhatri, do you now understand why I have sworn you to secrecy, because if word goes out regarding this mantra, I will become a laughing stock of the whole kingdom and my father’s reputation will also suffer in the process.” “Yes, I agree,” said Dhatri, “but what I don’t understand is the doubt in your mind concerning the authenticity of the mantra. Don’t you know about the reputation of Maharishi Durvasa? Rajkumariji, has anything he ever said been proven wrong or even slightly inaccurate? As far as I am concerned, I have no doubt whatsoever about the veracity of the mantra.” In fact this was the inner worry of Kunti as well, which she did not reveal to Dhatri at that point of time.

  This tête-à-tête was soon forgotten. Little did Kunti know that underestimating the importance of the Maharishi’s words would prove to be a costly mistake. Despite her scepticism, however, that fateful conversation continued to reverberate in Kunti’s ears. This inner turmoil affected her physical health and before long, Dhatri also noticed these debilitating changes in her beloved princess. One day when Kunti was in a better frame of mind, Dhatri broached the subject. She said, “Rajkumariji, if I may dare ask, are you alright? From your face you seem to be unwell and not having enough sleep. Can I send for the royal physician to examine you and prescribe some medicines for you?” Kunti was caught off guard and vehemently denied the concerns expressed by Dhatri. To avoid any further conversation, she sent Dhatri on a new errand. But deep within her the turmoil continued.

  With the passage of time the angst declined to a large extent; but even then, it would occasionally reappear at odd times, particularly during nights. During such moments what puzzled her most was the putative power of a few magic words dinned into her ear by Maharishi Durvasa, to control not humans, but the mighty Devatas. How could Devatas be compelled to appear before a mere human to fulfill her wish? The more she pondered over this puzzle the more confused she became. But what she did not know was that divine forces were already at work in fulfilling her destiny, which Maharishi Durvasa had visualised through his yogic powers. He had already fulfilled his destined role by giving the mantra to Kunti. Unknown to her, time was fast approaching for the unfolding of Kunti’s destiny which was also linked with the destiny of her great country.

  Life in Maharaja Kuntibhoja’s palace went on as usual. When Kunti had nothing else to do in her abode, she would stand at the window and endlessly watch the most beautiful palace garden with multi coloured butterflies hopping from one flower to another, with the clear blue sky in the background. She particularly enjoyed the sunrise, which imparted new colour and beauty to the whole landscape. One day when she was enjoying the sunrise in the backdrop of her garden, she suddenly remembered Maharishi Durvasa and his mantra. The whole incident seemed to have receded far off in the past, yet its lingering effect on her mind was as fresh as the flowers in the garden. She tried her best to shake off the memory but howsoever hard she tried, it came back to haunt her. She even closed the window to cut out the beautiful view, but it did not help either. Then, as if in a trance, she opened the window again. At that moment something happened, which changed her life forever. It was not that she was watching sunrise for the first time. But that particular sunrise mesmerised her as she beheld the Surya in his full glory. Momentarily, she fell in love with him, the dazzlingly bright Sun-god. And
in that heady moment of delirium, blissfully oblivious as she was then of the possible consequences of her action, she put Maharishi Durvasa’s mantra to test.

  As soon as she finished the mantra, she was startled to see the sunlight filling the whole room and blinding her for a moment, forcing her to close her eyes. At the same time, she felt some divine presence in the room. But what she saw upon opening her eyes was well beyond her wildest dreams. She beheld Surya himself, in all his glory and splendour, standing right in front of her eyes with a beatific smile on his face. She was left speechless and could not move a limb, as if she was paralysed all over. This petrified silence continued, for what appeared to be an interminable duration, till she mustered enough courage and wits to welcome Surya with folded hands. “Bhagavaan!” said Kunti, “I am honoured to have the vision of your divine highness”. While uttering these words, she was actually trembling with fear and apprehension, realising as she did that Maharishi Durvasa’s mantra, whose genuineness she had doubted all along, was after all working for real. Coupled with this was the fear of the future, which made her almost faint. Her legs gave way and as she was falling down, Surya caught her and put her safely on the couch and sat beside her. He had already read her thoughts and knew that Kunti had never believed in the veracity of Maharishi Durvasa’s mantra. Now that she had been proved wrong, conflicting thoughts were racing through her head which made her sick with fright. She had a stark foreboding of the world collapsing around her. Surya saw her dilemma and tried to put her fears at rest by uttering soothing words. He said, “Kunti, I can very well read the turmoil you are undergoing at present on account of my presence in your private chamber. You also understand that it is only at your behest that I am here.” “Yes, I do understand,” replied Kunti with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I am extremely sorry for my indiscretion but at the same time grateful for your divine darshan”. But there was no conviction in her voice, as she realised the life-changing ramifications of the words she had uttered. Inwards, she cursed her stars for her reckless behaviour, recalling that the consequences were irreversible as she was forewarned by Maharishi Durvasa.

  An attack of panic seized her as she realised the effect of her action. She made a feeble attempt to ward off her destiny by turning towards Surya, begging forgiveness and requesting him to leave. He said, “You know very well that the effect of using Maharishi Durvasa’s mantra is irreversible. I cannot help you as like Maharishi Durvasa, I can see history in the making and your destiny unfolding in the process. So don’t torture yourself and accept your role in this divinely ordained drama, which was set in motion by Maharishi Durvasa the day he gave you this powerful mantra.”

  At this Kunti burst out crying and said, “Bhagavaan, Why are you condemning me to the life of an outcast, who will be shunned by everybody including her father and the entire society? Have I sinned so much in this birth or the previous one to have deserved this fate?” After uttering these words in a desperate voice, she collapsed to the floor and fainted. Surya revived her and said the following soothing words to her. “Kunti, I need not repeat what I said earlier regarding the role of destiny in all this. In fact you did not have any option. Now pay full attention to what I reveal to you. I am going to impregnate you through a subtle yogic method which will preserve your virginity. Whatever happens here today will remain a secret for a very long time. Let me also tell you that you will yourself reveal this secret to the world one day. Fear not for your future. You shall be married into a reputed royal family.”

  After sometime Surya disappeared from the room, leaving Kunti to wonder whether what she had seen was a dream or a true occurrence. But she sensed some lingering divine fragrance in the room, which brought her back to reality. Later on in the day even Dhatri told her, “Rajkumariji, you are looking gorgeous today. Even the room is filled with beautiful fragrance. Has any other Dasi brought some fresh flowers, which smell as if they don’t belong to this world?” Kunti blushed and somehow changed the subject.

  After this incident life went on in the palace as before, except that Kunti became more and more introverted with the passage of time. Initially the subtle change was noticed by Dhatri only; but gradually other members of the family, including King Kuntibhoja, also became aware of the change in Kunti’s behaviour. Before confronting Kunti he discussed the same with other members of his household. All of them agreed that the normally bubbly girl had suddenly not only become reserved but was also looking pale. This became a cause of worry particularly for the King as he loved her dearly. He tried to extract some information from Dhatri, who was closest to Kunti but could not get anything out of her, simply because she herself was unaware about the latest events that had taken place. Since things showed no signs of changing for the better, he was forced to call Kunti to his private chamber.

  After the exchange of usual pleasantries he enquired: “My dear daughter, Is something troubling you? Why are you looking so pale and withdrawn? Has anybody said or done anything wrong or unpleasant? If so, let me know and the person concerned will receive the strictest punishment, even banishment from my kingdom.”

  “No, my dearest father,” said Kunti; “Who could dare to mess with your daughter? It is nothing except your great love for me which transforms a little weakness into a big thing for you. I assure you that this little weakness will vanish within a few days and I will be my usual self again.”

  “I hope so,” said the worried father but in his heart of hearts he was not fully convinced by her explanation. Anyway, with these words the meeting ended and Kunti went back to her private quarters. But even she knew that her father was far from convinced and sooner or later she would have to give some legitimate explanation. This made her all the more thoughtful. She would shut herself in her room for long periods of time. But with the passage of time things did not improve and even Dhatri felt left out and extremely concerned. The continuing downturn in the appearance and behaviour of Kunti did not escape the notice of King Kuntibhoja either. On account of his extreme love and affection for his daughter, he lost sleep and would often get up in the middle of night and begin to worry about Kunti. Finally he decided to confront Kunti once again. But before that he sought a report about Kunti from Dhatri, who confirmed his worst fears. She confessed that Rajkumariji had been keeping distance from her as well and that she had almost become a recluse, staying in her room for most of the time. On hearing this, the king ordered her to summon Kunti to his private chamber immediately. Dhatri rushed to carry out the orders of the king and found Kunti in the same state of mind as Dhatri was too familiar with by now.

  She conveyed the king’s message and left because the princess did not invite her to stay.

  As for Kunti, the time which had elapsed between her last meeting with her father and the present one had given her a breather which she had put to good use. As she left for the king’s abode, she was not as tense as she was supposed to be under the circumstances. After the exchange of formal greetings she made herself comfortable in the room and said: “Father, you sent for me for urgent audience with you. What could be so urgent to have disturbed you so much? Surely I must have committed some indiscretion for which I seek your forgiveness.” “No my dear, you can never do any wrong. What worries me is your health and your propensity of keeping your own counsel. Is everything alright? Being your father, I expect you to confide in me. After all, you are dearest to my heart and I can go to any length to keep you happy,” replied Kuntibhoja.