Karna The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata

by Kotru, Umesh

  While this discussion was going on between Yudhishthira and Bhima, Maharishi Vyasa suddenly appeared on the scene. Both Yudhishthira and Bhima got up and bowed in front of Maharishi Vyasa. After blessing both of them, the omniscient sage told Yudhishthira, “My son, I know what is going on in your mind all the time. I am also aware of your anxiety concerning Karna, which is quite justified. That is why I have come here to help you with some advice.” He took Yudhishthira away to a secluded spot and gave him the knowledge known as Pratisimriti, by which it was possible for someone to travel to Svarga-loka (Indra-loka) in physical form. He advised Yudhishthira to teach this knowledge to Arjuna and ask him to visit Indra-loka for the purpose of obtaining celestial weapons. He advised that those weapons would ultimately help Arjuna to overcome Karna in battle.

  After the departure of Maharishi Vyasa, Yudhishthira called Arjuna to his side and shared the gist of his conversation with the Maharishi, including the knowledge of Pratisimriti obtained from him. Arjuna was very happy at this new development which, besides enhancing his armoury of divine weapons, would help his brothers in the long run. Only the thought of parting from his family for a protracted period made him somewhat sad and apprehensive about their safety. But after necessary assurance from Bhimasena, Arjuna proceeded to the Indrakeela Mountain on his new mission.

  He performed severe penance on the mountain. Pleased with his penance Mahadeva appeared in front of Arjuna and gave him the Paashupata Astra, the most potent weapon of Shiva. He also blessed Arjuna with success in his quest for obtaining celestial weapons in Indra loka. Arjuna then proceeded to Indra lok where he stayed for five years and obtained various celestial weapons from deities like Varuna, Agni, Soma, Vayu, Yama and Indra himself. He also elicited thorough knowledge about the use of these weapons. In addition to obtaining the weapons, he became an accomplished dancer which would help him to remain incognito as a dancing eunuch during his thirteenth year of exile.

  The news of Arjuna completing his mission successfully in Indra-loka was brought to the Pandavas by Maharishi Lomasha. He advised the Pandavas to proceed to the Gandhamadana Mountain, where they could meet Arjuna on his return from Svarga-loka. All of them proceeded to Gandamadana and awaited Arjuna’s return. Arjuna finally arrived there, riding the personal chariot of Indra, since Indra himself was accompanying Arjuna on this trip.

  The Pandava brothers paid their respects to Indra. They warmly welcomed Arjuna and hugged him tightly. It indeed was an emotion-charged family reunion. Arjuna was also delighted to see his brothers after a long interlude. He gave detailed account of his experiences relating to his stay in Indra’s abode, particularly about the powerful celestial weapons he had obtained from the various Devatas. Yudhishthira on hearing about these details felt relieved and said, “I can now sleep in peace, as my worry about how to deal with Karna is over.” He again hugged Arjuna tightly and blessed him. Indra meanwhile bid farewell to Arjuna and his brothers and left for Indra-loka. But the thought of Karna being in possession of divine armour and earrings rankled in his mind. He knew perfectly well that Karna could not be defeated while he was still having those divine props. He began to plan ways and means to divest Karna of those inborn protections. Meanwhile, the reunited Pandavas returned to the forest near Hastinapura called Dvaitvana where they decided to spend the remaining part of their twelve-year exile. During the same period, Maharishi Durvasa along with his disciples visited Hastinapura and stayed in the palace of Duryodhana. He and his brothers served him well and took great care of the Maharishi’s comfort during his stay. This made the Maharishi happy and he told Duryodhana to ask for whatever he desired on the penultimate day of his stay. Duryodhana replied that he did not need anything. In a teasing voice the Maharishi asked him to think it over and come back the next day before his departure.

  Duryodhana conferred about this offer with Shakuni and Karna that evening. Shakuni, the master strategist, immediately thought of the special vessel that was given to Yudhishthira by Surya and a plan sprouted in his mind. He said, “Son, you should request Maharishi Durvasa to visit the Pandavas, who are staying in the forest not far from here. Be sure to request for the timing of the visit to be late afternoon. By that time Draupadi would have finished her meal. The Pandavas would, therefore, have nothing left to feed the volatile Maharishi and his disciples, which will surely invite his wrath and a curse. We all know how short-tempered the Maharishi is.” “Mamaji, again you are suggesting something that is not fair,” retorted Karna. He was however overruled by Duryodhana who said, “Mamaji, you have unmatched wits. I had completely forgotten about the vessel and, even if I had not, this idea would not have come to my mind. I will surely put this request to Maharishi Durvasa tomorrow.”

  Next day when the Maharishi was preparing for his departure, Duryodhana approached him and offered his respects. He reminded the Maharishi about his offer which the latter quickly acknowledged. Duryodhana did exactly what was advised by Shakuni, and the Maharishi agreed to his request promptly. After departing from Hastinapura that afternoon, Maharishi Durvasa and his disciples headed straight to the abode of the Pandavas where they were received by all the Pandavas with due respect. The Maharishi asked Yudhishthira to prepare food for himself and his disciples, while they would go to the nearby river for a bath. As was anticipated by Shakuni, Draupadi had already taken her meals and the vessel was now empty. This pushed the Pandavas into deep anxiety as they did not know how to manage the situation.

  Draupadi started praying to Shri Krishna. In response to the call of his true devotee, Shri Krishna immediately appeared on the scene and asked Draupadi to bring the food-generating vessel as he was feeling very hungry. Draupadi hesitantly did so, knowing that the vessel was empty. Shri Krishna located a grain of rice stuck in one corner of the vessel. He quickly put the grain of rice in his mouth and said, “Let the world’s hunger be satisfied.” With the divine grace of Shri Krishna that miniscule quantity of food symbolically taken by the Blessed Lord was enough to quench the hunger of the Maharishi and all his disciples. All of them suddenly felt as though their bellies were full after a hearty meal. After finishing their bath they felt terribly embarrassed that all the food arranged for them by Yudhishthira would go waste. Belching profusely, the sages decided to simply proceed further on their journey without visiting the Pandavas again. Thus, the Pandavas were saved from any harm by Shri Krishna.

  Chapter-11

  Association with Evil

  One day a learned Brahmin arrived at the place where the Pandavas were staying in the forest. After spending some time with the Pandavas, he proceeded towards Hastinapura. The Brahmin arrived at the court of King Dhritarashtra where he was received with due respect by the king. Dhritarashtra offered a seat to the Brahmin and enquired about his well being. The Brahmin blessed the king and informed him about his visit to the dwelling of the Pandavas from where he had just come. He also gave a graphic account of the conditions under which the Pandavas were living in the forest.

  He said, “O great descendent of the Puru race, I felt great pain in my heart on seeing the harsh conditions under which the Pandavas are surviving in the forest. All of them are wearing tattered clothes and subsisting on frugal diet. They are living at the mercy of the elements. I could not help being profoundly moved by the pitiable condition of Panchali, who was brought up with great care and love by her father. She does not deserve to suffer like this. It was distressing to see the Pandavas and Panchali, so used to royal comforts, sleeping on the hard floor of their forest cottage.

  The news of the Pandavas suffering conveyed by the Brahmin rattled the king and he became very sad. He could visualise how the Pandavas must be feeling while going through the harsh conditions vividly described by the Brahmin. He felt particularly sad when he remembered the way Draupadi was badly treated by his sons and Karna. In a very depressed tone he said, “O learned Brahmin, my heart bleeds on hearing this heart-rending news about my nephews. My sons have committed a grave sin by robbing th
em of their kingdom and banishing them to the forest. Surely Arjuna and Bhima must be seething with anger and waiting to take their revenge. I can’t imagine the destruction that is awaiting the Puru race in the inevitable fratricidal war that will follow once the Pandavas return from their exile. Nobody can save my sons from retribution for the wrongs committed by them.” Saying this, the king became pensive and held his head in both hands.

  As in the past, every happening in the palace or Dhritarashtra’s court was relayed to Shakuni. In the evening when he joined Duryodhana, Karna and Duhshasana as usual, Shakuni narrated the entire episode to all of them. Duryodhana turned somewhat morose on hearing this piece of information and expressed his concern about the lot of the Pandavas. This reaction of Duryodhana irritated Shakuni who said, “Son, don’t feel so low on hearing the plight of your enemy. We have overcome the Pandavas through our wits and necessary stratagem. Their suffering in the forest cannot be helped.” Karna quickly agreed with Shakuni and said, “My friend, the Pandavas deserved what they got. There is no need for you to lose your sleep thinking about them. We should rather derive pleasure from the state they are now reduced to. I would actually like to see how the proud and haughty Panchali looks in the garb of a forest dweller. Would you too not feel pleasure on beholding the suffering of a person who had badly misbehaved with both of us on different occasions?” Karna added, “I would suggest that we make good use of this opportunity. The Pandavas are not too far from this place. We should confront them with our full might and glory and let them realise the sharp contrast between their wretched condition and our pomp and grandeur. There is no greater pleasure than seeing your enemy in distress.”

  For the first time Shakuni was surprised and elated on hearing such vicious outburst of hatred from Karna towards Pandavas. He could feel the passion in Karna’s words which he could easily connect with the way Arjuna and other Pandavas treated Karna in general and in the arena in particular. Karna also held a deep grudge against Panchali on account of her rejecting him in the Svayamvara. Turning towards Duryodhana, Shakuni said, “Son, whatever Karna says is true. Cheer up; this is the time to rejoice.”

  Duryodhana, returning to his normal self, replied, “Mamaji, I agree with Karna’s proposal, but Maharaj will not give us permission to go anywhere near the Pandavas. You know how strict he has become after Maharishi Vyasa stopped all of us from attacking the Pandavas earlier. How can we persuade him now to give permission for this trip without raising any suspicion?” To this Karna replied, “I understand the difficulty. Let me think it over and I will come back with a solution by tomorrow.” With this the gathering dispersed and all of them retired to their respective palaces.

  Next day when they reassembled, Karna was the first to speak. He said, “Friends, I have found a solution to our problem.” Everyone turned towards Karna with rapt attention. He continued, “You know, this time of the year all our cows, calves and bulls are spread across the grazing fields surrounding Dvaitvana, the forest where the Pandavas are camping. Numerous cowsheds have also been erected in the area to accommodate the cattle. Taking care of the cattle and accounting for their numbers, breed etc. is an important job, which requires attention and supervision of higher authorities, even the king himself. You can, therefore, approach Maharaj with the proposal to visit Dvaitvana for the purpose of supervising the cattle census. I think the Maharaj will not hold back his permission for this important task.”

  Shakuni was highly impressed with Karna’s plan and said, “Karna, for a change, you have left me behind in hatching a clever plot. Bravo my son!” “Mamaji, after being in your company for so many years, some part of you was sure to rub on me,” replied Karna. Everybody had a good laugh at this. All of them greeted each other, feeling certain that this plan of theirs was bound to succeed.

  In order to preclude any possibility of raising suspicion, Duryodhana (on the advice of Shakuni) summoned one of the cowherds who were taking care of the cattle. He was instructed to approach the king with a request to send the princes for supervision of the headcount that was underway and ensure that everything was progressing smoothly. He did as told and was compensated handsomely for this service. After hearing the cowherd’s request, Dhritarashtra summoned Duryodhana.

  “Son, as you are aware, the headcount and tagging of our cattle is going on in the area around Dvaitvana these days. I have been approached by a senior cowherd to send you and your brothers to supervise the activity. While I think you should undertake this task, I am worried on account of the Pandavas staying nearby. I do not want any confrontation between you and the Pandavas,” said Dhritarashtra. “Father, please do not worry on that count. This is an important task which we should surely undertake and I assure you that we will stay away from the Pandavas,” replied Duryodhana. This way Duryodhana succeeded in obtaining royal consent for his travel. He gleefully communicated the good news to Karna and others and all of them started preparations for their travel.

  Within a few days, Duryodhana, Karna, Duhshasana and Shakuni, accompanied by a large force of soldiers and senior officers of the Kaurava army, departed for Dvaitvana. They set up camp on the banks of a huge lake inside Dvaitvana, which was opposite to the side of the lake where the Pandavas were dwelling. All of them engaged in supervising the activity of headcount of the cattle on one hand and hunting down the predator animals on the other to protect the cattle.

  Around the same time Chitrasena, the king of Gandharvas, along with other Gandharvas and Apsaras visited the same lake and were engaged in fun and frolic. When the Gandharvas came to know about Kauravas camping at the same spot they approached Duryodhana and requested him to vacate the place. Duryodhana did not comply; instead he threatened the Gandharvas and asked them to leave. This led to a confrontation which resulted in a fight breaking out between Kaurava army and the Gandharvas. Karna led the Kaurava army brilliantly and inflicted heavy damage on the Gandharvas. They fled to Chitrasena, their king. He rallied all the Gandharvas to retaliate and resorted to powers of illusion. The Kaurava army appeared to be surrounded by numerous Gandharvas on all sides and every one of them felt as though they were being attacked by several Gandharvas from all sides at the same time. The resulting chaos led to the disintegration of the Kaurava army. Karna also was badly injured, following which he retreated from battle. Duryodhana and his brothers continued to fight against the Gandharvas. However, they too could not resist them for long, and the Gandharvas managed to overcome Duryodhana. He along with his brothers and a large number of soldiers were taken prisoner by them and produced before Chitrasena.

  Some of the soldiers and senior officers of Duryodhana’s army managed to escape from being captured by Gandharvas. Since they were aware about Pandavas staying nearby, they thought it best to seek assistance from them. After approaching Yudhishthira, they narrated the whole incident to him and sought his help.

  “Ah, finally Gandharvas have achieved what we could not. The evil Duryodhana has got his just deserts!” exclaimed Bhima. Yudhishthira reprimanded Bhima for speaking like that and expressed his sympathies to the members of the Kaurava army. Addressing Bhima and Arjuna he said, “It is our duty to rush to the rescue of our brothers at the time of their distress. Our personal enmity should not prevent us from fulfilling our duty.” He instructed Arjuna and Bhima to immediately rush to get Duryodhana and his brothers freed from the Gandharvas. Arjuna replied, “Brother, I will go alone and accomplish this mission. I promise not to return empty handed.”

  Arjuna immediately rushed to the spot where the Gandharvas held Duryodhana and his brothers as captive. He first politely requested the Gandharvas to release all of them. When the Gandharvas did not agree, Arjuna engaged them in battle and started decimating Gandharva forces. Chitrasena who was elsewhere then came and saw Arjuna. Since Chitrasena and Arjuna had become friends during an earlier association, he stopped the fighting. Chirtasena then informed Arjuna about the real motive behind the Kauravas planning their visit to Dvaitvana at that particul
ar time and asked Arjuna why he desired the release of the worst enemy of Pandavas. Arjuna replied that he was there not for the sake of an enemy but a brother who belonged to the same family as his. So Chitrasena relented and agreed to release Duryodhana and his brothers.

  As a follow-up to their release from the Gandharvas by Arjuna, Duryodhana and his brothers started their journey back to Hastinapura feeling very low and sad. On the way they reached a spot where Karna and others were waiting. Karna welcomed Duryodhana and said, “Friend, I am glad to see you. I was planning a counter attack. It is good that you have managed to deal with the Gandharvas on your own as I can see that you are unhurt.” Duryodhana stopped Karna from speaking further and replied, “Friend, you are quite wrong in your presumption. We were routed by the Gandharvas and were taken as prisoners. It was Arjuna who secured our release. Before agreeing to the release, Chitrasena the Gandharva king, revealed the entire purpose behind our visit to Arjuna. You cannot imagine how embarrassed I felt. My existence from now onwards is a gift from my sworn enemies. How shall I face my elders and all others in Hastinapura after suffering this humiliation? It would have been better if I were killed by the Gandharvas in battle,” saying so Duryodhana slumped to the ground.

  After a short while, an utterly dejected Duryodhana said, “Karna, I have no interest to continue to live after this episode. I am sitting here on a fast unto death. Duhshasana shall be the king in my place and I want you to extend the same kind of support to Duhshasana as you have given me so far.” On hearing these words, Duhshasana fell at the feet of his elder brother and started crying.