by Kotru, Umesh
On listening to Kunti’s explanation, it suddenly dawned on Karna that in any case he was destined to live with a stigma attached to his name. As a result of this realisation his eyes were filled with tears and his legs seemed to give way. His only thought at that moment was to sit down to prevent himself from falling and rolling down into the river. Kunti saw his plight and helped him to sit down. After settling himself more securely on the ground, Karna said in a voice full of emotion and love, “Please forgive me, Maa, for being rude to you”, and touched her feet seeking forgiveness.
Kunti could not believe her ears as this was how her other children used to address her. For a long time both were crying uncontrollably in each other’s arms. Karna was the first to regain composure. He wiped Kunti’s tears with his own robe and sought forgiveness for the umpteenth time. In reply she gently placed his head in her lap and asked him to stretch his legs and relax. Karna, after a feeble resistance, complied and remained silent. Kunti said, “This is how your brothers would fall asleep in their childhood and there used to be healthy competition for this privileged place. You will be surprised to know that Nakula still follows this habit when nobody is around to see him.”
On hearing this Karna’s face broke into a broad smile for the first time and Kunti loved him all the more for that. “This smile of yours reminds me of the first night after you were born, continued Kunti.” She was oblivious to the fact that while talking to Karna, her fingers were gently massaging his head and he was thoroughly enjoying the caress. He totally forgot that he was lying on the ground and closed his eyes to savour the moment of real pleasure. Kunti was also feeling at peace with herself for the first time since Karna’s birth.
After what seemed to be ages to both of them, Karna broke the silence by saying, “Maa, Do you have any idea how miserable the life of a castaway like me can be? Do you really believe that it is the work of destiny?” Kunti replied, “I cannot give you a definitive answer regarding destiny but I can tell you something concerning being cast away which might relieve some of your inner pain. Do you know that I am also a kind of castaway? I am actually the daughter of Shurasena, the Yadava king and father of Vasudeva. King Kuntibhoja, who was childless, was the son of Shurasena’s aunt. As per the arrangement with his aunt, Shurasena had promised to give his firstborn child to King Kuntibhoja for adoption. That first child was a girl named Pritha, who happens to be your mother and in whose lap you are now resting your head. What I am trying to tell you is that my fate was decided before I was even born. By that I don’t mean to say that King Kuntibhoja did not treat me well. In fact there cannot be a better father than him anywhere; and I am proud of that fact, just like you are proud of being the son of Radha and Adhiratha. But the sin I committed by abandoning you at birth continues to haunt me even today. Although I was married into a royal family I did not enjoy peace even for one day. After the death of Maharaj Pandu in the forest Madri, his second wife, committed Sati. The responsibility of bringing up all the five brothers fell on my shoulders. At every stage there was the threat of being killed by the Kauravas. Duryodhana poisoned Bhimasena when he was a little kid and tried to burn us alive in that house made of lac. You are also aware that my sons spent most of their lives in forests. In short, my life has been a long story of suffering, of which I don’t want to bore you with more details.
“By birth I am the aunt of Shri Krishna who also is a castaway of a different kind. He was conceived and born in a prison cell in Mathura and sent away at birth in a basket and landed in the lap of Yashoda in Gokula. She brought him up as her own son, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva, my brother by birth. By age twelve, he went back to Mathura to kill Kamsa and never went back despite promises to Yashoda and the Gopies. Instead, destiny took him to far away Dvaraka for ever. Now, my son, you can make your own conclusions whether destiny is at work in all three cases or not. But what I can say with authority is that Yashoda will always be known as the mother of Shri Krishna just as Radha will be known as the mother of my dearest son Karna.”
On hearing these soothing words of Kunti, he felt as if some load had been lifted from his heart. “Maa, sometime back you referred to a few aberrations on my part. Can you be more specific?” enquired Karna. “Yes, my son,” she replied, “Why did you call Draupadi a prostitute in the Kaurava Sabha and why did you not prevent Duhshasana from trying to disrobe her?”
Karna felt highly embarrassed and said, “Maa, I am sorry for both of my actions referred to by you. In fact I have felt bad about my behaviour ever since that day but did not tell anybody for fear of ridicule. But, Maa, Draupadi should have found other means to reject me than calling me Suta Putra before such a large assembly of kings. Anyway, in hind sight I feel that holding a grudge against anybody, particularly a woman, was wrong in principle and my reaction should have been more measured and within the limits of civilised behaviour. I again seek forgiveness, Maa.”
While Karna was speaking, Kunti was immersed in deep thought and did not hear Karna’s last words. She was only thinking about him. Whatever she had heard about Karna’s personality and character was all true and this fact was making her feel proud and sad at the same time. The sadness was because this meeting was going to end soon. She would have liked to stay all night with him on the banks of that river. Karna noticed her shedding silent tears and enquired about the reason. “It is nothing my dear,” she said, “I am feeling sad that this meeting is going to end soon, unless you decide to join your brothers to uphold dharma. In your capacity as the eldest Pandava I will ensure that you become the next king. I am sure even Duryodhana will have no objection to this. Keshava will see to it that this new arrangement works properly.” It was now Karna’s turn to feel sad as well as angry. He said, “Maa, why are you asking me to uphold dharma as well as adharma at the same time? How can I desert Duryodhana who gave me recognition and selfless love as a friend? He was with me when I was in the dumps and ridiculed by everyone in that tournament. From a Suta Putra he made me King of Anga Desha. I can do anything for him. I know his faults as well, but I can happily die for the sake of his friendship. How could you, Maa, entertain the thought that I would accept your proposal? Victory and defeat are just two sides of the same coin. There is going to be a great war soon and nobody knows who will win and who will lose; or who will live and who will die. But I don’t want history to condemn me for being an ungrateful friend. Before friendship all the kingdoms of this world have no meaning for me. Let me confess Maa that with the vicissitudes I have already faced, my body and soul are tired – so tired that I crave the solace of eternal sleep. This world is not for me. I would have run away to some forest but do not want people to say that your son is a coward and an escapist. This coming war is the last duty I have to perform, because I have a premonition that the days of my torturous life are numbered.”
Kunti was speechless and could say nothing as words failed her and tears nearly choked her. Karna continued, “Maa, I am happy that I met you before this war. I have a feeling that this is going to be our last meeting. So I want you to listen carefully to what I am going to say without any interruptions. I am extremely sorry to have disobeyed the motherly command of deserting Duryodhana. But it is not in Karna’s nature to send anybody away empty handed, least of all his own mother. As you are well aware, my enmity since childhood is against Arjuna only. I am absolutely sure that only one of us is going to survive this war. Today I am going to give you a promise that despite being fully capable, I will not kill the other Pandavas. Hence come what may, you will continue to be called the mother of five Pandavas irrespective of whether Arjuna or I get killed. Please forgive me for the last time, Maa.”
With these words he got up to escort Kunti to her carriage. As she rose to leave, he touched her feet one last time. She again blessed him with long life as every mother would do, forgetting in that emotional moment that Karna was not a seeker of that particular blessing. He said, “By again giving me th
is blessing, Maa, you are spelling doom for Arjuna, as my long life can only mean death for him. I have already told you that I don’t want to live any more in this world, which has given me nothing worthwhile except my reputation which I expect to far outlast my physical self. I am on the verge of performing my last duty towards my friend Duryodhana.” He helped her to board her carriage. As Kunti was seated comfortably in her carriage his parting words were, “Maa, In any case life after the conclusion of this great war will not be worth living, because of the utter death and destruction it would entail all round.” After he retraced his steps, Kunti was left pondering over his ominous words. They seemed to be correct, but she did not want to believe them.
With Kunti’s departure, Karna did not feel like going home. He retraced his steps towards the river bank and sat down. His mind went totally blank as a result of the momentous events of the last few days, starting with his meeting with Shri Krishna, followed by this encounter with his biological mother. He failed to notice the beautiful moonlit night, the cool breeze, the rustling of leaves and the soothing sound of flowing river. He simply sat there like a statue, throwing an occasional pebble into water and seemingly watching the reflection of moon in the water. After a long time, he regained his composure as the thoughts of recent events in his life flooded his mind. He felt sad and miserable and wanted to escape and hide somewhere. It was at this time that he noticed the beauty of the moonlit night which soothed his nerves somewhat. But there was some lingering doubt whether what had been happening to him was a dream or realty. With his mind’s confusion still unresolved, he got up and reluctantly plodded his way home.
Karna returned home to find a very anxious Supriya waiting for him. The moment she saw Karna, her concern turned into anger as she enquired about Karna’s deviation from the usual schedule. But she quickly noticed the lack of colour on Karna’s face along with his morose expression. The deep furrows on his brow had further deepened. She said, “Swami, is something wrong? You are looking sad and totally withdrawn. I have been waiting for you for a long time.” Karna replied, “I am alright. On account of the hectic preparations going on for the war which is only days away, I feel a bit tired and want to go to bed. You can have your dinner as I don’t feel like eating now.” With these words to his wife, Karna retired to his bed room and lay flat on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His whole life, haunted by rejection and humiliation, flashed before his mind’s eyes. He lamented the unrealised potentialities of a god-gifted Kshatriya that he was. The tragic irony of being a Surya Putra, yet being despised by all as a Suta Putra. These thoughts made the pain and heaviness in his heart unbearable, with tears of agony streaming down his face. Ultimately sleep brought an end to an emotionally charged evening for our hero.
Chapter-17
Focus Shifts to Kurukshetra
Meanwhile Duryodhana became fed up with the endless discussions with the elders and with his mother who was time and again requested to prevail upon her son to avert war. To avoid further discussions, he immediately ordered his army and that of his allies to start preparations for departure to Kurukshetra. Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya and Ashvatthama had no option but to follow suit. For the Kaurava cantonment, he and Karna selected a site, which was well endowed with water and abundant grass for the horses and elephants. The first thing Duryodhana did on reaching Kurukshetra was to appoint Bhishma as his Commander-in-Chief. It was a unanimous choice, which Bhishma accepted subject to the condition that Karna will not participate in the war during Bhishma’s generalship. To somehow lessen Duryodhana’s dejection at Karna’s non-participation in the war, Bhishma promised to kill at least ten thousand from the opposing army every day without harming the Pandava brothers.
Duryodhana said, “Pitamaha, even as Commander-in-Chief of my army you want my enemies to win. I am most unfortunate to be fighting under a Commander-in-Chief who is only partly committed to the war.” On hearing these words Bhishma retorted, “My commitment is to the throne of Hastinapura and not to you and your band of evil advisers. I have been shouting myself hoarse to prevent you from usurping the throne of Hastinapura and give the Pandavas, who here are fighting for dharma, their rightful share – but you never listened. You were not prepared to give even five villages to them. For me the Pandavas are also my grandchildren. If you still feel that I am not a worthy Commander-in-Chief, you are free to choose someone else from among so many worthy people who have come here to fight for you.”
Duryodhana got scared on hearing these words and said, “Pitamaha, I did not mean to hurt your feelings. There is nobody, not even Indra or Parashurama, who can defeat you in war. My whole army is lucky to be commanded by a person like you.” The matter ended there and Duryodhana and his advisers left the tent to supervise the finishing touches being given to the cantonment.
On the other hand Shri Krishna upon his return to Upaplavya, briefed Yudhishthira in the presence of all his commanders about the failed peace mission. It became evident that a great war was round the corner. Yudhishthira said, “Madhusudana, you have done your best to prevent this war but failed because of the adamant attitude of Duryodhana. I can clearly see utter destruction all round which scares me. But at the same time adharma cannot be allowed to have sway over dharma any longer. Apart from the righteousness of our cause, your presence in our midst gives me confidence that we will surely win this just war.” Shri Krishna replied, “Maharaj, besides your strict adherence to dharma you have many great luminaries as your allies. So victory for your side is assured.” While they were in the midst of discussion, Balarama along with a few of his followers entered the hall. Every one rose to greet him. After the greetings were over he said, “Krishna, I have come here to inform you that I am not in a position to take sides in this war. So I have decided to go on a pilgrimage for the duration of this war.” With these words he left for Hastinapura to tell the same thing to his disciple Duryodhana. Soon afterwards, Rukmi, the King of Vidarbha, arrived with a huge army in the Pandava camp but his help was declined. He then went to the Kaurava camp where he met the same fate. This was on account of Rukmi’s own notoriety as too haughty a personality.
Soon after the return of Shri Krishna from Hastinapura, the Pandava army also moved to Kurukshetra. They set up their cantonment right opposite to the one of the Kauravas. When the preparatory work was complete, Yudhishthira called a meeting of all his commanders to select the Commander-in-Chief of the Pandava army. Dhrishtadyumna, Shikhandi, Bhimasena, Drupada and Virata all participated. Arjuna suggested the name of Dhrishtadyumna, which was seconded by Shri Krishna. Thus, Dhrishtadyumna became the Commander-in-Chief of the Pandava army, as hectic activity in both camps was going on for commencement of hostilities the next day.
Even at that late hour, Duryodhana, Karna, Duhshasana and Shakuni were busy, plotting a psychological offensive against the Pandavas. They prepared a message full of barbs and despatched Ulooka, son of Shakuni, to the Pandava camp for delivering the same. Yudhishthira welcomed the messenger with due courtesy and asked him to deliver his message fearlessly. Ulooka said, “This message from Maharaj Duryodhana is meant for all of you. So please listen: Tomorrow is the beginning of your end. To Bhimasena our message is to remember his pledge of breaking my legs and drink the blood of Duhshasana’s chest. It is time for others too to fulfill their respective pledges or die on the battlefield. That cowherd Sri Krishna is not going to save you. The fate of all of you is sealed. There is no escape now. Arjuna should resume his profession of teaching dance to girls.”
There was tremendous anger at these barbs delivered by an evidently relishing Ulooka, but the situation was saved by Yudhishthira by invoking the law of not harming a messenger. Shri Krishna said, “Ulooka, go and tell Duryodhana and others that their wishes will be surely fulfilled very soon. Bhimasena will surely drink the blood of Duhshasana and wash the hair of Draupadi with the same. Both the legs of Duryodhana are sure to be broken and Karna will be beheaded by Arjuna. You along with your scheming
father should consider yourself to be already on way to the abode of Yama. Now leave this place quickly lest the angry Pandavas behead you before your time. Tell your masters that we will meet on the Kurukshetra battleground tomorrow morning.”