by Kotru, Umesh
The prospect of an early war which would lead to absolute destruction rattled Bhishma. He could clearly foresee his life’s work of protecting the dynasty going up in flames. His frustration at his helpless state made him angry as he addressed King Dhritarashtra. He said, “Son, your indecision and attachment to this throne, coupled with blind love for your unworthy son Duryodhana, is going to end in a catastrophe very soon. He was already bad enough but ever since he came into contact with this Suta Putra he became evil personified. I don’t know what he sees in this man who is filled with hate for Arjuna. His transformation from a Suta to a king has gone to his head. Duryodhana feels that he will win this war for him, forgetting what happened when he was taken prisoner by the Gandharvas. Where was Karna at that time? He simply fled from the battlefield for his life and hid till all was over. It was Arjuna who freed Duryodhana from the custody of Gandharvas. Recently a sari-clad Arjuna single-handedly defeated six Kaurava heroes including Karna, Dronacharya, Ashvatthama and myself in Viratanagara and took away our clothes. What did this Suta do then? He could not even save his own brother from being killed by Arjuna. He has been cheating everyone including Guru Parashurama, from whom he obtained the Brahma Astra by posing as a Brahmin. As a result of Parashurama’s curse, he will forget the use of Brahma Astra when he needs it the most. Even otherwise, I consider him only as an ardharathi (half a hero) because of his rashness and bloated ego. Duryodhana is woefully mistaken in totally relying on him for winning this war and denying the Pandavas their rightful share.” On hearing this outburst, Karna became mad with anger. He got up and left the meeting in a huff, after taking a vow that he will not participate in the war till Bhishma was part of it.
Meanwhile Shri Krishna conducted hectic consultations with King Yudhishthira and his allies before embarking on his peace mission to Hastinapura. In the interest of peace, Yudhishthira was prepared to accept even five villages. Before Sri Krishna left, Yudhishthira took him aside and told him about his hidden apprehensions about Karna. He said, O Krishna, I am not afraid of Pitamaha. I am not afraid of Guru Dronacharya or even Ashvatthama. All of these warriors will not harm Arjuna. But ever since I saw Karna’s prowess in the tournament, I am harbouring a hidden fear about Karna harming Arjuna – a fear that causes me sleepless nights. After the news of Indra taking away his special protections reached us in the forest, everybody was happy; but I still have occasional nightmares.” Sri Krishna replied, “Brother, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to Arjuna. He is now much more accomplished than what he was in the arena. He had the courage to confront Lord Shiva himself. Let me assure you, there is nobody in the Kaurava army who can defeat Arjuna.” On hearing Krishna’s words Yudhishthira felt relieved. Regarding the peace mission he left the handling of it to Shri Krishna’s wisdom.
As Krishna was preparing to leave, Draupadi stopped him and said, “Keshava, You are going on a mission which I know will never succeed, so long as Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni and Duhshasana are the dominant voices at Hastinapura. But knowing your persuasive powers, I harbour some apprehensions too. I have come here only to remind you about the utter humiliation suffered by me at the hands of those four men, while the elders were mute spectators. Remember this long unbraided hair of mine, which has not been washed for the last thirteen years, awaiting vengeance for my insults. It was only on account of your grace that my honour was then saved. Don’t now allow my penance for revenge to go in vain. Even if my husbands desist, my brothers, sons, old father and I are still going to take revenge or die in the process.” Sri Krishna replied with a smile, “Panchali, I also know that there will be a deadly war in a few days from now from which only a handful of people will survive. I am going there to prevent history from blaming Pandavas for that terrible fratricide. Rest assured that your illustrious husbands will surely avenge the humiliation suffered by you and redeem their pledges in that fateful game of dice.”
Satyaki had meanwhile completed all preparations for the trip by arming Shri Krishna’s personal chariot with all his weapons and lining up selected battle-hardened Yadava warriors as escort. In addition, trusted spies and warriors were secretly deployed along the route to Hastinapura. There was excitement in the heavens as well, when Devatas and the Devarishi Narada also came to watch. Many Rishis came to meet Shri Krishna in the village where he spent that night and word was sent ahead to Hastinapura that he will be arriving there the next day. Rishi Kanva and Parashurama personally went with him to Hastinapura. King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana had made special arrangements for Shri Krishna’s grand entry into Hastinapura. The entire party received a warm welcome at the gates of the palace and went straight to the Kaurava court which was packed to capacity with the kings, who had come to fight on Duryodhana’s side, being in attendance. Besides the preliminary formalities of introducing various kings to Shri Krishna and meeting with Dhritarashtra, Bhishma, Vidura and Dronacharya, no other official business was conducted on that first day.
After those preliminaries were over, Shri Krishna went straight to the house of Vidura, followed by his visit to Kunti’s dwelling. Kunti, on seeing nephew Krishna, burst into sobs and said, “Madhusudana, how are my sons doing? How is my unfortunate daughter-in-law doing? My heart goes out to her. When will my sons redeem her honour?” Shri Krishna also could not control his emotions as tears were streaming down his face. He assured her that the honour of everyone will be restored very soon, and left for Duryodhana’s palace which had been specially decorated for his coming. He was offered a variety of dishes, specially prepared for the occasion, which he politely declined to accept. After spending sometime there, he left for Vidura’s dwelling to spend the night.
Vidura, welcoming Sri Krishna said, “Keshava, I am honoured that you have chosen to spend the night with me in preference to Duryodhana’s palace. I am happy that you have come to give peace a last chance. But at the same time I am convinced that war cannot be avoided, which tears my heart apart.” “Viduraji”, said Sri Krishna, “I know you are right. What chance does peace stand, when the king himself is swayed by greed and love for his own errant son to forsake his duty as the family elder? But still I have come to see whether even a remotest chance of reconciliation exists or not.” Their conversation lasted till late in the night. After the morning ablutions, both of them had some light food and then left together for the very important meeting in the Kaurava Court.
Shri Krishna entered the court, flanked by Satyaki and Vidura and escorted by Karna and Duryodhana. Yadava chieftain Kritavarma, accompanied by some of his trusted men brought up the rear. When they reached Dhritarashtra’s court, it was already packed to capacity. Sri Krishna observed that Narada and other Rishis had also come and asked Bhishma to arrange suitable seats for all of them. After everybody was seated, he got up to address the assembly. He said, “Maharaj, you are the custodian of the late Maharaj Pandu’s trust. After his premature death, you are the natural guardian of the five Pandava brothers. Due to your attachment to the throne and blind love for your eldest son, you have betrayed that trust time and again. You even connived with the evil designs of Duryodhana and his equally evil friends, who tried to kill the Pandavas on several occasions; but destiny had other designs for them and they escaped every time. The worst outrages took place when you agreed to the game of dice and then, when your daughter-in-law was dishonoured in this very court and you did nothing. You tried to get rid of the Pandavas by sending them on an inordinately long exile, forgetting that you were only a trustee of their share of the kingdom. Now when they have suffered and fulfilled the terms of exile, you want them to spend the rest of their lives bereft of their rightful share of the kingdom. What kind of justice is this? By right of inheritance, Yudhishthira is entitled to the whole kingdom. But he does not want that. He wants only that part of the kingdom which was snatched from him by unfair means. Do your duty even now, and the Pandavas are prepared to forgive and forget all the other wrongs done to them.”
Shri Krishna was followed by Parashura
ma and Kanva, both of whom supported his proposal and pleaded for peace. Parashurama even revealed that the ancient Rishis Nara and Narayana have incarnated as Arjuna and Sri Krishna. But all this had no effect on Duryodhana, who mocked the whole audience by laughing loudly while casting a conspiratorial look at Karna. After that he turned his attention to Shri Krishna and rejected the whole peace process by saying that he will not give the Pandavas even the smallest bit of land marked by the sharp end of a needle. With this rude announcement, he walked out followed by his ministers and friends. Shri Krishna again turned towards Dhritarashtra and said, “Maharaj, you can now see to what depth your favourite son has sunk and the total disregard he has for the wishes of not only his elders but the revered sages who have specially come here to prevent the total annihilation of your progeny. I warn you that destruction of your whole line cannot be avoided unless you arrest Duryodhana, Karna, Shakuni and Duhshasana and hand them over to the Pandavas.”
On hearing these words the king was shocked and asked Vidura to request Gandhari to plead with Duryodhana to return to the Raj-Sabha. Vidura informed Gandhari and succeeded in bringing Duryodhana back. After blaming the king for every trouble the Purus were facing, Gandhari tried to reason with Duryodhana, but failed. He left the Sabha again and joined his friends, including Karna, who were already plotting to arrest Shri Krishna so as to deprive the Pandavas of their shrewdest strategist. Satyaki anticipated this move and alerted Shri Krishna’s bodyguards. He himself left the Sabha and called Kritavarma to his side. He whispered into his ear the whole plot and asked him to wear armour, mobilise the entire Yadava army outside the palace gates and then wait for further instructions. After taking all these precautions, he returned to the Sabha and conveyed the news about the plot to Shri Krishna, who only smiled.
He addressed the king for the last time, “Maharaj, I have tried my best to prevent the war but failed. Now nobody can blame the Pandavas for being warmongers. Your own karma has turned you into a helpless bystander. Your son thinks that I am alone and can be easily taken as captive. He doesn’t know that everybody including all the Pandavas, the Adityas, the Rudras, the Vasus and the Rishis are here with me.” With these words Sri Krishna’s body began to grow with flashes of lightning which blinded the eyes of everyone except the Rishis, Bhishma, Vidura, Drona and Sanjaya, to all of whom he imparted divine vision. He gave divine vision also to the blind Dhritarashtra, thus enabling him to see his awe-inspiring Viraata Svarupa (enormous cosmic form). The Devatas, Gandharvas and Rishis began to worship the Great Lord and showered flowers on him. After sometime he reverted to his human form and informed Dhritarashtra that war was now inevitable. So saying, Shri Krishna left the Sabha, surrounded by his bodyguards and Satyaki and followed by the Kauravas. He went straight to the dwelling of his aunt Kunti, who was waiting for him.
Kunti said, “Madhusudana, I have been waiting for you the whole day. I was very apprehensive that you might leave Hastinapura without meeting me.” Shri Krishna replied, “Maharaniji, how could I leave without paying my respects to you?” He then briefed her about all that had happened in the Kaurava Sabha, including Duryodhana’s attempt to imprison him. After recovering from her shock at this preposterous news, Kunti said, “Keshava, I also want peace. War means all round devastation. I would also forgive Duryodhana and his co conspirators for snatching away the kingdom of my sons by dubious means. But I would never forgive and forget the humiliation meted out to Draupadi in the Kaurava Sabha. My sons have to redeem her honour, which they are fully capable of doing. This is my wish and you tell my sons that I bless them with success as they are on the side of dharma. I shall wait for their triumphant return as kings to Hastinapura.”
After his meeting with Kunti, Shri Krishna ascended his chariot in the company of Satyaki to return to Upaplavya.
Chapter-15
The Revelation
On the evening before his departure from Hastinapura after the failure of his peace mission, Shri Krishna had approached Karna and told him that before returning to the kingdom of Virata he wanted to spend some time with him. He was accompanied by Satyaki in a separate chariot. He made Karna sit in his chariot and asked his charioteer to take them out of the city of Hastinapura. When they reached a secluded spot outside the city walls, Krishna ordered his charioteer to stop the chariot and get down, leaving him and Karna alone inside the vehicle. The sun was about to set at that time and twilight was fast approaching. Shri Krishna, after being satisfied that there was no one around to listen to the conversation between them, turned his gaze towards Karna who was glowing radiantly under the dimming light of the sun, even without his armour and earrings which were now no longer on his person.
To Shri Krishna he still appeared godlike but his actions seemed to contradict the appearance. Krishna said, “Radheya, you have worshipped and revered learned Brahmins throughout your life. You have been unfailingly generous in giving them whatever they wished. You have thus earned your reputation as a Daanaveera and a man of unimpeachable integrity. You have also taken pains to become well versed in the scriptures. Karna, you know very well that the children born to a lady before or after her marriage get to be known as the children of the person whom the lady marries. That person becomes the father of the children in accordance with our Shastras and customs, as you are well aware.”
Karna replied, “Yes, I know it Keshava. But why are you telling me this now?” Shri Krishna, looking Karna in his eyes and placing a hand on his shoulders said, “Karna, I am saying this to you because you were born to Kunti and, therefore, you are a Pandu Putra and not a Suta Putra as the whole world thinks. In fact you were born before Yudhishthira and, therefore, you are the eldest Pandava. Kunti begot you from Surya while she was still a maiden. She was testing the authenticity of the powerful mantra given to her by Maharishi Durvasa. She had to unwillingly abandon you into the waters of a river which took you away from her till Adhiratha and Radha, whom you consider as your real parents, retrieved you as a gift from God.”
Hearing these words from Shri Krishna, Karna was dumbfounded and his entire life’s struggle began to flash in front of his eyes. While he came to know his real identity, he felt as though he had lost everything he cherished in life. He suddenly felt devoid of any purpose in life. What he did not like about the revelation was the challenge that it posed to several deep-rooted inclinations and propensities of his mind – the bond connecting him to the couple whom he considered as his parents; his friendship with Duryodhana; and his sworn rivalry with Arjuna, who now turned out to be his own younger brother. This churning of his soul made him turn pale and the only thing he wanted at that time was to hide somewhere to give vent to his frustration. While such thoughts were raging inside Karna’s confused mind, Shri Krishna broke the silence and said, “Karna, as you would now realise, you are the eldest Pandu Putra and hence in accordance with the custom of primogeniture, you are entitled to be the king instead of Yudhishthira. If the other Pandavas come to know you were born to Kunti even before Yudhishthira, they would readily accept you as the king and give you their due respect. All the great kings and allies of the Pandavas will also accept your suzerainty and do your bidding. Even your dearest friend Duryodhana should have no hesitation in surrendering the Pandavas’ share of kingdom to you, which should prevent the war itself. Karna, your rightful place is to be called the eldest Pandava and the future King of Hastinapura and not just Radheya, the Suta Putra. I therefore urge you to recognise this reality and do as I advise. You should join the Pandavas where you really belong and side with the dharma, instead of blindly following your adharmi friend.”
All this while, Karna was silent and contemplating on the strange new revelation of his real parentage, a revelation that could upset the very basis of his life. He felt a sense of detachment – bordering on a desire for renouncing everything, as the very purpose of his life was effectively challenged by Krishna’s message. As on several occasions in the past he collected his composure and replied: “Kesh
ava, what you just said is true, as I know what the scriptures and customs say on the subject; but what pains me the most is that my biological mother lost no time in forsaking me as a newborn baby by casting me away into river, with total disregard of my infantile vulnerability. What was my fault when Maharani Kunti put Maharishi Durvasa’s mantra to test? Did I deserve what I have been getting ever since my birth? Only I know, Keshava, how intensely I have suffered throughout my life. On the other hand, Adhiratha and Radha saved me from that perilous condition and brought me up as their own beloved son. They took care of all my needs, including attending to me as an infant when I was not capable of even doing a thing on my own except for accepting the nourishment they provided and making demands upon them as every small child does to its parents. Whatever good qualities in me you were referring to are all because of my parents, particularly my mother Radha. The very Shastras that you cite also mention that the ones who bring up a child are also like his real parents. I therefore still consider myself the son of Adhiratha and Radha and take pride in being called a Suta Putra”.
Karna continued further, “Keshava, Adhiratha and Radha brought me up and arranged for my upbringing, education and nurtured me as only exemplary parents can nurture their beloved child. They also got me to marry good ladies of the Suta clan, from whom I have got children and even grand children by now. I am not going to give them up even at the cost of the kingship of the entire world. Moreover, how can I betray my friend Duryodhana, who on the basis of my friendship and supreme confidence in my ability as a wielder of weapons alone, has dared to challenge the mighty army of the Pandavas, who are protected by none other than you? I have enjoyed the life of a king with all its associated pleasures and comfort, only because of the honour bestowed upon me by Duryodhana. The rest of the world has only rejected me and subjected me to ridicule on every possible occasion. From today, this pain of rejection will increase manifold because of the knowledge you have just imparted to me. Your revelation has pushed me deeper into the abyss of my emotions. Maybe, I am destined to be in agony of one kind or the other all through my life. At the same time, I am sure that the Pandavas will do your bidding and follow what you say. Under the circumstances how can I desert a friend who has provided me shelter, recognition and everything else in this world? I cannot compromise on my principles and loyalty to my friend. In any case, Keshava, I will hand over the inherited kingdom back to Duryodhana as I have no desire for this kingdom. What purpose will it serve then?” Karna again fell silent after his emotive response to Shri Krishna.
