Karna The Unsung Hero of the Mahabharata

by Kotru, Umesh

  Surya replied, “Son, anyone who is born on this earth will inevitably go through phases of happiness and sorrow. Only the degree varies. But the tragedy is that everyone thinks his suffering to be the greatest. I wish you were an exception to this rule. You are very knowledgeable and well versed in scriptures. There should have been no need for me to remind you that you are not the only person to have undergone agony at the hands of fate in this world. Lord Rama was God incarnate but could not escape suffering and misfortune throughout his life. King Harish Chandra was very pious and had taken a vow to tell the truth whatever the circumstances. Yet Rishi Vishvamitra put him to severest of tests which involved his only son getting bitten by a snake and his entire family being scattered in all directions. Despite being reduced to a pauper, he stuck to his resolve. King Nala was also a very just and good king. Losing in the game of dice induced by Kali reduced him to nothing besides bringing untold misery and misfortune in his and his wife’s life. What had young Savitri done to deserve a fate wherein her husband Satyavan was destined to die within one year of his marriage to her? By her single minded devotion and determination she forced the Yamaraj to give back the life of her husband. I can give you numerous such examples where people compromised with their destiny without complaining. But before leaving this topic, let me give you the example which would be the most telling for you – that of your own family, the Pandavas.

  Your mother Kunti and your brothers – the Pandavas – have been suffering one misfortune after another throughout their lives. Have you ever tried to visualise how they must be feeling from inside? Isn’t their agony and suffering just as great as yours? I know they will eventually succeed in winning the throne of Hastinapura, but at what cost? The most tragic part of their success will be that Yudhishthira will have to rule a desolate country with old people, children and widows as the only subjects. Victory for them will come at a staggering cost. Life is but a mix of pleasure and pain which everyone is subjected to. You are an intelligent man. If you think carefully you will realise that you too had your moments of joy. Had you been less sensitive than what you are, you might have enjoyed life better and would have been happier. Let me caution you that intelligence, sensitivity and happiness are rarely found together in the same person.”

  Karna said, “Father, whatever the case, I feel fed up with everything and find no fun in continuing an existence that I had not asked for. Surya said, “My son, don’t feel dejected when I say that you ruined your present by thinking too much about your past travails and about what other miseries your future holds for you. The trouble with you is that you have been pursuing many things at a time in your life. You have sought honour and happiness, only to find those eluding you like a chimera. That is very painful indeed. Instead you should have ceased to have any expectations from this world and led a life of simple contentment. Craving for recognition throughout your life has been one of your biggest follies. In this world nobody, including none of your so called friends, is bothered about your inner feelings and expectations. Given a chance, they will even use you and move on, and when you are no more they will just shed a few tears and forget all about you, as if you never existed. Your sensitive nature has always caused you to suffer and suffer alone and in private. In any case, it is too late for any course correction now.”

  Surya continued, “My dearest son, throughout your life you have desired to be acknowledged. Today, for whatever it is worth, as your father or otherwise, I want to acknowledge that despite being surrounded by evil you never allowed your inner self to be adversely affected. Nothing can pollute the mind of a person so long as he is cognizant of his every action, including his reason for hobnobbing with evil. This awareness has helped you to retain an inner sense of discrimination even today. That is how you conducted yourself with exemplary dignity and forthrightness in your recent meetings with Shri Krishna and your mother.

  “It is now time for me to leave. I hope my words will help you through this climactic phase of your life. Before I leave, let me commend you that you have lived up to my expectations. See you soon in your divine glory.”

  With these words, Surya embraced Karna tightly. While doing so he caught him shedding silent tears. He said, “Son, How long will you hide your grief from the world, which includes your father as well? I thought you are finally at peace with yourself. Is there something which is still troubling you? Let me know and I will try my best to address your problem.” In a choking voice Karna replied, “Father, these tears have always been my companion when I am alone or within the confines of my bedroom. Tears lighten the load of my heart. Crying melts the extra heaviness of my soul, resulting in my feeling better. After my life’s tribulations, even death is most welcome. You should not worry too much on my account as I am used to this by now. While talking to you, I feel as if after having traversed an endless desert all my life I have reached an oasis. Having poured my heart out before you, I am now experiencing true peace and tranquillity which always eluded me. Besides I feel very happy. Such moments of happiness have been few and far in between in my life. I feel like a Gurukula boy conversing with his wise mentor. Talking to you has washed all traces of anger I harboured against the world at large and against you and my mother in particular. Thank you very much for changing my perspective of life and making me feel this way. Father, as you are aware, I am joining the war actively from tomorrow. Please bless me so that I come up to your expectations and die with honour and dignity.” After blessing him to that very effect, Surya vanished from the tent.

  Karna was aroused by some sounds coming from outside his tent. After investigating the cause of the noise he came back and sat on his bed and began to wonder whether his long conversation with Surya was real or a dream like the others he had been seeing throughout that night. He failed to solve the riddle and got up to prepare for his morning ablutions prior to joining the war from that day.

  The eventful night seemed to have turned a full circle, starting from a dejected and defeated Karna to a Karna who was finally at peace with himself and the world. He seemed to have found a renewed sense of purpose. He was now ready to do his karma in whatever role Duryodhana would entrust him with in the ongoing war.

  Chapter-20

  Scorching the Battlefield

  After the fall of Bhishma, the entire Kaurava army was in disarray. They felt helpless at the loss of their illustrious Commander-in-Chief, whom even Devatas could not have defeated in battle. Just as Devatas would invoke Indra upon being harassed by the demons, the Kaurava army commanders began looking towards Karna for redemption. Considering Karna as equal to Bhishma in valour, all of them approached Duryodhana and requested him to ask Karna to lead the Kaurava army. Duryodhana also felt that this was the time for Karna to join the war as Commander-in-Chief. In deference to the wishes of his army, Duryodhana along with Duhshasana and Shakuni went to see Karna in his camp. When they entered Karna’s tent, he had just finished his morning ablutions, but was looking tired and not in his usual radiant health. In response to Duryodhana’s anxious query he however denied that anything was wrong with him. He also did not reveal anything regarding his meeting with Bhishma followed by the dream sequences the previous night. Though he maintained a façade of normalcy yet the traumatising events of the past few days, when Shri Krishna, Kunti and Bhishma, one after another, had revealed his true identity, had shaken his inner calm. But, like always, he managed to conceal his own grief from the outside world. Welcoming Duryodhana in his tent, Karna expressed sorrow over the fall of Bhishma.

  Duryodhana came straight to the point by saying, “Friend, loss of Pitamaha, who led us brilliantly for ten days, is tormenting my army. Without a leader we are like a rudderless ship in a stormy ocean. Most of my army, including all three of us present here, are looking towards you to lead us at this critical juncture. I have come over to request you to join the war as Commander-in-Chief in line with the desires of my army commanders”.

  “I believe it is difficult to take the p
lace of a hero like Bhishma. Despite my differences with him, there is none who could have faced him in war. With this great loss, our superiority over the Pandava army has been severely dented. On the other hand, I am pleased to hear about the faith of our army in my leadership. There are several kings, like Shalya and your respected father-in-law Bhagadatta, who are equally capable of leading the Kaurava army. However, I place Guru Dronacharya above all of them. There, therefore, is no doubt in my mind that, at this moment, none other than Dronacharya is qualified to lead our army. My suggestion to you is to appoint Guru Dronacharya as the next Commander-in-Chief of the Kaurava army. As for me, I am ready to join the war under the leadership of Guruji. I also reiterate the promise made by me to fight with the purpose of killing Arjuna or attaining martyrdom at his hands,” replied Karna, trying to boost the sagging morale of his friend.

  Duryodhana agreed with Karna’s suggestion and ordered preparations to be made for appointing Dronacharya as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Kaurava army. In the morning, amidst blowing of conches and accompanied by chanting of auspicious mantras, Dronacharya was appointed the Commander-in-Chief. Karna also joined them in his golden chariot driven by white horses. Before proceeding with the war on the eleventh day under the new Commander-in-Chief, Duryodhana and others, together with Guru Dronacharya, started consultations among themselves about the strategy they should adopt. Duryodhana suggested that if Dronacharya could take Yudhishthira captive, the war could be brought to a swift end, leading to the surrender of the Pandava army. He asked Dronacharya whether it was possible for him to do so. Dronacharya agreed and vowed that he could accomplish this mission, provided Arjuna was kept away from Yudhishthira. He said, “as long as Yudhishthira is protected by Arjuna it is not possible to capture him. Somehow Arjuna has to be lured away and engaged at the far corner of the battlefield away from the centre of action.”

  At this Susharma, the King of Trigarta, who held personal grudge against the Pandavas ever since the Viratanagara fiasco, jumped up from his seat and volunteered to engage Arjuna for this purpose. A special band of ferocious Samshaptaka warriors from his vast army was chosen for this purpose. These warriors pledged that their aim would be to kill Arjuna or get killed in the process. Susharma took the responsibility of challenging Arjuna to a duel which, as a Kshatriya he would not be able to refuse. That way he would lead Arjuna away to a far corner of the battlefield where he along with his band of Samshaptakas would keep him engaged. This plan of Duryodhana however became known to the Pandava camp through the network of spies deployed by Shri Krishna to gather intelligence from the enemy side. Arjuna stated that it would not be possible for him to decline a challenge and requested the other prominent generals like Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki and Bhima to protect Yudhishthira in his absence.

  Beholding their new commander and seeing Karna ready to participate in the war, the entire Kaurava army was filled with renewed vigour in anticipation of victory. Many of them expressed the hope that under the new leader supported by the invincible Karna, total destruction of the Pandava army was now assured. Shouting slogans in praise of Karna, this being his first day of the war, the army marched towards the battlefield.

  As soon as the hostilities commenced, Guru Dronacharya started inflicting heavy casualties on the Pandava army. Many of the Pandava army, including foot soldiers, officers of the cavalry and charioteers, started fleeing the battleground to save their lives. They were unable to face the havoc let loose by both Dronacharya and Karna in tandem. Looking at this debacle of the Pandava army, Duryodhana became very happy. Addressing Karna he said, “Dear Karna, I have a feeling that the end of the Pandavas and their entire army is near. Look at the manner in which their soldiers and charioteers are fleeing. I urge you to push forward and despatch the Pandava forces to their doom.” Karna responded by saying, Friend, do not take the Pandava army so lightly. Arjuna and his brothers are seething with anger at the injustice meted out to them. They are fighting for justice. There are several heroes like Dhrishtadyumna, King Drupada, Satyaki, Bhima and others besides Arjuna himself, fighting in that army. Do not forget that as long as Arjuna is protected by Shri Krishna himself, it is almost impossible to overcome him in battle.” This statement from Karna had a sobering effect on Duryodhana and he became anxious once again.

  Out of sheer frustration he retorted, “Does that mean your pledge to kill Arjuna is hollow? Are you saying that we are going to lose this war?” Karna replied, “I did not mean that. I will fight to the best of my capability. Let me remind you that I have saved the Shakti which I obtained from Indra specifically for Arjuna. I was only trying to tell you to be realistic.” Pointing in the direction of Guru Dronacharya, Karna told Duryodhana “Look there, the Pandava army is re-grouping and mounting an attack on Guruji. We must rush to provide reinforcement to Dronacharya.”

  A somewhat chastened Duryodhana proceeded in the direction of Guru Dronacharya to render assistance. Karna held his own front and continued to destroy the Pandava forces. No sooner had Duryodhana departed to help Dronacharya, Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki together mounted an attack on Karna. An intense battle ensued, with Karna facing both the mighty warriors at the same time. Several soldiers from either side got killed as a result. Karna held an upper hand throughout the fight and tormented both Dhrishtadyumna and Satyaki. Their chariots were destroyed by Karna. Most of their weapons too were exhausted. Finally, both of them had to retreat in order to save their lives.

  Meanwhile as planned, Susharma had managed to divert Arjuna from the main battle front and engage him in a far corner of the battlefield. Arjuna fought all of them valiantly and injured Susharma who had to retreat. While trying to return to the main battle zone Arjuna was confronted by king Bhagadatta. He was a ferocious warrior with unmatched skills in elephant warfare. His army consisted of huge elephants that would often crush the enemy warriors. Even though Bhagadatta was now an old man, there was none who could stand before him while he was mounted on his huge elephant, called Supratika. Karna had managed to defeat him when he went to overcome all the kings at the time of his digvijaya (conquest) on behalf of Duryodhana. An intense battle now ensued between Arjuna and Bhagadatta. Arjuna managed to kill Bhagadatta’s elephant. Seeing his elephant falling, Bhagadatta invoked the Vaishnava Astra and fired it at Arjuna. This divine missile was obtained by Bhagadatta’s father Narakasura from Lord Vishnu after completing intense penance. Narakasura had passed on the weapon to his son. As soon as Bhagadatta fired the weapon, Lord Shri Krishna placed himself in front of Arjuna and the weapon struck Shri Krishna instead of Arjuna. The weapon at once turned into a garland of beautiful flowers around Shri Krishna’s neck without causing any harm. This way Shri Krishna saved Arjuna from certain death. Bhagadatta, having thus been deprived of his elephant and his main weapon neutralised by Shri Krishna, was left defenceless against Arjuna who wasted no time in beheading him with a sharp arrow.

  On the other hand Dhrishtadyumna, Bhima and King Drupada along with Satyaki and others managed to protect Yudhishthira and keep both Guru Dronacharya and Karna away from him. As a result, Dronacharya could not succeed in his mission of capturing Yudhishthira. In the evening, Duryodhana along with his friends approached Guru Dronacharya and taunted him for failing to keep his promise. Dronacharya became angry with Duryodhana and retorted, “Maharaj, if you feel that I am not fighting up to my potential and to your satisfaction, you are free to choose a new commander.” Duryodhana then felt sorry for his action and apologised. Guru Dronacharya maintained that in order to compensate for the failure of his mission he would engage in the battle next day with the intent to at least kill one of the major generals in the Pandava army. It again required that Arjuna was to be kept away for that to happen.

  Next day Dronacharya arranged the army in the formation of a Chakra. Only Arjuna in the Pandava army knew the art of breaking the Chakra formation and come out of it successfully. Other than Arjuna, his son Abhimanyu knew how to break inside the Chakra but did not know how t
o exit. As per the planned strategy, Arjuna was again compelled to fight in the sidelines by the Samshaptaka warriors led by King Susharma. Without Arjuna the Pandavas became very worried as to how to face the formidable Chakra formation created by Guru Dronacharya. They went into a huddle in the midst of the battlefield to discuss ways and means to overcome this unexpected obstacle, when Yudhishthira remembered that Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu knew how to enter the Chakra formation. Accordingly he was called to Yudhishthira’s presence who said, “Son, as you are aware, nobody present here except you knows how to break the Chakra formation. Arjuna, who could have helped us, is not available.” Abhimanyu replied, “Maharaj, I heard father explaining the procedure to my mother while I was still in her womb. But before hearing the entire narration I fell asleep. That is why I know only the entry procedure but not the way to exit the formation.” In the absence of any other option Yudhishthira reluctantly said, “My dear son, you will lead the Pandava army today and break the Chakra formation to create a gap. Through that gap all of us will be following you to exploit and, if possible, destroy the entire formation. At the least we would guard the opening created by you for your safe exit. May you be blessed with grand success, my son. I am sure posterity will always remember your heroic deed.”

  That day’s battle began with Abhimanyu attacking the Chakra formation and creating an opening for the other Pandava warriors. While Abhimanyu successfully penetrated deep inside the Chakra, the rest of the Pandavas were held back by Jayadratha, King of Sindhu and brother-in-law of Duryodhana. Jayadratha had earned a boon from Lord Shiva that he would be able to overcome all the Pandavas other than Arjuna for one day in battle. On account of that boon, Jayadratha succeeded in keeping the Pandavas at bay and seal the opening that was created by Abhimanyu. Thus Abhimanyu was badly trapped inside the impregnable formation created by Dronacharya. He fought valiantly and simultaneously engaged six Maharathis of the Kaurava army, viz. Karna, Duryodhana, Duhshasana, Ashvatthama, Shalya and Shakuni. He succeeded in killing Shalya’s brothers and Duhshasana’s sons before his chariot was destroyed. His charioteer and horses also got killed. Abhimanyu continued to fight while on foot before he was finally overpowered and killed by the six Kaurava Maharathis who attacked him simultaneously. With this tragedy a terrific gloom descended on the Pandava army.