Karna! Radheya! Anga Raj! The greatest tragedy hero the world has known. His valour, his bravery, his selflessness are only matched by his great accumulation of misfortunes. The universe conspired to bring the greatest soldier of his time to his knees in defeat. Even in defeat, Karna was a still a cut above everyone else.
You have all read his story, watched various interpretations of it presented in film and TV. Karna was a warrior, a loyal friend, a benevolent ruler and a man of impeccable principle. You might be aware of how he refused his lineage and rightful claim to the throne before the epic kurukshetra war. He learned from Krishna about his parentage and in effect, his right to the throne of hastinapur. However, he chose to turn it down because of his promise to his friend Suyodhana! Their friendship set new benchmarks for friendship. Other writers may have told the story of Karna, however I shall try to throw some light on some hitherto unknown tales about this distinguished warrior, stories that are not common knowledge today. The myth vs fact argument about the Mahabharatha must be left for another time.
Karna's Unmatched Skill!
The story of Arjuna and the bird is quite well known. Arjuna's focus and concentration allowing him to see only the eye of the target that he was supposed to hit is a story that has been retold several times. When Karna arrived on the scene much later and challenged Arjuna every chance he got, one of the Kaurava brothers was curious whether Karna was really all that he bragged about. He wanted to test whether Karna was up-to the task of facing Arjuna. The Kaurava put the same test before Karna and hung a bird target about its own axis and asked him to shoot an arrow into its eye. He asked Karna what he saw, to which he replied, "Nothing!". The Kaurava was shocked on hearing this. He had been anticipating the 'Eye' answer but was left disappointed by Karna's response. He wondered whether it was due to the darkness that Karna was unable to see the target.
While he was wondering about this, Karna sensed his predicament. Karna pulled out a couple of arrows and shot them in succession at the bird. His arrows pierced not one but both the eyes of the bird. As his first arrow pierced the eye of the bird, the target pivoted about its axis. That was when the second arrow was able to pierce its other eye. The Kaurava was stunned at this. Karna merely said with a smile on his face, 'You didn't tell me which eye I was supposed to hit, so I hit both'. The shocked Kaurava asked Karna how this was possible, 'You said you saw nothing, how did you manage to shoot it'. To which Karna calmly replied, 'I didn't need to see the target, I knew where it was, I felt where it was. Just as you don't need light to be aware of you body, I did not light to see where the target was.' The Kaurava felt elated at this and realized that Karna is their main man who would bring them all glory.
The bond between Karna & Suyodhana.
Karna's bond with Suyodhana is well known. These thick friends could have gone to any extent for each other. ne such tale that sheds a light on this happened in the royal palace one day. Karna and Suyodhana's wife Bhanumati devi were playing a board game. They were so immersed in the game and the frivolity that they did not realise that Suyodhana had entered the chambers. When Bhanumati noticed this, she made to get up. Karna saw her leaving and tried to stop her inadvertently grabbing hold of her robes and pulling them down and breaking a string of pearls that was around her neck. She got abashed and ran into her private chambers. Suyodhana who saw this, rushed after into their rooms. He went before her and profusely apologized to her on behalf of Karna. He assured her that what happened was just an accident and Karna's intentions were beyond a shadow of doubt. This speaks volumes about the bond of trust they shared.
Karna The Benevolent!
It is said that, once Arjuna asked Krishna why Karna was known as 'Dana Veera' while his brother Yudhisthir was known as 'Dharma Raja'. The both of them were at the same level when it came to charitable work, how was it then that Karna was highly celebrated as 'Dana Veera'? Krishna promised to prove it to Arjuna when the right time came. A few days later, the kingdom saw a heavy downpour of rain. Arjuna & Krishna disguised themselves as Brahmins and went to Yudhisthir. They asked him for a donation of sandalwood to conduct some sacrificial puja's. Yudhisthir had people search far and wide but was unable to find any dry wood in the kingdom to give the Brahmins. He politely explained the situation to them and offered them to ask for anything else instead.
Krishna then took Arjuna to Karna's palace, where they made the same request for Sandalwood. Karna thought deeply for a while. He pulled out his arrows and cut down the doors and windows of his palace, accumulating enough sandalwood for the sacrifice. Both Brahmins blessed him and went on their way. Later Krishna explained to Arjuna, 'Yudhisthir also would have cut down the doors and windows of his palace and given us that wood had we asked for it. However, this thought never struck him on its own. That is the difference between Karna & Yudhisthir. Yudhisthir donates because he feels it is simply his duty to do so. Karna does it purely because he likes to do so. He derives satisfaction from charity. That is the reason he is known as "Dana Veera"!
These stories are buried somewhere in the pages of the longest epic in the world, the Mahabharatha. The inspiration for this article came from a question thread on Quora which sheds light on Karna like nothing else has. All credit to the several authors who have put forth these tales for us to know.
You have all read his story, watched various interpretations of it presented in film and TV. Karna was a warrior, a loyal friend, a benevolent ruler and a man of impeccable principle. You might be aware of how he refused his lineage and rightful claim to the throne before the epic kurukshetra war. He learned from Krishna about his parentage and in effect, his right to the throne of hastinapur. However, he chose to turn it down because of his promise to his friend Suyodhana! Their friendship set new benchmarks for friendship. Other writers may have told the story of Karna, however I shall try to throw some light on some hitherto unknown tales about this distinguished warrior, stories that are not common knowledge today. The myth vs fact argument about the Mahabharatha must be left for another time.
Karna's Unmatched Skill!
The story of Arjuna and the bird is quite well known. Arjuna's focus and concentration allowing him to see only the eye of the target that he was supposed to hit is a story that has been retold several times. When Karna arrived on the scene much later and challenged Arjuna every chance he got, one of the Kaurava brothers was curious whether Karna was really all that he bragged about. He wanted to test whether Karna was up-to the task of facing Arjuna. The Kaurava put the same test before Karna and hung a bird target about its own axis and asked him to shoot an arrow into its eye. He asked Karna what he saw, to which he replied, "Nothing!". The Kaurava was shocked on hearing this. He had been anticipating the 'Eye' answer but was left disappointed by Karna's response. He wondered whether it was due to the darkness that Karna was unable to see the target.
While he was wondering about this, Karna sensed his predicament. Karna pulled out a couple of arrows and shot them in succession at the bird. His arrows pierced not one but both the eyes of the bird. As his first arrow pierced the eye of the bird, the target pivoted about its axis. That was when the second arrow was able to pierce its other eye. The Kaurava was stunned at this. Karna merely said with a smile on his face, 'You didn't tell me which eye I was supposed to hit, so I hit both'. The shocked Kaurava asked Karna how this was possible, 'You said you saw nothing, how did you manage to shoot it'. To which Karna calmly replied, 'I didn't need to see the target, I knew where it was, I felt where it was. Just as you don't need light to be aware of you body, I did not light to see where the target was.' The Kaurava felt elated at this and realized that Karna is their main man who would bring them all glory.
The bond between Karna & Suyodhana.
Karna's bond with Suyodhana is well known. These thick friends could have gone to any extent for each other. ne such tale that sheds a light on this happened in the royal palace one day. Karna and Suyodhana's wife Bhanumati devi were playing a board game. They were so immersed in the game and the frivolity that they did not realise that Suyodhana had entered the chambers. When Bhanumati noticed this, she made to get up. Karna saw her leaving and tried to stop her inadvertently grabbing hold of her robes and pulling them down and breaking a string of pearls that was around her neck. She got abashed and ran into her private chambers. Suyodhana who saw this, rushed after into their rooms. He went before her and profusely apologized to her on behalf of Karna. He assured her that what happened was just an accident and Karna's intentions were beyond a shadow of doubt. This speaks volumes about the bond of trust they shared.
Karna The Benevolent!
It is said that, once Arjuna asked Krishna why Karna was known as 'Dana Veera' while his brother Yudhisthir was known as 'Dharma Raja'. The both of them were at the same level when it came to charitable work, how was it then that Karna was highly celebrated as 'Dana Veera'? Krishna promised to prove it to Arjuna when the right time came. A few days later, the kingdom saw a heavy downpour of rain. Arjuna & Krishna disguised themselves as Brahmins and went to Yudhisthir. They asked him for a donation of sandalwood to conduct some sacrificial puja's. Yudhisthir had people search far and wide but was unable to find any dry wood in the kingdom to give the Brahmins. He politely explained the situation to them and offered them to ask for anything else instead.
Krishna then took Arjuna to Karna's palace, where they made the same request for Sandalwood. Karna thought deeply for a while. He pulled out his arrows and cut down the doors and windows of his palace, accumulating enough sandalwood for the sacrifice. Both Brahmins blessed him and went on their way. Later Krishna explained to Arjuna, 'Yudhisthir also would have cut down the doors and windows of his palace and given us that wood had we asked for it. However, this thought never struck him on its own. That is the difference between Karna & Yudhisthir. Yudhisthir donates because he feels it is simply his duty to do so. Karna does it purely because he likes to do so. He derives satisfaction from charity. That is the reason he is known as "Dana Veera"!
These stories are buried somewhere in the pages of the longest epic in the world, the Mahabharatha. The inspiration for this article came from a question thread on Quora which sheds light on Karna like nothing else has. All credit to the several authors who have put forth these tales for us to know.
