It is still the seventeenth day of the great war. There is a lull in the war after the horrific spectacle of Bheema drinking Dushyasana's blood, which stuns both the armies. Thinking about it, I wondered whether Dushyasana actually saw Bheema drink blood as it gushed out of his heart. He could have! Being a hardy warrior, he would have not died immediately out of shock. I suppose this is what what violence does. Our threshold level for horror goes up as we get used to more and more violence.
After a lull in the war, Dushyasana's brothers, Alambu, Jarasandha and others go after Bheema and rain arrows on him. But Bheema kills all the nine brothers attacking him with nine arrows. Seeing this Karna becomes afraid, but Vrushasena comes forward and faces Bheema. Nakula goes in between them and kills Vrushasena's horses. Meanwhile Arjuna shoots ten arrows, cuts his bows, arms and finally severs Vrushasena's head. Karna bears the loss of his son bravely and challenges Arjuna to a combat. The two chariots face each other! Many great warriors surround them with their chariots, blow their conch and shout encouraging words.
The fight begins. It appears as though two mountains are confronting each other. They invoke many different astras but as they are equally matched the battle continues with no clear advantage to either side for a while. Bheema looses patience and urges Arjuna. 'Why are you fighting like this Arjuna! Stand more firm, like you did in Khandava vana and kill him. Or let me use my mace and smash him into a pulp! His time has come! Let us not allow him to escape from here alive.' Krishna also counsels Arjuna, 'Do you not see that he has प्रत्यस्त्र answering astras to all your astras. Remember the way you fought Ishwara and pleased him. Apply all your skills and ability to kill Karna!'
Coaxed thus by both, Arjuna invokes Bhramhaastra, the astra envelopes Karna's chariot with innumerable arrows shining like the sun. Kauravs who were with Karna retreat in fear and Duryodhana's encouraging words to them does not have any effect. But Karna is unmoved and stops the Bhramaastra and attacks Arjuna with many sharp and severe arrows. Arjuna answers by shooting more arrows and the whole battle field is filled with arrows.
Karna then takes out the sarpaastra he had reserved specially to attack Arjuna. As he readies the astra, the whole area is lit with its radiance. As he aims it at Arjuna the arrow tilts a little. In his anger and eagerness, Karna does not notice this, but Shalya does. He tells Karna that his aim is not right and suggests that he correct it. Karna does not pay heed. He brushes aside Shalya's advice, 'Karna does not aim twice for a single target, Madraraja! People like us do not take war lightly!' Karna releases the astra as it is, shouting! 'Arjuna you are dead!'
Krishna notices the astra traversing through the skies and presses the chariot down a little. The sarpaastra hits Arjuna's crown and carries it with it. The crown falls a little ahead but the astra keeps moving up. Krishna tells Arjuna, 'Look at the snake which was meant to kill you.' Arjuna asks Krishna, 'Where did this food for eagles came from'. Krishna tells him that this snake survived while its mother died in the Kandava vana and was seeking revenge for its mother's death. Arjuna shoots six arrows at the snake and kills it.
As Karna's time of death is nearing, his sarpaastra goes waste and he forgets the astra which Parusharama had taught him. Added to this his chariot sinks into the ground and tilts. His horses stumble. His charioteer dies. All this upsets Karna and he bemoans his bad luck. He is injured all over and is tired and blames dharma. 'People who know dharma tell that dharma protects those who follow it. But it seems that dharma is killing them instead protecting them.'
Karna then looks at Arjuna and tells him 'Hey Partha! Wait a moment! I will straighten out my chariot, in the meantime do not shoot arrows at me in the ways of vile people. You know Yuddha (war)dharma. You are a hero, a khsatriya and born to a great family. You are sitting on a chariot at a higher level, so you should not attack me who is unarmed and sitting on the ground. I am not afraid of either you or Krishan. I am just asking you to wait.
Krishna intervenes before Arjuna speaks, 'It is fortunate that you remember dharma now! It is normal for people from the lower class to blame gods for their difficult times. They do not think that it is their own doing! Result of their bad acts. When you, Suyodhana, Shakuni and Dushyasana brought Draupadi to the sabha with just a single piece of cloth covering her body, was dharma not necessary? When you defeated an unskilled Yudhisthira in a game of dice, where did your dharma go? After completing Vanavasa for thirteen years, which dharma stopped you from giving his kingdom back? It is with your consent that Duryodhana tried to kill Bheema by feeding him poisoned food and letting poisoned snakes on him. Where did your dharma go then? You had planned to kill pandavas who were sleeping in the wax palace in Varanavrata, where was your dharma at that time? When Draupadi was held by Dushyasana in the sabha, where was dharma when you laughed at her? Where did dharma go, when you told her that pandavas are destroyed and advised her to marry another? When great warriors surrounded a mere boy Abhimanyu and killed him, where did dharma go?' Karna with no real answers, keeps quiet.
Then suddenly a very enraged Karna begins to fight again with ferocity. A fierce arrow hits Arjuna's shoulder and his bow Gandiva falls from his hand and he faints. Taking this opportunity, Karna jumps from the chariot and tries to lift it up. He does not succeed inspite of his strength! It seems fate intervenes again! Meanwhile Arjuna recovers and picks up arrow 'Pranjalika'! Krishna urges him to kill Karna before he climbs back to the chariot. Arjuna cuts off the Karna's flag hoisted on the chariot and takes another arrow 'Anjalika' invokes a maha astra with a prayer 'If I have performed penance, pleased my elders, let this arrow kill Karna by its virtue!' and lets the arrow fly! Karna's severed head falls like the sun from the heavens!
Showing posts with label karna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label karna. Show all posts
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Sunday, 17 June 2012
It is the 17th day of the war. War lasted just 18 days! Mahabharata 158
The moment Duryodhana agrees to Shalya's conditions, Karna's chariot is made ready. Shalya climbs up in the front and Karna occupies the rear. Duryodhana speaks to Karna, 'I had thought that Bheeshma and Drona, the great warriors, would kill Bheema and Arjuna, but it is now for you to perform this heroic task. Capture Yudhisthira, if not kill Bheema and Ajuna and destroy the pamdava army. Come back victorious and good luck to you!'
The chariot moves forward to sounds of instrumental music. As it moves the earth shakes, meteors fall, fires are visible at the end of the horizon, fierce winds blow, birds and animals come from inauspicious directions, horses stumble, flags flutter. In spite of such inauspicious portents, kaurava kings make way for the chariot with shouts of victory!
As they near the pandavas formation, Shalya observes, 'Karna! Can you hear the sound of Arjuna's chariot wheels? Can you see his flag? He is on his way to fight the volunteers again! He is fighting valiantly.' Karna visibly annoyed replies, 'Yes! I see that surrounded by angry warriors, he has disappeared like the sun behind the clouds!' Shalya responds, 'If it pleases you can talk this way! But will anyone beat the rain god Varuna, make him fall by throwing water at him? Put out fire, agni, by using wood? Tie up Vayu, the air? Or drink the ocean? Even Devas and Asuras cannot beat Arjuna!'
They near the pandava army and the fight begins! Karna penetrates the enemy army and defeats Dharmaraja. Bheema comes forward and there is a fierce fight between the two and Bheema makes Karna unconscious and is about to kill him. Shalya reminds Bheema about Arjuna's vow to kill Karna, so Bheema spares Karna and reserves him for Arjuna! Shalya takes Karna away from the war field. Then kauravas attack Bheema with a vengeance and many of Duryodhana's brothers are killed in the fracas.
Ashwatthama engages Arjuna, who is fighting with warriors, and is defeated. In the meanwhile, Karna regains consciousness , manages to scatter the pandava army and renews his fight with Bheema. Meanwhile Arjuna hears that Yudhisthira is injured and is worried. He stops his fight and goes to the camp to check on his brother. Yudhithira is not seriously injured, but is hurt and is lying down on his bed. He is overjoyed to see Krishna and Arjuna. He mistakenly thinks that they have come to tell him about Karna's death and starts complimenting them.
Blogging again after taking a break. Actually it was tiring to read about the constant killings! In fact, it is the seventeenth day of the war and the conflict seems very desperate and it is just an eighteen-day war!
Compare this with second world war. It began with the invasion of Poland to the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hitler invades Poland on 1 September, 1939. Britain and France declare war on Germany two days later. Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 May, 1945 and the following day was celebrated as VE (Victory in Europe) day
...... on 6 August, 1945 one of the atom bombs was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later another was dropped on Nagasaki.... and the Japanese surrendered on 14 August, 1945. Totally it lasted about 120.6 times longer than the Mahabharata war!
The chariot moves forward to sounds of instrumental music. As it moves the earth shakes, meteors fall, fires are visible at the end of the horizon, fierce winds blow, birds and animals come from inauspicious directions, horses stumble, flags flutter. In spite of such inauspicious portents, kaurava kings make way for the chariot with shouts of victory!
As they near the pandavas formation, Shalya observes, 'Karna! Can you hear the sound of Arjuna's chariot wheels? Can you see his flag? He is on his way to fight the volunteers again! He is fighting valiantly.' Karna visibly annoyed replies, 'Yes! I see that surrounded by angry warriors, he has disappeared like the sun behind the clouds!' Shalya responds, 'If it pleases you can talk this way! But will anyone beat the rain god Varuna, make him fall by throwing water at him? Put out fire, agni, by using wood? Tie up Vayu, the air? Or drink the ocean? Even Devas and Asuras cannot beat Arjuna!'
They near the pandava army and the fight begins! Karna penetrates the enemy army and defeats Dharmaraja. Bheema comes forward and there is a fierce fight between the two and Bheema makes Karna unconscious and is about to kill him. Shalya reminds Bheema about Arjuna's vow to kill Karna, so Bheema spares Karna and reserves him for Arjuna! Shalya takes Karna away from the war field. Then kauravas attack Bheema with a vengeance and many of Duryodhana's brothers are killed in the fracas.
Ashwatthama engages Arjuna, who is fighting with warriors, and is defeated. In the meanwhile, Karna regains consciousness , manages to scatter the pandava army and renews his fight with Bheema. Meanwhile Arjuna hears that Yudhisthira is injured and is worried. He stops his fight and goes to the camp to check on his brother. Yudhithira is not seriously injured, but is hurt and is lying down on his bed. He is overjoyed to see Krishna and Arjuna. He mistakenly thinks that they have come to tell him about Karna's death and starts complimenting them.
Blogging again after taking a break. Actually it was tiring to read about the constant killings! In fact, it is the seventeenth day of the war and the conflict seems very desperate and it is just an eighteen-day war!
Compare this with second world war. It began with the invasion of Poland to the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hitler invades Poland on 1 September, 1939. Britain and France declare war on Germany two days later. Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 May, 1945 and the following day was celebrated as VE (Victory in Europe) day
...... on 6 August, 1945 one of the atom bombs was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later another was dropped on Nagasaki.... and the Japanese surrendered on 14 August, 1945. Totally it lasted about 120.6 times longer than the Mahabharata war!
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Karna Parava. Mahabharata 157
It is early in the morning on the seventeenth day of the war. Karna goes to meet Duryodhana, 'Today I will fight with Arjuna and kill him, if not Arjuna will kill me. I was too pre-occupied yesterday and could not focus on Arjuna. You must also know that I am superior to Arjuna as an archer in my virtuosity, dexterity, swiftness, skill, defence, bravery, knowledge and courage. His bow Ghandiva is not equal to my bow. This bow was made by Vishwakarma specially for Indra. He gave it to Parusharama after destroying the Asuras and Parusharama used this bow and won twenty one expeditions on earth. And it is now with me.'
'I must also tell you where I lack when compared to Arjuna. He has a chariot gifted to him by Agni. His horses are indestructible. Moreover he has Krishna as his charioteer and his quiver is inexhaustible. These are not with me. If I had a charioteer like Shalya, who knows the heart of horses like Krishna does and a chariot with good horses, loaded with arrows, I am sure to defeat Arjuna as I am much superior to him.'
Duryodhana then goes to Shalya and bows to him and speaks very politely, 'I have come to you with a request which will help us in destroying the pandavas and it is for my benefit. Earlier, in the times of burning Tripura, Brahma was the charioteer for Rudra, in the same way, you can protect us by becoming the charioteer of Karna. If you take charge of Karna's chariot, he will defeat our enemies. Arjuna has Vasudeva as his charioteer, but Karna does not have one who is equal to Krishna. You are the only two remaining great warriors with us. Today Karna will fight Arjuna and he is confident of defeating Arjuna if you become his charioteer! If you both enter the battlefield together, like Aruna and Surya, the kaunteyas and panchalas will disappear like the darkness from the place.'
Shalya is shocked by this request, his eye brows come together in anger and his eyes turn red! 'Maharaja! It is not right to ask me to do this. How can I be a charioteer to a person of lower status! I am a crowned King and born to a family of Rajarshis. How can I be charioteer to a Sutaputra? You talk as if he is a better warrior than me, but I do not consider him even to equal to me. If you want, I will face the greatest warrior of our enemies or I will confront them all by myself. Only then will you know my ability. Asking me to be a charioteer to a suta is an insult. After such an insult, I do not want to fight anymore. I want to go back to my city, permit me to do so.'
Duryodhana stops Shalya with a show of respect and love, speaks to him softly and agrees with whatever he has to say. Then tells him, 'Karna or others, none is better than you. But Karna is better than Arjuna and you are better than Vasudeva, If Karna is better than Arjuna in his skills as an archer, you are better than Krishna in both, you are better than him with the horses and you are stronger!' Thus pacified, Shalya agrees to stay on. On one condition, 'I will speak anything that comes to my mind and no one should object to that. Duryodhana agrees.
Obviously Karna, unaware of the promise Shalya had made to Yudhisthira earlier, invites trouble on himself. I guess most of us have this type of experience. We get into trouble, in spite of some inner warnings, and blame luck!
Karna is surely a victim of fate as he is not even aware of the understanding between Yudhisthira and Shalya. That Shalya will try to demoralise Karna in case he is invited to take charge of Karna's chariot.
'I must also tell you where I lack when compared to Arjuna. He has a chariot gifted to him by Agni. His horses are indestructible. Moreover he has Krishna as his charioteer and his quiver is inexhaustible. These are not with me. If I had a charioteer like Shalya, who knows the heart of horses like Krishna does and a chariot with good horses, loaded with arrows, I am sure to defeat Arjuna as I am much superior to him.'
Duryodhana then goes to Shalya and bows to him and speaks very politely, 'I have come to you with a request which will help us in destroying the pandavas and it is for my benefit. Earlier, in the times of burning Tripura, Brahma was the charioteer for Rudra, in the same way, you can protect us by becoming the charioteer of Karna. If you take charge of Karna's chariot, he will defeat our enemies. Arjuna has Vasudeva as his charioteer, but Karna does not have one who is equal to Krishna. You are the only two remaining great warriors with us. Today Karna will fight Arjuna and he is confident of defeating Arjuna if you become his charioteer! If you both enter the battlefield together, like Aruna and Surya, the kaunteyas and panchalas will disappear like the darkness from the place.'
Shalya is shocked by this request, his eye brows come together in anger and his eyes turn red! 'Maharaja! It is not right to ask me to do this. How can I be a charioteer to a person of lower status! I am a crowned King and born to a family of Rajarshis. How can I be charioteer to a Sutaputra? You talk as if he is a better warrior than me, but I do not consider him even to equal to me. If you want, I will face the greatest warrior of our enemies or I will confront them all by myself. Only then will you know my ability. Asking me to be a charioteer to a suta is an insult. After such an insult, I do not want to fight anymore. I want to go back to my city, permit me to do so.'
Duryodhana stops Shalya with a show of respect and love, speaks to him softly and agrees with whatever he has to say. Then tells him, 'Karna or others, none is better than you. But Karna is better than Arjuna and you are better than Vasudeva, If Karna is better than Arjuna in his skills as an archer, you are better than Krishna in both, you are better than him with the horses and you are stronger!' Thus pacified, Shalya agrees to stay on. On one condition, 'I will speak anything that comes to my mind and no one should object to that. Duryodhana agrees.
Obviously Karna, unaware of the promise Shalya had made to Yudhisthira earlier, invites trouble on himself. I guess most of us have this type of experience. We get into trouble, in spite of some inner warnings, and blame luck!
Karna is surely a victim of fate as he is not even aware of the understanding between Yudhisthira and Shalya. That Shalya will try to demoralise Karna in case he is invited to take charge of Karna's chariot.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
It is Karna's honor to lead the kauravas. Mahabharata 156
The night Drona died, Duryodhana consults his commanders about the future. Ashwatthama suggests that Karna be appointed as chief of the kaurava army. Duryodhana agrees and speaks to Karna 'I know of your valor and the love and affection you have for me. Great warriors Bhishma and Drona who commanded our army are no more. Now I want you to be the chief. You are stronger than them and you are not old! In addition, they were partial to Arjuna. I honored them as chiefs as per your wish. If anyone can give me victory, it is you, there is no doubt about it. Once you enter the battlefield, pandavas and panchalas tremble.
Karna accepts gladly and the next morning he adapts the Alligator formation and positions himself in the mouth. The eyes are occupied by Sakuni and Uluka and Duryodhana is in the middle of the formation. Arjuna chooses the half-moon shape, Bheema and Dhristadhyumna are at either end and Dharmaraja and Arjuna are in the middle.
The war begins to the sound of conchs and drums. Bheema kills Khsemadoorthy, Satyaki takes care of Vindanuvinda. Bheema and Ashwatthama then confront each other and as both faint in the conflict, they are taken away by their charioteers. Nakula is defeated by Karna and is driven away by Karna as he does not want to kill him. There were huge losses on both sides due to power and bravery of both Arjuna and Karna. Soon the sun sets and kauravas get back to their camps as they are afraid of more losses. Pandavas think that the day belongs to them.
Karna meets Duryodhana in the camp later and shows he is very upset. 'Arjuna no doubt is very skilled and is full of courage, more than that he has Krishna as his charioteer. He is cautioned by Krishna time and again, hence we could not make much headway today'. He consoles Duryodhna with, 'I will see that none of his plans work tomorrow!'
Karna accepts gladly and the next morning he adapts the Alligator formation and positions himself in the mouth. The eyes are occupied by Sakuni and Uluka and Duryodhana is in the middle of the formation. Arjuna chooses the half-moon shape, Bheema and Dhristadhyumna are at either end and Dharmaraja and Arjuna are in the middle.
The war begins to the sound of conchs and drums. Bheema kills Khsemadoorthy, Satyaki takes care of Vindanuvinda. Bheema and Ashwatthama then confront each other and as both faint in the conflict, they are taken away by their charioteers. Nakula is defeated by Karna and is driven away by Karna as he does not want to kill him. There were huge losses on both sides due to power and bravery of both Arjuna and Karna. Soon the sun sets and kauravas get back to their camps as they are afraid of more losses. Pandavas think that the day belongs to them.
Karna meets Duryodhana in the camp later and shows he is very upset. 'Arjuna no doubt is very skilled and is full of courage, more than that he has Krishna as his charioteer. He is cautioned by Krishna time and again, hence we could not make much headway today'. He consoles Duryodhna with, 'I will see that none of his plans work tomorrow!'
Monday, 28 May 2012
Ghatotkacha is the next one to go. Strangely Krishna cannot contain his joy at this. Mahabharata 153
With the battle field lit with lanterns, Satyaki and Dhristadhyumna fight with great valour, Bheema kills Bahlika, ten brothers of Duryodhana and five brothers of Sakuni. Arjuna expresses a desire to fight with Karna, but Krishna does not agree and calls Ghatotkacha and tells him, 'Look child! This is the right time for you to show your prowess. You have Bheema's strength and many weapons. You can also fight an illusory war. In addition the rakshas have more power in the night. Hence fight with Karna and by killing him you will help pandavas immensely. We all hope that our children will come to our aid here and hereafter!'
Accordingly Ghatotkacha proceeds and kills Alayudha and others. He then confronts Karna and after a fierce fight disappears into the skies and engages in a deceptive war. This creates a havoc in the kaurava ranks and battle field is filled with cries of despair. Hearing this, Karna uses a very powerful astra known as Vijayanthi and Ghatotkacha is struck and falls from the sky and dies. This news saddens Bheema and Yudhisthira. While they and the rest of pandavas are sad, surprisingly Krishna looks happy and roars like a lion and embraces Arjuna!
Arjuna is perplexed and asks Krishna to explain. Krishna tells Arjuna, 'It is an extremely good news Arjuna. I am a very relieved person. As Karna has expended his power against Ghatotkacha, take it that he is dead! Fortunately for us, his कवच armour and his कुण्डल ear-ring were given away earlier, now his special powers are gone. If these three things were still with him he could have won the three worlds easily. By giving up the first two to Indra in exchange for the special powers, he had assumed that he could easily kill you. Now you are safe as he is just an ordinary human being. It is now possible to defeat and kill him'. Soon the fighting stops and the army is able to rest.
We now see how far a friendship can go! Krishna knowingly sends Ghatotkacha to his death to save his friend Arjuna, thus pandavas. It could be because Ghatotkacha is just a half-pandava and in reality more of a rakshasa.
The other versions are different. Bheema invites Ghatotkacha to join pandavas as some rakshasas with old enmities towards pandavas join Duryodhana and pandavas need him to counter their ability to wage a 'Maya yuddha'. When Ghatotkacha creates a havoc with the kaurava army by becoming invisible and waging war from the skies, it is Duryodhana who requests Karna to do something or the entire kaurava army would be demolished.
Whatever the reason, it is Krishna who realises the significance of Karna using his most powerful astra to kill Ghatotkacha. Karna has nothing more left to defeat Arjuna after using up this astra to save the kaurava army.
Anyway Ghatotkacha is not totally forgotten. 'There is a temple built in Manali, Himachal Pradesh for Ghatotkacha near Hidimba Devi Temple.'- Wikipedia
Who or what are rakshasas?
rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion. Rakshasas are also called man-eaters ("Nri-chakshas," "Kravyads"). A female Rakshasa is called a Rakshasi, and a female Rakshasa in human form is a Manushya-Rakshasi. Often Asura and Rakshasa are interchangeably used.-Wikipedia
Tara remembered seeing panadava temples in Yogyakarta in Indonesia.
Sites of temples in Dieng can be grouped into four parts, namely the First Pandava temple as a place of worship Arjuna temple, Heroine temple, Puntodewo temple, Sembrada temple, and Semar temple. The second group Ghatotkacha Temple. The third group of Bhima temple.
There is also a mention of a monument in Bali. The war between Ghatotkacha and Karna.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_s_h_pune/5082431907/
Accordingly Ghatotkacha proceeds and kills Alayudha and others. He then confronts Karna and after a fierce fight disappears into the skies and engages in a deceptive war. This creates a havoc in the kaurava ranks and battle field is filled with cries of despair. Hearing this, Karna uses a very powerful astra known as Vijayanthi and Ghatotkacha is struck and falls from the sky and dies. This news saddens Bheema and Yudhisthira. While they and the rest of pandavas are sad, surprisingly Krishna looks happy and roars like a lion and embraces Arjuna!
Arjuna is perplexed and asks Krishna to explain. Krishna tells Arjuna, 'It is an extremely good news Arjuna. I am a very relieved person. As Karna has expended his power against Ghatotkacha, take it that he is dead! Fortunately for us, his कवच armour and his कुण्डल ear-ring were given away earlier, now his special powers are gone. If these three things were still with him he could have won the three worlds easily. By giving up the first two to Indra in exchange for the special powers, he had assumed that he could easily kill you. Now you are safe as he is just an ordinary human being. It is now possible to defeat and kill him'. Soon the fighting stops and the army is able to rest.
We now see how far a friendship can go! Krishna knowingly sends Ghatotkacha to his death to save his friend Arjuna, thus pandavas. It could be because Ghatotkacha is just a half-pandava and in reality more of a rakshasa.
The other versions are different. Bheema invites Ghatotkacha to join pandavas as some rakshasas with old enmities towards pandavas join Duryodhana and pandavas need him to counter their ability to wage a 'Maya yuddha'. When Ghatotkacha creates a havoc with the kaurava army by becoming invisible and waging war from the skies, it is Duryodhana who requests Karna to do something or the entire kaurava army would be demolished.
Whatever the reason, it is Krishna who realises the significance of Karna using his most powerful astra to kill Ghatotkacha. Karna has nothing more left to defeat Arjuna after using up this astra to save the kaurava army.
Anyway Ghatotkacha is not totally forgotten. 'There is a temple built in Manali, Himachal Pradesh for Ghatotkacha near Hidimba Devi Temple.'- Wikipedia
Who or what are rakshasas?
rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion. Rakshasas are also called man-eaters ("Nri-chakshas," "Kravyads"). A female Rakshasa is called a Rakshasi, and a female Rakshasa in human form is a Manushya-Rakshasi. Often Asura and Rakshasa are interchangeably used.-Wikipedia
Tara remembered seeing panadava temples in Yogyakarta in Indonesia.
Sites of temples in Dieng can be grouped into four parts, namely the First Pandava temple as a place of worship Arjuna temple, Heroine temple, Puntodewo temple, Sembrada temple, and Semar temple. The second group Ghatotkacha Temple. The third group of Bhima temple.
There is also a mention of a monument in Bali. The war between Ghatotkacha and Karna.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_s_h_pune/5082431907/
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Karna's final meeting with Bheeshma. Mahabharata 143
The fall of Bheeshma affects Karna. He feels afraid, runs to meet the god-like great man, lying on his death bed, with his eyes closed! Overcome with emotion the teary eyed Karna speaks, 'Kurushreshta! It is Radheya! The man you hated, for no fault of mine, as soon as you set your eyes on me'.
Bheeshma hears him, opens his eyes with difficulty and looks at Karna. He then sends his attendants away, hugs Karna, like a father would hug his son, with his arm around him. 'Come my dear opponent, if you had not come to visit me now, it would not have been praiseworthy. You are not a Radheya, you are a Kaunteya. I have no hatred for you child, I spoke to you harshly to bring down your ego and pride. I feel that you hate pandavas without reason. It is the reason why I spoke to you harshly. I am aware of your great courage and your limitless generosity. You are like a god. There are not many like you. You are equal to Arjuna and Krishna in your ability. There is no anger in me now. Man cannot go against the will of gods. Pandavas are your brothers. If you want to make me happy, go and join your brothers. Let the enmity die with me, let all the kings live happily.
Karna replies, 'Grandfather, I know that I am a kaunteya. But when Kunti did not want me and let go of me, a suta brought me up! Duryodhana made me a rich man. I cannot turn these facts into lies. I have pledged my body, my wealth, my reputation and everything else to Duryodhana. Under his shelter, I have provoked pandavas. What is required to be done cannot be changed by anyone. Who has the ability to change god's will? It is the time for destruction of the world. You have seen signs of this, and also spoke about it in the sabha.'
'I know that pandavas and Vasudeva are invincible. The reason why I am enthused to fight them. If you consent with love and affection, I believe I can fight them. If I have spoken ill of you out of anger or misbehaved, please forgive me.'
Bheeshma replies, 'Karna! If you are unable to control your intense enmity, I consent! Fight expecting to go to the heaven of the brave. Give up your anger and sorrow and perform the duties of a khsatriya well and achieve a happy state of mind. Try your best to be virtuous, your wishes will come true. Depend on your strength and bravery, forsake arrogance. There is no better dharma for a khsatriya than to fight in a war. I tried my best for peace, but could not succeed. The victory will be for those who have dharma with them.' Karna salutes Bheeshma and goes to meet Duryodhana.
Finally the two ill-starred men, grandfather and grandson, meet and manage a closure.
Bheeshma hears him, opens his eyes with difficulty and looks at Karna. He then sends his attendants away, hugs Karna, like a father would hug his son, with his arm around him. 'Come my dear opponent, if you had not come to visit me now, it would not have been praiseworthy. You are not a Radheya, you are a Kaunteya. I have no hatred for you child, I spoke to you harshly to bring down your ego and pride. I feel that you hate pandavas without reason. It is the reason why I spoke to you harshly. I am aware of your great courage and your limitless generosity. You are like a god. There are not many like you. You are equal to Arjuna and Krishna in your ability. There is no anger in me now. Man cannot go against the will of gods. Pandavas are your brothers. If you want to make me happy, go and join your brothers. Let the enmity die with me, let all the kings live happily.
Karna replies, 'Grandfather, I know that I am a kaunteya. But when Kunti did not want me and let go of me, a suta brought me up! Duryodhana made me a rich man. I cannot turn these facts into lies. I have pledged my body, my wealth, my reputation and everything else to Duryodhana. Under his shelter, I have provoked pandavas. What is required to be done cannot be changed by anyone. Who has the ability to change god's will? It is the time for destruction of the world. You have seen signs of this, and also spoke about it in the sabha.'
'I know that pandavas and Vasudeva are invincible. The reason why I am enthused to fight them. If you consent with love and affection, I believe I can fight them. If I have spoken ill of you out of anger or misbehaved, please forgive me.'
Bheeshma replies, 'Karna! If you are unable to control your intense enmity, I consent! Fight expecting to go to the heaven of the brave. Give up your anger and sorrow and perform the duties of a khsatriya well and achieve a happy state of mind. Try your best to be virtuous, your wishes will come true. Depend on your strength and bravery, forsake arrogance. There is no better dharma for a khsatriya than to fight in a war. I tried my best for peace, but could not succeed. The victory will be for those who have dharma with them.' Karna salutes Bheeshma and goes to meet Duryodhana.
Finally the two ill-starred men, grandfather and grandson, meet and manage a closure.
Monday, 16 April 2012
Bheeshma criticises Karna. Mahabharata 130
Bheeshma elaborates on why he deliberately left Karna out of the list of great warriors! 'Your friend Karna, who is addicted to war, incites you to fight, is an inferior person. He is not even a complete warrior and definitely not one of the great warriors! He has lost his natural protection of Kavacha and Kundala. (I missed this episode!). Cursed by Parusharama, he lacks power to use weapons. Due to this curse he is weak and helpless and in my opinion he is just a half -warrior अर्धरथ and is no match to Arjuna in a war and will not return alive.' Drona agrees with Bheeshma and says that Karna is arrogant, a coward in war and also lacking in judgement.
These comments provoke Karna and his eyes enlarged in anger, confronts Bheeshma,' Pithamaha, you are speaking against me for no fault of mine. I am tolerating this because of Duryodhana. You consider me weak and contemptible and I think even you are a half- warrior. Only such, will behave in this manner, criticise one amongst equals and bring a division in them. The greatness of a khsatriya is not due his age, grey hair, wealth or his relatives. A khsatriya is respected for his strength, a brahmin for his ability to cast spells, a vaishya for his wealth and sudra for his age. With no real knowledge, mostly out of arrogance, anger and jealousy, you have mindlessly decided who is a great warrior and who is not!
Karna turns towards Duryodhana,' Suyodhana, think carefully! Give up this offensive Bheeshma who will bring you only misfortune. Unity, once broken in the army, is not easy to repair. Bheeshma with his limited knowledge of warfare will not be able to stop the pandavas. I will stop them with my arrows. Pandavas unable to face me will scatter like cattle on sighting a tiger. How can Bheeshma, senile and feeble minded, meet the demands of a complex war? But, he thinks there is none equal to him! It is true that we should listen to elders, but not someone who is so old, that he is in his second childhood. I am sure I can defeat the pandavas single-handed, but the credit will go to Bheeshma as the commander in chief and not to the soldier! Hence, I will not fight till this Gangeya is alive. Once he is dead, I will fight with all the great warriors!'
Bheeshma reacts to the harsh, stinging words from Karna and speaks of his many acts of valor and challenges Karna to fight Arjuna and come back alive. Duryodhana steps in and pacifies them 'Grandfather look at me and think of my welfare! A lot of work is required to be done and we have great expectations from both of you and the war begins tomorrow!'
Mollified, Bheeshma promises to fight all the great warriors and stop them. But he has some conditions, 'I will not fight Shikandi as he was born as a woman first and I have taken a vow not to kill women since the time I relinquished my kingdom for the sake of my father. And I will not kill Pandavas!'
These comments provoke Karna and his eyes enlarged in anger, confronts Bheeshma,' Pithamaha, you are speaking against me for no fault of mine. I am tolerating this because of Duryodhana. You consider me weak and contemptible and I think even you are a half- warrior. Only such, will behave in this manner, criticise one amongst equals and bring a division in them. The greatness of a khsatriya is not due his age, grey hair, wealth or his relatives. A khsatriya is respected for his strength, a brahmin for his ability to cast spells, a vaishya for his wealth and sudra for his age. With no real knowledge, mostly out of arrogance, anger and jealousy, you have mindlessly decided who is a great warrior and who is not!
Karna turns towards Duryodhana,' Suyodhana, think carefully! Give up this offensive Bheeshma who will bring you only misfortune. Unity, once broken in the army, is not easy to repair. Bheeshma with his limited knowledge of warfare will not be able to stop the pandavas. I will stop them with my arrows. Pandavas unable to face me will scatter like cattle on sighting a tiger. How can Bheeshma, senile and feeble minded, meet the demands of a complex war? But, he thinks there is none equal to him! It is true that we should listen to elders, but not someone who is so old, that he is in his second childhood. I am sure I can defeat the pandavas single-handed, but the credit will go to Bheeshma as the commander in chief and not to the soldier! Hence, I will not fight till this Gangeya is alive. Once he is dead, I will fight with all the great warriors!'
Bheeshma reacts to the harsh, stinging words from Karna and speaks of his many acts of valor and challenges Karna to fight Arjuna and come back alive. Duryodhana steps in and pacifies them 'Grandfather look at me and think of my welfare! A lot of work is required to be done and we have great expectations from both of you and the war begins tomorrow!'
Mollified, Bheeshma promises to fight all the great warriors and stop them. But he has some conditions, 'I will not fight Shikandi as he was born as a woman first and I have taken a vow not to kill women since the time I relinquished my kingdom for the sake of my father. And I will not kill Pandavas!'
Monday, 9 April 2012
Kunti and Karna after their moment as mother and son, part ways. Mahabharata 128
The moment passes, Karna wakes up and thanks Kunti 'I thank you mother for this moment, I do not know if it was a क्षण (second) or hours. I have been so happy. It is time to get up from this sleep of peace. What is the boon you want from Radheya?'
Kunti implores, 'Not Radheya! You are Kaunteya, my first son!' Karna full of anguish tells her, 'Mother, I would love to be called a Kaunteya, but I am proud of my parents and will remain a Radeya till my death. Can you not see how unhappy I am? Please tell me the boon you want from me!'
Kunti more or less repeats what Krishna had said and invites Karna 'Come with me to join pandavas and gladden my heart. That is the boon I want from you!' Karna, his eyes bright with unshed tears says, 'Within two days two noble people have offered me the world!....' Kunti echoes, 'Yes, you will be the lord of the world. You will no longer be a sutaputra!' .....A voice from above is heard. His father Surya urges him 'Listen to your mother son! I beseech you! Do as she says and live long!'
Radheya hears all this and is unmoved, looks at Kunti, 'Mother, if you only knew how angry I was with my unknown mother all these years! Now looking at you, my anger and my bitterness has vanished like to melting snow in a desert. I feel infinite sadness.' Radheya and Kunti embrace each other again and again as the sun smiles at them.
The outcome of the conversation between Karna and Kunti is the same. But Karna is seen to be more emotional and confused, unable to deal with his new found identity and his longing for the family he had learnt to hate! He tells his mother that he will not desert Duryodhana even though he yearns to be part of the pandava family. He promises her that he will not kill his four brothers, except that he has to fight Arjuna.
'Either way you will have five sons! Go back home, my beloved mother.' Kunti's frame was racked by her sobs. She had found her son and lost him too! Radheya helps Kunti, who has become so weak with anguish, to stand. They embrace again and Kunti walks away with slow hesitant steps. Radheya stood there, rooted to the spot, long after she had vanished from his sight.
My friend Raghu tells me 'Karna is the epitome of Mahabharata, hence, a subject of numerous interpretations each more poignant than the other. He should be analysed separately in your blogs.'
My focus has been on Kunti and this episode brings me back to what my friend, Raji K clarified on FB:
'.....it's not about mother but motherhood....we have so many mothers...i have a great mother...one day i might also be a mother...but motherhood and realization are different...my dad used to tell us..."if a mother is really a mother, she should have same love for all children, how can it be only her son or daughter be so special for her, it's just biological instinct.....i think my dad is right....'
Kunti does personify 'Motherhood' if you look at the way she handled the five brothers and kept them together against all odds! But she manages to blank out any feelings for Karna from her mind. I suppose her life has been even more complex. I quote from my own introduction made earlier:
'Took a look at what others had to say about the story of Kunti. Why was she given such a raw deal?
Father sends her away, his first child, to Kunti Bhoja for adoption!
Her adopted father deputes her to serve the most short tempered difficult rishi.
No mention of her adopted mother! What was she doing?
And Durvasa gives her a boon with no advice on, when to use it!
And no user caution on the dangers if used unwisely.'
Her married life is nothing to write home about! Her husband Pandu seems to be on perpetual expeditions. He also marries Madri almost immediately. Her husband unable to beget offspring due to a self-inflicted curse, lives the life of an ascetic. Then coaxes her to have sons through the help of others!
The only quality that appears to be dominant in her personality is her sense of duty. Not surprising considering that while she chose Pandu at a swayamvara, probably there was no real love between them for whatever reason. We know that Kunti went through a trauma in her puberty and would have surely made an impact on her personality. We can only guess that Pandu was a typical khsatriya. While romantic love cannot be ruled out in those times, Kunti surely had little to do with it.
Anyway those were the times, when the expectation from a woman was different. Limited to being a mother of many children, preferably sons! Self fulfilment for women was millenniums away.
Kunti implores, 'Not Radheya! You are Kaunteya, my first son!' Karna full of anguish tells her, 'Mother, I would love to be called a Kaunteya, but I am proud of my parents and will remain a Radeya till my death. Can you not see how unhappy I am? Please tell me the boon you want from me!'
Kunti more or less repeats what Krishna had said and invites Karna 'Come with me to join pandavas and gladden my heart. That is the boon I want from you!' Karna, his eyes bright with unshed tears says, 'Within two days two noble people have offered me the world!....' Kunti echoes, 'Yes, you will be the lord of the world. You will no longer be a sutaputra!' .....A voice from above is heard. His father Surya urges him 'Listen to your mother son! I beseech you! Do as she says and live long!'
Radheya hears all this and is unmoved, looks at Kunti, 'Mother, if you only knew how angry I was with my unknown mother all these years! Now looking at you, my anger and my bitterness has vanished like to melting snow in a desert. I feel infinite sadness.' Radheya and Kunti embrace each other again and again as the sun smiles at them.
The outcome of the conversation between Karna and Kunti is the same. But Karna is seen to be more emotional and confused, unable to deal with his new found identity and his longing for the family he had learnt to hate! He tells his mother that he will not desert Duryodhana even though he yearns to be part of the pandava family. He promises her that he will not kill his four brothers, except that he has to fight Arjuna.
'Either way you will have five sons! Go back home, my beloved mother.' Kunti's frame was racked by her sobs. She had found her son and lost him too! Radheya helps Kunti, who has become so weak with anguish, to stand. They embrace again and Kunti walks away with slow hesitant steps. Radheya stood there, rooted to the spot, long after she had vanished from his sight.
My friend Raghu tells me 'Karna is the epitome of Mahabharata, hence, a subject of numerous interpretations each more poignant than the other. He should be analysed separately in your blogs.'
While Kamala's version is very appealing, I prefer the stoic image of Karna created in Vachana Bharata. I guess as Raghu sugested Karna requires a deeper analysis!
'.....it's not about mother but motherhood....we have so many mothers...i have a great mother...one day i might also be a mother...but motherhood and realization are different...my dad used to tell us..."if a mother is really a mother, she should have same love for all children, how can it be only her son or daughter be so special for her, it's just biological instinct.....i think my dad is right....'
Kunti does personify 'Motherhood' if you look at the way she handled the five brothers and kept them together against all odds! But she manages to blank out any feelings for Karna from her mind. I suppose her life has been even more complex. I quote from my own introduction made earlier:
'Took a look at what others had to say about the story of Kunti. Why was she given such a raw deal?
Father sends her away, his first child, to Kunti Bhoja for adoption!
Her adopted father deputes her to serve the most short tempered difficult rishi.
No mention of her adopted mother! What was she doing?
And Durvasa gives her a boon with no advice on, when to use it!
And no user caution on the dangers if used unwisely.'
Her married life is nothing to write home about! Her husband Pandu seems to be on perpetual expeditions. He also marries Madri almost immediately. Her husband unable to beget offspring due to a self-inflicted curse, lives the life of an ascetic. Then coaxes her to have sons through the help of others!
The only quality that appears to be dominant in her personality is her sense of duty. Not surprising considering that while she chose Pandu at a swayamvara, probably there was no real love between them for whatever reason. We know that Kunti went through a trauma in her puberty and would have surely made an impact on her personality. We can only guess that Pandu was a typical khsatriya. While romantic love cannot be ruled out in those times, Kunti surely had little to do with it.
Anyway those were the times, when the expectation from a woman was different. Limited to being a mother of many children, preferably sons! Self fulfilment for women was millenniums away.
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Kunti waits for Karna in the mid day sun! Mahabharata 126
My last blog had links to a few versions of the story of Kunti that exists in the world wide web and there are quite a few on the net. Some do have special insights! One dwells on the relationship that could have existed between sisters-in-law, Gandhari and Kunti. Especially when Kunti goes back to Hastinapura as a widow. Another deals with Kunti and Madri and their life with Pandu in the forest. Some go back deeper into our mythology, tell us why sage Durvasa gave such a strange boon to an young unmarried girl. He foresaw the future! Some are totally absurd! There is one wherein Krishna and Tiger Woods are compared. Both are dark skinned and....! Time to get back to Vachana Bharata!
 |
| Samhita's imagination! The blazing Sun as a witness! |
She reaches river Ganga and sees Karna performing his noon prayers. Unable to bear the direct sun, she covers her head and waits for him. Karna turns round after his prayer and sees Kunti and introduces himself, 'Karna, son of Radha and Athiratha salutes you! Why are you here ತಾಯೀ! What can I do for you?' (Elderly women are addressed as mother!)
Kunti who has been waiting for long begins without a preamble, 'Karna! You are Kaunteya, not Radheya. Atiratha is not your father, you are my कानीन son, child of my youthful days. Lord Surya is your father. You are unknowingly serving kauravs instead of being with your brothers. Join them and enjoy the kingdom which Arjuna had won and is now with the kauravas! Let kauravas see the friendship between you and Arjuna. If you two are together there is nothing impossible for you in this world. It is the duty of children to please the parents!'
Karna is equally direct, 'Amma! You are a khsatirya lady, hence I cannot disbelieve you. It may be dharma to accept your proposals. But you abandoned me and my status is low. Even though born a khsatriya, I could not enjoy the benefits of being brought up as one. Who else but an enemy would behave in this unjust manner? You did not show compassion when it was required. You did not act like a mother then, but now out of selfishness you are here to tell me that you are my mother. If I join pandavas now, people will say that I joined them out of fear. Having never mentioned the existence of any brothers, what will khsatriyas say if I speak about them when a war is imminent? Kauravas have fulfilled many of my desires, shown respect, shared their wealth and have taken care of me all this while. Should all this become useless? Shall I disappoint them while they are really hoping that I would defeat their enemies even at the cost of my life? It is the time for the subjects of Duryodhana to pledge their life without a second thought. If I betray my patron now, who has cared for me, during his time of need, it is a great sin! Because of all this, I will fight your sons with all my might.'
'But your visit should not go waste. While your children deserve to be killed, I will not kill Yudhisthira, Bheema, Nakula and Sahadeva. There is bound to be a fight between me and Arjuna. If I kill him, my purpose is served. If he kills me I will have fame and you will have not lost your five children!.'
Kunti is saddened by Karna's curt words, stern and hard hearted, she then embraces him,' Karna, so be it. It seems gods have willed the annihilation of kauravas. Do not forget the assurances you have given me about your four brothers. I wish you well!' Karna touches her feet and they go their separate ways!
Kunti who has been waiting for long begins without a preamble, 'Karna! You are Kaunteya, not Radheya. Atiratha is not your father, you are my कानीन son, child of my youthful days. Lord Surya is your father. You are unknowingly serving kauravs instead of being with your brothers. Join them and enjoy the kingdom which Arjuna had won and is now with the kauravas! Let kauravas see the friendship between you and Arjuna. If you two are together there is nothing impossible for you in this world. It is the duty of children to please the parents!'
Karna is equally direct, 'Amma! You are a khsatirya lady, hence I cannot disbelieve you. It may be dharma to accept your proposals. But you abandoned me and my status is low. Even though born a khsatriya, I could not enjoy the benefits of being brought up as one. Who else but an enemy would behave in this unjust manner? You did not show compassion when it was required. You did not act like a mother then, but now out of selfishness you are here to tell me that you are my mother. If I join pandavas now, people will say that I joined them out of fear. Having never mentioned the existence of any brothers, what will khsatriyas say if I speak about them when a war is imminent? Kauravas have fulfilled many of my desires, shown respect, shared their wealth and have taken care of me all this while. Should all this become useless? Shall I disappoint them while they are really hoping that I would defeat their enemies even at the cost of my life? It is the time for the subjects of Duryodhana to pledge their life without a second thought. If I betray my patron now, who has cared for me, during his time of need, it is a great sin! Because of all this, I will fight your sons with all my might.'
'But your visit should not go waste. While your children deserve to be killed, I will not kill Yudhisthira, Bheema, Nakula and Sahadeva. There is bound to be a fight between me and Arjuna. If I kill him, my purpose is served. If he kills me I will have fame and you will have not lost your five children!.'
Kunti is saddened by Karna's curt words, stern and hard hearted, she then embraces him,' Karna, so be it. It seems gods have willed the annihilation of kauravas. Do not forget the assurances you have given me about your four brothers. I wish you well!' Karna touches her feet and they go their separate ways!
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| Kunti meets Karna for the first time! |
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
The story of Kunti. Mahabharata 125
The story of Kunti is fascinating and as expected Kamala's version devotes many pages to the historic meet between mother and son! Vachana Bharata is as usual crisp in dealing with this emotion packed meeting!
But before narrating the story of the meeting, I searched the web library and share with you a few interesting sites. The many questions that come to our mind are raised in them.
The full article can be read from the link above. Worth a read!
The links below illustrates the amount of thought bestowed and research done on Kunti. The teachings of Kunti http://vedabase.net/tqk/en is compiled here. The only intriguing part is that there is no mention of Karna in the introduction.
Kunti's meeting with Karna has inspired poems: http://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/translations/poems/RT_Karnakunti.html
http://www.jatland.com/home/Kunti
Jat gotras descended from Kunti
The descendants of kunti are known as Kaunteya or Kuntal, which is a Jat gotra.[1] The Jat clans originated from Kunti are:
And a few more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunti
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Kunti
http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Kunti
http://ssubbanna.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/01/the-three-women-in-mahabharata-2-of-3-kunti.htm
And just for fun!
Kunti : Japanese restaurant in Kuta in Bali, Indonesia.
But before narrating the story of the meeting, I searched the web library and share with you a few interesting sites. The many questions that come to our mind are raised in them.
- Why did Kunti not speak up about Karna when the society seemed to accept children of unwed mothers?
- How could Kunti and Gandhari let the rivalry between the cousins develop and escalate? It was probably easier to control them as they were still young.
| ||||||||||||||
One
morning, finding that their stock of water is over, Kunti takes a pot and goes
to fetch water. There she bathes in the lake, removing her outer clothes and
wearing just her undergarments and after her bath bows to the sun covering
herself in a thin shawl. The sun is enamored by her beauty and she is struck by
his arrows of rays. The rays enter her belly and Kunti conceives. The pregnancy
grows instantly and soon the child comes out breaking open her skull. Kunti
takes the baby and kissing him, tells him that she had no right to give birth to
him since she is a virgin and now she can’t take him to the dhooni for that will
taint the holy place. The links below illustrates the amount of thought bestowed and research done on Kunti. The teachings of Kunti http://vedabase.net/tqk/en is compiled here. The only intriguing part is that there is no mention of Karna in the introduction.
Kunti's meeting with Karna has inspired poems: http://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/translations/poems/RT_Karnakunti.html
http://www.jatland.com/home/Kunti
Jat gotras descended from Kunti
The descendants of kunti are known as Kaunteya or Kuntal, which is a Jat gotra.[1] The Jat clans originated from Kunti are:
And a few more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunti
http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Kunti
http://www.heritagewiki.org/index.php?title=Kunti
http://ssubbanna.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/01/the-three-women-in-mahabharata-2-of-3-kunti.htm
And just for fun!
Kunti : Japanese restaurant in Kuta in Bali, Indonesia.
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Krishna and Karna. Mahabharata 124
Krishna takes leave of Kunti, the elders and kauravas. Then invites Karna to join him on the chariot. Once they are out of the city Krishna addresses Karna with a purpose, 'Karna! You have served Brhamins who are authorities in Vedas and have learnt from them the complexities of our dharma shastra. You know that a सहोढ, a youth born to an unwed mother, becomes the son of the man she marries later. You, born to a very young mother, are Pandu's son as per this dharma. You are the eldest! Hence the kingdom should go to you. Both pandavas through your father and vrishnis through your mother are your family. So come with me! Pandavas will respect you as their elder brother. Draupadi and Subhadra's children and kings aligned to pandavas will pay homage to you. In time Draupadi will think of you as her sixth husband. I will install you as the king and Yudhisthira as the yuvaraja. Pandavas, Panchalas and Vrishnis will all be your subjects. Like the moon among the stars rule the kingdom. This will please your mother and your well wishers!'
This is an emotionally charged moment for Karna. In Kamala's version he even faints when learns from Krishna that Surya is his father. But he is not tempted by Krishna's offer. He still wants to be true to his friendship with Duryodhana and is happy to be the son of the woman who took care of an abondoned child with so much love!
Vachana Bharata is a bit different:
Karna knew all this, as Surya appeared a day before, told him who he was and had warned him to be careful as Indra might come and ask for his Kavacha and Kundala so that Arjuna could be saved.
Karna replies, 'Yes, I know about my birth. But Kunti abondoned me in a manner that could have been perilous. Athiratha, a suta, found me and picked me up with love and took me home. The moment Radha saw me she was filled with tenderness and as she held me in her arms, she began to produce milk! Should I not take care of her as a son and be there for her last rites when the time comes? Athiratha loves me as his own son and this love is reciprocated by me and I consider him to be my father. Because of this love, he has performed all the rituals as per the shastras and has given me the name of Vasushena. He got me married at the right time, and I have children and grandchildren and I am fond of them! I have developed good relationships with the sutas.'
'Even if I am given untold wealth or offered the whole earth, I cannot tell a lie. I have been very happy as a king the last thirteen years in the kingdom provided by Duryodhana. It is because of his trust in me, Duryodhana has decided to wage a war. I have to face Arjuna in a combat, if not we both will get a bad name! I know that it is in my interest and I assume that pandavas will listen to you. The moment Yudhisthira learns that I am Kunti's son, he will not accept the kingdom. If it is given to me, I will give it back to Duryodhana! So, let the Virtuous Yudhisthira rule the kingdom. I am sure there will be a great war, which will end only when Bheema kills Duryodhana. The kaurava women will shed tears at the final parting of their men! '
'Conduct the war as you wish. But let the elderly khsatriyas be saved and the large clan of khsatriyas fight and attain heaven in this war. Bring me and Arjuna face to face. Let this conversation be a secret'
Krishna smiles at Karna, "So you have no desire to be a king and rule the kingdom I was planning to get you! Let it be! There is no doubt that pandavas will be victorius. You will soon face Arjuna in a war. When you return, you can suggest to Bheeshma and Drona that 'The season is right. The weather is mild. The trees are full of fruits. The earth is dry, there is enough water and insects are not too many. Seven days from today is the new moon and we can begin the war on that day'. The kings who are under Duryodhana will all die in the war and attain सद्गति the happy state.
Karna says that he is aware of this as he has seen many ill-omens and bad dreams already. 'I do not know if we will ever meet after this destructive war!'. Karna then embraces Krishna and gets off from his chariot and climbs on his own and retuns with a heavy heart. Krishna and Satyaki also leave and urge their charioteers to make haste!
This is an emotionally charged moment for Karna. In Kamala's version he even faints when learns from Krishna that Surya is his father. But he is not tempted by Krishna's offer. He still wants to be true to his friendship with Duryodhana and is happy to be the son of the woman who took care of an abondoned child with so much love!
Vachana Bharata is a bit different:
Karna knew all this, as Surya appeared a day before, told him who he was and had warned him to be careful as Indra might come and ask for his Kavacha and Kundala so that Arjuna could be saved.
Karna replies, 'Yes, I know about my birth. But Kunti abondoned me in a manner that could have been perilous. Athiratha, a suta, found me and picked me up with love and took me home. The moment Radha saw me she was filled with tenderness and as she held me in her arms, she began to produce milk! Should I not take care of her as a son and be there for her last rites when the time comes? Athiratha loves me as his own son and this love is reciprocated by me and I consider him to be my father. Because of this love, he has performed all the rituals as per the shastras and has given me the name of Vasushena. He got me married at the right time, and I have children and grandchildren and I am fond of them! I have developed good relationships with the sutas.'
'Even if I am given untold wealth or offered the whole earth, I cannot tell a lie. I have been very happy as a king the last thirteen years in the kingdom provided by Duryodhana. It is because of his trust in me, Duryodhana has decided to wage a war. I have to face Arjuna in a combat, if not we both will get a bad name! I know that it is in my interest and I assume that pandavas will listen to you. The moment Yudhisthira learns that I am Kunti's son, he will not accept the kingdom. If it is given to me, I will give it back to Duryodhana! So, let the Virtuous Yudhisthira rule the kingdom. I am sure there will be a great war, which will end only when Bheema kills Duryodhana. The kaurava women will shed tears at the final parting of their men! '
'Conduct the war as you wish. But let the elderly khsatriyas be saved and the large clan of khsatriyas fight and attain heaven in this war. Bring me and Arjuna face to face. Let this conversation be a secret'
Krishna smiles at Karna, "So you have no desire to be a king and rule the kingdom I was planning to get you! Let it be! There is no doubt that pandavas will be victorius. You will soon face Arjuna in a war. When you return, you can suggest to Bheeshma and Drona that 'The season is right. The weather is mild. The trees are full of fruits. The earth is dry, there is enough water and insects are not too many. Seven days from today is the new moon and we can begin the war on that day'. The kings who are under Duryodhana will all die in the war and attain सद्गति the happy state.
Karna says that he is aware of this as he has seen many ill-omens and bad dreams already. 'I do not know if we will ever meet after this destructive war!'. Karna then embraces Krishna and gets off from his chariot and climbs on his own and retuns with a heavy heart. Krishna and Satyaki also leave and urge their charioteers to make haste!
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