Sunday, December 1, 2013

Karna - After the end.

It is said that during the war, Duryodhana lost 99 of his brothers and though he grieved for their death, it was only the loss of Karna which hit Duryodhana really bad. Once Karna was killed, Duryodhana lost all the will to fight. Duryodhana no longer even wanted the kingdom.....After Karna's death, the only reason Duryodhana continued the war was because he was wanted to get it all over with. Probably he also wanted to die in the very same battlefield that also claimed his friend. Thus for all practical purposes, the war was really over after the death of the king of Anga.
Fulfilling his promise to Karna, Shalya led the Kaurava army the next day. The last day of battle was a lackluster affair. Yudhishtara killed Shalya in the afternoon and the Kaurava army was routed. Duryodhana who had the capacity to hold his breath for a long time, got away from the battlefield and stayed inside a lake, probably because he wanted nothing to do with the world where Karna was not there.
The Pandavas found Duryodhana and challenged him to a one on one fight. Yudhishtara in a burst of foolishness allowed Duryodhana to choose any one of the Pandavas as an opponent and also suggested that the winner could walk away with the kingdom.
For winning the war, all Duryodhana needed to do was to choose one of the Pandavas other than Bhima as his opponent and he would have won the battle, hands down....
But a man who fought a huge and gory war all for the sake of his arrogance was obviously very proud. Duryodhana chose Bhima as his final opponent.
Bhima all but lost the fight. Duryodhana was already a better fighter than Bhima and now he also had a special boon from his mother which made his body hard and impervious to any injuries. It was only because of some quick thinking by Krishna and some illegal move by Bhima that he won the fight.
The Pandavas won the war but at a terrible price. Only three people from the Kaurava army survived the last day of the war – Ashwattama, Kripacharya and Kritivarman. And Ashwattama unable to bear the grief of the death of his father, killed all the people from the Pandava army when they were asleep....
So the only people who actually survived the war from the Pandava side was Krishna and five Pandavas whom Krishna had managed to take away to another place....
*************
Yudhishtara performed the last rites of the warriors slain in the war.....He was surprised to see his mother stumble across the grounds. 'Mother! What are you doing here?'
'I....I just came to see whether the last rites of everyone was done!'
Yudhishtara looked surprised and nodded his head. 'I am not ungrateful, mother! These brave people have laid their lives for me! I have not forgotten anybody! I....'
'Yes you have!' The words were out of Kunti's mouth before she could even stop herself. Yudhishtara stopped talking unable to believe what he was hearing. He looked at his mother questioningly who was now looking at the Dark Lord.
Krishna looked at Kunti with a sad smile on his lips and slowly nodded his head. Kunti opened her mouth but still no words came out. Krishna came forward and held Kunti's shoulder. Kunti who suddenly looked feeble, closed her eyes and with the touch of Krishna's finger opened her eyes.
'You have forgotten Karna!' Kunti said slowly.
'Why on earth should I perform the last rites for Karna? He is the enemy! The one person whom I was genuinely....' Yudhishtara stopped suddenly looking at the expression on his mother's face.
'He is my son! He was born before I married your father!' Kunti said quietly.
Feeling the world go topsy turvy, Yudhishtara suddenly sat down unable to take in what was being said. He did not doubt, not even for a second, about what he had just heard......
'He is my brother!' Yudhishtara whispered a tiny tear trickled from his eyes. 'My elder brother!' Yudhishtara sat down holding his head in his hands. 'All he had to do was tell me! I would have given him everything! And I fought him!' Yudhishtara looked at his hands wishing he could do something to his hands, which he suddenly found offensive.
Yudhishtara was feeling detached as he saw Bhima look like he could not understand anything.
Bhima closed his eyes wishing he could forget that smile of Karna....That smile of Karna which Bhima always found so offensive....Bhima just wished he could forget everything....
Arjuna broke down sobbing. 'I KILLED MY BROTHER! I CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN!' He screamed. He looked around as he suddenly saw images of Karna everywhere. The noble features of Karna, his pride, his beheading, his.....
'Keshava! What do I do?' He said crying and unable to think straight.
Kunti made all her sons sit down and narrated everything. She even told them about how she had approached Karna to come to the side of the Pandavas. 'He said he was Duryodhana's friend and would never leave him....' Kunti said breaking out crying unable to bear it anymore.
'He knew!' Yudhishtara said with a broken heart. 'He knew about us....' Yudhishtara looked at Kunti with angry eyes. 'Is that the reason he spared all our lives?' Yudhishtara asked suddenly feeling disgusted with himself.
Kunti slowly nodded her head as she told about Karna's promise to kill only Arjuna.....
Krishna shrugged looking at Kunti and the Pandavas. 'You all had each other! Through all your trials, you were still together!' Krishna shook his head. 'Karna has suffered much in his life and he had no one...not one person to share it with!'
Yudhishtara closed his eyes wishing he could just....'That is why I felt....like that in the dice game!' Yudhishtara muttered to himself.
Bhima looked at his elder brother enquiringly. 'I was feeling very disgusted with myself in the dice game!....But there...I saw Karna's feet and I was surprised...' Yudhishtara said speaking fast. 'Karna's feet looked exactly like mother's feet....' Yudhishtara shook his head rapidly. 'I could not explain it...Not even to myself...But looking at the feet calmed me down....Now I know why!'
Yudhishtara is a fit of anger looked at his mother. 'All this happened because you kept a secret! This war...the entire war would not have happened....' Yudhishtara chocked unable to continue. He finally looked at his mother. 'I curse all women! None of you would ever be able to keep a secret!'
********
Sage Narada came to the Pandavas and told them all about the curses of Karna. 'Parashurama's curse caused Karna to forget the mantra for the Brahmastra when he needed it the most at the battlefield....And the curse of the owner of the cow caused the chariot to be stuck in the soft mud and as cursed when he was helpless, Phalguni (Arjuna) killed him!' Narada said quietly.

***********
The war had taken a terrible toll and looking at the loss of life, Yudhishtara felt that he was committing a crime if he sat on the throne of Hastinapur now. But listening to the story of Karna, he realized that if one man all alone could endure so much and still achieve glory then it would be more easier for Yudhishtara with his four brothers to start afresh and give the ordinary people the peace that they so desperately were striving for.
Thinking about Karna, Yudhishtara ascended the throne of Hastinapur and ruled very well for 36 years and prosperity reigned in the kingdom for these years.....


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36 comments:

  1. I was wondering when will you post the second chapter about the speaking of truth by Mouth. And I wish you would post everything very early. After knowing the whole Mahabharata, still I and my family are studying your wonderful and beautiful posts because.........................................................YOUR WAY OF WRITING IS SO, SO, SO BEAUTIFULL.

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  2. Dear Ms. Shambhavi Acharya,
    Thank you for your encouragement.
    But I am afraid I do not understand which story you have referred as the 'Speaking of truth by Mouth'....If you explain it I may be able to provide the story.

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    1. heu can you tell that what happened to karna when he died did he gone to surya lokh

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  3. grt,,,karna is d real hero of mahabharat

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  4. the entire story of mahabharat is around karna and arjuna.....karna is the mightiest warrior that I have ever heard of...

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  5. I named my son Radheya... after the greatest hero that ever lived

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  6. i am really touched by Karna's story.. what an unfortunate Kshatriya he is.. oh, wait, where is this tear from? am i crying?

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  7. Karna is the real hero of mahabharat. Arjun is nothing compared to him. Well comparison is a crime. Karna couldn't be defeated by any1 not even by gods.

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  8. The story from Mahabharatha is well written, I am very much impressed by it

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  9. Karna was a mighty hero. And no one in this world can be compared to him. Such warrior was not there before and not even can born here after.

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  10. karna wil always b a hero.. thanks for such a description of his power.. and it ws karna's ninth son who ascended the throne of hastinapur.. plz correct me if wrong..

    Mangesh D.

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    1. No sir! It was Arjuna's grandson and Abhimanyu's son Parikshit who ascended the throne of Hastinapur after the Pandavas.

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    2. Yudishthir was crowned the king of Hastinapur. He ruled for 36 years and gave up the throne. Parikshit was then crowned the king.
      Karna had 9 sons. Vrishaketu was the only one to survive the war. He later went one to become the king of Indraprastha (now Delhi). He was under the tutelage of Pandavas. Yudishtir and Arjuna liked him more than their own sons.

      As Krishna says, Ohh Arjuna, you might be a great archer, but Karna is the greatest warrior the world has seen.

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    3. If Karna's nineth son became king then what was Parikhshit, Abhimanyu's son.
      Pl clarify.

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  11. Well first of all I must appreciate your effort for such a wonderful post.....but just wanted to know more about Karna's son if he had any...if you could help pl?

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  12. Yes I too agree that Karna was a great person, good human being, great warrior…. But the only mistake done by him was he was in adharma’s path like bheeshma……..

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  13. ya i studied his whole life and Karna was a great person we cant compare to any one in mahabharatha he is a greatest warrior. Even some god also scared to him just check "Bheel Mahabharata" about his power.

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  14. what happend ! The body of karna , the body was take out by the krishna and send to the avantika and then burn there and become the origin of the mahakaleshwar bhasm arti

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  15. Real warrior, Always watching Mahabarat many times for the presence of karna

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  16. Karna is actually the real hero of Mahabharat, reason behind is the words of Krishna himself who persuades Arjuna, "Or Arjuna, deprived of his skills cause of Parshuram' curse, his chariot wheel stuck cause of the curse by Bhoodevi and the Cow Owner, still he is so mighty that you can't struck him down until he has his bow in his hands. Remember the way he murdered Abhimanyu, remember the insult he caused Draupadi. O Partha, strike him down now else you can never."

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  17. hero is always a hero
    u r life time hero KARNA

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  18. karna still living in all our mind, even god krishna blessed karna long lasting fame and glory ...Thanks surya god ,Your son is great and he is the best noble person in Mahabharata

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  19. Hmm. Karna was the greatest of all pandavas. The real maharathi.. Had very many commanilities with lord Krishna himself.. Born to different mother and raised by another one, born and brought in different lands, always eager to help the needy.. And finally went to him.. The ananta lord Krishna..

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  20. Karna was the real digvijay person who won 5 direction and even he won lord krishna and also he is great daanveer who donate his golden tooth even he was dying without thinking hats off to u suryaputra karna.

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  21. Good one.. Thanks.. who has taken the right stand Karnan or vibhisnan in Ramayana..

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  22. karna was the greatest warrior of world and always will be of all times!

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  23. If Karna was beheaded by Arjuna how did he donate golden teeth? Wasn't he dead?

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  24. Why Karna Suffered all his life ? How it was justified?

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  25. Karna may be counted as better warrior than others but he committed sin by insulting Daroupdi and participation in the sinful murder of Abhimaniyu.
    So he paid the price in final war.
    Although he was a danveer and followed dharma in his life but the sins vanished his greatness.

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    1. Well put.Also the 'greatest warrior'is debatable. Arjun had the highest count. Bhima killed 100 kaurava brothers and Karna couldn't save 99 that died before him. Also santana dharma law determines we are the product of our deeds. Past and present.As Sahasrakavach he committed multitudes of sins.Further to that he allied himself with Duryodhana and supported him in his misdeeds by association. Therefore as per his destiny he was to die at the hands of Nar of Nar-Narayan.

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    2. Sir Dambhodbhava was his previous life he only got his karma repayed back when he was born as karna

      he was a great warrior in mahabharat greater than or equal to arjun but he was doomed by fate because he took his side by adharma

      He will always be remebered as one of the true heroes of mahabharat besides Shri Krishna and Bhisma according to me

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