The Story of Karna – A Story of True Friendship

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Karna, a key character in the Mahabharata (a well-known Indian epic), is a tragic hero with a unique story. He faced many difficult decisions, and people have differing opinions on whether what he did was right or wrong. Here is a short summary of his story, and what I think about it.

Karna was a charioteer’s son and his family was very poor. Despite this, Karna was very skilled in archery. One day, an archery contest was held by the royal family of Hastinapur in celebration of the Pandavas and Kauravas (princes and heirs to the throne) completing their training under their teacher, Guru Drona. Karna knew he had a chance of winning and entered the contest, in which Arjuna impressed the onlookers by shooting blindfolded, and creating fire and rain with arrows. Drona remarked that none of the participants could match Arjuna in archery. Then, Karna stood up and did everything that Arjuna had just done, equally well. Drona, astonished that somebody was as proficient in archery as Arjuna, asked Karna to compete against Arjuna and prove how dextrous he really was. That was when Karna’s father, pleased that his son could match the gifted Arjuna, rushed out of the crowd to congratulate Karna and hug him.

There was an uproar when people realised that Karna was a charioteer’s son, and he was immediately disqualified because of his caste. It was then that Duryodhana stepped forward and announced that this was unfair. Duryodhana was the oldest Kaurava and hated the Pandavas as the oldest Pandava, Yudhishtra was the heir to the Hastinapur throne. He always tried to bring about their downfall with his cunning plans. However, he thought that Karna being discriminated against was unfair as Karna was as capable as Arjuna was. So, feeling bad for Karna, Duryodhana made him the King of Anga so he too could compete in this contest for royalty. Karna felt grateful to Duryodhana and soon became his closest friend.

Many years later, the Kauravas, who wanted Hastinapur for themselves, waged war against the Pandavas, the rightful heirs to the throne. This was also when Karna realised that he was the oldest Pandava brother. He had, in effect, been abandoned at birth and adopted by a charioteer. So, why did he fight on Duryodhana’s side, against his own brothers who were on the side of righteousness?

There are many opinions on this. Karna had to choose between two important things – being righteous (Dharma) and being a true friend. Personally, I think Karna did the right thing. Duryodhana was a true friend – he helped Karna during his time of trouble – and I feel that Karna was right to repay his kindness in this manner even if it meant fighting for the wrong cause.

Let’s continue with the story.

The war went on for many days. Karna decided to confront Arjuna, whose charioteer was none other than Lord Krishna himself. When Karna’s chariot got stuck in the mud, his charioteer Shalya refused to alight from the chariot and lift the wheel out. So, Karna had to step down and try to free the wheel. At that moment, when Karna was completely defenceless, Krishna ordered Arjuna to shoot and kill Karna. That is how Karna died.

Why was he killed in such an unfair way when it was a rule in warfare to never assault an unarmed warrior? Here is Krishna’s explanation of this incident – so many times, when Duryodhana was unjust (like when his army assaulted an unarmed and lone Abhimanyu), did Karna try to stop him? No. Karna always supported Duryodhana, even when he knew that Duryodhana was wrong and unjust. And hence, Karna deserved everything that happened to him.

But I say – wasn’t Karna just doing his duty as a friend – fulfilling his Dharma as a friend? Karna was a true friend – come what may, he was always loyal to Duryodhana. Maybe he gave his loyalty wrongly, but he knew that he owed Duryodhana for his kindness and so he fought on Duryodhana’s side throughout.

And wasn’t what Krishna did also unfair? Was what happened to Karna really fair? Was it righteous

Whatever the answer to these questions, Karna is now considered a great tragic hero and his is one of the greatest stories of friendship. When he was given a choice between being a true friend and following the path of righteousness, he chose being a true friend. What would you choose?