The Personality of Karna
Friday January 21 2005 08:25 IST
By Karmayogi
Karna was the eldest Pandava,
born to Kunti and Surya. He knew not his birth. He grew up as the adopted child
of a charioteer. Drona refused to teach him, as he was not a Prince. Parasurama,
who taught him believing him to be a Brahmin, cursed him at the end that his
knowledge would desert him at the most momentous crisis. He was constantly
humiliated by Bhima and Arjuna as sudaputra. When Karna challenged Arjuna in
the Assembly, Arjuna would not accept the challenge from an inferior person. Nor
could he introduce himself at the Assembly. He received the friendship of Duryodhana,
the crown Prince, who was a personification of evil. In war, no one could
defeat him except Arjuna. All his life, he devotedly served Evil. At the royal
court where Draupadi was dishonoured, he committed the heinous crime of calling
her a whore and bade her come and sit on Duryodhana's lap.
He was one of those great warriors who, breaking codes of a warrior, butchered Abhimanyu
who was unarmed. Indra came and deprived him of his protective shield and
earrings. His own mother forsook him. On top of that, she asked him not to kill
Arjuna, meaning she would rather he died in favour of Arjuna. Why this fate for Karna? What should he have done had
he severely struck to the path of utter righteousness? Man's
life has a potentiality and a reality that is actual, called actuality. Not all
men are aware of great inner potentialities. Those who are aware of rich
potentialities acutely feel the injustice done to them by their parents, boss
or by life. The fruits of these talented men go to other undeserving
careerists, either by chance or unjust design.
The rare few among them learn to obey their
circumstances uncomplainingly with infinite Patience. In the
beginning, it is a chain of injustices but in the end a glorious award, their
desert, is handsomely presented to them by Life. We see this phenomenon in the
lives of those who rise meteorically to very high positions in life. Most of
them will fit this description. Vice-chancellorship came unsought to a talented
academician three times. The talents in such people have an urge. The energy of
that urge cannot easily be contained or brushed aside. The warrior instincts of
Karna were overpowering. There was no question of his quelling them. Suppose he
had patiently accepted his social position and learnt to drive a chariot, all
the immense wealth of reward and recognition that he deserved would have come
to him unasked. It is an unfailing rule of life that changes the course of life
or even history.