Reading Notes: Mahabharata, Epified, Part C

Episode 18: Karna's Quest by Epified

Karna, the son of Kunti and the sun god she first had a child with, makes another appearance in this episode by Epified. We see that Karna desires to be a Kshatriya, so he seeks out Drona, one of the greatest gurus at the time. However, since Karna is the son of a charioteer, Drona refuses. Karna returns home in sorrow. But then, Karna mysteriously finds a new guru, one far greater than Drona and who would never dare teach the art of war to a Kshatriya.

It is revealed in this episode the mysterious Guru Karna had found previously was none other than the Brahmin Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parashurama taught Karna much about the art of war, including the use of devastras that could devastate entire worlds. However, one afternoon Parashurama laid his head down on Karna's lap and fell asleep. At the same time, a scorpion stung Karna's leg, but he did not yelp in pain so as to not wake Parashurama. When Parashurama woke and discovered this, he became enraged, saying that Karna must be a Kshatriya as no Brahmin could restrain themselves from the pain like that. So Parashurama cursed Karna so that when he needs his skills the most he will forget them.

A tournament was created so the Pandavas could show their talents to the world. Here, Arjuna showcased his clear skill with archery. Then, Karna appeared in the tournament too and challenged Arjuna's skills, outperforming everything Arjuna did. However, Karna could not be declared victor because he was not invited to the tournament. Similarly, when the Pandavas challenged Karna to combat, Karna could not participate because his lineage was unknown. So, Karna told them everything he knew - that he was found in a basket floating down river and raised by a charioteer and his wife. Duryodhana then declared Karna king of Anga, a kingdom under Duryodhana.

Drona, when he was young, was close friends with Drupad, the son of the king of Panchal. Because they were close, Drupad often told Drona that he would give Drona half of his kingdom when he became king as a token of their friendship. When Drona grew up, he became married, but he was in poverty. For the sake of his wife and son, he went to Drupad hoping he would fulfill his promise. However, Drupad refused as he no longer recognized their friendship. So, Drona vowed to punish Drupad for humiliating him.

Duryodhana was jealous of the Pandavas' skills and strength. The Kauravas then told the Pandavas of a grand festival being held in honor of Shiva, to which the Pandavas agreed to go. Duryodhana had a palace of flammable material built just for the Pandavas so that he could set it on fire with the Pandavas inside upon them falling asleep.

The Pandavas realized the trap laid by Duryodhana quite easily. They simply looked around and saw that the palace was built entirely of flammable material. So they had a secret exit build that led into the forest so they could escape. When the passage was complete, Bheem set the palace on fire, and he along with Queen Kunti escaped into the forest. The Pandavas and Kunti were thought dead and the fire an accident.

Duryodhana crowns Karna. Source: Wikimedia

Epics of India