KARNA
: THE REAL HERO OF ANG
ON DIWALI, gamblers take the "auspicious" name of
Yudhisthir before starting the game. How this patron of gamblers
who told lies throughout his life has come to be known a s
dharmaraj (Protector of religion) and how Karna, who did not
even hesitate to give away his life in charity has been deprived
of honour, are questions requiring careful consideration.
Ironically, historians, writers
of Purans and great poets have ignored Karna, who imbued the
nation with enthusiasm, strength, self - respect and love
for truth, and have established Yudhisthir as a pillar of
the nation by showering upon him epithets like Dharmaputra
(Son of Religion) and Dharmaraj (Ruler of Religion).
Our ancient guides inadvertently,
if not deliberately, declared as ideal men certain persons
whose charachters were no better than a false weight or measure.
Yudhisthir is one of them.
Poets Exalted the Honest
People
In the begining of Hindu culture, poets exaplted the honest
people. The portrayls of Harish Chandra and Ranti Deva are
based on their deeds. But later poets who enjoyed the patronage
of king stopped praising justice and virtue and made the exaltation
of the acts - whether good or bad, reasonable or unreasonable
- of their patrons the sole object of their life. It is on
account of their insincirity that our nation is facing a crisis
today.
Yudhisthir, the hero of Mahabharata,
was an illegitimate child of Pandu. Not only this , he lacked
honesty and truth. Karna was born to Kunti, when she was Virgin.
Karna dedicated his whole life to charachter- building and
on the basis of his supreme manliness tried to become the
best man in his life. He left an everlasting impression on
the minds of arrogant persons by saying - ";You are born
in the family of Gods, but i have only my manliness."
Yudhisthir lost in gambling
not only the whole kingdom but also Draupadi, the joint wife
of his brothers. This proves that he was a confirmed gambler.
Krishna saved draupadi from disgrace but never reprimanded
Yudhisthir for his serious lapse.
It is said thatYudhisthir
spoke only half a lie in his lifetime, when he manipuilated
the cruel murder of Dronacharya by saying "Aswthama is
killed in the battle - maybe a man or elephant." But
is that all. During their exile, he instructed draupadi and
his four brothers not to divulge their identity or real names
to King Virat. He also gave a false name, false caste and
false profession to the king and repeated it again and again
while training the king in the art of gambling.
Out of Shame
In fact Yudhisthir was not victorious in real sense of the
term. The devastation wrought by the war put him to such a
shame that he went quietly to the Himalayas to die there in
snow. It was a refined form of suicide. When Rama left the
royal palace to began his exile, all his subjects followed
him, weeping bitterly. But the Pandavas were followed only
by a dog. To satisfy the Pandavas, the poet-chroniclers named
the dog as an incarnation of religion.
Inborn Genius
From his very childhood he was called the son of charioteer.
This was disgraceful for him. In the atmosphere of inequality
then prevailing Dronacharya could not train him in the science
of Arms because he was not the prince. But Karna had inborn
genius and natrul strength. In that caste ridden age he made
parshuram teach him the science of arms and got through the
test of Brahminism.
While Arjuna stood in the
battle-feild maddened with the pride of his power and challenged
the enemy soldiers, Karna accepted his challenge. Arjuna got
frightened and to avoid battle insulted him by calling him
sutputra, even then Kunti kept quiet.
Duryodhan who always recognised
merit, at once declared Karna as a Ruler of Ang Pradesh. Karna
felt obliged and always remained a true friend of Duryodhan
throughout the life.
While dying, Karna said with
Pride: "My Property was offered to the Brahmins and my
Youth to my Wife. I have laid my life in the battlefeild for
my master."
At the instance of Krishna
when Kunti, who had disgraced Karna to save her face, went
to persuade him, he did not say a word about her evil deeds.
He never held her responsible for all the disgrace that he
sufferred, and assured her, that he will always remain the
mother of 5 sons. Barring Arjuna, he promised not to kill
any Pandava, and he spared Yudhisthir in the battlefeild.
He fullfilled his promises even at the cost of his life.
What to talk of Beggars, Karna
did not dissapoint the person who came to ask for his life.
Indra, the king of perfidious gods who had molested even the
wife of his teacher, disguised himself as a brahmin and came
to Karna to beg for his Kawach (sheild) and Kundal (earrings).
Before the arrival of Indra, his father, the Sun had forewarned
him about the conspiracy and advised him not to part with
the kawach and kundal. But Karna refused to accept his advice
and said: "I would prefer death than dissapoint beggar
at my door."
So, Large-Hearted
The perfidious Indra came to his door and begged for his Kawach
and Kundal. Karna exposed Indra but still took out the symbols
of his life and gave them in charity to Indra.
When Krishna found Karna in
trouble on the battlefeild he prompted Arjuna to attack. Violating
all the rules of war, they attacked Karna who had no arms.
When he reminded Arjuna about the rules, Krishna smiled misceviously
and said: "Karna where were your rules when you attacked
Abhimanyu who was plaved in a similar situation?"
Krishna's subterfuge won.
If he were alive today, we would have asked him: "Oh
protector of religion, is this your definition of religion
that whatever the Pandavas do is reliion and whatever the
opponents do is irreligion? Do you incarnate to Establish
such a mischevious religion? Listen Krishna, Abhimanyu was
killed only after Bhishma was murdered fraudulently by your
faction. When your favourite Arjuna was peirceing the body
of Bhishma with a shower of arrows, while hiding behind shikandi,
and whe the 80 year old Bhishma exposed you, you got him killed
fraudulently. Religion was then cremated by you and your Pandavas.
At tat time where were your religious discourse which you
dilivered to Karna ?
It is mentioned in the samhitas
that when Karna was lying wounded in the battlefeild, both
Krishna and Arjuna went ot him disguised as Brahmins. Karna
got hold of a stone, broke one of his gold teeth and gave
it to them.
Even Krishna the patron of
Pandavs has praised Karna, "Even Indra, who is equipped
with the Thunderbolt, cannot kill Karna on the battlefeild.
What to talk of others, even you and i with our gandeeva and
sudarshan chakra cannot conquer him."
What a pity that Krishna got
such a great man killed fraudulently. Sanjay expressed his
sorrow over his death in these words: "The divine tree
for the beggars is broken today. Karna who was considered
as a great man is killed today."
How far is it justifiable
to refuse to recognise Karna as an ideal charachter who was
religion-incarnate, charitable, brave, true and firm, and
to recognise Yudhisthir as an ideal charachter when he was
a coward, meek and a liar?
Worst sort of Alliance
Krishna and the Pandavas present the worst sort of Alliance
in that age. Persons with such weak charachters can never
be called ideal man. On the other hand, Karna was great in
all respects. He is the right person who should be our hero,
ideal.
We can help the moral regenaration
of our country only by recognising Karna as our Ideal charachter.
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