It all started very normally. I just got back from a nice session of table tennis and sat down at the table for dinner. Mom was tired and bored and suddenly, to her surprise, discovered that 'Thalapathi' was playing on TV. Without any further delay, mom turned the TV on and sat down to watch the movie for the umpteenth time. I was no different. The movie is special for a number of reasons. Mani Ratnam's uncanny ability to get any actor to produce a brilliant performance, the stunning screenplay and dialogues, Ilayaraja's heavenly music and background score and most of all the life-like depiction of perhaps the greatest friendship story in Hindu Mythology- that of Karna and Duryodhana (in this case Surya and Devraj).
Karna.. well, the very name evokes a sense of charm, a feeling of delight and I cannot help but applaud and respect the great hero. Beyond a shadow of doubt, he is the one character in the great epic who truly touches the soul. Abhimanyu may have impressed one and all with his display of valour but Karna's divine grace is augmented by his benevolence and loyalty. Born to Kunti when she was unmarried, Karna is discarded by the princess who fears that her reputation may be tarnished if she is found with a child before her marriage. Karna, born with the Kavacha (armour) and Kundala (ear rings), was the son of Surya, the sun God. With a heavy heart Kunti lets him go and he is rescued and brought up by Adiratha (a charioteer) and Radha. Henceforth, the great Kshatriya went on to be known as Radheya (son of Radha).
Karna, who exhibited exceptional talent at archery, sought to hone his skills under the tutelage of the great Dronacharya who was the preceptor for the royals. Drona was handpicked by the great Bhishma to train the Pandavas and Kauravas in all aspects of warfare. Always partial to Arjuna, Drona even had the thumb of Ekalavya (a tribal boy who seemed capable of bettering Arjuna) cut to prevent anyone from surpassing his favourite student. Karna was also disregarded when he approached Drona as he was deemed to be of a lower birth. Little did the great guru know of Karna's true birth story. Undeterred, Karna practised regularly and was soon an archer nonpareil. When the time came for the princes to demonstrate their prowess and acquired skills, Karna walked into the arena and challenged Arjuna. Arjuna had just performed a dazzling array of feats and left the spectators awestruck with his seemingly divine ability to wield the bow. Karna, who had left disappointed when Drona refused to teach him, had sought the guidance of the great Parashurama instead. Parashurama, an incarnation of Vishnu, was a Kshatriya hater who had sworn vengeance on the clan as they were responsible for the death of his righteous father Jamadagni. Karna knew of this hatred and disguised himself as a Brahmin so as to learn from the great Acharya.
Indra, the father of Arjuna(again born through the boon granted by Durvasa just as Karna was born earlier), wanted to ensure that his son remained unbeatable. He, taking the form of a bee, stung Karna's lap on which Parashurama was sleeping. Karna bore the immense pain without any reaction but when the warm blood trickled across and touched the guru, he woke up and was shocked at what he saw. Quickly he questioned Karna about his true identity and cursed him to forget the knowledge of the greatest weapon (the Brahmastra). The great prince was also cursed when he inadvertently shot a cow. Despite these curses, Karna's skills as an archer remained unchallenged.
Karna was snubbed by all present in the arena but Duryodhana came to his rescue and anointed him the king of Anga. This was the beginning of a remarkable friendship that was to last for life. Karna stood by Duryodhana through thick and thin. Karna was denied once again when Draupadi refused to marry him because of his low birth. Karna never forgot this insult and spoke low of the princess when the Pandavas were on the losing side in the game of dice. Following their exile, the Pandavas returned asking for their share of the kingdom but were not welcomed by Duryodhana who had all but declared himself the sole heir to the throne. When talks failed and Krishna's efforts to reconcile the two groups fell in vain, war seemed imminent.
Bhishma, the omniscient grandsire, knew of Karna's birth. He never brought himself to tell Karna about it though. Kunti and Krishna spoke to the great warrior about his birth and asked him to get back to the Pandava camp where he wpuld be the rightful heir. Karna, the magnanimous and loyal one, refused. He never left Duryodhana's side for it was the latter who had come to his aid when he needed it the most. Taking advantage of Karna's legendary philanthropic nature, Indra once again disguised himself as a Brahmin and asked Karna for his Kavacha and Kundalas. Karna knew the reason why this was happening but did not refuse. He gave them away and the shamed Indra in return, bestowed on him his great weapon which he could use only once. Karna, who refused to fight the war till Bhishma fell (i.e. the tenth day) was stuck with guilt at the fall of the grandsire. Bhishma advised Karna to join the Pandavas too but to no avail.
Karna had promised Kunti that he would never kill any of her other sons and that she would always have five sons in the end. Either he or Arjuna was going to be killed. Karna ended up using Indira's weapon on Bheema's son Ghatotkacha who was proving to be destructive in the night (under Drona's leadership, the war continued after sunset). Ghatotkacha was Krishna's way of distracting Karna and his best idea to save Arjuna from the potent weapon in Karna's hands. Karna took over the Kaurava army at the fall of Drona and reinforced the idea of Dharmyayuddha (righteous war) which had gone missing after Bhishma's fall. He spared the lives of four Pandavas true to his word and also spared Arjuna at the end of the day citing his reverence to the rules of warfare (sunset had passed and it was against the rules to fight on).
On the 17th day of battle, Karna was terror incarnate and nobody looked like being able to stop him. Shalya (Karna's charioteer), who had been critical of Karna for a while, quickly started appreciating him. When he faced Arjuna, Karna tormented the son of Indra repeatedly and cut his bow string on multiple occasions only for Arjuna to replace them in a flash. Then in a critical moment, Karna all but beheaded Arjuna with a sharp arrow only for Krishna to save his favourite disciple by pressing the chariot down. The arrow knocked out Arjuna's crown instead and gave him a new lease of life. Alas the moment of truth had arrived. Karna's curses were beginning to take effect at the most vital juncture. He could not recall the knowledge of the divine astras and his wheel was lodged in the ground. When he got off to lift it, Arjuna waited as it was not worthy of a Kshatriya to engage and unarmed man in combat. However, goaded by Krishna and driven by revenge for his son's (Abhimanyu's) tragic death, Arjuna proceeded to kill the one and only Karna.
When Karna fell, a pall of gloom descended. It was as if the sun had set. The greatest of warriors and the finest of human beings was no more. His unwavering loyalty, unquestionable valour and above all his impeccable standing among kings make Karna unique in Indian mythology. He might have been a tragic hero who had no luck but his name will remain immortal for more than one reason. Karna represents bravery, devotion, magnanimity and is a paradigm of a perfect man. In Bhasa's 'Karnabharam', the playwright talks about the legendary hero's despondency before the war. Perhaps only Karna could have chosen the path he did despite knowing the riches that lay on the other side. Long live the name of the most glorious and inspirational of characters!
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