Originally posted by: Brahmaputra
Honestly, I thought it is Sabhayata who replied, while reading through my phone.đ See, I guess I have to explain a bit more before giving any citation on Rama, so that you can have no doubts regarding this. Please bear with this post. It will be lengthy.đ
The problem is we are always analysing based on Yudhi's timeline. So, for this one, we have to go for Karna's & Drona's timeline & their life events to see what they were doing. Please do check respective chapters if I do not give any active links.
Karna's timeline
So this clears Karna grew up in Anga, not in HP.
This tells us Adhiratha was very keen & strict in doing all infant rituals (Kumara Samskara) of Karna, as the same way they were described in scriptures. Now you should think Adhiratha got Brahmanas to do the birth rites & naming of Karna, (it is also mentioned chapter 307 of Vana parva) which was very unusual for a Suta. Kumara smaskaras include all rituals performed till the boy attains 16 years. Among these samskaras, Vedarambha or education begins at the age of 5/6. So it is very unlikely that the strict Adhiratha who himself supervised every rituals till Karna's marriage did not send Karna for education at 5/6. That means Karna began his education at 5/6.
From MB itself, Karna was 16 years elder to Yudhishthira. And when Kunti & Ps returned HP after Pandu's death, Yudhi was 16. Still, their education under Drona began at least 1 year later as ususaly no Shubha Karyas are done in the first year following father's death. So Karna was 33 at the time when Yudhi began studying under Drona.. It is impossible to assume Adhiratha did not send Karna to a teacher for long 28 years.
From the age I calculatd, Karna was 5 years elder to Yudhi & he was 11 years old when Yudhi began learning. Still, that has the the above same problem.
Drona did not began teaching Kuru princes because of his interest in teaching or for charity. He wanted to take revenge on Drupada which he clears and Arjuna promised him that he would fulfill Drona's wish. We cannot assume Drona, who himself was a great warrior failed to recognise the spark in Arjuna & continued to accept other students even after that. Still, if we check the student list of Drona, only Karna belonged to a lower caste whch itself is suspicious when Drona began teaching for a particular purpose. And Karna, being a suta putra was of no use for him as he already got Arjuna. Again Karna mysteriously disapperas from Drona's student list. when Drona held the final test for his students, Karna was not there. It is impossible to assume Karna, who made his mark above everyone in the arena contest, was unable to pass that test held just some days ago.
And in the arena, no one seems to have recognised Karna. Since Karna bowed indiffeently to Drona & Kripa, it is clear that he never knew them before. Also, had everyone known Karna before, there would have been no need for Kripa to ask Karna to introduce himself & Yudhishthira would never have been impressed with the belief that there was no warrior on earth like unto Karna.
So that confirms the fact that Karna did never study in HP, along with Kuru princes, under Drona.đ
Now, we need to explore any chances of Karna learning under Drona before Drona reached HP as it was Drona who gave permission to him to perform in the arena. For that, we need to check what Drona was doing before he reached HP.
Drona's timeline.
In short, from Adi Parva, Drona lived around the place of origin of Ganga, learned under his father along with Drupada, got married at proper age, continued learning himself at his own hermitage, then went to Rama to learn about advanced weapons, returned home, saw his poverty, went to seek Drupada's help, got humiliated, felt anger, reached HP, lived hidden, played a cheap trick with little princes, made Bheeshma to agree with making Drona HP's teacher.
In this, it is nowhere mentioned that Drona was a guru before he reached HP. Even if we assume he was a Guru before, that too will be disproved by the facts-
1) Drupada's insult - no king would treat a Guru the way Drupada treated Drona. Had Drona been a poor teacher also, he would never have done that. Also Drona would not have requested to Drupada, he would have commanded instead.
2) Drona's trick in HP - had he been a Guru already, he would not have needed the ring drama to reach Bheeshma. Bheeshma himself would have came asking him to teach his grand-kids.
So that proves Drona was nowhere a Guru before he reached HP & no chances existed for Karna to learn under him before Drona reached HP.âď¸
Now, any available citations proving who was Karna's guru.
1) Karna is always, always praised as Parashurama shishya, numerous times, in MB. had he been a student of Drona at some stage, he would have been praised for that at least once, which we hardly can find.
That bold part clearly says Parashurama taught whole science of weapons to Karna.đ So it is better we assume that he was a student of Parashurama alone.âď¸
Not only that, geographically, Anga, today probably in Bihar - WB, was almost 1400 km away from HP (near current Delhi). But Mahendra mountains, the eastern most sections of today's Eastern ghats, where Parashurama lived, was just 300-400 km away from Anga. It does not seem logical that Adhiratha sent Karna too far away to study under an unknown Drona, than sending him to the famous Parashurama who stayed nearer.đ
From all these, it appears to me that Karna studying under Drona is a big big interpolation & the editor did a really bad job by forgetting to edit the other events.đ
Mahadev And Sons
Cricket
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Health and Fitness
Anupamaa
