Posted:
...To a dispassionate debate. đ
The Karna NAT (Non- Appreciation Thread)
FOr those of you who argue that Karna could not refuse to give what anyone asked him during his sandhyavandana time of the day, I have this question: If Karna did ask for Indra's weapon in exchange of his armour, then it is a commercial transaction - not a Daan anymore. Karna could have easily argued and raised his price a bit more.
- Only civil language to be used.
- Please put forth your arguments rationally.
- If possible, substantiate your arguments with quotes/ incidents from MB.
- Above all, please be prepared to hear views that may be different from yours.
DOES KARNA REALLY DESERVE ALL THE SYMPATHY / ADMIRATION ?
Having been a part of this forum for the past few months, I was genuinely surprised to see the amount of admiration and sympathy this character has evoked.
I, for one, have neither sympathy nor admiration for Karna. I wonder if there are more like me.
Since the whole forum is flooded with Karna admirers, supporters and sympathizers, there was no suitable place for me to voice my views. Hence this non AT
Here are my reasons:
Infancy
Agreed, it was unfortunate that Karna was abandoned by Kunti but he did get wonderful parents in Adhiratha and Radha. It was not as if he grew up an orphan.
Youth
Despite what all the serials have shown thus far, Karna was not denied military education by Dronachraya. Karna was very much a part of Drona's Gurukulam, and it was here that the friendship b/w Karna and Duryodhana grew. So KArna and Duryodhana were already chums, well before the rangabhoomi episode.
His stint with Parashurama
The only thing Dronacharya denied Karna was the secret knowledge of the deadly Brahmashira weapon- which Karna wanted. Dronacharya's denial was based not on caste, but because the recipient was required to have a certain level of maturity. Even Arjuna received it only much later (after defeating Drupada).
Instead of accepting Dronacahrya's words with humility, Karna chose to ignore them and approached Parashurama disguised as a brahmin. This is where he got into a right royal mess- and this is where he loses all my sympathy. Some questions beg to be answered.
- Was the knowledge of the Brahmashira so essential to him to disregard the words of two Gurus- Drona and Parashurama?
- Did he really think he could get away by hoodwinking Parashurama- said to be Narayana inarnate?
- Was he so naive not to realize that a Guru's blessings and benediction were more important than mere mantras?
According to the MB, this incident happened before Parashu's curse on him. Though done inadvertently, it was a fatal mistake. This was what Drona meant when he said Karna lacked sufficient self control and hence could not be trusted with the Brahmashira weapon.
His donations to Kunti and Indra
Karna gave Kunti a modified version of the boon she asked for.
Could he have done the same with Indra? If he knew that ripping his armour would make him vulnerable- and he knew that Duryodhana was depending upon him to win the war, Karna's donation to Indra was nothing short of betrayal to Duryodhana.
FOr those of you who argue that Karna could not refuse to give what anyone asked him during his sandhyavandana time of the day, I have this question: If Karna did ask for Indra's weapon in exchange of his armour, then it is a commercial transaction - not a Daan anymore. Karna could have easily argued and raised his price a bit more.
The Armour was his lifelong protection- but Indra's weapon (which he got in exchange) could be used only once. So in terms of barter, it was a pretty poor deal which Karna got.
Why then, is Karna considered a tragic hero, a victim of circumstances?
