Facts about Karna: KMG extracts

This thread is not created for any debate. This is full of informative posts & only informative posts from KMG or Sanskrit verses are welcomed for discussions. So please do not start any fan war here otherwise the thread will be locked.

Today I got a very informative thread just posted on Mythological Masti Forum (in which I am a regular member) & thought that is worth posting in this forum too. So I am sharing the summary posted there alongwith the thread link so that interested members can go there directly to read the long post.

I am posting the summary first in my next post. Link will be posted below it.

Karna's false characterization in the TV serials summarized (biggest myths about Karna)

1. Karna studied in gurukul of Dron with Kuru princes only. He was friend of Duryodhan from the childhood only and was jealous of Arjun from the Gurukul days only.

2. Karna didn't face any caste issues except he was denied by Dron his request to teach him Brahmaastra. Brahmaastra could be learned by Kshatriya only with certain pennance or Brahmacharya and otherwise only Brahmin could learn it because it was Brahmaastra. That's why he lied to Parashuram that he was Brahmin and served him with dedication to learn Brahmaastra.

3. He was Sutputra which means the son of Radha (Brahmin) and Adhirath (Kshatriya) - a mixture caste created by inter caste marriage of Brahmin-Kshatriya. He was not neglected or discriminated by the society for his lower Brahmin caste compared to pure Brahmins, but only Brahmaastra vidhya had such preconditions.

4. Karna was involved in the conspiracy or shadayantra of killing Bheem in the childhood by giving him poison.

5. Karna went to fight against Drupad to give gurudakshina to Dron but he along with Kauravas returned with failure.

6. Karna and Duryodhan knew each other before Rangbhoomi through Gurukul and Duryodhan was projecting Karna against Arjun and was trying to lift him up to develop him as his supporter from the childhood only.

7. Karna was actively and willingly involved in Lakshagrih conspiracy (he never repented it and also knew that Kunti will also get killed).

8. When Draupadi rejected Karna, she knew about the conspiracy of Lakshagrih.

9. Karna was also given a kingdom by the king Jarasandh and he had very good terms with Jarasandh.

10. Karna clearly uttered the words "wh**e" (Veshya) in Sanskrit (Bandhaki) for Draupadi and also prompted and ordered Dushasan to disrobe her and was continuously involved and laughed in evil way at every humiliation of Pandavas and Draupadi.

11. Karna was involved in the plan of sending Durvasa to Pandavas to give them curse.

12. Karna suggested the plan to Duryodhan to visit the forest for hunting and to make a show off of wealth and pleasure in front of poor Pandavas to further humiliate them.

13. Karna was surrounded and was defeated by Gandharvas and failed to save Duryodhan and he even ran away from the spot.

14. Karna many times abused Bhishma, Drona, Kripa and Vidur in front of them and on their back to Dhritarashtra raising question marks against their loyalty and impartiality and always encouraged Duryodhan for war.

15. Karna was not Danveer throughout his life out of his generosity but he vowed to follow Asur vrat during Pandavas' exile years (just a couple of years before war). As per this strict vrat, he couldn't say no to person coming to him with some demand which he could fulfil. He followed charity due to this vrat only which he took to be able to defeat Arjun (so it was with ambitions and ill intentions and was followed only for few years of life).

16. Karna gave his kavach kundal in charity to Indra to continue following his vrat but in return asked a dart or arrow which couldn't be countered in order to kill his invincible enemy. He agreed to give Kavach Kundal only under the condition of this exchange and not otherwise.

17. Karna was defeated by Arjun in Virat war and at that time, he did not have his kavach kundal but did have the shakti given by Indra which he could only use as last option when no other weapons work.

18. Karna gave promise to Kunti not to kill 4 Pandavas to follow his vrat but didn't give promise to spare Arjun because that was the very purpose for which he took the vow (and now he even knew that Arjun was his brother).

19. Krishna himself called Duryodhan a tree of adharma/evil and Karna to be the trunk of that tree (when he came on peace visit of Hastinapur).

20. Karna was involved in the plan of making Krishna on his peace visit a prisoner of Hastinapur.

21. Karna even boasted that he would win the war for Duryodhan by killing Arjun and even Krishna along with him.

22. Karna knew about his origin and birth story before Krishna told him. It was not Krishna who revealed his secret to him to make him emotionally weak.

23. Karna himself arrogantly opted out to fight under Bhishma and he even thought and uttered the words that he would be eager to enter the battle the moment Bhishma is slayed.

24. Karna was not weaponless when he was killed. Krishna didn't tell Arjun to break any rules. It was Karna who stopped Arjun until he could adjust the wheel and asked Arjun to obey the rules of war. Krishna directly addressed Karna and asked how he, who didn't observe any rules of morality during his lifeime, is expecting others to obey the rules of war. Karna continued fighting in rage after hearing these words and Arjun slayed him. So no rule was broken.

25. His love story with Vrushali is shown in detail in the TV serial which is not part of the epic but part of the novel written on him which completely made a hero of a villain just to create false sympathy.

Thanks for opening this thread, Sema! There are many misconceptions of Karna in media and he is portrayed to be this tragic hero when he was not. He did not receive as much flake from society as people think, and being a suta putra was not considered low or backward. In fact, a suta putra was considered higher than a Vaishya. They were a mixed breed between Brahmins and Kshatriyas.

No.4th - The incident itself does not mention Karna's name, below is the citation.

"...And the wicked and unrighteous Duryodhana, through ignorance and ambition, prepared himself for an act of sin. He thought, 'There is no other individual who can compare with Bhima, the second son of Pandu, in point of prowess. I shall have to destroy him by artifice. Singly, Bhima dares a century of us to the combat. Therefore, when he shall sleep in the garden, I shall throw him into the current of the Ganga. Afterwards, confining his eldest brother Yudhishthira and his younger brother Arjuna, I shall reign sole king without molestation.' Determined thus, the wicked Duryodhana was ever on the watch to find out an opportunity for injuring Bhima. And, O Bharata, at length at a beautiful place called Pramanakoti on the banks of the Ganga, he built a palace decorated with hangings of broad-cloth and other rich stuffs. And he built this palace for sporting in the water there, and filled it with all kinds of entertaining things and choice viands. Gay flags waved on the top of this mansion..."

Incident is always taken as a precedence over any singular line.

No.9 - Karna defeated Jarasandha and hence Jarasandha gave him a kingdom.

No.12 - Duryodhana cired out and said that he will kill himself if Pandavas ever come back and hence Karna, to comfort his friend, advised him to kill them in the forest.

No.13 - He fought alone, Pandavas were 4 in number, I hope you dont consider Vikarna as strong as Bhima and the other two, Arjuna was Chitrasena's student and hence Chitrasena left Duryodhana, infact Arjuna did not defeat Chitrasena, nowhere it is written, the fight was stopped.

No.19 - Krishna called Karna to be the foremost of heroes, he called him superior to Arjuna.

No.14 - Bhishma and people too many a times insulted him, Bhishma & karna's last conversation clears this air.

No. 21 - I just cant describe how kiddo this point is, everyone boasted about his prowess, and second of all, Karna did that to assure Duryodhana.

No.22- citations?

No. 23 - Bhishma insulted him to a point that Karna opted the war out, Bhishma admits that it was his plan to insult Karna and keep him away.

No.24 - utter nonsense, Karna made Arjuna unconcisous when he got down from the chariot, he asked Arjuna to let him remove his wheel but Arjuna declined and hence the latter was made unconscious by Karna.

"...That shaft of keen point and endued with the effulgence of Sakra's thunder, sped from Karna's arms, fell upon Dhananjaya's chest and penetrated it like a mighty snake penetrating an ant-hill. That grinder of foes, viz., the high-souled Vibhatsu, thus deeply pierced in that encounter, began to reel. His grasp became loosened, at which his bow Gandiva dropped from his hand. He trembled like the prince of mountains in an earthquake. Availing himself of that opportunity, the mighty car-warrior Vrisha, desirous of extricating his car-wheel that had been swallowed up by the earth, jumped down from his vehicle..."

Karna was trying to take out the chariot wheel from both of the hands, can you tell me if Karna had a third hand in which he was holding a weapon. Karna was not holding a weapon and was facing backwards.

TheWacher:

As I said, this whole summary is not written by me. Please open the link given by me. You will get all citations there.

Read it already, does not answer my questions, the author should come here have a debate since the topic is ALSO posted here, maybe the author thinks his/her points cannot be challenged?. Almost every point of those 25 can be challenged and nullified.

This is great information, thank you so much for sharing!

Originally posted by: Urmila11

This thread is not created for any debate. This is full of informative posts & only informative posts from KMG or Sanskrit verses are welcomed for discussions. So please do not start any fan war here otherwise the thread will be locked.

Today I got a very informative thread just posted on Mythological Masti Forum (in which I am a regular member) & thought that is worth posting in this forum too. So I am sharing the summary posted there alongwith the thread link so that interested members can go there directly to read the long post.

I am posting the summary first in my next post. Link will be posted below it.

@Ramkijanaki can you please edit your post lets not include fans in this
The TM has clearly requested that this is just an informative post so lets not bring fans into this

each and every fan has a different view on character's so lets have this discussion without involving the fans