First off, I'm not a Pandava fan. For the record, I loathe a number of the so-called protags, including Yudhishtira and Bheeshma and Drona. I actually don't dislike Suyodhana all that much. If anything, I'm a fan of the author Vyasa (as opposed to the character Vyasa) and the plot itself.
Secondly, if you're already aware of the following, I apologize.
I can give you citations from KMG translation which is freely available online. The Critical Editon, which is the one with the least number of interpolations, is also available online, but only in Sanskrit. The Debroy translation costs a lot, but over the years, I have managed to get all the volumes.
I can give you citations from KMG (which you will be able to verify) on:
1. How Kunti was raped
2. How she went to Surya to ask what to do about the child.
3. How Surya told her to throw it away; he didn't care.
4. How she sent spies after the child to make sure he was safe.
5. How Karna was adopted by the ROYAL couple of Anga. Yes, Athirath and wife were royals and Dhrithrashtra's friends.
6. How, after the fall of Anga to either Jarasandh or Pandu, Athirath and family went to live in Hastinapur.
7. (Extrapolation) Kunti probably agreed to marry Pandu because Karna was in Hastinapur
8. How Karna joined Suyodhan in attacking the child Pandavas. Reminder: Karna had to be in his late teens or twenties when he helped Suyodhan poison another child.
9. How Karna was educated by Drona
10. How Karna went to Drona and coolly asked for Brahmashirastra to KILL Arjuna. Yes, kill a prince of the realm.
11. How Drona, instead of marching Karna to the court, lets him off by merely refusing.
12. How when Karna went to Parasu Rama, he was already almost completely educated by Drona except for Brahmashira.
13. How years later, in the swayamvara of the Panchal princess, Karna's name is only mentioned as a baraati, not an invitee.
14. How Karna either didn't participate or FAILED (acc to South Indian versions, he failed).
15. How Panchali's infamous rejection appears only in 4 out of 1400+ manuscripts even just in the northern versions.
16. How the Critical Edition clearly states it as a later interpolation.
17. How Karna was a part of the group that tried to burn Panchali to death
18. How Karna wanted to immediately attack the Pandavas. At that point, they'd done nothing to Karna except be alive.
19. How Karna was part and parcel of the dice hall planning.
20. How Karna was the one who told Dusshassan to sexually assault Panchali.
21. How Karna was the one who asked Dusshassan to take Panchali to the house for female slaves (sex slaves. You only have to read Yuyutsu chapter to figure this out. Also, see #22).
22. How Karna asked Panchali to choose one man to sleep with from the men there.
23. How when Suyodhan had a bit of regret, Karna was the one who inflamed the anger.
24. How Panchali called Karna and the rest small men.
25. How Krishna promised to Panchali 2 times he would kill all her enemies.The 2nd time was just before he met Karna to make the offer.
26. How Krishna tells Arjuna it is okay to lie to an enemy.
27. (Extrapolation). Between #25 and #26, Krishna's offer to Karna has to be read as a deliberate lie meant to weaken Karna along with knowledge of his parentage.
28. How, till then, Kunti chose to do absolutely nothing to Karna, in spite of knowing what he'd done to her daughter-in-law and other sons.
29. How, finally, she vents to Krishna and calls Karna a wretch that wanted to eat her children.
30. How Karna shot and broke Abhimanyu's bow from behind.
31. How Karna KNEW Abhimanyu and Ghatotkatch were his nephews when he killed them. No one from the Pandava side knew who Vrishasen was when he was killed.
32. How Karna OFFERED his wives and sons as slaves to who ever would help him kill Krishna and Arjuna.
33. How Anga was the hub of sex trafficking of women and children.
34. How Karna insulted every caste and every region in the subcontinent.
35. How Karna mocked Shalya for giving women freedom.
36. How Krishna mocked Karna as a criminal at the time of the killing.
37. Finally, how Sutha was NOT low-caste. It was a Kshatriya sub-caste, when the mother was Brahmin. Sutha is not the same as Shudra. Suthas were not limited to being charioteer. The lowest caste in all of the plot was probably Vidura as a Kshattri, and he was practically worshipped by Pandavas and Panchali and Krishna.
Karna was clearly rich (even his birth name was given because he was wealthy), upper-caste, and educated. He acted entitled and sulked when things didn't go his way. He tried to kill a child. He ordered sexual assault on a woman. He profited from sex trafficking. He was also a misogynist of the first order. He mocked lower castes. He killed his nephews knowingly.
If you're willing to hear, I can provide you all the citations. Then, you'll decide if Karna was hero or villain.
Again, I'm well aware of Pandava crimes. I repeat, I'm not a fan of that side, either.
You can either DM me for citations (2 or 3 at a time, please. It takes a lot of effort) or ask me to post.
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