"No matter who dies in the battle of the Kurukshetra tomorrow, you will forever be known as the mother of the five Pandavas." Thus said Karna,the great warrior to Ma Kunti just before the fateful day of the battle between him and Arjun. A lot of agony and dejection have gone into this single statement. This can only be understood and felt by a person with emotions and sensitivity.
We all know how Karna lost the battle and ultimately met his end. This was done through deception and shrewdness. This is where the evil triumphed over the good. A lot many arguments have been done on this particular duel. Was Arjun right? Did Krishna do justice by plotting Karna's defeat and death in this manner? Learned people have given their much valued opinions on this. This is neither the place nor the occasion to put forth these arguments.
Then why did I bring this up in the BV forum? I do not draw parallel between Jagya and Arjun,nor between Krishna and Dadisa. Both Dadi and pota come nowhere near the two great epic characters. But, I will do a parallel with Shiv and Karna.,if only to bring the similarities in their characters.
We have seen in our lives,good does not always win. Not necessarily. Sometimes evil does triumph. But,the manner through which this is achieved is of utmost importance. Karna's singular fault(as I see it) was his unequivocal support to Duryodhan,despite everything. He had his reasons,and very strong reasons at that. But, given a choice,he chose to stand by his friend whose conduct was essentially wrong.
Look at Shiv. He chose to support Anandi in her decision to nurse Jagya,which in normal human relations,is unthinkable. Inadvertently he pushed Anandi towards Jagya.
Karna was just too good. His faith and loyalty never wavered. He lived and died for Duryodhan. So also it goes for Shiv. Sometime,blind faith can be your undoing. It is better to judge and then decide,which neither Karna did nor Shiv is doing.
Despite being a great warrior,a true friend,a just king,Karna was never really acknowledged for his greatness. All his qualities were used by Duryodhan to bolster his image and his kingdom. Karna merely played into his hands. Despite being a just,kind and sensitive human being,no one in the Singhs family could understand what a gem they had in their hands. They merely used Shiv for their narrow benefits.
Ma Kunti forsake Karna and he was brought up by Radha. Look at Shiv. Though Irawati is his real mother, it is CM who has brought him up and means more to him than his real mother.
In the entire Mahabharata,there was only one character who really understood what Karna is and he was Bhishma Pitamah. Here I find Daddu as the only one who really understood Shiv's worth.
Karna lost Draupadi's hand in the swayamvar due to clever doings of Krishna. And I am afraid,the same goes for Shiv with Dadi playing a dirty game to get rid of Shiv. Whether she will succeed or not ,only time will tell.
My only way of doing this little comparison is to show, evil does triumph. Though Krishna,Draupadi and the four Pandavas paid the price for being selfish,they had achieved their life's goal and lived their lives to the fullest. It was not punishment enough.
Even if Shiv does win in the end, it will be after a lot of struggle and heartbreaks. Is it worth it?
NOTE: I am not equating Anandi with Duryodhan. This comparison is done merely to bring the similarities between Karna and Shiv. Both needed a reason in their lives to act the way they did. For Shiv it was Anandi and for Karna it was Duryodhan.
Anupamaa
