A story · Mahabharata — Stories

Karna's Answer to Krishna

Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 141

The story · English

Karna spoke to Krishna, acknowledging that the words Krishna had offered were born of love and a desire to do him good. Karna admitted that, according to the scriptures and the truth of his birth, he was indeed the son of Pandu. He explained that his mother, while she was still a maiden, bore him through her connection with the sun god, Surya. However, at Surya's own command, Kunti abandoned him as soon as he was born. Because of this, Karna felt that Kunti had cast him away without any thought for his welfare. He looked to Krishna and spoke of the life that followed his abandonment, recounting how he was found and taken in by a man of the Suta class.

Karna described how Adhiratha, the Suta, took him into his home. He spoke with warmth of Radha, whose breasts filled with milk that very day, and who had cleansed him and cared for him in his infancy. Karna asked Krishna how he could possibly deprive such a woman of the pinda, the funeral oblation owed to her by him as her son. He regarded Adhiratha as his true father because of the deep affection between them. Adhiratha had ensured all the rites of infancy were performed according to the scriptures and had the Brahmanas give him the name Vasushena. To Karna, these bonds of love and duty were more significant than the biological ties that had been severed long ago.

As Karna grew into a man, he married wives chosen by Adhiratha and fathered sons and grandsons. He told Krishna that his heart and all his bonds of affection were fixed upon his family. He stated firmly that neither joy nor fear, nor even the wealth of the entire earth, could move him to destroy those bonds. Furthermore, through his connection with Duryodhana, Karna had enjoyed sovereignty for thirteen years without any hardship. He had performed many sacrifices, but always in the company of those from the Suta tribe. His marriage rites and family traditions were entirely tied to the Suta class, making his identity inseparable from the people who had raised him.

Karna noted that because Duryodhana had him as an ally, the prince had prepared for an armed encounter and provoked hostilities against the sons of Pandu. In the coming battle, Karna had been chosen as the primary antagonist to face Arjuna in single combat. He told Krishna that he could not behave falsely toward Duryodhana, regardless of ties of blood, fear, or temptation. He believed that if he failed to engage in a single combat with Arjuna, it would be inglorious for both himself and the warrior Partha. Though he believed Krishna's advice was meant for his own benefit, Karna remained loyal to the son of Dhritarashtra.

Karna urged Krishna to keep their conversation a secret. He feared that if the virtuous King Yudhishthira learned that Karna was the firstborn son of Kunti, Yudhishthira would never accept the kingdom. Karna declared that even if the vast empire became his, he would certainly hand it over to Duryodhana. He believed Yudhishthira was the one fit to rule the earth, especially with Krishna as his guide and warriors like Arjuna and Bhima by his side. He listed the great assembly of Kshatriyas supporting Yudhishthira, including Dhrishtadyumna, Satyaki, and the sons of Draupadi, acknowledging that the kingdom was already effectively won by the virtuous king.

Karna then spoke of the upcoming war as if it were a great sacrificial ceremony performed by Duryodhana. He imagined the battle as a ritual where the army would be the wife and the weapons would be the sacred tools. He described Arjuna's bow, Gandiva, as the sacrificial ladle and the prowess of the warriors as the clarified butter. He envisioned the various celestial weapons of Arjuna as the mantras and the young Abhimanyu as the chief Vedic hymn. In this grim metaphor, the sounds of conchs and drums would be the calls to the guests to eat, and the various warriors would fill the roles of priests and assistants in a ritual of death.

The metaphor grew darker as Karna described the slaughter. He saw the barbed arrows as spoons for distributing soma and the blood of warriors as the clarified butter. He envisioned the lances and maces as pokers for the sacrificial fire. He stated that when the nocturnal rites began, the mighty Ghatotkacha would play the part of the slayer of victims. Karna then expressed deep repentance for the harsh words and wicked conduct he had previously shown toward the sons of Pandu to gratify Duryodhana. He told Krishna that the Punachiti, the re-piling of the sacrificial fire, would begin when Arjuna slew him.

When Bhima drank the blood of Duhsasana, the Soma-drinking of the sacrifice would have taken place. The death of Drona and Bhishma would be a pause in the ceremony, and the ritual would only conclude when Bhima finally slew Duryodhana. The final bath of the sacrifice would occur when the widows of the Kauravas lamented on a field haunted by vultures. Karna prayed that the old and learned Kshatriyas would not perish miserably, but instead find their end by weapons on the sacred ground of Kurukshetra. He asked Krishna to accomplish his divine plan so that the entire Kshatriya order might attain heaven. Karna believed that the fame of these achievements would last as long as the hills and rivers, and that the Brahmanas would recite the story of this war forever.

Karna concluded by asking Krishna to bring Arjuna before him for battle, while stressing once more that their discourse must remain a secret. Sanjaya reported that Krishna responded with a smile. Krishna asked Karna if he truly did not wish to rule the earth. He told Karna that the victory of the Pandavas was certain and that the triumphal banner of Arjuna, featuring the fierce ape, was already effectively set up. He described the banner as a magnificent structure of celestial illusion, radiating like fire, extending a yojana upward and all around and never obstructed by hills or trees, signaling the inevitable downfall of those who opposed the sons of Pandu.

Krishna described the scenes that would signal the end of the current ages. He told Karna that when he saw Arjuna on his car driven by Krishna, and when he saw the blood-soaked Bhima dancing after killing Duhsasana, the signs of the Krita, Treta, and Dwapara ages would disappear to make way for Kali. Krishna told Karna to inform Drona, Bhishma, and Kripa that the current month was pleasant and the weather ideal for war. He stated the battle should begin seven days later, on the day of the new moon. He promised that all the kings obedient to Duryodhana would obtain death by weapons and thus attain an excellent state.

कथा · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Krishna in the Kaurava Court · Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 125
• Next: Amva and Sikhandin · Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 178
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