KUNTI AND KARNA

Karna was the son of Surya and Kunti. He was born to Kunti before her marriage with Pandu. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas -his brothers in the famous Kurukshetra war.

The historic city of Hastinapura, the capital of Kaurava kingdom was filled to the brim and overflowed with bizarre buzz of the bubbling battalions. Troops, troops every where, not an inch of space was spared for a civilian to stand and stare. For miles and miles,both banks of the Ganges were littered with military encampments, hordes of elephants, thousands of horses and innumerable units of cavalry. The earth was covered with tents and the sky was filled with flattering flags. Vidura told Kunti, "Sanjaya has returned from Upaplavya. He told Dhritishtra that the Pandavas were prepared for war. We know the Kauravas have made massive preparations; war is knocking at our outdoor steps. Princes think of war, the greatest of human catastrophe, as a routine disaster. Philosophers have come to regard war as wholesome relief of Mother earth, groaning under the heavy burden of over population. I do not know whether I am becoming alienated or others have became dehumanized. Modern man has become stark mad; very soon we have to pay a heavy price for our foolish over confidence. Man, in the mysterious strangeness of his being, is devising every day new missiles to destroy himself; man has become spiritually bankrupt; philosophy, confronted with this wholly unexpected phenomenon, stands mute and bewildered. Very soon the world will be filled with weeping widows, aged mothers have lost their young sons, and paradoxically enough Dhritahstra and Gandhari will soon become the most obnoxious parents of Bharatavarsha."

Kunti could clearly read the writing on the wall. Nobody could avert war. Nobody else knew the tragedy brewing in her heart. Karna,her first born child and the Pandavas were arrayed in opposite sides. Whatever might be the outcome of the war, the certain sufferer would be Kunti. For Karna, war was the coveted opportunity to redeem the deep dept of gratitude he owed to Duryodhana and he welcomed it with all his heart and soul. He throbbed with joy when he looked at the military encampments on the banks of the Ganges stretching from one horizon to the other. The sun setting over the panoramic tent pitched on the banks of the Ganges was a sight he enjoyed the most. One day he drove to the Ganges, halted his chariot under the chequered shade of a banyan tree, had a dip in the river and began to offer his evening prayers to the sun. He recited aloud his Pravara traditional invocation mentioning his biodata, "I Radheya the son of Radha and Adhiratha offer you, O visible God Sun, my devotional regards. " Even before he finished the first sentence, a gentle voice mixed with the music of thunder was heard. The voice was clear and it said, "Please stop." Karna involuntarily dropped the water he was holding in his bended palms into the Ganges and stared around. He saw a feminine figure covered with a veil advancing towards him out of the shrubs prodding her way amidst the long evening shadows. She stopped at the brink of the water and stood silently gazing at Karna.


Karna said to her with folded hands, "Mysterious visitor, who are you, standing here like as shadow? I have heard a strange voice asking me to stop. I am offering my evening prayers; I hope this is no sin." Th strange figure taken aback, replied in a firm tone, "You are uttering a blatant lie to Sun God who knows the truth." Karna was dumbfounded for a minute, and replied recollecting his wits, "My birth is still an unsolved mystery! I came to know of a rumour early in childhood that my father found me in a floating box in the Ganges. I often dreamt of my mother; once she kissed me in my dream and when I woke up it was Radha who was more than mother to me. Anyway, I wanted to meet the mother who gave birth to me; perhaps I am destined to die before I meet her." The mysterious visitor replied in a gentle tone, " Your real mother was glancing at you, when you went across the main streets of Hastinapura in your chariot shining like the sun; can you imagine how many earthquakes have rocked your mother's heart when she left you to the mercy of the waves of the Ganges? The most unfortunate creature in the whole world, the mother who gave you birth is standing right before you, here and now covering her head in shame and sorrow. You ought not to look at her face."

Karna was thrilled, and rushed out of the river and bowed to her feet saying, "Revered mother, you words have touched the chords of my heart like the vibrations of the eternal truth; the mother's love shall never be suspected. The creation comes to a full stop, the minute the mother's love turns unreal. I bow to you." She embraced him affectionately forgetting everything else in the world. It was an unexpected experience for Karna, and he too forgot everything else excepting Duryodhana's friendship.

The Ganges stopped flowing for a few seconds and stared at the son and the mother united in a unique embrace. The God of time was thrilled and he missed his heartbeat for a fraction of a second. Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of the mother and wetted the head of Karna who looked up and recognized her. He said in baffled amazement, "You are the queen of the late King Pandu and the mother of Arjuna." She replied in quivering voice, "Yes, I am the unfortunate mother; Mother of Karna and Arjuna who are bent on killing each other." Karna said, "You are the most fortunate mother on earth; the two most outstanding heroes amongst the eighteen akshauuhinis are your sons. What a proud privilege for any mother on the surface of the earth! I understand your anguish. Mother of the mighty heroes, please tell me if I could do anything for you."

Kunti composed herself and said cooly, "The war will lit up funeral prayers in the hearts of million of mothers. I request you as a representative of the mothers of the whole world, to stop the war. If there is one person in the whole world, who can avert the war it is Karna, the dearest friend of Duryodhana and the brother of the Pandavas. As the worthy son of a worthy father, the Sun God, who is acclaimed as the benefactor of the whole world, you have to play the role of a peace maker. If you come to the Pandava side, you will naturally be crowned empire of the entire world."

Karna heaved a heavy sigh and said, "War is a sacred sacrament for me. It is a source of self realization. This great war is equivalent to thousands of Asvamedhas. Men, even if they sit at home are not immortal; for a warrior, death on the brave battlefield, is any better than breathing his last, suffocated on the sick bed. Anyway, nobody who came to me ever went back disappointed. Great mother, you gave me birth. I will give you an unsolicited boon. I will not kill Dharmaputra or Bhima, Nakula or Sahadeva even when they fall into my hands. Perhaps Arjuna can defend himself. As for me, you should not worry. Take me as lost, long long, ago."

Kunti was sobbing silently and Karna found tears trickling down her cheeks. He added, "Mother dear, I have one request; reveal not this secret to Dharmaputra till my death. Let my brother, the incarnation of righteousness, offer me obituary oblations afterwards, if he so chooses." The Sun set meanwhile and Karna saluted Kunti and walked away.

Darkness descended on the landscape like the curtain after the close of a thrilling scene in a dramatic performance. Soon after this happened, Sri Krishna took Karna to a secluded spot in his chariot which was parked under the chequered shade of a banyan tree on the banks of the Ganges and started the converstion. He said to Karna, "My dear brother -in -law, I wanted to broach a confidential matter with you for a long time and now I utilize this rare opportunity." Karna replied, "Sri Krishna, it is my privilege and at once a pleasure to be addressed by you so affectionately as a brother- in- law." "So you have caught the point", said Sri Krishna, "You are the son of the Sun God by Kunti, therefore I have natural affection and regard for you." Karna replied, "But this is quite an unexpected meeting and I have not bargained for it." Sri Krishna said to Karna, "Son of the Sun god, I have come specially to invite you to join the Pandavas who are your blood brothers. Naturally you will be crowned emperor of India.

Karna replied, "Krishna, if I were to be privileged to be the emperor of the whole world, I consider it to be my sacred duty to place Duryodhana on the throne and remain his loyal soldier ever subordinate to his paramount sovereignty. Sri Krishna embraced Karna and bade him good bye saying, "Karna, you have justified your role as the principal actor in this live tragic drama, unparalleled in the annals of human history. My hearty congratulations to you."