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Karna was the first son of Kunti, by Lord Surya, and was thus half brother to the Pandava brothers. He was the prince of Anga Rajya in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He fought for Duryodhana in the great battle of Kurukshetra.
Birth
The princess Kunti, while young, was granted a boon whereby she could call upon six of the gods at any time that she chose, and would be granted a child by them. Unsure of whether the boon would actually be granted, Kunti, while still an unmarried teenager, decided to test her powers and called upon Lord Surya. When the deity appeared before her, she was completely overawed. Surya, granted her a son as radiant and strong as his father. That son was Karna, born with divine armor and earrings that would ensure his protection.
Kunti was now in the embarrassing position of being an unwed mother. Unable to face the world with her divine child, she placed Karna in a basket and floated him down a river with his jewellery (in a move strongly reminiscent of the story of Moses), praying fervently that he would be kept safe.
Upbringing
The child Karna was borne down the river and picked up by a poor charioteer called Adiratha, a shudra, the lowest caste in Hindu society. He was raised by Adiratha and his wife Radha as their son; the son of a god among the lowest members of society. They knew something of his parentage by the jewellery he was found with, and never hid his noble birth from him.
Training
Karna eager to be a great warrior, became a disciple of Parashurama. Parashurama who only taught Brahmin's his art was unware of Karna's lower caste. Once when the Master was sleeping with his head on Karna's lap, a bee stung him and he bore actute pain but did not move at all as his master would be disturbed. When Parshurama realized this he figured out that Karna was not a Brahmin, he cursed him that his knowledge would fail him when he needed it the most.
King of Anga
He participated at a tournament with the princes of Hastinapura, in an attempt to demonstrate his fighting abilities. Here he was insulted by Arjuna, because of his low social status. However, Duryodhana offered him his friendship, declaring that it only mattered what a man was and did, and that he, Duryodhana did not care if Karna was not of noble birth. Duryodhana crowned him the King of Anga.
Karna never forgot this act of friendship, and remained a loyal friend and ally of Duryodhana and the Kauravas.
The great battle
At the battle of Kurukshetra, he went to fight on the Kaurava side. Before the battle, his birth-mother Kunti, who had recognised his jewellery, approached him, and asked him to join his Pandava half-brothers, promising him that his royal birth would be acknowledged, and that he would have status as the eldest and senior of the Pandava. Again, he refused to change his loyalty; hence he is known as Radheya, son of Radha, his adopted mother.
In the battle, he killed his nephews Abhimanyu and Ghatotkacha, among others.
Later, the wheel of his chariot got stuck and while he was trying to release it, Arjuna killed him. His knowledge and weapons failed when he needed it the most.
Character
He is seen as a honourable and a great character, despite being on the Kaurava side. The reasons include;
- His loyalty to his foster mother, who raised him.
- His loyalty to Duryodhana, who gave him friendship. When Kunti approached him to join the Pandava side, he received her with full respect. Well aware that if he join Pandava side he will be honored with the throne of Bharathavarsha but he refused her request politely by asking a simple question that why she denied his existence as a Pandava until this time. He promised her that 5 of her sons will live at the end of the war, i.e. Either Arjuna or himself will not see the end of the war.
- His generosity; he had sworn to always give alms to the poor. When Indra, father of Arjuna, approached him in the guise of a poor Brahmin for his divine armour which he was born with, he donated it even though he was aware that it might mean his death.
He was a man of principle and always stood for it. He was always defeated by his faith, but he is brighter than any other character in Mahabharata.Although Karna was a perfect man in all aspects and a perfect king in all respects he always-received disgraces and disrespect from the society.
He is seen as a noble character who is badly treated by fate.
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