67 Facts About Karna

1.

Karna, known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata.

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2.

Karna is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti, and thus a demigod of royal birth.

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3.

Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had no choice but to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges, in the hope that he finds foster parents.

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4.

The basket discovered and Karna is adopted and raised by foster Suta parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra.

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5.

Karna grows up to be an accomplished warrior of extraordinary abilities, a gifted speaker and becomes a loyal friend of Duryodhana.

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6.

Karna was a key warrior who aimed to kill the third Pandava Arjuna but dies in a battle with him during the war.

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7.

Karna is a tragic hero in the Mahabharata, in a manner similar to Aristotle's literary category of "flawed good man".

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8.

Karna meets his biological mother late in the epic, and then discovers that he is the older half-brother of those he is fighting against.

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9.

Karna is a symbol of someone who is rejected by those who should love him but do not given the circumstances, yet becomes a man of exceptional abilities willing to give his love and life as a loyal friend.

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10.

Karna's character is developed in the epic to raise and discuss major emotional and dharma dilemmas.

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11.

Karna's story has inspired many secondary works, poetry and dramatic plays in the Hindu arts tradition, both in India and in southeast Asia.

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12.

Name Karna is symbolically connected to the central aspect of Karna's character as the one who is intensely preoccupied with what others hear and think about him, about his fame, a weakness that others exploit to manipulate him.

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13.

Story of Karna is told in the Mahabharata, one of the Sanskrit epics from the Indian subcontinent.

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14.

Karna appears for the first time in the Mahabharata in the verse 1.

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15.

However, later in the epic, the generous Karna gives the "earrings and breastplate" away in charity, thereby becomes a mortal and later dies in a battle with Arjuna.

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16.

The legends of Karna too appear in many versions, including some versions that have no support in surviving manuscripts.

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17.

Karna came with a golden glow, dressed up in jewellery and breastplate, and provided her with her first son.

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18.

The boy Karna came to be known for his solitary habits, hard work, pious yoga before Surya every day, compassion and eager generosity to help anyone in need particularly Brahmins, his gift of speech, and for the pursuit of excellence in whatever he did.

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19.

Karna meets Duryodhana for the first time in Hastinapura during archery lessons from Drona, an event described in section 3.

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20.

Duryodhana sees in Karna a man who is an equal of Arjuna in martial abilities, and someone to befriend to balance out Arjuna and thereby "diminish the Pandavas".

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21.

Duryodhana steps in and says Karna is an Arajna but announces that he is offering to anoint Karna as the king of Angas.

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22.

Once Karna is a king, states Duryodhana, Arjuna would not have the excuse to avoid Karna and not compete with the able warrior.

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23.

Karna asks Duryodhana what he would want in return for the kingdom he just gave out of his empire, Duryodhana replies, "I want your endless friendship Karna".

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24.

Karna feels Duryodhana is that friend who stood by him when everyone rejected him.

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25.

In Karna, Duryodhana finds an able man and talented commander who can help him gain and retain power over an empire.

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26.

In Duryodhana, Karna finds a caring friend and resourceful supporter when almost everyone is bent on ridiculing and disowning him.

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27.

Karna participates with Duryodhana in schemes to effect the downfall of the Pandavas.

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28.

Karna calls for "together we should slay the Pandavas" as the final solution.

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29.

Karna persistently recommends violence and an all-out war, to settle things once and for all, by good brave warriors.

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30.

Karna accuses Bhisma and Drona as covetous materialists and dishonest in counselling Duryodhana with non-violent strategies.

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31.

When Bhima came to Anga Kingdom, Karna didn't accept to make alliance due to which a terrific war took place between Bhima and Karna.

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32.

At last Bhima defeated Karna but failed to kill because of Karna's Kavacha and Kundala.

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33.

Karna tried run away from battle-field after getting defeated by Chitrasena but was captured.

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34.

At martial sporting events, Arjuna and Karna were often equal, though in his self-bragging style Karna once announced, states McGrath, that "he will perform any feat that Arjuna has accomplished and do it better".

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35.

Krishna starts by complimenting Karna for knowing "the Vedas and the subtlety of the dharmasastras".

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36.

Karna replies that though he was born from Kunti, it was the wife of a charioteer "Radha who gave him love and sustenance", and that makes her his real mother.

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37.

Karna is already married, says Karna, he has two sons and now grandsons, all because his father Adhiratha helped him settle into his married life.

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38.

Karna shall betray no one, remain loyal to those who love him, including his friend Duryodhana, with whom he has been in allegiance for thirteen years.

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39.

Krishna then went to Kunti and asked her to meet Karna and tell him that he is her first born son and the Pandavas were his brothers.

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40.

Karna reiterates that he loves the parents who raised him, they love him, and he will remain loyal to his lifelong relationships.

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41.

Karna promised to Kunti that he will not kill any of his other four half-brothers, but either "Arjuna or I" shall die and she can still say she has five sons just as she did all her life.

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42.

Karna was born with aspects of his divine father Surya – the earrings and armour breastplate – that made him an immortal at birth.

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43.

However, despite being warned, Karna prefers to lose these natural gifts in order to uphold his reputation as the one who always gives dana, particularly to Brahmins, as being more important than his own life.

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44.

Surya meets Karna and warns him of Indra's plan to appear disguised as a Brahmin to divest him of his earrings and breastplate, and thereby his immortality.

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45.

Karna disregards this warning and says that if the king of gods Indra comes to beg before him, and if he charitably gives to Indra, it will bring him "renown and fame", then argues that "fame is more important to him than anything else".

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46.

Karna keeps the Indra's missile in reserve since it could only be used once, and aims to kill Arjuna with it.

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47.

Karna thus saves his reputation among his soldiers, launches the missile and kills Ghatotkacha.

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48.

Duryodhana and Kaurava army rejoice with the death of Bhima's son Ghatotkacha, but now Karna had exhausted the weapon that gave him an advantage over Arjuna.

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49.

In many recent adaptations of the Mahabharata, Karna is depicted married to two women—Vrushali and Supriya.

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50.

Contradictory to this, the Tamil play Karna Moksham portray Ponnuruvi as his wife, while the regional Kashidasi Mahabharata states her to be Padmavati.

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51.

Karna's kawach has been compared with that of Achilles's Styx-coated body and with Irish warrior Ferdiad's skin that could not be pierced.

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52.

Karna has been compared to the Greek mythological part divine, part human character Achilles on various occasions as they both have divine powers but lack corresponding status.

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53.

Karna's story raises the dharma-ethics questions both while Karna acts in the epic as well as after his death.

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54.

Karna chooses loyalty to his lifelong friend and "good policy based on his heart" to be of higher value than accepting Krishna's recommendation that he switch sides and become the king as the eldest son of Kunti based on dharmasastras.

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55.

Karna has to be 'the wrong person in the wrong place' – this is what Karna symbolizes to many minds today.

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56.

Similarly, the Pandavas use foul means in an attempt to win a war, and Arjuna sets aside the Hindu behavioural code for "just war" when Karna becomes defenceless and distracted by his chariot's stuck wheel.

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57.

Karna's behaviour reflects a "frustration complex" that makes sense in light of the circumstances of his birth and early life.

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58.

Karna is a mirror with "insights into human nature" and how circumstances have the ability to shape human behaviour and one's personality.

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59.

Karna is not evil, just a misfit or a rebel, an inspiring character if viewed from one set of values and an abnormal character from another set of values.

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60.

Karna is cruel in some situations such as against Draupadi, a behaviour he himself regrets in the pages of the Mahabharata.

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61.

Karna refuses to wear "Emperor's New Clothes", states Adarkar, and thus "being revealed as a fraud" and ever-adapting to new psychological garb.

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62.

Karna loves the parents who adopted him, he loves his friends and heritage.

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63.

Karna is martially adept and equal to Arjuna as a warrior, a gifted speaker who embeds provocative insults for his opponents in front of an audience.

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64.

Karna complains of "dharma failed him" on the day of his death, yet in his abuse of Draupadi, he himself ignores the dharma.

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65.

Karna is both generous to the Brahmins yet arrogant and cruel to the Pandavas.

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66.

Karna bitterly opposes the Pandavas and is the pillar of support to the Kauravas, yet as he nears his fatal battle, he is willing to accept his mistakes and recognize the good in Yudhisthira and the Pandavas he opposes.

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67.

Karna story has been retold and adapted into drama, plays and dance performances in India and southeast Asia.

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