Mahabharata/Jaya - Appointment of the Generals/Commander in Chief

“I will not fight with Shikandi who was not born as a man but became a man later in his life. Other than Shikandi, I will also not kill the Pandavas. They are as dear to me as you. I will kill 10,000 soldiers of their camp. Like this, I will ensure that the victory is yours”. Thus spoke Bhishma to Duryodhana and the other assembled king at the Kouravas’ camp.

The war preparations were on. Cavalries and chariots were now marching to Kurukshetra (the place where war will be fought). Duryodhana and his advisors thought apt to choose Bhishma as the General of their army.

The Pandavas to have a discussion. The twins are of the suggestion that it should be the old and strong King Virata or King Drupada. Arjuna opines Dhristadhyumna while Bhima suggests Shikandi. Then Yuddhistira decides on Dhristadhyumna as the general.

This selection is in ways a subtle hint. Bhishma stands for whatever is old and dying while Dhristadhyumna stands for new and change. Also, as you see Kauravas have to change the Generals over the course of the war while Dhrisadhyumna guides the Pandavas till the end. It is a clear case of old having to go for the new. That is nature, that is the law of life.

While Duryodhana’s selection of Bhishma is like a conspiracy. With Bhishma as the general, any other king/s who had any doubts about Dharma would believe that Kouravas are right. It will also give them the confidence that victory is sure with the general who has the boon of death by wish. For the Pandavas, it was just a proper war strategy. Dhristadhyumna was a student of Drona and was destined to be the killer of Drona. Dhristadhyumna was young, agile and adept at the use of vyuhas (formations).

In the Kaurava camp, Bhishma is consecrated as the General as per the rituals prescribed. After that, in the assembled place, Duryodhana requests Bhishma to state and explain the strength of both the camps.
Bhishma recounts all the Maharathas and Athirathas in the Kauravas camp. But he specifically insults Karna as not even a ratha. Bhishma states, “This friend of yours is harsh and boastful. I don’t consider him to be a ratha. He always runs from a duel. He has also given away his Kavach Kundal. He is cursed by my Guru (Parshuram) and also by the Bhramana. If I am to be the General, then he will not fight”. Karna too responds, “I will not fight as long as Bhishma is alive”.

Then Bhishma goes about recounting the strengths of Pandava army. For Karna, it looks like he is deliberately stating their strengths in a way which will create fear in the minds of the assembled kings of the war.

Ramayana and Mahabharata is referred to be as “Itihasa” which translates into “As it happened” or “Thus it happened”. The elaborate introduction of the kings and the strength of cavalry is an apt way of recording history. It is said that there were always appointed individuals who had to record the history of a kingdom. Most of them used to be “Suta” loosely translated as charioteer. Suta had a very special place in the society. They were not exactly Shudras or Vaishyas and neither Kshatriyas. Sanjaya who was the charioteer of King Dhritharashtra accompanied him till the death of the latter. Narrations have orated through him many times during the epic. It looks like he was the appointed individual for tracking the history of this kingdom. Vyasa (as the name suggest) would have compiled all the events to bring up the first original Mahabharata. As is with any mythology, folklores and other creative imaginations were then added onto it through generations. No one knows the real Mahabharata or its length. Yet, we assume the one which we have collected has been completely authored by Vyasa.

Bhishma signs off his account as mentioned in the first sentence of the post. Duryodhana accepts his decision of not killing thePandava after putting in some resistance. He knew that if he does not accept it then Bhishma will be relieved of his vow and join the Pandava camp. This will spread panic in the Kaurava camp. Also, he does not stand up for his friend Karna when his great-grandsire was insulting Karna.

Till now, we could have assumed that Duryodhana was just a fool who was being swayed by Shakuni. It is during the war that we see his full personality. His ego-management as far as Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Shalya shows him to be an able leader who could get together different people together to attain his objective. He fails in this objective is a different matter. But he was a strong leader and only if not for his strong hatred for Pandavas, he could have been a deserving ruler.

Mahabharata/Jaya - Indra visits Karna

"If you still wish to complete your vow of giving, then ensure that you ask Shakti (Indra's weapon) from him." Thus spoke Surya (Sun God) to Karna in a dream one night.

Actually this event happens during the exile of the Pandavas. Also Karna's identity is disclosed right in the beginning of the pic. For some reason, I took a cinematic liberty of keeping suspense and putting these 2 chapters of the Epic together.


Indra is worried about Arjuna as he knows that Karna will be unbeatable as long as he has his natural shield and natural earrings (Kavach Kundal). He plans on tricking Karna to rob him of these. I often wondered about this episode. Karna has shown to be vulnerable even when he had the Kavach Kundal. Take for example, in his battle with the Gandharvas or his fight with Arjuna after Draupadi's swayamwara. Maybe, this is just a later addition to magnify Indra's role in Mahabharata.


Surya (Sun god) is aware of this and comes in Karna's dream to warn him of this. This is before Karna's identity is disclosed to him. So Karna is not aware that Surya is his father.


Surya says, "Karna, tomorrow Indra will come to you in the guise of a Bhramana. He knows that after the morning ritual you never refuse a Bhramana. He will ask for your Kavach Kundal. He is doing this to protect his son, Arjuna. Don't give them to him. As long as you have them, you cannot be vanquished".

Karna replies, "I have taken a vow that I will never refuse anyone when they come and ask for a gift at that time. If they ask my life, I will give that too. No, I cannot refuse."

Surya tries to reason with Karna but Karna does not move from his stand. Surya then negotiates, "Ok, then you give the Kavach Kundal. You must ask for Shakti (Indra's weapon) in exchange for this. It is very powerful and no warrior can defy it. You can use that in your duel with Arjuna."

Next morning, Indra comes in the guise of Bhramana to Karna. Karna has just finished his rituals and asks, "O Bhramana, Ask for what you wish". Indra says, "I want your Kavach Kundal." Karna then remembers the dream he had and recognizes Indra.

Yet Karna tries to digress, "Ask for the riches of the world. Ask for the kingdom. I cannot give these things you are asking for. They have been a part of my body since birth." But Indra is firm on his demand.

In the end Karna remarks, "I know you are not a brahman but Indra himself. I was denying this so that no blame is placed on you for tricking a human. I will give you what you ask for." Then Karna goes on to remove his Kavach Kundal with a knife. He does not even wince while doing this but his body is stained with blood. Indra too melts seeing the sight.

Moved by Karna's act, Indra himself tells Karna that he would like to grant a boon. Karna recollects his dream and asks, "Actually I do not ask anything but only give. But I do not want you to be tainted with tricking a human. I am highly fortunate to be of use to you. To make this looks fair, I only ask for Shakti (Indra's weapon)." Indra agrees and grants him the weapon but on a condition, "You can have this weapon but you can only use this in a war and only once. After that, it will come back to me." Karna agrees , "I too want to use this once, to kill a great and powerful warrior". Indra confirms, "You will kill a great and powerful warrior with this weapon."

Kauravas are quite disheartened when they learn about Karna loosing his Kavach Kundal. But then they are elated to know that he has got Shakti from Indra.

Karna was known as Dhanveer (Highly chariotable person). There are fables wherein he broke off a wooden pillar from his own house to give it to a Brahman who was looking for dry wood (as it was raining at that time). Then there is a folktale wherein Karna gave away his golden teeth before taking his last breath to a old brahman (Krishna in disguise) who approached him for wealth at that time. Also, some folktales state how Krishna tricks Karna in giving away all his merits earned through righteousness during his duel with Arjuna. The goddess of righteousness was protecting him from the arrows of Arjuna and hence, Krishna had to do this. Karna gave them up as well without any hesitation. Karna's life is a great example of someone who tried his best to make his life successful and meaningful though outwardly, destiny and life treated him unfairly. Maybe, we all have a Karna in us. We all struggle against life and it's forces to derive something meaningful out of it. Not all are as righteous as him and yet, we all struggle. Some win, some loose. But it all depends on how you lived.

Mahabharata/Jaya - Karna's identity disclosed

"A man who is indebted is an unhappy man." Thus spoke Yuddhisthira answering one of the questions the Yaksha (Yama) had asked at the lake. In this one statement lies the truth of Karna's life and his last choices.

Krishna's mission had failed. He was leaving Hastinapur. He takes leave of the elders, Vidura and Kunti. He leaves on the chariot along with Kritavarma, Satyaki and Karna. Mid-way, he and Karna alights from the chariot. They speak something and then Karna returns to Hastinapur. King Dhritharashtra checks with Sanjaya about this conversation. This episode is narrated through Sanjaya. How Sanjaya knew about this is through his innate wisdom and powers.

Krishna says, "You know Dharma very well. You always state the truth and you are always charitable. Then how did you come to be aligned to Duryodhana? Do you know who you really are? You are a Kshatriya. You were born of a noble lineage. You are born of a great womb and you have 5 great brothers. You are the son of  Kunti and the eldest of the Pandavas. Come with me to your brothers. Yuddhisthira will make you the Emperor. Bhima, Arjuna and the twins will always be obedient to you. Draupadi too will accept you and you can sleep with her when your turn comes. Come with me. You will rule the world."

Karna is finally relieved to know that he is a Kshatriya. Yet, he is hurt at this joke that life has played. He replies, "I cannot come with you, O Keshav. I am the son of Radha and Adhiratha. They have taken care of me from young age, cleaning me when I soiled myself. When I grew up, it was only Duryodhana who offered me friendship, irrespective of my caste. He made me the king of Anga. He is confident of winning this war because of my prowess. I am indebted to him. In his time of need, I cannot leave him. I know Yuddhisthira is correct on Dharma. I can read the signs and I know that we will loose the war. When you are with Arjuna and on their camp, victory will be there. I know I will die. But I cannot leave Duryodhana. Also, people will think that I am a coward. No, I cannot leave Duryodhana. Promise me that you won't reveal this fact to anyone. If you tell this to Yuddhisthira, then he will not fight this war and he will not accept the crown. He will crown me as the king. Out of gratitude, I will hand it over to Duryodhana. That would be adharma."

Krishna gracefully accepts Karna's stand. This is a small chapter but it shows how specific and individual Dharma can be. From Karna's viewpoint, his Dharma was apt. Krishna accepting it and not revealing this shows that he understands Karna's situation. He does not interfere with this anymore.


The next day Kunti comes and visits Karna. In the original version, her motives are clearly stated. She does not want the destruction of the lineage through a bloody war. She would love to avoid this. So she chooses the correct time of the day which is right after Karna's morning ritual prayer to Sun-god. This was the time when Karna would not refuse demads of any Bhramana. It was nto out of her maternal love for Karna but different motive that made her come to Karna.

Kunti hides her face first while Karna was coming from the river. When Karna reaches next to her, he introduces himself saying, "I am Karna, son of Radha and Adhiratha. What do you want? If it is in my capacity, I will certainly give it." Then Kunti shows her face and says, "Don't say you are son of Radha. You are son of Kunti. You are Kounteya. You are my eldest son. Come with me to your brothers. Don't kill your own brothers. When I was a young girl, my foster father Kuntibhoja instated me as a personal attendant for Sage Durvasa. Sage Durvasa was known for his anger. I made sure that he is happy and all his demands were met"

Kunti continued, "At the end of his stay, Sage Durvasa was very happy with my service. He gave me a chant (mantra) through which I could invoke any god and beget a child. In my naivety, I tried to test it once. I invoked Sun god. Sun god appeared before me. I tried to reason with him that I was just testing and I cannot have a child now. But he promised my virginity back as soon as the child is born. He told me that my son will be born with natural shield and earrings. He will be famous. But after your birth, I could not face the stigma of an unwed mother. So the nurse and I put you in a basket and abandones you on the waters of the river Ganga".

This story might be just a cover-up of the sexual hospitality that a young (teenage) Kunti would have had to offer to Sage Durvasa. 

Karna's response is harsh here. He refuses to go with this. He clearly states, "It is not your love for me but love for your lineage and other 5 sons which have brought you here.You abandoned me when I needed you the most. I might have been born as a Kshatriya but none of the sacred rituals have been performed on me. Adhiratha and Radha has taken care of me. I have brothers born of them. I am married to a Suta and I have my sons too married to a Suta." The response is too long and I can only give the gist here. 


In the end, Karna promises Kunti, "I will not come with you, mother. You had come here to ask something from me. I could not give you what you wished for but still I promise you this. You will always have 5 sons. In the war Arjuna will be killed by me or me by Arjuna."

Kunti makes him promise that he will ensure that there is no harm to the other four again before she leaves.

This little exchange shows how detached Kunti was from Karna as compared to her other sons. It was another political masterstroke from Kunti. She ensured that victory will be with Pandavas. Karna will be fighting with the war that the opponents are his brothers while Pandavas have no clue. Also, she ensured that Karna will not harm any of his kids except for Arjuna. This put Karna in a major disadvantage with regards to his role in the war. 

Karna's stance here again stresses his dharma and understanding of it. Karna's resolve here not to abandon Duryodhana although he is sure of defeat is noteworthy. It is not his friendship but his understanding of Dharma regarding debts and favours which ensured that he fights against his brothers. He tries to balance his sin (if any) by promising that he will not kill 4 of his brothers. With Arjuna's death, Duryodhana's victory was sure. Yet for all the strong characters in this great epic, Karna too has to answer to the powers of - Destiny.