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.