Recently I got a WhatsApp forward on a dialogue between
Karna and Sri Krishna. It goes like this.
***
Karna asks Krishna - "My mother left me the moment I was born. Is it my fault I was born an illegitimate child?
I did not get education from Dhronacharya because I was considered a non-Kshatriya. Parshuram taught me but then gave me the curse to forget everything
since I was a kshatriya.
A cow was accidentally hit by my arrow & its owner cursed me for no
fault of mine. I was disgraced in Draupadi's swayamvar.
Even Kunti finally told me the truth only to save her other sons.
Whatever I received was through Dhuryodhana's charity. So how am I
wrong in taking his side?"
Krishna replies,
"Karna, I was born in a jail. Death was waiting for me even before my birth. The night I was born I was separated from my birth parents.
From childhood, you grew up hearing the noise of swords, chariots,
horses, bow and arrows. I got only cow herd's shed, dung and multiple attempts on my life even
before I could walk!
No army, no education.
I could hear people saying I am the reason for all their problems.
When all of you were being appreciated for your valor by your teachers,
I had not even received any education. I joined gurukula of Rishi Sandipani only at the age of 16!
You are married to a girl of your choice. I didn't get the girl I loved & rather ended up marrying those who
wanted me or the ones I rescued from demons.
I had to move my whole community from the banks of Yamuna to far off
Sea shore, to save them from Jarasandh. I was called a coward for running away.
If Duryodhana wins the war you will get lot of credit.
What do I get if Dharmaraja wins the war? Only the blame for the war
and all related problems.
Remember one thing Karna....
Everybody has challenges in life.
*LIFE IS NOT FAIR ON ANYBODY..*
Duryodhana also has a lot of unfairness in life and so has Yudhishthira.
But what is Right (Dharma) is known to your Mind (Conscience)....
No matter how much unfairness we got, how many times we were disgraced,
how many times we were denied what was due to us, what is important is how you
REACTED at that time...
Stop whining Karna.
Life's unfairness does not give you license to walk the wrong path of *अधर्म.*
***
I got irked at the logic attributed to Sri Krishna because
the Jagadguru who gave us BhagavadGita never speaks in fatalistic language. Sri
Krishna taught us Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Action. Of course, all actions will
result in consequences and Sri Krishna asked us to be equipoise about these
results. But the emphasis is always on Karma to be done.
The Sri Krishna of Mahabharata was very clear on Dharma and
never minced words to stand for it irrespective of the occasion, circumstances
and opponents. The Sri Krishna that I know would have answered Karna as below:
Stop talking nonsense Karna, you are out and out Asuric
person. Here is why...
1. Karna, you didn't know you are an illegitimate child
until I told you so just before Kurukshetra. By which time, you are at least
50Yrs old, got married, have kids and so on... so all your Asuratva so far has
nothing to do with your birth. You were known as Radheya and a very well-loved
son of a charioteer (suta) family. Blaming it on Kunti at this point is nothing
but krutaghnata/ingratitude to the parents that raised you with so much love
& affection.
2. Karna, you did get admission into Drona's university of Astra
& Sastra. It is your jealousy towards Arjuna & Asuric temperament that
made you go on your own to Duryodhana's camp. You left Drona varsity on your
own just because Drona refused to teach you Brahmastra as you weren't qualified
to learn it. Like today's secular & (self-declared) Dalit students, you
demanded professors to give Brahmastra even if you are unqualified and blame
them instead of working hard to get qualified. It's like an IAS student blaming
the professors for his failing in exams.
3. Karna, you went to Parasuraman fully knowing well that it
is a restricted entry University. You put fake caste certificate like Rohit
Vemula & got expelled unceremoniously as they found the truth. So, you
don't mind breaking rules for your selfish benefits but cry victim when
found...
4. Karna, you were made Anga Raja by Duryodhana even before
he himself or Pandavas became kings. As on that day you, as a Suta putra, got
best parental love & care even Pandavas didn't get (there were life threats
for them from Kauravas), got admission into Drona Versity that even Ekalavya
didn't (he was son of a kirata king), training under none other than Parasuraman
(an Avatara himself), got to become a king of Anga. And you are telling us that
you didn't have proper childhood and opportunities & career growth? That
alone is enough reason to determine your Asuratva.
5. Karna, even your loyalty to Duryodhana is not honest
because it is based on your common hatred towards Pandavas and the wealth
donated by Duryodhana. Do you think your loyalty lasts a single minute if Duryodhana
were to take back the Anga Rajya given to you?
6. Karna, consequences must be faced even if you didn't
commit a crime intentionally. Fire will burn you if you touch it even if you
were a child. You aren't the first one in the world to pay for unintended
consequences. We all knew very well the story of Dasharatha & the curse he
got for (unknowingly) killing Sravana Kumara? Did you forget the curse king Pandu
got for killing a mating deer? And the story of Mandavya? Did any of them blame
others for their misfortunes?
7. Coming to Draupadi, I am glad that she rejected an Asuric
like you. She must be extremely wise to assess your Asuratva within a minute of
seeing you. Karna, you have no right to demand Draupadi select you. She has a
right to disqualify anyone from swayamvar and definitely a selfish Asura like
you; most likely she heard about your arrogance, Asuric entitlement & fake
caste certificate from her brother Drishtadyuma who too was an alumni of
University of Drona. You complaining about her and later disrobing her is
similar to a criminal stabbing or throwing acid at a girl who rejected his
marriage proposal. Like all the criminals, you too must perish Karna...
8. Finally a word about your charity... Karna, Dana is
something that you must earn dharmically to give to needy. All your wealth (Anga
Rajya) is a Dana that you got from Duryodhana. Yes, it's noble that you are a
beggar who donates part of his begging income to others. You taking Sakti from
Indra in return for Kavacha-Kundala made it a business transaction, not
charity. So, Karna, stop gloating about your Dana quality.
Karna, like all Asuras in history, you must pay for your Asuratva. You shall die a helpless death. If you die in war, at least you get
veera-swarga. Dear Karna, always be grateful to Kunti for passing her &
Surya 's veeratva in your genes.
** Conclusion
Karna is just a well-known character in Mahabharata to be sympathized
and lionized by anti-Hindu ideologies such as Baudha, Atheist and later
socialist and secular in their altered and plagiarized rendering of our great
epic Mahabharata. Not just commoners, but even learned people such as
Dharmaraja himself felt sympathetic toward Karna. Great sages like Sri Krishna,
Bhishma, Narada etc explain the Asuric nature of Karna to Dharmaraja so he
would understand that Dharma took its course on Karna and no injustice is done
to him from any angle of life.
Recently we have seen a new
narrative being created by current anti-Hindu forces under the garb of Dalit
rights. People like Rohit Vemula are imposed on Bharatiya consciousness using
fake caste-certificates and fake narrations. Gullible Hindus spend more time
(repeatedly) arguing and self-flagellating on these obvious matters instead of
factually and logically studying and understanding our own Puranas and Epics.
If only Rohit Vemula is given a
dharmic understanding of Mahabharata, he wouldn’t have tried to steal others’
opportunity using fake certificate nor he would waste his precious life for
perceived injustice.
Thus, it is in the interests of
all Hindu parents to themselves study our Puranas and Epics and give dharmic
guidance to their progeny. The ultimate beneficiaries of this investment will
be our own progenies/Kula/caste.
Swasti!