Brothers

महाभरत

Mahābharata

As retold by

Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahāyogi

Karna

Yudhisthira blinked. He stared into the fire, now burning low. His brothers listened in silence. Kunti lowered her head. Yudhistira looked at her as if to ask a question.

Pandavas with Draupada, Bas Relief

"Yes, my son. Kunti said. He was your brother. And as you are a great king now, you must attend to him and perform his funeral ceremony. You must give him the dignity he deserved. During his lifetime I was afraid to acknowledge him. Think of the scandal. Then he sided with Duryodhana, your sworn enemy. 

Duryodhana, sworn enemy of the Pandavas

Before the battle was fought, I went to him. I told him my story. I'm not sure he believed me.  I told him I was his mother. I called him "son," and I begged him for mercy. I asked him to spare your lives. But Duryodhana's friendship meant more to him. Finally, he made me promise not to reveal this secret to you until after the battle was finished. But he was your brother. Karna was your brother."

Karna from Hindi TV program

Yudhisthira was silent. Karna. Radheya. The son of a charioteer. How they had all mocked him at the graduation ceremony before their teacher, Drona. Yudhisthira remembered how Karna had entered the demonstration of arms hosted by Drona. He shined like the sun. His skill at arms was extraordinary, for hadn't Parashurama himself been his teacher? 

Karna and his teacher, Parashurama

Arjuna had amazed all with his skill, and now this unusual warrior with a dark past had entered and stolen the glory. He wanted to challenge all, but when asked about his origin he had stuttered. And then he was recognized as the son of a horse-driver and all had laughed and mocked him. All except Duryodhana. Duryodhana befriended Karna, gave him respect and land. 

Again at the swayamvara of Draupadi, Karna had appeared, his golden breastplate and earrings shining like the sun. 

Golden breastplate of Karna

When Arjuna emerged victorious, he had again challenged Arjuna, but somehow the duel was never concluded. Luck and the artifice of Krishna had helped the Pandavas back then, and Draupadi was married to all five. Karna.  Karna had been cursed.

And finally Arjuna had slain Karna with the help of Krishna. Arjuna had cut him down with arrows when Karna was trying to fix his broken chariot wheel and was pleading for mercy on the basis of dharma and the rules of war. 

Karna fixing his wheel

Yudhisthira looked at Arjuna. Arjuna was aghast. He had killed his own brother.

Death of Karna

For once in his life, Yudhisthira lost his temper. He became angry with Kunti. Karna wasn't Radheya, the son of Radha, but Kunteya, the son of Kunti. How could they have killed the son of Kunti? All this war against brothers was a sham and a delusion. All because of secrets and lies. Secrecy means conspiracy, and the greatest conspiracy is war. Secrecy is the enemy of truth, and Yudhisthira's entire life was a search for truth and dharma.

He said, "My dear mother: because you have kept this dangerous secret from me and my brothers, we have killed the great-souled Karna. We thought he was our sworn enemy, but he was our brother. If only I had known this, I would have made peace with him long ago. 

Karna from Hindi TV series

With Arjuna and Karna by my side I would have been invincible. We could have avoided this whole Kurukshetra war. We could have saved thousands of lives. These men who lay dying and dead would never have been slaughtered. 

showers of arrow at Kurukshetra

"All because you wanted to protect a secret. 
Yudhisthira said, Therefore, I curse you all that no woman will be able to keep a secret from this time on."

Mahabharata War, Bas Relief

"I am ashamed. Karna was my brother. He should have been allied with the Pandavas. Instead we mocked him and spurned him and treated him as an outcaste. Arjuna cut him down like a dog when he was on his knees repairing his chariot."

"Arjuna cut him down..."

He deserved better from us. I am ashamed. Karna was the greatest warrior who ever lived, greater even than Arjuna, for he spared our lives out of mercy and charity. 

He could have killed us, but he spared us, knowing we were his brothers. And he lies in the dust with no relatives to care for him. Let us now go and perform his funeral ceremony. Let us give him in death the dignity he lacked in life."

"Let us go and perform his funeral ceremony."