Throughout the story of the Mahabharata, Karna stands out as one of the most fascinating and intricate characters, displaying both admirable qualities and unscrupulous behavior.
Despite being raised with utmost love by his foster parents, Radha and Athiratha, Karna harbored resentment for not knowing his true parentage. However, he never forgot the love his mother had for him and cherished her acceptance of him. Eventually, Karna rose to become the Angaraja, the king of Anga, and enjoyed all the riches and privileges that came with his position. Even Duryodhana valued his counsel and advice. Yet, Karna remained unhappy and bitter, unable to shake off the label of being a suta or “low-born” that society bestowed upon him. He was constantly reminded of his so-called low birth, and it consumed him with bitterness throughout his life. Despite his achievements, Karna could never fully come to terms with his identity.
Karna, who was once a wonderful human being, became a nasty and ugly character in the Mahabharata due to his bitterness. Despite showing his greatness in various situations, his resentment caused him to make many wrong decisions, which affected the story’s outcome. Duryodhana valued Karna’s advice above all, and it was often Karna who made the final decision. Karna had the power to change the direction of the entire story, but his bitterness prevented him from doing so.
Karna’s life was a continuous cycle of tragedy and sacrifice. He always displayed a sense of sacrifice, but unfortunately, it never bore fruit. This was because his obsession with being accepted by society as someone he was not led him astray. Despite being an intelligent man, he actively encouraged Duryodhana’s wrongdoings instead of advising him otherwise. Karna’s loyalty and gratitude to Duryodhana prevented him from using his intelligence to make the right decisions, and this led to one blunder after another. His inability to see past his desire for societal acceptance caused him to miss opportunities to make better choices, such as saving Duryodhana’s life.
A Life Filled with Regrets
Karna’s life was marked by a series of wrong turns and regrets. Although he displayed an unwavering sense of sacrifice, he was consumed by a desire to be someone he was not, at least in the eyes of society. This obsession led him to continuously blunder and actively participate in Duryodhana’s wrongdoings, despite his intelligence and sense of right and wrong.
When Krishna revealed Karna’s true parentage – Kunti was his mother and Surya was his father – Karna was overwhelmed with emotion. He realized that he had been nurturing hatred towards the Pandavas out of a misplaced sense of loyalty to Duryodhana. Although he knew what he was doing was wrong, his loyalty was so strong that he continued to do it.
Karna was a good person at heart, but he made too many wrong turns and never fully recovered from them. His life is a reminder that one wrong choice can lead to a lifetime of regrets.
Karna’s fate in the Kurukshetra war was met with Arjuna’s arrow, but whether he was good or bad is not for existence to judge. It is only society and individuals who try to label people as good or bad. Existence operates on the principle that if you do the right things, the right results will follow, and if you don’t, they won’t. This may seem unfair to Karna’s fans who believe he was put through too much, but it is the fundamental nature of life. If existence operated differently, there would be no value in doing the right things or in human intelligence. Ultimately, life works on the principle of cause and effect, and doing the right things leads to the right results.
