Danveer Karna!

 

Karna is best known for giving up his own skin when asked as a ‘dana’ (charity).  There was an altruistic reason for his taapa and dana.  It wasn’t done purely for the purpose of fulfilling dharma.   As a result, it can be called rajasi if we consider that a warrior is always keen to win for his side.  But as these blessings were for an unjust war, it can be called tamsi.

Using Shri Krishna’s definition of 3 types of taapa and 3 types of dana, Karna’s taapa and dana are ‘rajasi’ at best and ‘tamsi’ at worst.  This can be called rajas as his taapa was done with the aim of hurting others.  It can be called tamsi because his taapa and dana was for the purpose of hurting people who were known to be good and honourable.  His taapa was done with the singular aim of getting ‘blessing’ from Brahmins for victory. 

His dana is also rajasi at best and tamasi at worst.  It was not a dana, charity, but an ‘exchange’.  He meant to give wealth and obtain blessings in return.  It was not satvic.  No matter how high sounding his donation of kavach and kundal maybe, but he did not ‘give them away’.   He exchanged them for Indra’s weapon.  It was an exchange and hence not a dana.  This dana is tamsi as it pains him and those around him.  His dana has no positive, uplifting motive.  His only motive is to support a king even he accepts as being evil..

Infact his greatest dana is not of his skin, but his promise to not kill 4 out of his 5 brothers.  His ‘pran-dana’ (gift of life) to the 4 Pandavas is probably his greatest gift to his mother and his brothers.  Of all his actions, this is one that is most generous.  His pran-dana is not known to Pandavas till after his death and that too due to Kunti’s disclosure and not his own.  Though his pran-dana is not entirely altruistic and it is only because they are ‘his brothers’, his sacrifice is generous in the extreme.  By promising not to kill or capture Yudhishthir, Bhim, Nakul and Sahadev, he breaks faith with Duryodhan.  Doing something, anything, that displeases Duryodhan is a bigger sacrifice on his part than parting with his skin. 

Throughout the war, Duryodhan plans to capture Yudhishthir, force him to gamble away his kingdom and thus legitimize his control of Pandav kingdom.  Grandsire did not like this madcap idea and resistsed saying yes to it.  When he did try to capture Yudhishthir, Shri Krushna blocked his attempts.  Guru Drona was elated at being exalted as the commander in charge and promised to capture Yudhishthir to please Duryodhan.  Duryodhan was convinced that with Guru Dron and Karna’s help, Yudhishthir was as good as captured.  Little did he know that Karna was not planning to be part of his plan.  Had he known, Duryodhan might have doubted Karna’s friendship.  As it is, Duryodhan did wonder why Karna let the Pandavas go four times.  He kept blaming fate, lack of skill and lack of determination by his generals for not winning the war.  Little did he know that not all his own generals were not playing for him, not even Karna!

Karna’s pathological hatred for Arjun was based on his rivalry and desire to be acknowledged as the best warrior in the world.  By killing his little brother, he hoped to prove that he was indeed the best warrior in the world.  But when he realized that Arjun was his little brother, killing Arjun lost its charm.  The barb Shri Krushna had planted in his heart hit home and Karna was unable to put forth his full force in the battle.  For this reason, despite Duryodhan’s insistence, Karna was unwilling to use the Indra Shakti (weapon) on Arjun in the battle.  Even the murder of Abhimanu and Ghatorghacha hurt his soul. 

Maybe it is this prandana to the Pandavas that really makes Karna the true danveer of Mahabharata.

 

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