Karna, is the King of Anga. He was a loyal friend of Duryodhana and the eldest son of Kunti, Padava’s mother. Karna was born as the son of Surya Dev (The Sun God), he played a crucial role in the Mahabharata war. Karna is known for his generosity, charity, and because of this he has earned the title Daanaveera (the great giver). There was no one on earth who could match him in charity.
Karna had a unique personality – If someone asks anything to him then he would give it without a second thought, without any hesitation. However, despite his all these noble qualities, his end was filled with a tragedy. The main reason for this misfortune and this tragic end was a curse.
Karna's Background
Karna was born to Kunti before her marriage. Kunti was unable to care for him. Kunti received a special blessing from the sage Durvasa. This blessing allowed her to call upon any god to have a child with her.
Out of curiosity, before her wedding, Kunti called the Surya Dev (Sun God Surya). This act resulting in the birth of Karna. Due to societal rules of that time, Kunti was worried about the consequences of having a child before marriage. This led her to abandon Karna. Kunti was not able to care for him, she put the baby Karna in a basket and let it float down the river. Kunti hoped that someone would find baby Karna and take care of him.
Karna was then raised by a charioteer (Sarathi). Due to this many people started to mock him as a “Suta Putra” (son of a charioteer). However, Duryodhana, valued Karna for his loyalty and skills. Duryodhana always stood by Karna, and defended him against many insults. Because of this deep bond with Duryodhana, Karna decided to fight on the side of Kauravas against Pandavas in the great Mahabharata war.
The Curse of Bhoomi Devi (Hindu goddess of Earth)
One day, Karna was riding through the streets of Anga. He noticed a little child crying. He asked a child about a reason for crying. The child explained that he was taking ghee (clarified form of butter) for their home and he had spilled that ghee accidentally, and feared punishment. Karna decided to help in out of responsibility and compassion. Using his strength, he extracted the gee from the soil where it had absorbed.
As soon as Karna started to perform this act, Bhoomi Devi (The Earth Goddess) cried out in pain. Then she cursed Karna in pain. She said that during the critical moment of his life, she would hold his chariot wheel stuck in the earth, this would be making him defenceless. This curse of Goddess played an important role in Karna’s downfall and tragic end during the Mahabharata war.
The Curse of Parashurama
Parashurama was a teacher of Karna. Karna was also cursed by Parashurama. Karna introduced himself as a Brahmin to Parashurama, and gained training in advanced weaponry from Parashurama. However, when Parashurama found that actual identity of Karna as a Kshatriya, he cursed him. Parashurama said Karna would forget the use of his divine weapons at the most important moment of his life and during the war.
Karna's Tragic End
During the crucial moments of the Mahabharata war, both curses impacted Karna. While battling against Arjuna, Karna’s chariot wheel got stuck inside the ground. And it fulfilled Bhoomi Devi’s curse. He struggled to free the wheel stuck on the mud. Lord Krishna said to Arjuna to attack Karna with a divine arrow. Parashurama’s curse also came true during this moment. Karna forgot how to counter Arjuna’s attack with his divine weapons.
If Karna had not been burdened by these two curses, defeating him in Kurukshetra battle would have been almost impossible. His death remains one of the most tragic and heartbreaking moments in the Mahabharata.
This story indicates how fate and curses played an important role during the crucial moments of the battle and changed the destinies of even all-time greatest warriors in the history.
