WORLD PEACE

COMPONENT - III
Faculty Head: Mr. Sudhir Ayachit
Presented By : Yash Acharya 18MBAOPE002
KARNA – The Unsung Hero of Mahabharata
 Introduction
• Karna was the son of Surya and Kunti, born to Kunti before her marriage
with Pandu. He was the eldest of all Pandavas. Karna was the closest friend
of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas (his brothers)
in the Kurukshetra War.
 Reason to choose the character - KARNA
• In Mahabharata, my favorite character is Karna because he had all the qualities of
five Pandavas. Karna - the valiant warrior had moral values of Yudhistra, physical
strength of Bhima, archery knowledge of Arjuna, good looks of Nakula and
knowledge of Sahadeva.

• Being raised in a low caste household, fought caste discrimination all his life,
abandoned by his mother at birth, discarded by his teacher Drona, rejected by the
society for his lineage. His story generates a sense of helplessness and anger. That is
why we love him and tend to ignore his wrongdoings and make him our favorite
and loved tragic hero.
 14 Inspiring Highlighted Stories Of Karna
One Should Know
If You Think Life Has Been Unfair
• 1. Karna was literally abandoned by his own mother
• 2. He was refused the knowledge of warfare, because he was a charioteer’s son
• 3. Undaunted with a thirst for learning, he disguised himself as a brahmin to learn
• 4. Parshuram cursed him even though he knew that Karna was a Kshatriya
• 5. He even outshone Arjun when they finished their training, but was shooed away
like a dog by Dronacharya
• 6. He won Draupadi’s hand in marriage even before Arjuna by hitting the fish’s eye
but again was rejected
• 7. He was cursed by a brahmin for accidentally killing a cow while practicing archery
 14 Inspiring Highlighted Stories Of Karna
One Should Know
If You Think Life Has Been Unfair
• 8. He helped a small child and was cursed by Mother Earth
• 9. He was not allowed to fight because Bhishma refused to fight alongside a warrior who
was not Kshatriya
• 10. Karna gave his enchanted armor to a disguised Indra, even when he knew it was dirty
trick
• 11. Kunti pleaded to Karna to not kill the Pandavas, even if that meant that Karna died.
• 12. Arjuna’s chariot wheel was stuck in their duel, and Karna paused the fight, respecting
the rules
• 13. Only to be killed in the most wretched fashion
• 14. And then, when he was almost dying, he still had something to give…
 The Virtue of Kindness
• Karna was known as ' Daanveer' for his generosity and
kind nature. Being the son of the Sun God, Karna had
a natural armour, that acted as a shield. When Indra
begged for alms, disguised as an ascetic, Karna
selflessly parted with this precious gift. Indra was so
moved by this gesture, he gave Karna his vajra. Karna
teaches us that we never have nothing to give.
 Where Karna went Wrong
• Karna used prejudice against him by others as an excuse to justify his acts. Be it the
conspiracy to kill Pandavas in the house of Lac, the game of dice, or the killing of
young Abhimanyu, he supported Duryodhan whole-heartedly, and kept justifying his
acts by giving excuses of him being treated unfairly by others and how Duryodhan
supported him. And the worst kind of sin he committed when he “whole-heartedly”
and “actively” participated in assaulting Draupadi – the wife of Pandavas. Karna called
her a prostitute and insulted in the Kaurav sabha alingwith Dushasana and Duryodhana
who tried to disrobe but Karna could have told his friend Duryodhana to stop that
shameful incident. He was the only one who Duryodhana used to listen to.
• Instead, he also joined other in insulting to revenge Draupadi calling him Sudputra and
refusing to marry him at her swayamavara. In my opinion she had all the right to
choose/reject the man whom she wanted to live with. Nothing can justify Karna’s act
when it comes to what he did to Draupadi. And in today’s world, when violence towards
women is so rampant, it is even more important to highlight how wrong Karna was.
 CONCLUSION
• All his life, Karna was ridiculed, shamed and humiliated. Every time. And not just by other characters.
He was shamed by fate itself. But he never stopped learning, and never stopped fighting. And he never
stopped being a loyal friend to Duryodhana.
• And he never refused to stand up for what he believed in – Dharma.
• And the most important of all – he never stopped giving. He gave away his most valuable at a request,
even though he knew how cruel fate was.
• So, if you think you have had a bad day, and life is not going as you want it to, take heart from the story of
Karna and face it nonetheless, without fear of failure and without any interruption in learning.
• Because in real life, fate does seem to be cruel and life unfair.
• Weather the storm and live your life in humility, generosity and dignity – just like Karna.
• KARNA was undoubtedly a saintly soul who played an important role in the Mahabharata. Some
people may think that the Mahabharata war could have avoided if he had denied to side with
Duryodhana. But may be he wouldn't have got that respect which he is getting today.