Friday 31 May 2024

Did Arjuna and Karna ever meet after discovering they were half-brothers?

 

Did Arjuna and Karna ever meet after discovering they were half-brothers?

The rivalry between Karna and Arjuna is the most iconic thing in the hindu epic Mahabharat while these two warriors are the most popular figures from the epic and had a mutual hatred for each other in reality these two were born from the same mother but this fact was unknown to both of them until in the KARNA-UPANIVADA PARVA it was revealed that Karna knew about his past of being pandu's son

He told this fact when Krishna and Kunti went to him and tried to persuade him into joining the pandava's but Karna refused to do so and said the following

I have been born a kshatriya, but I did not obtain the rites that were due to a kshatriya. All this was because of you. What wicked enemy could have done anything worse? You showed me no compassion at the time when it was required. You deprived me of my rites. But you are now asking me to act. Earlier, you have never sought my welfare as a mother. However, desiring your own welfare alone, you have now come to me and are addressing me. Who does not suffer when Dhananjaya is aided by Krishna? If I now go over to the Parthas, who will not think that I am frightened? I have not been known as their brother before. This has been revealed at the time of the battle. If I go to the Pandavas, who will speak of me as a kshatriya? The sons of Dhritarashtra have given me a share in every object of desire. They have honoured me and given me every kind of happiness. How can I act counter to that now? They have always served me and have always bowed down before me, like the Vasus before Vasava. They now confront a feud with an enemy. They think that with my life, they can withstand the enemies. How can I act against the desire that is there in their minds? Using me as a boat, they wish to cross over to the other shore of this shoreless and impassable war. How can I abandon them? For those who have earned a living from the sons of Dhritarashtra, the time has arrived. I must devote myself to that task, even if there is a risk to my life. There are those who are satiated and treated well. But when the time arrives for a task, these wicked ones are ungrateful and act counter to what should be done. They are faithless towards the king. They are servants who steal the ancestral offerings of their master. These evil acting ones do not obtain this world, or the next. In the cause of Dhritarashtra’s son, I will fight with your sons. I will use all my strength and my power. I will not lie to you. I will seek to abide by the conduct of a non-violent and truthful person. But even if they are beneficial, I will not act in accordance with your words now. However, your appeal to me will not be fruitless. Though I can counter and kill them, I will not kill all of your sons in battle—Yudhishthira, Bhima and the twins, everyone other than Arjuna.

karna told kunti that he was born as a kshtriya but due to kunti he was deprived of the position that he deserved he futher stated that the son of Dhistarastra had given him everything and now he can't betray them and also here only he told kunti that her wish from karna will be fruitful as apart from from Arjuna he will not kill any of her sons

here we can know that karna was aware of his reality but this fact was unknown to any of the other pandava brother and it was revealed after the death of karna in the stri parva

This scene in T.V serials is shown as after knowing the reality all of pandava brother were sobbing in grief that they have killed their own brother and also in starplus they go all the way out and show that Karna is having an arrow pierced in his heart but is still saying some emotion dialogue like it is a bollywood movie or something

Let us see what was the reality

All the Pandavas heard these unpleasant words spoken by their mother. They sorrowed over Karna and became even more distressed

If we take a look into the stri parva of the epic we will find out that though the all of the pandavas were filled with grief but none except the son of dharma was the one who really sobbed and yes karna was not saying anything he was dead

But this sorrow, that touches us now, is a hundred times greater than that. Sorrowing over Karna, it is as if I am being consumed by a fire. There is nothing that we could not have obtained, not even something that is in heaven. This fierce destruction that has enveloped the Kurus would not have occurred.

This is how dharmaraj showed his sadness over karna and expect him none of pandavas really did anything upon the death of karna

And yes yudhistra never cursed the women race cause kunti held didn't told him about karna being their brother that's just a folktale

so the answer to this question is that no arjuna and karna never met each other as brother(karna knew this fact but saw arjuna as an enemy) and I think even if they did knew the truth their rivalry would have continued as in the past they both have developed a fair amount of hate in each other's heart(that's just my opinion as this never happened in the epic I can't be sure about it do tell you opinions also)

Before I leave it was yudhistra only who performed the last rites of karna

It was not Duryodhan nor Krishna it was yudhistra who did it

All the men and women there, on both his sides, cried violently as he performed the water-rites. Out of affection for his brother, Yudhishthira, the wise lord of the Kurus, had Karna’s wives, attired in their garments, brought there. Then, with them, the one with dharma in his soul performed the funeral rites. Having done this, with his senses in a whirl, he emerged from the waters of the Ganga.

May the blessings of Rama always be by your side

Prashant Yadav

No comments:

Post a Comment