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
 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.