Life lessons from Karna

 

Karna is one of the most popular and complex character in the Mahabharata.

Karna(Surya Putra) is the personification of  charity, valor, sacrifice and selflessness, however he also had some bad qualities which overshadowed his good qualities. There was always a dilemma whether to categorize him as a hero or a Villain.  Wait... why should we even try to categorize him? Do we have the right to pass judgment? Let’s consider Karna just as a character made complex by writer/fate/life/destiny/God to preach us a lesson of fortitude, sacrifice and acceptance, and focus only on the learning.  He went through a series of tragedies with/without his involvement/choice/knowledge are a proof of his misfortune. 

 

Be a True Friend:

It was Duryodhana who saw Karna’s capabilities. When everyone disregarded him and even insulted him, Duryodhana stood by him and embraced him.

Though Karna and Duryodhana became friends for their own selfish reasons, over the years their trust and faith on each other grew as they became best friends.

Karna always believed that his Dharma is to protect and stand by Duryodhana’s side and sacrifice his life for the latter. Karna was always loyal and wished for Duryodhana’s happiness. Even after knowing the truth about his birth, he decided to stand by his friend irrespective of the situation.  Even though he knew that he was fighting on the side of “Adharma”, just for the promise he made, he fought with valor and commitment and was eventually killed by Arjuna.

 Karna was always indebted to Duryodhana, and this indebtedness hampered their friendship. There was no equality. Karna never tried to convince his friend to stand by what is right instead of justifying the wrong things Duryodhana was committing. We should learn that loyalty and gratitude are important, but they should not be wasted upon the wrong people.

Now think about this: Is it the job of a true friend to help a friend even when they’re committing atrocities? Or does a true friend try to stop them?

How many of us opt to be totally honest with our friends?  Be honest with your friends but remember, “Honesty without compassion is cruelty”.

Be honest with your friends and use your tact to guide them in the right direction and to protect their self-esteem.

Be Charitable:

Whenever he was asked to give something away, he always did and never said that he had nothing to donate. He went above and beyond the regular way of thinking to show his generosity. There was a small story: On a rainy day, disguised Krishna asks Karna for ‘DRY wood’. Instead of giving any excuses he went inside the palace and cut down high-quality door frames and handed him the pile of wood. 

His kindness costed him his life. In spite of knowing that his Kavacha Kundalas(the ornaments he was born with) were requested by Indra himself(Arjuna’s divine father) and by giving away these he would lose invincibility, without any hesitation gave them away to Indra.

Karna never held regrets for giving away whatever he has. 

Thus, Danveer Karna inspires us to be charitable. We should also learn to say ’NO’ sometimes.

Acquire the knowledge:

When Drona refused to teach Karna advanced skills of archery, Karna didn’t stop there and went to Parasurama, Drona’s own guru, and practiced advanced skills with concentration.  Karna learned how to use the Bramhastra from Parasurama.  Karna taught us to remain resolute if we wish to achieve our goal. Problems come as an opportunity in life, and if we can solve those problems, we will succeed.

We should also learn not to LIE. Karna lied to Parasurama that he was a Brahmin just to receive education, but when Parasurama learned about it, he cursed Karna.

Stick to your given word:

Karna never left Duryodhana, as he promised to always stand by him.

When Kunti revealed his birth secret to Karna, Karna promised her that he will not harm any of the Pandava brothers except Arjuna. Karna kept his word by letting go the other brothers, despite their defeat.

Being reliable is a valuable characteristic. Always remember that you are bonded by your word. 

We should try to come out the mindset of “It’s not a big deal” like “It’s not a big deal, if I cancel meeting my friend today”, “It’s not a big deal, if I don’t take my son to playground today”.

Think before you commit, but not after that.

Never compare yourself to others:

Throughout the Epic, Karna always tried to compare himself to Arjuna, which made him restless and stopped him from seeing the truth to make wise decisions. Karna always centered his life around defeating Arjuna. There are multiple instances in the Mahabharata where Karna desires to be better than Arjuna, or wants to insult/defeat/kill him.

It is true that Karna did not receive all the attention, advantages and reputation that Arjuna got. But what if Karna thought about the challenges that Arjuna went through for a moment and counted his blessings?  One example is Arjuna lost all his possessions and lived in forest, while Karna was enjoying his riches.

It is human tendency to compare ourselves with others but we should stop doing so when thoughts arise by counting our blessings, realizing our strengths and by loving the ‘imperfect’ us. You are your biggest competitor. Always compete with yourself.

Don’t try to sweep your mistakes under the carpet:

What if Karna acknowledged his mistake in-front of his Guru Parasurama before the truth was revealed? He was hiding that truth that karna doesn't belong to brahmin.

What if Karna genuinely acknowledged that he was defeated by a Brahmin(disguised Arjuna) who got married to Draupadi during the swayamvaram?

What if Karna honestly thought about the situation where Arjuna defeated the Gandharavas, who made Karna flee from the place during Ghoshayatra?

Sometimes, our mistakes can get amplified and burn us. It is better to acknowledge our mistakes and mitigate them. We are humans and make lots of mistakes knowingly or unknowingly. Acknowledging and mitigating the mistakes when realize them without further delay is the best choice.