BIRTH OF KARNA

Karna was the son of Surya, the Sun God and Kunti. He was born to Kunti before her marriage with Pandu. Karna was the closest friend of Duryodhana and fought on his behalf against the Pandavas in the famous Kurukshetra war.

The omniscient sage needed no briefing. Sathyavati asked Vyasa to procreate progeny by Ambika who was asked to receive the saint in her nuptial chamber. But Ambika closed her eyes at the sight of the bearded mendicant; Vyasa announced to his mother that Ambika would beget a child- mighty in mind and body but blind. Sathyavati was not really about the news so she opted for Ambalika so that the child is born normally. So next Ambalika was commissioned by her mother-in –law with specific instructions not to close her eyes at sight of the sage. She followed the instructions literally but received him with a pale face. Next day the anxious Sathyavati was told that Ambalika would get a brave child born pale. This once again made her feel very unhappy. So Sathyavati instructed Ambika to receive the sage once more in anticipation of the birth of a perfect child. Ambika instead sent her maid well attired with queenly dress and she received the sage with all the respect and adoration she could command.

Thus Dhritarashtra was born blind, while Pandu was born pale. Vidura the nearest approximation to perfection in flesh and blood was born to the maid of the royal palace. Vidura was the incarnation "Yama" the god of righteousness who was born on earth because of the curse of Rishi Mandavya, the sage transfixed on the spike. Mandavya a reputed sage who attained the equilibrium of the mind by means of the power of yoga was one day deeply immersed in meditation in the precincts of his ashram outside his hut of leaves. Robbers who plundered a royal treasury happened to pass by the hut hotly chased by the police; they thought they could conceal themselves and the treasure under the holy cover of the ashram. However the police who reached the spot asked Mandavya about the thieves and the treasure. Eliciting no answer from the sage who was in very deep meditation the whole ashram was searched. The thieves were caught and the treasure was recovered. The matter was reported to the King by the vigilance who charged sage Mandavya as the chief of the robber gang who donned the holy attire as a convenient camouflage. The sage was silent all the while and did not defend himself. Eventually he was convicted and transfixed on a spike. Because of the power of Yoga, Mandavya did not die, but bore the pan of crucifixion with equanimity. The sages of the forest having heard of his crucifixion came to him and gathered round the cross seeking elucidation on important philosophical points as he was considered an authority on several spiritual subjects. They were eager to elicit the information before he died. The king came to know of the accidental miscarriage of justice and hastened to the spot of transfixion and begged pardon for his grievous mistake. Of course Madavya was immediately set at liberty. The sages said that the king was perfectly justified in acting according to his light and that the officers of the king did their duty in right earnest. But Mandavya was not really convinced about the sage's justification; he was very annoyed of the incident that has happened to him.


However Mandavya straight went to Yama, the Lord of Dharama and asked him how he deserved such a severe punishment. Yama replied, "Don't you, Rishi, know that all actions good or bad will have their corresponding repercussions? It is the inexorable law of Karma. But the sage insisted, what have I done to merit the punishment? I want a straight and specific to my question from you." Yama gravely pointed out, "You have tortured birds and insects when you were a child, taking cruel pleasure and you have paid by undergoing his transfixion." Mandavya declared " Juvenile indiscretion should not be given severe punishment; you have erred in your judgement. Human life is a complex phenomenon and you must understand it in its correct perspective. You shall be born as mortal on earth and acquire the necessary experience." In accordance with the curse of Mandavya Yama incarnated himself on earth as Vidura who was regarded as Mahatma, a realized soul by his companions and as great scholar in state craft and scriptures by his colleagues.

Bhishma became the reagent for the second time as Dhritarashtra and Pandu, the sons of Ambika and Ambalika, respectively were infants. But Bhishma wanted them to grow up to be great warriors. Bhishma bought them up with missionary zeal. Then when Dhritarashtra became a major , Bhishma secured the princess Gandhari, the daughter of the king of Gandhara, as his consort. Vidura was appointed by Bhishma as a counselor. Gandhari in keeping with the ancient tradition of womanhood, decided to blindfold her eyes to share the disability of her husband. The government of the Kingdom was entrusted to the prince Pandu as Dhritarashtra was born blind.

Kunti Bhoja, a scion of the Yadava race, proclaimed "Svayamvara" for his foster daughter Kunti. Her original name was Pritha and she was the daughter of Sura. Kunti derived her name from her foster father and was known for her beauty, dynamism, intelligence and other virtues. King Pandu attended the Svayamvara along with many suitors who were rulers of different countries. Kunti placed the bridal garland around the neck of Pandu the bright jewel of the Bharatha race. The marriage was duly performed and she accompanied her husband Pandu to the imperial capital Hastinapura. They were welcomed with great pomp.

Kunti was involved in a romantic adventure prior to her marriage when the sage Durvasa paid a visit to the court of Kunti Bhoja. The sacred duty of service to the distinguished guest was entrusted to princess Kunti. The arrogance and the anger of the sage were well known to the whole world and Kunti discharged her duties with commendable success. The sage was known for his fastidious outlook and instant irritation. But Kunti could please him. It was the greatest testimony to her tact and talents, sensitive resourcefulness, and sense of responsibility, that Durvasa taught her a divine mantra. He said, "My dear girl, I have initiated you into a powerful Mantra, by means of which you can invoke any divine being who will come to you and you will be blessed with a son who will show his divine prowess. This is the greatest privilege for any mortal woman and you have it by my grace." The virgin girl, Kunti who could not understand the implications of the boon conferred on her by Durvasa was very eager to test it. The first and the foremost divine being she could think of was the Sun, shining in the sky in all his resplendent glory. Out of juvenile curiosity she chanted the Mantra invoking the Sun god. Suddenly the clud became cloudy and the Sun god descended from the heavens in his golden chariot drawn by the seven horses straight into the seclusion of king Kunti Bhoja's palace where the princess was provided with a separate reserved accommodation.

Kunti quite overwhelmed with the presence of the divine visitor, asked "o God , who art thou?" The Sun god covering her with his ardent glances, replied "Dear princess, I have come at your invitation. By this time you must have realized that I am the Sun God." Kunti begged, "Have mercy on me, please depart at once." But the Sun god persisted "Charming girl, I have overwhelmed by your mantra and I am now under your spell. You shall not turn away an honoured guest invited by you." Kunti was aghast and could not reply. However she collected all her wits and argued "I am an unmarried virgin. Foolishly I wanted to test the power of the mantra. You must pardon my childish pranks. However the Sun god reassured her she would regain her virginity after the child was born and that no blame would be attached to her by their union. By the grace of Sun God Kunti conceived and a child was born with natural armour and earrings. He became famous later as the great warrior Karna. The virgin mother bring up the baby publicly. So Kunti placed the baby in a comfortable floating box which was let loose into the Ganges in all secrecy .The virgin mother heaved a heavy sigh as she gazed at the box floating to reach an unknown destination. The baby looked like miniature sun in mortal frame, but it was the unfortunate lot of the virgin mother to leave the first born baby to the mercy of the Ganges. However the box was picked up intact by a Hastinapura charioteer who regarded the baby as a gift from God. Radha, the wife of the charioteer, was overjoyed at their unexpected luck. Thus the son of Kunti became Radheya, the son of Radha, by which name was known to the world at large.