Was Karna A Philanthropist?

 

 

Karna is worshipped as a hero in Tamilnadu. He is praised as a great philanthropist (கொடைவள்ளல்), but was Karna really a philanthropist? 

 

The Gosha Yatra Parva in the Vana Parva of Mahabharata gives a better understanding of the character of Karna. Per Vyasa Mahabharatam, Karna was not a nice person. He was a selfish person who was jealous of Arjuna. He used the friendship of Duryodhana to promote his self-interest.

 

According to the Gosha Yatra Parva in the Vana Parva of Mahabharata, after the Pandavas lost the game of dice and went to live in the forest, Duryodhana was itching to take pleasure in their sorry plight.

 

Karna suggested that under the pretext of inspecting cattle stations near the forests, they should pay a visit to the Pandavas and tease them. Karna’s idea was welcomed by Duryodhana and he easily obtained permission from King Dhritarashtra. The Kauravas entered the forest looking forward to meeting the Pandavas. They took their wives with them.

 

Duryodhana told his wife Bhanumathi, “Deck yourself in the finest clothing. Draupadi should burn with envy when she sees your fine jewellery and clothing.”

 

The Kauravas with Karna located the Pandavas and decided to camp near them. To their dismay, when they erected their tents, they were challenged by an army of Gandharvas led by the Gandharva King Chitrasena.

King Chitrasena was a friend of the Pandavas. He was annoyed to see that the Kauravas had arrived intending to torment the Pandavas. He ordered his army to attack the Kauravas and to capture Duryodhana.

 

A fierce battle took place between the Gandharvas and the Kauravas.

When the Kaurava army was surrounded by the Gandharvas, fearing for his life, Karna abandoned his so-called dear friend Duryodhana and ran away from the battlefield. He abandoned his chariot and getting into the chariot of Vikarna, he ran away from the battlefield! Karna abandoned his friend Duryodhana and decided to save his skin instead!

असिभिः पट्टिशैः शूलैर गदाभिश च महाबलाः

    सूतपुत्रं जिघांसन्तः समन्तात पर्यवारयन

  अन्ये ऽसय युगमच छिन्दन धवजम अन्ये नयपातयन

    ईषाम अन्ये हयान अन्ये सूतम अन्ये नयपातयन

  अन्ये छत्रं वरूथं च वन्धुरं च तथापरे

    गन्धर्वा बहुसाहस्राः खण्डशॊ ऽभयहनन रथम

  ततॊ रथाद अवप्लुत्य सूतपुत्रॊ ऽसि चर्म भृत

    विकर्ण रथम आस्थाय मॊक्षायाश्वान अचॊदयत (Mahabharata, Vana Parva, Gosha Yatra Parva slokam 28 to 31)

 

Hearing about the plight of the Kauravas from Duryodhana’s wife Banumathi, King Yudhishtira sent Bhima and Arjuna to rescue the Kauravas. Arjuna and Bhima fought with the Gandharva army and easily defeated them. When the Gandharvas were exhausted, their leader Chitrasena called a truce.

 

“We imprisoned Duryodhana only to help you,” said the Gandharva king. “Duryodhana decided to camp here to rub salt in your wounds. We wanted to teach him a lesson. Since King Yudhishtira wants to free him, we will release Duryodhana into your care.”

 

Duryodhana felt humiliated. He wished he had lost his life while fighting with the Gandharvas. He took leave of King Yudhishtira and returned home. He decided to end his life by fasting. As he was making his way through the forest, he met Karna who was resting under a tree. Duryodhana vented his grief to Karna and informed him of his decision to end his life.

 

“There is no need to feel humiliated,” counselled the evil Karna. “After all, slaves must save their master. Aren’t the Pandavas your slaves?

 

Do not worry. I vow to kill Arjuna in a battle. Until I kill Arjuna, I will not allow my page to wash my feet. Until I kill Arjuna, I will not eat meat or drink wine! Till I kill Arjuna, I will donate anything anyone seeks from me!”

 तम अब्रवीत तदा कर्णः शृणु मे राजकुञ्जर

    पादौ न धावये तावद यावन न निहतॊ ऽरजुनः

 अथॊत्क्रुष्टं महेष्वासैर धार्तराष्ट्रैर महारथैः

    परतिज्ञाते फल्गुनस्य वधे कर्णेन संयुगे

    विजितांश चाप्य अमन्यन्त पाण्डवान धृतराष्ट्रजाः (Mahabharata, Vana Parva, Gosha Yatra Parva)

 

Karna took a vow that he will never say “I have it not” when someone seeks something from him as a motivation to quickly kill Arjuna. Karna was not a philanthropist. His donations were incited by his rajo and tamo gunam.

 

The myth that after Karna fell in the battle, the punyas he had accumulated by donating prevented him from dying and Krishna in the guise of a Brahmin sought the punyas from Karna as a donation is a fabrication. This story is neither part of Vyasa’s Mahabharatam nor is it part of Villiputhur Bharatham. According to the Villiputhur Bharatham, the karma accumulated by Karna when he made donations with ulterior motive put him in a grey area when he fell on the battlefield. He could neither die and nor could he attain good abodes that waited for people who made donations according to the shastra.

 

After the Swayamvara of Draupadi, the Duryodhanas were considering attending the wedding of Draupadi when Karna interfered. The only goal of Karna was to beat Arjuna in war. He was envious of Arjuna and could not tolerate the fact that Arjuna was a better warrior. Karna did not care about the strength and weaknesses of Duryodhana. He was not concerned about bringing victory to Duryodhana and nor was he worried about Duryodhana facing defeat. Karna’s only intention was to pick a fight with Arjuna. He urged Duryodhana to wage a war with the Pandavas. “I have learnt that Krishna has returned to Dwaraka to convey the news about the Pandavas to His family. He will return later with a big troop. This is our chance. We should attack the Pandavas before Krishna returns to support them,” urged Karna.

 

The innocent Duryodhana, unaware of Karna’s true agenda, immediately prepared for battle. They besieged the capital city of King Drupada. The king immediately gave battle. In this battle, Duryodhana’s sister’s husband Jayathradha and Karna together fought against Arjuna.

 

Karna fought in that battle with his two sons Vrishasena and Sudama. This shows that Karna was quite older than the Pandavas. Attracted by the beauty of Draupadi, Karna had participated in the Swayamvaram of Draupadi with his sons, thinking that if he won she will become his wife and if one of his sons won she will become his daughter-in-law; such was the character of Karna!

 

King Drupada also fought with his sons Shikandi, Drishtadyumnan, Soumitran and Priyadarshan.

When Soumitran and Priyadarshan arrived to support Arjuna, Jayathradhan and Karna killed those two sons of King Drupada in battle. Till the death of the two brothers of Draupadi, Arjuna was fighting defensively. The moment his brothers-in-law were killed, Arjuna fought fiercely and killed the two sons of Karna and also the sons of Jayathradhan. Arjuna killed the sons of Karna and Jayathradha in a fair fight, but the two of them held a grudge against Arjuna for many years and were waiting for an opportunity to inflict heartache on Arjuna.

 

The vengeful Karna and Jayathradha planned and executed the death of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu in battle. When Arjuna killed the sons of Karna, he was not aware that they were his nephews, but when Karna planned the murder of Abhimanyu, he knew very well that Abhimanyu was his nephew. Abhimanyu was fighting fiercely and the Kauravas were unable to face his arrows. Dronacharya informed Karna that they were helpless as long as Abhimanyu had his bow. Karna immediately sneaked behind Abhimanyu and cut off his bowstring making Abhimanyu weaponless. It was Karna who orchestrated the murder of the young Abhimanyu!

 

When Karna was made the commander by Duryodhana during the Mahabharata War, Karna was jealous that Lord Krishna was Arjuna’s charioteer. He complained to Duryodhana that he too deserved a king to drive his chariot and forced King Salya to drive his chariot.

 

When Karna’s chariot wheels got stuck in the mud, Salya abandoned Karna and left the battlefield. At that time, Karna asked Arjuna to wait till he could free his chariot from the mud.

 

Krishna told Arjuna that Karna did not deserve mercy. Perumal informed Arjuna that Karna used dharmam according to his convenience. Lord Krishna asked Karna, “Where was your dharma when you insulted Draupadi in the Royal Court? Where was your dharma when you asked her to take a sixth husband? Where was your dharma when you treacherously cut off the bowstring of Abhimanyu in battle? Arjuna, I am telling you, kill Karna now. He will never be able to free his chariot wheel because he is facing his last moments on Earth. “

 

Directed by Krishna, Arjuna shot and killed Karna. The fallen Karna returned to the abode of Lord Surya from whence he had come. After reaching Lord Surya’s abode, he complained to Lord Surya that he had been mistreated by Krishna.

 

Lord Surya seeing that his son had still not learnt a lesson told him that it was Karna who had acted deceitfully. Yes, one must give importance to honouring friendship, upholding truth etc. These acts are called “saamaanya dharmam” i.e ordinary dharma. When saamaanaya dharma contradicts Perumal, one must always choose Perumal the Visesha Dharmama(superior dharma). Child Prahaladan knew that he must not listen to the words of his father who was trying to convert him into an atheist. The five-year-old child had the knowledge to differentiate between saamaanya dharma of obeying one’s parents and the visesha dharmam of always staying devoted to Perumal. Likewise, Vibhishana rightfully chose Lord Rama over his brother Ravana and Bharatazhwan stayed true to Lord Rama and disregarded the evil counsel of his mother Kaikeyi. “Karna, it is you who acted deceitfully by standing against Perumal who is the embodiment of dharmam!” concluded Lord Surya.

 

It was also Karna who was responsible for the death of his sons because he prevented Duryodhana from returning to Hastinapura peacefully. By picking a battle with Arjuna in order to establish his superiority over Arjuna, he lost his sons. After all, he who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves!

उपकार- सङ्ग्रह (Goodwill of Perumal towards Jeevatmas) Part 3

 

 Continued From: https://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.com/2021/06/goodwill-of-perumal-towards-jeevatmas.html

 

அந்தமிலாப் பேரின்பம் means neverending bliss. This phrase refers to the limitless mokshanandam. The Anandavalli Upanishad describes human bliss. How is human bliss measured? Human bliss is measured when a person is youthful, intelligent, has mental and physical strength, is healthy and is wealthy, so wealthy that the entire world comes under his rule. The Upanishad describes the measure of Gandharva and Deva bliss as multiples of the human bliss. It goes on to describe the different levels of bliss. Finally, when describing the Brahmanandam, the Upanishad concludes by saying that Brahmanandam is limitless, it is neverending. Other levels of bliss are limited and the experience ends, but Brahmanandam is limitless and is neverending. Brahmanandam/Mokshanandam is  அந்தமிலாப் பேரின்பம்.

அந்தமிலாப் பேரின்பம் அருந்த ஏற்கும் அடியோமை Who can enjoy this Supreme Bliss? Do we have the qualification to experience this limitless bliss? Sri Swami Desikan says that we do have the qualification to experience mokshanandam. The jeevatma tatva is represented by the Koustuba gem adorning Perumal’s chest. Each jeevan is eligible to take this place. Like a child who is eligible to enjoy the property of a father, each jeevatma is eligible to experience the Supreme Bliss at Parama Patham. What is preventing us from enjoying this Supreme Bliss? It is our karma.

அந்தமிலாப் பேரின்பம் அருந்த ஏற்கும் அடியோமை அறிவுடனே என்றும் காத்து Perumal protects us by making sure we are always with our dharma bhuta gnanam.  Here, அறிவு refers to dharma bhuta gnanam. The jeevatma is gnana swaroopam; this is dharmi gnanam. To perceive things other than the self (dharmi), dharma bhuta gnanam is required. Perumal ensures that we are always with the dharma bhuta gnanam. The dharma bhuta gnanam is different from the dharmi gnanam; it is a quality (gunam) which has the jeevatma as its base. A quality always has an item or entity as its base. For example, when we say “red lotus”, the “red colour” is a quality. It cannot exist by itself. It can only exist along with an item or entity it qualifies. For example, “red lotus”, “red shirt”, “red car” and so on. Likewise, when we describe sweetness as a taste, sweetness by itself does not exist. It only exists as the characteristics of an item like honey, sugar, mango, jaggery and so on. Similarly, dharma bhuta gnanam is a characteristic of the jeevatma and cannot exist by itself. The  dharma bhuta gnanam is a tool that is used by the jeevatma to perceive items other than the self. Both jeevatma and paramatma have dharma bhuta gnanam. Like the eternal jeevatma and paramatma, the dharma bhuta gnanam too is eternal. It is nithyam.

 

Continued On: https://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.com/2021/11/goodwill-of-perumal-towards-jeevatmas.html

 Continued From: https://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.com/2021/05/goodwill-of-perumal-towards-jeevatmas.html

उपकार- सङ्ग्रह (Goodwill of Perumal towards Jeevatmas) Part 2 

 

There are four basic benefits bestowed by Perumal upon jeevatma from the very beginning.

அந்தமிலாப் பேரின்பம் அருந்த ஏற்கும் அடியோமை அறிவுடனே என்றும் காத்து
முந்தை வினை நிரை வழியில் ஒழுகாது எம்மை முன்னிலையாம் தேசிகர் தம் முன்னே சேர்த்து
மந்திரமும் மந்திரத்தின் வழியும் காட்டி வழிப் படுத்தி வான் ஏற்றி அடிமை கொள்ள
தந்தை என நின்ற தனித் திருமால் தாளில் தலை வைத்தோம் சடகோபன் அருளினாலே-

पितासि लोकस्य चराचरस्य
त्वमस्य पूज्यश्च गुरुर्गरीयान् |
न त्वत्समोऽस्त्यभ्यधिक: कुतोऽन्यो
लोकत्रयेऽप्यप्रतिमप्रभाव || 43||

पितासि लोकस्य चराचरस्य Lord Sriman Narayanan is the Supreme Father of all things moveable and immovable தந்தை என நின்ற தனித் திருமால், He is the one who has always been our father; our parents on the otherhand have been assigned to us as per our karma. Our parents are assigned to us based on our karma, but when Perumal incarnates, He chooses His parents. He chose Emperor Dasaratha and Queen Kousalya as His parents during Ramavataram and He chose Devaki and Vasudeva during Krishnavataram.

தந்தை என நின்ற தனித் திருமால் தாளில் தலை வைத்தோம் சடகோபன் அருளினாலே In Sri Vishnu Puranam, Sri  Parasara Maharishi has mentioned that Goddess Mahalakshmi is the mother of all beings while Lord Sriman Narayanan is the father of all beings. The reason for mentioning “father தந்தை” in this pasuram is because it is the duty of a father to protect. This pasuram shows that Perumal has been protecting us for aeons. This is a supreme upakaram. We have been blessed to place our heads on the lotus feet of the Divya Dampathis because of the blessings of Sri Sadagopan (Nammazhwar). Perumal is “father தந்தை” because He protects even when we don’t pray to Him. He does jagat rakshanam even when we don’t pray to Him. At the time of Pralayam, He keeps all the jeevans safe in His stomach. In the Raghuvasam Mhakavi Kaidasa lists the actvities performed by a father.

प्रजानां विनयाधानाद्रक्षणाद्भरणादपि I

स पिता पितरस्तासां केवलं जन्महेतव: II 

The first duty of a father is to imbibe his child with “vinayam” i.e humility. A father helps his child develop proper socializing skills. रक्षणं rakshanam is teaching the difference between good and bad, teaching good etiquettes and helping the child to attain the right knowledge. भरणं  is supporting the child by providing the basic necessities of life. As per the above slokam, Emperor Dileepan treated his subjects as his own children by performing the above activities and thus making the biological fathers redundant. The slokam can be viewed from a different angle to show that it is Perumal who is always our father as He is our sole protector. Perumal is the one who always performs the activities of rakshanam (protection) and bharanam (rendering support). Perumal is always our father(निरूपाधिक); He doesn’t become our father because of a condition whereas our fathers conditionally attain fatherhood सोपाधिक. Jeevatma being eternal, according to its accumulated karma, it attains various sareerams while in samsara. Irrespective of the body attained by a jeevatma, Perumal continues to protect and support it. Whether a jeevatma attains the body of a dog, a fly, a bird, a plant, human or deva, Perumal continues to protect and support it.

Continued On: https://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.com/2021/06/goodwill-of-perumal-towards-jeevatmas_24.html