Karna Parva: Difference between revisions

: 2. '''Karna-vadha Parva''' (Chapters: 57–96)<ref>{{cite book|editor=Manmathanatha Datta |title=A Prose English Translation of the Mahabharata |year=1897 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EmIMAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Karna-badha%20Parva%22&pg=RA2-PA116 |page=161}}</ref>

In very early hours, after the sunrise; Trigartas and Samsaptakas engaged fight with Arjuna. Arjuna began to sweep the armies. Arjuna used his Nagastra. Then Partha slew them with his straight arrows. Indeed, all these warriors in that battle, aiming at whom Partha had invoked that foot-tying weapon, had their lower limbs encircled with snakes.  Then Susharma countered with his Sauparna astra. Thereupon numerous birds began to come down and devour those snakes. There was no man amongst them that could fight with Arjuna. Arjuna began to destroy all the troops. Beholding that slaughter, all of them remained perfectly inactive, without putting forth their prowess. Arjuna slew all Sampsaptakas and Trigartas. Arjun also killed King [[Susharma]]. Arjuna slayed 100,000 warriors.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 53|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08053.htm|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-06-01}}</ref> When Arjuna was involved in fight with Samsaptakas, [[Karna]] defeated the Pandava brothers Nakula, Sahadeva and Yudhishthira in battle but spared their lives as per promise he made to Kunti. Karna along with his son Vrishasena began slaying armies of Pandavas. Arjuna came into the place where Karna and [[Vrishasena]] were creating havocs. Karna was earlier involved in the killing of an unarmed [[Abhimanyu]] on the thirteenth day of the battle. First, [[Karna]] broke [[Abhimanyu]]'s bow from behind, since it was impossible to face an armed [[Abhimanyu]] and then finally stabbed Abhimanyu along with other warriors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08085.htm|title=Death of Vrishasena by hands of Arjuna}}</ref> Remembering the injustified death of his son in which both Karna and Vrishasena had major role, Arjuna planned for revenge. [[Arjuna]] gave the challenge to [[Karna]] to save his son and attacked [[Vrishasena]] fiercely and fired four razor headed arrows, cutting off Vrishasena's bow, his two arms and then his head infront of [[Karna]], who failed to protect his son.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Mahabharata, Book 8: Karna Parva: Section 5|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08005.htm|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-06-01}}</ref> Karna became inconsolable after seeing his son's fate. He engaged a long duel with Arjuna. The much anticipated battle between Arjuna and Karna took place  fiercely. As the battle intensified, Arjuna pushed back Karna's chariot 10 steps backward every time by the energy of the arrows, but Karna failed to push Arjuna's chariot back. When questioned by Arjuna, Krishna said it is meant to be impossible for any human ever to push his chariot backwards because the chariot of Arjuna contains both [[Hanuman]] and Krishna, thus holding the entire weight of the universe. Being pushed back by Arjuna, Karna began coming forward but then Karna's chariot wheel was trapped in the mud as a result of the curse he had received earlier from goddess Earth. At the crucial moment, he forgot the incantations to invoke [[Brahmastra]], as a result of his guru Parashurama's curse. Karna got down from his chariot to free the wheel and asked Arjuna to pause, reminding him of the etiquette of war. But Krishna spurred Arjuna to attack Karna reminding the way Karna killed Abhimanyu by stabbing him from behind- which are against the rules of engagement of the war. Being spurred by Krishna, then Arjuna used Anjalikastra to kill Karna which cut the head of Karna, leading to his death. Arjuna had to kill Karna in such a kind of situation only because Karna had banes from Goddess Earth and poor brahmin. Earth Goddess cursed Karna that his chariot wheel gets struck in land which will lead to his death and a brahmin cursed Karna that Karna would die when he is weaponless as Karna killed his cow when it was helpless. In order to fulfill curses, Krishna spurred Arjuna to kill Karna in that situation. <ref name=mnd/> <ref>Johann Becker, [https://archive.org/stream/DasMahabharata/Mahabharata#page/n143/mode/2up Mahabharata], in Deutsche, Berlin, Germany, pages 130-147</ref>