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Reading Notes: PDE Mahabharata, Part D

I really liked the combat story of Arjuna and Karna. The way the reading described the battle sounded very intense: "The arrows of Arjuna fell upon Karna like to summer rain; Karna's arrows were like stinging snakes, and they drank blood. At length Arjuna's celestial bow Gandiva was struck and the bow-string severed."


The two heroes fought nip and tuck to win the battle. Karna, unlike Arjuna, seemed to lack grace and sense of justice. Karna attacked the injured men despite Arjuna's desperate warning: "Pause, O Karna. According to the rules of battle, thou canst not attack a disabled foeman."


Despite Arjuna's warning, Karna was an unethical and ruthless foe. He attacked his injured opponent with ruthless raids of arrows. This cowardly action (from Arjuna's perspective) made Arjuna extremely angry that he almost became a different character: "When Arjuna had restrung his bow, he rose up like to a stricken and angry tiger held at bay, and cast a screen of arrows against his foe."



Then a turn-around in the battle took place: "Then suddenly a wheel of Karna's chariot sank in the soft ground, nor could Shalya urge the horses to advance."


Karna, who was ruthless and unethical during the whole battle, now begged for life: "Pause now, O Arjuna, nor wage unequal war. It is not manly to attack a helpless enemy."

I thought this scene was rather pathetic to look at because Karna wasn't fair or ethical at all during the battle, yet he wanted his life be saved when he was threatened to death.



This final death warning by Krishna to Karna was so powerful and really showed what kind of crooked character Karna was: "O Karna, thou speakest truly, but was it manly to shoot arrows at Arjuna whilst he engaged himself restringing his bow? Was it manly to scoff at Draupadi when she was put to shame before elders and princes in the gambling hall? Was it manly of thee and six warriors to surround Abhimanyu so as to murder him without compassion?"



This vivid, graphic, and extremely wrathful final ending made me imagine the brutal slaying scene: "When Arjuna heard his son's name, his heart burned with consuming wrath. Snatching from his quiver a crescent-bladed arrow, he drew his bow and shot it at Karna, whose head was immediately struck off."


I think it's very sad that brothers had to fight so hard to death and kill mercilessly. But the story is obviously so powerful that it was fascinating to read.






Battle between Arjuna and Karna. Source: Arjuna confronts Karna




Bibliography:

Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913).

Comments

  1. Hi Peter,

    I was browsing through the class blog stream for some extra commenting options, and your reading notes caught my eye. I really like the format that you use for your reading notes. I think it is very effective to pick out the scenes from the reading that you liked and then tell why you liked it. This allows for you to get ideas for stories later. Great job.

    -Andy

    ReplyDelete

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