MADANAPALLE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

(UGC - AUTONOMUS)
MADANAPALLE-517325

ASSIGNMENT – 1
Name of the Student :C. Venu Gopal

Reg. No. :18691E00J4

Department :Department of Management Studies

Course Title & Code :Indian Ethos (18MBA107)

Academic Year :2018-19

Name of the Faculty :Dr. R. Varadarajan

Max. Marks Marks Allotted Signature of the Faculty

5
 KARNA FRIENDSHIP WITH DURYODHANA
Duryodhana is a major character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and was the eldest of the
Kauravas, the hundred sons of blind king Dhritarashtra and Queen Gandhari. Being the first born
son of the blind king, he was the crown prince of Kuru Kingdom and its capital Hastinapura
along with his cousin Yudhishtra who was older than him. Karna was the closest friend of
Duryodhana. Notably, Duryodhana, with significant assistance from Karna, performs Digvijaya
Yatra when the Pandavas are in exile.

When Gandhari's pregnancy continued for an unusually long period of time, she beat her womb
in frustration. This caused a hardened mass of grey-coloured flesh tissue from her womb. She
implored Vyasa, the great sage who had blessed her with one hundred sons, to redeem his words.
Vyasa divided the ball of flesh into one hundred and one equal pieces, and put them in pots of
ghee, which were sealed and buried into the earth for two years. At the end of the second year,
the first pot was opened, and Duryodhana emerged.

Although loved by his family, Duryodhana and most of his brothers are not seen on the same
level as the Pandavas in their adherence to virtue, duty, and respect for elders. Duryodhana feels
that the partiality everyone shows to the Pandavas is only due to the circumstances of their birth.
Duryodhana is mentored by his maternal uncle Shakuni, who masterminded most of
Duryodhana's plots to humiliate and kill the Pandavas.

Duryodhana's hatred for the Pandavas stems from his sincere belief that he being the son of the
eldest brother and the then king is the heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapura. Because of his
blindness, his father had to renounce the throne in favor of the younger Pandu. Duryodhana
deeply believed that what was rightfully his was being given away to his older cousin
Yudhishthira. He also felt that the Pandavas were sons of Kunti and (devas/deities), not of
Pandu.

THE EMPEROR
In the Chaturdhari compilation, it is interpolated that Karna took up the task of establishing
Duryodhana as the Emperor of the world (India). Karna embarks upon a worldwide military
campaign, otherwise called Digvijaya Yatra. Bringing tribute and allegiance from all the kings
ruling over in then India except Dwarika, Karna helped Duryodhana to perform the Vaishnava
yagna to please Vishnu and crown Duryodhana as "Emperor of the World", as Yudhishthira did
with the Rajasuya Yagna. No person in the entire universe, except Lord Vishnu, had performed
this Vaishnava sacrifice. Duryodhana thus became the most powerful and the wealthiest man in
the world. With the help of Karna, Duryodhana even made plans and preparations to conquer
Indra, the lord of the heavens and the father of Arjuna in order to become the sovereign ruler of
both heaven and earth.
KARNA
Karna also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major
characters in the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess
Kunti (later the Pandava queen). He was conceived and born to unmarried teenage Kunti, who
hides the pregnancy, then out of shame abandons the new born Karna in a basket on a river. The
basket is discovered floating on the Ganges River. He is adopted and raised by foster Suta
parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for
king Dhritarashtra. Karna grows up to be an accomplished warrior of extraordinary abilities, a
gifted speaker and becomes a loyal friend of Duryodhana. He is appointed the king of Anga
(Bengal) by Duryodhana. Karna joins the losing Duryodhana side of the Mahabharata war. He is
a key antagonist who aims to kill Arjuna but dies in a battle with him during the Kurushetra war.

He is a tragic hero in the Mahabharata, in a manner similar to Aristotle's literary category of

"flawed good man". He meets his biological mother late in the epic then discovers that he is the
older half-brother of those he is fighting against. Karna is a symbol of someone who is rejected
by those who should love him but do not given the circumstances, yet becomes a man of
exceptional abilities willing to give his love and life as a loyal friend. His character is developed
in the epic to raise and discuss major emotional and dharma (duty, ethics, moral) dilemmas. His
story has inspired many secondary works, poetry and dramatic plays in the Hindu arts tradition,
both in India and in southeast Asia.

Karṇa is a word found in the Vedic literature, where it means "the ear", "chaff or husk of a
grain" or the "helm or rudder". In another context, it refers to a spondee in Sanskrit prosody. In
the Mahabharata and the Puranas, it is the name of a warrior character. Called Vasusena as a
child by his foster parents, he became known by the name Karna because of the golden earrings
of Surya he used to wear, according to the Sanskrit epics scholar David Slavitt.

The word Karna, states the Indologist Kevin McGrath, signifies "eared, or the ear-ringed one". In
section 3.290.5 of the Mahabharata, Karna is described as a baby born with the ear-rings and
armored breastplate, like his father Surya.

Once upon a time lived a Yadava dynasty king named Surasena. He had a beautiful young
daughter named Pritha (later Kunti). As tradition had it, a rishi – Vedic scholar and seer – named
Durvasa visited the king for a lengthy stay, who housed him as his palace guest. The king asked
Pritha to personally ensure that the sage Durvasa's stay was comfortable. Princess Pritha did her
best, and Durvasa was delighted with his stay and her diligent services. Before leaving, Durvasa
thanked her and gave her the Siddha mantra telling her that if she ever wants, she can use that
mantra to call any god she desires as her lover.

Teenage Pritha after her first menstruation became curious, wondered if the mantra would really
work, and so one beautiful morning, as the golden sun rose, to explore, she called the sun god
Surya. He came with a golden glow, dressed up in jewelry and breastplate. She is reluctant about
having sex, felt confused yet interested, while Surya knew her deeper desires. They talk. Before
"agreeing to make love to Surya, Pritha makes Surya promise that the son born of the union
would be a hero with earrings and breast-plate", states McGrath. She falls on the bed in
confusion, Surya enters her and impregnates her. Karna is thus the love child of the passion
between the princess and the Surya. After their consummation, the god Surya grants her the wish
that after Karna's birth she will regain her virginity.

KARNA FRIENDSHIP WITH DURYODHANA

To display the skills of the Kuru princes, guru Dronacharya arranged a friendly tournament. His
student Arjuna, third of the Pandava brothers, was shown to be a particularly gifted archer. Karna
arrived at this tournament uninvited and surpassing Arjuna's feats, challenged him to a duel.
Kripacharya refused Karna his duel, asking first for his clan and kingdom; for according to the
rules of duelling, only a prince could challenge Arjuna to a duel. Duryodhana, the eldest of the
one-hundred sons of the king Dhritarashtra, knew that his cousins Pandavas were better at
warfare. Seeing Karna as a chance to get on even terms with them he immediately offered Karna
the throne of the kingdom of Anga, making him a king and hence eligible to fight a duel with
Arjuna. When Karna asked him what he could do to repay him, Duryodhana told him that all he
wanted was his friendship.

Karna was a loyal and true comrade to Duryodhana. He helped him to marry the princess of
Chitragandha. Following his accession to the throne of Anga, Karna took an oath that anyone
who approached him with a request, when he worshipped the sun, would not leave empty-
handed.

Later after Pandavas were in exile, Karna took up the task of establishing Duryodhana as the
Emperor. He commanded army that marched to different parts of the country to subjugate kings
and made them swear allegiance to Duryodhana, the king of Hastinapur or else die in battle. In
this military adventure, Karna waged wars and reduced to submission numerous kingdoms
including those of the Kambojas, theShakas, the Kekayas, the Avantyas, the Gandharas, the
Madarakas, the Trigartas, the Tanganas, the Panchalas, the Videhas, the Suhmas, the Angas, the
Vangas, the Nishadas, the Kalingas, the Vatsa, the Ashmakas, the Rishikas and numerous others
including mlecchas and the forest tribes.

The friendship between Karna and Duryodhana is considered to be a great one, and is used as an
example of friendship and loyalty. In the epic, Duryodhana decries the means of discrimination
employed by Dronacharya. He goes one step further to accord Karna a place among the royals,
by crowning him the King of Anga and standing by him whenever anyone pointed a finger at his
lower-birth. He seems to not care about the low birth of Karna and is the only one to vocally
support Karna candidature in the archery contest without caring about caste inequality. When
Draupadi refuses to allow Karna to string the bow at her Swayamvara because of his low birth,
Duryodhana defends him saying "great sages, philosophers, and warriors have no source.