In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna once again trying to convince Karna to come to Yudishtra’s side. Karna might be against Yudishtra and Arjuna in various aspects, but when it comes to “Dharma”, Bhagawan says that Karna should join hands with the Paandava brothers. Moreover, we’ve also witnessed a brief accord on what we should learn fro this Karna-Bhagawan Krishna conversation. If Bhagawan Himself is inviting us to come to His side, nothing should stop us from going with Him. This is where all of us make a mistake. Our worldly pleasures, attachments, etc. will always come in the way when Bhagawan or the Guru calls us towards them. A person who is able to overcome these worldly attractions and still blindly follows the path of Bhagawan or the Guru is the one who will reach the ultimate “Moksha”. Vibhishana succeeded in a similar pursuit towards Bhagawan Rama as Ravana rejected him from Sri Lanka, however, we’re witnessing Karna struggling to take that bold decision to leave Duryodhana and join Bhagawan Krishna. So let us witness the continuation of the conversation in today’s episode.
Even as Bhagawan Krishna pleads to Karna thus, Karna replies back: “Oh Krishna! I totally understand your point. I would also love to fight for “Dharma”. But my “Dharma” in this context is slightly different – Never leave a person who has given you refuge at a critical time of life! This is my “Dharma”. At this moment if I leave Duryodhana and come with you, the entire world would comment that Karna is an opportunist. People would talk and comment that Karna has got a lot of help from Duryodhana and became a king at a time when he was rejected by everyone. But now, when Karna establishes himself as a king, he is ready to dump Duryodhana at a time when he needs Karna the most. I do not want to ditch Duryodhana, even though I know that he is walking the path of “Adharma”. I know very well that I’ll be fighting a useless war. I know that this war is going to cause mass destruction. I know that I will also be one amongst thousands of warriors who will die in the war. Still, I do not have an option but to give up my life for my friend Duryodhana! You may have a thousand points to convince me, but I’m not going to switch sides and leave Duryodhana. This is a time when Duryodhana needs me the most. He has placed enormous trust in me. At this point if I leave him, it will be the biggest example of opportunism ever!”
Saying thus, Karna flatly rejects Bhagawan Krishna’s second offer as well! Understanding Karna’s intent, Bhagawan Krishna too decides that there is no use talking to Karna anymore as his mind is deeply attached to Duryodhana. This is where Karna makes one of the biggest blunders in his life. Of course, on one hand, it might sound as if Karna is right with regards to the point of opportunism, but we’ve to see this from a different angle – The person who is calling Karna to the other side is not an ordinary person. He is none other than Bhagawan Himself. We should not forget this. If this would have been any other person who is calling Karna, then this would have been a valid point. However, if Bhagawan is calling, there should be some “Sookshama” in it, isn’t it? This is where Karna failed to understand this “Ssokshama”. If Bhagawan is making a fervent call, we should understand that He is trying to protect us from something huge! If the world calls Karna an opportunist, so what? Why is Karna getting so bothered about what other people will talk and comment about him? Why can’t he live for himself and for the sake of “Dharma”? This is the biggest flaw in Karna. He is getting carried away by what others would say, but he is not prepared to get carried away by what Bhagawan is advising him to do!
So for today, let us understand in-depth as to where Karna went wrong and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further as well with some important analogies. Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 