Text and research: @deepakmrd27

Here is a list of myths about Karna with real facts from Vyasa Mahabharata.

1) Was Karna a low-caste?
🔸No! He was the son of a Suta, born to a Kshatriya and a Brahmana. It was a class of society and not considered low-caste.

2) Didn’t Karna struggle because of his origins?
🔸No, his family were royals of Anga. In fact, the Sutas ruled Anga. So, he was from a royal family

3) Did Drona refuse to teach him because of his caste?
🔸No, he studied at Drona’s ashrama along with Pandavas and Kauravas.

4) Did Karna go to Parashurama because Drona refused to teach him?
🔸No, Karna demanded higher Brahmastra & Drona denied it as Karna had not proven himself. So, he went to Parashurama.

5) Did Draupadi refuse to marry Karna?
🔸No, Karna failed to string the bow in the swayamwara.

6) Wasn’t Karna a Daan Veer?
🔸There is mention of his oath to give daan to brahmanas, but nothing to indicate he had this title.

7) Didn’t he freely give away his kavacha-kundala?
🔸Yes, but it was very clearly transactional – in exchange for Indra’s weapon Shakti.

8) Karna was an ideal friend, right?
🔸Wrong! He was a very bad friend who supported Duryodhana in his evil deeds. He was much older than Duryodhana and should have advised him.

9) Karna was a noble man and good, right?
🔸He is described as ‘trunk of the tree of evil’ by Krishna.

10) Didn’t Draupadi love Karna?

🔸Absolutely no! He humiliated her by calling her a whore in public and he was the one who ordered her to be disrobed.

11) Wasn’t Karna a great warrior?
🔸He was a great archer, but known for fleeing from the battlefield eg: Gandharva war, Virat war

12) Wasn’t Karna killed unfairly?
🔸No, until the end Karna kept fighting shooting arrows including the Brahmastra and Varunastra. He even cut Arjuna’s bowstring. Finally, Krishna asked Arjuna to kill him after which Arjuna destroyed his standard and then beheaded him.

13) So, why is Karna glorified so much?
🔸Great dramatists like Bhasa made Karna a tragic hero to present his story in a dramatic fashion. Many modern authors also did the same, as did movie makers. This is the reason why there are so many myths about Karna.

🔸Conclusion: Karna is a legendary character and one of the colourful and complex characters of Mahabharata. His life was a tragedy because he followed the wrong path and refused to choose the right path even when Krishna urged him.

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