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57. ATTACHMENT AND DUTY
His prayers over, Karna looked back to
find Kunti standing behind him and
holding the hem of his upper garment over
her head to shield it from the burning sun.
That Pandu's queen and the mother of the
Pandava princes should be there, waiting
patiently for him to finish his prayers,
filled him with great confusion and
amazement.
"The son of Radha and the chariot-driver
Adhiratha bows to you. I am at your
service. What can I do for you, O queen?"
asked Karna, according to the established
forms of respectful address.
"Karna," said Kuntidevi, "you are not
Radha's son, nor is the charioteer your
father. Do not think that you are a man of
the chariot-driver's caste. You are Surya's
son born out of the womb of Pritha of
royal blood, otherwise known as Kunti.
May good fortune attend you"!
She then narrated the story of his birth.
"You who were born with full armor and
golden earrings," said Kunti, "not
knowing that the Pandavas are your
brothers, have joined Duryodhana and
have come to hate them. To live in
dependence on Dhritarashtra's sons, does
not befit you. Join Arjuna and be one of
the kings of the realm. May you and
Arjuna put down the wicked! The whole
world will be at your feet. Your fame will
reach far and wide, like that of the
brothers Balarama and Krishna.
Surrounded by your five brothers, your
effulgence will be like that of Brahma
among the gods. In perplexing situations,
one must do what gives satisfaction to
loving parents. This is the highest dharma
according to our scriptures."
When his mother spoke thus to him at the
end of his devotions to the sun, Karna felt
a sign in his heart that the Sun god
endorsed Kunti's request. But he checked
himself and took it to mean that the Sun
god was testing his loyalty and strength of
mind. He should not be found wanting.
With an effort of the will, he controlled
alike the temptations of self-interest and
the prompting of natural affection. He said
sadly but firmly: "What you have said,
dear mother, is contrary to dharma. If I
swerve from the path of duty, I shall have
done myself much more hurt than any that
an enemy might inflict on me in the
battlefield. You deprived me of all that
was my birthright as a kshatriya when you
threw me, a helpless babe, into the river.
And now, you talk to me of my duties as a
kshatriya. You denied me the motherly
love, which blesses all life. And now,
thinking of your other children's good,
you tell me this story. If I now join the
Pandavas, will not the world proclaim that
I have done so out of fear.
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