Story Unfolds :
At the river shore of Ganges : On 16th Day of Mahabharata war: At midnight:
One man was standing tall lifelessly. The brutality of war was unmatched today. He had seen the most brutal murder of Dusashan in his very eyes. He was commander general of the Kaurava army this day. Bheem had already killed 98 brothers of Duryi. As he was waiting eagerly to kill Dush or Dushashan today. At this day in the war front he tore up the right hand of Dush in which hand he touched the open hair of Draupadi. He even tore up the chest of the dying man and drank his blood!!!! Then he dragged Draupadi in the battlefield and had drenched her in his blood!!!! So that her revenge could be fulfilled!!!! What kind of monster was he?!!! Dushashan had made a huge mistake. By obeying the evil order of Duryi or Duryodhan. He dragged Draupadi by his open hair it was truth too. But to end evilness nt evilness was not a bit solution. If he had performed a monstrous work, to avenge him with equality bruatality and monstrous attitude, would not a bit help anyone in the near future!!!
This assumption of that man was again proved correct. Giving capital punishment to a molester did not lower the rate of molestation or crime against women in India even today. We had to punish the sin, rather than the sinner. So that none could ever repeat it again. However none could understand his valid point then and none could realize it even nowadays! Karna was considered as a coward by all. Bheem. Arjuna. And modern days fans of Pandava siblings. But he was never a coward. He had kept the vow of proving himself. He lost his nine sons and stood tall like a rock. None could even understand him. And it did not matter to him. Yes you all had guessed it right. I am talking about the hero of our story Karna himself who had seen the brutalest murder of Dushashan today. In his own eyes. By the hands of Bheem.
Karna was just a silent spectator of everything. Almost everything. He could not stop anyone. Anything. That day of Cheer Haran he tried to stop Dush. He could not!!! He wanted to warn Duryi. He could not!!! He was stopped by Mama Shakuni!!! He was the person who practically witnessed the downfall of Kaurava!!! Yet like Yutyutsyu could not change his side!! He stood by them!!! Like Bikarna!!! Even being a righteous man himself!!! He had to die with them too!!!
A soft sigh escaped his mouth. He had remembered the curse of a great sage nested upon him too births ago. When he was Biswa Bhanu. Estranged yet adored Crown Prince of Gandarva. He killed a brahmin Boy of 25. Fetching water for his parents. He was doing Akher or hunting. He heard the noise and thought that it was an animal. He used Sabda Vedi Baan that killed the boy then and there. His father, the enraged sage, had cursed him to die childless. In every birth of his. Since then.
"Jyse tumne mere Putra ke hatya kiya uski 25 barsh purn hone se pehle, main Maharishi Angira, tumhe shaap deta hoon ki tum aputrak rahoge. Aur agar galti se tumhare Patni ki punya se koi putra tumhe labh bhi huwa, to woh 26 barsh purn karnse se purv mar jayega!!!! (The way you killed my only son of 25 yrs, I maharishi Angira, am cursing you to die childless. You can't have a son. In any of your own births. And if due to the luck and good deeds of your wife, you get any son, then he will die too before being 26. Just like my son.)"
The old man tore down his Paita or the symbol of Brahminhood and had cursed him under the influence of anger, hatred and frustration.
Maharishi Angira
Karna as Biswa Bhanu stood before him lowering his head to the floor. He had no right to face a grieving father. He had already done a harm to him. He killed his only son.
He looked at the enraged sage and folded his hands in prayer mode and uttered this firmly
"Hame swikar hain, Mahtman. Agar is se apki pirah kam ho toh ham sajjya hain. (I agree to be punished, o great man. If by this your pain can be fully recovered, then I am prepared for it. Wholeheartedly.)"
He took his leave and went back to his state. To nest the throne on the ablest shoulders of his dear younger sibling Chitra Bhanu who later had became a King of Gandarva. It was the same man who were the biological father of Shatrunjay and Dpitatva. Shatru and Dip.
Three siblings of Biswa Bhanu
(Left youngest Suchitra Bhanu, middle Chitra Bhanu and right Bichitra Bhanu)
All of his brothers were reluctant to let him go. But he was adamant. He wanted to serve his punishment. He had killed a young boy!!! He emptied the lap of his mother!!! He broke up a fatherly heart!!! He was a killer!! He had to be punished severely!!! His dear loyal wife followered him and both burnt themselves down!!!!! In the lap of Himalaya!!!!
Leaving throne for Chitra Bhanu
Now perhaps you all will understand why any of Karna's children could not reach the age of 25 before their own unfortunate demise!!!! It was all due to this curse!!! Of his first birth!!! For which he had to take birth twice. As Damodhav. And Karna.
He recalled everything. His precious two births. He recalled the curse of Maharishi Atri on his wife Sutanuka at the next birth too. He had retained his memory. It happened often before death!!! His death was now so near of himself!!!!
He remembered his second birth. As a demon price. Damodhav. A soft and shy boy. In love of nature. Whose life went upside down after seeing his parent burning down alive. His father Satobhav and mother Samarpita. He loved them tenderly. His father was not a bit like a demonical man. He was a soft hearted person who loved to help poor people. Yet due to a war between Humans and demons he was burnt alive!!!! Along with his wife!!! In front of the eyes of his 14 yrs old teenager son!!!
The boy changed drastically. He loved to explore the world. He even loved to roam here and there all alone. He had no friends. Expect one lovely shy and quiet young girl. Sutanuka. Adopted daughter of Maharishi Atri and Mata Atreyi Anusurya. She loved him too. But in her own mind. Damodhav was her childhood crush.
Maharishi Atri
Mata Atreyi Anusurya
He was hated by all. But adored by only one. Mata Anusurya. She took him as her own son. That woman was considered even the mother of the mighty Tridev or Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma Dev. She was mother of three sons. Among whom we knew only two. Maharishi Durvasa. And Mahan Dattatreya. This great lady never discriminated in between her biological sons and a demon Prince. She loved orphan and motherless Damodhav too. She took him under her wings. How they meet with each other had already been discussed in the previous chapter.
But the happiness had to end soon. The Daitya Guru Shukracharya came to know the secret hideout of the demon Prince. He could not believe in his eyes to see that Damodhav was being loved by a Brahmin mother. He captivated the Boy and encouraged him to declare a war against the evil Brahmin clan. It was all due to his master plan that Damodhav prayed to Surya Dev for 1000 yes and received 1000 armors as a Boon. He had been entitled as Sahashra Kavach by Surya Dev. So this was the story of the great downfall of Damodhav. He tried to listen to Daitya Guru or the mentor of the demons. He had chosen to be manipulated by the evil old man. To punish the killer of his parents!!! He forgot a simple fact that "hatred, rage, jealousy and aspiration of revenge can ultimately destroy yourself". That Bheem had forgotten too while killing Dushashan. Now you will understand why Karna was against the brutality!!! He had previous experience!!!!
He killed countless Brahmins. He had abducted them and chopped off their heads. That was the reason why as Karna his head was cut off by his arch enemy Arjuna!!!! It was also due to another curse on him!!!!! His life was full of curse!!!! As Biswa Bhanu!!! As Damodhav!!! Even as Karna!!!!
With a sigh Karna looked at the water of Ganges. He heard the voice of Mata Ganga in his eardrum "Putra, tum Karna ho. Dan Beer Karna. Woh jisne apne 9 Putro ke ahuti de di. Laro. Tum ajeya ho. Tum amar ho. Yudhha karo. Tum yodhha ho. Hey Parashuram shishya, he Kunti Nandan, he Padma priyo, he Supriya ke Bhagwan, he Uruvi Swami tumhe ladna hoga. Apne tarah aur tute huwe logo ke liye. Is samast Aryavart ko yeah dikhana ho ga ki Karna mara nahin, Karna marta nahin. Karna amar tha. Amar hain. Aur amar hi rahega. (My son, don't you dare to cry. Don't you dare to forget that you are Karna. You are the benevolent King yourself. You are the inspiration for upcoming ages. People loves you. People will learn from you how to fight back even after loosing his young 9 sons. You are immortal. You are indomitable. Hey student of Parashuram, hey son of Kunti, Hey life of Radha, Hey love of Padma, Hey God of Supriya, Hey husband of Uruvi, rise proudly and fight bravely. You have to show the entire India that Karna is still alive. He will be more alive even after his demise. By his legacy. None can be like you. Anyone can be like Arjuna. None be like you. Karna is not a name. It is a title. To all brave hearts who fight against his fate is adverse situation. Karna will be immortal in the mind of people. He will be truly immortal in the history of India. He will be immortal now. He will remain like this for ages.)"
Mata Ganga
He closed his eyelids tightly. Tears were threatening to fall down. Only a single drop of tear emerged from his left eye. He was moved by the love and care of Mata Ganga. He would fight back. He should. He could not ran out of the battlefield. He could not. He was Karna. He knew that the war of tomorrow would be vital. As it was the end of his life. His lifelong pain and suffering. His agony. His name. His legacy. Yet he had to fight back. Bravely. He was not fighting with Arjuna!!!! He was fighting with his destiny!!! He was fighting with his own suffering!!! He was fighting with himself!!!!
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At the Royal tent of Pandava: On the midnight of 16th day:
Another man was stark awake. He was roaming around his room. By clutching his hands at his back. He could not believe that Sut Putra had donated his life today!!!! He could kill him easily yet he stopped his arrow on the silly excuse of sun set!!!! He was not ready to accept that he was defeated by his arch enemy!!!! Yes you guessed it right. He was none other than the arch enemy and younger sibling of Karna, Arjuna himself.
All of a sudden he heard a rustle just behind himself. He with a jolt looked back and saw his best friend Lord Krishna was all in smile!!!
Expression of Arjuna
Arjuna narrowed his eyes in question mode. He was awake as he was now thinking deep. But why Lord Krishna was still awake!!! At this midnight!!!
Lord Krishna sensed his dilemma and patted his tensed shoulders with love. Then he claimed firmly "Agar tum yeh soch rahe ho ki Karna ne tumhe jibit kyun choda toh yeah nisprayojan hain sochna. (If you are thinking now why Karna has donated your life today at war then forget it. It is unnecessary.)"
Arjuna wanted to say something but Lord Krishna signalled him to stop. He with a small wave of his shoulders uttered this "Karna ko samjhna itna saral nahin hain. Unki chinta dhara saral rekha main nahin chalta. (It is not a bit an easy task to comprehend Karna. His thought process never goes in a simple ways.)"
Lord Krishna Vasudev
"Par (but)..." Arjuna again tried to ask something when his cousin looked at his face intently. Then replied calmly
"So jao, Parth. Kal ke yudhha nirnayak hoga. (Go to sleep. Tomorrow's war is considered as a vital one. In nature.)" Then he added in his own mind "Kal ke uparant tum so nahin sakoge. (And after Tom you can't be able to sleep in your lifetime.)"
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At the midnight: At the Royal tent of Anga:
A pale and bloodless girl was now lying in bed. She was in her death bed. She did not regain her consciousness since she witnessed the dead body of her Lalla. Her Vrishasen. She was now bed ridden. She lost her desire to live anymore. All her sons gone One by one. She wanted to go to them too. But perhaps her heart was still beating as she had promised to be the armor of her husband Karna. She was none but Devi Supriya herself.
One man entered the room and stood before her. His heart ached hard for the pale bloodless face of hers. Once the face had glowed up with joy by stealing a glimpse of him. And today she was unconscious. She was not a bit looking at him.
He came forward to her bed and sat down beside her. He recalled his own birth as Damodhav where she as his loyal wife promised to wait for him. Eagerly. Till her end. He did not know that she was pregnant then. Even she did not know that. They were both young. Both foolish. Both naive. He had promised to come back to her. Yet he could not. He came back to her in his death bed. To find out that she had been turned into a lifeless stone figure by her father Maharishi Atri. Due to a curse.
He touched her stone figure and had found the same sensation in it. As if she was telling him with a pleasant smile on her own beautiful face "Ap a gaye!!! (So you at last come back to me!!!)"
He could not bear the sight. He could not cope up with the pain. "It was his fault. Take his life. Bring back his Sutanuka." It was the last thing that roamed in his mind before collapsing on the floor. He died instantly. His blood that came out of his mouth fall on her face and had burnt her down. Alive!!!
Stone figure of Sutanuka
He forgot her dedication, devotion, love and loyalty. As Karna. He was so happy with his Padma. And in his life. He was engrossed in it. He did not feel any urge to marry her. He was drawn to her. Yes!!! But he was drawn to Asha once. Due to her foolishness. He was drawn to the fire soul of Krishna too. But it did not mean that he had to marry her. He did not know that she was his wife of previous birth. It was due to the demand of Bhanu and urge of Duryi he decided to marry Supriya. He even left her alone on the alter. She suffered a lot. Yet she never ever complained. Nor cursed him. Like her baby sister Uruvi. She understood him more than he understood her!!! She wanted just his happiness!!! She sacrificed her own love for him many times!!! Just to see a smile on his own face!!! She was a Queen of Anga too yet she chosen self-seclusion!!! She was not even known as the wife of Karna to Pandava and many small or big kingdoms of Aryavart (I mean of India). Not even in Pukeya!!!! She had chosen to remain as an unknown wife of Karna to all!!!! Just for the sake of the happiness of him and his first wife Padma!!!! She gave away her sons to him!!! Even her last Born too!!! Just to give them a good upbringing!!!! Yet she suffered in poverty herself!!!! She was a Princess who had lived like a Maid!!! She was a Queen who again lived like a maid!!!! Her life was full of agony and misery!!! Yet she was an epitome of loyalty and devotion!!!! She was Mahasati Supriya!!!!
He took his hands and kissed on her knuckles with deep love. Then he had looked at her direction intently while whispering this gently
"Priya, chalte hain. Hey Devi, tumhari Karna ke antim bidai swikar Karo. (My dearly beloved, I am going. O Goddess, accept the last goodbye from your Karna.)"
He soothed his nerves as he had great control over it. He looked perfectly calm and composed. It happened to a man who craved for his demise for long!!! It happened to him too!!!
Emotional Karna
He called her as "Priya" for the first time in front of her while she always wanted him to call in this name. Instead of "Devi". She was ashamed to be called as a goddess by her God!!! Her husband!!!
The first night they spent together she demanded to him not to call as Devi.
He asked her softly "Toh kya bulawe apko?!! Su!!! (Then what to call for you?!! Su!!)"
She twisted her nose in fake rage and flared her own nostril. Then she had replied to him "Su toh Ham apni Jiji ke hain. Apki nahin. (I am Su only to my sister. Not for you.)"
He dragged her towards himself and softly kissed her forehead while asking this "Toh (then)?!!!" He loved to see her bashful smile again.
"Apki Priya!!! (Yours only dearly beloved!!)" She told him and hid her face in her palms.
Blushing Supriya
He recalled that night!!! It was the very beginning!!! And this was the very end!! She was here!!! He was here too!!! Yet they were meant to not to be together!!!! In this lifetime!!!
With a soft sigh he pecked on her forehead lovingly. Then practically ran out of the room. He could not see her dying!!! In his own eyes!!!
She smiled brightly in her sleep. God knew what this sinking lady had even realized in this situation!!! Could she be able to understand that he bade his farewell from herself!!! I doubt that!!!
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So this is getting intense. The war in between Karna and Arjuna is to be performed even in 17th day where he will die. Will Supriya witness it like her baby sister Uruvi? What will happen to her? The answers are given in the next remaining chapters.
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