Gratitude - Karṇa Rādheya Speaks

1 years ago

BrhannadaArmour

@BrhannadaArmour

Gratitude - Karṇa Rādheya Speaks

I'm not ashamed to be a sūta anymore. There were times in my life when I was treated as less than a kṣatriya, but Duryodhana gave me the opportunity to prove myself, and I did. We've been friends since childhood, studying under Droṇa together, and it never mattered to Duryodhana that I wasn't from his caste or his country. We laugh whenever someone points out that the emblem on Duryodhana's flag is an elephant in honour of Hāstinapura, and the emblem on my flag is an elephant-saddle, implying that I control him and his city. Well, it's true. We fought side-by-side at that svayaṃvara in Kaliṅga, and everywhere else since then, and when Duryodhana got his turn to rule the Kuru kingdom, he shared it with me. We collected tribute from the kingdoms around us, and performed the Vaiṣṇava yajña. We did it together, Duryodhana and I.

I'm a grandfather by now. My grandchildren's birth-rites were done in the sūta tradition, just like my children's and my wives' and mine. The sūta community knows me as one of their own. If I could be a kṣatriya today, I wouldn't want it because it would make everyone look at my family differently. We're not a mixed family. We're a sūta family, all of us together.

Legally, I'm Pāṇḍu's son, but I never knew him. Calling him my father and claiming inheritance from him would imply that Adhiratha isn't enough for me, after he did everything to give me a good life. Through this lady Pṛthā Kuntī, my birth mother, I could say that I'm related to the Mādhava clan in Dvāravatī, the Bhoja lords of Kunti, and the royals of Kekaya, Cedi, and Karūṣa. I do think about being acknowledged by those adept warriors whom I respect: Purujit is my mātula just as much as Bhīma's, the five Kekaya brothers are my mātṛṣvaseya cousins, Dhṛṣṭaketu of Cedi is my mātṛṣvaseyaja, and of course, Kṛṣṇa is my mātulaja. However, if the price of that recognition is to be called Pārtha and not Rādheya, it's not worth it. I owe my life to Rādhā and my name belongs to her only.

Kṛṣṇa is saying that if I take my place as Yudhiṣṭhira's elder brother, Drupada's daughter Kṛṣṇā will visit me every sixth time. There was a time when I wanted her for myself. Who didn't? She's a princess, and a remarkably beautiful woman. But I failed to bend the bow at her svayaṃvara, and now that she's married to five men, I wouldn't want her either. I admit that she's not a bandhakī as I called her thirteen years ago; she has proved her loyalty to her husbands. Even so, I don't feel comfortable changing my lifestyle. I have my own wives, we've spent a lifetime together, and I don't share them with anybody.

I'm grateful to my parents for giving me my sūta identity. I'm grateful to my wives for giving me this family. I'm grateful to the sūta community for looking up to me. I'm grateful to Duryodhana for sharing everything with me. So, whatever I might acquire by some accident of birth, I would only share it with Duryodhana, not with Pṛthā's sons. And the honourable way to acquire it isn't by divulging an old secret. The honourable way is through war.

Karṇa speaks to Kṛṣṇa (Udyogaparvan 139.1-27):

asaṃśayaṃ sauhṛdān me praṇayāc c'āttha Keśava

sakhyena c'aiva Vārṣṇeya śreyaskāmatay'aiva ca

Undoubtedly, you speak as my well-wisher and a diplomat, Keśava, out of friendship (to Arjuna), descendant of Vṛṣṇi, and also out of desire for what is best.

sarvaṃ c'aivā'bhijānāmi Pāṇḍoḥ putro'smi dharmataḥ

nigrahād dharma-śāstrāṇāṃ yathā tvaṃ Kṛṣṇa manyase

And I acknowledge it all, really. Legally, I am Pāṇḍu's son, by the rule of jurisprudence, just as you opine, Kṛṣṇa.

kanyā garbhaṃ samādhatta bhāskarān māṃ janārdana

Āditya-vacanāc c'aiva jātaṃ māṃ sā vyasarjayat

An unmarried girl conceived a child from the radiant-rayed sun - me! Agitator of people! Advised by the sun who is born of Aditi, as soon as I was born, she sent me away.

so'smi Kṛṣṇa tathā jātaḥ Pāṇḍoḥ putro'smi dharmataḥ

Kuntyā tv aham apākīrṇo yathā na kuśalaṃ tathā

That's who I am, Kṛṣṇa! Born like that, legally, I'm Pāṇḍu's son, but the way I was discarded by Kuntī, it wasn't all right.

sūto hi mām Adhiratho dṛṣṭv'aiva anayad gṛhān

Rādhāyāś c'aiva māṃ prādāt sauhārdān Madhu-sūdana

Adhiratha, a sūta, took me home as soon as he saw me, and gave me into the care of Rādhā, only out of benevolence, subduer of the Madhu clan!

matsnehāc c'aiva Rādhāyāḥ sadyaḥ kṣīram avātarat

sā me mūtraṃ purīṣaṃ ca pratijagrāha Mādhava

Out of affection for me, Rādhā spontaneously expressed milk. She wiped away my urine and feces, descendant of Madhu!

tasyāḥ piṇḍa-vyapanayaṃ kuryād asmadvidhaḥ katham

dharmavid dharma-śāstrāṇāṃ śravaṇe satataṃ rataḥ

How could someone like me take away her due support, when I know my duty and perpetually enjoy listening to jurisprudence?

tathā mām abhijānāti sūtaś c'Ādhirathaḥ sutam

pitaraṃ c'ābhijānāmi tam ahaṃ sauhṛdāt sadā

Just as the sūta Adhiratha acknowledges me as his son, I forever acknowledge him as my father for his benevolence.

sa hi me jāta-karm'ādi kārayām āsa Mādhava

śāstra-dṛṣṭena vidhinā putra-prītyā janārdana

It was he who got my birth-rites done, descendant of Madhu, by the custom-prescribed method, out of love for his son, agitator of people!

nāma me Vasuṣeṇ'eti kārayām āsa vai dvijaiḥ

bhāryāś c'oḍhā mama prāpte yauvane tena Keśava

He had twice-born scholars give me the name Vasuṣeṇa. And he arranged wives for me when I attained youth, Keśava!

tāsu putrāś ca pautrāś ca mama jātā janārdana

tāsu me hṛdayaṃ Kṛṣṇa saṃjātaṃ kāma-bandhanam

From them, my children and grandchildren were born, agitator of people! To them, Kṛṣṇa, my heart is connected by mutual desire.

na pṛthivyā sakalayā na suvarṇasya rāśibhiḥ

harṣād bhayād vā govinda anṛtaṃ vaktum utsahe

Not for the whole wide world, not for heaps of bright gold, neither in excitement nor in terror would I want to speak treacherously, cow-pasturer!

Dhṛtarāṣṭra-kule Kṛṣṇa Duryodhana-samāśrayāt

mayā trayodaśa samā bhuktaṃ rājyam akaṇṭakam

With Dhṛtarāṣṭra's family, Kṛṣṇa, mutually reliant upon Duryodhana, for thirteen years I enjoyed a kingdom free of thorns.

iṣṭaṃ ca bahubhir yajñaiḥ saha sūtair mayā'sakṛt

āvāhāś ca vivāhāś ca saha sūtaiḥ kṛtā mayā

I performed many kinds of yajña with sūta congregants, more than once, and engaged in invitations and marriages with the sūta community.

māṃ ca Kṛṣṇa samāśritya kṛtaḥ śastra-samudyamaḥ

Duryodhanena Vārṣṇeya vigrahaś c'āpi Pāṇḍavaiḥ

Mutually reliant upon me, Kṛṣṇa, Duryodhana engaged in this weapon-based collective effort and in hostility with Pāṇḍu's sons, descendant of Vṛṣṇi!

tasmād raṇe dvairathe māṃ pratyudyātāram acyuta

vṛtavān paramaṃ hṛṣṭaḥ pratīpaṃ savya-sācinaḥ

That's why, for the war, he was most excited to choose me, the rival of (Arjuna) the one who can shoot left-handed, to go up against him (Arjuna) in a battle of two chariots, unousted one!

vadhād bandhād bhayād vā'pi lobhād vā'pi janārdana

anṛtaṃ n'otsahe kartuṃ Dhārtarāṣṭrasya dhīmataḥ

Agitator of people! Not if I'm slain or captured, neither for terror nor for greed, would I want to commit treachery against Dhṛtarāṣṭra's son who is thoughtful!

yadi hy adya na gaccheyaṃ dvairathaṃ savya-sācinā

akīrtiḥ syād dhṛṣīkeśa mama Pārthasya c'obhayoḥ

Exciter of body-hair! If I don't go for a two-chariot battle with (Arjuna) the one who can shoot left-handed, just now, that would be disgraceful for both me and Pṛthā's (Kuntī's) son (Arjuna).

asaṃśayaṃ hit'ārthāya brūyās tvaṃ Madhu-sūdana

sarvaṃ ca Pāṇḍavāḥ kuryus tvadvaśitvān na saṃśayaḥ

Undoubtedly, subduer of the Madhu clan, you will advise Pāṇḍu's sons for their welfare, and they'll do it all because you're the one in control, without a doubt.

mantrasya niyamaṃ kuryās tvam atra puruṣ'ottama

etad atra hitaṃ manye sarva-Yādava-nandana

You keep the secret right here, best of men! In this situation, I think that's best, delighter of all descendants of Yadu!

yadi jānāti māṃ rājā dharm'ātmā saṃśita-vrataḥ

Kuntyāḥ prathamajaṃ putraṃ na sa rājyaṃ grahīṣyati

If your King (Yudhiṣṭhira) who is law-abiding and keeps difficult vows discovers that I am Kuntī's firstborn son, he will not take the kingdom.

prāpya c'āpi mahad rājyaṃ tad ahaṃ Madhu-sūdana

sphītaṃ Duryodhanāy'aiva saṃpradadyām ariṃdama

And I, obtaining that vast kingdom, will share it only with Duryodhana, assuredly, subduer of the Madhu clan and tamer of your enemies!

sa eva rājā dharm'ātmā śāśvato'stu Yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

netā yasya hṛṣīkeśo yoddhā yasya dhanaṃjayaḥ

Let only the law-abiding Yudhiṣṭhira be the lasting King, because his leader is (Kṛṣṇa) the exciter of body-hair and his warrior is (Arjuna) the conqueror of wealth!

pṛthivī tasya rāṣṭraṃ ca yasya Bhīmo mahārathaḥ

Nakulaḥ Sahadevaś ca Draupadeyāś ca Mādhava

Descendant of Madhu! The wide land and nation are his, on whose side are Bhīma the great chariot-warrior, Nakula and Sahadeva, and the sons of Drupada's daughter ...

Uttamaujā Yudhāmanyuḥ Satyadharmā ca Somakiḥ

Caidyaś ca Cekitānaś ca Śikhaṇḍī c'āparājitaḥ

And (the princes of Pañcāla) Uttamaujas, Yudhāmanyu, and Satyadharman the descendant of Somaka (Drupada's grandfather), the Cedi king (Dhṛṣṭaketu, grandson of Kuntī's sister), Cekitāna (a Vṛṣṇi relative of Kuntī), and the undefeated Śikhaṇḍin ...

indragopaka-varṇāś ca Kekayā bhrātaras tathā

Indr'āyudha-savarṇaś ca Kunti-Bhojo mahārathaḥ

Along with the Kekaya brothers (five sons of Kuntī's sister) with (horses) the colour of indragopa-ants, and with (horses) the colour of the rainbow, the Kunti Bhoja (Purujit, son of Kuntī's adoptive father) who is a great chariot-warrior ...

mātulo Bhīmasenasya Senajic ca mahārathaḥ

Śaṅkhaḥ putro Virāṭasya nidhis tvaṃ ca janārdana

And who is the maternal uncle of Bhīmasena, and Senajit (Kṛṣṇa's son) who is a great chariot-warrior, Śaṅkha the son of Virāṭa, and you are his treasure, agitator of the people!