So now discussion has turned from Satyabhama to Karna. 😆 Ok, let me add my two cents.
I don't know why, but I have never been fond of Karna. In my opinion, he has so much empathy from people because of the "tragic hero" image that movies, shows and modern books have created for him, but in the original epic he is not a character prone to that much tragedy.
People paint Karna as having an unhappy life, but he didn't. Yes, Kunti gave him up, but he was raised by loving parents who loved him like their own son. He had a very happy childhood, and he was not ostracized by others like they showed in Starbharat. The Suta caste back in those days was not despised or hated. They were a caste of charioteers, but they were not looked down upon with hatred. Draupadi refusing Karna for being a suta putra is also false; it is a later interpolation. Like someone mentioned, Karna actually tried and failed to hit the target. Starbharat over-dramatized Karna's life, making it seem like he never had a moment of happiness.
The only time Karna's caste was used against him was when Dronacharya refused him entry as a student, but Karna was not rejected by every Gurukul out there. He learned the preliminaries in other Gurukuls and then went to Parashuram for higher education.
I'm not saying discrimination did not exist for Karna, but it was not as prevalent in every damn aspect of his life like Starbharat showed. Starbharat made it seem like Karna led a very tragic life, which is not true. Like many others, Karna had some setbacks in life, but his entire life was not one big tragedy. He had a great family, a happy childhood, loyal brothers, and a loving wife.
As for Karna being rejected in the princely competition, there was nothing wrong in that because it was not Karna's place to compete there. It was for the princes of Hastinapur and did not involve the general public. Karna had no business intruding just to show off his skills.
Karna was a great warrior, no doubt, and he had his share of good qualities, the greatest being his generous nature towards anyone who asked him alms, but I cannot call him a hero because of his role in Draupadi's vastra haran. Duryodhan had Draupadi dragged to the hall, but his orders for her were to join the servants in the kitchens. Duryodhan insulted Draupadi, but he had never planned to molest her. The orders to Dushashan to disrobe Draupadi came from Karna, and yes everyone else accepted it, but Karna is the main culprit. I can never consider Karna a hero because of this. A hero need not be perfect. A hero can have faults, he can make mistakes, but a man who thinks it is ok to disrobe a woman as revenge is no hero. This is not a fault or mistake, it's a crime. So characters like Karna and Duryodhan can never be heros for me, no matter their virtues.
I am not saying the Pandavas were faultless. They also had their share of blame in the vastraharan for being mute spectators, but they repented for their betrayal of Draupadi for 13 years through penance, and Lord Krishna himself said there is no crime which cannot be forgiven by penance. Draupadi herself forgave them, so the Pandavas redeemed themselves by the end of their vanvaas, whereas Karna and Duryodhan never repented for their treatment of Draupadi.
Also, I disagree that Arjuna was born with a silver spoon. He and his brothers were born in a forest, and they spent their entire childhood there. They suffered the death of their dear father and were then whisked away to their father's kingdom, where they were ill-treated by their cousins and treated with indifference by their uncle. They were never made to feel at home in Hastinapur, and going away to Gurukul was a blessing in disguise. Arjuna was not favored by Dronacharya for no reason. He was truly a good student and worked hard for the distinction.
The Pandavas' life was never easy. Even after returning from Gurukul, they were nearly killed by their cousins in the wax mansion (a plan in which Karna was involved btw, despite knowing it was wrong). Even after getting Khandavaprastha, they had to work hard to make it prosperous as Indraprastha. The Pandavas suffered from the moment they entered Hastinapur. They were never truly protected or prosperous. They had to live off the generosity of their selfish uncle.
The only one who was truly born with a silver spoon was Duryodhan. He never had to ask for anything in his life. Everything he ever wanted was given to him by his father, without ever having to work for it. That is why he turned out so arrogant, cruel and devious.
Anupamaa
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