Caste Variations

8/13/2019 Caste Variations

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There is a general discomfort in academia today when they study religion. To appear

appreciating the religion is frowned upon: it indicates bias. So, the counter is rather

popular amongst researchers, harsh criticism, to earn their academic stripes. This is

easy when there is a categorical divide between the method of research and theobject of research. The method of research is grounded and logical and is called

social science. The object is based on beliefs, which are inherently irrational andsubjective. How does one use logic to understand that which is not logical? The

approach itself creates a power equation with the scientist placing himself on a

dominant position and the object becoming defensive. Not surprisingly, followers of

the faith reject academic writings on religions. And they end up being branded as

fundamentalists by the still dominant scientist.

When studying India, in general, and Hinduism, in particular, there is no escaping a

study of caste. Unfortunately, the moment the word caste is used, its politics

surfaces with such lethal force, that all discussion on this topic becomes tempered

with so much political correctness, that it ends up being everything but scientific. It is

the easiest way to make Hindus defensive about their religion. It is like equating

Islam only with jihad, and the Catholic faith only with pedophile priests, Europe only

with Imperialism and America only with materialism.

To understand the caste system, one must begin with the human desire to dominate.In nature, animals create pecking orders so that the dominant animal gets more

access to food and exclusive access to mates. This is natures way of ensuring thesurvival of the best of genes. Genetically speaking, humans are 96-99% animals and

so this desire to dominate, and be territorial, has not gone away. It is still there. If

anything, it has amplified, because of imagination.

Culture was created to break free from the law of the jungle. Animals have to search

for food and shun predators every minute of their lives. Humans created society sothat with enough food and adequate protection, humans can pursue activities that

validate their humanity. Unfortunately, culture ended up creating structures that

ended up celebrating the animal desire to dominate and be territorial, within us. That

is why, in every society, we still have hierarchies, based on various parameters,

even though human imagination allows us to create a world without pecking orders.

Every animal is different. This difference grants it a place in the food chain. Thus the

capabilities and capacities of an animal cannot be separated from its place in the

hierarchy. The strong animal, willy-nilly, will dominate. Amongst humans, the strong


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can celebrate his strength by choosing not to dominate. This idea is expressed in the

idea of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey-god, who is animal and exceptionally strong,

but functions with such humility and gentleness that it makes him worthy of

veneration.

Every human being can be distinguished on various basis. Natural criteria like

height, weight, color, race, ethnicity, looks, lineage, intelligence, skills and social

criteria like politics, economics, geography, history. Any one of these can be used to

dominate, or not dominate other human beings. Each one of these has been used to

dominate, and not dominate. There is not a single society where hierarchy and

domination do not exist. Everybody imagines a world without it, aspires for it, but

ends up creating it.

The American Declaration of Independence speaks of equality. The men who wrote

it were white, patriarchal, Protestant, owned slaves, owned land obtained by wiping

out Native Americans. After two centuries,America remains a hierarchical society,

hierarchy being determined by wealth, technology and glamor. Every nation state

signed the Declaration of Human Rights nearly half a century ago. But even today

80% of the worlds resources is enjoyed by 20% of the worlds population, andironically people belonging to the 20% point fingers at those in the 80% for human

rights abuses!The caste system took hierarchy and inequality to unbelievable heights. People have

tried to explain this caste-based hierarchy on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, race,

economics and politics and have failed. The Vedic hymns acknowledge the

existence of varnas, divisions of human society based on certain criteria. References

to rights and responsibilities of each varna is found in almost every Hindu scripture.

On religious ground, Brahmins dominated society. On political ground, Kshatriyas

dominated society. On economic ground, Vaishyas dominated society. The rest

served these three groups. The idea seems to have been to create a society basedon division of capabilities where there were no single criteria of domination.

However, what we call caste system today is based not on varna, but on jati,

professions. Scholars are divided if varna thoughts inspired the jati system. One will

never know for sure, but the idea of human diversity and hierarchy is rooted in

hymns that speak of varna. The method by which the jati system was adopted was

deceptively simple: no sharing of women and food with members of other castes.


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British interpreters of the caste system, made it sound rather rigid, more for

administrative convenience, than to reflect reality, while Indian academicians have

noted the fluid nature of jati. A term called sanskritization came into being to showhow castes moved up the social ladder as they acquired economic and political

clout.

I would greatly appreciate it, if could help me in understanding some aspects ofKarnas life. I have, during my research, not really been able to find out the antecedents of

Adhiratha, Vasusenas adoptive father. And as you are well aware, a lot of the issuesconfronting the adolescent, and later, the adult Karna hinge on him being addressedas Sootaputra. I thought you could shed some light on this. Technically, Adhirathasmother should be a Brahmin/Rishis daughter, while his father would be a Kshatriyawarrior King/ Prince, if he is a Soota.

Also, is it possible that Adhiratha, and Vidura (Also called Daasi-Suta {not Soota})could have had some connection? Wasnt Viduras wife Aruni (also a Soota, thedaughter of King Devaka by a Shudra handmaid) also called Radha, as was

Adhirathas wife (From whom Karna g ot the Metronymic Radheya)? Although, strictlygoing by definitions, Vidura is not really a Soota at all- he was born of a Shudra maidand Rishi Vyasa I would love to hear more from you on this Blessings, Deepam

A nameless, aimless waif on earth.Relen tless Fate swoopd thee to serve Her aim.

And veerd thy steps into a nest of plots And feuds: A Royal house of power-drunk sots,

Perdue to Pity, Chivalry, een shame! Beguild with bribe of crown to battle in cause Of king, who matchd thee gainst thy ve ry kin,

Thy valor, bounty, innocence of sin Availd thee naught gainst unjust death. Alas! Befooled babe gainst Fates bewildering odds!

Bejeweled bauble of the jeering Gods!T.P. Kailasam


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Welcome

1.1. Dear Shri Deepamjee, You are welcome. Thank you for asking the questions. Ifind the subject of your research quite interesting; and more interesting is yourbackground. You say that after being an Officer in the Army and quitting it about adozen years ago you have taken up research; and have authored a book on TheTimeless Faith: Dialogues on Hinduism. 1.2. You mentioned that you registered on Sulekha only in order to talk to me. Thatsok. May I suggest you stay here and look around; you will find a number ofwonderfully gifted persons who write with great skill and enterprise on diversesubjects . Your interactions could be mutually beneficial.1.3. You have raised a number of issues and my response might be lengthy. Itherefore prefer to post it as blog, rather than as a comment or send it to you by E-mail .I reckon that if posted on the net it might also help those looking for similaranswers.

1.4. I suggest you read my earlier posts on Draupadi, Kunti and Satyavathi, the threemost remarkable women of Mahabharata who wielded enormous influence andpower with skill and sagacity over the lives of those around them; and moreimportantly they knew precisely when not to exhibit their power. You might also readmy post on the concept of Dharma as it was employed and demonstrated inMahabharata. This article briefly discusses some of the issues related to yourresearch; it might be of use, modestly.

The Question of Caste

2.1. Since your questions touch upon caste and other social issues, it is important tounderstand the matrix of the then prevailing system.

The question of caste and the systems of its classifications and sub- classificationsplayed a crucial role in the story of Mahabharata; and particularly in the lives ofthose disadvantaged ones. The caste spread its tentacles deep into every aspect ofthe Mahabharata society; and had a vise- like stranglehold over matters concerningones position and rights in the society, as also the matters related to property

rights, inheritance etc.

2.2. The Mahabharata society functioned, I reckon, not as a collection of freeindividuals enjoying equal rights; or as a cohesive society bound together by a set ofequitable common civil laws. Its society was viewed as a community made up ofdistinct caste groups. Its specific position in social hierarchy, its economic and socialfunctions, rights and responsibilities of each group were well recognized andarticulated.

The Bhagavad-Gita tried to mollify a bad situation that was getting worse by

clarifying that the four-way classification was indeed based on ones merit or


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excellence (guna) and functions (karma).But that sadly remained an academicplacation.2.3. A person in the Mahabharata society derived his position and rights by virtue ofbeing a member of a given caste-group rather than as an individual on the strengthof his merits. The questions of his status, his inheritance as also those of hisoffspring were decided in the context of his sub caste-group. The matter wouldusually be fairly simple and well laid out when both the husband and wife belongedto the same caste-group. But, it would get rather complicated when man and womancame from different caste-groups.

The then Law-givers went into great lengths to classify and sub-classify the offspringof such inter-caste marriages, in order to determine their status and rights. Therewere, of course, supplementary questions that begged for answers. Suchuncomfortable questions arose in the context of those born out of the wedlock or ofthose born to a re-married woman and such other complications.

Towards the end of the epic, in the Shanthi-parva, Yudhistira the newly anointed kingqueries, among other things, the wise old Bhishma strung on a bed of arrows: Wehear of many disputes that arise out of the question of the sons. Do thou solve thedoubt for us, who are bewildered . Bhishma then initially lists out nine types orcategories of sons who then are classified as those: (i) sons who belong to the familyand have also the right to inherit; (ii) and as those sons who only belong to thefamily, but have not the right to inherit. Bhishma then goes on to list twelve othertypes of sons who are born out of man and woman who belong to different castes.

Of these the first six are termed apadh-vamsaja (three types born of a Brahman withKshatriya, Vaishya or Sudra woman; two types born of a Kshatriya with Vaishya orSudra woman; and one type born of a Vaishya with a Sudra woman); and six othertypes termed apasada (three types born of Sudra with Brahman, Kshatriya orVaishya woman; two types born of a Vaishya with Brahman or Kshatriya woman;and, one type born of a Kshatriya with Brahman woman). Apart from these there arealso other categories born outside wedlock with or the without the express approvalof the husband; sons of re-married woman; sons born to widows, sons born tovirgins; as also those sons adopted, sons gifted, adopted from other parents; those

abandoned infants picked up from the street and whose parentage is not known;and, sons bought for price etc. The rights of inheritance or otherwise, the caste andthe social status of each category are also listed.2.4. The later text the Arthasastra (dated around the third century BCE) fairly wellenumerated the classifications based on the distinction whether the male was of asuperior caste (anuloma) or whether the female was of a superior caste (pratiloma).Those were again sub-classified depending on how far a spouse ranked below theother.For instance, the son begotten by a Brahman from a Kshatriya woman wasa murddhabhishikta (ananantarputrha or savarna marriage); a son begotten by a

Brahman from a Vaishya woman was ambashtha; and a son begotten by aBrahman from a Sudra woman was a Nishda or Prasava. Similar classifications


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were provided for Kshatriyas and Vaishyas who married below their caste-rank .Therights of those offrsprings diminished progressively. [Chapter VII : "Distinctionbetween Sons" in the section o f Division of Inheritance in Book III, Concerning lawof the Arthasstra of Kautilya. ]2.5. Under a similar classification, the offspring begotten by a Brahman woman froma Kshatriya male was called Suta; her offspring from a Vaishya male was Videha;and her offspring from a Sudra was a Sudra. Similar sub-classifications wereprovided for Kashatriya and Vaishya women marring below their caste-rank.The Artha-sastra said, the sons begotten by a Sdra on women of higher casteswere Ayogava, Kshatta, and Chandla. The term Kshatta, however, had earlier hada totally different connotation in the Mahabharata times, as we shall see in the nextparagraph.2.6. The sub-classifications briefly outlined above might look rather pedantic andobtuse. But, they had the bite to inject pain and humiliation into the lives of manyvirtuous but underprivileged persons in the Mahabharata tale.

The caste issue was a tragedy that not merely marred the lives of some itscharacters but it also turned into a bane and curse on the countless generations thatfollowed.

The Sutas

3.1. The offspring born of a Brahman woman from her Kshatriya husband waslabeled a Suta. You come across a number of Sutas in the Mahabharata story; and

most of them played crucial but thankless roles; and endured humiliation and pain.

The terms Suta and Suti or Sauti (son of suta) appear to have gained currency at alater time. For instance Yadu the ancestor of the Yadavas in which linage Krishnaand Balarama descended was the son of the legendry King Yayathi (Kshatriya) andDevayani (daughter of the Brahman Guru Shukracharya) . Yadu was technically aSuta as per the norms that later came into use ; but, Yadu was never addressedas a Suta , nor his descendents were termed Sauti.

3.2. The Sutas of Mahabharata traditionally served the kings and functioned as their

charioteers (Rathakra); and as those who reported events, narrated stories, readout massages and took out messages from the king. They were also the repositoriesof the lore and genealogies of the Royal dynasties. The Sutas in general, wereconfidants of the king, at times his advisers; and moved closely with the king whilehe was in his living quarters (anthahpura).But Sutas were never treated as friends of the king; nor were they provided livingquarters in the palace per se .There are hardly any instances of Sutas being offeredBrahman or Kshatriya brides, in marriage. The Sutas married among themselves;and followed the customs and avocations their ancestors.

3.3. To mention some of the Sutas, Sanjaya (the son of Gavalgana who also was inthe service of the kings of Hasthinapur) the charioteer who was temporarily
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bestowed long-distance-vision of the happenings on the battle fields ofKurukshetra; and who narrated the war events to his blind king Dhritarashtra was aSuta.Ugrashrava (meaning one blessed with high or loud voice) was often addressed asSauti(the son of a Suta). He was the son of a Suta Lomaharsha or Lomaharshana orRomaharshana(because of his delightful and thrilling manner of narration).Lomaharshana Suta is the one who narrated the Srimad Bhagavata purana to thesage Saunaka and other at Naimsaranya a forest named after the king of the yoreNimi. His son Ugrashrava recited in verse the entire epic story of Mahabharata,also to the sages in Naimsaranya.Ugrashrava was revered as one well versed in allpuranas.While Ramayana is sublime poetry, Mahabharata is the vigor of the spokenlanguage studded with extensive use of similes, metaphors and symbolic allegories.It portrays the living language of the times with blessings, curses, oaths, saneadvise, humour, ranting , heart wrenching shrieks , sagely preaching etc conveyingevery shade of human emotions.

The beauty of its language is in its oral rendering. Even today, groups of devotelisteners love to gather around a narrator to listen in divine fervor to the ancient talesthe glory of their heroes and heroines, rather than read the epic.

[Incidentally, another explanation for Naimsaranya is the time-less zone ofpeace: nimisha = unit of time;naimisha = timeless; aranya = a zone free fromconflicts (ranya) or a zone of peace]

3.4. Kichaka, the half-brother of Sudeshna the queen of the Matsya king Virata, wasalso a Suta. In the entire sordid story of Mahabharata, Kichaka perhaps was the onlySuta who had his way and who enjoyed his style of life. But, he lost his head,overreached himself and eventually met a rather an ignoble end.

Karna was a Suta-putra, the son of a Suta, which meant he was inferior to a Suta.

.And the others

4.1. There were others of a similar class; such as Vaitalikas who called out aloud the

hour of the day or night, and also keep track of genealogy (vamsavali-kirtaka); and,the Vandi Magadhas who recite the glory , the titles and aceivements of the kings ;herald their arrival into the Royal Court and recite blessings. Most of them, just asthe Sutas, were men of virtue, wisdom and valor; and they served their masters withdevotion. They were, however, denied the recognition they deserved, mainlybecause of their birth antecedents. The ponderous Mahabharata hides in its bosomcountless stories of unspoken pain, sorrow and humiliation. That is one of thetragedies of its sordid tale.4.2. For instance, the blind king Dhritarashtra fathered a son named Yuyutsu, fromhis servant maid, a Vaishya woman. Yuyutsu was thus technically a mahishya (the

son of a Kshatriya father and a vaishya mother); and, he was acknowledged as suchin public. He was younger to Duryodhana and elder to Dushyasana; but was
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snubbed and neglected because he was a mahishyaand not a full-bloodedprince. Yuyutsu was the only one, in the crowded court-hall, that had the courageand sanity to disapprove D uryodhanas heinous behavior and the humiliation metedout to Draupadi, the kula-vadha. And later when the war looked imminent, hepleaded in vain withDuryodhana to make peace with the Pandavas; and to avoidneedless bloodshed. When the war did eventually happen, Yuyutsu chose to fightalong with the Pandavas against his step brothers. Yuyutsu was the only Kauravathat survived the internecine bloodbath. Yet, Yuyutsu the mahishya could notsucceed to the Kaurava throne ; while Arjunas grandson Parikshit was made theking of Hasthinapur; and Krishnas grandson Vajra was made the king of the otherremaining half of the kingdom , Indraprastha . Yuyutsu was made only a primeminister of Indraprastha on the eve of Pandavas departure from the earthly world. 4.3. You mentioned Vidura. He was not a Suta. He was repeatedly addressed by allas Kshatta; perhaps meaning a kshetraja a son born to a woman from a man (otherthan the husband) appointed to impregnate her. Viduras mother was a servant maidto the queen while his father was Vyasa, a sage. The term Kshatta,centurieslater, acquired a totally different meaning in the Artha Sastra, where Kshatta meant ason begotten by a Sdra male from a women of higher caste.

Among the three de-jure sons of Vichitravirya, only Vidura was wise, and sound bothin body and mind. He could not however be treated as equal to Pandu andDhritarashtra born of Kshatriya mothers. Bhishma, the grand-old-man, broughtbrides from Kshatriya families for Pandu and Dhritarashtra. But for Vidura he got thedaughter of king Devaka begotten upon a Sudra wife. Her name was Parshavya.She was technically an ugra (begotten by a Kshatriya on a Sdra woman). It is said

Vidura begot upon her many children like unto himself in accomplishments. His noother family details are easily available. http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01115.htmDhritarashtra seemed to have affection towards Vidura, but he ordered him about,and often dismissed him rudely. Vidura was for all purposes a half-brother of the kingbut could claim neither right nor respect.

Vidura was a person of great wisdom, he often advised the King even on mattersrelating to the State. But none of the Kauravas, including the blind king, cared tolisten to him or follow his counsel. His role was unenviable and frustrating. He knew

the right way; but had to watch a helpless onlooker when everything wasgoing wrong hurling down towards death and destruction.

When all his attempts to avoid the war ended in failure, Vidura withdrew from allstate affairs, stayed aloof and did not participate in the war . After the end of theruinous war Vidura out of loyalty and love for his step brother retreated into theforests along with Dhritarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti; and eventually gave up hiscoils in forest fire.

4.5. Karna was a suta-putra, the son of a Suta, which meant he was below the rank

of Suta. Because, Suta was born to a Kashatriya and a Brahman; and the Suta-putra
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was the offspring of Suta parents. Karna, all his life endured taunts, insults andhumiliation for being a Suta-putra. That hurt him grievously.

But it was the rejection and insult thrown in his face by Draupadi, ather swayamvara that hurt him most. Draupadi, yajnaseni the flashing one born out offire, insisted on being declared a Veeryashulka, a bride to be won by the worthiestand the very best; and she vehemently protested against the lowborn Suta-putraentering the contest.That pain and humiliation burned deep into his soul searing hisself esteem. It was like a raw wound that never would heal. Karna later in his life didnot let go a slightest opportunity to hurt and humiliate Draupadi. He shamefacedlyparticipated in the outrage mounted on her modesty. That sowed the seeds ofdestruction of the Kaurava clan.Duryodhana treated Karna as a bosom friend. He provided him an identity,recognition and esteem by making him the King of Anga. But, he would not offer hima Kshatriya princess in marriage. Karna was a good friend but he fell short of being aKinsman.

As the war began, Bhishma the commander-in-chief of the kaurava armies rankedKarna as an Ardha-rathiwhich was inferior to the ranks of Maha-rathi, Ati-rathi and Rathi. [A warrior capable of fighting 60,000 warriors simultaneously; havingmastery over all forms of weapons and combat skills was termed Maharathi. while awarrior capable of contending with 10,000 warriors simultaneously was an Atirathi].Though Karna by then was universally recognized as a Maha-rathin, Bhishmadegraded him to half of a capable warrior, perhaps just to spite the Sutaja. Karna

understandably was deeply hurt and insulted; and he withdrew from the battle tillBhishma fellTowards the end of the war, Shalya the king of Madra (the maternal uncle of Nakulaand Sahadeva) a skilled horseman was tricked by Duryodhana into being Karnascharioteer. Shalya suppressed his anger at being cheated to act as a charioteer to aSuta-putra; but did upset Karna and dampen his fighting spirit, in order to ensureKarnas defeat.

The Karna Shalya rancorous repartee is not in high flowing language and in ratherbad taste; it also refers to slang and abusive oaths and cusses of the women of

Madra region (Punjab Sialkot area)

All those heaps of insults, treachery and conspiracy of fate did eventually burnt adeep hole in his heart; and he lost the will to live.

Adhiratha

5.1. Adhiratha, the foster father of karna, was a Suta. His father was a Kshatriya kingand his mother a Brahman. Adhiratha was born of Satyakarma (satkarma) the kingof Anga (a region around the present-day Bhagalpur in Bihar) from his Brahman

wife.


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Who was this Satyakarman or Satyakarma or Satkarma?

5.2. Satyakarma of Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty) was the son of Dhrtavrata; whowas the son of Druthi who in turn was the son of Vijaya. And, Vijaya was the son ofBruhanmana from his second wife Satya. Bruhanmana was the son of Jayadratha byhis wife Sambhuti.The Ninth Canto, Twenty-third Chapter, of the Srimad- Bhagavata, entitled TheDynasti es of the Sons of Yayati provides a very long list of names tracing Satkarmato Yayathi. http://bvml.org/books/SB/09/23.html5.2. The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Puranas by Parmeshwaranand Swami, in arelatively brief form traces the genealogy of Sathyakarman to the ancient KingYayathi:Yayathi Anudruhya Sabhanara Kalanara Srnjaya Titiksha Kasadhrta Homa Sutapas.From Sutapas and his wife Sateshna was born Bali who had seven sons: Anga,Kalinga, Sushma, Kandra, Vanga, Adrupa and Anasbhu.

Anga was the progenitor of a linage. To Anga were born several sons including thefollowing: Dadhivrata, Raviratha, Dharmaratha, Chitraratha, Sathyaratha, Lomapada,Chaturanga, Pruthu, Haryanga and Bhadraratha.Bhadraratha had following sons: Jayadratha, Bhadramanas, Vijaya, Dhruthi,Dhartavrata and Satyakarman.Satyakarman was the father of Adhiratha who was the foster father of Karna; andKarna was the father of Vrasasena.5.3. It appears that Satyakarma had sons by his Kshatriya wife; and they succeeded

him as kings of Anga. His other son Adhiratha begotten from his Brahman wife was aSuta who, as per the tradition, became a charioteer. It is likely that Adhiratha was atone time in the employ of king Dhritharastra of Hasthinapur, as his charioteer.

5.4. Adhiratha (at times called Surasena) was married to Radha, another Sutaoffspring. At the time Adhiratha and Radha found the baby- Karna in a box set adrifton the Ganga, they had no children, yet. But, after he and Radha adopted Karna astheir son, they were blessed with four sons: Shatruntapa, Dhruma, Vrtharatha andVipata.

In the later years, Shatruntapa died at the hands of Arjuna during the Uttrara-go-grahana misadventure on the outskirts of the Viratanagara the capital of MatsyaDesha. The other three died in the Kurukshetra war during the days when AcharyaDrona was commanding the Kaurava forces. Dhruma and Vrtharatha were killed byBhima; and Vipata was killed by Arjuna.[I did not come across a connection between Vidura and his wife with Adhiratha andhis wife Radha.

Viduras wife was Parasavya; and Adhirathas wife as you said was Radha.
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Adhiratha was a Suta while Vidura was a kshatta born of Sudra woman from Vyasa.Vidura was also said to be a kshetraja one born of a male appointed to impregnatethe female.The name Adhiratha is not to be mistaken for the term Ati-rathin a classification ofwarriors based on their supposed capabilities and valour. ]6. Biographic details of Karna

6.1. The biographic details of karna are interspersed in bits and pieces at fourdifferent places in the Mahabharata : in Adi-Parva SECTION CXI (SambhavaParva); in Vana Parva from SECTION CCCI toSECTION CCCVIII ;in UdyogaParva SECTION CXLI ; and , in :SANTI PARVA SECTION I through to SECTIONVI.[The references relate to sections in Shri Kesari Mohan Gangulis monumentaltranslation The Mahabharata of Krishna-dwaipayana Vyasa]6.2. The first reference briefly mentions the birth antecedents and infancy of Karna.The second one in Vana Parva which follows Karnas dream -conversation withSurya, his parent, warning against hoax requests exploiting his generosity is fairlydetailed .It covers the early story of Kunti (Prutha) too: about her maidenhood in thehousehold of Kuntibhoja her foster parent; serving the irascible sage Durvasa;helpless encounter with the Sun god; begetting out-of-wedlock a most wonderfullooking adorable bright son, and out of sheer shame and fear of sullying the fair-name of her family, tearfully abandoning her firstborn setting him adrift the AswaRiver. The narration continues along with the casket carrying the new born floatingalong the Aswa River then on to the Charmanvati (Chambal), the Yamuna and finally

joining the River Ganga where Adhiratha and his wife Radha find the baby, joyously

bring the little boy home, name him as Vasusena and bring him up mostlovingly. Kunti, all the time, through her spies keeps track of her son growing up inthe Sutha family. In this section, it is said, Adhiratha the foster father later sendsKarna to Hastnapur for education under the famous teacher Drona. The story in thissection concludes with Karna gifting away his invincible Kavacha (shield)and Kundala (earrings) to Indra in disguise, despite Suryas warning and sanecounsel 6.3. The third narration which occurs in Udyoga Parva is a brief one , wherein Karnain conversation with Krishna ,who tried to entice him, reminiscences his earlychildhood lovingly enveloped in the care and affection of theSuta family and

particularly of his mother Radha. He fondly recalls his early upbringing and educationprovided by his foster fam ily: When also I attained to youth, I married wivesaccording to his selections. Through them have been born my sons and grandsons,O Janardana. My heart also, O Krishna, and all the bonds of affection and love, arefixed on them. From joy or fear. O Govinda. I cannot venture to destroy those bondseven for the sake of the whole earth or heaps of gold. It was a very mature, restrained and almost a sagely reply. He speaks with a greatsense of responsibility and commitment to his values in life, hiding his deep senseof sorrow and betrayal behind calm courage that almost borders on suicidaldetachment.
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6.4. The fourth narration in Shanthi Parva occurs after the death of Karna. Thisoccurs at the commencement of Shanthi Parva soon after the conclusion of theinternecine bloodbath at the Kurukshetra war. Yudhistira on learning from Kunti,Karnas identity is distraught and heartbroken. He laments over the cruelty and ironyof fate that conspired forcing him to kill his elder brother Karna for the sake ofreclaiming the lost kingdom. I desire to hear everything from thee, O holy one! hecried out in anguish. At the request of Yudhistira, Sage Narada recounts the tale ofKarna from his birth, childhood, education and his deeds and misdeeds in companyof his friend and benefactor Duryodhana. This narration covers a little more groundthan the earlier two; and also speaks of Karnas adult life in service of Duryodhana.Narada explains the wrongs that Karna committed were prompted by his sense ofabandonment, loneliness, bitterness and envy of the Pandavas particularly of hisrival and challenger Arjuna.

It is this section which mentions that Karna in his early tutelage with Dronaapproaches the teacher (Drona), in private, requesting to be taught the secret ofthe Brahma weapon, with all its mantras and the power of withdrawing it, for hedesired to fight Arjuna. Drona of course promptly refuses saying None but aBrahmana, who has duly observed all vows, should be acquainted withthe Brahma weapon, or a Kshatriya that has practiced austere penances, and noother. Thereafter Karna promptly takes leave of Drona and proceeded without delayto Parasurama then residing on the Mahendra mountains introducing himself as Iam a Brahmana of Bhrigus race. Karna thereafter spent perhaps the happiest daysof his life acquiring all the knowledge, skills and all the weapons; becoming a great

favorite of his teacher, the gods, the Gandharvas, and the Rakshasas. Thathappiness was short-lived. Soon two tragedies and two curses struck him. Pleasecheck for details the links provided above.[The Karna -Parasurama episode could obviously have occurred between the periodof Karnas early education with Drona (at the instance of Adhiratha the foster parentof Karna) and the game-show at Hastinapura at which the bright and belligerentKarna was anointed the King of the Anga province. Towards the end of the game-show Adiratha enters the arena and blesses his son Karna; and the whole worldthereafter comes to recognize Karna as the son of Adhiratha the Suta.Karnas education with Parasurama was apparently before he was appointed the

King of Anga-Desha and not later. Because, after that happening there was no waythat Karna famed as the friend and confidant of the prince of Hastinapura could havegone to Parasurama in undercover calling himself as 'I am a Brahmana of Bhrigu'srace.']

Karna your questions

7.1. The childless couple Adhiratha and Radha found the enchanting baby Karna ina box filled with gold-jewels, drifting on the waves of the Ganga. They wereoverwhelmed with joy and adopted the new found baby as their son.


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Adhiratha took away the box from the water-side, and opened it by means ofinstruments. And then he beheld a boy resembling the morning Sun. And the infantwas furnished with golden mail, and looked exceedingly beautiful with a face deckedin ear-rings. And thereupon the charioteer, together with his wife, was struck withsuch astonishment that their eyes expanded in wonder. And taking the infant on hislap, Ad hiratha said unto his wife, Ever since I was born, O timid lady, I had neverseen such a wonder. This child that hath come to us must be of celestial birth.Surely, sonless as I am, it is the gods that have sent him unto me!

And after Karnas adoption, A dhiratha had other sons begotten by himself. Andseeing the child furnished with bright mail and golden ear-rings, the twice-born onesnamed him Vasusena. And thus did that child endued with great splendour andimmeasurable prowess became the son of the charioteer, and came to be known asVasusena and Vrisha.

[ http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03307.htm ]7.2. Karna recounts to Krishna (in Udyoga-parva) his early child hood. He speakswith great warmth about his foster parents; fondly recalling the love they showeredon him narrates how they doted on him, how they brought him up in the Sutatradition and how they got him married to a Suta bride.

As soon as he beheld me, took me to his home, and from her affection for me,Radhas breasts were filled with milk that very day, and she cleansed my urine andevacuations.

So also Adhiratha of the Suta class regardeth me as a son, and I too, from affection,always regard him as (my) father. Adhiratha from paternal affection caused all the rites of infancy to be performed onmy person, according to the rules prescribed in the scriptures. It is that Adhiratha,again, who caused the name Vasusena to be bestowed upon me by the Brahmanas.When I attained to youth, I married wives according to his selections.

All my family rites and marriage rites have been performed with the Sutas.[ http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/mahabharata/udyoga/mahabharata142.htm ]Karna retained loyalty and loving relationship with his foster parents till his death.

7.3. He was initially named Vasusena as he was found with ornaments of gold. Hewas Karna because he was adorned with most precious and glowing ear-ornaments.His other names were: Radheya (the son of Radha, his foster mother); Vrisha;Vrikartana (the Sun); Bhanuja (Suns son); Goputra; Vaikarttana (because he gaveaway the kavacha and earrings he was born with); Angaraja (the king of Anga);Champadhipa (king of Champa, a region along the banks of the Ganga). And ofcourse he was also called Sutaputra,; Sutaja; Kanina( one born to a Kanya anunmarried girl); and Bhishma deliberately insulted Karna by labeling him an Ardha-rathi , one who has only half the fighting capacity of a valiant warrior. That was the

unkindest cut of all.
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7.4. Karnas wife is named as Vrushali, a Suta (The names such as Prabhavathi andSupriya are also mentioned as the other wives of Karna, But, Kesari MohanGangulis monumental translation The Mahabharata of Krishna -dwaipayana Vyasadoes not seem to mention those names).It is very likely that Karna had more thanone wife. Karna mentioned to Krishna: When I attained to youth, I married wivesaccor ding to his (Adhiratha) selections. 7.5. As regards his sons, Karna had several sons and the names of nine of his sonsare mentioned. Of the nine, only one survived the Kurukshetra war.

Vrasasena; Sudhama; Shatrunjaya; Dvipata; Sushena; Satyasea; Chitrasena;Susharma(Banasena); and Vrishakethu .

Sudhama died in the melee that followed Draupadis swayamvara. Shatrunjaya andDvipata died in the Kurukshetra war at the hands of Arjuna during the days whenDrona commanded the Kaurava forces. Sushena was killed in the war by Bhima.Satyasena, Chitrasena and Susharma died in the hands of Nakula. Karnas eldestson Vrasasena died during the last days of the war when Karna was the commandedthe battle forces. Vrasasena was killed by Arjuna.Vrushasenas death is des cribed in all its gruesome detail:

Arjuna rubbed the string of his bow and took aim at Vrishasena in that battle, andsped, O king, a number of shafts for the slaughter of Karnas son. The diadem -decked Arjuna then, fearlessly and with great force, pierced Vrishasena with tenshafts in all his vital limbs. With four fierce razor-headed arrows he cut off

Vrishasenas bow and two arms and head. Struck with Parthas shafts, the son ofKarna, deprived of arms and head, fell down on the earth from his car, like a giganticshala adorned with flowers falling down from a mountain summit. Beholding his son,thus struck with arrows, fall down from his vehicle, the Sutas son Karna, enduedwith great activity and scorched with grief on account of the death of his son, quicklyproceeded on his car, inspired with wrath, against the car of the diadem-deckedPartha.http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08085.htmSome versions mention that a son of Karna died in the battle with Abhimanyu. But,his name is not given.

Vrishakethu was the only son of Karna that survived the horrific slaughter calledKurukshetra war. He later came under the patronage of the Pandavas. During thecampaign that preceded the Ashvamedha yaga, Vrishakethu accompanied Arjunaand participated in the battles with Sudhava and Babruvahana. During that campaignVrishakethu married the daughter of king Yavanatha (perhaps a king of the westernregions). It is said, Arjuna developed great affection for Vrishakethu, his nephew.

wedding of vrushakethu76. As regards Karnas tragic end, so much has been written about those heart

wrenching scenes; one can hardly say any more. To put it simply:
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The seventeenth day of the war began fairly well for Karna. In the early part of theday, Karna defeated Bhima and Yudhisthira, but spared their lives. Later in the dayKarna resumed his duel with Arjuna. During their duel, Karnas chariot wheel gotstruck in the mud and Karna asked for a pause. Krishna reminded Arjuna aboutKarnas ruthlessness unto Abhimanyu while he was similarly stranded without chariotand weapons. Hearing his sons fate, the enraged Arjuna shot his arrow anddecapitated Karna.

7.7. All his life, Karna carried in his heart the searing raw wound of unrecognizedgreatness. The many insults and humiliations he had to endure were because of hissupposedly low birth. That led him to a quest for recognition and respect from hisfellow beings as the mightiest Kshatriya of his times. His feats of great heroism, hisbitter rivalry with Arjuna were fueled mainly by that ambition. I was born for valour; Iwas born to achieve glory (43.6). Karna was the blazing but the sinking Sun amongthe dark clouds of the Kauravas.

Vyasa mourns Karna: The arrow raved Karna-Sun, after scorching its enemies, wasforced to set by valiant Arjuna kala (91.62)

Kunti praises her firstborn, her dead son as A hero, ear -ringed, armoured, andsplendid like the Sun; He was all dazzle like molten gold , like fire , like the Sun; To whoever asked he gave, he never said no..Always the giver (94.34)

7.8. The lives of the Sutas and of the similar other ones are filled with unspoken pain

and neglect. When you come to think of it, you realize that none of the majorcharacters men and women even of royal blood had a happy and peaceful life.Their lives too were filled with struggle, sorrow and frustration. Each one virtuousor otherwise- was disillusioned, in the end.

7.9. Vyasa concludes the epic imploring all humans to adhere to Dharma and topractice Dharma. And, for some reason, the Great Vyasa in desperation pours outhis frustration, screaming aloud:

With raised hands, I shout at the top of my voice; but alas, no one hears my words

which can give them Supreme Peace, Joy and Eternal Bliss. One can attain wealthand all objects of desire through Dharma (righteousness). Why do not peoplepractice Dharma? One should not abandon Dharma at any cost, even at the risk ofhis life. One should not relinquish Dharma out of passion or fear or covetousness or

for the sake of preserving ones life.Trust this helps. .Please let me know. Regards

Intermixing of the four basic Varnas [edit]
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The son that a Sudra begets upon a Brahmana woman is called a Chandala.Begotten upon a Kshatriya woman by a person of the Sudra order, the son is calleda Vratya. He who is born of a Vaisya woman by a Sudra father is called a Vaidya.The Vaisya, by uniting himself with a woman of the Brahmana order, begets a sonthat is called a Magadha, while the son that he gets upon a Kshatriya woman iscalled a Vamaka. The son begotten by a Kshatriya upon a Brahmana woman, iscalled a Suta (13:14) .[1]

If a Kshatriya begets a son upon a Brahmana woman, such a son, comes to beregarded as a Suta. The son begotten by a Vaisya upon a woman of the Brahmanaorder comes to be regarded as a Vaidehaka. If a Sudra unites with a womanbelonging to Brahmana, the son that is begotten is called a Chandala. The sonbegotten by a Vaisya upon a Kshatriya woman becomes a Vandi orMagadha. Theson begotten by a Sudra upon a Kshatriya women, becomes a Nishada (occupation:hunting and forest dwelling) and upon a Vaisya women, becomesan Ayogava (occupation:Takshan: carpenter) Intermixing within these new classescreate more Jatis There were as many as fifteen such Jatis (13:48).

Emergence of numerous other Jatis [edit]

From the union of Magadhas of a certain jati with women of the Jati called Sairindhri,there springs up another Jati called Ayogava. Vaidehas, by uniting themselves withwomen of the Sairindhri Jati, beget children called Maireyakas whose occupationconsists in the manufacture of wines and spirits. From the Nishadas spring a Jaticalled Madgura and another known by the name of Dasas whose occupationconsists in plying boats. From the Chandala springs a Jati called Swapaka whoseoccupation consists in keeping guard over the dead. The women of the Magadhi Jati,by union with these four jatis of wicked dispositions produce four others. These areMansa, Swadukara, Kshaudra, and Saugandha. From the Nishadas again springsup the Madranabha Jati whose members are seen to ride on cars drawn by asses.From the Chandalas springs up the Jati called Pukkasa. The jati called Kshudrasprings from the Vaidehaka. The Jati called Andhra which takes up its residence inthe outskirts of towns and cities, also springs up (from the Vaidehakas). Then againthe Charmakara, uniting himself with a woman of Nishada jati, begets the Jati calledKaravara. From the Chandala again springs up the Jati known by the name ofPandusaupaka whose occupation consists in making baskets and other things withcleft bamboos. From the union of the Nishada with a woman of the Vaidehi jati

springs one who is called by the name of Ahindaka (13:48). Some names likeVaidehaka, Magadha, Andhra etc were indicative of tribal nameslike Videha, Magadha and Andhra. The whole description seems to be the result ofan attempt to include the non-Vedic tribes into the structure of four-order Jatisystem.

Jati based on character [edit]

The idea of Varna is primarily based on social order, then economic order and lastbut not the least on the protection of dharma (loosely translated as righteousness)and enabling one to moksha (loosely meaning liberation). Mahabharata occurs at theend of the Vedic period is also the starting of the yuga of Kali according to Hindu

mythological texts. It shows the starting of the collapse of the earlier well preservedorder of non mixing of the Varnas. Here , we also see the interchanging of the Jobs
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of the other professions. Dronacharya, a brahmana wields the bow. Parasurama , abrahmana fights with Bhishma. Also, Pandu and Dhritarashtra are born of Niyoga(conjugation on choice and approval of family) between the Brahmana Vyasa andthe Kshatriya women Ambika and Ambalika.

Mahabharata is an example of disciplined Varna system but there are exceptions.That the idea behind the Varna theory is noble is clearly evident in this conversationbetween Yudhisthira and Naga Nahusha (3:177-178):-

Naga: - "O Yudhishthira, say, Who is a Brahmana ?"

Yudhishthira" -"O foremost of Nagas, he, it is asserted by the wise, in whom are seentruth, charity, forgiveness, good conduct, benevolence, observance of the rites of hisorder and mercy is a Brahmana. "

Naga: - "O Yudhishthira, truth, charity, forgiveness, benevolence, benignity, kindnessand the Veda which worketh the benefit of the four orders, which is the authority in

matters of religion and which is true, are seen even in the Sudra ."Mahbhrata Yudhishthira: - "Those characteristics that are present in a Sudra, do not exist in aBrahmana; nor do those that are in a Brahmana exist in a Sudra. And a Sudra is nota Sudra by birth alone, nor a Brahmana is Brahmana by birth alone. He, it is said bythe wise, in whom are seen those virtues is a Brahmana. And people term him aSudra in whom those qualities do not exist, even though he be a Brahmana by birth."

Naga: - "O king, if thou recognise a person as a Brahmana by characteristics, then, Olong-lived one, the distinction of Jatibecometh futile as long as conduct doth notcome into play."

Yudhishthira: - "In human society, O mighty and highly intelligent Naga, it is difficult toascertain ones caste, because of promiscuous intercourse among the four orders.This is my opinion. Men belonging to all orders beget offspring upon women of all theorders. And of men, speech, sexual intercourse, birth and death are common. And tothis the Rishis have borne testimony by using as the beginning of a sacrifice suchexpressions as of what Jatiso ever we may be, we celebrate the sacrifice.Therefore, those that are wise have asserted that character is the chief essentialrequisite. The natal ceremony of a person is performed before division of theumbilical cord. His mother then acts as its Savitri and his father officiates as priest.He is considered as a Sudra as long as he is not initiated in the Vedas. Doubtshaving arisen on this point, Naga , Swayambhuba Manu has declared, that themixed castes are to be regarded as better than the other castes, if having gonethrough the ceremonies of purification, they do not conform to the rules of goodconduct, O excellent Naga! Whosoever now conforms to the rules of pure andvirtuous conduct, him have I, here now, designated as a Brahmana. "[2]

Thus, the Jati of a person cannot be confirmed easily as it could be lost by variousoffenses like giving a blow to a Brahmana, disobedience / disbelief in scriptures etc.( Manu Samhita)

Conversation between Naga Serpent and Yudhisthira regarding Caste system and

meaning of Brahmna.]
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Societies with Jati based on choice [edit]

Mahabharata provides evidence of societies where Jati was just a matter of personalchoice. At (MBh 8:45) is the following passage:- Among the Bahlikas one at firstbecomes a Brahmana and then he becomes a Kshatriya. Indeed, a Vahika would,after that, become a Vaishya, and then a Shudra, and then a barber. Having becomea barber, he would then again become a brahmana. Returning to the status of abrahmana, he would again become a slave. One person in a family becomes abrahmana: all the others act as they like. The whole narration is the opinionof Karna on the tribe of Shalya viz. the Bahlika tribe, Shalya was disliked by Karnadue to some circumstances. So this opinion is biased against the Bahlikas. Yet, itgives evidence that the Bahlikas had a society where Jati was a matter of personalchoice.

It is not difficult to fall in love with Karna. He has all the elements of a hero but is notallowed to be one by his mother, his brothers, his teacher, even God. Our heartgoes out to him. It all starts with a princess called Kunti letting her curiosity get thebetter of her. She uses a magical formula given to her by a sage to summon the sun-god, Surya, who is compelled to give her a child. Fearful that a child conceivedbefore marriage may ruin her reputation, Kunti places the child born with a naturalarmor and divine earrings in a wicker basket and leaves him afloat to a riverswhim, very much like Moses in the Bible. But while the river takes Moses, the son of

a slave, into a royal household, this river takes Karna, the son of a princess, into thehouse of a charioteer transforming a Kshatriya, member of the ruling class, into a
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahabharata_and_the_Indian_caste_system&action=edit&section=4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahlika_Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahlika_Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahabharata_and_the_Indian_caste_system&action=edit&section=4


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Shudra, a member of the service class. Rejected by his natural mother, thisfoundling refuses to submit to this enforced destiny. In his heart he is a warrior. Heknows it. Why else would he be born with an armor if he was not fated to fight? Heapproaches Drona, teacher of the Kuru princes, but is turned away. Stick to yourcaste duties, he is told. But what determines a mans caste? The caste of the father,say the scriptures. Who is Karnas father? Is it the man who raises him (acharioteer), the man who made his mother pregnant (a god) or the man who marriedhis mother (a king)? In the Mahabharata, fatherhood is intensely debated. Thestoryteller wonders who is the true father of the Pandavas Pandu, who marriedKunti, or the gods, who impregnate her because her husband cant, or is it Bhisma,the granduncle of the boys, or Vidur, their uncle, who serve as foster fathers ? Theconclusion is that it should be Pandu who is lawfully wedded to Kunti hence father ofall her children. Does this include children she bore before she married him? Does itmake Karna the eldest Pandava and hence true heir to the Pandava fortune?Krishna believes it so for years later when he tries to lure Karna away from theKaur avas he offers the following bribe, You will be king. Your five brothers will standby you. Their wife, Draupadi, will be your queen. Rejected by Drona on grounds thathe is not a Kshatriya, Karna seeks tutorship of Parashurama, a warrior sage who iswilling to teach the martial arts to anyone but a Kshatriya. But when Parashuramanotices his ability to withstand intense pain silently, Parashurama concludes the boyis a Kshatriya by birth. Feeling he has been made a fool of, an enragedParashurama curses Karna. You will forget all that I have taught you at the momentyou need it most. Rejected by Parashurama, Karna returns to his mothers house.

According to a folklore in Andhra Pradesh, on his way he comes across a young girl

crying because she has dropped her pot of milk on the ground and she fearspunishment at the hands of her step-mother. Out of compassion, Karna takes thewet earth and squeezes milk out of the soil back into the pot. The girl goes awayhappy but the earth-goddess is not pleased. She swears that one day she willsqueeze Karna the way he squeezed her and that would be the cause of his death.Rejected by the earth herself, Karna is determined to win a respectable place forhimself in society based on merit. He decides to participate in an archery tournamentheld in the city of Hastinapur. The tournament is organized by Bhisma to showcasethe skills of his grandnephews, the hundred Kauravas and the five Pandavas.Unfortunately for him, the show is stolen by a handsome young man who calls

himself Karna. Everybody wonders who this man is. Kunti recognizes his armor andearrings and identifies him as her son but dares not tell anyone of her pre-maritalmisdemeanor. To Karnas great discomfort, his foster father rushes into the arenaand hugs him in public. The cheering onlookers fall silent. The great warrior is nowarrior at all. He is a lowly charioteer. This association haunts Karna all his life.Rejected by the Pandavas, Karna finds honor amongst the Kauravas. Duryodhana,eldest of the Kauravas, anoints Karna king of Anga, thus making Karna a Kshatriyaby merit if not by birth. For this Karna is eternally grateful. Duryodhana and Karnabecome the best of friends but we are never sure if the relationship is true or onebased on mutually conv enience. No one takes Karnas royal title seriously. For

everyone, he remains sutaputra, the charioteers son, the outsider. This is mostevident in the archery contest organized by the king of Panchala for the hand of his


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daughter, Draupadi. When Karna goes to pick up the bow he is disqualified by thebride herself on grounds that a man of unknown origin and low rank cannot evencontend to be her groom. Perhaps because of this public rejection, despite all hisnobility, Karna does not come to Draupadis r escue when she is publicly disrobed bythe Kauravas. He quotes an ancient law, A woman with more than four husbands isnothing but a public woman, a whore! Technically he is right. But morally? It is thisrefusal to help the helpless in a moment of dire need that makes Karna, like othermembers of the Kuru nobility, such as Bhisma, a marked man in the eyes of Krishna.One curious Maharashtrian folklore states that later Draupadi secretly fell in love withKarna and this secret of hers was known only to Krishna. Karna and Duryodhana areinseparable like Krishna and Arjuna. Karna sides with Duryodhana even whenDuryodhana does wrong. The hand of friendship once given cannot be taken back,he tells Krishna. Krishna retorts, Your integrity is wasted on a ma n without integrity.You may never go back on your word but he has promised to return the Pandavalands after 13 years but refused to give back even a needlepoint of territory.Duryodhanas mother, Gandhari, resents his association with a lowly chariote er.Even Bhisma does not like Karna. Nor does Drona. For them he is the bad influence.They blame Karna for corrupting Duryodhana. In a way that is true. Without Karna,the Kauravas are nothing. Assured of Karnas unwavering loyalty, Duryodhana isunafraid to be arrogant and forceful, claim all rights to the inheritance, even thoughthe elders believe at least half of it, if not all, belongs to the Pandavas. When war isdeclared, Krishna tries to make Karna defect but fails. He finally motivates Kunti totell the truth for the sake of the Pandavas. Kunti goes to Karna and tells him all. Herecoils. He realizes she is doing this for the Pandavas and not out of any love for

him. Thats not true. I love you. I am only afraid of the truth, cries Kunti. Karnarefuses to believe her. According to a Tamil folklore, Kunti plans to offer Karna milkof her breast she has reserved for him from the day of his birth. This milk hasmagical power and can render Karna invincible. Krishna is about to make the milkdisappear, when Karna tells Kunti that he will not take milk denied to him at birth. Hepromises Kunti he will not kill any Pandava except Arjuna. With or without him shewill always have five sons. Karna tries to earn merit and fame by becoming the lordof charity , a daan-veer. Krishna takes advantage of this charitable nature and getsIndra, king of the gods, to ask as charity Karnas natural armor. Karna donates thisleaving himself vulnerable. Impressed by Karnas unwavering commitment to charity,

Indra gifts Karna a spear that never misses its mark but can be used only once.Karna reserves it for Arjuna, his great enemy, but Krishna forces him to use itagainst Ghatotkacha, the demon son of Bhima. It is almost as if Krishna is conspiringagainst Karna. At the height of the war, when Arjuna and Karna finally come face-to-face, a moment both have been preparing for years, the earth-goddess is instructedby Krishna to grab hold of Karnas chariot wheel. She does so. Karna tries to use themagical formula to releas e the chariot wheel but Parashuramas curse manifestsitself right at that moment. He forgets the formula. In a fit of frustration, he throwsdown his bow and jumps off his chariot and tries to free the wheel himself. Krishnatells Arjuna to take advantage of the situation and shoot Karna. But he carries no

weapons and his back is turned towards me, protests Arjuna. Krishna goads himnevertheless. He is as helpless as Draupadi was when the Kauravas disrobed her in


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public, says Krishna. Show no mercy to the merciless, advises Krishna. Arjunareleases the arrow and Karna dies shot in the back at a moment when he cannoteven defend himself. Why did Krishna kill Karna in such a horrible way? Scholarssay this is Gods way of achieving karmic balance. In his previous life, Krishna wasRama. And Rama had sided with Surgiva, monkey son of Surya, the sun-god, andshot Bali, monkey son of Indra, the rain-god, in the back. As Krishna, it wasnecessary to reverse the situation. God sided with Arjuna, who was the son of Indra,while shooting Karna, the son of Surya, in the back. He who is blessed with divinefavors in one lifetime loses it in the next; thus are the books of karma balanced andclosure achieved.

The death of Vidura occurs towards the end of the Mahbh rata, in the ramavsikaparvan (The Book of the Residence in the Hermitage). TheMahbhrata as a whole takes up the tale of a family feud between two groups ofcousins, the Kauravas and the Pavas, but it is also a repository of BrahminicalHindu rel igious thought. At this point in the story, the Pavas have alreadydefeated the Kauravas in a horrific war. In the aftermath of the war, the remnants ofthe Kauravas (chiefly the elderly generation, who were not combatants in theaforementioned war) hav e to make peace with the Pavas. They co -habit, in anuneasy relationship, in the royal capital of Hastinapura, which was built by thePavas. Their king is the Pava monarch,Yudhihira. Vidura has been atrusted adviser of both sides. Dhtarra i n his old age, and ever-mindful of the

losses he has sustained, retires to the forest with his wife, Gndhr, as well as themother of the Pavas, Kunt, and Vidura. They plan to lead an ascetic life in aforest hermitage (an rama in Sanskrit). Unbekn ownst to the characters, Vidura isthe incarnation of the god of religious law, Dharma, on earth. Dharma was cursed toan earthly birth when he was overly severe in his judgement of the life of an asceticcalled Mavya. Complicating matters is the fact that Yudhihira is the son ofDharma, though he is the adopted son of one king Pu.

The death of Vidura occurs towards the end of the Mahbhrata, in the ramavsikaparvan (The Book of the Residence in the Hermitage). TheMahbhrata as a whole takes up the tale of a family feud between two groups ofcousins, the Kauravas and the Pavas, but it is also a repository of BrahminicalHindu religious thought. At this point in the story, the Pavas have alreadydefeated the Kauravas in a horrific war. In the aftermath of the war, the remnants ofthe Kauravas (chiefly the elderly generation, who were not combatants in theaforementioned war) have to make peace with the Pavas. They co -habit, in anuneasy relationship, in the royal capital of Hastinapura, which was built by thePavas. Their king is the Pava monarch,Yudhihira. Vidura has been a

trusted adviser of both sides. Dhtarra in his old age, and ever -mindful of thelosses he has sustained, retires to the forest with his wife, Gndhr, a s well as the


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mother of the Pavas, Kunt, and Vidura. They plan to lead an ascetic life in aforest hermitage (an rama in Sanskrit). Unbeknownst to the characters, Vidura isthe incarnation of the god of religious law, Dharma, on earth. Dharma was cursed toan earthly birth when he was overly severe in his judgement of the life of an asceticcalled Mavya. Complicating matters is the fact that Yudhihira is the son ofDharma, though he is the adopted son of one king Pu.

Undoubtedly, Drona was partial towards Arjuna. Any great teacher would feelenthralled if his protege so excels as Arjuna did, thus, so was Droa. Drona thusacted unfairly, when he demanded as guru dakshina, the right thumb of Ekalavya.This treatment of Eklavya, as well as his rebuking of Karna, is criticized as beingbiased against lower castes. In some folklore, Saravati cursed Drocrya with anunarmed, humiliating death for Drona's actions against Ekalavya and Karna.Saravasti said that knowledge belonged to all, and that it was an acharya's duty tospread that knowledge everywhere. Despite whatever reasons he gave, Dronacheated Ekalavya and Karna to achieve something for himself-to protect his promiseto Arjuna that he would make Arjuna the world's greatest archer, as well as his oathto Hastinapur. The Supreme Court of India also condemned the act of Drocryaas unethical, upholding everyone's right to knowledge.

Droa was somewhat parallel to Bhma both in martial prowess, and in hisunwavering commitment to fighting for the kingdom of Hastinapur irrespective of whothe ruler was and whether or not the cause was just. Like Bhishma, Drona iscriticized for his pride and conceit, siding with evil despite knowing of and

acknowledging the righteousness of the Pandava cause. However, he wascompelled to side with the Kauravas because he was indebted to their royalhousehold, which had provided him and his family with shelter, wealth and anoccupation. Krishna criticized this reasoning as mere pride-Drona wanted to put hisobligation to Hastinapur over dharma so that no one questioned his honor.

Criticism is leveled at Drocrya for remaining a mute spectator and not havingprotested the humiliation of Draupad by Dusana and Duryodhana following thefateful game of dice.

Simi larly, Drocrya was criticized for many of his actions during the war:

First, as a brahmin, and secondly, as the princes' teacher, he should have removedhimself from the battlefield.

Drocrya tried to use divine weapons against the Pandava's common fo ot-soldiers. As he does so, a voice from the heavens told him not to use divineweapons so carelessly. As a teacher, he had even more of an obligation to not doso. However, Drona argued that his first obligation was to defeating his enemy anddefending his soldiers, by whatever means he possessed.


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It may also be concluded that he was responsible for the devious and brutal murderof Abhimanyu, as it was he who had suggested simultaneously attacking anddisabling the tired, outnumbered, and trapped warrior

Droncharya's overarching actions during the war are portrayed differently.Undoubtedly, when he became commander-in-chief, the rules of war were averted.Divine weapons were used against ordinary soldiers, war continued throughout thenight, warriors no longer engaged each other one-on-one (like against Abhimanyu),etc. Specifically, he was willing to try and end the war by capturing Yudhishthira,while Karna was not, as he considered it lacking honor. In some versions of theMahabharatha, this evidence is used to justify the caste system, as the point issubtly made that the reason why Drona was willing to break the rules of war andengage in less honorable acts was because he was a brahmin, not a kshatriya. He iscompared directly to Karna, who, not even knowing that he was a kshatriya, stillintuitively understood the kshatriya code/way-of-life. In other versions, Drona'sdifferences in strategy are shown as a difference in philosophy-Drona believed, thatas the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, his goal was to ensure theprotection of his soldiers through any means necessary. By choosing to uphold therules of war and the concept of honorable acts over his soldiers' lives, he would bedoing them a disservice.

Ultimately, all of these actions do lead to Drona's death in the war. In that way,Drona paid the ultimate price for his crimes. He remains a revered figure in Hinduhistory, and a pillar of the Indian tradition of respecting one's teacher as an equal not

only of parents, but even of God.

The Government of India annually awards the Dronacharya Award for excellence insports tutelage to the best sports teachers and coaches in India.[19]

It is believed that the city of Gurgaon (literally - "Village of the Guru") was founded as"Guru Gram" by Drocrya on land given to him by Dhtarra, the king ofHastinapur in recognition of his teachings of martial arts to the princes, and the'Drocrya Tank', still exists within the Gurgaon city, along with a village calledGurgaon.[20]

Caste Variations

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Transcript of Caste Variations