Brother
Brother
The battle of Mahabharata had been in full swing for about two weeks. Both the Kauravas and Pandavas lost many of their men to the darkness of war.
Karna waited patiently for his chance to attack Arjuna, his gift from Indra never leaving his side.
One night, the Pandavas came with full force at the Kauravas. They continued to fight throughout the night, never taking a moment to rest. As the Kauravas' resources became depleted, hope began to dwindle. The fight was soon to be over if they didn't do something.
The Duryodhana knew of Karna's secret weapon. They knew that it held the power to end this battle so they could regroup.
The beaten, haggard men begged Karna to use his weapon to defeat Ghatotkacha, the man terrorizing the Kaurava army.
Karna, a man who lived to uphold his reputation, agreed. For if he did so, he knew he would be a hero in the eyes of those men.
So, Karna used the weapon Krishna gave to him and killed Ghatotkacha. The Pandavas retreated and it seemed, then, that using the weapon was the right decision.
A few days later, Karna awoke from a nightmare. It was a cold, dark morning. There was an ominous note in the air. War had filled young men with such fear that even their sleep offered no escape.
The days of war grew thin, as resources and capable men became scarce. Two weeks of nonstop fighting had taken a toll on the soldiers.
Karna and Durydohana planned a raid on the Pandava's village. In need of supplies, but also in need of retribution in the form of killing Arjuna. Retribution for all the shame Arjuna had brought upon Karna.
So it was. The day had finally come for Karna to relinquish his great anger towards Arjuna. His mind buzzed with nervous energy. The thought of Arjuna's blood on his hands excited him. At the same time, he could not shake the nagging feeling of fear that was in the back of his head. He was without his immortal gifts and he no longer had the weapon he had once planned to use.
Nonetheless, the time had come and there was no turning back.
The rain had just turned from a drizzle into a pour. The field was muddy as they approached the Pandava camp. The watchman cried out, alerting the people of the village that enemies approached.
Karna caught sight of the royal tent in the middle of the village. As the alarm sounded, the tent flaps opened and Arjuna appeared. The fire that lit so long ago within him roared with ferocity as Karna laid eyes on Arjuna. Karna charged his chariot forward.
As Karna gained speed, he felt closer and closer to his destiny.
Then came a sudden halt.
His chariot was stuck. His wheels were sinking into the mud.
He was so close to Arjuna, but he needed his chariot to get there. So, he began to dig.
In those same moments, Arjuna saw his chance. This war brought great loss upon Arjuna. Many of his family members died, even his own son. Thoughts of grief and war filled his head as he strung his bow.
As Arjuna nocked his arrow, Karna turned around.
A single word echoed through Karna's head as Arjuna let his arrow fly towards him "...brother."
Indra and Surya solemnly look into the night sky as they recall the events that brought them together.
"I don't blame you for the death of my son," said Surya, softly. "Anger hindered him, blinded him. He turned away from his brother."
"Maybe if I had told Arjuna about Karna before they met in battle, maybe Arjuna would have spared him in the name of family," replied Indra.
"No. It wouldn't have a difference. War had dulled these boys eyes to humanity. They saw death as the only answer," answered Surya.
"No more shall we turn our face away from destruction and corruption," stated Surya. "We fight side by side, brother beside brother, for those who have lost their way. Let us not repeat the mistakes we made with Karna."
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Author's Note:
- Honestly, I'm sad to see Karna go. Doing this project has given me so much empathy for him and I couldn't help but root for him even though I knew life wasn't going to go in his favor. Karna made the most of the life he was given. He loved his parents and he worked hard to get where he wanted to be. Life didn't cut him any slack either. No one wanted to teach him, no one wanted to marry him, and no one took him seriously. He made himself a contender and it was at that point that he wouldn't let himself slip up. He gave away his livelihood and his only chance at defeating Arjuna just to maintain the ideas people had about him. He was a honest man who let himself get lost in the thoughts of others. For a long time he did not have ill intentions, but it slowly progressed into that. At the end of the story we see the two fathers of the brothers come together in understanding. There were many different moments that brought them to this point, a few that I wrote about. Instead of dwelling on what cannot be changed, the two gods look forward to a better future.