कर्ण कथा

Karna ki katha Mahabharata ki sabse hridayvidaarak aur prernadayak kahaniyon mein se ek hai. Karna ka janm Kunti ke vivah se poorv hua tha. Kumari avastha mein Kunti ko Maharishi Durvasa ne ek mantra diya tha jisse ve kisi bhi devta ko bula sakti theen. Kunti ne utsuktavash Suryadev ka aahvaan kiya aur Suryaputra Karna ka janm hua.

Samaj ke bhay se Kunti ne navjaat Karna ko ek tokri mein rakhkar Ganga nadi mein baha diya. Karna janm se hi kavach aur kundal dhaaran kiye hue tha jo use avadhya banate the. Ganga ki dhara mein bahti tokri ko Sarathi Adhirath aur unki patni Radha ne paya aur Karna ko apne putra ke roop mein paala. Isiliye Karna ko Radheya bhi kaha jaata hai.

Karna bachpan se hi asaadharan yoddha tha. Usne shastra vidya seekhne ke liye Parshuram ji ke paas jaakar swayam ko Brahman bataya, kyunki Parshuram keval Brahmanon ko shiksha dete the. Parshuram ne Karna ko sabhi divyastron ki shiksha di. Parantu ek din jab Karna ki jaangh par ek keeda kaatta raha aur usne dard sahte hue bhi guru ki neend nahi todi, tab Parshuram ko sandeh hua ki yah Brahman nahi hai. Satya jaankar Parshuram ne Karna ko shraap diya ki jab use sabse adhik aavashyakta hogi, tab woh apne sabse shaktishali astra ko bhool jayega.

Rangbhoomi mein jab Karna ne Arjun ko dwandwayuddh ki chunauti di, tab Kripacharya ne uska vansh poocha. Sutputra jaankar sabha ne uska uphaas kiya. Us apmaan ke kshan mein Duryodhan ne Karna ko Angdesh ka raja bana diya. Us din se Karna aur Duryodhan ke beech atoot mitrata ban gayi — Karna ne jeevan bhar is mitrata ka nirvah kiya.

Karna ki daanveerta ki koi seema nahi thi. Woh pratidin Surya puja ke baad kisi bhi yaachak ko khaali haath nahi lautata tha. Indra ne isi daansheelta ka labh uthakar Brahman ka vesh dhaaran kiya aur Karna se uske janmjaat kavach aur kundal maang liye. Karna jaanta tha ki yah Indra hain aur kavach-kundal dene se woh mrityu ke sameep ho jayega, phir bhi usne apne shareer se kavach-kundal kaatkar daan kar diye. Indra ne prasann hokar badle mein Shakti namak amogh astra diya, jo keval ek baar prayog kiya ja sakta tha.

Mahabharata yuddh se pehle Krishna ne swayam Karna ke paas jaakar use bataya ki woh Kunti ka jyeshth putra hai aur Pandavon ka sabse bada bhai. Unhone Karna ko Pandavon ke paksh mein aane ka prastaav rakha. Karna ne kaha ki woh yah satya jaanta hai, parantu Duryodhan ne jab saari duniya ne use thukraya, tab use sammaan diya — woh apne mitra se vishwasghaat nahi kar sakta.

Kunti ne bhi yuddh se poorv Karna se milkar satya bataya aur Pandavon ki or aane ki prarthna ki. Karna ne Kunti ko vachan diya ki woh Arjun ke atirikt kisi bhi Pandav ko nahi marega — "Aapke paanch putra sadaiv rahenge."

Kurukshetra ke yuddh mein Karna ne adbhut shaurya dikhaya. Satrahvein din ke yuddh mein Karna aur Arjun ka mahaan yuddh hua. Parantu bhagya Karna ke viruddh tha — uske rath ka pahiya dharti mein dhans gaya, Parshuram ka shraap phalit hua aur woh Brahmastra ka mantra bhool gaya. Nihaththe Karna par Krishna ke kahne par Arjun ne baan chalaya aur Karna veergati ko prapt hua.

Karna Mahabharata ka woh nayak hai jisne pratikool paristhitiyon mein bhi apne siddhaanton — daanveerta, mitrabhakti aur shaurya — ka kabhi tyag nahi kiya. Uski katha sikhaati hai ki sachchi mahanata janm se nahi, karm se aati hai.