Week 7 Storytelling: Arjuna and Karna

Arjuna and Karna had met in battle the day before. Karna had been serving as the general for Duryodhana, his hatred of the Pandavas motivating his actions. Arjuna was begrudgingly fighting his family members and former mentors. He had been driven on by his loyalty to his brothers and the encouragement of Krishna. The first day of fighting between Arjuna and Karna ended in a draw, leaving both sides humiliated with the bitter taste of defeat on their tongues. Both agreed to a chariot fight, to begin in the morning of the next day. Arjuna steeled himself and mentally prepared for a long day of fighting. Karna called upon Shalya to be his charioteer. Shalya was the King of Madra, and had earlier met Yudhishthira in battle, which also ended with both sides retreating from the fight. Karna ended the day by swearing that either he or Arjuna would die the next day. Both spent the night anxious about the fighting. Arjuna and Karna knew that they were evenly matched, and even a small victory would be hard fought.

Shortly after dawn the next day, Arjuna and Karna wheeled their chariots onto the chosen field of battle. No words were shared by the two before the fighting began. Arjuna was a skilled archer, using his bow to keep Karna constantly moving. Karna used his superior charioteer to make quick attacks on Arjuna, leaving Arjuna off balance and frustrated as the battle went on. As the fighting continued, Karna struck a glancing blow Arjuna, shattering his bow. Arjuna called for a moment of peace, so that he may retrieve another bow. Arjuna declared that it was the honorable thing to do, that Karna killing him now would be no real victory. However, Karna was blinded by rage and pressed his advantage over Arjuna, continuing to attack the now defenseless chariot. Gathering all his strength to him, Arjuna managed to repair his bow, and the fight continued like this for hours.

Around noon, the wheel of Karna's chariot became stuck in a rut that had been carved in the muddy field. Karna, knowing that standing still Arjuna would kill him with no effort, called for a respite. Krishna, who had been watching the battle, encouraged Arjuna to not grant the respite to Karna. Arjuna decided to grant it, deciding that he would win the day and win it with his honor intact. Karna freed his chariot, and the fight continued.

Arjuna and Karna, courtesy of Read Kushal

Shortly after Karna had freed his chariot, Shalya guided the horses towards Arjuna's slower moving chariot. When the chariots were side by side, Karna struck out at Arjuna. This time, Arjuna was not fast enough and Karna's mace impacted his chest directly. Immediately, the onlookers knew that Arjuna had fallen. Knowing that Duryodhana would press his advantage on the demoralized Pandavas, they fled back to their camp and began preparations to return to their exile in the forest. Pritha revealed to the Pandavas the truth about his Karna's heritage, which further clouded their emotions. Knowing that one of their brothers had killed the other crushed them inside. The Pandavas went to live the rest of their lives in exile with Draupadi, and Duryodhana remained King.

Author's Note: My story is based on the story of the fight between Arjuna and Karna in The Five Tall Sons of Pandu. In their fight, Arjuna breaks his bow and asks for a respite to retrieve another, which Karna does not grant. Karna's chariot wheel later gets stuck, and Arjuna does not give him a respite at Krishna's behest. Arjuna then kills Karna. I thought it would make for an interesting story if Arjuna granted Karna his respite, and then Karna continued to win the battle. This would lose the war for the Pandavas and send them back into exile. 

Bibliography: "The Five Tall Sons of Pandu" by Richard Wilson. Link.