Book Excerpts

Karna: The Great Warrior by Ranjit Desai, Translated by Vikrant Pandey

Karna’s heart was filled with gratitude and awe at seeing his lord in person. He was tempted to rush and fall at his feet, but all he could do was stand and stare. He did not dare touch the light. His hands folded in namaskar automatically as he looked at Surya.

‘May you always be happy,’ Surya blessed him. ‘Karna, I have come here with a specific purpose.’

‘Please tell me, o lord.’

‘The Pandavas will complete their time in exile shortly and will reveal themselves the moment their one year of hiding is over. They will be eager to capture their lost territory and to help them win, Lord Indra will come to you.’

‘Lord Indra? What for?’

‘He will come to you as a needy person—to ask for your charity.’

‘Why should Indra help the Pandavas?’

‘Just as you pray to me, Arjuna prays to Indra.’

‘I consider it a reward for all the penance I have ever done if Lord Indra himself were ask for my help. But what I can offer him? What do I have which the lord himself cannot get?’

‘Your armour and your earrings.’

‘What about them?’

‘He will come asking for them because he knows that they protect you and that no one can defeat you as long as you have them on. How will the Pandavas win if you continue to have your protection? Karna, your earrings are made from amrit, the nectar of the gods. If you wish to live, you must protect them.’

Karna could not say anything.

Seeing his state of confusion, Surya said, ‘Karna, you would never deny a beggar or anyone who asks you for charity. In my journey through the day, seeing you perform your acts of charity at the river bank is an intensely satisfying sight. But there is a limit to everything. It would be foolhardy to give something important away when the intention of the other person is deceitful.’

‘Lord, how can I argue with what you have said? The knowledge that you protect me is a reward for my life’s penance.’

‘Karna, don’t hesitate. Speak your mind.’

‘As you command, lord. You light up the world where deeds of all kinds are committed; whether good or bad; you do not differentiate. I have no control over what I give. I do not ask what purpose the receiver uses what I give. Nor do I have the right to ask.’

‘That is commendable, but listen to me. I spread my light from heaven while the good or bad deeds, as you mentioned, take place on the earth, far removed from where I am. They do not touch me. But that does not mean I would hand over my luminescence to who asks for it. I would no longer be myself then. I will be devoid of my essential self. Likewise, your earrings and your armour—they define who you are. If you give them away, you are giving your life away. Only your fame will survive.’

Excerpted from Karna: The Great Warrier by Ranjit Desai, translated by Vikrant Pandey

For interviews, reviews and additional information, reach out to
Prateek.Agarwal@harpercollins.co.in
B/paperback | INR 399 | Modern and contemporary fiction

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