Bug
or the Windshield?
Heather and Jessica sat on the floor by their grandfather's recliner,
crossed their legs, and prepared to hear some amazing stories.
Both of them looked like little girls, wide-eyed and ready for an
amazing tale. It made their grandfather smile.
"Well, girls, let me start off by explaining that karma is a huge
belief
in India's culture. This story that I tell you will explain the
importance of being a good person in this life, previous lives, and
future lives. There was once a man named Karna. He was born
to Kunti and Surya, the sun. He grew up wanting to better himself
and to learn how to use the Brahmastra," Grandpa explained.
"What's the Brahmastra, Grandpa?" Heather asked.
"Oh, yes. Sorry. I forgot that you two are not as versed as
I am in Indian literature. It is a weapon created by
Brahma. It was the considered the greatest weapon of all
time. There was nothing that could be countered against it and it
never missed its mark. It was amazing. That is why Karna
wanted to learn how to use it. He went to the wise man
Parasurama, who was a brahmin, a holy priest, to learn
everything he could. Well, Parasurama was an enemy of all
kshatriyas, that is, of all the warriors, like Karna. Karna lied
to Parasurama and told him he was a brahmin, a priest like Parasurama,
so that he could be considered as one of his pupils," Grandpa said.
"Lying is never good, Grandpa. I have a feeling this story is
going to get ugly," Jessica retorted.
"That it is, Jessica," Grandpa answered. "Parasurama was tired
one day and had rested his head on Karna's lap. Soon after, he
fell asleep. Karna remained awake long enough to see a massive
insect which looked kind of like an abnormally large centipede fly
towards him. This insect was actually a rakshasa, a terrible
demon, in
disguise. It sunk its teeth into Karna's leg and would not let
go. Pretty soon it began to suck his blood. Karna's leg was
on fire and the pain inside him quickly intensified. To avoid
waking Parasurama and disturbing his sleep, Karna remained still and
allowed the insect, actually a rakshasa, drain his blood.
Parasurama eventually woke and saw blood spurting from Karna's leg."
"That is one serious bug and I'm not so sure I could have sat there
silently. I think I would have been on my feet before the thing
made it within two feet of me," Heather exclaimed.
"Very true, Heather. You've never been one for bugs," Jessica
replied. "I was always the one that had to come over and kill the
spider for you when your parents weren't home. What happened
next, Grandpa?"
"Parasurama was not happy," Grandpa continued. "He told Karna
that only a kshatriya, a warrior, could have experienced the pain that
he did and
not said a word. He was upset that he had been betrayed and that
Karna had lied to him. In order to get even, Parasurama decreed
that Karna would remember the Brahmastra that he had taught him.
However, once he actually needed it to survive, Karna would forget the
words and it would be useless to him. Karna did not worry about
this curse until he was pitted in battle against his
half-brothers. It came time for him to fight the great hero
Arjuna and he was
unable to employ the use of the Brahmastra. His chariot wheel was
stuck in the mud, his pride had been depleted, and he was
defeated. Arjuna was stunned by the force of an arrow Karna shot
at him and Karna attempted to remove his chariot wheel from the mud
again. It would not budge. It was desperate times and it
called for desparate measures. He tried with all his might to
remember the mantra, but quickly realized the words were fading from
his memory. Arjuna hesitated slightly, not wanting to take
advantage, but was urged to kill him. Arjuna shot an arrow that
cut off Karna's head and ultimately led
to his death."
"Grandpa, I think we have all learned an important lesson here.
Lying to achieve something will come back to bite you in the...leg,"
Heather said.
They all laughed and Jessica got up to stretch her legs and get them
all a drink.
Author's Note: For this story I did not change any information
regarding how Karna lost his use of the Brahmastra. I did not
change any details or add any additional information. I felt that
the original story fit better into my storybook and changing things
would have made it more difficult to tell. In my use of the
story, I made sure to emphasize the importance of lying to get what you
want. Since Karna lied to get what he wanted, although he got it,
in the end he was unable to use it. This happens a lot and is a
perfect example of karma. Although a lot of people often gain
things falsely, the ultimate goal is usually not attained.
Perhaps there is guilt that cannot be avoided or the the truth just
eventually comes out. When this happens, the thing that was
coveted and received, is now useless and all was for
naught. This particular story was important because it
combined the element of battle as well. I did not stress the part
of the story where Karna attempts to use the Brahmastra and he is
unable to. I felt that for this story, it was more important to
show why he was unable to use it rather than when he was unable to use
it. His actions with Parasurama led to his death against Arjuna.
Bibliography:
Narayan, R. K. (1978). The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose
Version of the Indian Epic.
Karna and Parasurama. Websource: Bolo
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