Karṇa meets the fallen Bhīṣma; Droṇa made commander and the promise to seize Yudhiṣṭhira

Classical

On the morning after Bhīṣma fell, with the other kings gone back to their tents, Karṇa came alone to the field. He had held back for ten days, and now, afraid and grieving, he knelt before the old man lying on his arrow bed with his eyes closed, fell at his feet and said, in a voice choked with tears: ‘I am Rādhā's son Karṇa, whom you always looked at with dislike.’ Bhīṣma sent the guards away, slowly opened his eyes, and with one arm drew Karṇa to him like a father embracing a son.

Bhīṣma said he had always known the truth. He had heard it from Nārada and Vyāsa: Karṇa was Kuntī's son, not Rādhā's, and Adhiratha was not his father. His harsh words had only been meant to curb his pride and to prevent a quarrel in the Kuru camp. He praised him as the equal of Arjuna in the bow, a friend of brāhmaṇas, a generous giver, and a man who fought fairly. He asked him now to go to his brothers and let the hostilities end with Bhīṣma's fall. Karṇa answered that he knew he was Kuntī's son, but that he had been abandoned by her and raised by a charioteer, and that he had eaten Duryodhana's bread. He would not break faith. He asked for leave to fight. Bhīṣma said, ‘If you cannot give up this hatred, I permit you. Fight without anger, for the sake of heaven.’ Karṇa saluted him, asked forgiveness for any harsh word, and went back to Duryodhana.

Duryodhana now needed a new commander, and he asked Karṇa whom to choose. Karṇa said all the great warriors were worthy, but that choosing any one would offend the others, who were all peers. Droṇa was the teacher of all of them and was senior in age, so none of them would take it as an insult to follow him. Duryodhana praised Droṇa's birth, learning, courage and skill to his face and asked him to lead them as Skanda leads the gods. The kings cheered. Droṇa accepted, saying he knew the Vedas and the weapons and would do his best to live up to this praise, but that he could not kill Dhṛṣṭadyumna, who had been born to kill him. Then Duryodhana installed him with the proper rites, to the sound of drums and conches.

Droṇa took the field on the eleventh day. Duryodhana asked him a favour: to bring Yudhiṣṭhira back alive. He did not want him killed, because if Yudhiṣṭhira died, Arjuna would destroy them all and the Pāṇḍavas would never stop. But if Yudhiṣṭhira were captured, he could be beaten again at dice and sent back to the forest, since the brothers would obey him. Droṇa saw the crooked purpose and set a condition. He could not capture the king if Arjuna was guarding him, but if Arjuna were drawn away somewhere on the field he would bring Yudhiṣṭhira in a moment. Duryodhana announced this to the whole army, to make Droṇa stick to it.

Yudhiṣṭhira's spies reported the plan at once. He asked Arjuna to stay close that day. Arjuna said that he could no more consent to give up Yudhiṣṭhira than to kill his teacher. ‘The sky may fall, the earth split, but as long as I live Droṇa will not seize you. My word has never been false.’ In the fight that followed, Droṇa tore through the Pāṇḍava host, but Arjuna protected the king and the vow came to nothing. That night Droṇa told Duryodhana that Arjuna must somehow be pulled away. The Trigarta brothers took up the challenge.

Told by Sañjaya → Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Who: Karṇa, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Duryodhana, Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna, Kuntī

Bound to

Day ten: Śikhaṇḍin and Arjuna fell Bhīṣma; the bed of arrows, the pillow and the water origin

Kunti's mantra and Karna's birth birth

Kuntī and Karṇa: the promise of five sons mirror

Drona born in a pot; Dhrishtadyumna born from fire to kill him origin

Day twelve: Suśarmā and the Saṃśaptakas draw Arjuna away origin

Parashurama meets Rama and trains Bhishma, Drona and Karna origin

Places: Kurukṣetra

Where this comes from

read for this telling · Mahabharata, Ganguli translation (read via archive.org copy of the sacred-texts text) Drona Parva, Bhishma Parva Section CXXIV; Drona Parva Sections V–VII, XII–XIII and the opening of XVII

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