I find Karna to be the most controversial character in the Mahabharata. He evokes a lot of sentiments; admiration, hate, sympathy, etc. If you value Karna from the side of Dharma (good/bad), he will be considered bad. But he has also done some great heroic things (generosity being one), so there is definitely urge to paint him grey, as someone who was the victim of circumstances, etc. He has symbolized Dharma in so many ways - he remains a true son to his foster parents, a loyal friend to Duryodhana - he stepped back from drawing the final blow to Abhimanyu , etc
It really makes me think if Mahabharat did any justice to Karna? Did Mahabharat really fount on the grounds of Dharma...
@LN - Long time ago we had an MB discussion thread.(Or maybe it was myth) A lot of the old members participated. Maybe, you can dig it up and post a link to that one at your convenience.
Karna - To me Karna is a classic tragic hero. He reminds me of tragic heroes of Greek mythos or even Shakespeare - grey, flawed and conflicted. In many ways he is noble in his selfless giving, in his refusal to defect sides, in his understanding of dharma. In other ways he comes as selfish and flawed. His blind devotion to Duryodhana is born out of selfish pride than genuine friendship. As a friend he never corrects Duryodhana from his wayward ways. Also a maharathi like him was part of the murder of Abhimanyu.
Dharmaraj - I have a problem giving titles like Maryada purshottam and Dharmaraj to characters. Somehow I find them too flawed to attain such high standards. In fact how can we be sure what true dharma is to bestow that title on anyone. I think Yudhishthira is just one man who tried to follow dharma, but failed many times, but he will be renown because he tried the hardest even when it cost him.
Krishna - Krishna is a catalyst. I think Vishnu avatars are all catalysts of events. They push the right buttons to make things unfold. On one hand Krishna is the friend, philosopher and guide of the Pandavas. But at the same time he subtly plays them to the Battlefield of Kurukshetra. One thing about Krishna that bothers me is that the ends justify the means. Sometimes he urges the Pandavas to resort to questionable tactics. Krishna represents the philosophical question of utilitarianism - what is the greater good? And how many lesser evils can justify the greater good?
Who wrote it - If we go by the legend Vyasa narrated it to Ganesha. But in all practicality I think it is a result of history became legend, legend became myth and over time and years it experienced many embellishments, changes, updates as humanity passed the tale from one generation to the next. There are many versions of some tales and sub tales in the MB.
MB is just one of the many epics of the world The Iliad and Oddyseus, Gilgamesh, Genesis and Exodus. Just as Krishna presents the delightful puzzle "I am in the world, the world is in me". Mahabharata is in part of the world and the world is part of Mahabharata.
Did Mahabharat really fount on the grounds of Dharma...