Thus, Parasurama kept him with him by delving into the innermost secrets of martial science.
Over time Karna had felt kissed by luck because even in his wildest dreams he had never imagined being able to live days of such intense happiness. However, Karna’s existence was by no means meant to be happy; bad luck was still lurking, ready to harm the generous young man again.
One day, while the master was resting with his head on Karna’s legs, a carnivorous insect had attached itself to Karna’s knee and began to bite him. The pain was intense, and, little by little when the animal penetrated the leg, it became unbearable. Even so, he did not want to disturb the teacher’s sleep, so, he neither moved nor uttered any lamentation, tolerating the pain with great strength. But despite his efforts, when the blood began to come out, the strong smell awoke Parasurama who instantly understood what had happened. His eyes suddenly changed expression and were kindled like the fire of the sacrifice when the hotri drops the clarified butter.
“You lied to me,” Parasurama said in a firm voice, “you are not a Brahmana. You cannot be. Only a Kshatriya could have endured such pain. You deceived me. Don’t you understand how bad it is to lie to your master?”
“I only did it because I wanted to be your pupil,” Karna had tried to clear himself, “and for no other reason. Please forgive me, don’t throw me out.”
“The guilt of having lied to your guru is so serious that I cannot forgive you. You have deceived the secrets of human and divine weapons from me, but know that the moment you need them most you will forget the art of using them and in your mind everything will become dark, obscure. In that moment, when you are faced with your most hated enemy, you will remain helpless and you will not be able to defend yourself.”
Cursed and chased, Karna had left with a heart full of bitterness.
A few days later another unfortunate event hit him. He had mistakenly killed the cow of a Brahmana, who in a rage cursed him:
“When you are faced with your greatest enemy, the wheels of your chariot will sink into the mud and you will not be able to lift them”.
After that second episode, Karna returned to his parents’ home.
Some time later, he learned about a tournament that was to be held in Hastinapura. On that occasion the princes of the most renowned families would gather and show their martial skills. He thought that might be his big chance, so, he made the decision to go there.
In this way the story of Karna’s life joins that of the Pandavas and the Kuravas.
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 1”.
To buy the complete book, click above
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