Karnabharam: Bhasa Depiction of Karna The Plot

1. Karnabharam: Bhasa
Anu Chandramohan
Assistant Professor
Department of English
St. Mary’s College Thrissur

2. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
Karnabharam
Karnabharam or The Anguish of Karna (literally: The Burden of
Karna) is a Sanskrit play written by the Indian dramatist Bhasa.
The play describes the mental pain of Karna on the previous day of
the Kurukshetra War.
Karnabharam is essentially the retelling of an episode of the Indian
epic Mahabharata but the story is presented in a different perspective
in the play.

3. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
Bhasa is one of the earliest dramatists of the Indian subcontinent.
 But very little is known about him. Kalidasa once said, "Shall we
neglect the works of such an illustrious author as Bhasa?"
Bhasa lived around the second century. Most of his plays were
lost for centuries.
Bhasa

4. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
Karna was one of the greatest warriors of ancient India as given in the
Mahabharatha.
He was the king of Anga kingdom.
According to Mahabharatha, Karna was the only warrior who had the
capacity to conquer the entire world.
Karna

5. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
Depiction of Karna
The play depicts Karna's mental agony a day before the Kurukshetra
War, as he thinks about his past and his faith.
The play projects the mortal anguish of a man unsure of his identity.
Karna the protagonist is heroic and pathetic at the same time as he tries
to find his place between the mocking and adulation of social forces on
one side and the taunting challenges of fate on the other.

6. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
The time and space of action is from the eleventh day in the war-
field of Mahabharata.
The great warrior Karna, the son of Surya is seen distributed and
depressed in the war-field instead of being mighty and powerful.
 The play analyses the reasons.
THE PLOT

7. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
He is worried of his birth, his caste and his social status. Whether he is
the son of Kunthy and Soorya, or Radha and Sutha? The mockery and
adulation of the society moulds his person and fate.
For a while he is moved by the meaninglessness of the war where men
kill each other. He says that irrespective of his victory or defeat, war is a
real waste. This vision adds to his turbulence.
Karna tells Salya about the curse given by his Guru, Parasurama.
PLOT Continues

8. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
This episode is inacted by correlating the narration of the present with
the inacting of the past.
The astra advised by Parasurama is found powerless at the needed hour.
The entry of Indra disguised as a Brahmin, follows, who cunningly
takes away the divine Kavacha and kundala from Karna. He understands
that the whole plot is masterminded by the shrewd Krishna and accepts
his fate.
PLOT Continues

9. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
The messenger from Indra offers a powerful weapon Vimala which
can destroy one among the Pandavas.
Accepting the challenge from Arjuna and Krishna the revitalized
Karna proceed to this ultimate fate heroically.
Thus ends Bhasa’s play Karnabharan.
PLOT Continues

10. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
Shanti Parva, Chapter 3. The story of Karna learning the missile
technology from Parasuram. The curse of the guru.
Vana Parva, Chapter. 310. The visit of Indra and the giving away of
the armour and the ear rings in exchange for a magic power.
Udyogaparva, Chapter 146. Kunti’s request that her children may be
spared. Karna’s promise (exception Arjuna)
Karna Parva: Karna’s march to the battlefield with Salya as the
charioteer.
SOURCES of the play

11. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
‘Bhara’ or burden is the central theme. The word ‘bhara’ in the title
may refer to:
The weight of the armour and the ear rings
The thought of killing his own brothers.
The thought of the three curses.
The thought of his weapons becoming useless at the crucial time.
The loss of the ear rings and the armour at the crucial time which
increased his bhara or responsibility as the commander of the army.
TITLE of the play

12. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
The play has many deviations from the original Mahabharata and all
deviations are purposeful
Focus on the personality of Karna and his limitless generosity.
Time of Indra’a appearance. In the play, it happens on the 17th day of
the battle. In the Vyasa version, it happens much earlier.
In the original, Karna demands the Sakti from Indra in return for the
gift of Kavacha and Kundala. In the play he refused anything offered in
return. (To show Karna in better glamour as a true gift giver).
DEVIATION from Vyasa’a Mahabharata

13. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
In the original, Karna’s father Surya appears in a dream and warns
Karna against the cheating of Indra. In the play, this is omitted for
dramatic effect.
Indra sending an angel is also added.
The original Salya often criticizes Karna harshly and discourages him
by quarreling bitterly. But in the play, Salya is a true friend and well
wisher of Karna.
continues…

14. Karnabharam, Anu Chandramohan, St.Mary’s College
REFERENCE
www.universityofcalicut.info/SDE/worldclassicsintranslation.pdf