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Background:

  • I saw in a Karna movie and also read a Mahabharata book, where, towards the end, Karna was injured in his chest by Arjuna's arrow and the last arrow to kill him actually turned in to a flower so it doesn't injure Karna.
  • Lord Krishna explains the above as: Karna did dāna all his life so the fruits of that dāna is now saving him.
  • So Lord Krishna turned himself into a brahmin and asked Karna to give him [Krishna] fruits of all his [Karna's] dāna and only after that does Karna actually die.

Question: Is the above life-saving story of Karna, due to his dāna, really true or is it just shown like that to praise Karna's benevolent nature?

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No the story about Karna's death (last arrow turning into flower not injuring him) is not true. Karna was shattered psychologically at the time of his death. The story about Brahmana is partially true. The Brahmana took the kavacha and Kundala from Karna because without them Karna was vulnerable in war.

'At that time, when hour of Karna's death had come, Kala, approaching invisibly, and alluding to the Brahmana's curse, and desirous of informing Karna that his death was near, told him, "The Earth is devouring thy wheel'. Indeed, O foremost of men, when the hour of Karna's death came, the high Brahma weapon that the illustrious Bhargava had imparted unto him, escaped from his memory. And the earth also began to devour the left wheel of his car. Then in consequence of that foremost of Brahmanas, Karna's car began to reel, having sunk deep into the earth and having been transfixed at that spot like a sacred tree with its load of flowers standing upon its elevated platform. When his car began to reel from the curse of the Brahmana and when the high weapon he had obtained from Rama no longer shone in him through inward light, and when his terrible snake-mouthed shaft also had been cut off by Partha, Karna became filled with melancholy.'

Mahabharata Karna Parva Section XC

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  • gandopadhyay I have another question, "If karna entered the war with his Kavasha and kundalas he will be invincible in battle"."INVINCIBLE IN BATTLE" is dharma or adharma (answer with scriptures please)
    – Sakthi
    Dec 16, 2016 at 2:06
  • @sakthi Beng "Invincible in battle" is not dharma or adharma..In the 3 worlds no one gets anything for free..everyone has to earn it either by tapas(penance) or by sacrifice done either in the present birth or in the previous births..
    – Rickross
    Dec 16, 2016 at 6:03
  • @Rickross IF "INVINCIBLE IN BATTLE" is not dharma or adharma then why should Shri ramachandra have to kill vali and say about his boon as "Half of enemies power will be absorbed to vali". is not moral. So friend I think that there must be a law for battle to be followed.
    – Sakthi
    Dec 16, 2016 at 7:26
  • @sakthi If someone has earned such invinciblity boons by his severe penances then i'm not sure how can that be either Dharma or adharma..he earned it by legal means..Now whether he can use it during battles(dharmayuddha) is some other issue..but then again if he is not allowed to use in battles then what's the use of that boon to him afterall?
    – Rickross
    Dec 16, 2016 at 7:57
  • @Rickross boon or anything Must be according to rules of world if against it life's ultimate goal MOKSHA cannot be achieved. so only lord ramachandra attacked vali from behind. So friend there must be rule for entering war or battle with or without INVINCIBILITY.
    – Sakthi
    Dec 16, 2016 at 8:08

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