Meaning of Karna

[Radha Krishnan]

Can anyone tell me the meaning of Karna? or how KarNa got that name?

[Kuppu Kannalur]

guess, the reason for the same would have been, he was born with ear rings.. hence..

On Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 8:58 PM, Radha Krishnan <radhakris...@gmail.com> wrote:

Can anyone tell me the meaning of Karna? or how KarNa got that name?

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[Sunder Hattangadi]

From Puranic Encyclopedia by Vetta Mani: (p. 2044)

 

6) Karna's armour and ear-rings. Karna was born with an armour on his body and rings in his ears. Chapter 99 of Adi Parva says thus : "To Kunti was born of Surya the mighty Karna. Even at his birth he was adorned with an armour over his body and rings in his ears."

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

[Sunder Hattangadi]

A somewhat surprising finding:

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01112.htm   (Ganguly's translation)

 

"The son of Surya was before this known by the name of Vasusena.
But since he cut off his natural armour, he came to be called Karna
(the cutter or peeler of his own cover).'"

 

 

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_1_index.html 

Mahabharata - Adi Parva - 1:104:11, 19, 21   (BORI Cirtical edition)

 

sahaja.n kavachaM bibhratkuNDaloddyotitAnanaH .
ajAyata sutaH karNaH sarvalokeShu vishrutaH .. 11..\

 

utkR^itya vimanAH svA~NgAtkavacha.n rudhirasravam .
karNastu kuNDale chhittvA prAyachchhatsa kR^itA~njaliH .. 19..\\

 

purA nAma tu tasyAsIdvasu SheNa iti shrutam .
tato vaikartanaH karNaH karmaNA tena so.abhavat .. 21..\\

 

        Cannot understand the translation of the last verse (21). Any clues?

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

 

From: Kuppu Kannalur <mail...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, August 1, 2011 1:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Meaning of Karna

[hnbhat B.R.]

purA nAma tu tasyAsIdvasu SheNa iti shrutam . 

tato vaikartanaH karNaH karmaNA tena so.abhavat .. 21..\\

 

It simply says that his earlier name was popularly known as  वसुषेण and thereafter the son of the Sun became (known as) कर्ण by this name.

Thanks for the source. I was about to look for the source. 

It has been derived with in two ways:

कॄ - विक्षेपे - to pierce, tear - कीर्यते इति कर्णः - with this context, he got his name as he himself tore his chest and ears to give the two things.

कर्ण - आकर्णने - कर्ण्यते इति कर्णः - popularly heard by people, well-known. But the first is fit in this context.  Hope the context is clear from the above extract, though it is not complete.

The background is there that so far as the built-in कवच and कुण्डल are there in his body, his life cannot be ended. He was felled by Arjuna, in his final battle in which all the unfavorable things against कर्ण coincided at that time. One of them was this. To do favor to his son, देवेन्द्र asked him his कर्णकुण्डल and कवच, in the guise of a Brahmin so that he won't deny. He is popular for his दान and he knowingly parted with his built-in-protection.  It was this episode in this extract I hope that gave him his name as कर्ण.

 He got his chariot stuck during the battle, as he himself drove his chariot after his charioteer, शल्य who was somehow convinced to drive chariot for him. (This has another background, due to a curse, he would forget all his weaponry talents learnt from परशुराम in a decisive battle, which was again remedied by the acceptance of  शल्य to drive his chariot). So he himself fought driving his own chariot and then got his chariot stuck. While he was lifting, he was hit with arrows fiercely, and felled down. 

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,

Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry

16 & 19, Rue Dumas

Pondichéry - 605 001

[Krishnamachary]

Sir

Even before he tore his Kavacha kundala for daanam, he was known as Karnaa ,the incident of kavacha, kundala danaa is incidental.

 

Mr.V.Krishnamachary
Retired Civil Engineer

Samskrutha Abhimaani
Email: vedantha...@yahoo.com

From: hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 7:58 AM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Meaning of Karna

[hnbhat B.R.]

On Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 11:37 AM, Krishnamachary <vedantha...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Sir

Even before he tore his Kavacha kundala for daanam, he was known as Karnaa ,the incident of kavacha, kundala danaa is incidental.

 

Mr.V.Krishnamachary
Retired Civil Engineer

Samskrutha Abhimaani
Email: vedantha...@yahoo.com

 

 

 

Thanks for the information.

 

But it the quoted portion clearly mentions by this act, he the son of Vikartana, came to be known as कर्ण thereafter, who was earlier known as वसुषेण. as can be seen in the verse. I checked in other editions also.

 

When this episode took place, there is no clue. I could not find the episode in the कर्ण parva. May be sometime earlier than that. This is information is available in the अनुक्रमणिका- sub  parva of आदिपर्व, but there is no clue when this episode took place. But it is clear that he was originally known as वसुषेण as the sages named him on his birth to Kunti as clearly mentioned in the episode preceding this accounting for his birth and at the end this episode is mentioned. 

 

 14 तम उत्सृष्टं तदा गर्भं राधा भर्ता महायशाः
     पुत्रत्वे कल्पयाम आस सभार्यः सूतनन्दनः
 15 नामधेयं च चक्राते तस्य बालस्य तावुभौ
     वसुना सह जातॊ ऽयं वसु षेणॊ भवत्विति॥

Supports the view that his earlier name given by his foster parents was वसुषेण as given in the quoted portion after the episode. It is the tesimony of Mahabharata itself we have to take in for this supposition.

 

But when this episode took place, one has to look for it in the complete Mahabharata. I have not checked for it and it will be helpful to investigate.

 

With regards

 

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,
Ecole française d'Extrême-OrientCentre de Pondichéry

[Sunder Hattangadi]

The clue to the episode seems to be in Vana Parva, (adhyaya #308 in Ganguly's translation, and #294 in BORI Critical Edition), and mention of the 12th year of Pandavas' exile. Radheya's birth story is repeated in adhyaya #307.

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03308.htm

 

http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_1_index.html   

Mahabharata, Vana Parva ch. 294

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

 

From: hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 2:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Meaning of Karna

[hnbhat B.R.]

The same statement appears again in this section also:

Mahabharata, Vana Parva ch. 294

 38 तथोच्छित्य कवचं दिव्यम अङ्गात; तथैवार्द्रं प्रददौ वासवाय 
     तथॊत्कृत्य प्रददौ कुण्डले ते; वैकर्तनः कर्मणा तेन कर्णः||

By this act, Vaikartana (became?)  कर्णः|

Again the same question. Whether this expression supports the statement or not in the earlier occasion too. If so, whether he was called कर्ण earlier or not. If not, what does this expression mean?  

[Sunder Hattangadi]

The actual episode of Karna giving up his armor and ear-rings to Indra appears to have happened at the end of 12 years of Pandavas' exile, as per Vana Parva, Ch. 298:

 

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03298.htm

 

"...Vaisampayana said, "As thou askest me, O tiger among kings, I will relate that history unto thee! Do thou listen to my words, O best of the Bharatas! After twelve years (of their exile) had passed away and the thirteenth year had set in, Sakra, ever friendly to the sons of Pandu, resolved to beg of Karna (his ear-rings)....."

 

 

So it would be interesting to ascertain if that was the time when Vasushena/Radheya came to be known as 'Karna', and not before then.

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

 

 

From: hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Meaning of Karna

[श्रीमल्ललितालालितः]

श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
lalitAlAlitaH

On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 07:46, hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

वैकर्तनः कर्मणा तेन कर्णः

 

तेन कर्म्मणा कर्णो वैकर्त्तन इति ख्यातोऽथवा वैकर्त्तनः कर्ण इति ।
न द्वितीयः , उत्कृत्येतिपदेन वैकर्त्तननाम्नस्समीपतरत्वात् । इति प्रतीयते ।
विशेषस्तु भारतविशेषज्ञाधीनः ।

[SL Abhyankar]

नमो नमः श्रीमन् "सुन्दर हत्तंगडी"-महोदय !
अस्ति मत्सार्धं "गीताप्रेस गोरखपुर"-प्रकाशितः महाभारत ग्रन्थः ।
तत्र

sahaja.n kavachaM bibhratkuNDaloddyotitAnanaH .
ajAyata sutaH karNaH sarvalokeShu vishrutaH .. 11..\

अयम् श्लोकः आदिपर्वणि संभवपर्वणि कर्णसंभवे दशाधिकशततमे (११०) अध्याये एवम् पठ्यते -
सहजं कवचं बिभ्रत् कुण्डलोद्-द्योतिताननः ।
अजायत सुतः कर्णः सर्वलोकेषु विश्रुतः ।।१९।।
ततः पुरस्तात् अस्ति श्लोकः -

नामधेयं च चक्राते तस्य बालस्य तावुभौ ।

वसुना सह जातोऽयं वसुषेणो भवत्विति ।।२४।।
अस्मिन् श्लोके कर्णस्य वसुषेण-नामस्य किञ्चित् विवरणम् खलु ।
तथापि अस्मिन् आदिपर्वणि संभवपर्वणि कर्णसंभवे दशाधिकशततमे (११०) अध्याये मया

utkR^itya vimanAH svA~NgAtkavacha.n rudhirasravam .
karNastu kuNDale chhittvA prAyachchhatsa kR^itA~njaliH .. 19..\\

 

purA nAma tu tasyAsIdvasu SheNa iti shrutam .
tato vaikartanaH karNaH karmaNA tena so.abhavat .. 21..\\

एतौ श्लोकौ न प्राप्तौ । अस्तु ।

सस्नेहम्
अभ्यंकरकुलोत्पन्नः श्रीपादः ।
"श्रीपतेः पदयुगं स्मरणीयम् ।"

[hnbhat B.R.]

2011/8/3 श्रीमल्ललितालालितः <lalitaa...@gmail.com>

उद्देशविधेयविभावविपर्ययस्तु भवति।

 

"अनुवाद्यमनूक्त्वैव वचनं पूर्वं विधेयमुदीरयेत्” इति,  नियमः पाल्यते।

प्रकृते वैकर्तनशब्दस्तु विकर्तनस्यायमिति विकर्तनशब्दादपि संभवत्येव विकर्तनसंबन्धित्वात् 

-

विकर्तनार्क-मार्तण्ड-मिहिरारुण-पूषणः ।
द्युमणिस् तरणिर् मित्रश् चित्रभानुर् विरोचनः ॥३०॥

 

अपत्यार्थे तु वैकर्तनिः स्यात्।

 

"कृ विक्षेपे" इति धातोः, किरति - विक्षिपति = ददातीति - कर्णः इति च कॄवृजसीति - (उणादि ३.१०) इति व्युत्पत्तिश्च भवति।

 

उद्देशविधेयभावविपर्ययेण तु उभयथापि संभाव्यते एव।कृती च्छेदने - वि+कृन्ततीति - विच्छिनत्तीति विकर्तनस्तु भवति प्रकृते। वैकर्तनस्तु विकर्तनशब्दाद् भवतीति विशेषः। विकर्तन एव वैकर्तनः इति।

[Sunder Hattangadi]

Namaste Shri Abhyankara-ji,

 

                   The shlokas you have mentioned as not in the Gita Press edn. are in fact from the BORI Critical Edition, chapter 104:

 

utkR^itya vimanAH svA~NgAtkavacha.n rudhirasravam .
karNastu kuNDale chhittvA prAyachchhatsa kR^itA~njaliH .. 19..\\

shakti.n tasmai dadau shakro vismito vAkyamabravIt .
devAsuramanuShyANA.n gandharvoragarakShasAm .
yasmai kShepsyasi ruShTaH sanso.anayA na bhaviShyati .. 20..\\

purA nAma tu tasyAsIdvasu SheNa iti shrutam .
tato vaikartanaH karNaH karmaNA tena so.abhavat .. 21..\\

 

 

                  However, #19 and #24 appearing in Ch. 110 in Gita Press edn, are in Ch. 111 in Kinjavadekar edn with Nilakantha commentary!

 

Nilakantha Tika has the following:

 

"karNa iti sahajakavachakartanAt karNaH | visheShataH kartanena vaikartanaH | svArthe taddihtaH |

vastutastu vikartanasyApatyatvAdvaitakartanaH || 31 ||

 

[ prA~NnAma tasya kathitaM vasuSheNa iti kShitau |

  karNo vaikartanashchaiva karmaNa tena somavat || 31 || ]                  This verse is not in the BORI Critical edn. !

 

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

[Anand Ghurye]

Dear Friends ,

A quick search on the net for the real name of Karna reveals the following
quote
From his father (Sun) Vikarattan; from his foster-father's profession: Adhirathi and Suta; from his foster mother Radheya; Angraj from his kingdom; Champadhipa as king of Champa and Kanina meaning bastard.
Answered by Anil K Chugh, 13 Sep '07 06:43 pm
Unquote

Regards ,

Anand Ghurye

[SL Abhyankar]

नमो नमः श्रीमन् "सुन्दर हत्तंगडी"-महोदय !

भवान् तु अतिभाग्यशाली अस्ति, यत् भवान् विविधानां महाभारतग्रन्थानां संदर्भान् उल्लेखितुं शक्नोति ।
भगवत्प्रीत्या भवतः ग्रंथालयस्य अवलोकनं भवेत् इति तृष्णा मनसि संजाता खलु ।
धन्यवादाः सर्वेभ्यः स्पष्टीकरणेभ्यः ।

सस्नेहम्
अभ्यंकरकुलोत्पन्नः श्रीपादः ।
"श्रीपतेः पदयुगं स्मरणीयम् ।"

2011/8/3 Sunder Hattangadi <sun...@yahoo.com>

[श्रीमल्ललितालालितः]

श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
lalitAlAlitaH

2011/8/3 hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>

2011/8/3 श्रीमल्ललितालालितः <lalitaa...@gmail.com>

श्रीमल्ललितालालितः
lalitAlAlitaH

On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 07:46, hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com> wrote:

वैकर्तनः कर्मणा तेन कर्णः

 

तेन कर्म्मणा कर्णो वैकर्त्तन इति ख्यातोऽथवा वैकर्त्तनः कर्ण इति ।
न द्वितीयः , उत्कृत्येतिपदेन वैकर्त्तननाम्नस्समीपतरत्वात् । इति प्रतीयते ।
विशेषस्तु भारतविशेषज्ञाधीनः ।

 

 

 

उद्देशविधेयभावविपर्ययेण तु उभयथापि संभाव्यते

 

प्रकृतप्रसङ्गात्प्राग्यदि कर्णनाम्न एकदापि ग्रहणं तर्हि तस्यैवोद्देश्यत्वं वैकर्त्तनपदाभिधेयत्वञ्च विधेयम् ।

यदपि उभयथापि सम्भवत्यन्वयः इत्युक्तं तदपि उत्कर्त्तनविकर्त्तनयोस्सामीप्यस्याल्पव्युत्पन्नानामपि प्रकटत्वाद्विधेयत्वं तस्यैवेति युक्तमनन्वेषणदशायां भारतव्याकरणयोः ।

[hnbhat B.R.]

 Anyhow, I made a random search in the text of MBh and found more than thousand times the name Karna is used in different Parva-s and Chapters and only the name VasusheNa is used only in the context of narrating reminiscence of the episode for certain only to mention his earlier name. The occurence too in the total text is limited to only 11 occurences of which there may be some other persons also known by that name.

 

It seems that this was mentioned only to show the derivation of the word Karna deliberately or वैकर्तन (whether included later or at the time of the original composition) and while the whole Mahabharata was retold, he was already popular by the name KarNa. That much can be certainlly said.

 

The same verse, where in one version cited, it seems to define वैकर्तन as noticed by Nilakantha, who explains वैकर्तन otherwise, is found in Geetha Press Edition as follows:

Mahabharata, Vana Parva ch. 294

 38 तथोच्छित्य कवचं दिव्यम अङ्गात; तथैवार्द्रं प्र

ददौ वासवाय 
     तथॊत्कृत्य प्रददौ कुण्डले ते; कर्णात् तस्मात्  कर्मणा तेन कर्णः||

Though this justifies the definition कर्ण, it seems he had only one ear with two rings.(?).  Somehow it seems totally a cumbersome verse trying to say something else, but not we cannot get. 

The verse quoted in BORI edition, appears with certain variations in Geeta Press;

पुरा नाम तु तस्यासीद्वसु षेण इति श्रुतम् . 

ततो वैकर्तनः कर्णः कर्मणा तेन सोऽभवत् .. 21..\\

as follows:

प्राङ्नाम नाम तस्य कथितं वसुषेण इति क्षितौ।  . 

कर्णो वैकर्तनश्चैव कर्मणा तेन सोऽभवत् .. 31..\\

The above verses appear even with the reading वैकर्तनश्चैव in the Geetha Press Edition and translated he was known thereafter by this act, by both names वैकर्तन and कर्ण which agrees with the definition as given by Neelakantha.

Out of curiosity, I have encloded a word document with all the 1751 occurences in Mahabharata, many of them are clearly refer to him even during the conversations in the earlier Chapters than the Vanaparva episode. In the Aadipravarva, it is appended with and

 

MBh, 1, 104, 11.2
सहजं कवचं बिभ्रत् कुण्डलोद्द्योतिताननः /

अजायत सुतः कर्णः सर्वलोकेषु विश्रुतः / ||

 

and here the time of the episode is not mentioned, but he was suggested by Surya beforehand, in his dream to exchange when he is asked for Kavaca Kundala, with the Shakti, even if he do not reject his request. This is mentioned as "some time" in his life:

 

ततः काले तु कस्मिंश्चित् स्वप्नान्ते कर्णम् अब्रवीत् / (17.6) 
आदित्यो ब्राह्मणो भूत्वा शृणु वीर वचो मम / (17.7) 

and immediately after that he was requested to give his sole protection and he gave them in exchange for Shakti. (which was used against Ghatotkaca and Arjuna was saved from it). 

 

It is much more plaussible, and etymologically feasible too he got because of his ear-rings in his ears and in which case above statement seems to be redundant. In niew of this, the idea suggested by Srimallalitalalita    seems to settle the matter that by this act कर्ण became वैकर्तन though both are derivable with reference to the episode.

 

विकर्तनस्य = सूर्यस्यायं वैकर्तनः। = the one born of Sun विकर्तन;

 

or

 

वि+कृन्तति - इति कृती छेदने - विकर्तनः - (the cutter of his own ears and body), विशेषेण कर्तनाद् वैकर्तनः (as given by Nilakantha in his commentary).

 

विकर्तन एव वैकर्तनः। 

 

कर्णौ - प्रशस्तौ जन्मना कुण्डलाभ्यां युक्तौ अस्य इति कर्णः। can be the derivation also from the word कर्ण - meaning ears.

 

किरति = विक्षिपति इति कर्णः - also can be the etymology derived from the verb कॄ विक्षेपे.

 

The name is used 75 times in the text of Vaikartana (in the Digital Corpus ofSanskrit) including the ones in the cited verses also. whereas the name कर्ण is available in 1751 occurences while the name वसुषेण occurs only 11 times and the name आधिरथि is used 35 times, राधेयः - 134 times. The statistics is from the data-base  Digital Corpus of Sanskrit.

Here is a general assessment of the episode of giving the ear-rings and armour.

 

Mystery of Karna's coat-of-mail and his ear rings

Another account for his in-built armour and ear-ring is to be found in the narration of nara and Narayana, episode in BhagavataPurana(I could not locate in the original text). According to it, he was the incarnation of a demon Sahasrakavaca, who had been protected with 1000 kavaca-s which were to be pierced only after fighting 1000 years. In turn Nara and Narayana, managed to cut off 999 armours and then he fled and took refuge in the Sun God and o was reborn as Karna with his remaining armour. With the armour he is impossible to be defeated with any weapon and hence he was deprived of his kavaca, in the guise of Brahmana, by Indra to facilitate his defeat this birth also at the hands of Arjuna (Nara's rebirth).

 

http://hindustories.blogspot.com/2007/12/nar-narayan.html

 

More about this concept of incarnation of Sahasrakavaca, to exmphasise the protection of his kavaca and kundala, there are two blogs:

 

http://sarojamma.blogspot.com/2009/08/story-of-sahasra-kavacha-rakshasa.html

 

This has been evaluated by some scholar:

 

http://www.mahabharata-resources.org/variations/karna-sahasrakavaca.html

 

But there is no such reference in Mahabharata itself, I think. Though Narayaneeya, a southern composition, mentions of this Sahasrakavaca, killed by Nara and Narayana, it doesn't mention anything of his re-birth as KarNa. But it is popular in the southern version of the story as pointed out in the above article.

[Sunder Hattangadi]

Pranams Shri Bhat-ji,

 

      This research was certainly breath-taking! Thank you.

 

      A few points of note are:

 

The secret of Karna's being Sun's progeny was known only to Sun, Kunti and Krishna, and was not revealed to him or to the world till the end of the 12 yrs. of Pandavas' exile, when the latter 2 tried to persuade him to join the Pandava side, after Krishna's efforts to avert the war failed. 

 

Sun revealed it to him in a dream to warn him of Indra's approaching him for the ear-rings and armor, and his vulnerabilty in war.

 

So the name Vaikartana would only be proper after the above episode(mentioned to justify this etymology only).

 

Radheya was famous for his charity during his daily mid-day prayers to Sun, when he would give anything asked by a Brahmana. Indra knew this and Arjuna being his 'protege' he enacted that role. The removal ('kartana') of the armor was done at this time, and never before (again mentioned to justify this etymolgy only).

 

 

During Draupadi-svayamvara, Draupadi disqualified him as a suitor calling him

'sUta-putra' (son of a charioteer), Arjuna -the kShatriya- finally winning the 'contest'. It was then that Karna vowed to kill Arjuna.  

 

 

Regards,

 

sunder

 

  

From: hnbhat B.R. <hnbh...@gmail.com>
To: sams...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 10:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Samskrita] Meaning of Karna