Kings and princes thronged the stadium, eager to compete for Draupadi, King Drupada's fire-born daughter. Drupada had put a revolving fish-shaped target high on a pole, and the archer had to shoot by looking at the target reflected in a pan of oil below.
Many princes tried and failed.
Then it was Karna's turn. He nocked an arrow confidently, but before he could shoot, Draupadi exclaimed, "I recognize this so-called king! He's just a charioteer. Send him away!"
"He is King of Anga," Duryodhana protested. "Let him compete!"
"No, my friend," Karna said to Duryodhana. "I do not want her."
Inspired by: The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version by R. K. Narayan
Notes: This story is from Chapter 4: Bride for Five.
Notes: This story is from Chapter 4: Bride for Five.
I read the BORI version of mahabharat where it is clearly said that karna failed to pierce the eye of fish !
ReplyDeleteI like all the different versions of Karna's story! He is one of my favorite characters.
Delete