September 4, 2007

Karan

Sometimes I feel like Karan...

Now who, you might ask, is Karan. The story of Karan is a long one, and one that involves many ups and downs. Here I will relate an aspect of his life that I can identify with, and maybe many of you can too.

Though Karan was a prince by birth, yet circumstances led him to be raised by a weaver family. He, thus, became ineligible for any formal weapon training, as that was a privilege extended to Kings, and others of noble birth. Karan searched high and low for a teacher but no one would teach war to the son of a weaver. In his search for a teacher, Karan came across Parshu Ram, a Brahmin teacher, who taught the art of war to Brahmins only.

Tired of his search, Karan decided to become a disciple of Parshu Ram by lying to him, telling him that he was a Brahmin. In time, Karan became a great warrior. But, one day, Parshu Ram found out about the lie. Parshu Ram was very angry, and said to Karan, "Though you have tricked me into teaching you, its my curse that you will forget all I have taught you, when you will need your knowlege most."

Needless to say that the curse came true in time, and Karan was defeated and killed in battle.

The next question, now, is : Why do I feel like Karan at times?

The answer is simple: There are many things that I can do easily, but every time I have to prove myself, I seem to falter and fail. It seems to me that I have been cursed with the curse of Karan, where the skill and the ability leaves me when I need it most.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

happens to all of us sometimes

guess its pretty bad if it happens somewhat often

any idea why? hmm...

ps. interesting story tho of karan

SandyCarlson said...

So was Karan actually a Brahman by birth who was raised by weavers?

I suppose the point might be that cicrumstances undermine many of us who are destined for greatness. Our own dishonesty undermines us ultimately, though. Hard lessons! There are echoes of Oedipus in this tale. Also, an Irish folktale about the men of Ulster who are unable to defend themselves in their hour of need because they have been cursed by Macha for underestimating her.

All the same idea: we are hemmed in and tripped up by our limited vision.

Thanks for this post.

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