When Arjuna repeatedly defeated Karna, why are they considered equals?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
The question is that Karna was repeatedly defeated by Arjuna so why is he considered to be an equal of Arjuna or why is he selected as his opponent Actually it is Duryodhana who primarily propped Karna as the opponent of Arjuna Now Duryodhana wanted to usurp the power of the Pandavas and he felt that the Pandavas had two primary strengths Bhima and Arjuna right in the start of the Bhagavad Gita also says there are warriors like Bhima and Arjuna so he considered Bhima and Arjuna to be like the gold standard so there is a cricket team, there is a top batsman and there is a top bowler so we need some bowler who can get that batsman out and we need some batsman whom no bowler can get out so like that so he felt that Bhima is a very good warrior and I can deal with him and Bhima is a very good mace fighter I can deal with him but Arjuna is a formidable archer and who will deal with him so when he saw Arjuna when he saw Karna, he thought that Karna can act as a Karna can act as a foil for Arjuna and that’s how he groomed him like that now time and time again it was proven that Karna could not match Arjuna and that’s why the elders Drona, Kripa, Bhishma all of them reminded Duryodhana and Karna both that you will not be able to match Partha but rather than listening to that Duryodhana actually started rejecting them only so his confidence was so great his over confidence was so great that he just felt that Karna will surely defeat Arjuna and although see sometimes it’s said that there was an American joker who said that, a comedian he said I have already made up my mind don’t confuse me with the facts so he was like that so he had already made up his mind that Karna will defeat Arjuna that was Duryodhana, don’t confuse me so many times Arjuna has defeated Karna or Arjuna has defeated those who have defeated Karna but still he said no, Karna will win and that’s why on the 17th night when Karna was killed that time Duryodhana was shattered was completely shattered even when Bhishma had been killed even when Drona had been killed he was not as shattered as when Karna was killed so it was more of Duryodhana propping Karna as a rival rather than Karna earning his position as an equal for Arjuna