Strange Curses and Stranger Oaths

The beginning and the ending

The very beginning of the Mahabhaaratha unfolds with conditions, curses and oaths. The curse of the Vasus, Ganga’s conditions, Bheeshma’s oath lay the foundation of the epic.

Bheema’s oaths rang the death knell of the Kuru dynasty while Gandhari’s curse ended the Yadava clan.

Amongst these well-known oaths and curses which had far-reaching consequences, there are a few lesser known curses and oaths that further shaped the story.

Strange Curses

That Lord Parashurama cursed Karna to forget the incantations required for the use of astras when he needed them the most, is well-known. But he also cursed Karna that he would never be able to overcome an opponent when he fought with a sense of competition. Parashurama thus ensured the infallibility of Arjuna.

More on the strange curse of Nahusha later.

Stranger Oaths

During the Kurukshetra war, Duryodhana was upset with Arjuna’s unchallenged attacks and that he hadn’t been subdued by Karna. Then Karna made an oath that he would wash his own feet till he defeated Arjuna!!

Due to Parashuma’s curse Karna was easily able to defeat and even kill each of the Pandavas (other than Arjuna) as he felt no sense of competition when fighting against them. But he did not do so as he was bound by the oath he had made to Kunti that she would always have five sons, either Arjuna or Karna being the fifth.

But he engaged with each of them and brought them to the point of accepting defeat and let them go. On the seventeenth day of the war, Karna badly injured and insulted Yudhishtira who had to be whisked away by Sahadeva, and taken back to the camp.

When the news of Yudhishtira’s retreat reached Arjuna’s ears, Arjuna was most concerned about Yudhishtira’s well-being and returned to the camp. When a smarting Yudhishtira saw Arjuna enter the camp mid-battle, he jumped to the conclusion that Karna had been killed. When he realised that it hadn’t happened yet, he began to berate Arjuna for his incompetence and inability to kill Karna. He then declared that the Gandiva was better off with Krishna or Bheema, for it was useless in Arjuna’s hands.

An enraged Arjuna drew out his sword to kill Yudhishtira. Unknown to the others Arjuna had made an oath that he would kill anyone who spoke about the Gandiva in a disparaging manner. He had to honour his oath now.

Krishna to the rescue

Krishna who had hitherto been a silent spectator stopped Arjuna from proceeding further. He came up with a suggestion instead. He told Arjuna to speak ill of Yudhishtira which would amount to killing him. Arjuna began to describe Yudhishtira’s actions and decisions with disdain and anger. At the end of his tirade, Yudhishtira was as good as killed.

Then Arjuna declared that he had to kill himself for having hurt his elder brother. Krishna had a remedy for that as well. He told Arjuna to praise himself which Arjuna did with much aplomb.

Krishna then told Arjuna that he had committed both murder and suicide and it was time to get on with the actual killing of Karna.

Bheema’s oath

As each prince was supposed to make a sacred oath at the end of their training in warfare, Bheema had made the strangest one, which he shared with Arjuna alone but was overheard by Duryodhana.

Bheema had vowed to kill anyone who called him ‘toovara’ or one who was moustache-less. Bheema had a lush beard and moustache and this oath was made under the assumption that no one would call him that.

But Duryodhana shared the secret with Karna and made him (Karna) call Bheema a ‘toovara’. Now Bheema was in a quandary. If he carried out his oath and killed Karna Arjuna would be deprived of carrying out his oath (of killing Karna).

Then the brothers arrived at a solution based on the principles of dharma. If a younger brother carries out a task on behalf of an elder brother it is acceptable but not an elder brother carrying out on behalf of the younger one.

Thus it was that Karna was killed by Arjuna.