8 Characters In Mahabharata Who Had A Bitter And Tragic Fate Like Karna

Tragedy is an inherent plot of an epic. But in Mahabharata – an epic of a different scale, tragic characters come in groups. And the stories about them are so intricately written, you feel for them – even when the characters are negative.

But the real tragic characters evoke a different emotion deep inside of us. We relate to their circumstances and their characteristics which turn out to be strikingly similar to ordinary humans in real life.

Let us take a look at these characters, who like Karna took an unfair fate in their stride with their heads held high.

1. Eklavya

Eklavya was a brilliant student who respected his teacher and could do anything to achieve his respect. He wanted to learn archery and requested Dronacharya to teach him. Drona refused because Eklavya wasn’t a kshatriya. He came from a jungle tribe.

Undeterred, he kept on practicing archery in his personal space in front of a clay figurine of Drona. He surpassed Arjuna in archery, and even Drona was surprised.

But Drona had Arjuna to appease. He was the brightest student and Drona had promised Arjuna that no one will ever surpass him in archery.

Drona, to save his honor asked for Eklavya’s right thumb – a critical tool for his archery skills.

Eklavya gave it without a stutter. He cut his right thumb on the spot and gave it to Drona.

 

2. Amba

Bhishma kidnapped the three princesses Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika from a swayamvar for his brother Vichiravirya. In the swayamvar, Amba was going to put the garland on Salva, with whom she was secretly in love. She spilled this secret to Vichitravirya when she met him.

Vichitravirya refused to marry Amba because of this. Amba pleaded to Bhishma to marry her, but Bhishma already had taken the terrible oath of celibacy for life. But he did agree to release Amba so that she can reunite with Salva.

When she approached Salva, and reminded him of their love, to her shock even Salva refused to marry her.

Amba was hence left unmarried without a social status, and appealed to all the kings for justice, but none of them paid her any attention.

 

3. Bhishma

Bhishma had always lived his life for others. In the whole of Mahabharata, there has been no one else who had sacrificed everything so that others around could be happy.

He took the terrible oath of lifelong celibacy so that his father could marry a fisherman’s daughter. He took the oath so that he would never have children who would contest for the throne.

He kidnapped three princesses for his brother Vichitravirya, and this led him to be cursed by Amba – that eventually led to his death. Just so that his brother might be happy.

He never fought to his fullest in the Kurukshetra was because he loved both the sides and ended up on a bed of arrows, waiting to die.

 

4. Gandhari

Gandhari’s marriage was fixed with Dhritarashtra. A blind king – even though he is a king – would not get many prospects. Gandhari, wanting to prove her devotion, blindfolded herself so that they could be equal in marriage.

Her devotion impressed Vyasa and he gave her a boon that a hundred sons would be born to her.

But her pregnancy was complicated and Vyasa intervened again so that 101 children could be born.

She lost each of these children one by one in the Kurukshetra war. Imagine losing one kid to death, one at a time for literally a hundred times.

 

5. Sahadeva

Sahadeva is credited with the wisdom equalling that of Brihaspati – the teacher of the gods. In this wisdom and foresight, Sahadeva knew everything that would happen in Kurukshetra war. He knew the whole outcome of the war but was cursed.

The curse stated that if he divulged this information to anyone, he would instantly die.

A cruel curse indeed. If his powers were true then he also knew that Karna was their brother. But because of the curse, he could do nothing. He had the knowledge to avoid the whole war, but fate was not on his side.

 

6. Dhritarashtra

He could not become the king because he was blind, despite being the eldest. No one agreed to marry him because he was blind until Gandhari came along. None of his 100 sons listened to him when he protested.

As he was blind, he could not see the Kurukshetra war, and had to listen to Sanjay narrate everything. He literally heard how each of his sons died in graphic detail.

He failed to kill Bhima who killed all his 100 sons.

And after the Pandavas retook the kingdom, he lived on, with the pain of his dead sons, under the rule of Pandavas who were the reason his children were dead.

 

7. Draupadi

After Arjuna won her hand at the swayamvara, Kunti asked Arjuna to distribute equally whatever he has brought. This meant that Draupadi would be divided among 5 men. She accepted this fate.

She was literally molested in a courtroom full of people and none of her husbands came to help her.

In the Kurukshetra war, all her children died. As they say, no one should be so unfortunate to watch their children die.

 

8. Uttara

Uttara was very young when she was married to Abhimanyu. They were married just before the Kurukshetra war started. And in the war, she lost her father, brother and even Abhimanyu.

Then she was shot with the Brahmanda Astra by Ashwatthama while she was pregnant. She lived a widow all her life, and could never become the queen since Draupadi was the queen, and later her son Parikshit would become the king.

The interesting thing about all these characters is that they never got bogged down by their cruel fate. All of them took the moral high ground and accepted their cruel fate and lived their life with their heads held high.

After all, they were all mortals with no control over the game called life. But they still lived on. And that is why we empathize with them so much. Because they remind us of our own lives.

A lesson we can take from them – live on with our heads held high, no matter what bitter dishes life is going to serve us with.

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