Page 1 :
fone: Comprehension Questions, , Answer briefly the following questions:, , , , 1] Why was a large crowd assembled in the arena?, , Ans: A large crowd was assembled in the arena because, it was the day when the Pandavas and the Kauravas, had to exhibit their proficiency in the use of arms, , they had learnt from Kripacharya and Drona. The, crowd had come to witness it., , What did Duryodhana envy?, , : Duryodhana envied the super-human skill of, , Arjuna in wielding the weapons which was greatly, appreciated by the people who were assembled, , there.

Page 2 :
How does the writer introduce Karna to the, , assembly?, , Ans! Suddenly there was a sound made by the slapping, of mighty arms in challenge at the entrance of the, , arena which sounded loud and compelling like, , thunder. People saw a godlike youth, from whom, , light and power seemed to emanate, enter the, , arena., , Gesturing a negligent salute to Drona and, , Kripacharya the youth strode up to Arjuna., , 3], , 4] What was the cause for Duryodhana's exultation?, ‘Ans: Karna told Arjuna that he would show greater, skill than Arjuna himself had displayed. Procuring, Drona's permission, Karna performed all the feats, that were previously performed by Axjuna with, careless ease. This made Duryodhana exult in joy., , 5] | How does Karna challenge Arjuna?, Ans: Karna challenges Arjuna for a single combat., , 6] | Who were the divine parents of the two heroes?, , Ans: Indra, the Lord of the thunderous clouds was the, divine parent of Arjuna while Bhaskara the Lord, of Infinite rays was the divine parent of Karna., , 7| Why was Kunti stupefied?, , Ans: When Kunti saw Karna, she recognised him as her, first born and fainted. Upon being revived, she, stood stupefied with anguish not knowing what, to do., , 8] Why did Kripacharya object to Karna joining in the, battle?, , Ans: Kripacharya who was well versed in the rules of, single combat said that unless Karna revealed his, Parentage and race, he could not take part in the, combat as this was to take place between equals, and high-born princes! only. This is the reason, Kripacharya objected to Karna joining in the battle., , 9] Howdid Duryodhana restore Karna's honour?, , Ans: Duryodhana said that if the combat couldn't take, place merely because Karna was not a prince, that, problem could be sorted out immediately. He, crowned Karnaas the King of Anga and performed, all the necessary rites. He gave him the Crown,, jewels and other royal insignia., , 10] How does Bhima ridicule Karna?, , Ans: When Bhima came to know that Karna was the son, of Adiratha, a charioteer, he roared with laughter, and said that Karna should take up the driving, whip which befitted his parentage. Bhima further, Tidiculed Karna by saying that he was not worthy, , €nough to combat with Arjuna or as a matter of, fact, even to tule Anga., , , , 11] How does Duryodhana defend Karna against, Bhima's accusations? ., , Ans: Duryodhan defended Karna by saying that Tok, a background check of a person to deci he, lineage as a Kshatriya was not enough. He sal a, valour was a Kshatriya's hallmark. Karna's god like, personality and skill with weapons proved that he, was a Kshatriya., , 12] How and why did Indra approach Karna?, , Ans: Indra foresaw thata supreme contest was inevitable, between his son Arjuna and Karna. So he took, the form of a poor Brahmana and came begging, to Karna asking him for his earrings and armour., Karna was known for his charity gave it to him., , 13] a] Why couldn't Karna refuse the gift asked of him?, Karna was well known for his charitable nature, and could never refuse anything asked of him., , b] What does this tell us about Karna's character?, , Ans: Despite knowing that the Brahmana was Indra,, Karna gave him his armour and earring fully aware, of the outcome., , 14] Why does Indra offer a boon to Karna? What is the, boon?, , Ans: Indra was filled with surprise and joy when Karna, gave him his armour and earrings; he praised Karna, for his unselfish generosity and declared that no, one else would do what he had just done and out, of appreciation Indra granted a boon to Karna., , The boon Karna asked Indra was the "Sakti", Indra's, weapon, which had the power to kill enemies., , 15] Indra granted the boon with a condition. What was, the condition? April 2018, , Ans: Indra granted Karna the boon with a condition., The condition was that the weapon "Sakti" could be, used only once against any person Karna wanted to, killand after completing its task the weapon would, come back to Indra., , 16] How did Parasurama realise that Karna was nota, Brahmana?, , Ans: One day Parasurama slept with his head rested, on Karna's lap. A stinging worm burrowed into, Karna's thigh causing him extreme pain and, discomfort. However Karna underwent this crucial, pain without shifting as he didn't wish to disturb, his teacher's sleep. When Parasurama woke up,, he noticed that Karna was bleeding because of the, pain. Then Parasurama realized that Karna was, not a Brahmana, as this kind of pain and torture,, without shifting a limb, could be suffered only by, a Kshatriya.

Page 3 :
|, |, , , , 17) Wha, , it was Parasurama's curse? April 2019, , Ans: When Karna confessed that he had told a lie,, , 18], , Ans:, , a, , 19], , Ans:, , 20), , 2], , 22], , a, , oe, , about him being a Brahmana when in fact he was, a charioteer's son, Parasurama got very angry and, cursed Karna. Since he had deceived his guru, the, Brahmastra that he had learnt would fail him at the, most required moment. So much so he wouldn't, even be able to recall the invocatory mantra at his, hour of need. This was Parasurama's curse., , What does Bhishma ask Karna to do?, , Bhishma tells Karna that he is the first born of Kunti, and thus the eldest of the Pandavas; this truth was, narrated by Narada to Bhishma. Bhishma advises, Karna to choose the Pandavas side as he is their, brother in reality, thus ending the enmity., , What does Karna say about his loyalty to, Duryodhana?, , Karna tells Bhishma that he was aware of his being, a Kshatriya and not a charioteer's son. However,, he was indebted to Duryodhana for bestowing him, with all the favours and thus he would remain true, and loyal to him till his death., , How does Lord Krishna save Arjuna from Karna's, arrow?, , : Karna sent a dazzling arrow in the direction of, Arjuna which flew spitting out fire. Lord Krishna, who was Arjuna's charioteer, pushed the chariot, down into the mud, thus avoiding Arjuna's head, but of course it struck his helmet. This way Lord, Krishna saved Arjuna from Karna's arrow., , What mishap happened to Karna's chariot?, , The left wheel of Karna's chariot suddenly sank, into the mud puddle., , When Karna appeals to Arjuna's sense of dharma,, Lord Krishna recounts many acts of Karna and the, Kauravas which violated fair play and chivalry., Pick out any three such acts., , Three such acts are as follows:, , a], , b], , c], , 23), , Karna was a part of the group comprising, Dushasana and others who dragged Draupadi to, the Assembly Hall and insulted her., , Karna forgot dharma and did not advise, Duryodhana when the latter refused to return the, kingdom to the Pandavas after their twelve years, of exile and one year incognito., , Karna conspired with the wicked men who plotted, to burn the Pandavas alive when they were asleep, in the palace of wax., , a]What was Karna's Tsponse to Lord Krishna's, denouncement?, , woo, , , , 24], , Ans:, , 25], , Ans:, , 26], , Ans:, , 1], , q, , Ans:, , When Lord Krishna denounced him of bein, unchivalrous and cruel and quoted the instang, Karna did not utter a single word in Justification, however, bent his head in shame., , b] What does this tell you about Karna?, , This tells us that Karna realized he didn't follow, dharma and was ashamed of his acts. This however, proves that Karna was virtuous and righteous,, , Why was Arjuna's mind wavering when Lord, Krishna asked him to slay Karna?, , Arjuna's mind wavered when Lord Krishna asked, him to slay Karna because it was not chivalrous ang, righteous to attack a person when he is unarmed,, The laws of war prohibited a Kshatriya from, attacking a helpless person., , Was killing Karna when he was not ready for the, fight wrong?, , Yes, according to the code of honour and the laws, of war prevailing then, it was completely wron, and unrighteous of Arjuna to have killed Kama, when he was unarmed and not ready for a fight,, , How does the poet justify this wrong?, , Arjuna killed Karna only after Krishna incited, him to do so. The responsibility for the breach of, Dharma rested upon Krishna and not Arjuna. This, killing was a divine retribution for all the heinous, acts committed by Karna in collaboration with, Duryodhana. Thus the poet justifies this wrong., , Discuss in pairs and answer the following, questions:, , Karnais easily one of the most tragic and compelling, characters of the epic. List any five great qualities of, , Karna which you admire most. Justify your choice, of qualities., , Karna had many qualities that we admire the most, important of them being:, , a] The first quality that I like in Karna is his, generosity and magnanimity. He never refused, . anybody's request. Once Indra asked him his, armour and earrings, Karna gave it to him, knowing fully well that it was Indra in disguise., , b] The second quality I love in Karna is his sense of, respect towards his elders. He was reverential, to his father, teacher, Parasurama and the, grandsire Bhishma., , c] The third quality I appreciate is his fidelity, towards Duryodhana. Since Duryodhana, supported him and heled him in his hour of, need, Karna remained loyal to him eventhough |, , he was aware that the Pandavas were hi, brothers. A ae

Page 4 :
2], , d] The fourth admirable quality in Karna is the, respect and love he continued to show towards, hid adopted parents who belonged to a lower, caste and a poorer class. He always called, himself as 'Radheya' the son of Radha and, Adhiratha., , e] The fifth commendable quality is his confidence., He was very confident that he could easily defeat, Arjuna in the combat and in war. However both, times fate intervened and he lost., , Epics highlight eternal values. From your study of, these excerpts, list any five values which, in your, view, are very relevant to our lives today., , a, , , , Ans: The values that we can learn from these excerpts, are:, , a] The first value that can be relevant in any age is, the value of loyalty. One has to be loyal to their, family, friends and country., , b] The second value is to be generous and honest, in life. The actual joy lies in sharing and giving, rather than hoarding., , c] The forth value is to follow ethical ways even, in warfare, One should not use deceitful tactics, for winning. :, , d] The fifth value is to never care about one's social, status, however aspire to achieve greatness 1n, , any chosen field., , —————— ee, oe ns SS