Kunti was very worried. How could her sons face the might of the Kaurava army that would be led by Bhishma, Drona and Karna? Even if Bhishma and Drona were gentle with her sons, Karna would attack them fiercely. So, she decided to appeal to Karna at the bank of river Ganga where he was saying his daily evening prayer.
Karna was surprised to find Kunti waiting for him there. She told him that he was the son of the Sun-god. She herself was his mother. He was the eldest of all the Pandavas. He should not, therefore, have hatred for them and be a true Pandava. He should fight on the side of the Pandavas. But Karna did not agree to what Kunti said. He told her that Duryodhana had been kind and generous to him. “You will have five sons,” he assured her, “Either I or Arjuna will live.”
Hearing the words of Karna, Kunti was filled with grief. Still, she embraced Karna. When Kunti was unsuccessful in her mission, Indra felt worried. As long as Karna’s possessed the armour and the ear-rings, he was invincible and immortal. He had been endowed with these armour and ear-rings since his birth.
That night, Karna saw the Sun-god in his dream. The Sun-god said to Karna, “Indra will appear before you to ask you for your armour and ear-rings as you are safe only due to these divine gifts.” Karna replied thus, “While donating in the morning every day if someone demands even my life I will not go back upon my word.” The Sun-god said, smilingly, “Please ask Indra for ‘Shakti’ in exchange of the armour and the ear-rings.” Thereafter, Karna woke up from his sleep. When Karna was donating in the morning, Indra, disguised as a Brahmin, reached there. When the Brahmin asked for his armour and ear-rings, Karna donated them to him. As a result, Karna’s body suffered wounds. Touched by Karna’s generosity, Indra made Karna’s wounds heal up and gave him his weapon ‘Shakti,’ as a boon to use once in the battle.
