Ep. 61 : Rifts in the Ranks : Bhishma and Karna’s Conflict

On the eve of the battle of Kurukshetra, Bhishma spoke with Duryodhana and criticized Karna, saying he was too arrogant and boastful to be a great warrior. This angered Karna, who accused Bhishma of trying to undermine him and declared he would not fight as long as Bhishma was in command. Despite Duryodhana’s pleas, Karna remained firm in his decision. Karna stayed out of the battle for the first ten days while Bhishma led the Kauravas.Sources, Bibliography and Suggested further readings:Vyasa, Maharishi. Mahabharata. Translated by C. Rajagopalachari, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1951.Vyasa, Maharishi. The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa. Translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, 1883–1896. Available in public domain.Narayan, R.K. The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. University of Chicago Press, 1978.Pattanaik, Devdutt. Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Penguin India, 2010.Menon, Ramesh. The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. Rupa Publications, 2004.Buck, William. Mahabharata. University of California Press, 1973.