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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
1/38
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The Death of Karna: Two Sides of a StoryAuthor(s): Hanne M. de Bruin and Clara Brakel-PapenyzenSource: Asian Theatre Journal, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring, 1992), pp. 38-70Published by: University of Hawai'i PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1124249Accessed: 10-07-2015 21:49 UTC
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
2/38
The
Death
of
Karna:
Two
Sides
of
a
Story
Hanne
M.
de
Bruin
and
Clara
Brakel-Papenyzen
This article
compares
two
different Asian theatre
traditions:
kuittu
from the
northern
parts
of Tamil
Nadu
and
wayang
wong
from
Central
Java. Both kinds of theatre represent independent performance tradi-
tions.
They
use the stories from
the Mahdbhdrata s a
basis for their
plots
but
include
a
number
of local
elements.
We will
compare
the
exposition
of
a
famous theme
from
the Mahdbhdrata
pic,
the death of the
hero
Karna,
in the
kittu and
wayang
wong
traditions.
Our aim here
is not to establish
whether one
tradition
influenced
the
other nor
whether
the classical
written versions of
the
story
(such
as
the
Karnaparvan
of the
Sanskrit
Mahdbhdrata,
he
literary
Tamil
versions,
or the Old Javanese Bharatayuiddhaoem) influenced the basically oral per-
formance
traditions.
Rather,
this is
merely
a
pilot
study
in which
we
try
to
establish the
variations in
the
exposition
of a
theme and
relate these
varia-
tions
to their
respective
performance
contexts.
Our
study
is
based on
independent
research in
traditional
theatre
forms
conducted in
South
India
by
Hanne de
Bruin between
1985 and
1989
and
by
Clara Brakel-
Papenyzen
in
Java
between
1975
and 1988.
Because the
theme of
Karna's
death is
a
long
and
complex
story
involving one of the central themes of the final war between the one hun-
dred
Kaurava and the
five
Pandava
brothers,
we have
decided to
focus on
one
aspect
of
the
theme: the
characterization of
Karna in
the
two
theatri-
cal
traditions.
Unlike
Arjuna,
who
clearly
belongs
to the
Pandavas,
Karna
has
conflicting
loyalties.
Arjuna
and
Karna are
both sons
of
Kunti.
Trained as an
Indologist,
Hanne M.
de
Bruin's
academic
interest
is
in
ku-ttu
(terukkuittu),
n oral
folk
tradition of Tamil
Nadu. She
produces
programs
in
which
kittu
is used to
transmit an
educational
message.
Clara
Brakel-Papenyzen
conducts
research in Asian
dance,
music,
theatre,
and
languages, specializ-
ing in Indonesian and Indian classical arts.
Asian
TheatreJournal.
ol.
9,
no.
1
(Spring
1992).
?
1992
by
University
of Hawaii
Press.
All
rights
reserved.
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
3/38
THE DEATH OF
KARNA
Karna, however,
was
born before Kunti's
marriage
to
Pandu. His mother
abandoned him and he later joined the Kaurava party. Much of the dra-
matic action is
determined
by
Karna's
psychological
conflict
which the
two
plays develop
in
very
different
ways.
Such differences
may
be the
result
of
differences
in
theatrical
conventions,
but
they may
also result
from
widely
different
interpretations
of Karna's character
and relation-
ships.
Moreover,
variations
may
often be
attributed to
the
different cul-
tural
settings
in
which
wayang wong
and
kuittu
re
performed.
In our
comparison
we will
discuss Karna's
character,
his relation-
ship with Duryodhana, king of the Kauravas, with his wife (named Pon-
nuruvi
in
kuittu nd Surtikanthi
in
wayang wong),
and with his
half-brother
Arjuna.
The
comparison
will
be
preceded
by
a
short introduction to the
two theatre
forms,
highlighting
those
aspects
of the
performance
tradi-
tions which are relevant to
the discussion.
The
Kuttu Tradition
Kuittu2 s an important genre of folk theatre3 performed in the
Tamil-speaking
rural areas of South
India.4
We
refer here to the
styles
of
kuittuwhich are
performed
by
traditional
groups
of
professional
actors
operating
in
the North Arcot and
Chingleput
districts of Tamil
Nadu.
The
repertoires
of
these
itinerant
groups,
called
kuttuor ndtaka
companies,
are more or
less
exclusively
based
on
episodes
from
the
Mahdbhdrata.
Therefore,
people
also refer to
this theatre tradition
as Pdratam
(the
Tamil
form of
Mahdbha-rata)
uttu.
The kuittu radition has many features in common with better-
known
forms
of South Indian
theatre,
forms
such
asyakshagana
and
kathd-
kali.
Kzuttu,
however,
places
much more
emphasis
on
the verbal
content of
the
performance
(which
is
partly
sung
and
partly
spoken by
the
actors
themselves)
and
consequently
on
the actors' verbal
and musical
skills.
Dance
steps,
choreography,
and facial
expression
(pdvanai),
though
indis-
pensable
to
every
kuittu
erformance,
are
less elaborate and
not
so
rigidly
codified
as in other
art forms such
as bharata
natyam
or
kathdkali.
Gestures
(mudra)-aside from those gleaned from daily life-are not frequently
used.5
Kutttu
employs
a
number of
rdga
(musical
modes
associated
with
different
moods,
such as
heroic and
melancholic)
of
the
classical
system
of
South Indian
music.
These
rdga,
however,
are
used in
a
simplified,
straightforward
manner. The
musicians
and actors render the
rdga
with
an
intuitive
ease and
fluency.
The
solo
singing
of
the actors
alternates with
complex antiphonal
singing
by
one or
by
all
members of the
background
chorus
(pinpd.ttu)
and
with the
articulate
rendering
of
prose passages
(vacanam).6
The
typical
"kittu
sound"
is
produced
by
the
high-pitched
39
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
4/38
de
Bruinand
Brakel-Papenyzen
mukavinai
(a
kind of small
oboe),
a harmonium
(called
pe.ti
or
po.tti),
a
mrdangam,and a dholakdrum and two pairs of small cymbals
(tdlam).
The
musical
styles
of kittu
companies
may
differ
slightly.
This seems to be
one
of the
main
reasons-aside
from variations in
textual
traditions-why
actors
who
have been trained
in a
particular
(musical) style
(pdni)
hardly
ever
perform
with a
company
from a different musical
tradition.
The kiitu
tradition
requires
that
the actors combine the skills of
acting,
singing, dancing,
and facial
expression.
As it
is
quite
difficult
for
one
and
the same
person
to
perform
all these
simultaneously,
the
empha-
sis on the verbal-musical aspects of the performance necessarily reduces
the elaboration and
stylization
of
dance movement and facial
expression.
The fact
that this tradition is
less
rigidly
codified than other forms of
Indian
theatre and dance
might
create the
impression
that
a
kuttu
perfor-
mance is
to
a
large
extent
improvised-in
the sense of
being composed
on
the
spot
using any
(arbitrary)
material
and without
performance
conven-
tions.
This
impression
seems
unjustified.
Our
field
data indicate that
every
kittu
performance
has
a
more
or
less
fixed framework within which
the dramatic development takes place. In order to reassemble the story
the
actors seem to
rely
upon
a
variety
of
textual, musical,
and choreo-
graphical
elements
("building
blocks")
that
belong
to
the oral
reservoir of
the
kuttu
tradition.7
Although
the
use of these
elements is
relatively
flexi-
ble,
it is
delineated
by
the
conventions of the
kuttu
tradition,
as
well as
by
the
individual
requirements
of
every play.
The
framework of
a kuttu
performance
includes
at least
the follow-
ing
elements:
a
simple
pujd
for
Vinayakar
(Ganesha)
in the
greenroom
before the actors start to apply the makeup, a musical introduction
(melakka.ttu),
nd a series of
songs
in
praise
of
Krishna,
Vinayakar,
Saras-
vati,
and
Murukani.
These
are
followed
by
a
(standard)
introduction of
the
play performed
by
the
ka.ttiyakkdran,
ne of
the
central
figures
in
kuttu,
enacting
the role
of the
Herald,
guardian
of
the
King
and
Clown.
After
these
introductory
stages
the
story
(katai)
constituting
the central
part
of
the
play
is
slowly
developed.
Usually
a curtain
(tirai)
is held
up
each
time
a
powerful
(royal
and
usually
male)
character
comes on the
stage
for the
first time. The characters introduce themselves with the help of the ka.tti-
yakkdran
who
provides
(standard)
questions,
cues,
and
the like.
They
tell
their
name,
lineage, qualities,
and
power
and
sometimes
explain
their
present
state of
mind.
Every play
is
concluded
by
an
auspicious
song
(mankalam)
which is
sung
by
all
actors.
Most
plays
feature
a
leading
male role
(either
a hero or
a
villain,
depending
on the
plot)
and a
leading
female
role.8
If
the
heroine is a
royal
character
she is
often
accompanied
by
two
or more
ladies-in-waiting
(t6limdrkal).
These
are
portrayed
as
stereotype
"folk
characters"
and
function
as
intermediaries
between
the hero
(or
villain)
and the
heroine.
40
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
5/38
THE
DEATH
OF
KARNA
Although
a
sequence
of
different
episodes may
be
distinguished
within a
performance,
we hesitate to denote these as scenes because the
actors
do not seem
to be familiar
with
this
concept.
Indeed,
they prefer
to
emphasize
the
continuity
of
a
kuttu
performance.9
Adapting
performances
to
varying
contexts
requires
an
inherent
flexibility
of the
performance
tradition which in
our view is embedded
in
the
structure
of ku-ttu.' well-trained
performer
may
use
an
abundance
of
building
blocks
with
great
dexterity, enabling
him
to
adapt
the
perfor-
mance to the
specific
requirements
of various audiences at different
times
and places. Therefore, rigid codification of the theatre form also seems to
be
impeded
by
the
necessity
to
adapt constantly
to the
changing
tastes
and
expectations
of
village
audiences
financing
the
performances.
This
is
clearly
reflected in the
(unwritten)
convention that
every performance
should
be
modeled after the
wishes of the
village
(kiramattin
stam)
inviting
the
company.
Many
urban,
elite
members of Indian
society
wrongly
conclude
from
the absence of
codification
that kittu
performances
are
largely
improvised. They tend to regard kuttuas an unsophisticated and degener-
ate
theatre form that
can
only please
"the
uneducated and illiterate."
This
prejudice
seems to
be caused
by
the low
caste
of
the
performers
rather
than
by
the lack
of artistic
value of
professional
kiittu
perfor-
mances.
10
CHARACTERISTICS OF
KUTTU
According
to the
Tamil
Lexicon,
the
word ku-ttu
means
"dance,"
"dancing," or "dramatic performance." The word not only refers to the
theatre
tradition,
however,
but
also to
individual
plays
or kiittu.
Most
informants
consider the
actors'
wearing
of
wooden
ornaments
(ka.ttai)
o
be the
main
characteristic
of
kuzttu.The
most
visible
wooden
ornaments
are two
kinds of
crowns
(kir.tam
and
cikarek),
the arm
ornaments
(pujakfrtti),
and a
breast ornament
(mdrpatakam).
Ka.ttai
are
usually
worn
by royal
figures
and
powerful
(male)
characters.
The
kattai
distinguish
kuttu
from
another
popular
theatre
genre
in Tamil
Nadu,
the
tirdma
(from
the English "drama") or ndtakam.According to Frasca the ka.t.taimply
more
than
just
royalty,
power,
and
strength.
Frasca's
informants
assured
him
that
"not
only
was
kattai-costuming
the
only
type
that
was
ritually
relevant or
suitable
(poruttam),
but
that it
was the
only style
that
gave
this
folk
theatre the
sacred
power
to
induce
possession"
(Frasca
1984,
262-263).
In
the
opinion
of
some
performers
a
second
characteristic of
kuittu
is
that it
contains
karuttu,
which
could be
freely
translated as
"(sacred)
meaning," "essence," or "significance." The creation of karutturequires
that the
actors be
physically
present.
This
not
only implies
the
necessity
of
41
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deBruin and
Brakel-Papenyzen
a direct and mutual
relationship
between
performers
and
audience
but
also indicates that the
proper performing
context is an
important
condi-
tion
in
evoking
and
conveying
the karuttu. Aside from the context it
also
depends
on
the
talent
and
intensity
of
the
actor as
to
whether he will
suc-
ceed
in
capturing
the audience and
conveying
the
karuttu o
them.
PERFORMING CONTEXT
Kuzttu
s
hardly
ever
performed
simply
for the sake of
entertain-
ment. Most of the
nightlong
performances
are
staged
as
part
of the
annual village festivals which are organized for one of the village god-
desses,
usually
Tiraupatiyamman
(Draupadi)
or
Mariyamman
(depend-
ing
on
the
season),
or for
other
gods
such
as
Tirupati
Perumal
(Vishnu
in
Tirupati).
Pdratamkiittu has a
special
connection
with the elaborate festi-
vals for
Tiraupatiyamman,
the heroine of the
Mahdbhdrata
who
is wor-
shiped
as a
village goddess
in
Tamil
Nadu
(Hiltebeitel
1988).
During
most
Tiraupatiyamman
festivals a series
of
eight
to twelve
kuttu
is
performed
featuring
the events which
lead to the
war
between
the
Pandavas and the Kauravas, as well as the main events of the great war
itself.
One
of
the
plays performed
in
this series
is Karna
Moksam
Ndtakam
(Karna's
Death),
which
is
the
subject
of
this
comparative
study.11
Another
important
occasion
for
staging
this
play
is
the karumdn-
taram
ceremony.
This
funerary
rite is
practiced
among
non-Brahmin
com-
munities on the
sixteenth
day
after the
demise
of
a
family
member,
mark-
ing
the
end
of the
obsequies.
On
the
night
preceding
the
sixteenth
day
the
relatives of the
deceased
sometimes
arrange
for the
performance
of Karna
MoksamNdtakam.They hope that the staging of this kuttuwill facilitate the
release of
the deceased's
soul,
so
that he or she will
attain
liberation
(moksam),
ust
like
Karna
in
the
play.
Performances
enacted
during
a
village
festival are
normally spon-
sored
by
the
village
collectively
or
by
the
inhabitants of
the
streets that
maintain
the
temple
for which
the
festival is
organized.
The
expenses
for
staging
a
play
on the
occasion of a
karumdntaram
eremony
are borne
by
the
relatives of
the
deceased.
THE
PERUIKATTUR
PONNUCAMI
TERUKKUTTU
NATAKA
MANRAM
The
textual data
on the
kuttu
tradition
in
this article
are taken from
performance
transcriptions
of
the
kuittu
known
as
Karna
Moksam
Nd.takam
as
performed
by
the
Perufikattur
Ponnucami
Terukkufittu
Nataka Man-
ram on
the
occasion of a
karumdntaram
eremony.12
Based
in
the
village
of
Perunkattur
about
25
kilometers from
Kanchipuram,
the
Perufnkattuir
Ponnucami
Terukkuittu
Nataka Manriam is a
traditional
theatre
group
which
presently
numbers
eleven
actors and
three
musicians. The
actors
42
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THE DEATH OF KARNA
are all
men,
though
some of them
specialize
in
performing
female
roles.
They belong
to low-caste families of which
usually
one or two members
in
a
generation
become a kiittu
artist,
most of them
studying directly
with
their father or
another close relative. The actors are all
professionals
who
depend
on
kuttu
performances
for
their
daily living.
The
group
often
exchanges
actors
and
musicians with
at least three other kittu
companies,
which
practice
the same
style.
Performance Tradition and Context of Wayang Wong
Along
with
the
masked
dances
and the
puppet
theatre,
the
classical
dance-drama
performed
by
human
actors-wayang
wong-belongs
to
an
ancient
Javanese performance
tradition which
involves
dancing,
acting,
singing,
and music
making.
The
different forms of theatre
in
Java
tend
to
specialize
in
particular
topics:
while
the
shadow-puppet
theatre
(wayang
kulit)
and
wayang
wong perform
plays
connected
with
the
contents of the
classical
Indian
epics
Ramayana
and
Mahdbhdrata,
other theatre
forms
may
enact plays deriving from Javanese story cycles or Javanese historical
writings
(babad).
So far the classical
wayang
tradition
of
the
Javanese
courts,
which
derives
most
of
its
characters and
many
of
its themes
from the Indian
epics,
has been
described
best.
It
is
customary
to
differentiate
between
lakon baku
(or
pokok),
plays
that
closely
follow the
story
as
narrated
in
the
epic
literature either in
their Indian
or
in
their
Javanese
versions,
and
lakon
carangan,
plays
which
may
use characters
from the
epic
stories as
well
as locally created figures and usually develop a new plot independent of
the
literary
tradition
as fixed
in
written form.
While there
is
no
uniform
opinion
on
the
exact definition
of these
terms,
several writers
have
pointed
out that lakon
carangan
are
at the
moment much
more
frequently
performed
than lakon
baku
(Brandon
1970,
12;
Feinstein
1986,
xvii
ff;
Keeler
1987,
213
ff.).13
This is also
the case for
wayang
wong
performances
staged by pro-
fessional
artists for the
entertainment
of the
crowd,
either in
temporary
constructions at annual fairs or in theatre buildings. In their perfor-
mances the
link with
the
Indian
epics
is often
very
loose,
consisting
merely
of a
few
characters or a
vague
similarity
in
plot.
As the
relation-
ship
between
written
and
oral
performance
traditions is
not under
discus-
sion
here,
we
wish
only
to
indicate that
most
Javanese
regard
the
perfor-
mance of
lakon
baku as a
serious matter
requiring
a
special
setting
and
social
circumstances in
accord with
its
theme. This
holds
true
in
particu-
lar
for the
plays
dealing
with
the death
of
the main
heroes
described in
the
Bharatayuddha,of which there are many Javanese poetic versions, both
ancient
and modern.
43
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de Bruin and
Brakel-Papenyzen
The classical
wayang wong
theatre
developed
its
present
perfor-
mance structure
during
the nineteenth and
early
twentieth centuries in
the
two court cities of
Central
Java:
Yogyakarta
and
Surakarta. The
vari-
ous
aspects
of its
performance
tend to be a more or
less
faithful
imitation
of the
classical
wayang
kulit,
including subject
matter,
typology, perfor-
mance
structure,
and
musical
accompaniment.14
The
actors' costume
and
makeup
correspond
to
the
dress,
jewelry,
crowns,
hairdo,
and facial fea-
tures
painted
on the
leather
puppets,
which in
turn reflect
the
costumes
and
insignia
worn
by
the
various ranks
of
priests,
kings,
noblemen,
and
their servants at the Javanese court in former times.
Although
the
classical
wayang wong
as we
know it
today
was
devel-
oped mainly
at the
Central
Javanese
courts,
this
theatre
form
was
not
exclusively performed
by
noblemen or
court servants.
Since the end
of the
nineteenth
century
(and
probably
even
before
that
time),
it
has also been
staged
by
commercial
groups
playing
in
temporary
constructions or in
theatre
buildings.
There
are
several
differences in
staging.
Court
performances
before World War II took place in the large pillared dance pavilion (pen-
dhapa)
inside
the
palace.
They
lasted for
one
or
even
several
days
and
used
large
groups
of actors
dressed
in
splendid
costumes.
During
the
reign
of
Sultan
Hamengkubuwana
VIII
at the
court of
Yogyakarta
in
particular,
performances
were
prepared
with
meticulous care.
The
ruler
participated
personally
in
the
composition
of
the
script
and
its
staging,
the
various
parts
had to
be
memorized,
and
the
acting
was
rehearsed under
supervi-
sion of
dance
and
music
masters. While
actor-dancers were
identified
even in daily life with the role they performed in court drama, they used
to
seek
inspiration
for the
impersonation
of their
roles
from the
puppet
theatre,
studying
the
features as
well as
the
performances
of
their
charac-
ter's role
from
puppet
shows
(Soedarsono
1984,
221).
Commercial
wayang
wong
is
performed
on
a
stage
(panggung)
nside
a
theatre
and
usually
in
front of
(not
surrounded
by)
the
audience.
This
setting,
and
the
fact
that
performances
may
take
place
on
any
day
of the
week,
unrestricted
by
ritual
requirements,
influences
the
performance
practice. Although commercial wayang wong copies the performances of
the
courtly
wayang
tradition
(Brakel-Papenyzen
1991,
chap.
4),
the
per-
formance
time is
much
shorter-often
just
a
few
hours.
Complex
stories
tend to
be
staged
as a
series
taking
several
consecutive
nights.
As
there
are
no
links with a
particular occasion,
the
choice
of
theme
is
rather
free
and
the
majority
of
plays
feature
novel
stories not
found in
epic
literature. The
organization
of
commercial
companies
usu-
ally
implies
that
plays
are
not
enacted on
the basis
of
written
scripts.
As
the
topic
of
the
play may
be
announced to the
actors
only
a
short time
before
the
performance
takes
place,
plays
are
not
really
rehearsed
a
long
44
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
9/38
THE
DEATH
OF
KARNA
time
in
advance. Therefore such
performances
always
contain
an
element
of
improvisation,
especially
in the
dialogues
and Clown's acts. Tradi-
tional
Javanese
theatre is not
realistic but
highly stylized
in
its use
of
movement,
language,
different
types
of
voices,
music,
and
performance
structure.
This
is
apparent-both
in
puppet
plays
and
in
drama
with
human
actors-from
well-known
theatrical
structuring
devices such
as
the
use of character
types
and
the
sequencing
of
dramatic
actions into
a
string
of
(more
or less
standardized)
scenes.
So
far,
the
typology
used in
the classic
puppet
theatre has been
described the best and is therefore well known even outside Java. As wa-
yang
kulit
specializes
in
the
performance
of
plays
which are
linked with
the
contents of the
Indian
epics,
the
typology
is often
associated with
the char-
acters
depicted
in
these
epics.
However,
it also
applies
to
characters
belonging
to
different
story cycles
and
enacted
through
other forms of
Javanese
theatre.
15
In
classical
wayang plays
the
string
of
major
acts
and minor
scenes
follows a
particular
pattern
which is
not
dependent
on the
content.
Pri-
marily it is related to the division of the night into three progressive
stages.
The three
resulting
sections
are
marked
by
three
different musical
modes
(pathet
nem,
sanga,
and
manyura).16
Although
battle
scenes are a
standard
feature
occurring
at
various
stages
in
the
play,
the clash
between
the
main
opponents
is
usually
saved for
the
end-that
is,
just
before
day-
break.
In
wayang
wong
court
performances
the
actors
were-and still
are-
experienced
dancers who
would
portray
the
qualities
of
the hero
they
represented
through
classical dance
poses
and
movements. And
even in
less sophisticated commercial wayang wong the actors have to master a
number
of
basic
dance
poses
and
movements
corresponding
to
the char-
acter
type
they represent.
THE
DANCE
FRAGMENT
(PETHILAN)
The
occurrence of
climactic
battles
in
Javanese
plays
led
to
the cre-
ation
of
a
specific
category
of
dramatic battle
dances
featuring
the
combat
between
major
heroes
and
heroines
or
between
heroes
and
demons.
Such
highly stylized and beautifully choreographed battles may be fitted into
the
context of a
play,
but
they
are
often
performed
out
of
context as
frag-
ments
(pethilan)
or a
battle
dance
(beksan
wireng).
While
the outcome
of
the
battle
depends
on
the
content of
the
story depicted,
the
choreography
is
largely
determined
by
the
rules of
classical
(battle)
dances.
These
may
feature
a
number
of
different
man-to-man
combats,
each
time
ending
in
a
(temporary)
defeat
and
using
different
weapons.
As
in
all
wayang
wong plays,
the
action in
these
dramatic
battle
dances is highly conventional. The fight is preceded by an introduction
during
which the
two
heroes
measure the
opponent's
strength
and chal-
45
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
10/38
de
Bruin
and
Brakel-Papenyzen
lenge
each
other
in
song
or
dialogue.
When
in
the course of the
combat
one of the heroes suffers a temporary defeat he kneels down; death is indi-
cated
by
sitting
on
the floor with the head
lowered
(Color
Plate
5).
THE
JAVANESE
DRAMA
KARNA
TANDHING
The
story
of
the death of Karna on
the
battlefield is known
as
a
classical
wayang
play
with the title
Karna
T(in)andhing
(Karna
in
Duel).
Forming part
of a
series of
plays
concerned with the
great
war
between
the
Pandawa
and Korawa
brothers,
this
play
belongs
to the
essential
group that follows the stories told in the Mahdbhdrata(lakon baku). It is
known in
all
wayang
traditions,
in
the
courts of
Yogyakarta
and
Surakarta
as
well as in
the
villages.
The
story
of
the
great
war
has been
part
of
the
Javanese
cultural
heritage
for
many
centuries.
Indeed,
it
was
utilized
by
the
poets
Empu
Sedhah
and Panulu
in
a
twelfth-century Javanese
poem,
the
Bharatayuiddha
Kakawin
(Metrical
Poem
of
the
Great
War).
Parallel to
the
written
literary
tradition,
the
story
has been
handed down
through
the
performance
of
drama-not only in nightlong enactments of the complete chain of events,
but
also
in
a
fragmentary
form
through
song
texts
interspersed
with
the
action
taking place
in
the
different
scenes
(suluk).
In
the
course of
the
nineteenth
century
the
theme of
Karna's death
was
used
for a
dramatic
battle
dance with
the title
"The
Warrior's
Dance
of
Karna
Fighting
a
Man-to-Man
Combat with
Janaka"
(Beksan
wireng
Karna
prang
tandhing
kaliyan
Janaka)
at the
Mangkunagaran
court in
Sura-
karta.
7
At present the plays about the famous Bharatayuiddhaar are only
rarely performed.
However,
this
does
not
imply
that
they
are
regarded
as
insignificant
or
boring:
most
Javanese
are
well
acquainted
with
their
sub-
ject
matter
if
one
is to
judge
from
the
many
articles in
local
newspapers
and
(comic)
books
published
on
the
topic.
The
usual
explanation
given
by
the
Javanese
for
the
apparent
decline in
popularity
is
that
the
theme
of
fratricide
(perang
saudara)
is
inauspicious
and
too
"dangerous"
(gawat)
to
be
performed
for
the
sake of
mere
entertainment.
This
feeling
applies
not
only to the entire play but also to the "dance fragment," pethilan.
In
fact,
the
plays
of
the
Bharatayuiddha
re
regarded
as a
complex
series,
the
performance
of
which
should
be
organized
by
a
group
of
people
for a
specific,
important
occasion.
Examples
of
these
are the
annual
puri-
fication of
the
village
rituals
(bersih
desa)
celebrated
before
World War
II in
the
village
of
Karang
Asem
and
around
Klaten
(Resink-Wilkens
1932
and
1939),
as well
as
the
famous
one-year
cycle
of
monthly
performances
organized
at the
Sasana
Inggil
in
Yogyakarta
in
1958
(Resink
1975,
215).
18
On
that
occasion
the
complete
series
consisted of
twelve plays:
eight
plays
dealing
with
the
great
war
itself,
preceded
by
two
introductory
46
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
11/38
THE
DEATH
OF KARNA
plays
and
concluding
with two
plays
dealing
with events
following
the
war.
It
has been
reported
that these
performances
were
all
immensely
popular
and drew enormous
crowds;
even the
book
summarizing
the
plots
had to
be
reprinted
several times
(Radyomardowo
and
others
1978).
Therefore,
a lack of
interest
cannot
be the reason
why
Bharatayziddha
lays
are
seldom
performed
in
Java
nowadays.
It
seems more
likely
that
the cir-
cumstances
requiring
the
enactment
of
the theme are
rarely
felt
to
exist.
Thus our
discussion
of
the
theme of Karna's
death
in
wayang
wong
cannot be
based on material
recorded
during
a
live
performance
but must
be derived from other sources. The most recent and
complete
information
was found on a
cassette
tape
made in
1979 on the
label
"Melody
Sound"
and
performed
by
a
group
of
professional
wayang
wong
players
from
Sura-
karta
named
Wayang Orang
Gabungan.
Their
interpretation
of the
theme forms
the
basis
for our
discussion of the
plot.
The
comparison
with the Tamil
tradition is
also based on
several
other
sources:
a
written
English
version of the
play published
by
Brandon
(1970,
269-360),
a
synopsis
of
the
play
in
Dutch
(Philips
1858,
33-45),
elaborate outlines of the play in Dutch (Kats [1923] 1984, 433-435) and
in
Javanese
(Radyomardowo
and
others
1978,
109-127),
and
a
descrip-
tion of
Karna's
life
and
character in
Indonesian
(Hardjowirogo
1968,
190-191).
The
photographs
of
two
dancers
performing
the
Karna Tinan-
dhing
fragment
were taken
at
Sekolah
Tinggi
Karawitan
Indonesia in
Feb-
ruary
1989.
For
reasons
pointed
out
above,
the
actions
and
costumes of
the dancers
conform to
the same
rules as
in
a
complete
wayang
wongplay.
Karna's
Character
and
Relationships
in
Kuittu
KARNA'S
CHARACTER
The
description
of
Karna's
character
derives
from a
dialogue
between
Karna
and
the
kattiyakkdran
n
the
beginning
of the
play.
Karna's
main
character
trait is his
liberality.
When the
ka.t.tiyakkdrannquires
about
his
good qualities,
Karna
gives
the
following
answer:
"Whoever
comes
and
whatever he
asks
for,
I
never
give
no
for an
answer.
I
possess
the
quality of giving lavishly, that's me-your humble Karna. All admit that I
am
a
generous
man."
Indeed,
Karna's
magnanimity
is
so
great
that he
even
agrees
to donate
his
armorlike skin
and his
earrings
to Lord
Indra
in
spite
of
the
Sun
God's
warning
not to
oblige
Indra in
his
request.
And
when
he
finally
lies
mortally
wounded
on
the
battlefield,
he
offers
the
merit
earned
by
his
charitable
deeds to
Krishna,
who has
approached
him
in
the
guise
of
a
poor
Brahmin
asking
for
this
gift.
When
Karna
has
granted
this
ultimate
request,
Krishna
reveals
himself in his true form and promises to fulfill whatever boons he asks.
Karna
then
expresses
the
wish to
retain
the
quality
of
liberality
in
his next
47
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
12/38
de Bruin
and
Brakel-Papenyzen
FIGURE
8.
An
actor
getting
into
costume
for
the
role
of Karna
in
Tamil
kuttu.
(Photo:
Hanne
M. de
Bruin)
lives
and to
complete
the
(prescribed)
thirty-two
charitable
acts
by
feeding
others
(annatdnam).
Krishna
promises
Karna that he will
be
reborn as
Cirottont-anayanar,
a
Tamil
Saivite
saint
famous for
having
sacrificed his
own
son
at Lord
Shiva's
command and
offering
him as
food to the
god.19
THE
STORY OF
KARNA'S
BIRTH
Dramatic
setting:
It
is the
early
morning
of the
seventeenth
day
of
the
great
Paratam
war.
In
the
opening
of the
play Duryodhana
has
made
Karna chief
of the
Kaurava
army.
Before
going
to the
battlefield Karna
wants to
take leave
of
his
wife
Ponnuruvi
and ask
for the
auspicious
gift
of
betel
leaves
and
areca
nut
(tampzilam)
rom
her
that
should
help
him
gain
victory.
Ponnuruvi,
however,
who
believes that
Karna is
only
the
adopted
son of a charioteer, refuses to receive her
husband.
48
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
13/38
THE
DEATH
OF
KARNA
Standing
in
the
street
in
front of Ponnuruvi's
apartments,
Karna
asks his wife to unlatch the door. When she hears the
request,
she
addresses one of
her
ladies-in-waiting
as follows: "There
is
somebody
standing
outside
on
my doorstep
calling
me
'my darling'
and
'my
dear'
and
asking
to be let in."
She
orders her
friend
to
tell this
man
that she
will
only
receive
him if
he
clearly
announces who he is and names
his
parents,
kinsmen,
and friends.
Despite
this
humiliation Karna
decides to fulfill the
"legitimate" request
of his wife even
though
he
feels
that
his
family
secrets will now be
brought
into the
open.20
He then
tells the
following
story of his birth (synopsis).
King
Kuntap6ja
(Kuntabhoja)
of
Kuntamapuri,
who
was child-
less,
adopted
the
eldest
daughter
of
his cousin
King
Cuiracien'a
(Sufirasena).
The
five-year-old
girl
was
called
Kunti and
brought up
at his
court. When
Kunti was
six
years
old the
sage
Turvaca
(Durvasa)
came to the
court
wishing
to
practice
yoga
for a
while.
Kunti
was
appointed
his
disciple
and
served him
faithfully
for a full
year.
As the
sage's penance
came to an
end,
he
told Kunti that she
deserved a
boon
for
having
looked after him so
well. Kunti was ready to accept whatever he wished to give her.
Foreseeing
that
she
would not have
any
children after
her mar-
riage,
the sage
taught
Kunti
five
magic
incantations-under
the
condition
that she
would
only
use them
with the
permission
of her
husband. These
incantations invoked
the five
gods:
Surya,
Yama,
Vayu,
Devendra,
and
the
Asvins,
who
would
be
the
fathers
of her
children.
One
day
Kunti
went
to
bathe in the
River
Ganga.
She
wanted to test
whether the
incantations
would
really
work
and
invoked the
Sun
God.
Although
Kunti had
not
yet
reached maturity, the Sun God was bound to obey Tfirvaca's words. By
the
power
of
illusion
(madyd),
e
transformed
Kunti
into a
mature
woman
and
they
had
intercourse.
Immediately
after
their
union,
Karna was
born.
Dreading
what
people
would
say
if
she
returned
with a
baby,
Kunti
chose to
have
her
virgin
state
restored: the
child
was
placed
inside
a
golden
casket
produced
by
the
Sun
God,
and
they
let
the
sealed box
float
down
the river.
The
box
was found
by
King
Dhritarashtra's
charioteer
Ratan and his wife, who were childless. When they saw the baby wearing
armor
and
earrings,
the
Sun
God
appeared
and
instructed
them
to
call
the
child
Karna
("Ear").
(See
Color
Plate
6.)
Ratan handed
the
golden
box
to
the
government
but
kept
the
child.
After a
while
King
Dhritarashtra
heard
that
Ratani
was
bringing
up
a
child.
As the
king
at the
time
was still
childless-neither
the
Kauravas
nor the
Pandavas
had
been
born
yet-he
asked the
charioteer
to
hand the
child
over
to him.
"Therefore,"
Karna
says,
"my
second
home
was
King
Dhritarashtra's
palace."
49
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de Bruin
and
Brakel-Papenyzen
KARNA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH PONNURUVI AND
DURYODHANA
The central
part
of the
play
consists
of the
confrontation between
Karna and his wife Ponnuruvi before
he leaves for the battlefield.
It
high-
lights
Karna's
problematic
relationship
with
his
wife
and his
loyalty
toward
Duryodhana,
as
well as
Ponnuruvi's attitude
toward
Duryo-
dhana.
In
addition to
the
story
of Karna's birth
it
includes
an
episode
in
which Ponnuruvi has an ominous
dream
portending
her husband's death
on the battlefield.
While
growing up together
at
King
Dhritarashtra's
court,
a
special
bond was
forged
between
Karna
and
Duryodhana.
They
address each
other as
"younger"
and "elder" brother. It
was
Duryodhana
who
made
Karna
king
of the
Angas
when the
Pandavas,
claiming
that
Karna was
the
adopted
child of a charioteer and not of
royal
blood,
refused
to
let
him
participate
in
the
archery
contest.
When Karna reveals the
story
of his
birth to
Ponnuruvi,
she
objects to his further association with Duryodhana. She asks him what he
will
gain by
slaying
the
Pandavas,
his
own
(half-)
brothers.
In
Pon-
nuruvi's
opinion
Duryodhana "bought"
Karna's
love
(iraval
piriyam,
lit-
erally "paid
love")
by making
him
king
of
Angadesa
and
granting
him
various other sources of income.
The
resulting
domestic
quarrel
between Karna and
Ponnuruvi
turns into a
public
discussion
(vivdtam)
in which the
audience is
requested
to
function as
judge.
Ponnuruvi states that
Duryodhana
is
a man of
bad
character, whereas the Pandavas represent the "right party." Karna,
however,
claims that
Duryodhana
is
a
good
man
to whom one
should
remain
loyal
and
grateful:
(Ponnuruvi's
song)
That
Duryodhana
of
cruel
acts,
A
great
sinner and
hot-tempered
is he:
The
Lady
Draupadi
he
abused
And he
tortured the Five
Pandavas
By grossly
cheating
them.
(Ponnuruvi's
speech)
O
Lord,
pity
the Pandavas
They
were
living
happily
in
Indraprastha
when
jealousy
arose in
the
heart of
Duryodhana,
king
of
Hastinapura.
He invited
the
Pandavas and
easily got
them over to
his court.
He set
Sakuni
upon
them to
gamble,
and thus he
seized their
country
and
their
cities.
In
this
very assembly,
he told his
younger
brother
Tuirccacananf
(Duhsasana)
to disrobe their
wife
Draupadi.
Such a
man,
who
orders
that
a
lady's
sari
must be
removed,
can
he be called a
good
man?
50
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
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THE DEATH OF
KARNA
(Karna's
reply)
What kind of people are playing at dice? What sort of people are gam-
bling?
Idlers and loafers
And who was
there,
playing
and
betting?
Dharma
[Yudhisthira]
and
Sakuni
Therefore,
Dharma
is
a
loafer,
Dharma is
a
thief
Duryodhana
is not to blame.
When Ponnuruvi
insists
that
Karna should
join
his
half-brothers,
Karna
argues
that
he cannot desert the
Kauravas
while
they
are on the
losing
side:
You
tell
me
to
change
sides.
Do
you
think
I
am that sort of
man?
What
times are these? Times
of war-the seventeenth
day
of the battle.
Duryodhana
is
relying
on
me as on
a
rock.
Not
only
is
Duryodhana's
party losing,
the Pandavas
are
winning.
And
precisely
at
this
moment
you
want me
to
leave
Duryodhana
and
join
the
winning
side? What
would
people say?
Although
Karna defends
Duryodhana
here,
he has
on
other occa-
sions been critical of Duryodhana's behavior. When, at the beginning of
the
play, Duryodhana complains
that
many
of
his soldiers
have
died
(including
Bhisma and
Drona)
and innumerable
women have become
widows
while
so
far
nothing
has been
gained,
Karna
tells
him to
stop
complaining.
If he
had
listened
to the
advice of
the
elders,
he would
have
had
many opportunities
to make
peace
with the
Pandavas.
Although
Karna
fights
on the
side of the Kauravas and even
tries
to
justify
Duryodhana's
behavior toward
his
wife,
he
advises Ponnuruvi as
he
leaves for the battlefield: "My darling, don't go to Hastinapura [if I am
killed],
but
spend your
time
with
my
younger
brothers,
the
Pandavas "
This advice
reflects Karna's
ambivalent
attitude toward the
Pandavas.
Ponnuruvi's character
in
Karna Moksam
Nd.takam
develops
from
that of
a
naive and
somewhat vain
girl
into
that
of a
disappointed,
rather
insensitive,
and
shortsighted
woman.
Ponnuruvi's
grudge against
Karna
is
based on
her
assumption
that he
is of low-caste
origin.
As a
daughter
of
Kirttivarman,
king
of
Kalinga,
Ponnuruvi
feels
trapped
in her
"declasse"
marriage with Karna. This is why she treats him with contempt and does
not
allow him
to
approach
her. As soon as
she
hears about her
husband's
royal
lineage,
however,
her
behavior
changes.
She
pretends
innocence
and tries
to win
his favor
by
showering
him
with affection. Karna
first
reacts rather
cynically
to this
sudden
change;
then his
cynicism
develops
into
anger.
But
as
the
moment
of
his
departure
draws
near,
husband and
wife
stop
quarreling
and show
mutual love
and
affection.
Having
been
warned
by
bad
omens,
they
both
sense that
Karna will not
return alive.
Thus the central part of the play ends in an emotional farewell which fore-
casts the
tragic
events on the
battlefield.
51
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
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de Bruin and
Brakel-Papenyzen
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KARNA AND ARJUNA
Although
Karna
and
Arjuna
are
both
sons of
Kunti,
their relation-
ship
seems
to
be
dominated
by
a
mutual
jealousy
which dates
back to the
archery
contest and Karna's
humiliation
by
the Pandavas.
In the
play
they
both
express
the
desire
to
kill
each
other,
yet
Karna
in one of his mel-
ancholic
moments seems to harbor milder
feelings
toward
his
half-
brother.
Arjuna,
unaware
that
Karna is his
half-brother,
wants
to
kill
him
not
only
because of their
long-standing
enmity
but also
to
fulfill the vow
he made when Tfrccacaniani (Duhsasana), following the order of his elder
brother
Duryodhana,
tried to disrobe
Draupadi
in
public.
When
the confrontation between
Karna
and
Arjuna finally
takes
place
(Color
Plate
7)
they challenge
each other
by exchanging
abuses:
(Karna's
challenge)
Hey you,
fellow,
Arjuna
(Arjuna's reply)
Speak up,
son of
a
charioteer.
Our
enmity
dates
back to the
archery
contest
in
the arena.
Today
this
enmity
will be
settled. Forever
Come on
chap,
let us see
(Arjuna's song)
What
is there to
see,
man? Karna
You
show me
a
snake21
Trying
to intimidate
me, oh,
you
are an
expert
But the whole world knows
That
you
are
just
a
charioteer'sson.
Come
on,
let us
see
Your
great
bravery
and valor
(Arjuna's
abuse)
Hey
you,
Karna
Wow-you speak
like a
very great
hero But this world
is
spitting
at
you,
son
of
a
charioteer,
a
cartman's brat who does
not
know
the name of his
father and
mother. Even
your
own
wife does not
respect
you Get out of here
While
Arjuna
is
abusing
Karna,
the audience
pities
Karna.
(Karna's
reply)
Hey you,
Arjuna
Have
you
come to
fight?
If
you
really
mean
business,
you give
me a
good
blow
or
I
give you
one. That's what I call
fighting.
Instead,
you
tell
me
that
my
wife does
not
respect
me-is that
any
con-
cern of yours? Hey you, fellow,Arjuna All these stories, that I am a cart-
man's
son,
today
. . .
[continued
in
song].
52
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
17/38
THE
DEATH OF
KARNA
(Karna's song)
You'll see, everythingwill come to light.
Today
I shall
straightaway
Finish
these
lies,
do
you
hear
me
Then Karna turns to
Arjuna's
charioteer,
Krishna,
abusing
the
god.
In
order to
enrage
Arjuna,
he calls
him
a
man
of black and
coarse
appearance,
a deceiver who caused the death
of
Arjuna's
sons
Aravan
and
Apimannan
(Abhimanyu).22
After the first confrontation with
Karna,
Arjuna becomes afraid, just as Krishna predicted. Arjuna discovers that
his
adversary
shows
a remarkable
resemblance to his elder
brother,
Dharma. He asks Krishna to turn
the chariot around
and
return
to
the
camp
in
order
to check
whether
Dharma
is still there.
Reluctantly
Krishna
obeys.
When
they
meet
Dharma,
he
flies
into
a
temper
and scolds
Arjuna
and his bow
for
not
having
killed
Karna. The insult to his bow
enrages
Arjuna,
who has sworn to kill
anyone
who
speaks
in
contempt
of
it.
Krishna has to prevent Arjuna from killing his elder brother. Arjuna
accuses
Dharma
of
being
a
gambler,
addressing
him
rudely.
Dharma
is
tortured
by Arjuna's
words
and wants to return to the
forest,
but Krishna
skillfully
manages
to
obtain
forgiveness
for
Arjuna by
making
him
tell a
story
in
which
he
unknowingly
blesses
his
younger
brother.
Then,
with
the
following
words,
Dharma
orders
Arjuna
to
go
and
kill
Karna:
"Let
the
arrow which
you pointed
at
me
hit
Karna-regard
him as
your
elder
brother,
kill him
and return."
Thus
Arjuna's
act
of
killing
his elder
brother Karna is apparently legitimized by Dharma's command, and at
the
same
time
the
irony
of the
fact
that
Karna
is
Arjuna's
elder
brother
is
emphasized.
Karna's
Character
and
Relationships
in
Wayang
Wong
Before we
begin
to
analyze
Karna's
character as
expressed
in
an
actual
wayang wong
play
(Color
Plate
8)
it is
useful to
take
note of
some
general ideas about Karna in present-day Java. A summary of Karna's
life
and
characteristics
is found in
Hardjowirogo's
History of
the
Wayang
Purwa,
a
recent
publication
in
Indonesian aimed
to
spread
the
knowledge
and
appreciation
of
(Javanese) wayang
among
the
general
population:
Raden
Suryaputra
is
the son
of
Dewi
Kunti and
Batara
Surya,
but in a
mysterious
manner.
When Dewi
Kunti
was still a
virgin,
she
possessed
esoteric
knowledge
which she
received
from a certain
priest
named
Bega-
wan
Druwasa. The restriction to this esoteric knowledge was that it
should
not
be
uttered
while the
person
who
possessed
it was
exposed
to
53
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
18/38
de Bruin and
Brakel-Papenyzen
the
rays
of the
sun.
However
Dewi Kunti
carelessly
violated
this rule
and
thus became pregnant. Through the help and supernatural power of
Begawan
Druwasa the
baby
in her womb
could be borne from her
ear
[the
kawi
(poetic)
word for
ear
is
karna],
and when
this child
grew
up
he
was also called Karna.
Some stories
explain
the name Karna
[in
a
differ-
ent
manner],
because
he
had
earrings
when he
was
born.
Because most
people
considered
him a
child
whose father was
unknown his mother
abandoned him at the ocean's
shore. The
baby
was
carried
away,
and
was later found
by
a
king
of
the
country
of
Petaperlaya
named Prabu
Radea. He
adopted
him as his
son
and
Karna
was then
named
Radeaputra.
Since Batara
Surya
also
acknowledged
Karna as his
son,
he is
also called
Suryaputra.
In
the
course of time Karna
learned
all these
things
about
him-
self.
Although
he
was
in
fact
the eldest of
the
Pandawas,
he
did not wish
to follow his
half-brothers,
but
chose the
side of the Astina
kingdom,
whose
king
was
considered his
cousin. Karna
acted
in
this manner
because he
felt that
his
parents
rejected
him as a
baby.
Until the
Bhara-
tayuddha (Great
War)
Karna
always regarded
the
Pandawas
as
absolute
enemies.
During
the
Bharatayuddha
Karna
is defeated in a
man-to-man
fight
with
Arjuna,
fulfilling
his
duty
as
a
satriya
knight)
in
loyalty
to
the
kingdom
of
Astina.
Scholars
regard
Karna as
a
satriya
who
keeps
the
promise
he
has made.
Some stories tell how
Dewi
Kunti
(Karna's
mother)
goes
to
Karna
as the
Bharatayuddha
war
is
approaching,
remembering
that
Karna is also her
son and a
brother to the Pandawas.
Kunti
says:
"My
son,
you
had better
join
the
Pandawas;
remember that
they
are
your
brothers." Karna
answers:
"Mother,
I
shall not
obey
[your
words].
Remember how you neglected me when I was small and abandoned me
so that the
family
ties
with
my
own kin
were broken. Now
that
I
have
found
glory
through my
own
efforts,
do not coax
me to
join
the Panda-
was
and to
leave
Astina,
mother.
The Pandawas
are
definitely
my
abso-
lute
enemies."
[Hardjowirogo
1968,
190-191]
The
book
also
gives
a
description
of
Karna's
wife
Surtikanthi:
Dewi
Surtikanthi is the
second
daughter
of
Prabu
Salya, king
of the
country
of
Mandraka.
The
young
maiden was
first
betrothed to
Prabu
Suyudana
(Duryodana)
of
Astina. But in
fact at
that time Dewi
Surtikan-
thi
had
already
become
acquainted
with a
satriya, Raden
Suryaputra
(Karna),
the
adopted
son of
the
king
of
Petaperlaya.
The
two
young
people
met
secretly;
no one
knew
about their
meeting
except
for
Raden
Pamade
(Arjuna).
Then these
two
satriya
engaged
in
a
lively
battle,
until
Suryaputra
was
gripped
fast
by
Pamade,
who
was
going
to
cut his
throat and hit him
on the
temple.
At that moment Resi Narada, a god from heaven, arrived and
separated
the two
satriya.
He
told
Pamade that
Suryaputra
was
his
elder
54
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
19/38
THE
DEATH OF
KARNA
brother
and that Pamade
should
help
him to
get
married.
Moreover
Narada presented a crown to cover the wound. From that time onwards
Suryaputra
wears a
crown.
[Hardjowirogo
1968,
196-197]
It is
remarkable that in
Hardjowirogo's history
of Karna's
concep-
tion the
Sun God
does
not
play
an
active
role,
as
in
the Indian
story.
While
this
depersonalization
of
Surya may
be attributable to the
influence
of
Islamic
religious
ideas,
it results
in
an
emphasis
of
Kunti's
role
of
unmarried mother.
Thus,
Kunti's mistake and
guilt
are
emphasized,
as
are Karna's feelings of rejection and frustration toward his Pandava
brothers.
On
the other
hand,
having
been
adopted
by
a
person
of
royal
status,
Karna is
brought up
as
a
nobleman
and does not have to feel
infe-
rior
to
his
brothers-or to
his
wife-in
this
respect.
Karna's
ambivalent
relationship
with
Arjuna
is
explained
in
the
description
of
Surtikanthi.
Although
Arjuna
first
clashes with
Karna
when he
tries to
prevent
their secret
meetings,
he
dutifully helps
them to
get
married when
he
learns that Karna is in
fact his elder
brother.
KARNA'S
CHARACTER
IN THE
PLAY KARNA
TANDHING
In
accordance
with the
rules for
the
structure of
a
classical
wayang
performance,
the
opening
scene of
the
wayang wongplay
Karna
Tandhing
s
a
scene
at the
camp
of
the
Korawa
(named
Bumi
Kasapta) featuring
a
dis-
cussion
between
King
Duryodana
and
his advisers on
the
losses suffered
during
the
great
war.
Karna,
addressing
Duryodana
as
"younger
brother
and
king"
(yayi
prabu),
immediately replies
that
there is
no need
to
feel
dejected; nor should there be fear of Arjuna (an allusion to his forthcom-
ing appointment
as
commander of
the
Pandawa
army).
He
then
starts
boasting
about
himself,
asserting
to
the
assembly
that he is
more than a
match
for
Arjuna
and
will
easily
kill him
in a
duel:
"Younger
brother,
I
can
assure
you
that,
whenever
I
can
fight
a
man-to-man
battle with
Arjuna,
he will
be
turned into a
corpse
in
a
twinkling."
Resi
Krepa
admonishes him
by
saying
that he
should
not
overestimate
his own
power.
Karna
then
furiously
scolds the old
adviser
and a
quarrel
flares
up.
Once
more Karna, in his eagerness to remain commander-in-chief, states his
readiness
not
only
to
fight
Arjuna
but
also to
bring
back
his
head in
his
own
hands. He
then
asks
for the
appointment
of his
father-in-law,
King
Salya,
as
his
charioteer,
and
both
Duryodana
and
Salya
agree.
While
Karna
does
not
play
a
part
in
the second
scene,
he
shows a
much
softer
side of
his
character to
his
wife
Surtikanthi in
the
third
major
scene
of
the
play.
This
scene is
located in
a
beautiful
garden
(Kayangan
Telakandha),
where
Surtikanthi is
sitting
sad
and alone
amidst
the
waru
trees
when
she
hears
from the cracking of the door that her husband has
arrived.
Having
been
welcomed
by
his
wife in
the
polite
and
demure
55
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8/19/2019 The Death of Karna Two Sides of a Story
20/38
de
Bruin and
Brakel-Papenyzen
manner
appropriate
to a
female
member of
the
nobility,
Karna asks
her
why she is looking so grave. Tearfully Surtikanthi confesses that she is
frightened
about his
appointment
as
commander of the
troops,
the
more
so because she has had an
ominous dream about
her
husband
entering
a
sailing
boat and
getting shipwrecked
on
a
reef in
the middle of
the
ocean.
Karna
tries
to
reassure
her
by telling
her to trust his
bravery
and
not to be
afraid.
Asking
her to sit close
to
him,
he starts
singing
a
love
song
which is
completed
by
her.
This
poem
(in
Sinom
meter)
forms
the
expression
of
their
final
farewell.
(Karna)
Dear
lady, you
must know
That even a
flood
of
fire
Could not
destroymy
longing
To be in
the
presence
of
your
beauty.
(Surtikanthi)
I
feel
courageous
Even to
enter
a
ravine
And also
to bear the
pangs
of love
Following
the
wishes
of
the sweet man.
(Karna)
Really
young lady, you
are as
excellent as
gold.
Thereupon
they
retire to the
bedchamber
to
make
love,
which
is
only
indicated in the narration. In order not to upset his wife, Karna leaves
quietly
in
the
middle of the
night
to
go
to the
battlefield.
The
two
following
scenes are
set
at the
camp
of
Karna's
opponents
the
Pandawas
(Darma
Kasetra).
Their
meeting
is
interrupted by
clowns
carrying
the
message
that the
troops
of
Astina are
entering
the
battlefield
under the
banner of
Karna.
Although
Bima
immediately
wants
to
avenge
the
death of
his son
Gatotkaca,
Krishna
advises that
Arjuna
is the
best
counterbalance to
Karna's
power
and
should,
therefore,
be
appointed
commander of the troops. Arjuna, addressing Krishna as "elder brother
and
king"
(kaka
prabu),
answers that
this
is what he
himself
desires.
Con-
sequently
he asks for
Krishna's war
chariot,
to be driven
by
Krishna
him-
self,
and
his
request
is
granted.
As the trial
of
strength
between the
two heroes
forms the
main
theme of
the
play,
it
is
remarkable
that
their
first
confrontation
on
the bat-
tlefield
is
a
kind of
anticlimax
to the
buildup
of
aggressive
emotions in the
prev