Karna Parva — Section 2 of 2 in this original, condensed prose retelling of the eighteen-parva Mahabharata.
Karna and Arjuna fight a terrifying duel. During the battle Karna’s chariot wheel becomes trapped, and longstanding curses and choices converge. Arjuna kills Karna following Krishna’s counsel, in an episode that readers have debated for centuries. Later revelations about Karna’s birth deepen the grief of the surviving Pandavas.
Read this episode in sequence with the other parvas to understand the full storyline, including its moral ambiguity and tragic consequences.