Radheya 

Warrior of the Mahabharata epic, Karna is a fascinating character. He is depicted as a tragic hero; gifted, righteous and brave, whose warrior skills won the admiration of Bhishma and Krishna. 

To the artist, Radheya (the son of Radha the adopted mother) or Karna is the ultimate hero. Born to glory, the son of Surya and eldest brother of the Pandavas, noble warrior, outstanding speaker, unbeatable archer, loyal friend and the ultimate giver, acclaimed by the divine Krishna as "a true, honest, good man" and "the best among those who understand and uphold the dharma" he fought against all odds after being abandoned by his biological mother Kunti. There is no greater sacrifice than his.

Born with aspects of his divine father Surya – the earrings and armor breastplate – that made him an immortal at birth , and inspite of being warned, Karna chooses to lose these divine gifts and effectively his life in order to uphold his reputation as the one who always gives dāna 

The work captures that moment when the God Indra, father of Arjuna (portrayed as the lightening bolt or Vajra, the Ankush and his 'vaahan' the multi trunked white elephant ) disguises himself as a poor brahmin (symbolised by the alms bowl),  asks for Karna's  earrings and breast plate in order to protect his own son in battle.

Karna's posture in the work depicts his questioning destiny even as he hands over his divine gifts and life thus choosing to uphold his life choices and values. The bull denotes Karna's prowess as a warrior, while the bow is laid down in submission to his fate and values. Interestingly this bow, named Vijaya was created by Vishwakarma for Lord Shiva, handed for safekeeping to Indra, then given to Parshuram to conquer wrong doers and further gifted by him to his worthy student Karna.

Acrylic on canvas (48" X 36" )
Status: Available