Vikarna the righteous Kaurava

The hundred sons that Dhritarashtra had with Gandhari are known as the Kauravas. The eldest of them, Duryodhan is universally accepted as the villain of the story, though he had many good qualities. Nothing much has been narrated about his ninety-nine brothers except a few. The most prominent of them is of course Dushasan the most despised character in Mahabharat for his role in molesting Draupadi, the wife of his cousin Pandavas, in full view of everyone at the behest of his elder brother.

The public humiliation of Draupadi did not meet any protest by the macho males and noble men at the court of Hastinapur, including her own five husbands. But it was Vikarna, a brother of Duryodhan who protested against the shaming of their own sister-in-law and warned him of the fatal consequences, before leaving the court in protest. He was the only one of the courtiers who protested even after being jeered by others for doing so.

But though a dissenting voice, he was not a coward nor disloyal to his king and brother. True to the tradition of the brave warriors he took part in the Mahabharat war as part of the Kaurava army. In fact, he was one of their main warriors and there is even a reference of him as such in the opening chapter of Bhagawad Gita.

He met his death like all his brothers, at the hands of Bhim, who had vowed to kill them for the humiliation of Draupadi. But before engaging with him, Bhim had given him the option to quit because of his righteous behaviour. But like a true warrior, Vikarna explained that his protest as well as his participation in the war were both part of duties which he had to perform, whether he liked them or not.

Though he occupies a very small, almost minuscule place in Mahabharat, Vikarna stands out for his courage. For speaking out against what he considered and was logically wrong and an atrocity even though it was committed by his own. The whole of Mahabharat is replete with such stories which give us insights and guidance on our course of action when confronted with the choice of making a decision. That’s the reason it remains so contemporary even without any religious connotation.

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