I stand before Arjun, my only rival, my nemesis.
A man born of indra, blessed by destiny, gifted privileges normal men could only dream of. Taught by the finest masters, guided by gurus that shaped kingdoms on whims, with wisdom that shaped the greatest warriors—yet, here I stand, his only equal.
A son of a charioteer, now a king, warrior matched only by one....,
I have reached heights that lesser men could not dare to even hope of. I have defied the chains of caste, of birth and risen anew.
Through lies and deceit, through betrayal and scorn, I have built a boy into a warrior, a king, a man...stone by stone, arrow by arrow I have claimed what the gods denied me.
Yet, the truth of my lineage scorned my soul. the searing jealousy ..... To know that I was destined for greatness, yet denied it by the cruel hands of my own mother, To realize that those I call my enemies today .... were meant to be my kin—my brothers. I would have had a true family....
I have sacrificed everything. And for what? To fight a war that need not be? My heart aches for peace, for the tender solace of a mother's embrace, for the comfort of a life unshackled by this endless strife.
But I cannot yield. I will not. The Pandavas may share my blood, but Duryodhan is my dharm. He stood by me when my mother hid me, hoping that I would drown in the river. He saw in me not the son of a charioteer but a warrior, an equal, a friend, and a brother. He believed in Karn—not as Kunti's son, but as the man who dared to challenge mighty Arjun.
My salvation lies only in death , for I am burdened with knowledge. I know death awaits me—whether on this blood-soaked field or in the twilight of a king's reign, when my bow will falter with age. And so, I embrace my fate. For my dharm demands all, given without thought of pain or suffering.
A wise man once said 'love is the death of duty'. They are wrong. It is duty—dharm—that reigns supreme, that defines a man, that carves his legacy into the annals of time, that is what makes a man true to himself and to his blood.