Karna on Trial deftly cast away myriads of misconception about the enigmatic ‘unsung hero’ unveiling his true position in Vyasdeva’s Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata , shalya describes Karna’s valour during the final battle between Arjuna and Karna – ‘Karna was like the desire tree and fulfilled the wishes of anyone who made any demand, just like birds seeking shelter from a tree. Karna always gave regardless of the consequences.

Then why is Karna, in the introduction to the great epic , referred to as the trunk of a bitter tree ? this brings us to the question of what constitutes righteous conduct ?