Karna on Trial deftly casts away myriads of misconceptions about the enigmatic 'unsung hero' unveiling his true position in Vyasdeva's Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata, Shalya describes Karna's valor 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?