Kālaviphalāny astrāṇi te santu: Story-time in Karṇa’s defeat as depicted in the Mahābhārata

Abstract

The paper focuses on three sets of events relating to Karṇa’s defeat in the Mahābhārata: the weapons exchange (MBh. 3.284–294), the chariot ride (MBh. 8.26–69), and the two curses (MBh. 12.2–5). From a narratological perspective, it analyzes them in terms of story-time (the narrative timing of the events in the story). With this literary approach to Karṇa’s character, its goal is to support the claims of consciously designed Mahābhārata, one of whose authorial techniques would precisely be time management.