Karna (
Sanskrit: कर्ण,
IAST transliteration:
Karṇa), originally known as
Vasusena, is one of the central characters in the Hindu epic the
Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of
Anga (present day
Bhagalpur and
Munger). Karna was one of the greatest warriors, whose martial exploits are recorded in the
Mahābhārata, and the only warrior believed to be able to defeat
Arjuna in battle, an admiration expressed by
Lord Krishna and
Bhishma within the body of this work. As per the
Mahabharata, Karna was the only warrior in that era who conquered the entire world. Karna single-handedly successfully conducted Digvijaya Yatra, conquering all kings in every direction of the world in order to establish
Duryodhana as the emperor of the world and to conduct the Vaishnava sacrifice. Karna was equal to 2
Maharatha warrior.
