Hindu Religious Studies 103
Thinking this Devaraj Indra came to him as a Brahmin. He would
ask for both koboch and kundal as gifts. If Karna gave the same, he
would be weak. And if he did not give it, he would do an irreligious
act by not keeping his promise. It will bring him bad names.
Devaraj Indra wanted the koboch and the kundol from Karna as
gifts. Karna said, 'O Brahmin, want something else. These koboch
and kundal are parts of my body. I am invincible for these things. If
you want land, cattle, elephants, horses, houses or even kingdom, I
will give it to you.
But Indra in the guise of a Brahmin was irrevocable. He would not
take anything other than the koboch and the kundal. What else to
do? Karna cut the koboch and the kundal to separate them from his
body. Then he gave them to Indra. Karna did so knowing fully well
that it might cause him some danger. This is how he kept his
promise. He became famous for what he did. We shall also follow
him and keep our promises. Keeping promise is also a part of
religion.
Patriotism of Bidula
Jona and her son Prabir set a glorious example of patriotism. We
know the story of their true patriotism. Now we will learn about
another patriotic lady. Her name is Bidula. Both the stories are
written in letters of gold in the Mahabharata.
The kingdom was called Sauvir. Bidula was the noble queen of this
kingdom. The king of Sauvir and Bidula had a son. His name was
Sanjay. When Sanjay was a young boy, the king died suddenly. At
that time the king of Sind took this opportunity and attacked the
kingdom of Sauvir. Sanjay was defeated easily. The king of Sind
occupied the kingdom of Sauvir without much effort. Losing the
kingdom the frustrated Sanjay lay on the ground with a pale face. He
made no more attempt to regain his kingdom. But Bidula could not
tolerate such subjugation by an external power. She inspired his son