Mahabharata
महाभारत
The Sanskrit epic centred on the Kuru dynasty, dharma, kinship, and war.
Sørensen, An Index to the Names in the Mahabharata
Artistic representation · not a historical depiction
Epic character · Pan-Indian
Karna
कर्ण
Ear
Sanskrit · Pan-Indian
A brilliant and tragic warrior shaped by loyalty and belonging.
GenerosityLoyaltyTragedy
The story behind the name
Who is behind this name?
- Character
- Karna
- Source
- Mahabharata
- Role
- Warrior of the Mahabharata, born to Kunti
Karna is born to Kunti and raised outside the royal household. His alliances, generosity, status, and choices form one of the Mahabharata’s most debated arcs.
A brilliant and tragic warrior shaped by loyalty and belonging.
Interpretations and spellings may vary across editions, languages, regions, and living traditions.
Source trail
Where this story appears
Sanskrit · Devanagari
Editorial method
Source reviewed.
Entries keep common spellings beside scholarly transliterations and native scripts. The archive grows source by source and never presents itself as exhaustive.