As a newborn, Karna's life begins in a basket without a rudder on a river, in circumstances that he neither chose nor had a say. As Duryodhana's army crumbles each day, the sea and vessel metaphor repeatedly appears in the epic, particularly when Karna is mentioned. For example, his first entry into the Kurukshetra battlefield is presented as the Makara movement (an arrangement of soldiers in the sea-monster pattern). The second meaning of Karna as "rudder and helm" is also an apt metaphor given Karna's role in steering the war in Book 8 of the epic, where the good Karna confronts the good Arjuna, one of the climax scenes wherein the Mahabharata authors repeatedly deploy the allegories of ocean and boat to embed layers of meanings in the poem. This artwork – as Patung Satria Gatotkaca – is also found near the Denpasar airport, Bali, Indonesia.
Karna inside the chariot fighting Ghatotkacha standing over horses, Kota, Rajasthan. In section 3.290.5 of the Mahabharata, Karna is described as a baby born with the ear-rings and armored breastplate, like his father Surya. The word Karna, states the Indologist Kevin McGrath, signifies "eared, or the ear-ringed one". Called Vasusena as a child by his foster parents, he became known by the name Karna because of the golden earrings of Surya he used to wear, according to the Sanskrit epics scholar David Slavitt. In the Mahabharata and the Puranas, it is the name of a warrior character. In another context, it refers to a spondee in Sanskrit prosody. Karṇa (कर्ण) is a word found in the Vedic literature, where it means "the ear", "chaff or husk of a grain" or the "helm or rudder". Vrisha – one who is truthful in speech and kept his vows.Vaikartana – one who belongs to solar race (related to Surya).Vijayadhari – holder of a bow named Vijaya which was gifted by Lord Parashurama.Daanaveera – one who have undying charitable nature or one who is exceptionally munificent (generous).
He was appointed the king of Anga ( Bihar- Bengal) by Duryodhana. Karna grows up to be an accomplished warrior of extraordinary abilities, a gifted speaker and becomes a loyal friend of Duryodhana. The basket discovered and Karna is adopted and raised by foster Suta parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra.
Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had no choice but to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges, in the hope that he finds foster parents. Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the Pandavas), and thus a demigod of royal birth. Karna ( Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: Karṇa), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva (half-brothers).