Talk:Arjuna/@comment-2001:E68:5447:528C:61F7:BBDC:103D:C1D0-20180215112247/@comment-34041338-20180222050237

In traditional tellings it would be more accurate to say Karna was the "bad" one though it's mostly circumstance. The reason Arjuna, who in most of Bagavad Gita is a righteous warrior, is sometimes considered to be "bad" is because of his cowardice on the battlefield. Basically, Arjuna and Karna are going at it because that's what they do and because they're equal no one can win. Then Karna's chariot wheel gets stuck. According to traditional Indian rules for warfare, you may not attack an opponent while he is crouched over and defenseless. However, Arjuna's dad, Indra, tells Arjuna to kill Karna while he is defenseless. Arjuna, at first not wanting to, eventually relents and kills Karna while he's defenseless, an incredibly dishonorable thing to do. Howeverm because it was Indra who told him to, he gets let off the hook because "the words of Gods take precedence over the laws of man" or some shit.