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After the end of the Mahabharata war, when Suryaputra Karna reached heaven after attaining martyrdom, a strange incident happened with him there which changed the entire definition of charity. When Karna, who never turned away any beggar who came to his doorstep empty-handed throughout his life and who received the title of ‘Danveer’ in the world, reached the afterlife, he had to face severe hunger. This great warrior, who donated immense gold, gems and land on earth, did not get even a single grain of food to eat in heaven. This mythological event is directly related to the 16-day long Pitru Paksha and tradition of Shraddha Tarpan of our Sanatan Dharma.
According to the story, when Karna reached heaven after sacrificing his life in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, he was given a grand welcome by Lord Indra and other gods. Due to Karna’s immense charitable nature and sacrifice, he was given a high place in heaven. After the grueling battle fatigue and death, when Karna felt extremely hungry, he expressed his desire for food. The angels placed decorated items in golden plates in front of them, but when Karna removed the curtain from the plate, they were stunned. There were no fruits, sweets or grains in the plate, but only shining gold, diamonds, rubies and precious jewelery were kept in it.
Karna thought that perhaps this was a mistake, so he again requested for pure Satvik food. Next time also the servants served him only gems, pearls and pearls. Karna, distraught with hunger, lost his patience. He asked in amazement how could a very hungry person eat gold and jewellery? Is this mocking their charitable nature or does food have no place in the laws of heaven? To this the angels humbly replied that the law of heaven is that whatever a man donates on earth, is received in the same form for consumption in the next world.
To get the solution to his critical situation, Karna went directly to Yamraj, the god of death and justice, and Indra, the god of gods. Karna asked in a very humble manner, O God, I have never disappointed anyone in my entire life. No Brahmin, beggar or destitute returned empty handed from my door. I donated a huge amount of gold, silver, gems, cows and land, then why is this injustice being done to me that I am not even getting food, the basic basis of survival?
Hearing the plight of Karna, Yamraj said in a very calm voice, O son of Surya, there is no doubt that your charity was unique and there was no one else in the world as generous as you. But you donated only material wealth, gold, silver and jewelery during your lifetime. You never donated food to any hungry person in the name of your ancestors nor did you ever offer water in the memory of your ancestors. Yamraj clarified that in the Sanatan system, ancestral debt is considered to be the most important debt. No matter how much wealth a person distributes, if he does not offer food and water to his ancestors, his soul cannot get the satisfaction of food in the next world.
Karna’s eyes filled with tears after hearing this argument of Yamraj. Expressing the pain of his past, Karna said, O Dharamraj, fate has cheated me all my life. I grew up as a filial son and never had any knowledge of my real lineage and my parents. Until the Mahabharata war reached its final stages, I did not know that I was the eldest brother of the Pandavas and the son of Kunti. When I did not know my parents, clan and ancestors, in whose name would I perform Shraddha and in whom would I offer water?
This argument of Karna was just and heart-wrenching. They did not deliberately ignore their ancestors, rather they remained ignorant of this truth due to their destiny. Seeing this true repentance and helplessness of Karna, Devraj Indra and Yamraj were extremely moved. He believed that this mistake of Karna was due to ignorance and not due to any ego or malice.
To atone for this mistake of Karna, Yamraj gave him a special boon. He was allowed to return to the earth again in his physical form for a period of 16 days. Yamraj instructed that during this period, Karna should stay on earth and meditate on his known and unknown ancestors, offer water for them and donate food to the poor, Brahmins and the helpless.
Karna resided on earth for 16 days from Pratipada of Krishna Paksha of Ashwin month till Amavasya. During these 16 days, he offered prayers in the name of the Sun God, all his ancestors and the unsatisfied souls of the universe. He ran granaries on a large scale, where thousands of hungry people were fed and water was donated every day. When these 16 days ended and Karna returned to heaven, the storehouse of heaven was filled with nectar-like grains and dishes for him. His soul was satisfied forever.
These 16 days spent by Karna during the Mahabharata period are today known as ‘Pitrapaksha’ or ‘Shraddha Paksha’ in Hindu religion. The last date of this period is called ‘Sarvapitri Amavasya’ or ‘Mahalaya’. This story of Karna gives us a serious spiritual message that mere donation of wealth, glory or luxury items is not enough. Donating food and donating water has been kept in the category of great donations in life.
In Sanatan tradition it is believed that no matter how much wealth a person has, if he does not express gratitude towards his roots and his ancestors, his virtue remains incomplete. Even today, lakhs of devotees offer Pind Daan and Tarpan for their ancestors at the holy places of pilgrimage like Gaya, Prayagraj, Haridwar, Varanasi and Brahmakapal of Badrinath. This mythological story of Karna remains the biggest inspiration behind this. This story teaches that only reverence towards ancestors actually provides ultimate peace and satisfaction to the soul.