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After the Pandavas and the Kauravas learnt all they could from Kripacharya and Drona,
to test their skills, a tournament was organised so the cousins could exhibit their talents
before the royal family and the public.
In the tournament, Arjuna displayed his extraordinary skills in archery and the use of weapons.
All who saw Arjuna were lost in admiration and wonder.
This was when Karna, who had learnt the art of war from Parshuram himself, appeared before
the crowds. He wanted to challenge Arjuna's skills. To show his might, Karna performed
feats that outshone everything Arjuna had done so far.
Arjuna was greatly insulted. Since Karna was not invited to the tournament, he was refused
the title of victor. To prove their strength over Karna, the Pandavas said they were ready
to battle him. However, before the battle between the Pandavas and Karna could commence,
Kripacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas, stepped in. He announced that a combat could
not be staged without knowledge of Karna's lineage. Karna had to be of royal blood to
fight the Pandavas.
All Karna could tell them about his lineage was that he had been discovered in a basket
floating down the river and brought up by a humble charioteer and his wife.
As the Pandavas laughed at Karna, what they did not notice was that their mother Kunti
had fainted upon hearing this. Surprisingly, it was Duryodhan who stepped
in and saved Karna from further humiliation. To make him worthy of challenging the Pandavas,
Duryodhan declared Karna the King of Anga, a kingdom under him.