Rashmirathi (रश्मिरथी)
The story of a man blessed by the Gods but rejected by Destiny
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Rashmirathi (रश्मिरथी) is a Hindi epic written in 1952, by the Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar'. The work centers around the life of Karna, the first-born illegitimate son of Queen Kunti(Pandava's mother), in the epic Mahabharata.
As Mr.Narendra Modi aptly puts it - It's the story of a man blessed by the Gods but rejected by destiny.
Karna is perhaps the most notable characters of the Mahabharata (some argue in his favour of even being better than the mighty Arjuna) yet very few books have been written about his heroism. This poem, which has been acknowledged to inspire and instill values, potrays a unique way of storytelling where Karna narrates the highs and lows of his emotions trapped in moral dilemma between the rights(Dharma) and wrongs(Adharma) in his own life.
Click here to download the full poem in Hindi(pdf). There is also an english translation available, done by Leela Gujadhur Sarup - a Mauritian cultural activist.
Below is the audio version of the complete poem narrated in Hindi by Sandeep Dwivedi.
Rashmirathi_Chapter1
Rashmirathi_Chapter2_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter2_Part2
Rashmirathi_Chapter3_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter3_Part2
Rashmirathi_Chapter4_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter4_Part2
Rashmirathi_Chapter5_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter5_Part2
Rashmirathi_Chapter6_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter6_Part2
Rashmirathi_Chapter7_Part1
Rashmirathi_Chapter7_Part2