Mrityunjay
A psychological portrait of Karna's lifelong struggle for identity and acceptance, drawn from the Mahabharata.
Written, conceptualised, choreographed and performed by Shubhada Varadkar. Set to the Suryashtakam from the Samba Purana, it follows Karna's struggle against destiny and war, culminating in Krishna bestowing on him the title 'Mrityunjay' — Conqueror of Death. Presented through an evocative monologue format interwoven with choreography, it depicts Karna not merely as a warrior but as a soul caught in a web of injustice, bravery and inner conflict. Performed in Hindi, enriched with Sanskrit shlokas.
The narrative arc
The veil of secrecy and destiny. The journey opens with Kunti revealing the secret of Karna's birth. Cast away as an infant in a floating box upon the Ganga, he was destined from birth to become Mrityunjaya, the one who triumphs over death. Rescued and raised by a charioteer, he bore the stigma of being a Sutaputra, and his path turned when he entered the gurukul of Guru Dronacharya.
The unshakable allegiance. The narrative sets two great dialogues against each other. Krishna persuades Arjuna to take up arms against his own kin, but fails to move Karna from his allegiance to Duryodhana. That loyalty stands as the measure of his own code of honour.
The ultimate sacrifice. As Suryaputra, Karna's righteousness shows most clearly when he tears away his divine kavach and kundal to give them to Indra, who comes to him disguised as a beggar. Krishna himself acknowledges his triumph over mortality, crowning him Mrityunjaya.
In her own words
“Every individual carries an internal battlefield, a personal Kurukshetra, where duty clashes with desire, and identity fights against circumstance. Karna is not just a tragic warrior from an ancient epic; he is the ultimate symbol of the human spirit’s resilience against systemic injustice. I have sought to look beyond the external armour of the warrior and peer into the vulnerable, conflicted, yet unyielding heart of the man. Karna’s ultimate victory was not defined by surviving the war, but by conquering his destiny.” — Shubhada Varadkar, director’s note