Caution: This post talks extensively about the Epics and the similarities amongst them. If you do not like the epics or analysis, this post is best avoided.
In this post, I am trying to analyze if there could have been any exchange of stories amongst the ancient civilizations. Some of the characters that we see in the epics are so similar that it has often made me wonder if it could be a mere coincidence. I am trying to post my views to see if anyone else has had thoughts on parallel lines. For the sake of length and patience of the reader, I am confining my discussion to a couple of characters only.
Karna and Moses: First of all I am not sure if the Old Testament qualifies to be called an Epic, but I am sure that it is not literature. The characters of Karna and Moses have very similar beginnings, especially the events immediately after their births (even Krishna's with some changes). Both are born under trying circumstances to the mother. While Moses' parents abandon him because of Herod's order to kill all newborns, Kunthi abandons Karna because of the stigma attached to an unwed mother. Both are wrapped in the cloth in which they are delivered, put in a basket and floated down a river. Both are re-discovered in their youth by their biological mothers. Both meet with God and while Moses follows God's command, Karna does not (though Krishna only advises him).
The similarities end just there. While Moses is brought up as a Prince which he is not; Karna, though a prince is brought up as a charioteer. Moses' truth is discovered and he is banished from Egypt; while Karna is discovered during the tournament and made a King!!!
Karna and Achilles: Both Karna and Achilles are born to demigods - Karna born of Surya and Achilles born of Thetis. Both are protected against death subject to certain conditions. Both fail to heed the advise given and perish. Karna has his armor and ear rings that protect him but gives them both to Indra. Achilles is protected as long as he protects his heel, but never heeds the advise to wear extra protection. Both succumb to fatal arrow shots - Karna to Arjuna and Achilles to Paris. Both are stubborn and have strong principles. Both voluntarily sit out the major part of the wars that make them popular. Karna voluntarily sits out for 10 days, unable to bear the taunts of Bhishma (who does it knowingly), and joins the war only after Bhishma's fall. Achilles takes part in the initial campaign, but gets angered when Agememnon stealthily abducts Briesius - his prize and love interest. He sits out the major portion of the war until Agememnon groans under the Trojan onslaught and finally sends Ulysses to pacify him and gives him back Briesius. Both of them watch the war from the sidelines impatiently waiting to join in and once they do, wreck havoc on the enemy.
Though these two have so many similarities, the principle which drove them was completely different. Karna was selfless and just wanted to pay his dues back to the faith that Dhuryodhana had in him. Even after Krishna reveals his true identity (which Karna suspects all along and which is confirmed by Bhishma when he seeks his blessings before joining the war), he refuses the chance to become the King and fights the war purely to repay his gratitude to Dhuryodhana. Achilles, on the other hand, is pre-warned that he will not return if he joins the war by his mother Thetis. But still it is the personal glory of 'his name being alive for a thousand years' that propels him to participate in the war.
Karna, Khumbakarna and Hector: Not only do the names of the first two sound similar, but also their devotion to people who depend on them. Both know fully well that they are fighting for an unjust cause, but still fight for the people (Dhuryodhana and Ravana) who patronize them. Hector is in the same league. He immediately realizes the consequences of Paris' folly in bringing Helen with them on their ship and actually turns the ship around to Sparta. Then, he is unable to bear the grief of his brother and goes back to Troy. At Troy, he counsels his father to return Helen with appropriate gifts, but Priam refuses to listen. He knows fully well that Troy will fall and all its people are doomed, still he fights on for his King and motherland. So much so that, Troy is invincible as long as he is in command. He earns the personal enmity of Achilles by sheer accident - thinking Patroclus as Achilles and killing him. His fight with Achilles draws a lot of parallels to the fight between Karna and Arjuna in The Mahabharata. Both Karna and Hector know that they are the weaker ones, but still have the hopes of defeating the opponents with sheer skill and actually come close. Both their opponents (Arjuna and Achilles) are saved by the Gods.
Though Karna and Khumbakarna share the same principle, they have completely different ways of approaching the problem. Karna actually feeds the frenzy by actively encouraging Dhuryodhana against the Pandavas. But Khumbakarna, on the other hand, is very blunt with his brother in saying that 'what he has done is wrong' and pleads with him to return Sita and make peace. When Ravana flatly refuses, Khumbakarna says " You are my brother and my King, so though I know what you have done is wrong, I will still fight for you till my last breath". That one sentence elevates Khumbakarna from the character of a passive comedian to one of serious valor. In that one sentence, he differentiates himself from Vibheeshana as well. And in that sense of immense love and devotion towards the brother and motherland, Khumbakarna and Hector are very similar.
These are some of the parallels in characters from the Epics that I could think of with my limited brain capacity. I am sure that there are several other parallels - both in stories and characterizations.
All this leads to the question - Could this be a mere coincidence? We know for a fact that there was active trade and commerce between the ancient civilizations of the Indus valley, Mesapotamia, Egypt and Greece. But could they have also shared literature and epics or at least some stories that inspired each other?
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