In another story, when Vishnu descended on earth as Ram, he killed Vali, the son of Indra, and sided with Sugriva, the son of Surya. So when Vishnu descended as Krishna, he was obliged to restore the balance in the cosmos by killing Karna, son of Surya, and siding with Arjuna, son of Indra. Here, one story is one half of another story, and Karna’s misfortune neutralizes his fortune in another life. Free of any obligations or expectations, he would thus be liberated from the wheel of rebirths. So his killing, which we feel is a sad incident, becomes a wonderful event.
