Fool! When your hour comes, your knowledge of astras will fail you and what you have learnt from me throughdeception will not avail you."

Parasurama's wrath against Kshatriyas is well known and, when he discovered that Karna was a Kshatriya, he cursed him thus in his anger.

Karna was free in making gifts. One day, Indra, who was Arjuna's father, came in the garb of a brahmana and begged of Karna for a gift of the divine earrings and armour with which he had been born.

Karna took them out and gave them away accordingly. From that time, Karna's strength was reduced.

"Karna's pledge to his mother Kunti that he would not kill more than one of the five of you, Parasurarna's curse, the anger of the brahmana whose cow was killed by Karna, the way in which his charioteer Salya depressed him by underrating; his valour and Vasudeva's stratagems, these combined to bring about Karna's end.