On the other hand, anyone who wants to know how friendship can destroy you, and how a friendship to not be, should see Karna and Duryodhana.
Let us look at each in detail
Shri Krishna and Arjuna
- Shri Krishna and Arjuna never had any complexes between them. It was a relationship like the soul with the body.
- A real friend will never support you in wrong doings. He will fight with you for you, than push you for a fight that will bring your downfall.
- Krishna never forced Arjuna to do anything. He motivated him. He didn't tell him what to do, he showed him the way, allowing Arjuna to decide.
- Neither Krishna nor Arjuna ran away when the other was in need. Krishna was a constant visitor and companion when Pandavas were in exile. Arjuna stood by Krishna's family for rescue after Krishna left the mortal world.
- There's was a bond that didn't depend on give and take.
- Shri Krishna vowed to kill the entire army and end the war if anything happened to Arjuna.
- Arjuna never minded taking advice from Shri Krishna nor did
Karna and Duryodhana Friendship
- Based on mutual hatred for Pandavas.
- Duryodhana made Karna rhe king of Anga (which was a kingdom ruled by Sutas) without any merit only as he found him to be an asset to defeat Pandavas.
- Karna supported Duryodhana in all his plots against Pandavas (since ashram days), as he found a good medium in Duryodhana to challenge Arjuna.
- Karna never stopped Duryodhana against his wrongs. He rather pushed him and supported him always.
- He didn't stop him during the dice game. Even when Draupadi was humiliated in the court. Rather went on to order Duhshasana to disrobe Draupadi.
- Karna instigated Duryodhana to go for ghosha yatra to mock Pandavas.
- He ran away leaving Duryodhana in trouble when he was attacked by Gandharvas.
- When even Shakuni and Dhritarashtra and all elders in the kingdom tried to dissuade Duryodhana from going for war, knowing the destruction it will bring on Kuru, it was Karna alone who pushed him for war.
- Now after pushing Duryodhana for battle, Karna went on to exchange his Kavach and Kundal as well as giving promise to Kunti to not kill four Pandavas apart from Arjuna.
- If Duryodhana was such a good friend of Karna and he did mean everything for him, he won't have exchanged his Kavach and Kundal for Vasavi astra which he wanted to use for defeating Arjuna.
- Moreover, when he gave promise to Kunti, he didn't disclose it to Duryodhana and neither did he think that such a promise on his own accord can prove detrimental for his friend.
- Had he defeated Yudhishthira and caught him, Duryodhana would have won. Perhaps, this best friend's only motto was to have a duel with Arjuna, to defeat him and not his friend's victory.
It is completely illogical to compare Shri Krishna and Arjuna's friendship with Duryodhana and Karna's.
The former is epitome of how one can go to any extend for his friend's welfare. Shri Krishna's never shied away to reproach Arjun when he went the wrong way. They stood by each other at all times, without any expectation in return.
Shri Krishna never found it below his dignity to be Arjuna's charioteer. He neither supported him when Arjuna fell anxious before the battle as well as scolded and worried for him when he made a vow of killing himself if he is unable to kill Jayadratha on the 14th day by sunset.
On the other hand, Karna never stopped Duryodhana from falling into ditch. Supporting your friend in wrong doesn't make one a great friend. It is foolishness. The friendship or bond between these duo was more of having same agenda, i.e. hatred towards Pandavas. Karna ran away between battles multiple times, whereas Shri Krishna stood to aid his friend out of trouble.
Not only did Duryodhan and Karna's friendship lead the other into dark gallows of ignorance, but also led to the destruction of the entire lineage.
Thus the comparison itself is futile. The former is example of what real friendship is and the latter what seems to be but should never be an example of friendship.
Because a friendship is not defined by loyalty alone, but what one becomes of it!