<P> There is a popular folklore which is totally false that on the morning of 11th day of battle, Surya offered his invincible chariot and his charioteer Aruṇa to Karna, just like Lord Indra who gave his chariot to Arjuna . The chariot of Surya was brilliant as the sun, yoked with 7 horses of different colors and only a person with divine vision could look into it . Confident in his own skills, Karna rejects this offer, saying he didn't want to be remembered as a person who depended upon others strength to gain victory, indirectly referring to Arjuna who depended upon Lord Krishna . Drona took the commander - in - chief position . His nine sons also entered the battlefield with their father, Karna . </P> <P> Uncharacteristically, the battle on fourteenth day extended into the dark hours . Taking advantage of that was Ghatotkacha, Bhima's half - Asura son, as asuras gained extraordinary power at night time . Ghatotkacha's destroyed the Kaurava force and also injured Dronacharya . Seeing the desperate situation, Karna used his Vasava Shakti against Ghatotkacha, killing him . Krishna is pleased with the fact that Karna could no longer use the weapon against Arjuna . Lord Krishna told Satyaki that he had applied his maya or illusion on Karna in order to protect Arjuna from Karna's celestial weapons, preventing them from engaging in direct combat . </P> <P> Karna Parva, the eighth book of the Mahābhārata, describes sixteenth and seventeenth days of the Kurukshetra war where, post-Drona's death, Karna took over as the commander - in - chief . Karna took his Vijaya bow for the first time in battle . As Karna drew the Vijaya bow, a terrible twang was produced because of the immeasurable energy of this bow and it silenced all other loud sounds . Hearing this and anticipating a likely battle to the death between Karna and Arjuna, Krishna warned Arjuna calling Karna to be the foremost of the villain . </P> <P> A concern for the Kaurava forces is the perceived favour Arjuna has because of the skills of his charioteer, Krishna . To balance this, Duryodhana requests that the talented Shalya, the king of Madra and the Pandavas' maternal uncle, be Karna's charioteer . Though disconcerted over serving a warrior of lesser rank as Karna being a charioteer's son, Shalya agrees to the task . Prior to the war's start, when tricked on to the Kauravas' side, Shalya promised Yudhishthira that he would demoralize and frustrate Karna . </P>

In mahabaratha he crowned karna as the king of anga