Adhiratha, the brave and selfless charioteer who finds Karna at the river banks and risks his life for him and the child Heerusama. Taking them into his house, he raises Karna as his own son, though Heerusama leaves to pursue a different fate, to be reunited with Adhiratha and Karna only years later and under very different circumstances.
Adhiratha is noble and kind. A good husband to his wife Radha and an inspiring father to both Karna and his adoptive younger brother Shon. In the early years of Karna's life, he plays an important role both in teaching Karna about the world and in raising him to be humble and generous in spirit.
Though Adhiratha has enjoyed no formal training in arms, he is exceptionally strong from years of dedication and hard work and has made a formidable opponent to those who threaten the people he cares about when it has been necessary to defend them.