KARNA: Son of the Charioteer

Chapter 10

"I don't know if you're destined for me or not," said Parashurama. "Our meeting might be fated. I can see you have nothing here. Tell me, what will you give me if I accept you as my student?"

Radheya prostrated, placing both hands on the ground and opening his palms towards the sky. "The Almighty gives everything. In worldly life, parents give life. A teacher gives meaning to life. For you, my Guru, I surrender myself."

Parashurama laughed joyfully. "Rise and follow me. From now on, you are my student."

Radheya's tears flowed freely.

Radheya was brought by Parashurama to the ashram where he taught. There, Radheya could see hundreds of people residing there, all of them Parashurama's students.

At the ashram, Radheya was not immediately taught by Parashurama. He was required to learn from several senior students, progressing through levels until eventually, he would be taught directly by Parashurama. This would only happen if he reached the highest level, as Parashurama only taught at the final stage.

During his time at the ashram, he was tasked with taking care of the needs of other students since he brought nothing to donate to the ashram except his body and service.

Some of Parashurama's students there were direct descendants of kings, Brahmins with wealth, and every month they donated the ashram's necessities.

Every morning, Radheya would fetch water from the nearby river to fill the water jugs near the ashram. He gathered firewood for cooking needs and hunted animals.

After half a day's work, he would approach the learning groups divided into categories such as learning about Vedas, teaching about various weapons, studying the art of war, archery training, discussing the secrets of nature and life, and so on.

The teaching about Devastra turned out to be nonexistent because, according to the seniors who had been there for a long time, that knowledge was only taught by Parashurama to selected individuals deemed worthy by him. They believed that only a handful of people were taught by Parashurama, perhaps just a few individuals.

In order to maintain his identity as someone not from the Brahmin caste, Radheya made an effort not to socialize with many people. He appeared quiet and had few friends.

He carried out his tasks diligently, participating in each group's training without drawing too much attention to himself. He knew that being too prominent could provoke the displeasure of the senior group and might lead to expulsion or failure to graduate from their group.

Radheya performed his duties excellently because he came from the lowest caste and was accustomed to hard work.

However, as the saying goes, gold remains gold no matter where it is thrown, even into animal dung.

Radheya followed the teachings of each group gradually from the basics, and after 4 years, he reached the pinnacle of all groups, surpassing even his senior teachers, yet still maintaining his humility among them and not standing out conspicuously.

He could memorize the Vedas well, understand the use of weapons proficiently, excel in archery, meditate for days perfectly, and perform anything with satisfactory results. His intelligence and hard work were above average.

Far from it, what satisfied Radheya the most was the sense of comfort he felt in the ashram.

He wished to live there forever and die there. He didn't mind serving the Brahmins there as long as he could enjoy his inner peace. He felt united with the entire universe and liberated from the complexities and hardships of life.

As for his initial goal of learning Devastra, it had completely vanished. Why did he need that skill? If all he wanted was to live in the ashram and attain tranquility.

One afternoon, Parashurama approached him while he was meditating by the riverbank. Seeing his guru's arrival, Radheya ended his meditation and prostrated to welcome him.

Parashurama sat beside him, "Have you learned many things here?"

"Very much, Guru," Radheya replied.

"Good," said Parashurama, who then noticed Radheya's bow and arrows nearby. He reached for an arrow and recited a hymn praising the god Agni. The arrow instantly glowed red. Parashurama took the bow, placed the arrow, and shot at a tree, which immediately caught fire.

Radheya's eyes widened.

"I will return tomorrow at the same time. Memorize the verse you heard earlier," Parashurama said and left.

Radheya didn't have the ability to remember just by hearing it once. He struggled to wrack his brain to recall every word spoken by Parashurama earlier.

The next day, Parashurama came, and Radheya recited the verse he remembered, making a few mistakes. Parashurama corrected the words and instructed Radheya to repeat it while holding an arrow.

He repeated it, but the arrow in his hand remained just an arrow, unchanged.

"Did I make mistakes in the words again?" Radheya asked.

"No," said Parashurama. "It's just that I haven't initiated you to use that weapon yet. Close your eyes."

Radheya followed the instruction, and Parashurama touched his forehead to recite an initiation, "I am Parashurama, authorized to use various divine weapons. Hereby, I grant permission to my student named Radheya to wield the same weapons as the abilities of the gods Agni, Varuna, Vayu..."

Parashurama continued reciting several god names, concluding with a hymn praising the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

At that moment, Radheya felt a sensation of overwhelming power flooding into him.

"Repeat the verse."

Radheya repeated the previous recitation, and this time he felt a surge of power flowing into the arrow in his hand, making it glow red. After finishing, Parashurama asked him to shoot the arrow.

Radheya followed instantly and shot at a tree, which immediately burned down.

Parashurama looked satisfied and said, "I didn't expect you to succeed on the first try, but perhaps your training for four years has prepared your mind and soul's strength to enable all this to happen."

Radheya immediately prostrated before Parashurama, "This is all thanks to the guidance of the Guru."

"Are you happy to acquire this Devastra power?" Parashurama asked.

Radheya remained silent for a long time before honestly answering, "I don't know, Guru."