KARNA: Son of the Charioteer

Chapter 14

Arjuna, the son of the king of gods, appeared captivating. With his handsomeness and abilities, thousands of spectators were enchanted by him in an instant.

Arjuna could shoot arrows precisely at a remarkably distant target. In another competition, he shot a moving target with his eyes closed. All of this made people cheer his name.

Arjuna then demonstrated his divine abilities, unmatched by anyone from the Kauravas. This made Duryodhana extremely jealous because Arjuna made the Kaurava princes look like children. Arjuna showcased all his strengths without diminishing his power in front of his brothers.

The son of the god Indra shot an arrow into the sky, which then appeared like fire striking like a dragon chasing the sun, and his second arrow created a strong wind that brought together the clouds in the sky.

The entire audience was amazed, exclaiming, "Oooohh..... Wooowww...."

Arjuna's third arrow turned into thousands of arrows that destroyed a shooting target. In the end, one of Arjuna's arrows flew into the sky and exploded into a light that illuminated every corner.

Almost all the spectators in that place applauded Arjuna's name, except of course Duryodhana and Gandhari, who were burning with hatred. Gandhari, being the mother of the Kauravas, of course, felt jealousy consuming her as all the fame was taken by Kunti's sons.

Finally, Drona appeared beside Arjuna. "Listen, people of Hastinapur. This is my best student. This is Arjuna, the son of the god Indra, the son of Pandu. The lion among warriors. I believe you have witnessed his abilities.

With him, our kingdom will always be safe from enemies. No warrior from any corner of the world can match him or show bravery like his. It is my pride to have trained him," Drona said proudly.

Radheya, upon seeing Drona smile proudly, instantly felt disgusted and turned away from the place.

He hated that old teacher. The bitterness of his rejection still vivid in his memory, as well as Drona's cruelty towards Ekalavya. Radheya reached his chariot, opened a box near the coachman's seat, and took out his bow and arrows, Vijaya.

He brought this bow thinking that if the event ended, there would be an archery competition for public entertainment with attractive prizes as usual. Radheya intended to participate if there was one, hoping to bring home some prizes from the kingdom for his parents.

But Drona's big mouth had already ignited his anger. He knew he would likely be arrested or punished. But someone had to shut that old man's mouth because of his arrogance.

Drona continued from the podium, "He is an unparalleled master archer. With this, I proudly bestow the title of the greatest archer in the universe upon Arjuna, Son of Kunti."

"Greggarrr!!!" thunder struck the clear sky, startling everyone.

"DRONA!!!" shouted a man from the crowd, walking towards the stage. Anger was evident in his eyes.

The crowded audience quickly made way for him. A handsome man, shining like the sun, walked boldly with a bow and arrows in his hand. His graceful and authoritative movements silenced the entire audience.

"Aren't you ashamed to proclaim him the greatest in the universe? By what measure do you judge him? Protecting him as you did by asking for the thumb of your student named Ekalavya? Let me open your small eyes with my Vijaya bow. Let me fight the student whom you claim to be the greatest in the universe!"

Drona was surprised and looked at the man. "Who are you, and who is your teacher?"

"I am Radheya, and my teacher is your teacher as well, Mahaguru Parashurama. The greatest fighter and archer in the universe. His Vijaya bow, gifted to me, bears witness to that."

Drona immediately recognized the Vijaya bow. Bhisma, the grandfather of King Dhritarashtra and also a student of Parashurama, also recognized the bow and began to wonder about the young man.

A mother in the crowd, noticing the earrings and necklace on Radheya, immediately recognized him and became uneasy.

"Who are your parents? What lineage do you come from? Arjuna is a prince, and only a prince is worthy to challenge him to a fight. As far as I know, aren't you the son of a charioteer?" Drona replied loudly for all to hear. "Come down, you are not worthy to be here."

"I am Radheya, the son of Adhiratha and Radha, a charioteer. Not a prince."

Laughter and mockery echoed from all around.

But Radheya paid no heed. "I challenge him for the title of the greatest archer in your universe, and thus I will challenge him..." Radheya aimed his arrow multiple times into the sky while reciting a series of devastra, displaying all the arrow performances shown by Arjuna.

Finally, he added the Bhargava astra, possessed only by him and Parashurama. Instantly, a shower of arrows flooded the sky of Hastinapur, stunning everyone, including Bhisma. Those who had mocked before were now dumbfounded with mouths agape.

Duryodhana watched the spectacle, holding his breath. His heart felt joy seeing Arjuna's pale face.

Arjuna, witnessing this display of skill, quickly approached Drona and said, "Guru, didn't you swear to make me the greatest archer?"

Drona fell silent because he had indeed made that promise.

Radheya looked at Drona and said, "Hey, Drona, I challenge you to a duel if you're afraid to embarrass your student." Radheya truly despised Drona to the core, and from the beginning, his desire was to fight Drona.

"This is a competition among princes!" Drona shouted to be heard by many, "A descendant of a charioteer has no right to challenge Arjuna, who is a prince. Know your place, this is where princes belong. Leave now!"

Bhima laughed and added, "Charioteer's son, you should be holding a horse whip instead of a bow. You don't belong here."

Some people laughed and mocked Radheya.

Radheya's heart ached as he gripped his bow tightly. Truly, one born as a charioteer would die as one. Radheya's eyes stared at the sun above, holding back his frustration. His eyes were moist with anger. Didn't anyone in this world see someone for what they did, not for their birth?

He could have attacked everyone in that place to vent his pain. But he wouldn't. He would swallow that pain. A mother watching shed tears with a heavy heart, yet not a word escaped her.

"Bhima!" a voice shouted, "A warrior is not judged by their caste but by their deeds. Shut your mouth if you don't understand, see how Yudhistira remains silent because he understands. Don't be narrow-minded, only seeing lineage," shouted Duryodha as he approached Radheya. "Who are you, and where do you come from?"