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2024-10-29 19:42:56"I am Radheya, from Hastinapur," Radheya answered.
"Radheya? Is that your name?"
Radheya smiled, understanding the question. Radheya, which means son of Radha, was not a personal name at all.
"I am Karna, son of Adhiratha and Radha, a charioteer." Radheya never felt ashamed to hide his origins; he just hated seeing people judge someone based on birth rather than actions.
It was as if his archery skills displayed earlier were worthless and immediately lost along with his lineage.
Duryodhana also despised Drona, his biased teacher, and the Pandavas who had everything. "You are my friend; indeed, you are not fit to be a prince. You deserve to be a king. With my power, I will grant you the kingdom of Anga."
Duryodhana left the arena and went to his father's place, King Dhritarashtra. "Father, someone who shows his qualities as a king has emerged. Let the kingdom of Anga that you wish to give me, with your permission, I shall hand it over to him."
The kingdom of Anga was a kingdom divided into several small kingdoms, consisting of many minor kings. A small part of the kingdom of Anga, with its capital at Champapuri, belonged to King Dhritarashtra's family. The previous king had no descendants to continue the kingdom, so its power was returned to the Kuru kingdom.
Gandhari, aware of Radheya's abilities, also persuaded King Dhritarashtra to agree. Hoping someone could humiliate Kunti's sons.
At that moment, a priest was summoned to perform the ceremony, and Radheya, under the name Karna, was anointed directly by King Dhritarashtra in front of everyone as a sign that he became the king of Anga.
Karna's tears flowed throughout the ceremony. At the end of the ritual, Karna prostrated himself before Duryodhana, still teary-eyed. "How can you, a charioteer's son, value me so highly? How can I repay your kindness?"
Duryodhana lifted Karna to his feet. "Don't prostrate yourself; you are the king of Anga now. We are equals. All I ask of you is friendship. Stand with me."
"You will be my true friend," Radheya said, tears streaming down his face.
"Arjuna!" Duryodhana exclaimed. "Now the King of Anga challenges you to a duel for the title of the greatest archer in the world. You are a prince, and he is a king."
Drona, sensing trouble, quickly interjected, "The day is late; let today's competition end here. There shall be no more fights."
Drona and Arjuna left the arena, leaving Karna and Duryodhana watching them go.
Karna took a deep breath and pondered. The wheel of fate indeed turns. Who would have thought that a charioteer's son could become a king in just one day? Someone who only hoped for a small consolation prize ended up with a kingdom.
He was on his way to the kingdom of Anga, about 1,200 kilometers from Hastinapur. A journey that would take months to complete. Along the way, he was accompanied by an officer from Anga.
The elderly officer, named Naraya, explained that the kingdom of Anga had been without an heir for five years because the princes from Hastinapur refused to take the throne.
Apart from being very distant, the kingdom of Anga, with its capital at Champapuri, was just a village compared to Hastinapur.
Surrounding Anga were also small kingdoms that were primitive and lived in the forest. These kingdoms often troubled Anga. One of the kingdoms that frequently caused problems for Anga was the kingdom of Magadha, led by King Jarasandha.
Karna took a deep breath again, pondering the many things he needed to do. His father had advised him to be a good king. The poor Brahmin who taught him the Vedas said, "Being a king or a slave is actually no different. The slave serves his master, the king serves his people. Being a king is a responsibility. And the Divine has placed you in that position hoping that you can help more people."
Instead of feeling happiness and pride, Karna felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. He wasn't sure if he could be a good king for his people.
Upon arriving in the kingdom of Anga, Karna immediately focused on improving its security, as that was what his people needed most.
He realized that no kingdom openly sought to take Anga because it could lead to a major war with the Kuru kingdom. However, they slowly expanded their territories, making Anga's territory narrower by attacking border villages. In addition to mountain bandits who often robbed villages, soldiers from other kingdoms also participated in these raids on Anga's villages.
Karna promptly recruited city security guards, especially to protect the borders. One day, he rode alone through the forest to familiarize himself with the region. There, by chance, he found around fifty mountain bandits who frequently plundered the surrounding villages' harvests.
With his Vijaya bow and destructive abilities, he quickly set their hiding place ablaze, and they were all brought to the capital for punishment. Some were given jobs as farmers or soldiers of the Anga kingdom.
This event repeated itself, and Karna swiftly dealt with the bandits. Due to Karna's actions, some mountain bandits chose to move to other kingdoms. Although some surrendered immediately upon his arrival.
Some soldiers from Magadha who often demanded tributes from border villages of Anga also became targets for Karna.
Hearing this, King Jarasandha felt displeased. "The son of a charioteer now disrespects me and refuses to pay tribute. Inform all the soldiers to gather; we will seize the kingdom of Anga this month."
Following the rules and protocols of starting a war, King Jarasandha first sent a letter requesting Karna to surrender the kingdom of Anga to him, or they would face war within five days.
Karna received the messenger and replied, "Tell your king. I cannot surrender this kingdom to him, and I will wait for him at the border between Anga and Magadha in five days."
All the soldiers of the Anga kingdom were anxious because they understood King Jarasandha's power very well. The kingdom of Magadha under Jarasandha's rule was many times larger than Anga, and their combined soldiers numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, if all the soldiers of Anga were gathered, they would only amount to around five hundred.
The entire population of the Anga kingdom was worried, fearing that King Jarasandha would win and destroy all their villages. Karna decided not to request soldiers from the city of Hastinapur.
He left three hundred soldiers to guard the kingdom of Anga and, accompanied by two hundred soldiers, they moved towards the border between Anga and Magadha, where King Jarasandha was already waiting with one hundred thousand soldiers.
Upon reaching the location, Karna could see the soldiers of the Magadha kingdom lined up neatly in their luxurious battle attire. Their chariots were neatly arranged, and their sharp spears were visible even from a distance.
The faces of the two hundred soldiers accompanying Karna turned pale upon seeing the number of enemy troops. They would be crushed in a single attack. None would return alive.
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One morning, a messenger warrior from the Kingdom of Kalinga arrived. The warrior delivered a message that their king, Chitrangada, would soon hold a competition for his daughter's marriage. Therefore, the Kingdom of Kalinga invited all kings and princes to participate in the contest.Karna glanced at the letter without interest. He had no intention of participating in the competition. There was much more to be done to improve the welfare of his people than to compete for a prince's daughter. However, two weeks later, a messenger from the Kingdom of Kuru arrived with a message from Duryodhana.The message was brief, "Friend, let us meet at the competition in the Kingdom of Kalinga to participate in winning the daughter of King Chitrangada. I will wait for you there."A slightly offended smile appeared on Karna's lips. He felt happy and quickly set off for the kingdom of Kalinga, with its capital Rajapura. He would not say 'no' to a friend.On the day of the competition, Rajapura was f
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"Don't be afraid, little girl," Karna comforted. "Varu, buy a bowl of fresh ghee, the best in town," Karna instructed his driver, who promptly left."I don't want new ghee," the little girl continued to cry. "Mom will be angry if it's not this ghee."Karna looked at the fallen ghee. He turned the bowl over and picked up the ghee that had fallen and was now stuck to the ground. Suddenly, he felt the earth beneath trying to absorb the fallen ghee, making the thick contents shrink into the soil.Quickly, he grabbed the soil around the ghee and tried to squeeze it with all his might to get the ghee out. Earlier, Karna had recited one of his Devastra powers to protect his hands and was ready to attack if needed because he noticed the strangeness of the seemingly living soil.He didn't want something unknown to prey on his hands. However, soon there was a scream from underground that made the little girl jump back and Karna withdrew his hand from the soil."I am Bhoomidevi," the voice from
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Not long after that rejection, Drona went to Hastinapur and was welcomed by Bhisma as a teacher to instruct the princes. Drona then ordered the Pandavas, led by Arjuna, to capture King Draupada as their guru dakshina.Along with the Kuru kingdom's military forces, they attacked the kingdom of Panchala. In the end, the Pandavas won the battle. King Draupada, bound and humiliated, was brought before Drona.The old guru demanded half of the kingdom of Panchala to be his as a condition for releasing the unfortunate king. For the sake of his life, King Draupada was forced to agree.After his release, King Draupada observed a long fast, followed by a grand sacrificial ceremony to the gods, asking for a son who could avenge and kill Drona. After the ceremony, he got a son named Dhrishtadyumna and a daughter named Draupadi.Draupadi had known her life's purpose since childhood. Her father repeatedly promised to marry her to Arjuna.In reality, King Draupada admired Arjuna's prowess when he de
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Because he spent several days traveling to reach Hastinapur with his horse-drawn carriage. The day was nearing noon as he almost reached the city.On the banks of the nearby Ganges River, he stopped his carriage to worship the Sun God.He then walked towards the Ganges River and saw the river overflowing greatly due to continuous rain for the past 3 days.He was raised in the area around the Ganges River so he knew every change in the river's water.His feet moved into the strong current of the river and stood upright."Sir, be careful! The river is high and can drag you away!" shouted a woman in the distance.Karna looked towards the voice and saw a young girl looking at him from across the river. Beside the girl, clothes were being washed."I will be careful," Karna shouted back. Karna's foot continued to step further into the river.The girl looked worried and walked closer towards him while shouting again, "Get out of the river. You could be sw...”Before the girl could finish her
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"Radheya," shouted a friend from afar, "Your father is looking for you. He has chosen a wife for you. Hurry there before someone else kidnaps your wife. Your father is at the gathering place of the elders.""Woooooo..." exclaimed Karna's other friends as they saw him.Karna's face turned red, and he jumped down followed by all his friends. "Why are you all following?" he asked them."Just want to see your future wife and if lucky, get drunk with your wedding wine today," said Sena, followed by laughter from the other friends.Karna walked with about a dozen of his friends towards a tent where the elders of the Suta group usually gathered."Father is calling me," Karna said as he bowed before Adhiratha."Stand up," Adhiratha said to Karna. "Look at my son, isn't he brave?" Adhiratha added, showing Karna to all the elders there. "Sarathi, let me fulfill your request from last year. I will marry my son Karna, the King of Anga, to your daughter. What do you think?""No, you can't," shoute
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The horse-drawn carriages began to glide one by one through the outer city route. Karna started to move after about twenty carriages had gone ahead of him. He knew that this competition could be either tough or easy, depending on what the drivers would do during the race. If the race was conducted fairly and cleanly, the winner would undoubtedly be Vrushali. Even he, who had won the chariot race years ago, didn't believe he could beat the girl.In a horse race, a driver must have a close relationship with the horses they control. Using horses that are familiar and understanding their habits is the main requirement for winning. Karna looked at the horses pulling his chariot—two of them were new and unfamiliar. But knowing one of the stallions among the four was enough for him to control all of them.Karna began to accelerate his chariot, but he didn't force his horses to run at their maximum speed like the other drivers did. The journey around Hastinapur was not short. If he pushed the
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Karna and Vrushali had a simple wedding following the traditions of the Suta caste, done modestly and quietly. The faces of both individuals were filled with joy. Radha cried tears of happiness.A month later, Karna visited the palace of Hastinapur to meet his friend, Duryodhana. He intended to greet him before returning to his kingdom in Anga and also to introduce his wife. Duryodhana welcomed them both, and when Karna introduced Vrushali to him, Duryodhana was surprised."I didn't know there was still a girl as beautiful as this. Which kingdom does she belong to? Which competition did you attend? Why didn't I receive an invitation?" Duryodhana asked rapidly. "Truly, her beauty is no less than Draupadi's, and I can smell the fragrance of lotus. Does it emanate from her body?"Vrushali bowed her head in embarrassment and replied, "Your praise is too kind, Prince. I am not a princess; I am just the daughter of a charioteer, and my husband won me in a competition among the charioteers.
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The battle between Bhima and Duryodhana lasted so long. Duryodhana was seen desperately defending himself so that Bhima could not make a real attack.Not long after, Bhima swung his mace at a place that was not protected by Duryodhana at all. His groin. A startled Duryodhana tried to dodge, but the mace quickly struck into Duryodhana's inner thigh, shattering his flesh and thigh bone.In a mace battle, it is strictly forbidden to attack the lower body, let alone the groin. However, Bhima was driven by the desire to win and struck that area. Duryodhana's body immediately fell to the battlefield with blood flowing from his thigh.Duryodhana smiled and laughed, then he shouted, “Alright, I lost. How foolish I was to desire this kingdom when this world itself is false and temporary. Listen, Pandavas, I have been a good king to my people. I have been a formidable enemy to my foes. I have fought as an honest warrior to my last battle. I will die as a warrior and reach heaven, joining my fri
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“What happened?” Arjuna asked Krishna, puzzled. “Why didn’t any of my arrows reach his neck? I have aimed at him repeatedly with my arrows. It’s as if something is protecting him.”“That is Dharma,” Krishna said, gazing into the distance. “Karna continues to perform good deeds and uphold dharma, so all those virtuous acts come together to protect him from death.”“If that’s the case, what should I do to kill him?”“Wait here,” Krishna said, stopping his chariot and dismounting, walking towards Karna who was leaning helplessly against the wheel of his chariot.“The day has reached noon. It is the time when you usually worship the Sun God,” Krishna said. “Will you perform that worship this time as well?”Karna smiled, feeling his chest tight from the arrows that had pierced his lungs. “I would like to if I can.”“Then close your eyes.”As Karna followed Krishna’s command and closed his eyes, he suddenly found himself by the banks of the Ganges, right near the house of Adhiratha and Radh
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Yudhisthira was forced to advance Arjuna because the damage caused by yesterday's battle was truly devastating. During Bhisma's ten days of leadership, it was reported that Bhisma killed as many as 1.27 Akshouhinis of the Pandava army, Drona, during his five days of leadership, killed 1 Akshouhinis, and Karna, who had just led for one day, killed 2.37 Akshouhinis of the Pandava army."You will not be able to kill Arjuna. He, along with Yudhisthira, defends the Dharma of truth. Meanwhile, you and Duryodhana are on the side of evil, and you will soon be destroyed," said King Shalya to Karna.All this while, Karna had been bombarded with insults by King Shalya, who actually felt deceived by Duryodhana's actions. Being the brother of Madri, Pandu's wife, he was still an uncle to the Pandavas. He leaned more towards supporting the Pandavas.Karna did not want to respond to those words and remained silent. When the war drums sounded, Arjuna's chariot sped towards him, and Shalya began to mo
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That translates to:"Not wanting to disappoint Vrushali, that night Karna also didn't say anything to her.Karna couldn't sleep because of his restless feelings. Tomorrow, he would face Arjuna, where Krishna was the protector who could never be defeated.That night as well, a soldier from the Kauravas approached his tent and said someone had left two items for him to be given to Karna.Karna went out and found the two items to be a shining short knife and a copper pot. Both items were given to Draupadi.He took the two items and looked across to where the Pandavas' camp was, feeling an indescribable anxiety."What makes you have such a sad expression?"Karna looked towards the voice and found his wife there."You haven't slept yet?" Karna asked.Vrushali shook her head and said, "I couldn't sleep. Something makes me want to see you."Karna took a deep breath. "I also have something to tell you."Karna invited Vrushali into his tent and said, "There shouldn't be secrets between husband
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Then he shot at the crown hanging above Yudhishthira's head, causing the crown to be thrown away. Without a weapon in his hand and an arrow aimed at him, Karna approached him and said, "Be a good king." Karna then left Yudhishthira without harming him.Karna's chariot continued to move around the battlefield, and when he found Nakula, he shot arrows at Nakula's chariot and the horses. This forced the man to leave his chariot, and Karna passed by, saying, "Practice again."Next, Karna encountered Bhima. His fierce brother tried to attack him. Karna shot dozens of arrows that broke Bhima's bow and the mace thrown by Bhima. However, Bhima continued to chase him with his chariot until Karna had to destroy the chariot's wheels with his arrows.After his chariot was damaged, Bhima quickly left it and chased Karna on foot. Karna shot arrows that stripped Bhima of his armor, causing his brother to run bare-chested, hoping Bhima would stop chasing him. However, Bhima, consumed by anger, seemed
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Chapter 38
"Karna!!!" Duryodhana exclaimed, "Starting tomorrow, lead the Kaurava army to victory. Do not disappoint me."Karna saluted deeply, "I promise, tomorrow I will bring your enemies before the god Yama. I will not let you down."That very night, after the large meeting, Karna sat until late into the night and slipped out of his camp. He walked silently to the middle of the quiet battlefield. In one place, arrows filled a lifeless body. Karna walked in silence towards the fallen great Kuru warrior lying there.Karna knelt under his feet and wept silently. His tears touched Bhisma's feet.The old man woke up and asked, "Who is there shedding tears on my feet? Their warmth stings me sharper than arrows.""It's me, Karna," Karna's voice cracked due to tears. "Truly, I did not mean to wake you. I came here only to pay my long overdue respects. It is my misfortune to not have received your attention and affection. I waited until late at night because I feared you would dislike my presence and
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Bhisma's fall surprised everyone, including Duryodhana."I never expected Arjuna, the revered hero, to use a woman as an archer and shoot Bhisma, who had laid down his arms!" exclaimed Duryodhana. "What kind of hero is that!"Nevertheless, Duryodhana had to accept the outcome. Although Bhisma hadn't died—because he had vowed not to die until he saw the end result of the battle—he could no longer lead the Kaurava army. He immediately called upon Drona to take command of the Kaurava forces.In the battle led by Drona, Karna was once again denied permission to join by Drona."I don't want my victory to be because of him. I don't need him," replied Drona.Karna understood the clear animosity between them, so he agreed and did not participate in the battle.Drona displayed impressive prowess, and the Pandavas could not withstand him. However, Drona still showed affection for his disciples, the Pandavas, and did not unleash his full strength against them.As a result, the battle ended with
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Before the day of the war, Duryodhana asked Bhisma, his grandfather, to lead the entire army. Bhisma looked at Duryodhana and said, "As the protector of the Kuru kingdom, I am willing to accept it."Bhisma accepted the position because it was his duty to protect the Kuru kingdom. The first step taken as the leader was to kick Karna out of the entire army and not allow him to participate in the war.Duryodhana, upon learning of this, immediately asked for an explanation."I find myself in disagreement with that boy. If you insist on using him, then I will not hold the position as the leader of the army," Bhisma replied.Duryodhana reluctantly accepted this, and Karna was not allowed to join the battle at all.On the day of the battle, both armies gathered at Kurukshetra. As far as the eye could see, armed soldiers stood in formation, filling the entire land.The kingdoms that supported the Pandavas were Panchala, Dwaraka, Kasi, Kekaya, Magadha, Matsya, Chedi, Pandya, Telinga, and Yadu f
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Chapter 35
On a night after Krishna's return from the kingdom of Anga and his promise not to reveal Karna's true identity to the Pandavas, Karna dreamt of being visited by a knight who was very gallant and radiant."Karna," the knight smiled, "Do you know? In truth, Lord Indra has interfered greatly in worldly matters for his son, Arjuna.""I did not know," replied Karna."He once disguised himself as a scorpion to sting you while you were with your guru Parashurama, causing you to receive a curse.""...,"The knight looked at Karna's reaction and continued, "He also transformed into a large bee that stung a gentle cow to attack you in a forest. That's how you killed the cow and received a second curse."Karna fell silent, realizing the reason the cow suddenly turned wild and attacked him."Are you angry?" the knight asked. "Lord Indra has done many things to support his son, Arjuna, while your father, Lord Surya, has not helped you at all.""What has happened, let it pass," Karna said. "And you
