DIFFERENT SURYAPUTRA

Chapter 28

The next day, Karna woke up and went to his daily Pooja. Upon returning he did his practice and was among his citizens who seemed liberated and happy. There was genuine happiness among them. Soon a person came to inform Karna that an entourage of Magadh was coming towards the border. Karna immediately went to the borders. There he saw a chariot and a few soldiers were coming towards them.

The chariots stopped and a young man descended from it. He was none other than Sachdeva, son of Jarasandh. Yesterday when an arrow with a letter stopped on the border of Magadh, it shocked everyone and it was brought to him as he was the temporary king of Magadh in the absence of his father. The content of the letter shocked him but he didn't have to wait for a long time for a spy to come there and tell everyone what had happened on the battlefield. He was well aware of how his father was defeated and then killed by the young King of Anga who now could very well be King of magadh as well.

He hurriedly followed the instructions of the letter and arrived here. Hr didn't like the way his father ruled with tyranny but as his son he did his duties. Never has he imagined that someone could kill him, he was sad about it. He saw a man leading several people standing at the border looking towards them. The man was 9 feet tall with a fair complexion and astaratni body. He had large lotus like eyes who was standing there but was alert of any oncoming threat. No doubt this maharathi was one who had slayed his father.

Sahadeva: Pranipat, I am Sahadeva son of Jarasandh and I have come here to offer our surrender of Magadh.

Karna(nodded) : I am Radhey Vasusen. I accept your surrender but some terms needed to be discussed so I suggest we should talk about it.

Sahadeva nodded, and soon a tent was arranged for discussion to take place. Karna entered the tent alone and Sahadeva was there too.

Karna: Please, let's have a seat, this could go on for a long time.

Sahadeva obliged, he too wanted to know the demands because he feared that like his father, the new Maharaj could be a tyrant too.

The discussion began, Karna directly said he was going to acquire Magadh and was planning to rule over it. Sahadeva couldn't do anything about it. Soon they began discussing the condition of Magadh. Sahadeva was speaking and Karna was listening intently. Karna was both disgusted by how Jarasandh riled and impressed how Sahadeva was telling him everything it showed he cared for Magadh as he was so intimately aware of everything.

Karna: Well, the condition of Magadh is worse than I thought. Your father, though a mighty warrior, was not a good ruler. Despite having such fertile and rich lands, the prosperity of Magadh lags behind. You, On the other hand, impress me very much. Are you willing to be my prime minister?

Sahadeva was very shocked by the proposal of Karna,

Sahadeva: Would you be able to trust me, Maharaj?

Karna: Trust is a very big word and it takes a long time to build. I am not going to trust you immediately for my well being but your intricate detailing of Magadh shows your concern towards it and I am willing to trust it.

Sahadeva: My words won't be minced Maharaj, even against my father I raised my voice.

Karna: If your criticism is constructive then it's always welcomed but if it's out of spite you will not like the consequences. I may be new to being a king but that doesn't mean I am not educated or easy to fool.

Sahadeva: Then before accepting the position, I would like to ask a question, if your answer satisfies me then I will be your prime minister but if it's not I hope Maharaj would allow me and my family to safely leave Magadh.

Karna: I promise you that.

Sahadeva: What is a king?

Karna: A king is someone who serves his people.