As Karna - Out of my depth

Thirteen

Adhisena and Chitrasena are three years old now, running around the house and filling the house the house with their laughter. My parents found a bride for my brother Sangraam, her name is shanthi, a kind girl from a poor family. Her parents died when she was a child so she grew up with her brother's family. Her brother accepted the proposal and my brother has started his family. While brother got a wife, I got a sister now and my Parents a second daughter with first being my wife. After marriage ceremony, my family soon got back to the usual rhythm of working in vaidhyashala, our shop and spending time with each other in the evenings.

A few months after my brother's marriage, I discussed my previous plans of going away from the Kuru empire. My parents were a little apprehensive to disturb our peaceful routine as my wife has announced her second pregnancy a few days ago. Even my sister in law was now few months along and my brother is excitedly waiting for his child. I told my parents that I have planned everything and that our family stays in Hastinapur for now, as I make the preparations. I informed my wife and parents that I will be leaving the home for a few days to make arrangements and then I will come and take our family to new home away from this political unrest. My parents though hesitant gave their blessings, while my wife she would wait for me and that she believes that I will succeed in my endeavor.

After leaving my home, I immediately travelled to Magadha, where Emperor Jaraasandh of Madhyadesh resides. In the epic he was slain by Bheema before Rajasuya yagna, I do not intend to give him the chance. He may have been destined to be killed by Bheema, but Lord of the world, Lord Umapathi, the Great Destroyer himself granted me the power to overt anything. I will overcome the fate or die trying, as I do not intend to go to my death helpless like the Karna in the epic. So I went to the court of the Emperor Jaraasandh and challenged him, "O Emperor! O the one with the strength of ten thousand elephants! People say you are immortal and that even the Gods and Asurs combined cannot defeat your armies. I heard you are the best in Wrestling and that you can fight without getting tired for days. Then, O Jaraasandha! I challenge you, who had subjugated the entire Madhya desha, who had the Yadava warrior run from the battle, who is so powerful that kings bow their heads to you. I challenge you to fight me in a bout of Mallayuddh, if you win, my life is yours But if I win, your kingdom is mine. I challenge you! O Skilled One! You, who's cry is like a thunder, who's body is like a rock, who cannot be killed by normal means. Do you accept, O Great King, or are you afraid? Afraid that your boasts of battle prowess and immortality will become lies. Afraid that you will meet your death if you fight with me. "

At the audacity of my challenge and sheer insults at calling him coward, afraid of death had enraged the immensely strong emperor. Overcome with wroth and frothing with rage, He thundered, " You wretch! How dare you? Did you come here to die? You have courted death with your challenge and incited my wrath with your insults. Your honeyed words or serpent tongue will not save you, for you have invited death with your foolishness. So be it! You, who forgot your place and barked at your betters like a dog, will die a dog's death with no one daring to look at your corpse. Don't think it is over, after I kill you, I will find your family make the regret ever being related to you. I will show the the seven hells, before I let them die. "

I calmly replied, " A dog always barks. Let us see if you can keep your words or if they are as empty as your boasts. "

At this the emperor,shaking with rage, lost all his restraint and immediately removed all his ornaments and moved towards the arena with earth shaking steps and ferocity that makes lessers pass out from fear. He jumped into the arena and waved me to come. I too jumped in the arena. The moment I jumped into the arena is the moment the fight began, the immortal warrior came at me like trumpetting elephant with widening nostrils. We fought like the two elephants in heat, we rushed at each other like bulls. He cannot injure me with my armour and any injuries he got were healed immediately. The arena shook with each blow we took. Truly, one cannot never understand the strength of these warriors when reading the epic. This is Jaraasandha, the emperor defeated by Bheema. He is greatly undersold because of his defeat, it should be a testament to the strength of Bheema and Karna that they defeated this titan. His strength is no joke, when it is said that he can shake the entire Madhya desha with his strength, I never thought it to be literally. I now understand why so many powerful warriors like Shishupala, Kalayavana, Hamsa, Dinbaka were his allies and followers. I can feel the hits on my armour they don't harm me, the same armour that can withstand Lord Narayana's Sudharshana chakra, the most powerful weapon in the universe equal to only the Lord Shiva's Trishul.

We fought each other for day after day with seemingly no end to our battle. No fatigue or injuries hindered us. The emperor's boon of staying undefeated in wrestling for 14 days helped him a lot by not just healing all the injuries, revitalizing his energy and keeping the fatigue away.But he had no way of defeating me, not when he is fighting with half strength,having lost the remaining to me. He lost the battle the moment I challenged him to the battle, he just didn't know it. The fight continued for fourteen days, with him unable to harm me and with me unable to put him down. It was on the fifteenth day that the mighty emperor stumbled and I realized my chance, the immortal with abundant strength is now vulnerable. I didn't miss my chance and as I already know the secret of slaying him, I threw him on the ground caught hold of his leg and tore him vertically into parts and threw them on opposite sides. The immortal Jaraasandha was no more and I became the king of mighty empire.

After coronation, I reviewed the state of the kingdom and found that though the emperor was cruel, he was an able king and saying the kingdom was wealthy was like equating Lord Surya,my father to a lantern. After reviewing everything on the state matters, I started with issuing various reforms, ordering new hospitals and educational institutions to built and setting up the funds for the orphanages and oldage homes. I made it clear that I want no person to be homeless in my kingdom. I have also ordered Mathura to be rebuit after finding that it is deserted. As I don't want Prince Sahadeva, Heir of Jaraasandha, to loose everything I declared he will the new king of Mathura. I sent the new king of Mathura with his family to oversee the rebuilding of the kingdom. Then I started the tedious task rooting out those who didn't like me as their new ruler. After one month of leaving the home, I went back and brought my entire family with me. Of our holdings and house in Hastinapur, we took some things of sentimental value and divided the others between my wife's family and Shanti's family.

It took around an year for the kingdom of Mathura to be rebuit and the various reforms of mine to carried out. Our kingdom now boasts five major educational institutions each serving different needs, like one for basic education, second for learning trade, third for vital pursuits like medicine, architecture, fourth for military education and fifth for the scholarly pursuit like astrology, administration etc. There were orphanages and homes for the needy built all over the kingdom. Not just that, I have granted independence to all the kings under the tyranny of Jaraasandha in return for the paltry amount of one-fourth of their treasury and my might on defeating the immortal Jaraasandha has kept more ambitious kings in check. I have also bought Anga from the Kurus with a part of the wealth I got from granting independence. The city which I was raised in my childhood, has become neglected being far away from the capital Hastinapur. I have started taking measures to improve its condition. I have sent guards to patrol and curb the bamditry which has become prevalent. I have also started various rebuilding efforts as the rebuilding of Mathura Has been completed. I have also informed King Sahadeva, he too will have the option of being independent after he paid back the wealth spent on rebuilding Mathura, but till then he will to accept Magadha's sovereignty, to which he had no objections as he said that he is happy with the things are, as many kings will not show mercy to the heirs of their opponents, not to speak of giving them a kingdom and helping them rebuilding it.

Mahaamahim Bheeshma has congratulated me on my new position when I went to Hastinapur to buy Anga from them. The reason I bought Anga was that it gave me access to sea in a period where salt is one of the most expensive things. My wife and my sister in law had their deliveries and two new additions came into the family. This time my wife named my son Vrishasena, saying he will be the army his father needs. My brother named his daughter Vasavi after me. When asked he said that I have been the second father to my brothers and that I already named my child after my father. My little brother Swarnajeet began to joke that be won't have any names left for his children at this rate. My mother, who heard the comment began to twist his ears saying what children, you aren't even married yet. Do you want me look for a wife for you? He immediately started saying he is sorry and he is not ready yet. My father just laughed at their antics. I decided to start training my children from their seventh birthday, even that felt earlier to me as if I am not letting them enjoy their childhood.