Karna's reincarnation

13. Special Boon

"You! Heartless warrior. You brought me so much pain", she roared.

And now she will go on to curse me.

"I curse you--"

"Stop!" I growled. The little girl flinched. She hugged me tightly and started crying.

Sorry sweetie.

I turned my attention from the girl to the goddess again.

"On what basis are you cursing me? Lady", I asked angrily.

Bhoomidevi gasped.

"The audacity. You squeezed the soil so hard. You brought me pain", she said.

"Did you even care to see what I was doing?" I asked her calmly.

She stood silent but looked ready to curse me again so I interrupted her again.

"This girl was crying. I had to help her out. She feared scolding by her mother so I squeezed the soil. To cause you pain was not my attention, goddess, but leaving a child crying was against my morals", I said.

"So I don't accept any of your curses. This is unfair. And I can stand anything but unfairness. You can't curse me. And if you feel that I am deserving of one, I would like to request the presence of Tridevis and Tridevs to decide my fate", I said.

I closed my eyes and prayed.

"Putr", I heard soft voices and opened my eyes. My cold exterior met six faces. I refused to be weak.

I folded my hands in front of them and motioned the girl to do the same.

Bhoomidevi folded her hands as well.

"You must have seen everything respected ones", I said in tone full of respect and admiration. "Please tell me if am deserving of this curse".

"No", Mahadev said with a slight smile. "Bhoomidevi. Karna is a kind man. He couldn't ignore the cries of the little girl and in my eyes, the curse is unfair and injustice. He helped someone who was in need, a child".

"How can you curse someone as generous as him...bhoomidevi. He stopped his journey to patiently take the ghee out. No adharmi kshatriya nowadays would stop and care much to help a poor child. All they know is how to establish their power, insult women and play gambles", Mata Parvati said.

"Karna knows his duty well. To prevent the poor and scared child from getting scolded, he helped her out and unknowingly caused you pain. I know too much pain becomes unbearable but when he is keeping his side, being a goddess, you should listen to him. We are supposed to be fair", Narayan said.

"You shouldn't get angry. You should forgive him because his intention wasn't wrong. If we give unfair curses just on a mistake that too for helping a child, what lessons will humans learn? They won't help others in fear of unfair curses. And with the approaching Kali era, we should establish dharma and justice. Teach moral values", Lakshmi Devi said.

"One thing that is peculiar in Karna. He doesn't accept unfairness done on him like others. If he is wrong, he would accept his fate but if he is not, he won't bear it. And that quality helps him stand out. The fact that he refused to take your curse actually made me impressed. He is a very wise and intelligent person", Brahma dev said.

"It's our request that you reconsider your thoughts and think through if he deserves this for helping a kid? We leave the decision on you and won't interfere", Saraswati Devi said.

I looked at Bhoomi Devi.

She seemed in thoughts and then her expressions changed into soft ones.

Probably she agreed, she was doing injustice to me.

"Putr. I apologise for my insensitive behavior towards you. I am happy you helped this child. I won't curse you. That was my biggest mistake and I am happy you stopped me from doing this sin", she said to me.

I sighed in relief.

"To compensate for my unjustful deed, I give you a boon. I was making you vulnerable and refusing to help you in your dark times for my anger, so I do the opposite. My ansh will be your wife and will be there with you. She will be your strength. Just like I am the strong land which forms the base of human life. She will support you and will be your strength", she blessed.

I looked conflicted with it and no smile came on my face.

But out of respect, I folded my hands.

"Do you want to say something Karn?" Mahadev asked.

I looked at him.

"With due respect and no intention to disrespect the nobles one here. I am troubled with the acceptance of this boon. Hadn't I spoken for myself and pleaded for your presence, I would have been burdened with this unjustified curse my entire life eventually getting failed in my darkest times. If I accept this boon, it would teach the generations to come that they could be wrong, ruin someone's life and compensate by giving a blessing or reward. There will no feelings of true regret and no signs of patience and justice. I can't let this thing pass on. I can't accept this boon", I said quite strongly folding my hands.

Bhoomi Devi's smile fell.

But the Tridevs and Tridevis kept smiling at my troubled face.

But to my utter surprise, bhoomi devi smiled again.

I thought I made all of them angry!

"You are truly a gem of a person Karn. You are so wise that you aren't ready to accept even boons without any good cause. Others would accept it but you reject it and demand true justice. I was wrong indeed. I assure you my ansh will win you over and then marry you. The people in future will learn that they couldn't be spared from ruining someone's life just by giving rewards in return. And that day, when you happily accept this, I would be assured you accept my boon and my forgiveness", she said.

"My incarnation Satyabhama is Krishna...Narayan's avatar's wife. In her childhood home, you will find my ansh indeed as her sister and the one set to marry you", Bhoomi Devi said.

I smiled softly and bowed. Bhoomi devi and Tridevis and Tridevs smiled and disappeared.

"Come. I shall drop you home", I said with a grin and gave a soft kiss on the cheek of the girl making her giggle. I held the ghee pot which had the ghee in it now and walked off.

Phew! What a nice safe!