Dream - A Karna SI

23. INVOCATION

Karn - 22 years

Yudhisthir - 19 years

Bhima & Duryodhan - 18 years

Arjun - 17 years

Nakul & Sahadev - 15 years

(Somewhere in the Himalayas)

Karna sat cross-legged on a large stone, his body perfectly still, his breath deep and measured. The sun had just begun its ascent, casting a soft golden hue over the landscape, but Karna was oblivious to its beauty. His eyes were closed, and his focus was inward, delving deep into his consciousness. He had completed his morning ablutions and exercises, his body honed to perfection, but it was the state of his mind that had become his true discipline.

The place where he had chosen to meditate was a sanctuary of solitude, far removed from the clamor of the world. The stillness here was profound, a silence so deep that it seemed to resonate with the very essence of existence. It was a place where one could lose oneself for hours, but only if the mind was trained to embrace the tranquility, to surrender to it completely.

A year had passed since Karna had come here, seeking the guidance of Lord Shiva. In the beginning, the stillness had been unsettling, the quiet a mirror that reflected the turmoil within his own mind. He had been frustrated by how difficult it was to calm his thoughts, which constantly churned with strategies, decisions, and the weight of the future. His mind was like a battlefield, the echoes of past battles and the specter of future ones leaving him restless and agitated.

But Karna was nothing if not stubborn. He persisted, forcing himself to sit in silence, to endure the discomfort of confronting his own thoughts. Slowly, imperceptibly at first, he began to change. The more he practiced, the more he realized that many of the things he worried about were beyond his control. The strategies, the endless calculations-all of it was noise, distractions that kept him from true peace.

Now, after a year of relentless meditation, Karna's mind could calm in seconds. He had learned to leave the tensions behind, to focus only on the present moment. The world and its concerns had receded, leaving only the clarity of the here and now. He spent his days in a simple rhythm: collecting minimal food, practicing his skills, and meditating. His thoughts were filled with Shiva, his consciousness constantly attuned to the divine presence he sought. Whether he was eating, training, or sleeping, his mind was centered on his devotion.

This solitude, which had once felt so foreign and uncomfortable, had become his refuge. Karna was content here, in this place of quiet reflection, away from the noise of the world. The silence was no longer an adversary, but a companion. In this stillness, he found a happiness that was not tied to victory or defeat, to honor or shame. It was a peace that came from within, a sense of fulfillment in simply being, in existing in harmony with the world around him.

He was no longer the warrior obsessed with proving himself, nor the prince burdened by the expectations of others. Here, he was simply Karna-a man seeking wisdom, seeking Shiva. And in this pursuit, he had found something far greater than he had ever imagined: he had found himself.