Mysterious Time Traveler in Dwapara Yuga

Chapter 31: Fate's Hand: Karna's Journey to Hastinapur

As the days went on, the bond between the people of Assaka and Karna grew stronger, and they placed full faith in him. Even though Karna wanted to stay in Assaka, his fate called him to Hastinapur. He had been away for a long time, starting his search for a proper Guru at the age of 18. When the sons of the late Maharaja Pandu arrived in Hastinapur, he was only 16 and that time he badly wants to search for Guru but he could not because various reason. After one and a half years, as all the Rajkumars of Hastinapur left for their Shiksha, Karna embarked on his quest for a Guru. Despite his efforts, he still felt the sting of rejection from his Guru.

Looking back, Karna always thought the gods didn't favor him. He wondered why, if he was not meant to study Dhanur Vidhya, he was given a passion for it in the first place. But now, he understood that the gods had indeed favored him, giving him the best of everything. His Guru was also the Guru of Drona, who had refused to teach him. Despite this, Karna became the bhrata of Ira, whom the whole of Aryavarta wanted to meet but couldn't, only hearing rumors about her.

Now, it had been eleven years since he left Hastinapur, and in a few weeks, it would be a year since he became Raja of Assaka. Karna longed to meet his father and mother and tell them that he had learned what he longed for, gained the recognition he desired, and achieved everything through hard work. Reflecting on his life, he realized how much it had improved since meeting Ira, as if someone had been clearing obstacles from his path even before he became aware of them.

When Karna heard from Karthi and Aryan why Ira asked him to call Surya Dev for his coronation, he was deeply touched. He felt a motherly love from Ira, similar to how Radha Ma would shield him from his father, Adhiratha. This affection motivated him to help the elders in Assaka, seeking solace from them. However, his longing to meet his own parents grew stronger, so he decided to finish all his work and visit Hastinapur, intending to bring his parents back to Assaka.

Karna decided to appoint Rajkumar Padmaksha as the temporary ruler, as Yuvaraj Makaraksha was already busy managing Kuntala. He wrote a letter detailing his plans to the royal family, asking for their opinion and requesting a response. Little did he know that Rajkumar Padmaksha and Rajkumari Ira would come to Assaka to discuss it in person?

The sudden arrival of their Rajkumari was a huge surprise for the people of Assaka, and the atmosphere turned festive. Karna was equally excited and asked why they hadn't informed him earlier, so he could prepare food and a grand welcome. Ira smiled and said, "I've just come to my brother's place; there's no need for a grand welcome. As for the food, I will cook today. You are the only person who has not eaten my cooking so far, and we can talk about your letter afterwards." She then asked the nearby dasis to lead her to the kitchen.

Hearing this, Karna's heart warmed. He instructed Meera, her head maid, to watch over the fire and also sent dasis to help with other tasks Ira might need.

After finishing the meal, Karna's confidants in the Assaka court, along with Ira, Padmaksha, and Karna himself, gathered for a meeting to discuss the contents of Karna's letter about his desire to go to Hastinapur. The confidants' faces fell, and they glanced at Rajkumari Ira, silently pleading for her to ask Karna to stay. This did not go unnoticed by Karna. He realized that if Ira asked him to do something, he would comply, no matter what it was. Even he was surprised by this realization, as his Radha Mata and Adhiratha Pitashree had always told him he was too stubborn. But it seemed his stubbornness would yield to Ira.

However, Ira's thoughts were elsewhere. She wondered at the workings of fate. According to her spy network, the descendants of the Kuru lineage would finish their lessons and return to Hastinapur in four to five months. She had always thought about how to send Karna to Hastinapur, so he could participate in the Rangbhoomi against Arjun, forge an epic friendship with Duryodhana, and for Rajamata Kunti to discover his true identity as her elder son. She also needed to be there to prevent enmity between the Pandavas and Karna, although she wasn't sure how to achieve this yet.

It seemed she just had to go with the flow and see how fate arranged things for Bhrata Aditya to be present in Hastinapur for an extended period without sending him back. Radha Mata would be a great help in this endeavor. Thinking about Radha Mata brought Ira's mind to her own mother, Radha. This connection was one of the reasons she had a soft spot for Karna as both of them are child of Radha. When he first introduced himself as Radheya, she felt a deep bond that couldn't be expressed in words.

As Ira noticed everyone looking at her, she spoke, "I will not commit the sin of separating a child from his mother. In this world, a mother is the only person who considers you as her very breath." Then, addressing Karna, she continued, "So, Bhrata Aditya, you may go, but under one condition." With a strict face, everyone assumed she was going to impose a time limit for his return. Karna thought the same, but her request surprised everyone.

"You must tell Radha Mata about me when I visit her, and I will ask her myself, so you can't lie to me. Also, give these to her from me," she said, presenting handmade ornaments and clothes.

Hearing this, Karna's heart warmed. He responded, "I would have told her about you even if you didn't ask me to. But what is the need for all these things?" Looking at the ornaments and clothes she had prepared, he added, "How can one visit their mother without bringing anything? It would be wrong. I don't know how long it will take for me to meet her, but as her child, it would look inconsiderate if I didn't do anything. So, I prepared everything when you mentioned wanting to go to Hastinapur."

As Karna sought opinions, Ira reminded him that the ones who could truly decide were the people he was looking after, not just the royal advisors. She proposed presenting his plans to the people and deciding after consulting them. Everyone agreed this was the right approach, so they gathered the people at the meeting place.

When the people learned why they were present and heard Ira's suggestion about involving them in the decision, they felt their trust in her was well-placed. They always appreciated how she included them in important matters. All of them agreed to let Karna go, but on one condition: he had to oversee the process, not because they distrusted Padmaksha, but as a sign of their anticipation for his return.

However, a sage in his 90s who attended the meeting disagreed with Karna leaving. Karna asked what he needed to do to gain the sage's approval. The sage replied, "Think of your visit to other places around Aryavarta as a mission to learn good practices and adapt them to make Assaka an even better place. You must not reveal that you are the King of Assaka until you take the reins of rule again. Are you okay with this?"

Karna readily agreed, saying, "I will do as you say."

This decision clarified Ira's plan to make Bhrata Aditya the King of Ang. Fate had indeed arranged things in an unexpected but fitting way.

After the meeting, the sage turned towards Rajkumari Ira and said, "Even if one tries everything to change fate, what is destined cannot be fully altered. Sometimes, things we do not like will still happen. The only way to solve it is not to worry and to go with the flow." He then blessed her and departed, leaving Ira confused about his meaning.

However, both Karna and Padmaksha were terrified, thinking the sage was warning about difficulties Ira might face. They speculated that the reason he asked Karna to visit other places was to gather allies for something significant that was about to happen. These thoughts weighed heavily on their minds.

Later, Karna wrote a letter to the Kuntala family, detailing the sage's words and the possible implications of his journey.