KARNA: Son of the Charioteer

Chapter 15

"I am Radheya, from Hastinapur," Radheya answered.

"Radheya? Is that your name?"

Radheya smiled, understanding the question. Radheya, which means son of Radha, was not a personal name at all.

"I am Karna, son of Adhiratha and Radha, a charioteer." Radheya never felt ashamed to hide his origins; he just hated seeing people judge someone based on birth rather than actions.

It was as if his archery skills displayed earlier were worthless and immediately lost along with his lineage.

Duryodhana also despised Drona, his biased teacher, and the Pandavas who had everything. "You are my friend; indeed, you are not fit to be a prince. You deserve to be a king. With my power, I will grant you the kingdom of Anga."

Duryodhana left the arena and went to his father's place, King Dhritarashtra. "Father, someone who shows his qualities as a king has emerged. Let the kingdom of Anga that you wish to give me, with your permission, I shall hand it over to him."

The kingdom of Anga was a kingdom divided into several small kingdoms, consisting of many minor kings. A small part of the kingdom of Anga, with its capital at Champapuri, belonged to King Dhritarashtra's family. The previous king had no descendants to continue the kingdom, so its power was returned to the Kuru kingdom.

Gandhari, aware of Radheya's abilities, also persuaded King Dhritarashtra to agree. Hoping someone could humiliate Kunti's sons.

At that moment, a priest was summoned to perform the ceremony, and Radheya, under the name Karna, was anointed directly by King Dhritarashtra in front of everyone as a sign that he became the king of Anga.

Karna's tears flowed throughout the ceremony. At the end of the ritual, Karna prostrated himself before Duryodhana, still teary-eyed. "How can you, a charioteer's son, value me so highly? How can I repay your kindness?"

Duryodhana lifted Karna to his feet. "Don't prostrate yourself; you are the king of Anga now. We are equals. All I ask of you is friendship. Stand with me."

"You will be my true friend," Radheya said, tears streaming down his face.

"Arjuna!" Duryodhana exclaimed. "Now the King of Anga challenges you to a duel for the title of the greatest archer in the world. You are a prince, and he is a king."

Drona, sensing trouble, quickly interjected, "The day is late; let today's competition end here. There shall be no more fights."

Drona and Arjuna left the arena, leaving Karna and Duryodhana watching them go.

Karna took a deep breath and pondered. The wheel of fate indeed turns. Who would have thought that a charioteer's son could become a king in just one day? Someone who only hoped for a small consolation prize ended up with a kingdom.

He was on his way to the kingdom of Anga, about 1,200 kilometers from Hastinapur. A journey that would take months to complete. Along the way, he was accompanied by an officer from Anga.

The elderly officer, named Naraya, explained that the kingdom of Anga had been without an heir for five years because the princes from Hastinapur refused to take the throne.

Apart from being very distant, the kingdom of Anga, with its capital at Champapuri, was just a village compared to Hastinapur.

Surrounding Anga were also small kingdoms that were primitive and lived in the forest. These kingdoms often troubled Anga. One of the kingdoms that frequently caused problems for Anga was the kingdom of Magadha, led by King Jarasandha.

Karna took a deep breath again, pondering the many things he needed to do. His father had advised him to be a good king. The poor Brahmin who taught him the Vedas said, "Being a king or a slave is actually no different. The slave serves his master, the king serves his people. Being a king is a responsibility. And the Divine has placed you in that position hoping that you can help more people."

Instead of feeling happiness and pride, Karna felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. He wasn't sure if he could be a good king for his people.

Upon arriving in the kingdom of Anga, Karna immediately focused on improving its security, as that was what his people needed most.

He realized that no kingdom openly sought to take Anga because it could lead to a major war with the Kuru kingdom. However, they slowly expanded their territories, making Anga's territory narrower by attacking border villages. In addition to mountain bandits who often robbed villages, soldiers from other kingdoms also participated in these raids on Anga's villages.

Karna promptly recruited city security guards, especially to protect the borders. One day, he rode alone through the forest to familiarize himself with the region. There, by chance, he found around fifty mountain bandits who frequently plundered the surrounding villages' harvests.

With his Vijaya bow and destructive abilities, he quickly set their hiding place ablaze, and they were all brought to the capital for punishment. Some were given jobs as farmers or soldiers of the Anga kingdom.

This event repeated itself, and Karna swiftly dealt with the bandits. Due to Karna's actions, some mountain bandits chose to move to other kingdoms. Although some surrendered immediately upon his arrival.

Some soldiers from Magadha who often demanded tributes from border villages of Anga also became targets for Karna.

Hearing this, King Jarasandha felt displeased. "The son of a charioteer now disrespects me and refuses to pay tribute. Inform all the soldiers to gather; we will seize the kingdom of Anga this month."

Following the rules and protocols of starting a war, King Jarasandha first sent a letter requesting Karna to surrender the kingdom of Anga to him, or they would face war within five days.

Karna received the messenger and replied, "Tell your king. I cannot surrender this kingdom to him, and I will wait for him at the border between Anga and Magadha in five days."

All the soldiers of the Anga kingdom were anxious because they understood King Jarasandha's power very well. The kingdom of Magadha under Jarasandha's rule was many times larger than Anga, and their combined soldiers numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Meanwhile, if all the soldiers of Anga were gathered, they would only amount to around five hundred.

The entire population of the Anga kingdom was worried, fearing that King Jarasandha would win and destroy all their villages. Karna decided not to request soldiers from the city of Hastinapur.

He left three hundred soldiers to guard the kingdom of Anga and, accompanied by two hundred soldiers, they moved towards the border between Anga and Magadha, where King Jarasandha was already waiting with one hundred thousand soldiers.

Upon reaching the location, Karna could see the soldiers of the Magadha kingdom lined up neatly in their luxurious battle attire. Their chariots were neatly arranged, and their sharp spears were visible even from a distance.

The faces of the two hundred soldiers accompanying Karna turned pale upon seeing the number of enemy troops. They would be crushed in a single attack. None would return alive.