บท 61: The Foremost of Kauravas.

Prakriti's P.O.V,

With the rotation of Devi Bhumi around her axis, the world finally basked in the gentle radiance of the mighty Sun. The rays of sun illuminated the dark world with its shiny light, informing the lazy creatures about the arrival of a new day.

A day filled with hope, ambitions, and opportunities, waiting for them to grab and pass the ordeals guarding them to obtain their supreme treasures!

At the same time,

The Royal Palace of Hastinapur,

At the center of the royal garden, a beautiful temple of Lord Shiva stood tall, surrounding by rows of enticing flowers, clean rivers and group of devotees~

"Om Namah Shivaya~"

…

Under the lead of Devi Gandhari, Maharaj Dhritarashtra and a little child dressed in a red dhoti made up of silk, everyone knelt on the ground as prayed to the mighty Shiva with deep devotion and reverence.

Their voices echoed in the hallways of the entire castle, soothing the souls of each and every servant with an unusual amount of holiness in them.

"See Kamal~! The mere presence of young princes has cleared the dark clouds of sadness enveloping our Kingdom~!"

"You are right Nikhil~! They really are virtuous beings!"

…

When the single-minded servants heard these chants, they praised the Pandavas, mistakenly giving the credit of this miracle to them due to their limited wisdom.

However, the esteemed elders present at the scene were clearly aware of the source of sudden divinity that was being transported to every corner of the palace.

Be it Maharishi Kripa or Maha-Mantri Vidur, both of them could clearly feel the familiar aura of purity and holiness emitting from the rightmost corner to the Empress, a place occupied a certain young child clad in his signature Bhagwa (Saffron) coloured dress…

"Om Namah Shivaya~!"

Despite being chanting the same syllables, none of them were capable of reaching the same heights as that of Karna. It might be due to the fact that… Karna was reciting the divine name of Mahadev for the sake of chanting only! His whole body was devoid of any longing, neither for himself nor for others…

He just wants to thoroughly connect with the lord without any presence of ulterior motives!

It was just pure devotion~ A Devotee with such devotion have always been cherished by the respected deities~

From the inner sense of Maharishi Kripa, each and every part of Karna, whether astral or physical had lost themselves in worshiping the supreme soul.

Though momentarily, Karna had almost attained the state where neither spiritual or physical things can affect one's concentration!

It may be the closest state to enlightenment, a junction before achieving Moksha and ascend to the higher space, bereft of the influence of Nyati, Samay, Prakriti and the very laws of Universe!

…

Putting it aside for some time,

"Har-Har Mahadev~!"

"Har-Har Mahadev~!"x999+

As the morning prayers for lord Shiva came to an end, the chants of praise for lord Shiva rang in the hallways, which finally marked the departure of the novel holy environment which had enshrouded the whole castle in its mystical embrace…

Following which, Devi Gandhari distributed Prasad (Offerings) to everyone in the temple, with the support of little Duryodhana, who escorted her through the whole temple, quite happily~

And maybe, by the grace of his immaturity, He still possess the inherent qualities of little kids i.e., curiosity, impartiality, innocence and naivety.

However, a trace of Kali can be observed during the brief amount of time when he arrived before the Pandavas when…

"O' Eldest of Kaunteya, come forth and receive this Prasad of esteemed Lord."

Rather than addressing the Pandavas as brothers, he called them Kaunteya (i.e., Son of Devi Kunti.)

"Putra, He is your elder. You should him brother."

This time however, Devi Gandhari quickly rectified the incorrect behaviour of little Duryodhana something which would have been ignored by her past self, due to her immense love for Duryodhana and her ninety-nine sons.

"I'm Sorry brother, please take this delicious offering…"

"It's alright, Brother~"

And, her words did work on Duryodhana who quickly apologized, though he seemed a little reluctant.

Being a person with great compassion, Yudhishthira readily forgave him, allowing them to continue their journey as they offered the prasad to everyone in the royal garden, irrespective of their status.

Eventually reaching the place where they started from only to found Karna still knelt on the ground.

"Coo~"

Seeing them approaching Karna with a plate containing a single Laddoo, Aarav cheerfully chirped right beside Karna's ear, who also opened his eyes and waited for their arrival.

"Please bestow your blessings on me, Mata Gandhari~"

"Ayushman Bhava, Putra~"

"Pranam little Prince~"

Being a man of virtue, Karna first touched Devi Gandhari's feet with utmost respect which brought a wide smile on her face while he earned a warm blessing from her.

Following which he greeted a little dazed Duryodhana who was unable to cope with the sheer amount of illuminating aura surrounding Karna, though momentarily.

In a course of few seconds, that glow was replaced by something even more outrageous!

It was…

***

To be continued…

Thanks for the PS!

Sorry for the cliffhanger...

Good night for now... I remember my promise, but I am still halfway through the next part, so yeah...

See ya soon~