High above the clouds in Amravati ( heaven or capital of indra loka )
Lord Indra stared down at the burning beam of energy coming from Mahendragiri mountain.
His throne was still rising, radiating heat.
Worried and uneasy, he immediately waved his hand and summoned the Devas.
”Go down to the mortal world,” Indra commanded, his voice echoing through the grand hall.
“Investigate this person .
Find out who he is, where he comes from, and what he wants.”
The Devas quickly descended into the mortal world.
They hovered invisibly near the mountain, examining the skinny young man frozen in meditation.
They searched the records in mortal world to find his story, but before they could return to heaven to report, Surya Deva stepped forward.
Surya looked at the King of Heaven and revealed everything about Karna’s past.
He told Indra about Karna’s birth, his struggles, his rejection by society, and how he had been denied the respect he deserved just because of his low-born status.
Hearing this story made Lord Indra even more terrified.
In the divine hierarchy, the position of Indra is not eternal.
It is a title earned by performing massive deeds or building up unmatched spiritual merit.
When the King of Heaven feels his seat grow hot, his ultimate fear is always that a mortal is trying to accumulate enough power to overthrow him and take the throne of Amravati.
Indra knew that all Karna ever wanted was approval and respect.
He began to think to himself, If this boy wants respect, what if he thinks becoming the King of Heaven is the only way to get it,What if his tapasya is meant to take my throne?
Driven by fear, Indra decided he had to destroy Karna’s meditation immediately.
He turned to the most beautiful celestial dancers in his court ,the Apsaras like Rambha and Menaka.
“Go to Mahendragiri,” Indra ordered.
“He is young.
Use your beauty, your music, and your charm.
Break his focus.”
Even though Surya dev tries to explain Indra, his son would not do that , Indra did not accept it, surya dev leave in anger .
Rambha, Menaka, and the other heavenly dancers descended upon the lonely slopes of Mahendragiri mountain.
They danced with unmatched grace, playing intoxicating music and filling the air with sweet, distracting fragrances.
Not far away, Lord Parashurama watched from the shadows of his hermitage. Find the original chapter at g.com.
He saw the celestial dancers testing his student, but he did not step in to stop them.
He wanted to see exactly how powerful Karna’s mental discipline truly was.
A whole month passed.
Rambha and Menaka tried every trick they knew, but Karna’s mind did not shake even for a second.
He remained as unmoving as the mountain itself.
High above in the spiritual realms of Kailash, this grand display was being watched by the silent, all-seeing eyes of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
Meanwhile, far away from the mystical mountain, the Pandavas were still trapped in the palace of Varnavat.
The grand festival had finished four months ago.
Their official job as royal envoys was completely over, but they still had not received the royal decree from Hastinapur allowing them to return.
According to the strict laws of the kingdom, a royal envoy , even if they are prince could not return to the capital without a direct message from the King.
If they went back to Hastinapur without permission, it would be legally considered as a rebellion.
They were stuck, and they knew Purochana was just waiting for the right moment to strike.
Inside their private quarters, Queen Kunti gathered her sons.
Looking at their stressed faces, her heart broke.
“Why don’t we just sacrifice our status as princes?”
Kunti suggested, her voice trembling with emotion.
“Let us give up the throne and go into hiding.
Let them think we are gone.”
The brothers looked at each other in shock.
Bhima slammed the table.
“Mother, how can we just run away like cowards?
If Duryodhana want a fight, I will crush him and Purochana with my bare hands right here!”
Arjuna also joined.
“Bhima is right, Mother. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Running away means losing our birthright completely.
We would be handing the entire empire to Duryodhana without even a fight.
It goes against everything we were trained for.”
But Kunti shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
“Your lives are a thousand times more important to me than any golden throne.
Long before you ever became princes of Hastinapur, you were just my sons.
I raised you safely in the forest, away from palaces and politics.
I just want my children alive.”
Her deep, emotional words touched the hearts of the five brothers.
Yudhishthira looked at his crying mother, his heart softening.
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Mother is right,”
Yudhishthira said, turning to his brothers.
“Dharma protects those who protect their lives for a greater purpose.
Mother, we accept your decision.
We will go into hiding.”
Fortunately, the secret tunnel dug by Vidura’s miner was almost complete.
Once the final pathway was cleared, they would be fully ready to vanish into the dark.
What the Pandavas did not know was that Duryodhana and Shakuni were playing a very patient game back in the capital.
They had instructed Purochana not to kill the princes immediately.
Shakuni knew that if the Pandavas died right after arriving, the entire world would suspect a conspiracy.
To make it look like a random accident, they decided to wait a full year before executing the plan.
They wanted the world to believe it as an accident.
At the exact same time, across the borders of the kingdoms, the wheels of destiny were turning in the city of Kampilya, the capital of southern Panchala.
King Drupada, still burning with a desire for vengeance against Drona, was preparing a massive, sacred ritual the Putrakameshti Yajna.
He was setting up everything to invoke the holy fire.
The King of Panchala did not just want an heir ,he wanted a son born from the flames who would possess the ultimate strength to kill dorna to wash away his shame.