Varanavat

The Pandavas and Kunti were sleeping in their rooms. Yudhishthir, Bheem and Arjun drank the milk while Nakul and Sahadev as they did not like milk much did not take it. At night Bheem woke up as he was feeling hungry (Bheem had a boon from Naaglok that no poison can ever harm him, so the sleeping herbs did not affect him). He was trying to find the kitchen but he found none.

Bheem, 'Those people are crazy. Such a huge palace but no kitchen?'

Suddenly he heard someone called him behind, 'Bhrata Bheem, what are you doing here?'

Bheem saw both Nakul and Sahadev were standing in the corridor. Bheem said, 'Looking for the kitchen....I am hungry and there is no food anywhere.'

Suddenly all of them got a smell as if something was burning. All of them were surprised and ran towards the source of the smell. They came near the main door and saw that the door was locked and smoke was coming from outside. Then Nakul saw that the walls were started to melt and then they realized, the palace was made of flammable substances and that was soon going to destroy. Bheem and Nakul rushed to their brothers' room to wake them up. Sahadev went to Kunti's room. Nakul tried to wake them up.

Nakul, 'Jyasht, Bhrata Arjun wake up please....Bhrata Bheem why they are not waking up.' 

Bheem, 'Nakul I think they are in deep sleep, we need to take them out of this palace before it collapses.'

Bheem lifted his two unconscious brothers on his shoulders. Sahadev also lifted his mother in his arms and they tried to move towards the main door. But the entire palace was filled with smoke and it was very difficult to see anything clearly. Suddenly a beam fell on Sahadev and both he and Kunti fell to the ground. Though they were not injured but got stuck under the pillar. Bheem and Nakul tried to move the pillars but it was hard as Bheem had his brothers on his shoulder and the pillar was too heavy for Nakul. Suddenly they realized that the heat was subsided and the main door was shattered. Then they heard a strong voice from the door, 'Pandavas, Mata Kunti where are you?' Then they saw a figure emerged from the smoke. They could not recognize him because of the smoke and the person covered his face with a turban.

Bheem was astonished to see the person easily lifted the broken pillar and helped Kunti and Sahadev out. Then he lifted Kunti on his shoulder and signed Bheem to take his brothers out. Bheem came out from the Palace. Then he saw a familiar person standing outside in the garden with a bunch of men tied near his feet.

Vidur, 'Rajkumar Bheem, Nakul, Sahadev... thank God you are okay. But what happened to Yudhishtir, Arjun and Devi Kunti?'

That mysterious person, 'I think they were unconscious because of the smoke. Prince Nakul, Sahadev I know you are good at medicines. Can you treat them?

Suddenly Bheem recognized him, 'You...you are the Sutputra, Karna......What are you doing here? Kakashri Vidur, how did you come here? And how did you manage to stop the fire?'

Vidur, 'It is a long story but I came here with Karna. He is the one who not only caught these wretched people who tried to burn you alive but also extinguished the fire.'

Flashback

Karna used Vedvyas's mantra to reach Varanavar near the palace with Vidur. There they saw some men were lighting the fire in the palace walls and doors. Karna shot 'Pashastra' to tie those men and then used 'Varunastra' to start rain to stop the fire. Vidur was shocked to see all these. Then Karna asked him to watch those men and broke the door and entered the palace.

  Present time

Vidur told Bheem how Karna came to his house and use some magical power to bring him here. Meanwhile, Nakul and Sahadev arranged some herbs and brought Yudhishtir's and Arjun back to sense. But all of them were shocked to know that it was Karna who helped them. Karna asked Vidura, 'Mahamantriji, we should interrogate these men, they can tell us who is the mastermind, though I already know who he actually is?' 

But those men suddenly chewed something and before anyone could realize anything they died. Those assassins already had poisons in their mouth, they chewed them before telling their masters name. 

Karna (frustrated), 'Oh God how could I be so stupid? I should have realized that the assassins always carry poisons'

Nakul, 'But Radheya, whose plan is this?'

Bheem, 'I know, it must be your best friend Duryodhana.'

Karna, 'No Rajkumar, what I know Prince Duryodhana has no idea about this conspiracy. He has many flaws but he is not a killer. It is true that he wants to kill you but that in a war, not like a coward. It is the one who instigates Duryoadhana against all of you and is responsible for all the problems.'

Vidura, 'Gandharraj Shakuni.'

Karna, 'Yes, you are right.'

Vidura, 'But Karna how did you know about this?'

Karna told him that how he had suspicion on Shakuni and sent two pigeons behind the Panadavs to know about the entire situation in Varanavat. Both Nakul and Sahadev were stunned to know that Karna could also understand animals' and birds' language.

Sahadev (thinking), 'Karna is amazing. How could he do all these? Maybe we were wrong about him. After all, he helped us.' 

Kunti looked at her sons and thought, 'Oh God, the boy whom I left to die, today not only protected me but also my sons. I cannot even tell that it is my own son who saved us. God, I don't know for how long I have to carry this burden in my heart.'

Bheem, 'I will kill that Shakuni mama with bare hands.'

Vidur, 'No Bheem, we don't have any proof against him. The men whom we caught also died, King Dhritarashtra already believes in him blindly. We cannot do anything without solid evidence.'

Yudhishtir, 'But kakashri, if we go back to Hastinapur, they will definitely try something again.'

Kunti, 'No I don't want my sons to fall in this web of politics. I will take them me and will go anywhere else where no one can recognize us.'

Vidur, 'But Devi Kunti, what about your sons' rights?'

Kunti, 'I don't care about rights and thrones. All I want my sons to live happily. For that, we don't any palace or thrones.'

Karna, 'Maharani, as long as I am present, no one can do anything to harm you or anyone in the Kuru family. But Yuvraj is right, they will definitely try something.'

Vidur, 'I have a plan. For now, we can pretend that Pandavas are dead. Yuvraj you shall leave this place and hide your identity for some time. In the meantime, we can try to find a way so that Shakuni can never harm you.'

Yudhishtir, 'That's a great idea kakashri. We will leave this place as soon as possible.'

Karna then used the bag given to him by Mata Lakshmi and took out some simple clothes and foods and gave it to Kunti.

Karna, 'Maharani and Rajkumar, please change your clothes and here are some foods which you can use in your journey.'

All the Pandavas accepted those things. They felt bad as they always humiliated Karna but today he helped them. But their princely egos still forced them not to say sorry to a Sutputra. They changed their appearances and bid goodbye to Vidura and Karna.

After they left, Karna put the royal clothes and jewels on the assassins and placed their bodies inside the palace. Then he lighted the fire to burn the palace.

Hastinapur,

After returning to Hastinapur, Karna asked Vidur to be careful and to keep an eye on Shakuni. Then Vidura asked, 'Karna I already know that you are not an ordinary person and most specifically not a Sutputra. I just want to know why are you helping Duryadhana?'

Karna, 'Mantriji first of all my parents are Sutas and I am a Sutputra. My caste has nothing to do with the path I chose. Please don't mind but your own mother was a Daasi and still, you are one of the most intelligent men on Aryavart and mahamantri of Hastinapur. So please come out of the prejudice that a Sutputra cannot do anything good. And for your second question, my friend is not an evil person. He is just misguided. You and other Kuru elders always neglect him and that is why Shakuni got the chance to poison his mind.'

Vidur was shocked. He never thought that anyone could have the courage to say these in front of him but Karna was not finished yet. He continued, 'If you gave him an ounce of the attention, you gave the Pandavas, then he may choose a different approach in his life, But no....The great mahamantri and his predictions. Since childhood, you tagged him as evil. But it is the evil person who saw potential in every person even if it is a poor Sutputra. He does not discriminate among people based on their caste. And what your so-called Dharmavan Pandavas did? They cannot stand the idea that someone from a lower status can be better than them. Even today they could not be able to come out of their princely ego and say sorry to me for insulting my parents. So mahamantriji...I am protecting my friend from committing a sin and trying to reform him. Now it is late and I have to go back home. Shuvratri.'

Saying that Karna left the place leaving Vidur in deep thoughts.    

Next episode- Karna Duryodhana fight.