Keshivarma looked down at the vessel.
"Drinking one cup of Bala-rasa shall grant the drinker the strength of a thousand elephants. Drinking the entire vessel shall transform the body into one that is indestructible, as though it were fashioned from diamond."
The eyes of Keshivarma widened.
"But this power shall last only for three days."
The deity continued without changing his expression.
"There is another condition. Once the vessel is opened, the Bala-rasa must be consumed within twenty-four hours. If it is not, its divine properties shall disappear, and the liquid will become nothing more than ordinary water."
Keshivarma stared at the vessel.
Ripudhaman stared at it as well.
So did every other vassal lord who had heard Varuna's words.
The reaction was almost immediate.
Eyes that had previously been filled with uncertainty now carried unmistakable greed. Several of the lords looked toward the vessel in Keshivarma's hands, then toward one another, already imagining what such power could accomplish. The blessing had not been what they had expected, but it was far greater than any of them had dared to hope for. A single cup could give a man the strength of a thousand elephants, while the entire vessel could make the body virtually indestructible for three days.
Keshivarma tightened his grip around the vessel.
Ripudhaman's eyes remained fixed upon it.
Neither man spoke.
Farther away, Karna had heard every word.
He had been surprised by Varuna's blessing, though his expression did not reveal it. The Bala-rasa had nothing to do with him, and Keshivarma was free to decide how he wished to use the gift, so there was no reason for Karna to interfere. Still, he found himself watching the self-proclaimed king with greater interest.
According to the ministers, Keshivarma considered himself the rightful ruler of Anga because of his connection to the former dynasty. He had refused Karna's summons, openly rejected his authority, and gathered powerful allies around himself. Now he possessed a divine substance capable of granting extraordinary strength.
Would he use it against him?
Karna wondered whether Keshivarma would finally decide to challenge the royal authority directly and attempt to wage war against him.
Yet before Karna could see what choice the man would make, Varuna suddenly turned his head.
Toward him.
Karna's expression remained calm.
The divine presence disappeared from before Keshivarma.
In the very next moment, Varuna manifested directly before Karna.
The sudden appearance startled everyone.
The nearby citizens instinctively moved backward, while several of the vassal lords stared in astonishment. Even those who had already witnessed Varuna's manifestation had not expected the deity to move so suddenly.
Karna, however, merely joined his palms once again. "Greetings, Uncle."
Varuna looked at him with a warm expression. "Today, you have performed a meritorious deed by killing Somasura."
Karna listened silently.
"He received a troublesome boon from Brahmadev, one that could have brought considerable trouble to the Devas once again, particularly to Devraj Indra. Yet fate placed him in your path before he could use that boon to cause such trouble, and you ended him."
Varuna paused.
"For that, you deserve a reward."
Karna lowered his head slightly. "I was merely doing my duty, Uncle."
"I know." Varuna smiled. "Still, you are worthy of receiving a reward."
He raised his hand.
A mace appeared.
It was beautifully crafted, with a polished metallic surface that reflected the light surrounding them, and faint divine markings ran along its shaft and head. Even without touching it, Karna could sense that the weapon carried considerably greater power than any ordinary mace forged by human craftsmen.
Varuna extended it toward him.
"This is a divine mace from the treasury of the Devas. It cannot compare with your Suryateja or the Vijaya Dhanush, but it is still far stronger than the maces forged by the blacksmiths of the mrithyu loka."
He placed it into Karna's hands.
"Accept it."
Karna joined his palms as much as the weapon allowed and bowed his head. "Thank you, Uncle."
Varuna smiled once more.
Then the divine light surrounding him began to fade.
Within moments, he disappeared.
Karna remained standing there with the mace in his hand.
He looked at it for a while, turning it slightly and examining its weight and balance.
A strange thought entered his mind.
*I was never a mace warrior.*
He considered the weapon carefully.
*I am proficient enough with one, but I have hardly ever used a mace in battle. It has never been my preferred weapon.*
His eyes moved over the divine markings.
*Perhaps I should give it to someone who deserves it more.*
Three names immediately came to his mind.
Jarasandha.
Duryodhana.
Bheema.
Karna frowned slightly.
*Duryodhana...*
He dismissed the thought almost immediately.
*I do not trust him enough to give him a divine weapon like this.*
His thoughts moved to Bheema.
*Bheema... even if he were not hiding his identity, he would be the last person I would want to give a gift like this.*
Then came the third name.
*Maharaj Jarasandha.*
Karna remained thoughtful.
Jarasandha was undoubtedly one of the greatest mace warriors in the world, and unlike the other two, Karna did not consider him an evil man. Yet that was precisely what made the decision more complicated rather than easier.
*I am not certain that Maharaj Jarasandha is the right person for a divine mace either.*
Karna looked down at the weapon again.
*He is not evil, but if I give him a mace of this power, he will most likely use it in war. He would use it to defeat his enemies, to expand his influence and to strengthen Magadha.*
His expression became thoughtful.
*I need to give this to someone who will use it to protect dharma, not to attack another simply because he can.*
Karna remained silent, holding the divine mace as the yajna continued behind him, while only one thought remained firmly in his mind.
He would have to find the right person.
A while later, after the last rituals had been completed and the sacred fire had begun to settle, the vassal lords hurried toward Karna once again, eager to greet their Maharaj now that the yajna had officially reached its conclusion. Ripudhaman led them, with Keshivarma following among the others, still carrying the long-necked vessel of Bala-rasa in his hands. Yet before any of them could properly approach Karna, the Maharaj raised his hand and stopped them.
"The Yajna hasn't been completed yet. Complete the Daan to the priests."
The vassal lords immediately understood.
The donations that had been set aside for the priests were distributed, and the final formalities of the yajna were completed.
Only after the priests had received what had been promised to them did the gathering finally come to an end. The sacred fire continued to glow faintly within the yajna kund, smoke drifting slowly upward into the afternoon sky, while the people who had remained to witness the ceremony began dispersing from the grounds.
Ripudhaman and the other vassal lords then approached Karna once again and bowed respectfully.
"Maharaj."
Keshivarma also lowered his head.
"Maharaj."
Yet even now, with the vessel of Bala-rasa in his hands, Keshivarma looked nervous.
The blessing of Varuna had given him something capable of granting extraordinary strength, yet the man standing before him still made him uneasy.
Perhaps it was because he had seen with his own eyes what Karna had done to Somasura.
Perhaps it was because he had heard the words spoken by Varuna to Karna.
Or perhaps it was simply because the man he had once dismissed as a ruler who could be challenged had just demonstrated a level of power that made every calculation he had made before seem suddenly uncertain.