The first stage was the purification of the sacrificial ground.
The priests performed the required rites, purified the altar, and sanctified the materials that would be used during the ceremony. The sacred fire was then prepared according to the ritual procedure, with the appropriate wood arranged carefully before the priests invoked Agni through the prescribed mantras.
As the first flames rose, the atmosphere of the entire sacrificial ground changed.
The priests began chanting.
Their voices did not come as a single sound at first. Different groups performed their respective portions of the ritual, but gradually the chants settled into a steady rhythm. The sound of hundreds of Brahmins reciting sacred mantras filled the area, while the smoke from the sacrificial fire rose steadily into the air.
Drupada sat facing the fire, his expression unusually serious.
Karna remained beside him.
The ritual proceeded through the customary offerings. Ghee was poured into the fire at the appropriate moments, followed by grains, herbs, and other prescribed substances. Each offering was accompanied by its corresponding mantra, and each time the offerings entered the flames, the fire rose higher.
The priests continued their recitations without interruption.
Drupada followed every instruction carefully.
He had not come this far merely for the sake of performing a grand royal ceremony. His desire had been growing within him for years. He wanted a son, and according to the guidance he had received, this yajna was the means through which that wish could be fulfilled.
Karna understood the weight of that desire.
He also understood that this was no ordinary Agni Yajna.
The intention behind the ritual was being carried into every offering.
As the ceremony progressed, the chief priests began the more important portions of the sacrifice. The mantras became deeper and more forceful, and the offerings into the fire became increasingly frequent. Drupada repeated the prescribed invocations and made each offering according to the instructions given to him.
Karna did the same.
The two kings remained seated before Agni while the priests continued to chant around them.
Hours passed.
The fire burned continuously.
The ritual was not completed in a single moment. It required repeated offerings, recitations and prescribed observances, with each stage preparing the sacrificial fire for the next. The Brahmins maintained the sacred flame carefully, ensuring that the fire remained active throughout the proceedings.
On the second day, the rites continued.
On the third, they reached their final and most important stage.
By then, the sacrificial ground was filled with the fragrance of ghee, herbs and burning sacred wood. The smoke rose toward the sky, and the flames had grown considerably brighter than they had been at the beginning. More than five hundred Brahmins continued their chanting, their voices now moving together with remarkable precision.
Drupada looked into the fire.
Karna could see the anticipation in his face.
The final offerings were prepared.
The chief priest signalled for silence.
The chanting gradually ceased.
For a brief moment, there was nothing except the crackling of Agni.
Then the final mantras began.
Drupada joined his palms.
Karna did the same.
The priests invoked Agni and offered the final oblations into the sacred fire. Ghee was poured into the flames, and the fire rose sharply, spreading across the altar with an intensity that made everyone present instinctively draw back slightly.
The chanting became louder.
Drupada closed his eyes.
Karna watched the flames carefully.
Something was changing within the yajna.
The fire no longer appeared to behave like an ordinary sacrificial flame. It had grown unusually bright, and the air around the altar had begun to feel charged with divine energy. The Brahmins sensed it as well. Their chanting remained steady, but several of them exchanged brief glances before returning their attention to the ritual.
Drupada remained completely focused.
He had performed every rite that had been demanded of him.
Every offering had been made.
Every mantra had been recited.
Now there was nothing left for him to do except wait for the result of the yajna.
Karna continued sitting beside him, his gaze fixed upon Agni.
The final invocation was spoken.
The last offering entered the flames.
And the sacred fire suddenly rose far higher than before.
When the yajna finally reached its completion, the sky above Kampilya seemed to change with it.
Thunder rolled across the heavens, deep enough to make the stone floors of the palace grounds tremble faintly beneath the feet of those gathered there, and heavy rain began falling over the city.
The sound of water striking the roofs and courtyards mixed with the voices of more than five hundred Brahmins, whose chanting continued around the sacred fire.
Yet the rain did not diminish Agni.
If anything, the flames within the yajna kund seemed to grow stronger.
Karna remained seated before the fire, his body perfectly still, but he could feel the divine energy within him moving outward almost on its own.
His devotional power had begun to mingle with his natural divinity, flowing toward the yajna and strengthening the sacred fire.
He had not deliberately tried to overpower the ritual with his own presence, but once his energy had entered the fire, there was little he could do to stop its effect without disturbing the yajna itself.
The flames rose higher and higher until they reached nearly twenty feet, roaring above the sacrificial enclosure while rain fell around them.
Drupada instinctively flinched and shifted backward, his eyes widening as he looked at the enormous fire.
Karna noticed it immediately. "Do not move, Raja Drupada." His voice was calm, almost strangely calm considering the sight before them. Drupada swallowed and settled himself again.
Karna closed his eyes and joined his palms, allowing the chanting to continue through him as he recited the final mantras.
He could hear the thunder above, the rain beyond the flames, the thousands of small movements of the gathered priests, yet his mind remained fixed upon the ritual. 'Complete it properly. Do not allow your own power to disturb what you came here to do.'
He reached for the vessel containing the remaining ghee. There was barely any left. Karna lifted it carefully and poured the final drop into the flames.
The response was immediate.
The enormous fire began to settle, the twenty-foot flames gradually shrinking until they returned to a steady and controlled height within the yajna kund.
The sudden silence after the roaring fire felt almost unnatural. Karna opened his eyes and looked directly into the sacrificial pit.
Two small orbs of flame remained within it.
They were not ordinary flames.
They seemed almost self-contained, each carrying a distinct presence that Karna could sense even without reaching for his divine perception.
He studied them for several moments before turning toward Drupada.
"The yajna is finished," he said. "Agni Dev has accepted your offerings and is blessing you with a son and a daughter, Raja Drupada."
Drupada's face changed immediately.
The anxious king who had spent the last three days watching every stage of the ritual now looked almost overwhelmed by the knowledge that his wish was finally being answered.
But Karna was not finished. "Now you must make the final sacrifices. Speak the three qualities you want in your son."
Drupada looked toward him, listening carefully.
Karna's expression became more serious. "But I caution you, Raja Drupada. Do not speak of what your children should accomplish. Ask for qualities within them, but do not give their lives a specific purpose. If you ask the gods for a child who must fulfil a particular goal, they may indeed bless you with a divine child capable of accomplishing it. But once that goal is achieved, their time upon the earth may also come to an end. Think about it carefully. You want an heir, Raja Drupada. If you make your child's entire existence dependent upon one purpose, Panchala may become heirless once again after that purpose is fulfilled."