"his name is SUYODHANA"
Suyodhana yet called as duryodhana, the eldest of kauravas he is yet no one ever took care of him, neither him nor his brothers. He was ignored, neglected and deprived from love and care so the only one who gave him that is his mamashree. It was a while when he thought he could never make friends until he meet ashwatthama, guru drona's only son and his first ally, they never got too close to each other, not enough to become best friends, not enough to save each other from anything and everything, not enough to fight for each other..........yet.
There are two brothers group in Hastinapur, kauravas and pandavas. One who has always been neglected, look down and rejected from every type of love yet has always been called spoiled and one who got nothing yet got everything, every type of love from everyone, from elders of the palace to citizens of hastinapur. Neither in childhood Nor in adulthood, duryodhana would never tell anyone about his want for care and love cause even if he told them, they would never listen to him, never, so he has given up on it. Just the only thing he now wish for is throne and throne only, so that he could have that love and care, he hate, no hate is still a less word for it, the feeling he has gain for pandavas, only he knows that and no one else, no one else can understand him...........at least that's what he thought until that day came.
"you can't come out from this, accept defeat"
There is only one thing ringing in ears of gandhariputra, laugh of people, citizens, elders, his cousins, who he will always consider enemies and the celebration of guru Drona announcing that "Arjuna is the best archer on this earth".
Though it is all blur because of the anger and hatred he is feeling until he felt the shastra losing it's grip on his body and the silence of the people, only cutting off when guru Dronacharya shouted.
"who shot this arrow!? Come out"
Yeah, come out so that eldest of kauravas can also see who the person is to do this to guru drona's favourite student, right in front of whole public.
"it's me"
"who are you?"
"I am radheya karna, I came here to challenge to rajkumar arjuna!"
"from which rajya's prince are you?"
"I am not a Prince, I am a charioteer's son"
"huh? A charioteer's son?"
There is a chaos going in the arena yet gandhari Nandan's eyes are stuck on the figure in front of me, shining alone, not even hesitating to come out and tell his real identity, only coming out of trance when he hear bhima making fun of his saviour and Drona with bhisma pitamah is supporting him saying "a sutputra can't fight with prince" while none of others are stopping them.
Duryodhana look at everyone before stepping forward making everyone stop as he ask.
"what is your name, again?"
"radheya karna" Gandhari putra nodded before telling the maids to bring tilak as he put the tilak on karna's forehead before announcing.
"I make him the king of Anga. From today onwards, he will be the 'king of Anga - Angraj'."
Duryodhana felt eyes on him as he look beside himself to see karna looking at him blinking stupidly making him chuckle as he said while wrapping his arms around karna.
"this is the least I can do for my now.......friend.......?"
"but I don't want any rajya. You made me friend without caring about identity, prince. I vow to give my loyalty to you and I will protect you until the I die" Karna said, his eyes shinning with sincerity, posture straight, telling duryodhana that he is not telling lie and face bright.
It was at that moment duryodhana truly realised that he is in a deep hole. He even made dushasana meet karna, who also like Karna at the first moment they meet.
It is hard to ignore the gazes people give you without nay reason yet even after so many taunts like 'by being king, ones birth does not change', karna never counter back instead he proudly stand straight, telling everyone that he is proud of his mother and father and no one in this world could change it.
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"what do you think about this, suyo?"
At some moment duryodhana found himself agreeing to karna more than his mamashree. Despite karna's position as duryodhana's best friend, he never truly speak something but whenever he gives any advice, duryodhana always agrees to it without listening to his mamashree cause the small smile in karna's face at last, is more worth than anything.
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Somewhere later after two - three years, duryodhana find himself standing in front of karna's mother with his brother, dushasana and karna himself. At first she was shock but then both karna's father and mother invited the two royal children and their child inside as they both serve the children food which was definitely delicious.
Karna's house felt more like home than hastinapur palace, to both duryodhana and dushasana. At first duryodhana thought, she will treat him and dushasana different but she never did it instead she take care of them like her own child. The elders in karna's house are definitely more nicer than the elders at their palace. They are not treating them any different, she is treating them like her own child, just same as Karna.
"your guru ji must be so nice?"
"yes, he is very much nice. I wish you could meet him suyo"
After eating and helping radha Maa, duryodhana and karna walk around karna's comfort place while talking about karna's childhood. It amuses him, how 'life has never given karna anything yet karna gives it everything'. He found, karna's soul is kind, caring, generous yet strong and why should it not be? After all, he is raised in such a nice family. Unlike duryodhana's tainted heart, karna's heart is gentle and loving, always open and ready to help.
People might say karna is evil or bad since he is always beside eldest of kauravas but duryodhana knows that karna is completely opposite but because of such people beside them in hastinapur palace, karna never shows his this carefree side there.
He found himself more and similar to karna, not because of personality or heart but because of life. He and karna both has struggled to found their place in this world, always fighting for themselves yet not gaining anything but unlike karna, duryodhana is not kind enough to forgive or give something to life. If anything, he would rather take everything so that no one will be able to put finger on him.
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At some point, duryodhana noticed an unknown feeling settling in his heart, whenever he sees karna or his mood automatically becoming bad whenever karna has to leave. He might know what kind of feelings are these but he refused to acknowledge it or even thinking about despite his heart beat becoming fast when karna comes closer to him.
He knows what kind of feelings he is having but it only got confirmed when he saw karna's eyes filled with tears. The eyes that had always been shining whether from happiness or gratefulness, now are filled with tears in front of panchal raj daughter's swayamwar because of pandavas. The five people who has ruined his life and now wants to ruin his best friend's too, no, duryodhana will never let that happen.
He dragged himself out of panchal with his best friend and his brother, immediately after it's end, not wanting to hurt radheya more as they went to a place for comfort after dropping dushasana at the palace, just to promise himself that he will take revenge for karna.
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"suyo!"
The melodious voice of karna mix with his nickname given to duryodhana is the only thing duryodhana wants to listen before going anywhere just to win.
"yes mitr"
"my marriage is fixed with vrushali, you know the girl I told you about that day when we all went to my house. My childhood friend, I am going to get married to her"
Oh Radheya........his radheya.........his? No, not anymore. Despite knowing that his one objection will stop karna from getting marry to his childhood friend, he couldn't bring himself to say it. It was one time when they were at karna's house and now, when karna is smiling brightly, genuinely, happily and there is no way duryodhana could even want to remove it. How could he, when it was never obsession but something else, something he wish that it shouldn't had happened, so now gandhariputra's heart wouldn't be tearing apart, yet he nodded, hugging and congratulating his best friend with his now broken heart.
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"at last karna got married. They both look good together, right duryodhana?"
If it wasn't enough to see karna getting married, ashwatthama decided to rub salt on his wounded heart as he sighed nodding cause indeed karna is looking happy. He should be happy for his best friend since he had always ignored his feelings......he should be........he definitely should be.............DAMMIT!! Then why is yuvraj of Hastinapur is not happy for his one and only best friend!!??
Despite karna getting married, duryodhana couldn't stop his feelings, always drinking madira at night until karna himself come to Hastinapur from Anga with worry written on his face as he ask duryodhana about his problem but what should he answer to karna? That it is his own feelings? That it is about karna and vrushali's marriage? Now, he could never, so as a good best friend who doesn't want his best friend to get worried about him, duryodhana stopped drinking at night and decided to look for a wife.
It was at Kalinga, when he found himself attracted to Kalinga's first princess, Bhanumati. Even his mother has talked about her, saying how nice and elegant she is, just like a princess should be. Duryodhana with his best friend, of course, abducted Bhanumati which resulted her to get angry with duryodhana but by giving her an example of Pitamah Bhisma, duryodhana made Bhanumati agree to marry him.
It is not like he does not love Bhanumati. He definitely loves her, she is kind, she relaxed his heavy weight on his shoulders, she understood his problems inside the palace, she helped him but duryodhana couldn't bring himself love her like he loves karna.
He still do and he always will but he definitely won't let Bhanumati replace karna. Bhanumati is someone else, his wife, the person to whom duryodhana decided to tie his life with, with with whom he vowed to cherish every moment of his life but Karna is someone who took duryodhana's heart and maybe that's why he couldn't give Bhanumati his heart while saying vows. Karna is in duryodhana's every thought, in duryodhana's every smile, the only reason why duryodhana could even come this far is just because of Karna cause karna gave him strength not anyone else but Karna......cause it is Radheya Karna.
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"victory will be ours!!"
The war is not that can make duryodhana step back or make him scared, the only thought that make fear crawl inside him is karna's death, him being injured, him leaving duryodhana alone. There was not a single day that duryodhana didn't come to check on karna first after the battle.
Every time, before they went to kurukshetra, karna look at duryodhana with so much trust and sincerity in his eyes, it makes duryodhana's throat dry to think that he has a person like karna by his side.
It makes him remember the moment when karna replied to his question by saying "you have so many people beside you suyo including me, of course. If you want we all can just live far away from this place that gave you only hurt. Even Anga too, it is yours. It is just my point since you ask but always remember, whatever decision you will take, I will always be your side no matter what. Always count on me".
Maybe karna didn't understand the weight of his words or maybe he did that's why he said that but to duryodhana, it was a like a bright light shining in his dark life, he wanted to grasp it, keep it to him and him alone but he can't do that cause karna will always shine brighter but duryodhana..........karna is the only reason for duryodhana's will to live a little more. If he could, he would give his throne to karna but Karna would never accept it and he don't want to burden karna more.
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"mi...tr....."
He should be feeling something, definitely should but the only thing he could feel is numbness. Nothing and nothing, even after his best friend, the only light in his life, his will to live, his right hand, his everything is gone.........dead by the hands of his own arch nemesis. He can't bring himself to feel anything, not even a tear is rolling down from his eyes while ashwatthama is silently crying, maybe it is because his heart is also gone with karna.
"please consider this son" His own mother who has never spoken for him is now telling him to leave this war behind and make up with pandavas............for what? For whom? His has no reason to live now, the only thing he could wish for is his reunion with karna soon.
He took blessing from his mother before leaving for fight with bhima, keeping his head up with proud just like Karna has told him, back Straight, challenging bhima openly with only want in his mind that at very least, one time he will injure bhima badly just for karna, just for his everything. There was no emotion he felt when he died except one, which was happiness of meeting karna soon in afterlife and nothing, in the last he died without regret, just like a kshatriya.
If there is a next life then I wish for me to be your side always and in each life.
THE END
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