I Become Karna With a Million Times Crit System In Mahabharata.

Chapter 36 36. Cold-Hearted Woman, Kunti.

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"Queen Gandhari was not in her chamber, Where could she be? Let's go and take a look at the royal garden."

Karna came out of the chamber of Queen Gandhari after finding she was not inside. He fell into thinking, Normally this time she should be here but now she was missing. So he decided first to look through the palace and then go and take a look in the royal garden.

'I will surely be "punished" by her. After all, it's been 2 years since I came to meet her."

As he started searching for her in the palace, he thought about it. For the last 2 years, Gandhari was very busy with her official job as a queen because news came that old King Pandu, the younger brother of current king Dhritarashtra, Died because of a curse of the sage.

Ohh yeah, As Dhritarashtra feared, Elders and court members used all their power to oppose him being the king the reason being his disability, But he knew this was just that excuse they used as they knew they can't control him, So they appointed Pandu, His younger brother as a king. Although very disappointed in those elders Dhritarashtra was happy for his brother.

As for Bhisma who even abducted the princess of Gandhar with a "noble" motive to prevent the throne from being kingless, Long had forgotten why he even abducted her in the first place.

Although he did promise that the eldest son of Dhritarashtra will be king after Pandu, But everyone knows these were words said by him just to prevent the wrath of virtuous women like Gandhari from falling into the Kuru lineage.

'I guess Karma struck Kunti. If I didn't know how cold-hearted a woman she is, I might feel pity for her."

He also remembered the long-since forgotten name, The name of the woman who threw him into the river, When he was a newborn just a few minutes old.

Her fate is also a little funny in his eyes. She was fortunate enough to marry the king of the most powerful kingdom of Hastinapur Pandu, Just in the month after her incident with him.

She should be happy being the queen of a strong kingdom like Hastinapur, And she was but her happiness didn't last long, Just after marrying him they came back to Hastinapur, The moment they put a foot in the kingdom, News came that their long-term alley Madra kingdom was attacked and needed an urgent assistant.

Dhritarashtra volunteered himself to go to their aid but how could other elders allow him to show his powers and win the hearts of the subject of the kingdom?

So they directly asked Pandu to go and aid Madra, The reason being to show the prowess of the new king of Hastinapur and simple Pandu also thought of the same way, So he just go to the Kingdom of Madara with his army leaving Kunti alone on their first wedding night.

But Karma was just getting started, Pandu came back victorious from Madra but he was not alone, He came back being married to the very beautiful princess of Madra, Madari. In political marriage to strengthen their alliance.

So she had to share her husband on their first wedding night with another woman who was more beautiful than her but Karma did not stop there, He still has planned worse for her.

After the night Pandu felt guilty for Kunti, So he decided to take her and Madari to hunt. 

In the forest, Kunti saw two very beautiful golden-colored deer. Seeing that deer with luminous golden skin she wanted to have a dress made from it.

Pandu being the warrior caliber of Ati-Rathi warrior, Put the arrow on the bow in a swift motion and launched on the vital parts of both deer.

But it turns out that, They were not normal deer but was a sage and his wife making love to each other. 

As that single arrow pierced both of them, the Wife of sage died directly on impact but sage with his last breath cursed Pandu that just like he killed him, When he was making love to his wife, He too die the same way, The moment Pandu makes the physical relationship with a woman, Death will take him in her arms.

Hearing the curse Pandu wanted to apologize and ask for forgiveness but he found that the sage long left that body, There was no breath left in it.

Dejected Pandu took an oath that he will leave his position as a king and live in the forest as punishment for his actions, Leaving the throne of Hastinapur empty, So elders having no choice made Dhritarashtra king.

Madri and Kunti too followed him into the forest. Then after a year of seeing that Pandu wanted a child, Kunti revealed the mantra of Saint Durvasa to him that she can provoke any god (Deva) and ask for a son from them. 

Though her motive seems noble at first glance but she was making big plans. She finds out that Gandhari even after a year couldn't give birth, So she decided that if she had a child before her, Then her child would be the one who became the crown prince and later king of Hastinapur. Ignoring that Pandu had given up rights to the throne, Meaning his sons too had no right over it as the father had to pass down his rights to his son.

But she was not without ways for that problem. She purposefully decides to use the mantra to provoke the God of Death and Dharma, Yama. This way she put more chips on her side, If anyone points out that he had no right, She can just say that her eldest is a son of the god of Dharma, So making his seat on the throne is equivalent to putting Dharma on the throne. That's how her eldest son Yudhister was born. 

Yudhister being the son of the god of Death and Dharma, Received fearlessness in front of death and little knowledge of Dharma as a gift from his celestial father Yama.

Her plan was foolproof but then she heard the boon of Gandhari and what happened later. This made her a little unsure, If Gandhari had 100 sons then how can her single son be able to fight them? So she indirectly put the idea in mind of Pandu, As Pandu was a simple-minded man, He didn't see through her plan, So he excitedly agreed. 

So to give her first son strength, She used a mantra that provoked the god of wind and strength, Varuna. This way she received her 2nd son, The son of the wind god Bheemsena, Also known as Bheema. Bheema got immense strength as a gift from his celestial father, Varuna.

But she was still unsure, Although there was "Dharma" and strength on her side, Her group still lacked a military strategist, So she again convinced Pandu, Of course making sure that he thinks this was his idea.

So then using the mantra she provoked the King of gods, Indra. This is how her 3rd son Arjun was born. Being the son of Indra, Arjun received the gift of very strong arms (Weapons) talent especially archery talent was very good.

She thought that she had all the winning cards but the variable appeared. Seeing Kunti being a mother and she was without a child, Madari asked Pandu and Pandu then asked Kunti to share her mantra with Madari.

Although reluctant she had to maintain her virtuous wife's facade, So she gave that mantra to Madari thinking that she can only ask for one child, So she was not a threat to her status but she underestimated Madaris's intelligence. 

Madari directly used the mantra to provoke Ashwini Kumar, The chief medic of gods, and The twin sons of lord Surya. As Ashwini counted as one god, She received twins named Nakul and Shadeva.

Nakul was given the beauty and talent of being a medic, While Shadeva received the intelligence and the talent of being an astrologer. As a gift for being the son of Ashwini Kumars.I think you should take a look at

Seeing that Madari outsmarted her, Kunti was enraged, She decided that she will never give this mantra to her again.

Then Karma again struck.  

That unholy day came,  As she was close to convincing Pandu to go back to Hastinapur. Pandu couldn't control his lust when he saw the beautiful Madurai taking water from the river and ending up making love to her.

As he did that, Curse's power struck and killed him on the spot. When Kunti finds this out, Dual emotions strike her, One being sorrow of losing a husband and the other being jealousy of Madari, As he chose Madari over her.

Madari too was guilty, After handing her two newborn twins in her care, She jumped on the cremation fire of Pandu, And sati herself.

Although Kunti felt sad, Her motive did not change. She quickly sent news of the death of the late king Pandu in Hastinapur but for a year she didn't come to Hastinapur no matter how much elders requested. Saying she should respect her husband's decision to live in the forest with their children.

After playing this game with the elders of Hastinapur royals for a year, When they virtually begged her to come back, Then she said that for to respect her elders, She decided to come back to the palace.

This action of her not only solidified her identity as a virtuous wife but also as a poor woman who respects elders, This one mere action let her gain the favor of most if not all royal elders.

This is a cold-hearted, Strategical minded woman, Kunti's past of the last 7 years.

"She was not here, Let's go and check, Royal garden."

Karna after searching the palace didn't find the Gandhari, So he decided to go and search the garden.

——— In the Royal Garden ——— 

"How dare you fatty Bheem dare to hurt Sushala? Give those mangos back, We are the ones who harvested them from the tree. If you want, Tree was right there, break a few for yourself."

Suyodhana roared, As he saw crying Sushala was next to him, All the mangos in her arms were snatched by the 2nd son of Kunti Bheema. Most of them fell on the ground while that fatty started eating two mangos with both hands.

"What about it? It's just a few fruits, Don't be stingy. As you said, Tree is right there go and take a few for yourself. Don't bother me when I am eating."

Bheema didn't stop eating and said these self-centric words arrogantly. After all, he thinks of himself as a superior being the son of the god, So in his eyes, there is nothing wrong with him doing this.

"You-  "

Suyodhan was angry and was about to make a move but a small tender hand stopped him. He looked side towards Sushala who was in fear motioning him to stop.

After all, Bheem had received a gift from his celestial father of strength, In the past every time they decided to oppose him, He always beat them half dead. 

When Suyodhana made the move to save his brothers, The elders blamed him saying that Bheema lost his parent, So they should share things with him, As for Bheem beating his brother was ignored by them. After all one is a demi-god while the other was just a mere mortal born from the boon.

Although Suyodhan had the body of Vajra* since birth, They decided to ignore this part. In their eyes, Suryodhan was a bad omen as when he came out of the pot, terrible signs like stormy rain and wind appeared in the kingdom. Which was a sign that the one who destroy the kuru lineage is born. If not for Gandhari protecting him like a mother hen, They should have killed him right at that moment.

But they failed to notice that the same night Bheema was born too.

"You...You can eat these mangos, Just don't eat me, I don't taste good, My...My brothers too do not taste good, So don't eat them."

Sushala tremblingly said to Bheem, and hide behind her brother Suyodhan's back. She only poked her little head out. 

She said these words out of genuine fear, But when these words were heard by Bheem felt it was an insult.

So in anger, he stands up like a mad bull, ready to attack her.

"Protect Sasha."

Three brothers reacted quickly and stand front of  Sushala to protect her. They will never let any harm fall on their little sister.

(A/N : Well somehow, I got the motivation, And write this chapter quickly, So here you go, Enjoy.

[1] Sati : In ancient India, there was a ritual in which a wife will burn herself in the cremation fire of her husband WILLINGLY. She only had to do it if she wanted to. 

[2] Unlike popular belief, Suyodhan had a Vajra body since birth.

[3] Vajra : Vajra's body is like the skin of Diamond

Thank you for reading and have a good day ?.)