Four years passed in the blink of an eye.
Hastinapur, the capital city of the Kuru Kingdom;
King Pandu, Queen Kunti, and Queen Madri were seen in ascetic clothes. The three of them are leaving the kingdom to live in the forest for the rest of their lives.
As for why, it is because of the curse of King Pandu that he received by unknowingly committing a sin.
Just like any king, King Pandu used to go to the forest to hunt deer and boars. At one time, he spotted two deer, which were in the middle of mating. He shot the arrows and killed one of them, while almost killing the second one.
He stepped down from the chariot and went down to claim his prize. However, what is welcomed is the sight of a couple instead. It turned out that a rishi and his wife were having intercourse in the form of deer for some unknown reason.
The Sage, who was on the brink of death, cursed him that Pandu could not participate in intercourse with a woman in his entire life. And when he does it, he will die.
Considering himself not only as a sinner for killing two innocent humans but also as an irresponsible king who cannot produce an heir, Pandu decides to live in the forest. As a result, his two wives also followed him.
On the way, Kunti remembers the warning she received from the Sun God.
As soon as she married her husband in a swayamvara, he went to war, and then, later, continued with going on conquering neighboring kingdoms. And when he returned, he wasn't alone but brought Madri after conquering the kingdom of Madra.
Kunti felt like it was probably her karma to face situations like these.
Soon, the three of them left Hastinapur, leaving behind a depressing atmosphere at the palace.
Time passed. Bheeshma crowned the blind elder brother, Dhritharastra, as the king of the Kuru Kingdom, announcing that he would only serve as temporary king until a worthy heir took over.
Meanwhile, at Suryaloka;
Karna turned nine years old. He was meditating in a secluded forest, instead of playing with kids of his age.
"Om Namah Shivaya." "Om Namah Shivaya." "Om Namah Shivaya."
While he was meditating, he was chanting a simple mantra, praying to Lord Shiva.
Karna's age was too low that even he didn't know whether he was devoted to Lord Shiva or simply wanted boons, as there are certain desires in him that only a Supreme Being can provide him. But, for now, he pursued what he believed to be right.
Unlike the sages or the asuras who chant their respective deities' names for years without food or water, Karna's meditation was pretty much lax. The reason is that he doesn't want to upset his mother. There's also a lack of concentration as he didn't take it too seriously.
That's why this meditation became more like a daily activity from 6 to 9 in the morning, and then, from 2 to 5 in the afternoon.
It was never as intense as the asuras who do this to acquire boons. Nevertheless, his concentration was at its peak, even greater than theirs. During the meditation, Karna couldn't even feel the wind around him.
Another strange thing is that some strange divine energy also seemed to be protecting him from any disturbance. In one instance, about a year ago, when he first started this activity, a couple of soldiers came to the spot to take him back under Goddess Sangya's order.
However, they weren't even able to go near him. When Sangya personally came and saw it, she finally realized that her fears were true. Her son is gifted and blessed by the Supreme Gods, which means he was born for a reason, just like her other sons.
As the wife of the Sun God, she can't order her son to stop chanting the mantras of the Supreme Gods. So, there are only two options left for her. Either prolong his longevity or trap him in material desires.
As a mortal, Karna is destined to die. There are only two ways to avoid this. One is that the celestial nectar can prolong his life, along with providing higher knowledge and power.
The other way is to get a boon from one of the Supreme Gods. While they won't give immortality to Karna because it would go against nature, still... he can put a stop to his death to live longer. Then, all he needed was to make sure he stayed in the path of dharma. Unless he commits numerous sins like the asuras, no god will take his life.
But Sangya knew both ways were not viable. The gods sitting in heaven will not let Karna consume Amrita, and she doesn't want Karna to follow the second way, which is filled with the life of rishis.
So, all she can do is trap her son in material desires. Luckily for her, there's already something that she can use to fulfill her agenda. But it isn't the right time. So, she can only wait until then.
Six months later;
It was Karna's tenth birthday.
Just like every year, all the family members of Lord Surya and Sangya are invited for the celebrations, but as usual, only Goddess Yamuna, Lord Yama, and his wife arrived at the palace. The others are too busy that they couldn't make it. Moreover, there was this discrimination against a mortal.
"Eldest Sister-in-Law, what kind of book is this?" Karna asked curiously as he received a birthday present from Goddess Urmila, the wife of Lord Yama and daughter of Lord Brahma.
Letting out a smile, she replied, "It is the one that you keep asking your brother. Garuda Purana."
"Urmila, he's a kid. The book isn't appropriate for him." Goddess Sangya immediately reprimands her for giving Karna such a book with complex topics.
"But, wouldn't it be better if he learned it beforehand. After all, he eventually had to go..." As Urmila tried to defend her actions, Sangya interrupted her with a raised voice. "Urmila..."
Looking at Sangya's serious expression, Goddess Urmila realized that Karna didn't know the truth yet. She shut her mouth. Meanwhile, Yama changed the topic to divert his attention from the matter, as he knew this little mortal half-brother of his was curious about everything and was very intelligent to draw conclusions. "Karna, tell me. Do you have any wishes?"
Karna replied right away, "Eldest brother, you are a great devotee of Lord Shiva. What should I do so that he will accept me as his disciple?"
Everyone, including Lord Yama, Goddess Urmila, Goddess Sangya, Lord Surya, and servants nearby, gasped in surprise. The words that escaped from Karna aren't simple ones that they can ignore.
"Karna, do you know who Lord Shiva is? Do you know who his past disciples are? It's not something that can happen just because one wants to. They needed to be destined." Goddess Urmila tried to make him understand that he wasn't qualified to even think about such a thing.
Meanwhile, Sangya's heart skipped a beat. She doesn't even want her son to be indulged in devotion to the Supreme God, but now her son wants to be a disciple of Lord Shiva? How could she be calm?
On the other hand, Lord Surya thought that he was just a kid and didn't possess the knowledge of the things outside the Suryaloka. That's why he didn't take it seriously and went with the flow. "Son, why do you want to be Mahadeva's disciple?"
Karna answered truthfully, "Years ago, Eldest brother said that devotion to a Supreme Being is what one connects to Para Brahman. If Mahadeva is my guru, then I wouldn't need to worry about devoting myself to him."
Lord Yama looked away and didn't meet his mother's eyes. He was afraid of her anger as he knew how much his mother doted on Karna. And he can also understand her view. After all, she missed the childhood of him and his sister as she left for tapasya when they were born. They grew up under Goddess Chhaya's care during her absence. Manu was left on earth as soon as he was born. The same with Ashwini Kumaras.