The sky above southern Panchala had begun to change.
Karna and Arjuna stood facing each other, their attention fixed on the weapons they had invoked, neither willing to lower their hands first. The light surrounding their bodies grew brighter as the power of the Brahmastras answered their calls, and the air between them trembled beneath the weight of two weapons that were never meant to be used carelessly.
A deep rumble rolled across the heavens.
The clear sky turned a frightening shade of red, while dark clouds gathered overhead, flashing with streaks of lightning that seemed to tear through the heavens themselves.
Fierce winds swept across the outskirts of Kampilya, bending trees and scattering dust across the ground.
The earth shuddered beneath the warriors' feet, and the rivers flowing through the region churned as though an unseen force had disturbed their beds.
Birds abandoned their nests in frantic flocks, while animals fled from the forests, their cries rising above the growing roar of the storm.
Even those who had no understanding of divine weapons could sense that something terrible was about to happen.
Karna remained still, his gaze fixed on Arjuna as the power of his Brahmastra continued to gather.
He knew what would happen if the two weapons collided.
The consequences would not be limited to the men standing before each other, nor would the destruction spare those who had played no part in their quarrel.
Yet neither warrior had withdrawn his weapon, and the dreadful moment approached with every passing breath.
Then, without warning, a brilliant flash of lightning descended between them.
A figure materialized within the blinding radiance, standing directly in the path of the two Brahmastras.
The lightning curled around him, illuminating his divine form as the storm continued to rage overhead.
His sudden appearance brought a change to Karna's expression.
The seriousness that had settled over his face gave way to a small, knowing smile, and the tension in his eyes eased as though he had been waiting for this very moment.
Arjuna, however, stared at the newcomer in confusion. He had expected Karna to either yield or continue the confrontation, but he had not anticipated the sudden arrival of another divine being.
Far away in Hastinapur, Bhishma had been discussing security arrangements with the Senapati when the first tremor passed through the palace. The sound of their conversation faded as the earth shook beneath their feet, causing the ornaments hanging along the nearby pillars to rattle against one another. Bhishma stopped speaking in the middle of a sentence, his expression sharpening as he turned toward the open balcony.
Without waiting for the Senapati to ask what had happened, he strode toward it, his pace quickening with every step.
When he reached the balcony, he raised his eyes toward the sky. The clouds above Hastinapur had taken on an unnatural reddish hue, and distant flashes of lightning illuminated their darkened edges. The wind swept through the palace grounds, stirring the trees and sending birds fleeing from their perches.
Bhishma's gaze remained fixed on the heavens. He did not need anyone to confirm what was happening. The signs were unmistakable.
The Brahmastra.
His jaw tightened as the realization settled over him. The power gathering in the atmosphere could not have come from an ordinary celestial weapon. Two Brahmastras had been invoked, and the disturbance suggested that their bearers were preparing to unleash them against each other.
Two Maharathis had invoked the Brahmastra against one another.
A grave expression settled over Bhishma's face.
His gaze shifted toward the south, in the direction of Panchala, where Draupadi's Swayamvara was taking place. The disturbance appeared to be coming from that region, and the timing left him with little doubt that the confrontation was connected to the gathering.
But who would be willing to take matters so far?
The Swayamvara had drawn powerful warriors from across Aryavarta, and disagreements between them would hardly have been surprising.
Yet an argument severe enough to make two Maharathis invoke the Brahmastra against each other was something else entirely.
Bhishma knew that even the most capable warriors could allow pride and anger to cloud their judgment, but the thought of two such weapons colliding filled him with unease.
He leaned forward slightly, his fingers tightening around the balcony railing as he watched the sky.
"If this is happening in Panchala… then I can't stop this..."
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the disturbance vanished.
The reddish hue faded from the heavens, the flashes of lightning ceased, and the terrible pressure that had settled over the land disappeared. The wind gradually weakened, leaving the palace grounds strangely quiet after the brief but overwhelming disturbance.
Bhishma stared at the now-settling sky, his brows drawing together.
"What happened?"
"Someone must have intervened. But who had possessed enough authority to stop two Brahmastras once they had been invoked?"
His expression grew thoughtful as he continued looking toward Panchala. Whatever had happened there, he needed to learn the truth.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Kampilya in Dakshina Panchala, the Brahmastra surrounding Karna disappeared almost as soon as Lord Indra materialized between the two warriors.
Karna had already begun chanting the Upasamhara mantra, withdrawing his weapon without wasting even a moment after Indra's arrival. The divine radiance surrounding him diminished, and the destructive energy gathering around his Brahmastra dispersed before it could strike anything. The storm overhead began to subside, and the trembling earth gradually grew still.
Indra watched Karna with a flicker of surprise.
"Hmm?"
He had appeared intending to stop the confrontation before the two weapons could collide, yet Karna had begun withdrawing his own Brahmastra without waiting for an order. There had been no hesitation in his actions, nor any attempt to use the situation to his advantage.
Arjuna, on the other hand, remained bewildered. He looked from Indra to Karna, trying to understand what had just happened. Bhima stood nearby, his expression tense as he watched the two warriors, while Draupadi, who had been seated on her horse, dismounted and approached them.
The three of them joined their palms in reverence before the King of Heaven.
Indra acknowledged their greetings with a slight movement of his head.
His attention soon returned to Karna, and the reason for the warrior's immediate response became clear to him. Karna had understood the danger of allowing the two Brahmastras to collide. Rather than challenge Indra's authority or insist upon continuing the confrontation, he had withdrawn his weapon at once.
Karna brought his palms together and bowed his head respectfully.
"Greetings, Lord Indra."
Indra raised one hand in blessing, his expression softening as he looked at the son of Suryanarayana.
"May you be blessed, son."
After blessing Karna, Indra turned toward Arjuna. The warmth in his expression faded, replaced by the seriousness appropriate to the matter before him.
"Karna has withdrawn his Brahmastra. Now withdraw the Brahmastra you have invoked as well."
Arjuna's gaze shifted toward Karna.
For a moment, he studied the other warrior's face, searching for some indication of what had prompted him to summon a weapon of such terrible power. Karna, however, offered no explanation. He stood quietly before Indra, his expression composed, leaving Arjuna to address the matter himself.
"Indradev, forgive my impudence," Arjuna began, keeping his palms joined, "I never intended to use the Brahmastra against him. It was my last resort. I expected him to step aside so that we could leave, but I never imagined that he would answer my invocation with another Brahmastra."
Indra listened without interrupting. When Arjuna finished, the King of Heaven shook his head with a faint smile, though his eyes remained serious.
"He did not invoke the Brahmastra to challenge yours, son. He invoked it to summon me to stop you."
Arjuna fell silent.
Indra continued, making certain that the young warrior understood the distinction. "Karna is the disciple of Bagwan Parashurama. He knows what would happen if two Brahmastras were allowed to collide. Despite his constant audacious behavior of overstepping into my authority of giving rains to the undeserving, he will never put the world into danger. He chose to summon me to stop you, I believe."
Arjuna glanced at Karna again. The explanation left him with more questions than answers. He had assumed that Karna's response was an act of defiance, another attempt to force him into submission. He had not considered that the other warrior might have invoked the weapon for an entirely different purpose.
Yet the confrontation had begun because Karna had refused to let them leave, and Arjuna was not prepared to abandon his own account of what had happened merely because Indra had arrived.
He turned back toward the King of Heaven, his expression growing solemn.
"Indradev, you are the King of Heaven. Hence, I ask you to judge this matter fairly. If you promise to hear both sides and give your judgment without favouring either of us, I will withdraw my Brahmastra."
Indra regarded him for a moment before nodding.
"Very well, Arjuna. I promise to judge the matter fairly."
Only after hearing those words did Arjuna begin chanting the Upasamhara mantra. The energy surrounding his Brahmastra gradually faded, and the remaining divine radiance disappeared from the air. With its withdrawal, the last traces of the unnatural disturbance passed from the surroundings, leaving the warriors standing beneath a sky that was slowly returning to normal.
Indra waited until Arjuna had finished. He then looked directly at him, his expression calm but firm.
"From your words, Arjuna, you claim to be the one who was wronged in this confrontation. Do you wish to tell me your side of the story?"
Arjuna drew a measured breath, his gaze briefly moving toward Karna before returning to the King of Heaven.