A few days before the war broke out, mother Kunti asked Karna to come and meet her. And that noble warrior came. They met at a small temple on the edge of the desert, half a day's chariot ride from the city of Astina.

It was getting dark. Karna dismounted from his horse and ordered his guards to stand at a distance. Inside the temple, illuminated by three torches on the wall, he saw the woman standing, waiting. Nobody else was to be seen. Only a