The empire of taste spread faster than armies.
In every city where the "Suryakant Kitchens" opened, crowds poured in—merchants, farmers, nobles, priests, even travelers from distant lands. Bread baked golden, milk boiled into sweets, spices blended into symphonies. The aroma of Karna's creations became a banner more powerful than any crest.
Coins flowed like rivers. From a single hall in a village, Karna's vision had grown into a network stretching across Aryavarta—from the holy ghats of Kashi to the bustling bazaars of Mathura, from the palaces of Hastinapura to the trade ports of Tamralipti.
Varunesh, standing over scrolls of accounts, laughed in disbelief."Karna, do you realize? In a single year, your kitchens have earned more than the treasury of a small king. Your name is spoken in every marketplace—not as warrior, not as sutaputra, but as 'Annapati,' the Lord of Food."
Karna shook his head, smiling faintly. "Gold weighs heavy, brother. Heavier than swords. We must be careful. Wealth that grows too fast attracts not only merchants, but vipers in royal robes."
Jealous Kings
Karna's words proved true.
In Kuru court, whispers rose. "This son of a charioteer has grown richer than our governors."In Kosala, a minister sneered. "His kitchens steal our farmers' loyalty."In Magadha, the king himself frowned. "If the people eat in his halls, who will bow to my feasts?"
Some rulers tried quiet sabotage. Taxes on grain were suddenly doubled. Caravans carrying sugar and spices were attacked by "bandits" who curiously spared royal caravans. Priests were bribed to declare his food unclean.
One evening in Hastinapura, Varunesh rushed to Karna with worry."Brother, the king of Kosala has ordered our kitchens shut! He claims they defile caste order. If we fight, he will crush us. If we flee, we lose face."
Karna's face was calm, but his eyes burned with strategy. "Then we shall neither fight nor flee. We shall feed."
The Banquet of Diplomacy
Karna sent word to Kosala's court: he wished to host a grand feast in honor of the king and his nobles. Curiosity and pride made the king agree, if only to humiliate the sutaputra.
The day came. In the royal hall, Karna laid out dishes no king had seen—bread soft as clouds, rice fragrant with saffron, meat sealed in clay pots until its aroma filled the air, sweets shaped like jewels and dusted with silver leaf.
The nobles tasted, eyes widening in disbelief. Even the proud king, despite himself, licked honey from his fingers.
Karna bowed low. "Maharaja, this kitchen is yours. Take twenty shares of its profit each year. Let your kingdom flourish with its wealth. Let your name be praised as the patron of abundance."
The hall erupted in cheers. The king, caught between pride and delight, could only nod. In that moment, sabotage turned into partnership.
A Network of Profit
Karna repeated this strategy across kingdoms.
To rulers, he offered shares of revenue.To priests, he donated food for festivals.To merchants, he gave contracts to supply grain, spices, and milk.
Soon, kings who once plotted against him began boasting:"In my land, the great Suryakant Kitchens thrive!"
Some even begged him to open more, sending soldiers to guard his caravans, waiving taxes in return for a cut of the profit.
Varunesh marveled. "Brother, you have done what armies cannot. You have conquered kingdoms with taste and gold, without spilling a drop of blood."
Karna's smile was faint. "No, Varunesh. I have not conquered them. I have merely fed their hunger—hunger for food, hunger for wealth. But men's hungers are endless. One day, they may demand more than I can give."
Richer than Kings
Within five years, Karna's wealth surpassed that of many rulers. His kitchens employed thousands—farmers, cooks, merchants, potters, guards. Gold flowed so freely that even Hastinapura's treasurers secretly compared his coffers with the royal treasury.
He built granaries larger than palaces, cold-stores in caves packed with ice from mountains, and bakeries that worked day and night. Caravans bearing his seal became as respected as royal processions.
Children sang rhymes:"Eat at the Sun's hall, taste joy for all!"
Wives prayed not just for rain, but for a Suryakant Kitchen in their town.
Karna's name was no longer just sutaputra. It was spoken with awe:"Feeder of Millions.""Lord of Kitchens.""Richer than Kings."
Shadows of Resentment
But wealth has two faces.
Some kings smiled while taking his gold, yet in secret resented his growing fame. Ministers warned their rulers: "Today he feeds, tomorrow he may rule." Priests whispered: "His bread breaks our purity. Soon the people will forget caste."
Even allies muttered in jealousy. Farmers who once praised him now grumbled that his fame eclipsed their toil. Rival merchants spread rumors of poison in his sweets.
One night, Varunesh confronted him."Karna, are we wise to keep growing? Already kings fear you. Already priests curse you. You buy their silence with gold, but can gold buy peace forever?"
Karna gazed into the darkness. "Brother, the wheel of fate turns whether we run or stand still. If they envy me, so be it. If they hate me, so be it. I was born with nothing, yet the gods gave me this chance. Should I hide it? No. I will build until destiny itself stops me."
The Feast of Unity
To silence critics, Karna organized something unprecedented—a Great Feast of Unity.
He invited kings, merchants, priests, and commoners alike to one massive gathering in the fields of Kurukshetra. Enormous ovens were built. Milk flowed in streams, sweets piled into mountains, bread baked in hundreds of ovens.
Tens of thousands gathered. For three days, they ate side by side, forgetting rank and pride. Songs were sung of Karna's kitchens, children danced, and even stern nobles could not deny the power of this unity.
On the final day, Karna rose before the crowd and said:
"Today, you have tasted what Aryavarta could be—one table, one people, one joy. Kings, take your shares. Priests, take your offerings. Farmers, take your fair price. But never forget—this wealth belongs first to the stomach of the hungry, not to the greed of the powerful."
The crowd roared his name. Even some kings, shamed, applauded.
The Silent Warning
Yet not all clapped. In Hastinapura, Duryodhana watched the feast with narrowed eyes.
"This sutaputra," he murmured, "feeds more men than I command in armies. He gives gold more freely than I receive in taxes. Tell me, what is he building—a kitchen, or a kingdom?"
Beside him, Shakuni smiled darkly. "A kingdom of food, nephew. And kingdoms can topple thrones. Watch him carefully. For if he can unite men at a table, he may one day unite them on a battlefield."
Karna, unaware of the venomous stares, continued feeding the masses, his heart pure. But fate, patient as ever, waited just beyond the horizon.