The council remained quiet for several moments.
One of the ministers finally spoke. "Maharaj, this cannot be overlooked. Raja Ripudhaman knew very well that Your Majesty had summoned all the vassal lords, yet he deliberately arranged such a great yajna at the same time and gathered twelve of them around himself. This is not an accident. He has deliberately placed his own authority above the throne."
Another minister immediately added, "And he is not merely wealthy, Maharaj. Ripudhaman is the wealthiest individual in Anga, and his influence extends far beyond his own territory. Even among the twenty lords who have accepted Your Majesty's summons, there are very few who would willingly act against his wishes. His control over the spice trade and fisheries has made him enormously powerful, and his relations with Magadha are another matter entirely. It is partly because of his relationship with Magadha that Anga has not faced pressure from Maharaj Jarasandha. Ripudhaman has maintained those commercial and political connections for years."
Karna leaned back slightly, listening without interruption.
"So he has wealth, influence, and friends outside Anga."
"Yes, Maharaj."
"And yet he has no royal authority independent of this throne?"
The question caused the ministers to exchange glances.
Karna looked toward Somadeva. "Has Hastinapura ever granted Ripudhaman sovereignty over any part of Anga? Or did the previous King of Anga make an agreement allowing him to rule his territory as an independent king?"
Somadeva immediately shook his head. "No, Maharaj. There is no such agreement. By law, every portion of Anga belongs to the King of Anga. These men are vassal lords. Their authority exists because the crown permits them to administer their territories on its behalf. They are not sovereign rulers."
Vikramjit nodded. "Keshivarma's case is therefore especially serious. He has openly rejected the authority of the throne. Whatever his claim through the former dynasty, he has no legal right to declare himself independent."
Another minister leaned forward. "And Ripudhaman should not be excused either, Maharaj. He has gathered twelve vassal lords around himself, ignored the royal summons, and conducted an important yajna without even extending an invitation to Your Majesty. If a vassal can gather half the local rulers around himself while deliberately disregarding the King, what message does that send to the rest of Anga?"
Karna remained silent.
His eyes returned to Ripudhaman's letter.
He understood the insult.
He could feel it in the careful wording, in the absence of apology, in the confidence of a man who believed his influence was sufficient to make the throne accommodate him. A ruler less patient might have seen only defiance and ordered troops to march before the ink on the letter had dried.
But Karna's thoughts settled upon something else.
The yajna.
An Ekadashaha Ahina Soma Yajna was not a feast arranged for personal entertainment. It was a sacred undertaking, one that required ritual discipline and the participation of priests and invited sacrificers, and regardless of Ripudhaman's motives, the ritual itself was not responsible for the arrogance of the man conducting it. To punish the yajna because its patron had chosen an inconvenient time would mean allowing personal anger to interfere with a religious act.
Karna slowly placed the letter upon the table.
"No."
The ministers fell silent.
"Maharaj?"
"No," Karna repeated. "We will not punish him for conducting a yajna."
The minister who had spoken earlier looked confused. "But Maharaj, he deliberately arranged it at the very time Your Majesty summoned him."
"Perhaps."
"And twelve of the vassal lords have followed him."
"I know."
"Then surely..."
Karna raised his hand, and the minister stopped.
"If a man conducts an act of adharma, punish the act. If a man breaks the law, punish the violation. But if he performs a virtuous act and we interfere with it merely because we dislike the man performing it at the wrong time, then that will show ego has taken over our minds."
He looked around the council.
"Without giving a person a choice, how can I judge the choice he makes?"
No one answered.
Karna continued, his voice calm but firm. "Ripudhaman has chosen to conduct a Soma Yajna. I will not commit a sin merely because I am displeased that he did not choose the same time that I preferred. If he has insulted the throne, that matter can be addressed after the yajna. But the yajna itself should remain undisturbed."
He paused.
"In fact, I should attend it."
Several ministers stared at him.
Karna's expression remained completely composed.
"As the protector of Anga, it is my duty to respect a sacred ritual being conducted within the territory entrusted to me. If a yajna is being performed in my kingdom for the worship of the Devas, then the King should not regard it as someone else's affair simply because the yajna's patron failed to invite him."
The ministers exchanged bewildered looks.
One finally spoke carefully. "Maharaj... Ripudhaman has not invited Your Majesty."
"I know."
"If you attend despite that, it may be considered an insult to the yajamana."
"I agree."
The minister blinked.
Karna smiled faintly. "And that is why I will not participate in the yajna."
The room became even quieter.
"I will merely attend as a spectator."
The minister looked almost alarmed. "Maharaj, you are the ruler of Dakshina Kalinga and now the King of Anga. You cannot simply stand among the people as though you were an ordinary spectator at another man's ceremony. Your presence itself carries the dignity of the royal house."
Karna's smile remained.
"The yajna is performed to please the Devas."
He looked toward the sacred lamp burning at the side of the chamber.
"Before the Devas, what is a servant and what is a king?"
No one spoke.
Karna continued, "If I enter the sacrificial enclosure and take part without invitation, then I would be using my authority to force myself into a ritual where I was not invited. That would not be humility. It would be interference. I have no right to do that."
The minister shook his head slowly. "But Maharaj, people will misunderstand. They may think that the King of Anga has gone to stand beneath Ripudhaman's authority. They may say that the wealthiest man in Anga has made even the King come to him."
Karna looked directly at him.
"Then let them watch."
The words were quiet, but they brought the entire council to silence.
"Yatha Raja, Tatha Praja."
He allowed the old principle to settle over the room before continuing.
"It is not the people who should decide how their King behaves. The King must decide how he behaves, and the people will learn from it. If I become arrogant because I fear that people may think me weak, then what will they learn? That a king must display his authority at every opportunity? That every slight must be answered? That sacred matters must bend before royal pride?"
His eyes moved toward the scrolls lying before him.
"No."
"If I show them that a King can lower his pride without lowering his dignity, perhaps they will understand the difference between the two."
The ministers remained stunned, but Karna was not finished.
"I will not stand there for all eleven days either."
Somadeva finally found his voice. "Why, Maharaj?"
"Because that would itself become a distraction."
He looked toward the letter again.
"Ripudhaman is the yajamana. The ritual belongs to him. If the King of Anga arrives and remains there for eleven days, people will spend more time watching the King than observing the yajna. Every gesture of mine will be interpreted. Every word will become a political matter. The attention of the gathering will slowly move away from the Devas and toward the throne."
Karna folded his hands upon the table.
"I will go on the final day. Until then, we will deal with the other twenty vassal lords."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"And after the yajna… we will speak to Ripudhaman about the authority he believes he possesses."