En-route to Kaampilya

"But fate was cruel....even after being pure-hearted, she couldn't get a husband." The sage exhaled deeply, with half-closed eyes.

"Then...?"

"Sorrow had garnered the depth of her heart. All hopes were lost and shattered! Mind distraught! But when the mind is distraught, it is Lord Shankar who always redeems..." Vyaas's lips curled into a lopsided smile. Arjun was listening to him, his brows furrowed, not even blinking for a moment. The son of Satyavati stood up, breathing deeply and his smile widening as he spun around. "Days passed, years passed! Yet no sign of the Lord of the Lords! But when the mind is pure and the mind is collected, no force can stop you from attaining the Almighty! Nalaayani had achieved it too!"

"The moment she was waiting for was finally there! Adidev Shankar, the Lord of the Lords, was finally in front of her!"

Arjun suddenly felt a trail of goosebumps erupt. He breathed in deeply with furrowed brows, trying to calm himself down. Lord Shiv's allusion always had a torrent of ardor within him.

The four of them looked on curiously as Vyaas continued, "Excited! Exhilarated! Enlivened! Lady Nalaayani felt all the joys of the world together! 'Ask for a boon, lady!' That's what Lord Shankar said, pleased with her utmost devotion!"

"Lady Nalaayani said, 'O Lord! I am devastated! Even after austerities, I couldn't find a husband worthy of me!' She cried piteously," Vyaas solemned, his lashes lowering for a while." Then she began, 'O Lord! O Lord of Goddess Parvati! I want a husband with all the qualities! Give me a husband with all the qualities, Lord! My husband shall possess the caliber I wish for! Lord Shankar, my husband shall be blessed with all the skills! Grant me the wish of such a worthy husband, Lord!' She wept,"

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "The Lord was intelligent....he knew that there could be no human who could be born with all the qualities together....but what to do? The Lord cannot deny a boon to his devotee! He said, 'Lady Nalaayani! I am pleased with your austerities! But, blessed soul, since you have asked for a husband with all the qualities five times, then you shall have five husbands thereafter!' "

The Pandavs immediately exchanged amused glances with each other. "Then?"

" 'I will be blemished, Lord! Five husbands?' She stared at him with shock marred on her face. The eloquent Ishaan smiled and said, "Lady, the boon you demanded is a tedious one....no man on earth can possess all the qualities! But worry not! You will still be considered pure and true, in spite of having five husbands! Each husband of yours shall possess qualities that you had demanded for, and the five of them together shall be one unit for you!' Saying so, the Lord disappeared from her sight..." 

There was a short spell of complete silence for a while. 

Yudhishthir side-eyed Bheem who was looking down with slightly furrowed brows; Nakul and Sahadev briefly looked at each other and then at the eldest; and then at Arjun. He was sitting silently with arms wrapped around his knees, the calm enigma around him was contrary to the situation, "And she is reborn as Princess Krishnaa...right?" He muttered after a while. 

Vyaas smiled a bit more, nodding. 

"But Maharshi....does, does she remember her past?" Sahadev ushered, fidgeting with the edge of his angavastra, "I mean..."

"A soul is un-tarnished, my son. A promise made in the last birth can never be forgotten. Even if she doesn't recollect, she can feel it. Sentiments do stay....You five just do what is destined for you. You have no control over consequences. It shall fall in place once you do the deed," He breathed out, smiling softly at the five of them, "I know, you shall not disappoint me. You shall see, one day Krishnaa will restore what you had lost..." 

Yudhishthir folded his hands respectively, "A-as you wish...."

The five of them did not dare to look at each other, as they kept their heads lowered. 

"All I can say is, do your Karm; consequences shall fit as per it," He stood up with a smile, supported by his holy staff "And if you'll really need my help, I'll be there, always. Yatha icchase tatha karu(Now do whatever you deem fit to be.)"

"Maharshi, halt..." An elderly woman came out of the hut hastily, carrying a bowl of fruits and some sweets she had managed to gather. Even beyond her prime, it couldn't desert the regal irradiance that burnished from within her,   "Please, do not leave without offerings!" 

Vyaas chuckled softly, raising his hand, "Not today Pritha, I will now come to accept offerings when your sons shall accept their truth." 

The five of them discreetly exchanged gazes with each other, and then peered at their mother.

Kunti's brows furrowed gradually, as she glanced at her sons, unaware of what had conspired between them all these time. Feeling a bit worried, she asked, "Wh-what happened, Maharshi? Was there any mistake in our conduct?" 

"Not a mistake, dear. Not a mistake," He shook his head, "They aren't ready to accept their truth, what to do?" 

"What truth, Maharshi?" Kunti subtly stared at Yudhishthir and raised her brows mumbling something, but the latter  immediately looked down and blinked, trying to etch a smile.

"Ask your sons, they know better..." He raised his holy stick with a smile, "Permit me to leave. May Naraayan show you the correct path!" He gazed at the Pandavs for a short while, and walked away from there, not before turning behind and exchanging the same, weird cryptic smile with Arjun. 

"What is going on? Did you'll offend your Grandsire?" Kunti brows scrunched in awe and surprise, as she looked at her five sons. 

"Maa that.." Yudhishthir gulped, looking around for a while. He peered at Kunti for a moment, and then inhaled a breath.

"What is it? Will you'll now tell me or not?" She shook her head, feeling worried with the way they were all reacting. 

"What is it?"

What did just happened to them? 

★★★★★★★★★

A/N

As promised, the snippet is here-

'When the great-hearted Pandavas lived indisguise, Vyasa, Satyavati's son, once came to see them. On seeing himcome, those scorchers of enemies advanced to meet him. They prostratedthemselves to welcome him and stood before him with folded hands.Returning their greetings, and worshipped and pleased by Pritha's sons,the sage spoke to them in affectionate words, after they were all seated,"O scorchers of enemies! Do you follow the path of dharma and that laiddown in the sacred texts? Do you worship the Brahmanas and those whodeserve worship?" The illustrious rishi uttered many words aboutdharma and artha.'Speaking about many subjects, he again said, "A great-souled rishilived in a hermitage. He had a daughter who was slender of waist andwide of hips. Her eyebrows were beautiful and she had all the qualities.Because of her earlier deeds,30 she was unfortunate. Despite beingbeautiful and pure, that girl did not get a husband. With sorrow in herheart, she then began to perform austerities so as to obtain a husband.She satisfied Shankara with her severe austerities. Gratified, theillustrious lord spoke to the ascetic lady. "O fortunate one! O beautifulone! Ask for a boon and I shall give it to you." Desirous of ensuring herown welfare, she repeatedly told the supreme god, "I want a husbandwith all the qualities." Then the eloquent Ishana31 Shankara told her, "Ofortunate one! You will have five husbands." Thus addressed, she toldShankara, "Give me only one husband." The god addressed her again inthese excellent words, "You have repeatedly asked me for a husband fivetimes. Therefore, when you are reborn in another body, it shall be as Ihave just said." That daughter of divine form was born in Drupada'sfamily, as the unblemished Krishna Parshati and is destined to be yourwife. O mighty ones! Go to the city of Panchala. There is no doubt thatyou will be happy in obtaining her as your wife." Having told thePandavas this, the greatly fortunate grandfather,32 the great ascetic, bidhis farewell to Kunti and Pritha's sons and left.'

Theoretical chapter mostly tho, 🙈🙈🙈🙈. DW we will catch up with the drama and romance step by step. This was necessary to include because most of us aren't aware; 

According to me, Draupadi's division had a lot of planning; yeah, I actually realized it while reading the texts. It wasn't just a mistake of Kunti or a jest from Arjun's part to address her as 'alms'.

Ab wo kaise hoga? Aage aage dekho sab maloom chaljaega---Vyaas had indeed given us many hints as to which why Draupadi's division was planned---More precisely, planned by Arjun only 👁👁.

And one more thing; it will be bizarre if Kunti didn't knew what conspired between the Pandavs and Vyaas--so yeah, she's also included in it.

I am trying my best to make things digestible for the readers, but some parts YOU can't. 

Because IT IS WHAT IT IS!

You have to accept Pandavas--specially Arjun weren't humans completely; THEY WERE ABOVE HUMANS and some prospects of them were indeed GODLY. Specially Arjun's, because he was Nar as well as Indra combined- so showing him PETTY won't be in my book :)

And so if Draupadi as well- Both Arjun and Draupadi were conscious souls. Draupadi because she was directly born from fire, so she had the pure consciousness too, and so did Arjun again because of being Nar. Wo samaaj me nahi dikhate wo alag baat hai--but they were. Because it's Krishnaa and Arjun who only address Krishn as the 'Narayan'. Bas un dono ko maloom tha ki wo kaun hai- 

Aur SACCHAI agar TUMHARA ego hurt hota hai, wo TUMHARI problem hai meri nahi :) 

Signing off for today!

Kiritija Nushkie