Suryadev decided to retire for the day and bathed Indra's domain in red, resembling the vermillion that was smeared on the hair parting of married women in the Kingdom of Hastinapur.

As the sun set, the entourage of royal women and their maids set forth for the Palace. The cool evening breeze danced around them and filled Mrithika with an unusual sensation. She felt how relaxed and different it was then life at Kalyug. Everyone seemed to be engaged in a rat race back at Kalyug and no one could stop and catch a breath without being trampled on.

It had more of a countryside feel than the busy city life that was more common in the future 5000 yrs later. The vibe here was divine, rich and ancient. Something which Modern India lacks and Mrithika didn't know wether to blame the constant invasions or the wannabe mindset of the people to blindly follow the west.

Even in the genres of history, she preferred Ancient Indian over the others. Mainly because they didn't pass the vibe check or were too whitewashed.

The crowd in the dusty but clean streets parted away like the Red Sea for the royal women. The citizens looked at Pritha in awe for her selfless act of raising her five sons into renowned warriors and being the first wife of the late king of Hastinapur, Maharaj Pandu.

Some even recognised Mrithika to be the latest addition to the Palace and gawked at her curiously. 'Guess those gossips managed to find their way beyond the palace walls too' Mrithika thought humourlessly as she continued walking despite the stares directed her way.

The evening reflected a golden glow around the surroundings. The architecture was a bit different but similar to the forts, havelis and palaces found in Jodhpur. The Palace of Hastinapur was huge and gave her a nostalgia of the Meherangarh Fort, expect it was not situated atop a hill.

"Devi, Devi", a croaked voice called out to her making her turn to it's source. A bedraggled man who seemed to be in his mid- twenties , looked up at her with pleading look and continued, "please spare some alms. I've been hungry for nearly five days"

Mrithika had an uneasy look upon her face and it wasn't any better when she saw everyone staring at her expectantly. She wasn't sure if people had heard how awful Kalyug was with equally merciless and Adharmic beings. She sighed and reached out for the sacrament that she placed in a wooden basket along with the other worship material when Kunti stopped her.

"Putri, it's not wise to give your sacrament after worship. Your prayers will be answered to the them, not you", She explained with a grave expression. Mrithika looked helpless at her words. She decided against donating her jewellery since they were a gift from Maharani Gandhari and Kunti and it wasn't like jewellery will help a beggar get his meal without being accused of stealing.

Whispers broke out in the crowd with some eyeing her in a disapproving manner. She cursed her luck and gritted her teeth. She had no money with her either. Even the dasis that accompanied them looked at her condescendingly.

"It's a test, Sakhī. What will you do? Money and food aren't the only way to help a human," Krishna's magical voice echoed in her head, easing the agitation away.

Mrithika racket her brains as fast as she could. Time was running out and she needed to make a decision before her reputation crumbled like a stack of cards. She was well aware of how people in this era valued reputation more than wealth. She was never the one to care of what other thought of her because in her opinion, people always had something something to say despite all the pleasing.

But this was different. The situation concerned more of humanitarian values than personal honour over materialistic things.

It was a matter of Dharmā.

Immediately an idea struck her but she wasn't positive if it would work out or not. Anyways trying is better than not attempting at all.

"Instead of working for your meals you have sought begging and your body has not yet shown any signs of a disability that prevents you from doing so," Mrithika reprimanded him sternly. The whispers that travelled in the air now ceased at her words. The onlookers scrutinised at her curiously, meanwhile, Kunti's face was straight without betraying any emotions.

"I did try my hand at searching for work but, life had been cruel and everywhere I went, I was denied a chance at earning respectfully", The beggar explained with his voice breaking at the end.

"The past does not matter now, would you still like to work instead of begging from everyone? Even if it meant to work as a das in the King's palace"? Mrithika asked him, ignoring the confused whispers of the citizens.

A determined and hopeful glint shone in the beggar's eye before he said, "I will, Devi".

The princess of Jodhpur smiled satisfactorily and turned to Kunti who held a shell shocked look, "Mata Kunti, is it fine to admit this man as a das in the palace"?

Kunti hesitated before replying, "Perhaps he can work in the stables or the gardens. I shall consult Jiji regarding this." She turned towards the beggar and said, "You can stay in the servants quarters and a regular meal of three times a day".

The beggar bowed in gratitude and thanked both the women, "I shall always be in debt to your kindness, especially you Rajkumari".

Mrithika acknowledged his appreciation with a nod of her head, " Might I ask your name"?

"It's Charan, Rajkumari", he responded humbly.

Mrithika left the place along with Kunti and the others. She could see that the same group of bystanders and dasis who judged her harshly, now seemed impressed by her resolution. Even receiving praises for her gesture. She noticed how Kunti's face held a satisfactory expression and recalled Krishna's voice resonate the word 'test' in her head that made her wonder whether this was all purposefully arranged manually or by fate itself.

Whatever it was, she was glad that she managed to cook up a quick solution before it was too late to earn a chance at getting good karmā. But an unsettling thought voiced itself in her head that tests far more difficult than this would emerge in the near future and it was enough to fill her with dread, for the time being.

                                   ─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

"You know Koel", Mrithika started whilst reclining against the wall of her classroom. Koel looked lifted an eyebrow in a questioning gesture. She knew what her friend was going to talk about when she started in a wistful tone as if thinking big about the future. Which was quite the contrary since Mrithika was never the one to care about the future. She was more of a 'go with flow' kind of person than to meticulously plan ahead for a certain event.

"What"? Koel drawled in response.

"That everyone and everything that is born in this planet has to die someday or the other? I feel like, if we know that we're gonna die someday, we might as well go with flair".

Koel had an unimpressed look on her face with her chin cupped in her hand,"Flair? Really, Mrits? Even if you die of cholesterol the entire media team is going to go on about it for years. After all, you're the princess of Jodhpur from the esteemed Rathore clan" Koel mocked with her fingers making air quotes at the mention of the Rathore clan.

Mrithika made a face at her, "Eww! I did not mean cholesterol by flair! What I meant was, something really grand that would just shake the world and be talked about for years to come by. Something that will rattle the minds of the common folk".

"Basically you want your demise to be mystery, right"? Koel suggested. She knew where she was getting to. Her friend could be quite dramatic at times.

"Yes"! Mrithika's eyes glinted with excitement as she added, "I want people to keep discussing about it! Make theories, be baffled! It should be like... I just disappeared off the face of the earth without a trace"!

                                ─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

"The disappearance of the youngest member of the Rathore family has reached a dead-end. The mystery of the lost princess who has been missing since the past two years has been missing ever since. Sources say that no evidence till now has been found either by the police not by the CBI. It seems as if Mrithika Rathore has vanished from the face off the earth," A NEWS anchor announced solemnly with lingering suspense in the atmosphere.

A deep frown appeared on the face of the woman in red. She sneered at the TV screen as the anchor spoke further.

She rolled her eyes at their false information. Mrithika was not missing since two years. Instead, she was missing since only the last two months. The lack of evidence could be blamed on her and her unfair uses of black magic to erase them out. The other part could be directed at the Jodhpur police's incompetence and fear due to the woman's bribes and blackmails.

Despite that, the police was merely aware of the fact that the lost princess did return after two years of disappearance only to vanish again. The reason of her earlier disappearance was never known and neither did the woman ever bothered to disclose it to them. Being the biggest influential person in the whole of Jodhpur and Rajasthan had earned her both power and attention from unwanted sources.

Though she had managed to curb the interference of the police department, she wasn't so sure about the CBI. If the CBI got a whiff of her doings, then it was all over for her and her years of extensive hard work to build up whatever she had managed to do so in the earlier stages.

Her eyes drifted over to a photo frame hanging on one of the walls of her study. But the thing that agitated her further was the familiar face of Mrithika grinning back at her while posing with her fingers making a v - shape.

She gritted her teeth and marched furiously over to the wall — snatching the photograph off the wall she flung it across the room in rage. The glass display over the photo and it's wooden frame shattered into smithereens, but Mrithika's grin was still intact. As if mocking the woman for slipping past her fingers...again.

A/N

So many of you might have been confused at seeing a different book in your reading lists or when you were trying to search for AMITAVĀ you would have found a diff book under a different name and a different blurb too but ....yes I have changed the title.

Tbh, while writing this book I had no idea what to name it and have picked up AMITAVĀ as a working one until I've found a suitable title that would aptly fit the description and soul of this story.

After browsing through various sources I have managed to find the perfect one which is Vakṣaṇī Dharmā . The English translation is nothing but Strengthing Dharma which is exactly, if you have managed to catch on, is not only Mrithika's, but also the key purpose of Krishna during Dwapar Yug. I was instantly convinced that this is the perfect title that summaries both Jaya and Mrithika's goal in Dwapar.

And no. That does not mean that the previous title AMITAVĀ has no connection with this story, it just wasn't strong enough to portray the essence of Mrithika and Mahabharata. However, you shall see the reason behind the title AMITAVĀ.

Credits for the new cover goes to @DeeIsDead