Six years later, at Kunti kingdom

"Not anymore, elder sister!"

"Open your mouth, Puru." Pritha sternly ordered. "You are yet to finish this handful of rice."

Purujit frowned. Pritha held the half-eaten ball of rice close to his tightened lips. The six-year-old boy looked at it once and then to her, before reluctantly opening his lips.

"Good boy!" Pritha smiled, staffing the rice ball into his mouth. Purujit chewed a little, and then demanded, "Sister, story?"

"Later." Pritha said. "First you finish it. Quick!"

Purujit blinked and chewed again. Pritha smiled to herself. She was the only person Purujit obeyed and loved. Otherwise it would take a yuga for the palace maids to cajole and feed their little prince.

"Done. Now, story?" The boy reminded.

"Well," Pritha fed him another morsel. "Long, long ago, there was a king named..."

"Not this one!" Purujit interrupted, shaking his head. "You have not finished that princess's story yet."

Pritha hid a sigh. Unable to build up new stories everyday to quench the boy's never-ending thirst, she had recently begun the story of her own life. She had narrated many of her childhood memories with her blood siblings, all happy moments before her adoption to this house. Purujit listened with interest and her intention was fulfilled. But it had suddenly struck Pritha that the later part of her story might appeared sad to the child, given that he too had lost his mother. Also, her own supressed grief of six years was bound to show up in her narration. She then chose not to continue. But it was not easy to deceit her foster brother's remarkable memory.

"Elder sister, what happened to the princess then?" Purujit shook her arm. "Did she really have to leave her parents? Why didn't they stop her?"

"Her parents had their own promises to fulfil, even at the cost of their daughter." The long-suppressed anger blurted out in Pritha's voice. The next moment, she chided herself as the child's smile had faded by then.

Causing pain to Purujit was the last thing she could do!

"But she found joy in her new home." Pritha quickly added, forcing a smile on her face. "A little Devakumara came to her life who made her feel home again." She patted Purujit's chubby cheeks, smiling more. This time, she did not have to force it. This boy was indeed the reason behind her smile, to be truer, the only reason for her happiness.

The very day when Kuntibhoja's queen died after giving birth to Purujit, Pritha had taken the baby in her lap, like her own child. Not because her late foster mother had taken a promise from her to look after her son, Pritha did it willingly, to convey her reverence to the woman who had indeed loved her like her own daughter. She knew she had lost even the last source of mother's love from her life, and she herself became a mother on that very day, to give a better life to Purujit.

Since that day, even Kuntibhoja had turned cold to his adopted daughter. The only person Pritha had in this world was Purujit - who reminded her of Vasudeva and her baby sisters. She needed this baby to keep herself going, to quench her thirst for love.

Pritha kept on narrating her unfinished story, altering many things of her real life. Purujit listened with rapt attention. He could not even realize when his sister made him finish the entire rice he otherwise would never want to eat.

"Then?" He asked for more, seeing her pause.

"Tomorrow." Pritha declared, wiping the remains of food from his mouth. "Now catch some sleep."

Purujit pouted. Pritha understood and drew him close. "Sleep, little one. You want to have a race in the evening, don't you?"

The boy nodded. Pritha patted his head. Almost at the same time, a sharp noise of something metallic drooping on the floor hit her ear. A sharp gasping, probably in fear, followed.

Handing over the prince to his personal maids, Pritha turned to the door. What could have happened? She walked through the long corridor to check out.

“What have you done, foolish girl? Dropped the desert made for Maharishi Durvasa?” Someone cried out loud.

Kunti sprung round. Her friend and companion Nandini stood rooted, horror large writ in her eyes. A golden bowl was fallen on the white floor. The food had spread over the embroidered carpet.

“I…I’m cleaning this up!” Nandini  mumbled and hurried to wipe the floor. The older maid grabbed her braided hair.

“And who will be responsible for the wrathful Maharishi’s anger and curses if he doesn’t get the evening meal on time?” She twisted Nandini‘s hair. Kunti saw her friend biting her lips hard to supress the tears that threatened to flow in pain. She fumed. Knowing the nature of her friend well, Kunti could not believe her to be careless in work. She was sure that this maid had scared   enough to cause this.

Kunti stepped closer.

“I will face the Maharishi!” She declared. “Leave Nandini!”

The older maid’s grip loosened. “Rajkumari, you?”

“I said leave her! Let me see to it.” Kunti said again.

“But my princess, he’s sage Durvasa, known in the whole world for his uncontrollable wrath.” The maid warned. “Do not take this risk!”

“I have to, since none of you dare to take the risk.” Kunti calmly replied. “Where is the Maharishi residing?”

The maid pointed her shivering forefinger towards the chamber at the western corner. Kunti nodded and stepped forward.

“Rajkumari, don’t!”  called. “I’m at fault here. Let the Rishi’s curse fall upon me alone.”

“Not possible.” Kunti denied. “The sage is a guest of Kunti kingdom and being the princess of this land, I am responsible for his service. You all stay behind.”

She continued moving forward, leaving all her maids in fear.

“Stop her!” the chief of maids ordered. “If she ends up getting cursed, we’re sure to lose our job!”

Kunti sensed footsteps rushing at her back. She raised a palm at them.

“Saving your jobs is my responsibility. Fear not. Get back to your works.”

Kunti reached the sage’s chamber, her group of maids silently followed despite her assurance. Curiosity had won over their fears. They pressed their alert ears on the walls outside the chamber as Kunti entered in.

Kunti saw a dark, tall figure with white hair and white beards, sitting on a piece of deerskin secured on a throne. She regrated not being able to greet the sage at the very entrance as she would do for any guest or Rishi coming at the palace door. Kunti wondered why she had not received the news of his arrival. She guessed that the sage might have arrived when she was feeding Purujit. Maybe he had been hungry enough and asked for an immediate meal, causing fear in the maids who were around.

“Pranam Rishivara!” Kunti bowed in joined palms. “Accept my heartfelt greetings!”

Durvasa stared at her for a while. “Pritha! Pritha Shauraseni!”

Pritha!

An ocean of emotion churned within Kunti’s heart.

It has been a decade she has not heard this name! The name given to her at birth!

But this was not time. Now she was Kunti, the princess responsible to care for everyone and everything of the land of Kunti. She could not let her childhood emotions stand in the way of her duty.

“Kunti.” She humbly corrected after swallowing her emotion. “The princess of Kunti kingdom.”

Durvasa smiled, nodding. “Well, whatever you wish to be called.”

“I apologise to you, Prabho, for I could not be present at the entrance to welcome you.” Kunti said. “Pray, let me know how I can serve you.”

“Child, I am hungry. I need to break the fast I have been observing since yesterday. Where are your maids? They went to prepare food long ago.” Durvasa looked impatient. The maids standing outside held their breath.

“Pardon the delay, Prabho.” Kunti joined her palms again. “This is time for the evening aarati of Lord Mahadeva. All the maids have gone for its arrangement.” She gave a deliberate pause to observe the sage’s facial expression change in reverence. “But you don’t have to wait. Let me bring your meal here.” She bowed and was about to turn.

“Wait, Princess.” She heard Durvasa. Her gaze returned to him. He was smiling through his beards.

“I appreciate the way you have come running to guard your fellow women. Worry not. I’m not going to curse them for dropping the plate of food.”

Kunti looked up to him in surprise. The sage smiled more.

“No, I’m not an antaryami. Your maids’ noise was audible even from here.”

Kunti breathed easy in relief.

“And you don’t have to take trouble. I do not take even water before my Lord’s worship is completed. Take me to the temple. I shall take only his prasada after the ritual is over.”

Kunti nodded. “As you wish, Prabho.” She bowed and led him towards the temple in Kuntibhoja’s mansion. A part of her felt relieved, while the rest of her could not help wondering why the Rishi had asked food in the first place if he was not going to take anything before a worship.

Was he testing her that way?

As she walked with Durvasa, she noticed all the workers of palace looking at them with a mix of surprise and fear. Kunti had heard a lot regarding sage Durvasa’s short temper and unforgiving nature, but her own short meeting with him did not make her feel so at all. She felt just right with him around, maybe even better, as a peaceful aura from the sage had enveloped her. To her relief, all the maids had left eavesdropping to prove her words true. Kunti noticed the remaining guards and palace workers look at her with surprise as she walked casually with Durvasa. The looks on their faces spoke of fear. Kunti wondered why everyone was so afraid of this man. From her brief interaction with the sage Kunti found nothing to get scared of. Rather the glow in his eyes and the austere aura around him drew her respect.

They stepped into the temple of Kuntishwara. The royal priest had begun the aarati. As Durvasa sat to cherish the rituals, Nandini came close to Kunti.

“What was the need of taking this risk?” she whispered. “Could not you use some other excuse?”

“No. Anything else could have made him angrier for neglecting his service.” Kunti replied in the same tone. “I did not want his anger to fall upon you all.”

“And what if the Rishi demanded food right then?”

Kunti smiled. “I knew he would not. Being an ardent devotee of Mahadeva, he would never take a meal before his Lord’s worship is over. Especially after observing a fast in the Lord’s name.”

Nandini nodded, smiling. Kunti’s intelligence and protectiveness of her maids had never failed to amaze her. 

“But,” Kunti glanced upon Durvasa once and then mused, “now it feels like he was asking for food for some other reason which I’m yet to get.”

The rituals were over. The priest distributed prasada among the devotees. Sage Durvasa took a handful of the food. His eyes narrowed at the small group of beggars entering from a corner, eagerly stretching their palms for the aromatic payasanna.

“Who has allowed them here?” he enquired, pointing at them. An uneasy silence followed. The audible breaths of everyone present at the temple expressed fear.

“Answer me!” Durvasa cried.

“Pardon our fault, Rishivara.” The king joined his shivered hands. “They won’t be here anymore.” He indicated a guard to drive the beggars out. Durvasa raised his right palm.

“That’s not the answer of my question, King.”

Kunti stepped forward. Nandini hurried and held her hand, her eyes pleading not to move. But Kunti shook her head firmly and stood in front of the sage with joined palms.

“I have invited them to take the prasada, Prabho.” She evenly declared. 

Nandini’s face darkened in worry. Everyone waited in bated breath, wondering what was going to happen to their princess.  

Durvasa turned his gaze to Kunti.

“Do they come here everyday?”

Kunti nodded.

“Why?”

“Because they would be starving otherwise. They need Mahadeva’s grace and his prasada more than these royals.”

Durvasa stared at her radiant face. Everyone waited in bated breath for the tempered sage to utter a curse. It was unthinkable for anyone to answer this way to Rishi Durvasa. But only Kunti saw the shine of appreciation in Durvasa’s eyes. She felt more at ease.

“Maharishi, my daughter is still a child.” Kuntibhoja hurried and placed himself between Kunti and Durvasa. “Pray, forgive her unintended faults!”

“Anybody else at your place would have driven them away in fear of the infamous ‘Durvasa’s curse’.” He beamed. “But your daughter is brave enough to stand for what is right.” Durvasa glanced at Kuntibhoja and then he beamed, looking at Kunti. “Blessed you are to have a daughter like her, King. So humble, devoted and intelligent – she is a gem.”

Everyone drew a long breath of relief. Kunti stepped forward and touched Durvasa’s feet with reverence.

“Kuntibhoja,” Durvasa turned to the king. “I wish to get your daughter as my shishyaa. I shall be residing in your kingdom till her lessons are completed.”

“My honour, Rishivara.” Kuntibhoja bowed. “My daughter is blessed to have you as her Guru. Fortunate is my palace to receive an opportunity to serve you.”
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Author's Note : I believe sage Durvasa cannot be a dangerous person as he was none other than a Shiva incarnation. My understanding of his role in Mata Kunti's life is little different from what most people might think. I strongly that believe he came to find a deserving student to whom he could give his super power. Mata became that student to him. He was pleased after testing her a lot of ways and then bestowed the boon to her. Here you might find a new Durvasa and the reason for his boon might appear different. Hope you will like it.