"The flowers bloomed so beautifully today !" Arjun said as he walked along side Manvendra, both of them holding baskets of flowers, on their way to the temple.

The son of Kunti, as always was excited to offer prayers to Mahadev, whereas the son of Sulabha was more ready than even to give his prayers to Narayan.

"Mahadev would happy seeing these flowers, wouldn't he Taat ?" Arjun asked.

"Definitely. But I think he'd be more happy seeing your enthusiasm." Manvendra said making Arjun chuckle in delight.

Both of them finally reached the temple, where both a Shivling was kept and so was a Shaligram. Stepping inside and bowing to both the deities, the young boys offered the flowers to them, which they themselves had plucked with utmost care.

Manvendra and Arjun then sat cross-legged on the floor, their eyes closed and hands resting lightly on their knees. They took a deep breath and focused their attention on their isht-devas. Arjun meditated on Mahadev while Manvendra meditated on Narayan.

A small smile appeared on the face of Raudra as his thoughts began to quieten down and his mind became more still. He felt a sense of peace and calm wash over him, as he relaxed even further into the meditation, remembering Bhagwaan Vishnu.

The world around him seemed to fade away, leaving only a deep, peaceful stillness. His body became weightless, as if he were floating on a cloud. It was just Narayan and Narayan only.

Without distraction, Manvendra was able to fully immerse himself in the present moment, letting go of worries and anxieties about the future and frustrations about the past. He was simply being, experiencing the present moment for what it was.

He felt a sense of connection to something greater than himself, as if he was part of the vast and interconnected web of life that spanned across the universe.

He always felt this, whenever he meditated upon Bhagwaan Vishnu. It was as if every particle in his body was vibrating with a new energy.

Manvendra opened his eyes, feeling rejuvenated. He looked at Arjun who also after sometime opened his eyes.

"Should we go now ? Others will be waiting for us." Manvendra said.

"Sure !" Arjun beamed with joy. He had started his day by visiting the temple and meditating upon Mahadev, there was nothing now which can ruin his mood today.

Both the cousins got up, bowed before the deities one last time before leaving. They went straight to the other princes, who had were playing together.

Manvendra saw how the Kauravas were playing along with other Pandavas, to him it looked rather peaceful or was it the peace before the storm ? He wasn't sure.

'Maybe Duryodhan has realised his mistake.' Manvendra hoped.

"Manvendra ! Arjun ! Come along !" Yudhisthir said.

Both of them smiled and joined the group and played along their cousins. They played many games, and Pandavas along with Manvendra triumphed over Kauravas everytime, whether it was in running fast, hitting targets or raising dust.

"Give the ball !" Dushashan tried jumping to take the ball from Manvendra who was holding it up.

"No !" The son of Vidur chuckled, throwing it to Bheem.

Dushashan ran towards Bheem, who threw the ball to Arjun, and so the game continued, frustrating the Kauravas, until a servant came and informed them that the food was about to be ready.

Hence the Kuru princes rushed inside, dressed themselves in fresh garments, wore ornaments and quickly ate their food. And so the day was finally over, and all the princes were exhausted from the games they played.

Bheem and Manvendra were so tired that went to the Pramankoti and fell asleep there only while other Pandavas and Yuyutsu were away. Duryodhan decided to take advantage of this situation.

"What is in this box ?" Dushashan asked in a whisper like voice.

"You'll see." Duryodhan said with a sly smirk as he opened the box, revealing snakes.

"But.... But what if they bite Manvendra too ?" Dushashan asked.

"Then even better." Duryodhan said.

The eldest son of Gandhari, released the snakes inside Pramankoti and quickly went to the outside, peeking from the door, wanting to see the pain which was about to be inflicted on both of them.

The snakes, sharp in teeth, immensely poisonous, angry and virulent, slithered their way towards Bheem and Manvendra.

Those snakes bit Bheem in the soft spots, but they could not bring him down. They could not penetrate his skin, because the broad-chested one was too tough.

But the hissing of snakes and their slithery movements made Bheem open his eyes. And as soon as he woke up, he killed all those poisonous creatures.

Bheem then looked at Manvendra and gasped in shock, the snakes hadn't bitten him nor they were trying to. The snakes had peacefully coiled themselves over him, some were coiled over his legs while some over his arms.

But they weren't trying to choke him either, they just sat there in peace, doing absolutely nothing. And neither did Manvendra seemed to be bothered by them as his sleep didn't seemed to be getting disturbed in the slightest way.

And it didn't take long for the son of Vayu to figure out why.

'Ofcourse the snakes wouldn't harm the son of Rudradev Manyu.' Bheem deducted.

And hence he calmly picked those snakes up, causing no harm to them as they weren't hostile as the other snakes and released them in the water.

"Bheem ! Bheem !" Manvendra came running out of the Pramankoti.

"Yes Taat ?" Bheem asked turning around.

"Are you good ? I saw dead snakes inside Pramankoti when I woke up." Manvendra said worriedly.

"Those snakes didn't have teeth strong enough to pierce my skin." Bheem assured.

"How did the snakes get in there ?" Manvendra wondered.

"They were released there by someone." Bheem said.

At that Manvendra's jaw clenched as he knew very well, who could do such a thing.

"And it can be none other than Duryodhan." Manvendra said.

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□
A/N

The essence of Harihar in this chapter 🔥