‘I wish there were a chance for reformation, Draupadi. But the chance died the moment they resorted to brutally forcing themselves on young girls to terrorize the villagers.’
Nodding her assent, Draupadi began thinking. It was something she needed to ponder over on her own before she shared it with the brothers. Perhaps discuss it with Krishna. Yudhishtira expected her to leave but she sat down.
‘Draupadi, is it about Bhima?’
Blood left her face at the mention.
‘I know how it must have felt,’ he sighed, noting the struggle on Draupadi’s face.
‘He…he is my husband now…’ the sentence trailed as she debated whether to face her demons on her own or seek the support of the only husband she knew well enough.
‘Would you have felt this disgust if Kalasena had been killed by my spear or Arjuna’s arrow or by the twins’ swords?’
No, she would have felt proud.
Draupadi had to admit to herself that it was just Bhima’s unhindered display of emotions that disturbed her. Kunti’s words rang in her ears—‘Each of my sons is what he is because the other four are what they are.’
Yudhishtira’s sensitivity or Arjuna’s finesse was because of Bhima’s crudeness. If she desired the other two, she had to make peace with this. Or maybe it wasn’t crudeness at all.
Smiling, Draupadi left the throne room. Her attendants had spread out the silks and jewellery for the evening. Shaking her head, Draupadi sent for the cooks. Bhima, whatever was his approach, deserved a sumptuous meal that would convey her approval of him punishing a wrongdoer. Despite some reservations by her attendants, she cooked the meal with the greatest care, knowing Bhima’s enthusiasm for food, before retiring to a perfumed bath. She had almost finished decking herself when a resounding voice from the kitchen made her attendants jump.
‘You call this a meal?’ she heard Bhima thunder at the cook, unaware that it was she who had prepared the meal. Her feet froze at the threshold when she heard him call the cook a few more names. It was when the cook noted her presence and backed away in fear that Bhima realized what had happened. The giant turned around, sheepishly biting his lips.
When a single tear threatened to break her wrathful expression, Draupadi whirled around and walked towards the terrace. There was no way she could bear the insult to her hours of hard work and attention to detail. Unable to hold more tears of frustration, she decided to spend the night alone, on the terrace, hoping that the cool monsoon wind would soothe her. After glancing at the door a multiple times, expecting Bhima to turn up to apologize, she closed her eyes—disappointed.
The breeze from the thick peacock-feather fans that her attendants held stopped abruptly. Sensing a familiar presence, Draupadi pretended as if she had fallen asleep on the stone couch.
‘Open your mouth.’
Her eyes opened.
‘I said, open your mouth. You don’t really have to look at this monster.’
Draupadi’s gaze softened and she saw Bhima break into a grin. It took her a good deal of effort to not respond to his infectious smile. But the fragrance from the sweet dish he had brought was enchanting and her lips could not help parting. Bhima took the opportunity to thrust the sweet into her mouth. His grin only became more pronounced when he saw the appreciation in her eyes.
‘You…you prepared this…right now?’
Bhima nodded, a smug grin accompanying his dismissive shrug. He made no attempts to hide his pride.
Or show off that he was a superior cook.
Draupadi’s frown returned. ‘Still, that was no way to mock my culinary skills.’
Bhima’s lips parted in disbelief. ‘But, that was just…inedible!’ His shoulders slumped to see her turn away.
Disastrous start! But then, he was Bhima! Nobody could remain angry with him for long.
Draupadi walked towards the parapet overlooking the wilderness. A part of her silently cursed Kunti for putting her in this mortifying position. But perhaps Bhima was right and her culinary skills were really not that good, and Yudhishtira had just been too gentle to point that out. But no, the eldest Pandava had always relished the food made by her and his praise had always been more than diplomatic! Before she could say more, she felt a strong tug at her arm. The next moment, she found herself wrapped in Bhima’s embrace, the sweet dish thrust in her mouth again. The abrupt hustle shook her from inside.
Bhima held her close and kept the bowl down. His words assumed a gentle tone that she had seldom heard him use. ‘Look at what my brother has done to you! Made an ascetic out of a chubby princess. I need to fatten you up!’
Draupadi felt a new wave of warmth envelop her and she stopped fighting his grip. But she would not submit just to his strength. ‘To “fatten” me up, you need to cook every day!’ she challenged. ‘Every single day, this whole year.’
‘Every single day, this whole life if you wish so!’ Bhima raised his right hand.
‘That is tempting!’ she blushed without realizing. With that earnestness in his eyes, he was a different Bhima. She smiled tenderly and pulled his forehead towards her lips.
The next moment Bhima swept her off the floor, carrying her with ease. Midway towards the bedchamber, he shook his head. ‘Make it twice every day. You are lighter than…’ he saw her frown, expecting him to take names of other women he had bedded. Mischievously, he pretended to try and remember the name of a woman in comparison. Her mounting indignation was obvious the moment he lay her on the bed and he had to block her exit with both his arms. ‘A Kunda flower!’
‘Too predictable!’ Draupadi narrowed her eyes.
Bhima pretended to think, scratching his head. But not for long. Pinning her to the bed, he leaned close. ‘Words aren’t my strength, princess of Panchala. My real strength lies somewhere else!’
‘Try and show me, son of Pandu!’
Cautiously relaxing his weight upon her, Bhima closed his lips on hers. Her hands interlocked with his, her long fingers pressing into his knuckles, as he broke the kiss and buried his head in the hollow of her neck. ‘I promise you, my gentle queen. Tell me when to stop and I shall.’
‘You overestimate yourself, Bhima!’ she hissed, digging her nails into his back. ‘Gentle queen indeed! Who knows, you might have met your match!’
With a powerful wave, Bhima put off the lamp by the bedside.
Her legs wrapped around his waist and the night seemed too short.
Fourteen
The Takshaka Menace
Activity around the hillock where Draupadi lived with the Pandavas picked up pace in the following months. Along with Aryaka’s clansmen, other nagas and villagers who had been persecuted by the rogue naga faction of Takshaka, sought refuge in the nascent Pandava settlement. Yudhishtira ordered for the path to the riverbanks to be cleared and secured, so that the women and young girls could find a safe place to bathe and procure drinking water from. The twins started gathering able-bodied villagers to form hunting groups who would keep a watch against wild animals. But the dangers were not just from wild animals.
Once, in the month of Magha, the sound of an alarm horn before dawn made all the brothers rush down to the riverbanks with their guards, only to find out that members of Takshaka’s faction had hidden themselves to abduct helpless naga girls who had come there to bathe. An old woman who was carrying a horn had saved the day. But the miscreants still succeeded in escaping death by the hands of the Pandavas.
‘Arjuna’s arrows would have claimed the lives of all those cowards!’ Draupadi said. Looking at Bhima’s emphatic nod, she missed the momentary cloud that passed over Yudhishtira’s face. But the priority, all of them understood, was a permanent solution to the menace.
A messenger from Hastinapura sought audience. He brought a round of cheer conveying King Dhritarashtra’s affirmative response to building a city on the banks of Yamuna. Securing the new settlement with a wall would provide a greater sense of security to the villagers and possibly attract more talented m
en and women. Draupadi nodded at Yudhishtira who dwelled upon the plan with Sahadeva.
Her mind refused to calm down, imagining Kunti’s scorn at the thought of depending on grants from Hastinapura. The little settlement had begun to show the promise of sustaining itself but Draupadi’s patience was at its end. The characteristic nausea of early pregnancy only added to her discomfort. Walking across the corridor overlooking the wilderness, she thirsted for a permanent solution. A solution that would make the villagers feel secure and trust the name of the Pandavas. Lost in thought, she felt the presence of Yudhishtira who had come to check on her morning meal.
‘Burn the whole treacherous forest down,’ she spoke in a fierce whisper.
Yudhishtira almost chuckled at the absurdity of the idea but then frowned at the crimson that had spread in her eyes. ‘Draupadi!’ Compassion was her foremost characteristic. He wondered if she even knew the number of lives that would be lost if the forest was burnt down. ‘Tell me you did not mean it. You are asking for the destruction of an entire ecology, My Queen.’
Draupadi nodded. ‘Let us not deceive ourselves, Arya. Destruction of the natural ecological balance started much before the day we came to settle here, My King. Takshaka and his rogue followers have made this forest their slave. We only need to free the land caught in their clutches. Besides, our settlement will claim more land in the days to come. With the settlement growing in size, we are bound to destroy the forest bit by bit, Yudhishtira. I am only calling for an accelerated process because that will render the enemy homeless.’
She saw Yudhishtira stare at the forest, speechless for a long moment.
‘We can always grow newer and safer ecosystems within the new city,’ she smiled.
‘Are you sure, Draupadi?’
‘I have seen the wilderness closely, Yudhi. To take on Takshaka’s forces without harming the forest, we need a larger force. We will have to ask for help from Hastinapura again. My father would be more than happy to oblige, but I trust your competence and that of your brothers.’
‘Yudhishtira would never refuse anything you ask for,’ Kunti had told her before they had left for Khandava. It had come partially as an assurance and partly as a warning that Draupadi now had the power and responsibility of what Yudhishtira did. At that moment, she hoped that Kunti had been right.
Yudhishtira responded with a slight smile and then walked away, still non-committal. ‘Let Arjuna return. This is too big a decision to be taken in his absence,’ she heard him sigh before he left.
Arjuna did return and Yudhishtira could not delay the issue any longer. The attacks from rebel nagas on villagers had increased. The most painful cause that hastened the need for action was the merciless slaughter of twenty-two faithful guards who had taken to sleep after three nights of patrolling. The wailing of their wives and children still echoed everywhere.
The incident left the villagers in shock, and with the rising fear of the rebels, trust on the Pandavas was eroding. Travellers did not dare to travel through the forests of Khandava. The economic activity slowed down too, further incapacitating the population. The vicious cycle continued to worsen and the Pandavas had to do something drastic to break it.
‘Three years of hard work gone down the Yamuna!’ Draupadi clenched her fists, her nails tearing into the embroidered cushions beside her.
‘Hate to admit it, Eldest. Even a mild gale evokes a sense of insecurity, even in the palace,’ Nakula added. ‘We are left with no option but to eliminate the rebels completely!’
Sahadeva and Bhima agreed. Arjuna, who had returned from his journey only a few days ago, was unaware of the terror caused by Takshaka’s rebel nagas. He blankly stared at his outraged brothers and felt compelled to agree. Yudhishtira’s hands pressed against the lion-shaped bolsters of his seat. Robberies, harassment of innocent villagers, rape of defenceless women, and now, the killing of his own guards. He had let things spiral out of control. He could not help but feel responsible for the murder of men who had protected him and their territory day and night. He and his brothers could not afford the guilt of inaction anymore. The land that vouched for dharma had no place for bloodthirsty terrorists.
‘The forest shall be burnt,’ he uttered. ‘Along with the rebels. Every last man among them.’ A quiet followed his decree; even Draupadi looked up in wonder.
Yudhishtira’s brows arched. ‘I am telling you all to go ahead. Burn them. What stops you?’
Draupadi nodded, but saw the other four still stare at him in visible disbelief. She could not help a smile, knowing that each of them had expected their eldest brother to try and restrain them from taking the drastic step. Another voice came from the door, expressing what she felt.
‘When the man, lauded as the Ajatashatru—one with no living enemy on this earth—who is known to not even sulk, passes this order, one can’t but pause at the havoc that will take place in its wake, Eldest.’
‘Krishna!’
The mood in the room transformed instantly and the five brothers rose to their feet.
‘Welcome Vasudeva,’ Draupadi beamed, without rising from her seat.
‘Greetings, Maharani,’ Krishna said, amused because of her changed demeanour.
‘Some prior message about your arrival would have helped us arrange for a suitable welcome,’ she gestured at an ornate seat. She knowingly ignored the five stupefied faces wondering what was wrong, and called for the cook to ready the meal with special instructions to please the unexpected guest. The emphasis on the word ‘guest’ was too obvious to ignore.
‘What in the name of Mahadeva is wrong with you two?’ Bhima felt compelled to break the cold silence.
Draupadi ignored the question and pretended to go over the temporary plan made to round up the rebels—a roughly inked scroll that included the number of deployable forces, supplies, and other contingencies. Without looking up, she added, ‘Meet Subhadra and check on whether your little sister is happy in her marital home. The meal will be ready soon.’
Realizing the reason for her annoyance, Yudhishtira shrugged, signalling Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva to step out. Arjuna stayed back, his eyes exhibiting hurt. ‘Draupadi, we have been over this.’
‘We both have indeed been over this, Arjuna,’ Draupadi’s eyes softened when she looked at him. ‘But not us.’ She jerked a thumb at herself and then at Krishna, her dark lashes straining against her brows.
Krishna patted Arjuna’s shoulder and the latter left the room to join his brothers. Once he had exited, Draupadi frowned at Krishna and went back to pretending to look at the scroll. ‘And you aren’t going to meet your little sister?’
‘It looks like the little sister can wait,’ Krishna beamed, walking over to stand behind her seat. ‘Did I take you for granted, Sakhi?’
Draupadi did not flinch when his hand gently pressed her shoulders. But turning to her side, she looked straight into his eyes. ‘You don’t know the hurt you have caused, Krishna.’ Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the window, staring into the wilderness. ‘She is a child and you influenced her.’
‘It was not a bad choice that she was “influenced” to make. Was it, Sakhi?’ Krishna replied, taking the scroll she had placed beside her and giving it a quick glance. ‘At least, she could save the Yadava warriors from being “obliged by marital relationship” to serve Duryodhana.’
Draupadi remained unimpressed. ‘We started out trying to defy those who indulged in this abominable practice of using marital alliances to establish hegemony. Doesn’t it hurt to realize that we are doing the same?’
‘Are we?’
‘Aren’t we?’
Krishna looked at her, his lips missing his characteristic smile. ‘Only Subhadra can answer. You can ask her when you feel she is sufficiently “grown up”.’
Draupadi remained thoughtful. In her heart, she felt repulsed at the idea of making marital alliances tools in power games. But Krishna’s decisions meant much more to her, beyond the definitions of the rights and
wrongs that bound the world. This was because in him, she saw a person who owned this world without seeking to control it; someone who felt one with the world, and yet, was beyond it.
The dilemma, she figured, could wait. A more dire challenge awaited them, hidden in the treacherous woods of Khandava, and that commanded their attention.
Fifteen
Indraprastha
Black smoke filled the horizon. Draupadi surveyed the burning forest, coughing at the occasional whiff of smoke that blew her way. She felt different. It was not like her to wish for the destruction of an entire forest along with most of its denizens. There were times when her conscience interrogated her about the wisdom behind this move. Yudhishtira’s condition was not very different. Draupadi was aware that his brothers, too, felt the same—Arjuna most of all. She could see that in the passionate appeals he made to save some of the rebel nagas who surrendered in the crucial moments, caught between the unforgiving fire and the menacing warriors. Some of them, fearing for their lives, also offered to labour for the new city that was proposed on the site of the burnt forest.
It was in these troubling moments that Draupadi sought the opinions of the villagers downhill. The villagers and the nagas belonging to Aryaka’s clan, however, unanimously celebrated the gutting of the forest. Having borne the brunt of Takshaka’s atrocities, they could still not believe that it was a thing of the past. She could sense the agony they had gone through in the last few months when they opposed the suggestion of rehabilitating the surrendered rebels.
She remembered the incidents of the morning, swallowing a lump in her throat. The wife of Takshaka and her young son, Ashvasena, had tried to surrender to protect their lives while the cursed Takshaka was nowhere to be seen, even in the crisis facing his own family. The mother had pleaded with Aryaka to accept the young Ashvasena and had even offered to serve his family.
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