He decided to send the newly married Uttaraa-Abhimanyu back to Dwaraka along with a few chosen relatives. They left along with the army accordingly. We bade farewell to them and came back to the royal palace of the Viratas. Then I asked Krishna a question that had been lingering in my mind for quite a few days, “Oh Lord of Dwaraka, I have heard that you have raised a staircase in your royal capital with golden steps in memory of the memorable people that you met in your life. I have heard the acclaim of this grand Srisopana from many people. Word is that there has been addition of many steps to it. Krishna, you never said anything about it, so I have to ask you myself now – is there at least a single step among the golden steps of this Srisopana of yours for this disgraced Sakhi of yours living in the forest?” My question was completely unexpected to him. He kept looking at me with a weird expression. Then he gave me a charming smile and said, “Krishney, who told you that there is only one Sopana! You are my Sakhi. Think about it. Is there another Srisopana? If there is then at what number will there be a jewel-studded step in your name?”
His answer left me confused. I kept thinking – a second Sopana? Where could it be?
“Can’t find it? Shyamale, silly girl, the other Sopana is right here in the heart of this dear friend of yours! You yourself have to decide which step will be yours in that sopana! Nobody else, not even I!” He smiled and casually walked away from me – like the fragrant autumnal breeze coming from Yamuna!
Now it was certain that we were going to Indraprastha. For that Krishna presented a proposal to Maharaja Virata; to raise an encampment for the Pandavas in a town called Upaplavya on the border of the Matsya kingdom which was close to Indraprastha. The royal envoy of the Viratas had already left for Hastinapura. It was time to say goodbye to the city where we had spent the hardest and testing year of incognito life in disguise. I went and personally met each one of the maids who worked as sairandhris. By this time, I had prepared my mind as the incognito life was over. But when I went to say goodbyes to them they were overwhelmed with emotions, some of them even started sobbing. Their pure love brought tears to my eyes too.
Bhimsena’s kitchen mates cooked his favourite dishes and fed him in the kitchen of the Viratas while bidding farewell to him. Yudhishthira and Nakula-Sahadeva had similar experiences from their mates who worked with them throughout the year. This rightly taught me and my five husbands one truth of life – that no one comes in anybody’s life without any reason ever. Once that person goes away from us, then we understand their significance in our lives.
We bade farewell to everybody in the royal palace of the Viratas and came to Upaplavya, a small town, along with Krishna. As per Maharaja Virata’s order a luxurious encampment with all sorts of amenities was raised here for us. Prompt servants were at our disposal. Satyaki and few chosen warriors of Dwaraka accompanied Krishna. Balaramadada, Uddhavadeva, and the Yadava royal ladies had reached Dwaraka along with the newly married couple – Abhimanyu and Uttaraa. Once we settled in this camp Krishna organized an important meeting with me and my husbands. He would usually be smiling even in such meetings. But in this meeting, he looked quite serious. I had never seen him like this before. He spoke very little in this meeting. He said, “The Kurus of Hastinapura have not given any response at all to the royal envoy of the Viratas! They have conveniently kept silent. Now I will have to coerce them to speak. Dear brothers, I will do whatever I can for you. For a final attempt to reconcile the relations between you and the Kurus I will even go to Hastinapura – the royal capital of the Kurus as a mediator. I will put my intelligence and eloquence to test. I have stood up for justice throughout my life. I will try my best to get you justice by means of reconciliation.” Hearing that Yudhishthira, on whom our future depended, said, “Vaasudevaa, I also want to put an end to this by means of reconciliation. War will bring permanent enmity between us cousins. We have followed all the conditions of the gambling game to the letter, now they should return our Indraprastha kingdom to us just as they had taken it from us. That is what we want to insist upon. To go to war for that and sacrifice many more lives who have nothing to do with it won’t be right. You try to reconcile as much as possible. You may ask for the opinion of my brothers if you wish.”
Grabbing the unsolicited permission Bhima spoke, leaving me appalled, “Just tell them to give our Indraprastha kingdom back without any retaliation. That’s all we are asking for.”
Unexpected to me, Arjuna seconded him and said, “Our own people will be killed in war – instead, in my opinion mending the fences is better!”
I got upset seeing the delusional behaviour of those on whom I was relying the most and said, “Krishna, looks like these valiant husbands of mine have forgotten my humiliation in front of all the seniors in the overcrowded gambling hall of the Kurus, that was so shameful for all of us. They have also forgotten about my open hair and their vows. Even they don’t consider me as their own and hence don’t realize the intensity of my sorrow. Even if they have forgotten it I will never forget the humiliation of my honour. I will not allow even you to forget it. If you forget it then my father Drupada and brother Dhrishtadyumna will seek revenge for my humiliation. If they also don’t, then remember that all my valiant sons including Abhimanyu will seek it.”
Even after listening to my words he calmly said, “Krishney, I understand how you feel, but first calmly listen to what I say. It is not necessary that I will succeed in my good intentions of reconciliation. One should always keep trying. One should not be adamant to expect any particular outcome of one’s attempts. One should be prepared silently for failure too! If I succeed in my efforts of reconciliation – then you will regain the kingship of Indraprastha. If not then your husbands will have to be ready with their weapons charged with mantras, taken down from the Shami tree, for a grand battle. Yudhishthira played the gambling game openly. What I am playing is also a gamble which is not evident – the gambling game of war that is acceptable throughout the world!” It was now becoming clear why he had become so serious.
From his manner of speaking and grave attitude that was suggestive, I reckoned that he was thinking about something more than the negotiations. He sent his loyal Yadava messenger to Kuru Maharaja Dhritarashtra with a message, ‘I am coming to Hastinapura’. We were waiting for his return. He returned within a few days. But he returned with Kuru minister Sanjaya, not any message. Sanjaya was not just a minister. He was the chief of the Kurus’ chariot troop. He was an ardent devotee of Krishna. It was a political ploy of the Kurus to send a message through him. Instead of directly saying that the Pandavas will not get the Indraprastha kingdom back, Duryodhana and Shakuni had sent a hypocritical message in the name of Maharaja Dhritarashtra.
It was – “If the Pandavas want to go to war they should consider that war is never beneficial to anybody. Innumerable gallant warriors and soldiers will be killed in a war. Kingdoms get destroyed. A philosophical and stable-minded person like Yudhishthira should think about it. Instead of participating in such a war where his own relatives will be destroyed wouldn’t it be better to spend life in a holy place like Kurukshetra, on the alms given by the religious pilgrims? He should remember that his name is Dharmaraja, hence he and his brothers should act according to Dharma. They should give up the idea of going to war!”
In the capacity of a minister Sanjaya delivered the exact message that he carried as a loyal servant, to all of us. I was benumbed to hear that message. The Kauravas were directly telling the Pandavas to seek alms. A murmuring disquiet buzzed among the Pandavas. Krishna was the only one who was calm. He got up from his seat and went close to Sanjaya and put his right hand on his shoulder. Patting him for a moment Krishna said to him in a serene voice, “Sanjaya – friend, my brother Yudhishthira is indeed Dharmaraja. He will definitely follow Dharma as his name connotes, and his brothers will also do as he tells them to do. They will never be divided.
“Just convey to Kuru Maharaja Dhritarashtra and grandsire Bhishma that Krishna is coming to v
isit them; to meet them and to seek their blessings!” As his friend Sanjaya understood the hidden meaning in his response, he simply kept staring at Krishna’s dark black, fish-shaped eyes while holding Krishna’s hands in his for a moment. The next moment he muttered, “Oh, what a situation am I caught in?” That minister of the Kurus prostrated in front of Krishna, directly putting his head, on Krishna’s feet.
“Sanjaya, brother, get up, what are you doing?” said Krishna and gently pulling him up, took him in an embrace.
Kuru minister Sanjaya stayed for a day in our camp and left for Hastinapura.
Now in Upaplavya, preparations for Krishna’s departure for Hastinapura for the mediation began with the assistance of Maharaja Virata. Satyaki and select Yadava warriors were going to accompany him. As usual Daruka was going to steer the chariot. Maharaja Virata paid personal attention and got his grand Garudadhwaja chariot decorated. On the flagpole of the chariot the golden pennant Garudadhwaja fluttered in the air with the image of the golden eagle ready to soar with its wings spread.
Ten well-equipped and embellished chariots stood in a queue behind the Garudadhwaja chariot. Behind them were rows of cavalry and infantry. Krishna left our grand pavilion along with Maharaja Virata and my five husbands. I was also with them. A maid held a salver in front of me. I picked up a fistful of cooked rice from it and waving my hand around the four horses and dear friend Krishna I threw it away as a gesture to ward off the evil eye. In my mind, I spoke to the horses about my dear friend who was going on an important mission relevant to the future of us Pandavas, “Oh dear horses, our saviour, the Lord of Dwaraka is in your care now, carry him safely and all of you come back only with good news.” I performed Aukshan for Krishna and Satyaki. While touching Krishna’s long fish-shaped eyes with the back of my wet fingers I peeped deep down in the dark black eyes. Those ocean-like eyes were utterly calm. I could not comprehend them at all. First, Satyaki climbed into the chariot. Daruka was all set holding the golden-bordered orange whip in his hand. The other warriors had already climbed in their own chariots and were ready to move. The horse riders were set on their horses, balancing their javelins in their hands. The foot soldiers were holding their sharp shining swords in their hands.
As soon as Maharaja Virata moved forward and signalled Krishna with his hand, he briskly got into his chariot. He threw a glance with an eagle eye on the line of chariots, cavalry and infantry troops behind him. He looked at Maharaja Virata and my five husbands in the same sequence as they were standing in a queue. I was standing near his chariot. He looked deep into my eyes as if saying – ‘Krishney, don’t worry. Everything will be alright. You will again ascend the throne of Indraprastha as the Maharani.’ He untied the Panchjanya conch from his shawl and blew it with all his might. Raising his right hand, he signalled Daruka to depart in the direction of Hastinapura.
Krishna left for Hastinapura from Upaplavya. It was the month of Kartika. After that there was only the news which we kept receiving from the informers that the Viratas had planted on his way to Hastinapura.
Krishna did not succeed in the mediations! Let alone the Indraprastha kingdom, Duryodhana flatly refused to give even the five towns of Avisthala, Vrikasthala, Makanda, Varanavati and Shalibhavana which Krishna asked for the Pandavas. Not only that, he replied insolently again in front of the same elders that, “Without war the Pandavas will not get even a small particle of the dust that rests on the tip of a needle if it is pushed into the ground!”
More than all this I felt deeply hurt by one of his thoughtless utterance. In the crowded Kuru assembly, he dismissed Krishna degradingly and said, “I would have ordered my servants to get back even the dust particles of the holy land of Kurus stuck to your soles, you cowherd, who is going back donning the tatters of my denial of your proposal. But, for that purpose also I do not wish even my servants to touch your feet which are always soiled with cow dung and urine! Get out of this assembly hall quietly. Or else, you, insolent bull of Gokul, I will get you all tied up with ropes and put you in prison!”
Yadava commander Satyaki could not control himself after hearing those words and brandishing his sword he ran towards Duryodhana. Krishna himself controlled him with a gesture of the hand.
I was enraged even while listening to that disgraceful news.
Krishna, when he returned from Hastinapura was not the same person at all. The mischievous, playful, charming smile with the dimple that easily blossomed in his cheek, had disappeared beyond the banks of Yamuna. He spoke as less as possible now. He was thinking more and more. For me this was the most trying period, the period of his unbearable silence, even more than my Swayamwar and the battle afterwards, my despicable humiliation in the assembly hall of the Kurus, the period of twelve years of forest life after that and the arduous incognito life, and the attacks of Jayadratha and Kichaka violating my chastity.
After the unsuccessful attempt at negotiations Krishna himself took the decision on behalf of all of us – that of a conclusive war! But this war was no longer limited to only the Kauravas and Pandavas. It became the war of the entire Aaryavarta! Of Justice against Injustice! Of Forgiveness against Oppression! The war of Human Spirit against Demonic Powers! Of Truth against Untruth!
Krishna came from Hastinapura and immediately left for Dwaraka after telling us Pandavas resolutely to begin ‘preparations for war’. He himself began getting the Yadava army ready for the war. The moment he crossed the borders of Hastinapura a whirling storm began travelling with him wherever he went. The storm of the Great War! He ordered the four-fold army of Dwaraka to begin preparations for war. In Hastinapura the Kurus had also braced themselves for war.
During this time, living in Upaplavya, I kept thinking about the downfall of the Pandavas as a family. I was in Upaplavya along with my husbands. Rajmata was in Hastinapura. Subhadra was in Dwaraka along with her newly married son and daughter-in-law, and my sons were in Kampilyanagar with their mama, Dhrishtadyumna. This was the situation. Even if we would have thought of sending a message to each other, it would have been at least a month before we got them. Once Krishna decided that war was inevitable, my five husbands spread in all directions to seek military support from other kingdoms just as they had done before conquering the world. The only thing I could do was to wait to hear any news from them. In Upaplavya, Maharaja Virata did everything possible to comfort me. For the first time in my entire life I was experiencing this kind of heart-wrenching loneliness.
Right beyond the Matsya kingdom was the border of Indraprastha. But Indraprastha was now under the rule of the Kauravas. The news that the Pandavas were staying in the Upaplavya city of the Matsya kingdom had already reached Hastinapura. Because of that armed troops of the Kauravas began hovering around Upaplavya. Even during such a terrible and lonely situation I never felt afraid, and that was only by thinking of Krishna.
After about a month, my husbands who were scattered in various directions started returning. The one who came first was Yudhishthira. He had returned after meeting many kings in the central region of Aaryavarta. Then came Arjuna. He had met the rulers of Magadha, Kalinga, Vanga, Tripura, and Kirata kingdoms in the eastern region. Then Bhimsena returned to Upaplavya. He had visited the kingdoms in the western region right from Panchanada, Sindhu-Sauvira to Kamboja, Gandhara and Balhika. Nakula-Sahadeva came back after travelling from the Chedi, Avanti and Bhojapura kingdoms of the central region to the entire southern region from Ashmaka, Padmavata, Kraunchapura, Andhra, Chola, and Pandya to Mount Malaya.
Now the bustle of various kings, chief ministers, commanders and royal envoys visiting Upaplavya increased considerably.
Just as my husbands and Krishna tried to seek military support, Duryodhana-Shakuni did the same from Hastinapura. In fact, groups of ten brothers of Duryodhana accompanied by one of Shakuni’s ten brothers had already dispersed in different directions of Aaryavarta. Duryodhana himself went with his mama, Shakuni to meet the rulers of kingdoms such as Panchanada, Gandhara, Vahika, and Kam
boja with salvers full of lavish gifts.
As all kingdoms of Aaryavarta showed interest in this war its significance increased manifold. It was not just a war any more, unintentionally it turned into a Great War. That set the wheels in motion in various kingdoms in all directions of Aaryavarta. News started arriving that armies of some kingdoms were on their way to Hastinapura. A shocking news arrived for us in Upaplavya: ‘Duryodhana has left for Dwaraka from Hastinapura along with Shakunimama and few chosen Kuru warriors. He is going to meet his guru, Prince Balaramadada to seek the support of the Yadavas in the war. Then he is going to meet Krishna and after reminding him about their relationship due to the marriage alliance between his son and Duryodhana’s daughter he is going to request Krishna to support him.’
We were shaken to hear all the details of the news. We had been taking it for granted that the entire Dwaraka kingdom along with Balaramadada and Krishna was going to support us. We arranged an urgent council to take a decision in this matter. In that council, Yudhishthira insisted on only one thing –Arjuna should immediately go to Dwaraka on behalf of the Pandavas. He should remind Krishna about their personal friendship, and take every precautionary measure to make sure that in any case the mammoth Yadav army should not offer its support to Duryodhana, but only to us.
Arjuna was already benumbed by the news that Duryodhana was going to visit Krishna. He was just nodding his head in affirmation or negation for the sake of it. He was not speaking much in the council. By the end of the council his inactiveness became unbearable to me. After the decision was made I shared my firm opinion with him as the Pandava Maharani, before concluding the council. I stared hard at him and said, “Oh master archer Dhananjaya, it is okay even if you don’t gain the entire world and its support, but never miss to seek the support of Krishna no matter what! Don’t let him go away from Pandavas for any reason. Don’t come back from Dwaraka unless and until you seek his complete blessings!”
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 66
