HARIHARESHWARI 14 : CHANDRA CHAYAYAM SINGHASANAM

CHAPTER 69

Dhritrashtra, accompanied by his loyal confidant Adirath, strode purposefully towards the grand palace courtyard, where the majestic statue of the revered Rameshwari loomed above them.

As the sightless ruler stood in front of the imposing statue, his heart weighed heavy with apprehension for his beloved wife, Gandhari. She had been carrying their child for an agonizing two years, yet the long-awaited moment of birth had not yet arrived. The absence of a son, who would rightfully ascend the throne, tormented Dhritrashtra deeply, for he knew he could never fulfill that destiny himself.

"Woh talwar kaha hai, Adirath ?" Dhritrashtra asked.

Adirath gently clasped Dhritrashtra's hand, guiding it towards the sheath of the sword. As he reached out to grasp the weapon, his hands trembled with a potent mix of desperation and determination. However, in a moment of weakness, he faltered and failed.

Adirath observed with deep concern, fully aware of the insatiable thirst for power that consumed the king.

"Kyu swayam ko kasht de rahe hai Maharaj ?" Adirath asked making Dhritrashtra let go of the sword.

The blind King grunted in frustration, his hand stained with vermilion. "Sahastra Gajo ka bal hai mujh mei parantu fir bhi yeh talwar mujhse kyu nahi uthti, Adirath ?" he lamented, his words dripping with a mixture of anger and despair.

The suta shook his head, a hint of sorrow in his eyes, "Yadi Bal se yeh talwar uth sakti toh kya Mahamahim se na uthti ? Kya Chitrangad se na uthti ?"

Dhritrashtra let out a defeated sigh, his face contorted with disappointment and frustration. The divine sword's elusiveness served as a harsh reminder of his own limitations, casting a shadow over his spirit.

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Gandhari sat in her chambers, her face contorted with pain and grief. She had been pregnant for two years, and the weight of her unborn child felt like a burden she could no longer bear. Her heart ached with the knowledge that she had been delaying to give her husband, King Dhritrashtra, the heir he so desperately desired.

As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, a maid burst into the room, her face beaming with joy. "Maharani ! Maharani !"

The blindfolded queen asked, "Kya huya Bhadrey ?"

"Devi Kunti ko putra huya hai !" The maid informed.

"Kya..." Gandhari stood up from her bed, a frown of disbelief etched on her face.

The maid nodded and said with a smile, "Ha Maharani ! Woh swayam Dharmdev ka putra hai. Yudhishthir. Ugte Surya ke tarah tejasvi hai !"

Gandhari's heart sank as she listened to the maid's words. The pain of her own situation felt even more acute as she realized that she had failed to provide her husband with the son he so desired, the son who would be the eldest in the lineage, the son who would rightfully inherit the throne.

Tears stained her blindfold and streamed down her face as she cursed her fate and the gods who had chosen to torment her in this way. She had done everything in her power to ensure the birth of a son, and yet she had been denied the one thing she desired most.

Consumed by a tempest of anger and despair, she unleashed her fury, violently striking her pregnant belly with all the force she could muster.

"Maharani !" The maid and other attendants were alarmed as they rushed to her side, desperately attempting to halt her. However, she was engulfed by an overwhelming wave of grief and anguish.

And then, in a moment of overwhelming pain of aborting herself, Gandhari collapsed to the floor, her strength failing her as she fainted from the weight of her sorrow.

"Koi Vaid ko bulao !"

Without delay, her nurse was summoned, her skilled hands moving swiftly to tend to the unconscious Gandhari. With utmost care and genuine concern, she attended to the distraught woman, hoping to alleviate her suffering.

Hours seemed to stretch into eternity, until finally, the moment arrived - Gandhari was about to give birth.

However, the joy that should have accompanied this occasion was cruelly snatched away. Instead of the healthy, vibrant child she had longed for, Gandhari delivered a grotesque mass of hardened flesh.

The nurse carefully examined the peculiar mass, her hands trembling with unease. It was an unprecedented sight, unlike anything she had encountered in her years of experience.

When Gandhari regained consciousness and was informed of what she had given birth to, she was filled with disappointment and sorrow.

"Mere garbh mei 2 varsh tak keval yeh maans ka pind tha ?" She asked with immense disappointment.

"Ha Maharani." The nurse sadly replied.

Gandhari let out a heavy sigh as she clutched her temples, feeling overwhelmed by the situation, "Fek do ise."

"Thehero !" A booming voice caught everyone's attention.

"Ved Vyas ?" The maids muttered.

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A/N

Imagine a mother hitting her own pregnant belly, to such an extent that she aborts her unborn child.... Just because her sister-in-law had a son before her.

See I don't have any sort of sympathy for Kauravas, whatsoever. However, the act of Gandhari hitting her belly truly repulses me.

I understand that she has been pregnant for 2 years and it's immensely painful for her. But does she hit her belly because of that pain ? No. It's jealousy. She was jealous of Kunti having the first son.

After reading Mahabharat, my interpretation of Gandhari is in relation with Kunti. And I always feel that Kunti was everything Gandhari wanted to be but couldn't - A strong independent mother, with powerful and righteous sons, who always listened to her.