My trials, tribulations, triumphs and more... - Arjuna.

Chapter 35: Visit of Maharishi Veda Vyas and Krishna

The atmosphere was tense, and we were mulling over the happenings that just occurred in such a short span of time. Just at that time, we heard a knock on the door and saw Maharishi Veda Vyas standing there, he had such a magnetic aura around him, even though he appeared to be very old but was buff like a young warrior. His eyes shined with compassion and his bearing had a divine aura. All of us bowed down and saluted the great sage and then Kunti maa recounted the events and asked Maharishi for his advice on the matter.

Maharishi Veda Vyas intently listened to the events and said none can escape from fate and the marriage of Draupadi with all the Pandavas would be one of the key events of the Dwapar Yuga. It will result in the establishment of Dharma and annihilate all the unruly/adharmic elements from the society and pave a way for the new Yuga called Kali Yuga. He said without this key event, the process of transformation from one Yuga to another is impossible and all of us have to play a huge role in it.

After hearing those divine words from Maharishi Veda Vyas, the prevailing tense atmosphere was soothed. Then, the Maharishi came near Draupadi, gave her blessings and said she will be a key instrument in the establishment of Dharma and history will witness her courage, sacrifice, and compassion. He said there will not be any another woman who will have such attributes as her and her courage and compassion would rival mother earth. Draupadi whose eyes were now filled with tears, bowed down before Maharishi, and Maharishi asked her to be emotionally strong from now onward, as in the future there will be vicious elements in the society who would look for opportunities to insult her. Maharishi then in a prophetic way said all those vicious and immoral elements who may try to insult her or question her chastity would be burned and their merits taken away and will suffer even in the next life. Maharishi then moved towards Yudhi bhai and said the sons of Maharaj Pandu are fortunate to have Draupadi as their wife, as she is the epitome of all the virtues and should be loved and respected. He blessed Bhim bhai, Nakul and Sahadev and instructed them to take care of Draupadi and always try to make her happy.

I stood near the door and my heart ached and mind was still processing the words of Maharishi about the difficulties and insults which Draupadi might face in the future. I was totally in a daze and was thinking why did I win the contest and put the peerless princess in such a difficult situation. I was immersed in those thoughts and feeling extreme restlessness, then a gentle tap on my shoulder brought me back to the senses and saw Maharishi beaming. He said, dear Arjuna, do you remember the words of aakash vaani uttered at the time of your birth, which proclaimed 'this noble child would be the foremost of all men, invincible in battle, in prowess and energy will be like that of Karatavirya and Mahadev, bring fame and prosperity to the Kurus and play a key role in performing the great yagnas' and you remember how dearly your father loved you and will you not perform the deeds which your father expected of you? Those words brought a profound realization, nodded my head and bowed down to the sage. Now, I have to be prepared for all the heartache and sacrifices and do my duty with utmost sincerity and live my life with a purpose. At that moment, I promised myself, I will never reveal my agony over the events to anyone and will always try to hide the immense pain I felt.

We requested the great sage to have lunch with us and to make the atmosphere light, he inquired Bhim bhai, if he was finding it hard to control his voracious appetite in these forests. Bhim bhai was a bit embarrassed at that and was finding it difficult to answer that question but Nakul pitched in and said to Maharishi that, 'No Maharishi, now we all are spending extra hours to find the necessary food to fulfill Bhim bhai's appetite'. The bonding and immense love we brothers had for one another was something which cannot be described in mere words. The talk of Maharishi and Nakul's intervention brought laughter to all of us and for the first time after entering the hut, I could see the smile on the beautiful face of Draupadi and it relieved some of the tremendous pain I was harbouring in my heart. We had a brief eye lock, and that moment I realized the princess of Panchal did not need to utter any words to me, her eyes were enough to express all that was needed. Those beautiful lotus like eyes expressed to me that she still has the same love and respect for me which she showered on me unconditionally after winning the Swayamvar. That moment is still etched in my heart, I can only thank the princess for understanding my situation. After lunch, Maharishi spent some time with us and advised us to go and meet Maharaj Drupad soon and inform him about the happenings and prepare for the marriage ceremony. We all were really grateful to Maharishi for his timely visit and advice, his soothing words calmed our nerves. He blessed us and proceeded to his ashram.

Shortly, after the departure of Maharishi, we saw the arrival of the person who had a great effect on me during the Swayamvar, my dear cousin and friend Krishna along with Balaram dau. Krishna and Balaram dau introduced themselves and took blessings from Maa Kunti and Yudhi bhai. We were so happy to meet our cousins whose stories of bravery and intelligence made us proud. Bhim bhai without wasting anytime went near Balaram dau and requested him to be his guru and teach him the advanced techniques in the art of mace fighting. Balaram dau readily accepted the request and said he was relieved and immensely happy to see all of us alive, as they heard rumours about our supposed death in the fire accident in Varnavat.

Maa Kunti instructed Nakul to bring sweets like milk cake and pedha, makhan and other savouries from the nearby sweet store, she told us makhan and milk cake were favourites of Krishna. Maa Kunti recounted to us the stories of how the little mischievous Krishna stole the butter from the nearby houses. Hearing those lovely stories was so relaxing. We had a merry time with our cousins whilst savouring the sweets and informed them about the prior arrival of Maharishi Veda Vyas and his instructions. Krishna then stood up and concurred with the views of Maharishi and said Maharishi always speaks truth and it was time for us to go to Maharaj Drupad and prepare for marriage ceremony. Krishna went near Draupadi and gently patted her head with affection and told her from this moment onward, she would be his dear sister as well his friend, and will always be there for her whenever she needs support. Krishna gave a divine smile and tapped my shoulder and said 'Parth, remember I am always with you, whatever maybe the situation, you will always be my beloved friend and will always be there to guide you. You may not know about your previous birth but I know about it, we are soulmates dear Parth'. That assurance from Krishna totally removed all the remaining fears and aches from my heart and somehow brought a new spring and vigour in me. I would always cherish the moments spent in Krishna's presence, those moments brought me immense bliss, and I felt supremely confident to tackle whatever may be the difficulties of life with his guidance and blessings.