The song of Bharat, oh! the great song of Bharat:
The song of eternal struggle between Dharma and Adharma.
Birds and animals, humans and dieties:
All nothing but the puppet's of this eternal struggle.
Here are the glorious beings who glows in enlightenment:
In whom everything is an ambrosia of Life.
-------- Voice of Isha on Mahabharatum.
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Creakling wheels of carriage stirred forward towards the causeway, heedlessly ignoring many wet and damped and soaked spots on the narrow path while traveling. The causeway was surrounded by the dark muddy bogs, spanning almost endlessly untill in the distance, where one could see a outline of a forrest, if there eyesight are adept enough, Maithli thought.
It's smooth and clear for anyone to see, that this location is no-man's-land, except offcourse for all kinds of murshy creatures, like that unfortunate little swarmpy lizard which just got crushed under the wheels of there vehicle. There are birds and green snakes and gohaas but no cue of human activity. That's good, she thought, it is the very reason why they are here.
Hour's of time expired in this trend, there course unchanged and with silence and underlined greef reigning inside the vehicle.
Maithli remained in her emotional daze, untill a wailing and crying of a baby erupts from inside. Maithli whirled her vision away from outside, towards inside of carriage.
An extremely beautiful women..no a girl, no more than age of sixteen and half, sits besides her, carrying in her embrace a bundle of innocence, a baby boy...her boy.
As the baby cried, the girl too started sobbing, silently and faintly and softly. Hardly any voice escaped from her, only river's of water from her eyes slipping away. She gazed at her boy with sweet attachment and greef, a emotion of such which only a mother could likely produce.
With sweetness and tenderness, she started guiding the baby towards her breast, only to be interrupted by her.
" My lady, we have goats milk on us " Maithli tried to tell her, while making sure to not call her ' your highness ', calling her with her titles in such time and place, would be height of daftness. They can't afford to leave any trail or proof of there identify and quest, otherwise things would bound to go catastrophic.
Despite her attempts of interruption, Princess Kunti paid her no mind and continued to do her deed. Maithli sighed internally, emotionaly exhausted and tired and feeling weak. She has tried much and more to divert the attention of 'her highness' towards anything other than the boy, but it seem to have no effect. She doesn't want her friend to get more and more attached towards the baby. Afterall, currents of fate, responsibility, and honour, will insure there separation from each other, more attachment would only give more pain and make the process of separation much harder.
Maithli looked with pity in her eyes, at her friend, it was clear without any doubt that the Princess has no experience, in any of the thing she is doing. Her way of feeding the baby is clumsy and awkward and ultimately tiresome and even her way of holding the baby was strange. Unfortunately, even Maithli has no experience on such subjects.
.....
Maithli could still remember that day as clear as azure blue sky, exactly ten months ago. Princess, her and few dozens others, were on there way in jungle, roaming and hunting and poaching, just like any proper Kshatriya - royalty would be doing. It was there that they stumbled on a situation. Cries and screems of a elderly man vibrated around there whole area in jungle, Princess being brave and carring as she always was, immediately whirled her mount and blasted towards the direction in, without a thought or forewarning. Naturally every one else scrambled as well after the Princess.
When they reached there destination, they found the scene of a blooded and injuryed elderly man with saffron clothes, a monk, surrounded by three hyena's. His Bamboo staff only weapon, starving and keeping the hungry hyena's away. The Princess as was her nature, jumped into fray with a sword in her hand, and just a few moments later so did everyone else.
The fight took less than a minute, all three beast nothing but dead corpse's on the green-browny ground. The old monk was saved, through with some serious injuries. Princess ordered the dead corpses to be thrown away, afterall, suggesting to eat or carry flesh in presence of a holy man is nothing short of sacrilege.
As a royal, princess had been taught in the art of swords and arrow, and in holy scriptures and traditions and even in basic healing and herbs. Thus, it was she who examined and declared the wounds is serious enough and thus there hunting party had to be stopped.
Princess ordered to set up the camp, and so after finding suitable area, clearing of greenery and clusters of grass and other wilds, grounds were leveled, pavallions and tents were raised, fires were ignited, fruits collected and waters stored.
When asked, about his name and identity, the monk said that he is Sage (seer/prophet) Durvasa. While nobody showed any reaction from outside, inwardly they all scoffed and sneered at that supposed lie. Maithli particularly even had a thought ' if you are legendary Durvasa, than i am also Goddess Laxmi herself '. If he wasn't monk wearing holy saffron then without a doubt Maithli would have had mocked him at face.
Non-the-less, it took old monk about little less then ten days to fully recover and he wanted to give a gift to princess as his appreciation for her kindness. Don't dismiss the blessings of a holy man, such were the sayings of ancients, and thus the princess was gracefully ready to accept anything the old man could give.
But, the old man declared that his 'boon' can't be given in presence of other's; it had to in secret. Immediately, uproar erupted in party, how can they dare leave there princess alone with some unknown man, even if he wears holy saffron. But the monk was stubborn, he would give his boon and it had to be in secret, he declared wilfuly.
After, some arguments, Princess Kunti decided that she will receive this secret gift but Maithili will be present during the exchange.
Thus, under the dark and cool shades of leafs of bunyan tree, away from peeping and prying eyes of others, the old monk who, self proclaimed himself as Rishi (sage) Durvasa, atlast presented his gift.
My boon to you is a 'secret Divine Mantra', a holy chant, old monk proclaimed, according to him if princess chants this mantra, three times repeatedly, by focusing on some (any) particular element of nature, than the diety of that element shall bless the chanter with a child of his own divineblood.
The monk started whispering the so-called divine mantra in princess's ear, once and then twice and then again, again, again, and again. He kept whispering, silently enough, so that even Maithli could not hear any word of it.
In Maithli's view, it almost took the monk eternity of day to feel satisfied, when he felt that princess memorized everything, he stoped.
' atlast the farce end's ' those were the Maithli's thoughts at those moment, and only lord Rama knew how wrong she was.
....Days expired one after another, elderly mad monk disappeared away from her fog of memories, so did the hunting party and jungle. Everything was running normally and ordinary. But unknowing to her, it was nothing but silence before the storm.
And what a storm it was...
Storm camed in the avatar of Princess herself and her confession.
According to princess, in a fit of curiosity and vain, she performed the chanting by focusing on 'sun ' and .... got pregnant.
Maithli still sometimes can't understand. How can a virgin conceive a child, that is not to say that she doesn't believe in her friends confession, far from it...
Once there panic settled away, first priority was to keep this thing in absolute secrecy. Thus, she and Princess decided to leave for so-called vacation's, for villa, away on the edge of kingdom, convincing & making excuses to the king Kuntibhoja was easy deed, he had always been overly indulging of the princess.
Once, there secrecy was insured, she begged her friend to eat seeds of papaya and others, but as expected Kunti denied, she would not kill the child.... specialy her child.
....
A sudden jolt ran over her body, bringing her consciousness back from tides of memories. As her mind camed back from past to present, she realised that there vehicle was lurching dangerously towards her left. Ignoring the rukkas of her companion's, her gaze landed over the wheel; broken and splintered into two.
We are almost there, she consoled herself.
" Devi (goddess, lady), I am sorry, but this carriage can go no further " the driver said, remorsefully. The old man got off the vehicle, so that he can help the two ladies off from inside.
Maithli accepted the help gratefully, and than took the boy in her grasp, so that the Princess could get out of carriage easily.
Yet, once again Maithli halfheartedly tried keeping crying child away from his mother but offcourse failed. Both mother and child remained like two pieces of magnet, unyielding in there desire to be together.
Hiding her displeasure, Maithli took out her pochette of coins, counting exactly ten silvers, she then proceeded to gave it to old man as his payment. She could have just avoided the hassle of counting, if she paid with one gold, but that would had attracted attention. Afterall, gold is always used by nobles. And thus it's better that the old man doesn't get any ideas about there identity.
The forest loomed over them, sprawling with mangrove and greenly Banyan trees. As she and Princess walked closer to it, scents of wet clay mixed with damp spicy leafs and pine needles as well as rotten wood, seems to whispering non stop conspiracy to them. It was provocative and yet deviously trying to comfort them.
Little away a group of squirrel gattered away around a fallen dry tree, sounds of monkeys howling in distance, mosquito buzzing around and mouse squealing and running away from predators.
Every walk, every step had a story of its own to tell, it whispered secrets by scents, smells and sound and scenery. Rustling of dry leaves on ground, smells of berrys and wildflowers and those overgrown gaint roots, all of them had something to show.
They walked for hour or so, untill canopy cleared, sunlight camed pouring and dismissing darkness of forest. Sounds of running Streams of river reached there ears. Princess Kunti immediately showed distressed emotions, clutching her child tightly, like afraid of inevitability coming towards them.
As, they neared the sound becomed louder and louder.
And, there flowed the swallow streams of holy river Ganges. River Gange also revered as a mother goddess, is perhap the largest of all rivers in Aryavart (North India)or may be even in entire Bharatvarsh (India). Princess Kunti and many like her, are devote believers of this holy river. Mayhaps this very devotion had princess come to this place, expecting goddess to show her mercy on her son.
Without any promting, Maithli moved toward the riverbank, basket in her hand. While, Princess Kunti seemed to be frozen in her place. Eternity passed for Kunti in those few moments, damp stains of tears were already dry and visible on her cheeks, she had no more strength to cry any longer.
" Kunti " Maithli called her friend this time with her name, she was passed any delicacy for now. Fearing that Kunti would refuse to do what is necessary because of her emotions. But thankfully her fears remain unfounded, as princess approached. Maithli noticed princess no longer was shedding any more tears, she has eyes of Kshatriya now, of a warrior, full of steel, no longer one will find any motherly tenderness in them.
Maithli breathed in relief, if at this point, Kunti was swayed by her motherly instinct, then outcome could only be describe as catastrophic. Once her secret was out, no one would believe her explanation. From Aryavart ( north india ) to Dakshinakhanda ( south india ) she would have nothing but mockery. From kingdom of Gandhar ( modern afganistan) to Lanka ( modern Sri Lanka ) her name would become synonymous with impurity. Who in this world would even believe that a virgin, still pure, could conceive a child? No one!
Mockery of half the world was one thing, other consequences would follow through. Like rebellion raising in Kingdom, breaking of betrothed between Kunti and Prince Pandu of powerful kuru dynasty, there allys abandoning them, and offcourse dishonor so powerful that no matter what they do, it would be useless. Picture was grim, very grim.
Princess Kunti shut her eyes for a moment, breathed deeply, gathering her resolve. When she opened, Maithli knew it was time...
Atlast, Kunti separated herself from the baby, and slowly layed him in basket. Tender pitambari silk and cotton cushioned the baby. Then she brought out jewels and placed them at basket as well.
And, atlast a sharp knife was required, hesitation clear on her royal face.
" May be we can avoid this, princess " Maithli suggested with strange emotions welling in her heart.
A moment passed, then.
" No " Kunti replied " i owe him this much at the very least "
Breathing deeply, Kunti 's steady hand holding sharp knife reached towards baby's chest. There slowly, she used edge of sharp thing to scratch something on his flesh. Baby's cries of pain filled with tears erupted at once. For a second Kunti stop but then steeling herself she continued.
Atlast, the named was carved on his chest, in tongue of holy sanskrit --- Karna.
Only than did the princess erupted in cry. Both mother and son continued wailing in unison, like some how feeling each others pain.
....
...
..
.
Time passed, Maithli and Kunti started chanting players to holy river: to take the child towards his safety, towards his destiny, towards those who would care for him.
Then, between tears, the basket was allowed to be carried away by the slow currents of river, it's destination unknown to every one and destiny of karna known only by Ganga.....
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a) pre-mahabharath era had no well- designed coinage system, actually it could be considered as pre monetaised society, when bartage system was privelant, and coin or seals (horse-seals) were very rarely used. But for the sake of story here(in this novel) we will have proper currency system.
b) I shall create many fake characters in order for story to smoothly progress.
c) check out my other work -- Third eye ( GOT si ).
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