Suyodhan's Sakhi - Smriti Khand Part II

Harsh Lessons of Life

(This chapter is from Gandhari's pov. However as we all know she was blindfolded, the things which cannot be seen by her, please assume them to be described to her, by the ones who were with her at that time.)

I was making my way towards the Shiv Temple, in the morning, when I bumped into my eldest, Suyodhan.

"I am extremely sorry, Mata. Are you alright? How foolish of me! I should have watched before running around like that," he said, holding me by my elbows and sounding extremely guilty.

"It's alright, Putra. I am absolutely fine. But where are you running to, Putra? Who is that important person who needs your presence? Karn?" I asked, teasingly.

"No, Mata, this time it's not Karn. Someone else," he replied, sounding embarrassed. I laughed at that tone of his.

"Who has gained more importance in your life than your Mitra?" I asked again, with the same teasing tone.

"It's his Putri, Mata. He has arrived for the first time with his Putri, Chandrika," he said, childlike excitement flooding in his tone.

"Is that so?" I asked, in a surprised tone.

All of us had been quite intrigued when Karn didn't send us any invitation for the naming ceremony of his daughter. Hence on hearing that he had arrived here with her, I immediately wanted to see her. I don't know what came over me or why did I feel the sudden connection towards her.

"Are you coming, Mata?" Suyodhan asked. I nodded and the two of us made our way towards Karn's kaksh.

However, on reaching there, we were met with an amusing site. Karn's daughter, whose name as Suyodhan told me was Chandrika, was sitting on the carpeted floor near a diwan and Karn was sitting on the bed, examining a scroll. Chandrika was trying to gain Karn's attentions with her hands and babyish voices. But Karn seemed too engrossed in the scroll to pay attention to it. Both me and Suyodhan frowned at the indifference shown by Karn.

"He surely isn't deaf. Then why is he irritating the poor kid?" Suyodhan said, deeply disappointed in his friend.

Suddenly Chandrika started crying. But Karn didn't even lift his eyes to look at her. Suyodhan panicked at the loud cry and wanted to rush towards, but I stopped him. The ordeal suddenly was making sense to me and made me smile at my putra's dearest Mitra.

"Mata, she is crying," Suyodhan said, with worry.

"I can hear it too, putra. But don't interrupt them now," I said, with a soft smile. I could feel that Suyodhan was confused at my words, but I didn't clear it, waiting for Karn and Chandrika to clear it for him.

After a while, she stopped crying, as she realized that her crying wasn't having any effect on her father.

"What's happening, putra?" I asked, at the lack of sound around me.

"She's... she's trying to stand up, I suppose... with the help of the diwan beside her," he said, still confused.

I smiled, as Karn's trick was surely working.

Chandrika somehow stood up and tried taking a few steps, but stumbled and fell down. I could feel Suyodhan's tight grip on my hand and was amused at the fact that he hadn't even met the girl properly and was already feeling her pain. I just couldn't understand the bond that he shared with Karn and his family.

Chandrika once again tried getting up and took a few steps, but again the result was same. However she didn't stop attempting. And with each attempt, the number of steps taken by her, increased.

"What is so funny in the scroll that he is smiling?" Suyodhan said, in the middle of describing Chandrika's attempts to me.

I chuckled and said, "He is not smiling because of the scroll, putra. He is smiling because his daughter is finally learning to walk."

That's when the whole affair dawned on him. By then, Chandrika had managed to reach the bed and patted it with her tiny hands. Karn finally got up at that and picked her in his arms, bringing a huge smile on her face. An impish laugh escaped her lips, as he threw her up lightly.

"Wasn't it a bit harsh way to teach your child to walk?" Suyodhan asked, as we made our way towards the father – daughter duo. I chuckled at the over protective behaviour of my son.

"I wasn't teaching her to walk, Mitra. I know she is much in a hurry to learn that than I am," Karn replied gently. He kept Chandrika on the diwan and bent down to take my blessings. Then he went on to hug my son and after settling me down on an armchair, they sat down as well.

"Then what was the reason behind such harsh punishment for my six month old granddaughter, putra?" I asked, as even I thought that he wanted to teach to walk.

Karn just chuckled and said, "Yesterday, when at the camp, she was trying to walk on the ground. However on taking just a few steps, she fell down and hurt herself due to the small pebbles on the floor."

"What?" Suyodhan exclaimed. "Is she hurt? Should I call the Raj Vaidya? And even after that, you were being so harsh on her. This is how you treat your only daughter."

I couldn't help my laughter at this behaviour of my eldest. However, I could feel the smile that was present of his Mitra's face as well.

"Mitra, she is not hurt that much. Just some light bruises. Children do fall when they are learning to walk for the first time. It's not that big deal. However it does become a big deal, when children refuse to get up or try to walk again after they have fallen. That's what happened yesterday. And that's what I was teaching her. To get up after every fall."

"Don't you think she is too small to get such a big lesson, putra?" I asked, surprised at the explanation of Karn.

"I know, Mata," he said. However, I don't know whether it was my imagination or not, but I could hear a bit of guilt as well as desperation in his tone.

"What is it, putra?" I asked gently.

"Mata... it's... it's just that I want to teach her everything I can. It seems as if... as if I don't have much time to spend with her."

"What are you saying?" Suyodhan laughed at the worry in Karn's tone. "Nothing is going to happen to you. You do remember that you have a Kavach that makes you invincible, don't you?"

Karn chuckled and said, "Mitra, there's a reason why Prithvi is called as 'Mrityu Lok'. It's because here, death is the ultimate truth. Hence there is nothing called as invincible, here."

I could hear the pain that he was trying to hide behind his chuckle. I knew that was bound to happen after the sin that he had committed. But my eldest still seemed blind to that realization.

"Don't bother my little doll with these harsh lessons of yours. Let her enjoy her childhood," Suyodhan said, shaking his head in disappointment and went on to pick up Chandrika in his arms.

I could hear again, her impish laughter as he tickled her, while Karn looked on, with a smile.

"She's pulling my hair, Mitra," Suyodhan said, with a laugh.

"She pulls mine too," Karn said, sheepishly.

Both laughed as Karn shared some funny yet memorable incidents related to Chandrika.

"I pulled Kakashree Suyo's hair?" Chandrika asked, with wide eyes. Arjun and Bheem felt a sharp pang in their heart on hearing the fondness held in the mention of Duryodhan's name. They were too proud to admit that it was the pang of jealousy.

Gandhari giggled as she heard her try to mask the embarassment in her tone.

"Suyodhan didn't mind at all, and nor did I," she replied, cupping Chandrika's face in her palms, "In fact, Suyodhan would always be amused by your antics. Lakshmanaa had been, a relatively quiet child. Maybe because of the strict, royal atmosphere that fills this palace. Hence, he enjoyed those funny antics of yours."

Chandrika just smiled at that and went back to the memory that served to her, as her first meet with her Kakashree Suyo.