Journey through the Grand Canyon (Drisana's Mahabharat #2)

Chapter 47

"Why are you laughing, Nirmay?" Drisana asked frowning at Nakul. She had asked the question revolving in her mind to him. Why it was Bheem who was going and not Sahdev?

"What else will I do? You have questioned such a thing." Nakul replied getting his laughter under control. "Didn't you hear bhrata Bheem? Maharaj Dyutimata was Mata's brother!"

"Cousin brother. So?" Drisana asked in confusion.

"So, in Madradesh, it is not allowed to make relations between relatives. The Rajkumari whose swayambar is held, is technically Sahdev's sister." Nakul replied.

"So you're saying that Sahdev can't attend the swayambar because it's his maternal cousin's and bhrata Bheem can?" Drisana asked looking dumbfounded. She wasn't aware of any such traditions. Even her own brother had married his maternal cousin. Krishna had also married not only one but two of his cousins.

"Not maternal cousin. Maternal cousin sister. In Madradesh, either maternal or paternal, it's a sister. This tradition has never been broken." Nakul said shaking his head.

"I--wait. It's not even---what tradition is this and how it came?!" Drisana asked crouching her face.

"Let me explain. In Madradesh, the tradition is that when a girl comes of age to get married, suitors ask for her hand giving expensive gifts to the kinsman of the girl. If the girl and her guardians are happy with the appreciation shown to the girl in the form of gifts, then only her hand is given in marriage. And this tradition is not limited to the royal families, all the people of Madra tribe follows this. Mata Madri was given in marriage to Pitashree following this tradition only."

"But here they have arranged for a swayambar."

"Yes. But who do you think will win the hand of the Rajkumari? In a Kingdom where such tradition exists, which King would like to humiliate himself by going empty-handed?"

"Okay. But what is the connection between this tradition and Sahdev not attending? Sahdev can also go with gifts."

"No. He can't. Because he comes in the brothers category, remember? The thing is if one of the relative asks for the hand of the girl, how will you tell him that you didn't like his gifts or liked someone else's better? This will create drift and enmity between relatives. That's why in Madradesh, relation between relatives is strictly forbidden and not acceptable."

"That's not right. This tradition of gifting kinsman should be stopped. It sounds so much wrong. Like they are selling the daughters." Drisana said frowning in displeasure.

"Well. They consider their daughters as assets. So---" Nakul trailed off with a shrug.

"We will never do anything like this to our daughter. Our daughter will marry whoever she wants. Well, anyone in Dravida that is." Drisana said pouting.

"Didn't you say we will have a son?" Nakul asked arching his brows in amusement.

"We may have a daughter too." Drisana said

"Why don't you let the Dhatri tell you what it will be?" Nakul asked laughing. The experienced Dhatri could tell by just touching if it was a boy or girl inside the womb. In both Devika and Draupadi's time she had told beforehand that they were carrying boys. But Drisana had strictly forbidden her to tell anything to anyone this time, not even her.

"Because I want it to be a surprise." Drisana replied with a broad smile.

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In Manipura:

"Chitrangada? You didn't go for practice today?" Maharaj Chitravahana asked as he saw Chitrangada on the training ground practicing sword fight with their soldiers. For the past month or so, Chitrangada had gone to practice with her new Guru and remained there the whole day only returning after sunset.