|| ArjunaPriyā: Flames On The Waves || ✔️

|| Dvatrimshat: A Friend's Assurance ||

"Arjuna!" Krishna's loud and exuberant voice brought the son of Pritha out of his trance, a soothing trance that was the result of the divine presence of the son of Vasudeva. Coming back to the present and realizing that Krishna was standing right before his eyes, the third Pandava beamed and enveloped his friend in a boisterous embrace, as the latter returned it with the same enthusiasm. The Lord of the Moon situated inside the shrine witnessed the  beautiful reunion of the companions of yore, an unparalleled joy spreading in the atmosphere at their camaraderie.

"Sakha!" Arjuna sighed in happiness, his countenance glowing with ecstasy. "It all feels like a dream. I cannot believe that this is real. It took me ten years of penance to have a glimpse of you again, Janardana!"

"But I do not remember demanding anything such from you, Partha. Why did you stay out of reach for this long?"

"The destiny demanded from me an exile of twelve years in the form of a penalty and that's supposed to be fulfilled through pilgrimage. I have been travelling through the Tirthas around the Bharatavarsha for the past ten years when the niyati finally decided to have mercy on me and brought me to Prabhasa Tirtha."

"Niyati?" Krishna's lips curved into a lopsided smile. "Are you blaming destiny for whatever that has happened and whatever that is happening? Don't you have any hand in this?"

"The destiny is, after all, influenced by our decisions and choices, Madhava. It is a mixture of our thoughts and our actions. The way we think defines our present and the way we implement those ideas defines our future. And this is something you had told me once." Arjuna chuckled, making Krishna's smile turn wider and even.

"But why did you have to pay a penalty in the first place, Partha?" The son of Devaki questioned, his tone turning sombre. "Don't tell me what I already know through others, tell me what I'm not acquainted with. I have heard several accounts in these ten years from various sources but it will be fair to hear from you itself."

"Is there anything in existence that you do not know about, Keshava?"

"Do you think I do not know that I know everything?" Krishna shook his head. "If you can still remind me of that fact, you can also recount to me why you had to leave Indraprastha."

"At that point, I did not find any other option than breaking the vow. It was a moment of urgency. It's something that cannot be put into words, Leave the consequences, but it was so tough for me to break the vow in the first place. Literally, I had rushed into blazing fire without even looking up." Arjuna lowered his gaze and took a deep breath, arranging his feelings to put them into proper words. "The penalty was inevitable. I couldn't not bear the consequences after breaking the rule. The remorse would've burned me into ashes otherwise. The rule wasn't taken for the sake of it. Whatever the circumstances and whatever the reason might be but when the blunder had happened, the only way to correct it was to impose this exile on myself. They would've forgiven me but I couldn't forgive myself without this redemption."

"Twelve years away from your family and your home, didn't this prospect intimidate you, Arjuna?" Krishna questioned softly. "When you had no inappropriate intention, is this price worth paying? Isn't this too harsh?"

"It is worth paying because the question is about Krishnaa's honour, Sakha. This vow symbolizes the Pandavas' respect for Krishnaa and her relationships with the other four other than ourselves. It couldn't have been trivialized at any cost. I had thought about it so much but I realized that I could choose nothing above her honour. I never wanted to be away and neither could I have ever chosen this separation from her and my family but the only reason I do not wish to change this one decision is because it's for Krishnaa. My dedication for her gives me the spirit to complete this exile."

"Your decision was the right one, Sakha!" Krishna patted Arjuna's shoulder appreciatively. "You have upheld the honor of not just Krishnaa, yourself and Jyeshtha Bhrata Yudhishthira, but the whole of the Pandava family by choosing this path of thorns even when you were offered the bed of roses. It's no wonder that people suffer the punishment when it's forced upon them. But you had chosen to suffer this punishment though you had a way out of this, and that makes me very proud as your friend, Partha!"

Arjuna couldn't help but grin at the assurance of Krishna, an assurance that he had never received from anyone till now. When he was leaving for exile, his family was in so much grief to tell him that he had taken the right decision. After that, during the years of exile, none could give him that assurance from a balanced perspective as Krishna had just done. And neither did he ever bring this discussion in the context of righteousness before anyone else. It was Krishna who had the authority to listen to him speak in this context and comment on it as well, other than his family members and other elders and preceptors.

"I never thought that I needed to hear this, Madhava, until you said it. This uncertainty seems to have been stuck in a corner of my consciousness, complicating life for me. Thank you for liberating me from this conflict!"

"What else are friends there for?"

"A small correction." Arjuna smiled mischievously. "What else is Krishna there for? Not every friend can be what you are, Sakha. You are special, whether you accept it or not!"

"Alright alright, if you insist so much on it, I'm bound to accept that I'm special!" Krishna returned the mischievous smile and then turned to the direction where Daruka was seen, conversing with Bhangakara. Noting that Krishna's attention was on them, they quickly walked towards the duo of friends.

"Bhaginipati, will you return to Dvaraka before sunset or will you have your night meals here itself?"

"I'm thinking of spending a couple of days on the Raivataka mountain, Bhrata. I and Arjuna met after many years and we have so much to catch up with. Can you arrange for our stay there?"

"Sure!" Bhangakara nodded blithely. "I'll leave for Raivataka right away!"

"Thank you, Bhrata Bhangakara." Krishna dipped his head gratefully. "Daruka will take you in the chariot."