"Her love sets the thunders of my soul ablaze, and she reigns the kingdom of my heart, where the spring called love blooms."
Arjuna, the Prince of the Kurus, finds his love, heart, and soul dedicated to the Princess of the Srinjayas, who arose from...
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Kampilya, Dakshina Panchala
"Pita..." Krishnaa released her arms around her father's neck, and clasped her palms together immediately.
Her eyes welled up as she diverted her gaze in the direction of the falling sun rays, her eyes fixated to the white marble floor which looked brilliant like a diamond, illuminated by the light of the evening sun.
It was not more than a Prahara ago that she found out of Arjuna's safety, and the sudden news of a Svayamvara stupefied her for the least. She and Arjuna, faced a few years of struggle to reach the point they were at, at that moment, and the separation of more than a year after the Varanavata incident to date did not put Krishnaa at ease at all, but the belief and the trust and love that she had for Arjuna in her heart, and the utmost prayers and words of encouragement that she showered for herself in her heart about him were too expansive to suddenly forget it all and accept for a Svayamvara.
But she also knew that her father would not come up with anything without a proper thought and foresight, and Krishnaa also knew that very well. Anything that her father advised her to do, or any decision that he took for her, was always for her well-being and always resulted in fruition, for all his decisions, advices, suggestions, everything were in the light of her betterment alone. Her father was her biggest supporter, and Drupada did everything in his ability to support that belief of Krishnaa's. It would be disrespectful of her if she denied the thought of Svayamvara without a reason, but Krishnaa did nothing without a valid reason and a strong cause. But this situation was different, and it was tearing her from the inside to choose between one person. She could not ever deny the request of the one who brought her into this colourful world, and even if not for that, she knew her father was not wrong. It was her age factor too that mattered, and she did come to the age of marriage. Her education was completed, and she had all the skills one must have. She proved herself a dedicated princess, and she was also eligible to become a Queen in the future, and she also trusted her parents above all.
But she could not deny her heart's feelings as well. She was pulled deep into the ocean of love, and she had voyaged half their her to the other shore in the companionship of Arjuna. She could never bring herself out of his thoughts, for she had aspirations of a life in togetherness with the third son of Pandu, and she loved him with all his heart.
"DrupadaTanayaa, we've entered into each other's life with a collective ambition to erase the bitterness that persisted between the Kurus and the Panchalas. And today, we stand at a juncture where I see the future of these two celebrated families come together. This descendent of Bharata has lost his heart for the descendent of Maharaja Somaka. Krishnaa, will you hold my hand, and lead me into the next phases of my life as the light of my light? Will you be the Queen who rules this warrior's heart? Will you accept me, Arjuna, as your companion for your life?"
Krishnaa shut her eyes tightly as she remembered his earnest request to her, when they were last seated together in the gardens of Panchala. His voice reverberated in her ears with the intensity of a roaring thunder, while the tenderness and sweetness of his word sounded like the breeze of Vasanta that fills earth with life.
How could she forgo her love for Arjuna, and take a seat in the Svayamvara sabha, having to choose another king or prince to wed?
She let her tears flow as she put her head onto her father's lap, clutching Drupada's uttariya into her fist as turmoil shot through each nerve and vein of her body.
"Pita..I..."
"Krishnaa.." Yajnasena softly uttered, rising his daughter up from his lap as he wiped away the tears that cascaded down her dark cheeks, that now flushed with pain as pink hue arose on her the sides of her cheeks.
"Krishnaa, everything we do is for your interest, and your well-being. But putri, understand that this is your life, and we are none to force our decisions upon you at any point of time. We, as your well-wishers, can only suggest you or intimate you about a certain event, but we can never force you to agree with us. That is what I believed from the day you arose from the Yajna, from your birth, and that is what we will follow to do always! Do not keep any inhibitions, and tell me what your heart wishes. I stand by your side in any decision that you take, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my existence too, Putri. This is a promise fo a father, and I will stand by it!" Her father's words caused Krishnaa to straighten her spine as she hastily wiped off her tears. Her trust in her father was incomparable, and her father always proved her so, even when there was no necessity.
"Pita, I am aware that this is the right thought that crossed your mind, because it is the correct time. Any father would want to see his daughter flourish in life, and that is not at all wrong from your side. But, Pita, Arjuna..."
A faint, thin curve appeared on Drupada's lips as he glanced at Shikhandi who was sitting on the other side of Krishnaa.
"Is that what is bothering you, Krishnaa?" The father fondly shook his head, patting his daughter's head tenderly as he rose to his feet, his glances on Krishnaa, with his eyes filled with Paternal love.
"Putri, the Kuru-Panchala feud brought you and Arjuna into a common sphere. You both strived the hardest for your age, to put an end to this rivalry that has been going on since generations, and Krishnaa, no one can match Arjuna in any aspect. I am not saying that because of your love for him that is there, Putri, because I have found Arjuna a suitable groom for you ever before. I wished for a daughter who would be the divinity in her husband's life, but I found Arjuna suitable for that. But you too chose him Putri, and my elation knew no bounds after that. Your love is pure, Krishnaa, and the whole of Panchala too will be blessed if Arjuna takes your hand in marriage. I've seen your struggle, but I've also seen the serenity that entered your lives as each other. He is also the son of my comrade, Pandu, and nothing would be more happier if Krishnaa marries Savyasachi."
Krishnaa sat unmoved as her heart moved with her father's sweetness, and gratitude over-powered her as her father's love for herself dissipated as joy into the surroundings.
