Sita's Sister

THE REJECTION

Recap-

'I know you well, girls. You are sensitive and sensible and I am so proud of you! I know you shall be strong enough to take the right decision and know how to live, and love.'

But for all her brave words, Urmila was not too sure about the terms their future would dictate on her and her sisters.

Now Continuing..-

Mandavi, for all her pretentious claims, could not take her eyes off the portrait. Not that the portrait was a piece of art, discerned Urmila's critical eye, but the man in the portraitdefinitely was. 

After glancing at Shatrughna's miniature which Kirti seemed to be mooning over as well, Urmila concluded fairly that Bharat was the best looking of the brothers. Broad forehead, a pair of deep set eyes, a finely chiselled nose over perfectly shaped lips. He was incredibly good looking, a quality which any girl would find difficult to resist. 

Mandavi could not remain immune for long either and Urmila could well surmise that it would not take Mandavi long to accept the marriage proposal. King Dashrath had shrewdly known what he was about to accomplish when he had sent the portraits over with the letter.

He knew the answer well before he finally received the expected reply in Janak's neat hand. The four princesses of Videha would be marrying the four princes of Kosala on the date already fixed. Just a week away and the twin cities of Ayodhya and Mithila burst into a frenzy of activity and euphoria.

Urmila found it wonderfully strange that just a few days ago, she was preparing for her sister's wedding and now she was going to be a bride herself! The sisters running errands till yesterday were today's brides-to-be.

 Getting pampered and fawned upon and being dolled and decked up was a delicious feeling; Urmila was enjoying the indulgence.The only dull spot was that she rarely got to catch a glimpse of the man she was soon to marry. She wanted to talk to him personally, and openly, about their official engagement but the series of pre-wedding events at the palace prevented her from meeting him. 

Neither did he make any attempt to seek her out. It was a disquieting feeling but Urmila tried to cheerfully brush it off as bridal nerves

.That morning her father had asked the four girls to seek the blessings of Rishi Vishwamitra, who it seemed, had been the chief brain masterminding the four weddings,silently and piously. As Urmila stood before him, she saw him in a new light. He was surprisingly very good looking but formidable with his angry, piercing eyes— a lot like Lakshman's, Urmila thought with mild amusement. 

He was tall and well built, his lanky frame accentuating a muscular sturdiness. But it was his eyes which often did most of the talking— they were often calm, with frequent flashes of humour and irascibility.Considering he had assiduously planned their romance, Urmila could well believe his incredible love story.

 The beautiful apsara Menaka, the celestial nymph, was especially brought from heaven by Indra, the king of the devas, to distract and seduce the rishi and break his severe meditative penance which was threatening the three worlds— heaven,earth and hell. She did, but only to fall in love with him as well. And he, too, fell in love with her. They got married but not to live happily ever after...

But there was nothing remotely romantic about him now— neither in dress, design or demeanour. Urmila followed her sisters as she touched his feet to seek his blessings. 'After the way you wrangled the blessing from the great Rishi Parshuram, I fear, dear, I am careful to measure my words!' chuckled Vishwamitra

Urmila found herself blushing, hating her reaction each time the betraying colour flooded her face. His mocking words had brought a rush of memories of that fateful daywhen she swung from hope to despair, from fear to unmitigated joy. 

'You are a brave child and in your unassuming, charming way, you shall win whatever you aspire for. But it won't be easy, dear. You are the strongest of the four; you shall reap what you receive;not reap what you have sown...'

Urmila looked puzzled. What was he trying to imply? Before she could ask him to elaborate, he continued, 

'There was a reason why I came to Mithila, there was a reason why I stayed on here and there is still a reason why I wanted the four of you to marry the four young princes of Ayodhya. Time will tell all...'

the rishi declared sagely, albeit with a certain conceit. It was as though it was he and not Time and Fate who had propelled the events. Urmila frowned. Was this a blessing, a back-handed self compliment or a subtle warning of things to come?

She shrugged nonchalantly. She was not a superstitious person, nor one who particularly believed in ritual and rites, her father's philosophy and family's inherited pattern of though notwithstanding.

 Was she supposed to perform some yagna to propitiate an angry god, she wondered with a mirthless smile. As if reading her thoughts, the sage told her gently,

 'It is not yagna, but dharma which you shall always have to uphold. It is how you nurture your relationships and your deeds that will see you through.You are the one who shall deliver them all to happiness eventually. Your love shall eventually succeed!' 

he said and Urmila caught a fleeting look of a sad, lost look on the sage's tired face. Was he reminscing his lost love?

Urmila was not sure if she was more confused or frightened by his eerie enunciations.But catching the kindly look on the sage's face, she assumed the best and felt reassured.However, she was relieved, as were her sisters, only when they finally took their leave and proceeded back to the palace. They almost ran back, their quick steps breaking into a slow sprint...

TO BE CONTINUED..

sorry for the late update !

Do vote , comment and follow my account @ShreeRadheGovind !! 

Will see u people in the next part till then ..

JAY SIYA RAM !!