Krishnapriya Devashree

99. When Reason Fails

Narad Muni listened to their panicked outbursts with a bemused expression, his fingers lightly stroking his beard.

"Ah, the vivid imagination of mortals. You know your scriptures well, I must admit. Such creativity in describing hells you've never seen."

"This isn't a joke, Rishivar! Hell is real! We've heard the elders speak of it since we were children. It's where sinners are punished, where there's no light, no hope, only endless suffering. Do you think we're fools to take this lightly?"

Narad Muni's grin only widened. "Oh, no, dear ladies. I don't think you're fools. On the contrary, I find you quite... entertaining. But no matter. I'm not here to force you. Only to observe" 

He dismissed them. There was no use talking when they were so engulfed with fear. There was no place was fear in devotion......or greed for that matter. So he turned to the only woman who had yet to utter a single word.

Devashree.

She was staring hard at him. She was waiting for him to give the actual cure. She was losing her patience. Krishna was still suffering inside...has been suffering for weeks and Narad Muni has the time to joke regarding such matter?! What was wrong with him? It was too much now. 

Narad Muni's grin faltered slightly as he met Devashree's unwavering gaze. Her silence was not born of fear, like the others, nor of hesitation. It was sharp, cutting through the commotion like a blade. She was not amused, nor intrigued, nor entertained by his antics.

"What say you, Devi? Are you too consumed by fear of eternal damnation to take up this... humble task?"

"I am waiting for the actual solution Munivar. Please, don't make us wait anymore. Please, please tell me what can I do to make him well again?"

" I did not lie Devi. It is the actual solution." His tone was very serious.

Devashree narrowed her eyes. Surely it cannot be so....simple?  She had gone days without food and water, without seeing the face of her son, climbed a mountain, and suffered endless injuries only for the solution to be this?

" Krishna needs the dust off my feet? Is that all?"

"That is all." 

"Truly?"

"I swear on Narayan."

Devashree wasted no time. She picked up the hem of her sari and dashed inside the palace like a mad woman.  Servants and guards stepped aside in confusion, their calls of "Maharani!" going unanswered.

Her breathing was labored, her heart pounding as she reached the doors. Devashree pushed the doors open with such force that they slammed against the walls.

The sight that greeted her nearly brought her to her knees.

Crimson. Krishna was a canvas of crimson red. Red was seeping all across his body.

A large gash ran across his forehead, blood seeping through the cloth that had been hastily tied around it to stem the flow. His arms, his chest, his legs—there wasn't a single part of him untouched by wounds. A single red cloth, tied in hasty knots, covered his torso.

A sharp tearing sound drew her attention. 

Devashree looked at the woman seated near Krishna.

Draupadi.

The queen of Pandavas was in the midst of tearing a cloth out of her sari to stem the flow of blood. She looked disheveled, her hair falling loose from its braid, her eyes red and swollen from weeping. In her lap lay the remains of her sari, torn into long strips. It was almost half.