Krishna's P.O.V.
We were in Maharaj Drupad's court
"Many people transform pride into their life's goal. They toil away recklessly to add a feather to their existing pride. But, what is pride in reality? Have you ever thought about that, Maharaj Drupad?" I said Maharaj Drupad remained quite
"No. If you ever had, you would've realized that" I said walking forward
"a person blinded by pride begs for respect. He wants everyone to praise him. He always craves to hear about his glorious past. It implies that he expects others to acknowledge his strengths. He never has faith upon himself whatsoever. He lives in fear of being a weakling. He never has any sort of power. Arthat the one filled with pride is also surrounded by fear. Maharaj, isn't pride just another name for fear? Think about it, Maharaj." I said Maharaj Drupad closed his eyes tearing up
"Maharaj. Fear is a prison of one's heart and pride is a lock of that prison. Take yourself for instance. A man drowned in pride can never appreciate love." I said looking away from him
"Your friend became your enemy." I said gesturing to maha guru Dron
"And your children... Your children are no more than weapons of assault for you." I said gesturing to Dhrishtadyumn, Maharaj Drupad got up and walked to maha guru Dron
Drupad's P.O.V.
I got up and walked to Dron
Recalling
"Give this Brahmins ten cows in dan." I said
"The putra of Bharadwaj, does not accept charity, Drupad." said Dron
"If you seek alms then go ahead! I can write two villages in your name on a gold parchment! But if you talk about rights you will be sentenced to death!" I said
Recalling ended
"I have spent my entire life burning in the fire of revenge. You had approached me as a friend to ask for a few cows. Had I deemed you my friend this kingdom would never have got divided." I said
"I return your kingdom that had been conquered, mitr Drupad." said Dron, I raised my hand saying No.
"I have committed a crime by refusing your mitrta and its punishment is that I should have only half the kingdom with me." I said
Krishna's P.O.V.
"I have committed a crime by refusing your mitrta and its punishment is that I should have only half the kingdom with me." said Maharaj Drupad, I smiled, he joined his hands
"Forgive me, mitr. You are to die at the hands of my putra and that is fate." he said, maha guru Dron walked to him and held his hands.
"Everyone dies eventually, mitr." said maha guru Dron, Maharaj Drupad closed his eyes
"But today, I am happy to know that when Dhrishtadyumn will behead me it will not be out of anger. It will certainly be to free from some grave pain." said maha guru Dron. His putra's fake murder. I thought, I smiled
"Then it will be best, maha guru Dron. If you deem the Dhrishtadyumn as your putra and impart knowledge to him. The knowledge imparted by you, will become the reason of your freedom." I said, maha guru Dron looked at Dhrishtadyumn who joined his hand walked maha guru Dron
"Give me the knowledge warfare, gurudev" he said, touching maha guru Dron's feet, I smiled
"Get up, putra." said maha guru Dron, he looked at me
"Then it must certainly be a part of your plan, Vasudev." he said, I smiled
"That is why you had sent me a message to come here. Vasudev I had heard a lot of your greatness but today... Today, I have seen it for myself." he said joining his hand
"No, maha guru Dron." I said separating his hands
"Vasudev," called Maharaj Drupad, we looked at him, he had his hands joined
"forgive me. I could not know you." he said, I walked to him
"Maharaj, had you known your putri's love and dedication knowing me would not have been that difficult. You have always deemed your putriyo to be your misfortune. Just look at Draupadi's greatness. Look at her dedication. Even the Kaumodaki gada of Vasudev Krishna pacified by her." I said
Meanwhile
Draupadi's P.O.V.
I was to the gates of the rajabhavan
"Draupadi!" I heard Jiji call I ignored her and continued walking
"Stop, Draupadi! Draupadi..." she said, I saw her next to me
"Let's go inside, Draupadi." she said
"I cannot go inside, Jiji. I have been exiled from the city." I said, Jiji shook her head she put her hands on my shoulders
"Draupadi, come inside and apologize to pitashree. I am certain. He shall certainly forgive you. If a chariot loses its wheel the wheel loses its definition. But even after a chariot loses its wheel it is still called a chariot. A child is identified by its father's name. Please do not bring arrogance into the picture, Draupadi." she said
"This is not arrogance, Jiji but the ones who have no self-respect they cannot command respect from others. And in order to have self-respect it is important for me to know what the purpose of my life is and what my strengths are." I said I joined my hand
"Pranipat, Jiji" I said and left
Krishna's P.O.V.
"Even the Kaumodaki gada of Vasudev Krishna pacified by her." I said
"Paricharak, to honor rajkumari Draupad, make the necessary arrangements for a grand procession. Prepare a gold palanquin! She will enter the royal court with great pomp and show! Where is Draupadi?! Where is she?!" said Maharaj Drupad
"Pitashree," called Shikhandini, we looked at her
"Draupadi has decided to leave Kampilya." she said
"Impossible... Impossible! My... My putri cannot renounce her kingdom. She must certainly be unaware that today, because of Vasudev Krishna I have had a change of heart, Shikhandini!" said Maharaj Drupad, gesturing to me
"S-She must not have gone far. I shall go and bring her back!" he said, he stepped forward
"Maharaj." I called he turned around and looked at me
"Let me, accomplish this task." I said smiling, he joined his hands,
"Very well." he said, I joined my hand and left
Time skip
Draupadi's P.O.V.
I was at cliffs of a waterfall
"Rajkumari Draupadi." I heard male voice call, I looked around and saw Vasudev Krishna
"Tell me what exactly did you do? W-Which mantra did you use? Share that knowledge with me, rajkumari. Help me better myself." he said
"I did not use any mantra." I said irritated
"No, you certainly did. You pacified my magical Kaumodaki gada! How? Look here You must.. You must teach me that mantra otherwise..." he said, he looked at the cliff.
"Otherwise, I will jump off the cliff and kill myself and you will be responsible for it." he said and walked to the end of the cliff, I stretched my hand out and screamed
"Stop!" he stopped
"I did not use any mantra. I had gone there only to protect my pitashree." I said
"I do not believe you. Without the knowledge of mantras you could never have protected him. I am leaving." he said he was going to jump
"But I can certainly take the weapon being charged at him on myself!" I said angrily
"Arthat, you had used the mantra of love. Then I need not fear." he said I looked at him
"Everyone knows the mantra of love but no one is able to use it. Now, if you wish to jump off the cliff you are free to do so. Go right ahead." he said and started walking
"I do not wish to jump off the cliff." I said, he stopped
"I am only looking for the answers to some questions. What is the importance of my birth? What is the purpose of my life? To make my pitashree accept and respect me, what must I do?" I asked he turned around and looked at me
"So many questions!" he exclaimed, and chuckled
"And all of them are worthless." he said and walked to me
"Your question should be as to who you are. If you know yourself then you will get all the answers." he said
"Who am I?" I asked him
"Every person is an image of the Almighty but no one knows this. In ash are hidden embers and in ignorance... In ignorance is hidden the soul. And the one who is unable to see oneself has the desire of others to see him or her. They wish other people to tell us what they are and who they are. But others are surrounded by their own ignorance. And the one who does not know himself How can that one tell us who we are." he said
"In order to know who I am what must I do?" I asked him, he turned around
"You must bear dharm and in order to re-establish dharm you must make the necessary efforts." he said
"But how will I know dharm?" I asked, he smiled and stepped forward
"Before knowing dharm you need to know its bases. Dharm's seven bases are knowledge, love, justice, dedication, sacrifice, kindness and patience. Didn't you not ask me, Draupadi why you were born? You have been born to acquire the seven bases of dharm. The Gods have said that you will build the future of the Aryaverth. You will help re-establish dharm in the entire world. And this will only be possible when these seven bases, namely knowledge, love, justice, dedication, sacrifice, trust and patience will be acquired by you. And you already acquired one of them." he said
"Which one?" I asked
"Sacrifice." he replied, I looked at him
"Shall we go now? Life is waiting for you, Draupadi." he said, and started walking
"Who are you truly?" I asked, he stopped and turned around
"Me?" he asked and chuckled
"I am the protector of cows. My friends call me Govind." he said, I stepped forward
"Answer a question of mine, Govind. Did I truly pacify that gada?" I asked, he smiled
"What do you think, Draupadi?" he asked
"You had pacified it." I said, he smiled
"But it had been pacified for you. That is why, the credit goes to you. Shall we go now, saki?" he said I nodded
Arjun's P.O.V.
Jyesht, bhrata Yudhisthir, and I were circling the area we heard a scream we looked around, Nirjara was gone she was not there I went off to look for her after some time of looking I looked around and a rakshas's half face and went back to Jyesht and bhrata Yudhisthir.
"What happened, Jun?" asked Jyesht
"Did you find something?" asked bhrata Yudhisthir
"I just saw the raja of the rakshaso, Hidimb. And we all have seen the face of his bahan anyway" I said, and smiled they smiled, we walked back to where Mata and the rest of our brothers were sleeping when we went there we saw Nirjara was back at the place she was sleeping before Jyesht, bhrata Yudhisthir, and I exchanged looks
In the morning
Bhrata Bheem kept looking behind him looking at Nirjara. Jyesht, bhrata Yudhisthir, and I were continuously exchanging looks, Nirjara looked worried
"I can smell food being cooked. There is certainly a village in that direction. Look! I can see light coming from over there. We should proceed that way." said bhrata Bheem, I looked at Nirjara she looked even more worried and also looked scared, I looked at Jyesht and bhrata Yudhisthir they nodded, I smiled and nodded back
"Bhrata Bheem is correct." I said, Mata, bhrata Bheem, Nakul, Sahadev and Nirjara looked at me
"We should proceed in that direction." I said
"Shall we go?" bhrata Bheem asked, Nirjara she nodded whit a fake smile we started walking toward the light
"Stop!" called Nirjara we all stopped, turned around and looked at Nirjara
"We cannot go there. That is the village of the rakshaso. We should leave this place at once. Please come." she said gesturing to a different way, Jyesht and bhrata Yudhisthir walked there and blocked the way Nirjara stopped as she saw him
"You brought us here with so much effort. Then why ask us to leave now?" asked Jyesht
"She brought us here, Jyesht? Tatpary?" asked bhrata Bheem
"She is an rakshsi, Bheem." said bhrata Yudhisthir, Mata, bhrata Bheem, Nakul and Sahadev looked at Nirjara shocked
"Rakshsi? You are an rakshsi?" asked bhrata Bheem in disbelief
"I..." trailed Nirjara
"A woman who competes with you in eating can't be a human being, right?" I said, bhrata Bheem stepped forward
"You are a rakshsi?" asked bhrata Bheem, Nirjara nodded
"Yes. I am the bahan of Hidimb, the raja of the rakshaso. Hidimba." she said and showed us her real form and went back of the from of a human
"My bhai had told me to bring all of you here." she said, I smirked
"We trusted you but you betrayed us?" said bhrata Bheem
"You had trusted her, bhrata Bheem. Jyesht, bhrata Sthir and I knew of this from the start." I said, Jyesht and bhrata Yudhisthir smiled
"All of you should leave. Your lives are in danger here. I will show you the way out of this forest. Please com-"
"Be quiet!" ordered bhrata Bheem interrupting Hidimba
"Now, no one will believe you." he snapped
"Please believe me! Hidimb is the raja of the rakshaso. He is very strong. He will certainly kill all of you." she said
"I do not want to hear anything! Jyesht, what are your orders for me?!" said bhrata Bheem turning toward the light
"Please believe me!" begged Hidimba, joining her hands looking at Jyesht and bhrata Yudhisthir
"Whoever kills the raja of the rakshaso becomes the new raja. This is the tradition. That is why, many people tried to kill Hidimb but no one can kill him." she said, Jyesht, bhrata Yudhisthir and I
"Please come with me." begged Hidimba kneeling down
"I will take all of you outside this forest." she said
"Then will he not punish you?" asked bhrata Yudhisthir, she stood up
"You need not worry about me. I shall take the punishment. Please come with me..." she cried
"You need not worry. Since we have come here we shall make this forest safe for all human beings. What are your orders, Mata?" I said Mata
"How can I disbelieve the might of my putro?" she said, we all smiled proudly
"And it is the duty of rajputro to provide people with protection." she said I patted my hand on
"Let's go, bhrata Bheem." said bhrata Bheem
"Stop! If all of you go there you will be sacrificed to Lord Vrikodar." she said we ignored her and towards the light
Meanwhile
Draupadi's P.O.V.
Govind and I entered the royal court
"All hail rajkumari Draupadi!" the courtiers exclaimed again and again
"All hail Vasudev Krishna!" the courtiers exclaimed again and again. I saw pitashree coming down the stairs of his throne, I looked at Govind he stretched his hand gesturing me to go ahead I walked to pitashree and touched his feet
"Kalyan ho, putri." he said, I stood up
"Forgive your pita's crimes, putri." said pitashree
"The leaves of a neem tree are bitter but the fruits are sweet. However, the leaves are more beneficial. In the bitter words of a pita must certainly lie crucial lessons of life. That is why, I can never be angry with you, pitashree." I said
"You are truly my good fortune. I asked for lifelong struggle for you without thinking." he said
"But the capability of passing those struggles and even values like having a pure character will also be given by you, pitashree." I said
"And a family that can offer protection for life," said Govind we looked at him
"is what Draupadi needs in her life. So, make the necessary arrangements, Maharaj Drupad. Very soon, for Draupadi you will need to have a Swayamvar organized. Invite the finest royal families in the whole of the Aryaverth. The day Draupadi gets married will be the dawn of a new era for the world." said Govind, pitashree joined his hands
"You are correct, Vasudev. The Almighty has placed enemies sandwiched between rocks. He has blessed them with the armor of rocks. He has blessed a pearl with the armor of a shell. The Almighty has given an armor to every precious entity. For my putri, I wish to find a person who can become her armor. One who is the most superior warrior of the world. And I have seen only one such warrior, Vasudev." said pitashree
Dronacharya's P.O.V.
"And I have seen only one such warrior, Vasudev." said Drupad, I know he was talking about Arjun
"He has the glow of dharm on his forehead. He has the determination of values on his face. He does not insult an enemy even when he is defeated." I said, Drupad nodded
Draupadi's P.O.V.
"And I have seen only one such warrior, Vasudev." said pitashree
"He has the glow of dharm on his forehead. He has the determination of values on his face. He does not insult an enemy even when he is defeated." said maha guru Dron, pitashree nodded
"You are talking about him, right, Drupad?" asked maha guru Dron
"Indeed, Dron! Him! Your shishy Arjun." said pitashree smiling then stopped
"But unfortunately he died in Varnavat. This is what I have heard." said pitashree
"The Pandavas are my shishys, Drupad, and mahrthi Karn is Bhagavan Parshuram's shishy. They have the capability of escaping even the fire of a volcano. Then how can a small rajabhavan fire hurt them?" said maha guru Dron
"If they are alive then why do they not show themselves? Where are they? In order to participate in Draupadi's Swayamvar if I have to send the invites then where should I send them?" pitashree asked Govind
"Destiny does not require an invitation, Maharaj Drupad. Go ahead and conduct the Swayamvar. Hold such a difficult competition that can be won only by the best archer of the world. If it is in the fate of the Aryaverth then Arjun will be sent here by Narayan himself." said Govind