Chapter 28

                                    

                                          
"Mata! What have you done!" Arjun cried out. His voice was a concoction of shock, anger and helplessness which broke Kunti's resolve to not divert her engagement from the puja. 
                          
Her face went pale when realization dawned over. She had just divided another innocent woman among her sons.
Panchali's knees gave up and she collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.


                          
"Why Rajmata? Why?! What kind of sick pleasure do you derive by making people's life a living hell? HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO DO IT WITH EVERY HUMAN THAT MARRIES YOUR SONS?" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Yudhish-" "No mata, the person who has the authority to give an order doesn't have the right to be negligent." He declined her attempt to explain herself. 
Kairavi, Nakul and Sahadev barged in; too late to prevent the mishap.
                          
"What's happening?" Nakul asked, seeing Draupadi on the ground. "Mata divided Panchal kumari among me, Arjun and jyeshth. And that too, before the idol of Mahadev." Bheem filled them in.
                          
"Mata, another princess!?" Sahadev asked, making Kunti bawl out in regret.

                          
"Jiji..." Kairavi kneeled beside her. Draupadi immediately threw herself in her arms, knowing that she had been in her shoes before. They didn't have to speak in order to formalize their relationship.
                          
"Kairavi.." "I know jiji, I know." Arni couldn't stop her tears seeing the pitiful state of Panchali. Draupadi felt comforted in her embrace.
                          
An ember had met with calm; 
but they didn't annihilate each other like frost does to warmth.
                          
Two antipoles had converged like they were meant to be together. A flame of love had taken birth in a bowl of amity and combusted all differences as if there were none. 



                          
"What should we do now? Mother has unknowingly given away the promise of rajkumari Draupadi's marriage. A parent cannot turn their back on a vagdaan according to our shastras." Yudhishthir explained their dilemma to Ved Vyas, who coincidentally crossed paths with the family. 
The enraged Maharaj Drupad had taken Panchali back to Kampilya upon learning about the incident; he wasn't going to let his daughter be divided among 3 brahmins. 
                          
"Such kinds of marriages are not conventional, but nowhere has it been mentioned that they are not appropriate. Chandraja married two of your sons after all." Dwaipayan authenticated.
                          
"But Mahamuni, Nakul and Sahadev are twins. Jyeshth's wife would be equivalent to mother for me; and Arjun's wife would be like a sister. How can I give them the title of my wife? That will be highly immoral." Bheem bleated.
                          
"It is better that we renounce the world and live the rest of our lives as ascetics, Bheem. Arjun has the first and foremost right to marry rajkumari Draupadi." Yudhishthir's face was solemn.
                          
"No jyeshth!" Arjun, who had been fuming on the inside, because he had to share his wife with his brothers, panicked at the thought of being separated from his two elder brothers.
                          
"How can you be so selfish, Pandusut?" Everyone looked at Ved Vyas as if he had said something unchaste. "Don't you realize, you're accepting hell for Prudha post her death, by defying the vagdaan?" 
                          
Back to square one.

                          
"Is there any way out, bhagwan?" Kairavi broke the ice. "There will be a way out if there is a problem. Don't forget it is Panchali's decision whether she would accept the three Kounteys as her husbands." He answered.
                          
"Then we should confront her about it jyeshth." Nakul suggested, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright." He assured.
                          
Yudhishthir nodded and the seven of them started walking towards the castle of Panchal.



                          
"LOOK AT THE AUDACITY OF THESE ADHARMIS, DRISHTDYUMN!" Drupad thundered on seeing them coming through the gate of the palace. 
"Some nerve they have. I am ready to take the sin of five brahmin hatyas on my head if they ask for Draupadi today." His son joined in his rant.
                          
Both of them stormed out of the balcony and stood before the five brothers, barricading their way.
"How did you dare?" He asked, teeth grinding in wrath.
                          
Yudhishthir joined his hands. The other pandavs, Kunti and Kairavi copied his gesture. "Maharaj. Our mother has commited a grave mistake out of ignorance. We have come-" 
"Does it look like I want to hear your excuses? Do you still expect pity from me!?" He didn't let him complete his sentence.
                          
"I am your sinner, Panchal Naresh. I should've been a better guardian, for I didn't find it important enough to listen to my sons.
But we haven't come here to demand what Arjun has won. We want to hear putri Draupadi's decision. It is my promise that nobody will go against it, even if my two sons have to accept the life of recluses." She beseeched politely.
                          
"You are not worthy audients of my daughter's sight. Hence the only conclusion you will get, is from me." "Pitashree!" Draupadi entered the scene along with Shikhandini and rishi Dhaumya. 
                          
"Do I not have a say in the matter of my own marriage?" She asked. "But putri-" "I have talked about this situation with Maharishi. And I shall accept Rajmata Kunti's three sons as my husbands." she declared. Relief washed over the anxious family's faces after hearing her decision while Drupad and Drishtdyumn's jaws dropped in shock. "Draupadi! Are you out of your mind?" Her twin demanded.
                          
"No bhratashree, unfortunately I am in my right mind. But I'm not ready to give all three of them the rights of a husband over me." 
Arjun swallowed a lump in his throat. "We understand, Panchali and-" "Let me finish, rajkumar Arjun." Her voice reeked of anger, betrayal and frustration and her eyes seemed as if they were ready to emit fire. Dhananjay cowered in silence.
                          
"Rishi Dhaumya has enlightened me about how polyandry isn't a sin. And to escape the crisis that persists, he has said that I shall be the wife of any one of you three for an year." She placed her condition.
                          
"Every year, Krishnaa shall perform difficult penance to burn away the memories of the previous year and switch between her positions as your wife. That way, she will regain her purity every year." Dhaumya delineated.
                          
"Govind told me, if the two ends of a dharm sankat close their doors and trap a person, then he has to dig a third way out." Her voice broke. 
"Maybe destiny wanted a sacrifice from me so that the sons of Samrat Pandu don't have to face the same fate as their father."
                          
"Panchali, today you've humbled us with your kindness and strong-mindedness. We accept your terms, and bow before Maharishi for showing us this way out." The five brothers touched his feet. 
                          
"Kalyanamastu."
                          
And thus, Panchali was wedded to the three sons of Kunti. 
The second pillar, to erect dharm on the land of Kurus had joined Kairavi in a quest unknown to them. 
                          
Who would've known, that it was the first wound on their hearts; which was meant to be stabbed until it had nothing more to bleed.

                          
Dhaumya became the official purohit of the pandavs on Kunti's request. "Yuvraj, as your priest, I want to offer you an advice."
                          
Yudhishthir nodded. "The fact that Rajmata and you five are alive is no more a secret, after your marriage with Krishnaa. 
Hence, it makes no sense to deprive the subjects of Kururashtra from your reign. In my opinion, you should go back and claim what is rightfully yours.
                          
The throne of Hastinapur."