After the eventful Swayamvara of the fireborn princess, rumors spread that the Agnisuta had married the five Pandavas. Certainly such news spread far and wide as a woman having five husbands is never heard of before. The Pandavas along with their common wife stayed in Kampilya for more than a year before going to Hastinapur, where after discussions for another year, Kuru empire was divided into two parts, Hastinapur for the Kauravas under the crown Prince Suyodhana and Khandavaprastha for the Pandavas under the new king Yudhishthir, though the Pandavas ruled from the Hastinapur for about five years before a kingdom is built for them.
In the year after Draupadi Swayamvar, there was the Swayamvara of the Kalinga kanya Princess Bhanumati, said to fairest of the whole Bharatavarsha. Still smarting from the loss at Panchaali's swayamvar, Prince Suyodhana wanted to have the Kalinga princess as his wife at any cost, and on the suggestion of his uncle Gandhar raj, he sought the help of his friend Ashwatthama. Those two attended the swayamvar together and when the Princess Bhanumati rejected Prince Suyodhana, he was wroth as he was reminded of his recent loss. So, at once he pushed aside the guards and caught hold of the princess, lifting her onto his shouldeds, he shouted that he is taking the princess as his wife in the way of Rakshasa vivaah and if anybody has any objections, they can try to stop him.
Many kings already aware of the reputation of Kurus abducting brides, simply let them afraid of the might of Mahaamahim Bheeshm, while some tried but failed to get past Ashwatthama, who stood between Prince Suyodhana and the remaining kings stopping them and protecting his friend. I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony that in the epic it was Karna, who helped his friend in kidnapping the princess out of loyalty, but here it is another Karna, who is going to stop Duryodhana and his friend from kidnapping the same princess.
By the time, I decided to confront the kidnapping duo, they were trying to flee with two ladies. I got on my chariot and caught up to them before they crossed the city gates. When they saw me, they left the ladies in their chariot and challenged me to ddefeat them if I want the princess to be freed. By this time the king chitrangadha and his guards reached us. The king looked at me with hope as he knew he couldn't overcome the son of Drona in bow or Gandhari nandhan in Mace. Even if by some miracle, he defeated and captured them, he was sure Kalinga would be destroyed by the wrath and fury of Bheeshma and Drona. I accepted the challenge and defeated Ashwatthama soon. He was talented no doubt and will become even more so in the future, but he couldn't match me, who had been honing my skills for more than two decades since reaching the status of a Maharathi. After that Prince Suyodhana fought me with his face, without a doubt he was a fine mace wielder and his talent with mace is undeniable, but his strength couldn't measure up to mine as I was already much stronger than him and he lost half his strength to me before the fight even began. The fight didn't last long. I let the two friends leave, as the king of Kalinga didn't dare to punish them fearing repercussions. As I turned to leave, the princess called me to wait. She just reached me with her friend and maid, Supriya, and said that as I have saved them from being abducted, they are my responsibility and since nobody would like to marry abducted women, I have to take them as my wives. When I said that I was already married, they argued that a king is expected to marry multiple wives and even Princess Draupadi married five husbands, so my argument is invalid.
In a short and hasty ceremony, I took them as my wives and reached Magadha. I dreaded my facing my wife. But she just smiled and invited us. When I tried to explain what happened, she told me that I don't need to explain and that she trusts me that I wouldn't do any thing without a reason. Still, I couldn't leave it like that and described what happened. She just shook her head fondly and said I did the right thing. She then said that she now had two more sisters and accepted them into our family. My mother praised me for protecting the princess while my father about the response of the Kurus. Thankfully, nothing happened and other than the congratulations of Mahaamahim on my marriage, no other message was received from Hastinapur.
Around two years after the Pandavas moved to Indraprastha, Prince Arjuna was exiled 12 years for intruding on the private time of king Yudhishthir and their common wife Draupadi. Though he is on exile of brahmacharya, Arjuna married three times in this period with last being Princess Subhadra, sister of Lord Krishna, just before the end of exile. In the period of exile, Draupadi bore four sons and four daughter for the remaining Pandavas and the Pandavas also married again for alliances, though their wives were not allowed at Indraprastha. Subhadra being the exception as the sister of the Lord Krishna. After Arjuna's return, Panchali bore him a son and win daughters. Arjuna also has a son from the naga princess ulupi, Iravan and another from the princess of Manipur Chitrangadha, Babruvahan and one more from Subhadra, Abhimanyu. About four years after the return of Dhanunjaya from exile, around the time Abhimanyu was three, Prince Arjuna with the help of Lord Krishna burnt Khandavaprastha forest and was rewarded with indestructible chariot, the mighty Gandiva with the power of one hundred thousand bows, and two inexhaustible quivers. They also captured Mayasura and made him built Mayasabha, which took around two years to finish and was considered a marvel of illusion
By this time, I had another four sons from wives. Bhanusena and vrishabahu from Bhanumati and sushena and vrishaketu from Supriya. Also the education of my three elder children had finished. They became fine warriors of renown.
The years passed in hurry. In the twenty years since the khandava dhahan and the education of all my children is now complete and every child of mine and my brothers were married and few of the had children of their own.
Now, I am eighty six years, twenty years older than my previous life. Still I feel no older than thirty. There has been reports from spies that Lord Krishna has been advising the Pandavas to perform Rajasuya yagna to become the Emperor of Bharatavarsha. To become an emperor, one need the support of atleast one hundred kings. If I wish I can become an emperor as I do have support of more than hundred kingdoms. The war is on the horizon and now I have to prepare for it. I was not afraid, I have become a Maharathi when I was seventeen and now after nearly seven decades my prowess and power has only increased.
The day came, when the mighty Prince Bheema came to conquer Magadha with his army. He has defeated many kingdoms already with his mighty strength and made them submit and pay tribute. None could stop the immensely strong vikrodhara from laying waste to their kingdoms. The son of vayu, with arms like mountain, crushed many kings who refused to submit. Now, he has come for my kingdom with confidence from every battle so far. I know Magadha is strong and every soldier is ready to lay their lives for its protection. I was sure, Magadha will win this battle, but can we win the battle losing lives of my soldiers. I thought to find a way to keep my people from losing their loved ones. I felt like hitting myself for being so stupid, there had been a tried and tested way. I intercepted the second Kaunteya before the borders of Magadha and challenged him for a single combat to save the lives of soldiers on both sides, for I will not a single soldier escape death if there is a battle. I said that Magadha will submit and pay tribute if he wins, but he has to accept defeat and pay half his wealth as wergild and take an oath to never initiate fight against me or my kingdom.
He responded that it will be his pleasure to show me the strength of true born Kshatriya. My brothers and sons were angered by the way the mountain like Vayuputra has insulted me. I told them to control themselves and prepared myself for the combat. Bheemasena began the combat with his bow Vayavya, he was as ferocious as the bull of elephants mad with rage. He showered the battlefield with thousands of arrows, but for all his skill, his arrows never inconvenienced me in anyway and I could neutralise them with ease. I wanted to measure the strength of the Pandavas and Bheema was said to be second in archery after Arjuna and physically the strongest among them. But what I saw didn't impress me. Soon, seeing his inability to hurt me with his arrows he began to use celestial astras and soon exhausted his arsenal. He decided to come at me with his favoured weapon, Mace, as there was nothing he could do to me with archery. I could have defeated him easily then, but I didn't, I met his charge with a mace of my own as I didn't want there to be any excuses for his defeat. My strength has increased a lot since I fought with Jaraasandh, and even though Bheema was stronger than him, the fight had been a lot easier. Fighting at half strength also didn't do him any favours and he was defeated in just five more hours after taking up the Mace even though I hadn't employed the strength of my boon.
When the Prince returned from the La la Land, he accepted his defeated and took an oath that he will never start a fight with me Or my kingdom. He also said that half his wealth will be delivered to Magadha a few days after his return to Indraprastha,but he warned me that his brothers will definitely avenge his defeat.
Even though he was unable to make Magadha submit, he continued his campaign and won the other kingdoms in the east in a single month. He gave crushing defeats to any that opposed him. Around three months after Bheema's defeat, remaining Pandavas came to Magadha with half of Bheema's wealth and challenged me to fight with their favoured weapons with same conditions as my bout with Bheema. Needless to say that the would be emperor and his brothers were dealt a humiliating defeat, which they never expected. They thought atleast Arjuna would eke out a victory after I tired myself fighting the others. They accepted their defeat and took the same oath as Bheema and said that they would deliver the promised wealth in a Moon's turn. Half the wealth of the Pandavas is nothing to scoff at, as this includes part of the tributes they won in this Ranasuya campaign.
Soon the Pandavas delivered on their promise and Magadha received its due. Along with the wealth, pandavas requested that I attend the yagna and give my support to their empire as an ally. I responded that it would not reflect well on their show of strength if their defeator is present at their victory celebrations.
News spread like wildfire that the mighty Shishupal was beheaded by Lord Sri krishna at the Rajasuya Yagna and that Kauravas and Ashwatthama were humiliated by being deprived of their weapons, when they questioned the murder. So, Ashwatthama has taken the place of epic Karna as the pillar of support for Duryodhana.
Just a few days after the Rajasuya yagna, Hastinapur sent an invitation of the Dyut sabha (Dice game/court) as a part of conciliation for the disturbance at the Rajasuya yagna. Dharmaraj Yudhishthir, being an addict of gambling and also as the conciliatory act for humiliating his cousins, accepted the invitation saying that as per Dharma a kshatriya cannot reject invitation to the battle or Dyut. Whatever opinions I had of the Pandavas and however much I didn't want to intervene in the upcoming blood bath, I didn't have it in me to stay idle when a woman was going to be insulted in public. I don't know how much truth there is in what happened in Dyut sabha, but if there is a one percent chance I can help avoid the humiliation that entire generations spoke of, I will do it happily. When I discussed with my wives the possibility that this Dyut sabha is a trap for Pandavas and the Kauravas plan to return the insult at Rajasuya tenfold on Pandavas and Draupadi, my wives suggested me to inform the Pandavas about the trap and if they still go there it is on them and that if my conscious doesn't accept, that I can intervene if the conditions are truly dire. I had informed my parents the circumstances of my birth, my godly father, how my birth mother had to abandon me and my relationship with the Pandavas, when I went to fight Prince Bheema, so they clearly understood my dilemma here and provided me with what is probably the best possible solution.
I immediately summoned my chariot and raced to Indraprastha. The Pandavas were confused about my arrival, but soon I explained why I went there and the planned trap to humiliate the Pandavas un Dyut sabha. When I explained about the trap, I expected them to abandon the plan of visiting Hastinapur, but King Yudhishthir just thanked me for the information and said that the messenger from Hastinapur, Mahamantri Vidhur, had already informed him about humiliation. He also said that this humiliation may be enough for the humiliation of their cousins and with this the enemity between them will reduce. This has been a truly stupendous news to me and by their expressions the other Pandavas and the Empress didn't know this. I didn't know how to respond and just advised them that if they are going to accept humiliation, atleast spare the humiliation of the empress, as the y amd tears of kulvadhu will cause the destruction of the clan. But they didn't seem to listen and even the empress said that she has five great warriors as husbands and nothing will happen to her in their protection. The Pandavas reaffirmed those words and said that they will protect her and keep her from tears as promised at their wedding.
I realized that they are too stubborn to listen to me and decided I will also go to Hastinapur in disguise and intervene if necessary to protect the fireborn empress. Having decided that I politely rejected their offer of hospitality for the night and returned to Magadha and informed everything to wives after evening prayers and dinner about what happened with Pandavas and my decision to go to Hastinapur in disguise. They said it is for the best and we retired for the night.