Yudhishthira walked leisurely through the narrow streets of his beloved Hastinapur, eyes fixed on the glittering walls of the temple ahead. He had left his retinue behind, much to the annoyance of his Pitama. Climbing the steps unhurriedly, he laughingly whisked his dhoti out of the way of a group of merry children and strode into the courtyard.
An hour later, the temple bells struck noon as Yudhishthira made his way homewards. His purple dhoti touched the scorching streets with colour; passers-by couldn’t help glancing at the royal purple cloth elegantly trimmed at the edges with gold; the sweeping folds contrasted with a cream-coloured angavastra, enhancing his rosy complexion and dimpled cheeks. Preoccupied, he hardly spared a glance to his surroundings.
“No, I’ve never been to the palace,” a rich, laughing voice wafted down the pavement, the slight nasal tone singularly striking amongst the hubbub of the marketplace. “What would I do there?”
The voice caught Yudhishthira’s attention and he allowed his gaze to wander.
“What do I think about the latest escapade? I can understand the prince’s point of view, of course, but I’m not sure things will change too much. I believe Hastinapur’s fate has already been painstakingly penned, and we know from experience how stubborn fate is in making sure it gets its way.”
Yudhishthira narrowed his eyes. This was obviously a reference to him, to his recent impulsive holiday with Karna and his brothers. His keen eyes scanned the busy street and fixed on a tall, slim girl dressed in a simple white salwar kameez embroidered with summer flowers, and a dupatta tied neatly around long black hair swept into a bun; she wore matching chappals whose mirror work reflected the afternoon sun, but his eyes were compellingly drawn to the bubble of laughter in her big kajal-lined eyes.
He continued to gaze at her, pausing in his stride. She was smiling at another girl, obviously her friend, who was casting uneasy glances around them. The friend suddenly caught sight of the crown prince scrutinising them from the opposite side of the street and turned pale, pinching her friend in an effort to shush her.
“Ouch! What was that for?” The girl in white rubbed her arm, rolling her eyes. “I know you like the crown prince, but….”. She followed her friend’s gaze and spotted the prince. She stared at him for a moment, and suddenly exclaimed, “Ooo! I love the colour of his dhoti. It’s such a rich purple!”
Her friend looked absolutely horrified and tried to drag her away, but was too late; the crown prince had crossed the road and was now advancing towards them.
“I believe I was the subject of your conversation,” said Yudhishthira, his casual tone blended nicely with a questioning inflection; his glance swept over the two girls, but for some unknown reason, he was unable to pull his eyes away from the girl in white.
Meeting his questioning eyebrow with a frank gaze, she smiled at him, not a whit shy of being in the presence of the royalest member of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Bharata-varsha. “Yes. You are our crown prince. Consequently, you are the subject of almost everyone’s conversation”. Her friend moaned at this obvious lapse in social etiquette and withdrew her arm, trying to edge away from what might become a classic soap opera scene.
Yudhishthira was surprised. She was obviously not in awe of him, and spoke to him like she would to anyone else. He wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not.
He looked the girl squarely in the eyes. “You do not agree with my recent decision to reveal the truth about my elder brother?”
“Of course I do,” she replied. “Completely. Particularly from a family perspective – it would be unfortunate to never have known about the existence of a brother! But I’m slightly doubtful of recommending your brother as heir to the throne. It’s just intuition, but I’m not sure what purpose it would serve”.
Her friend had now recovered from her paralysis, and began to edge away further from the duo. After creating a safe distance between them, she turned and hurtled down the street.
Yudhishthira hardly noticed her disappearance. His brow was cutely creased in a way that indicated the turmoil in his mind. Then he looked at the faintly smiling girl before him. “Fair enough. In any case, the council will not just accept my word for it. The notion has to be debated thoroughly and only then will a decision be taken”.
She listened to him seriously, fingers propping her chin up in a dance-like pose. “Yes, I do hope the palace will take the right decision. Your forgiving nature is exemplary, however I fear it might be taken advantage of in the long-run”.
“You recommend punishing my cousins then? How will punishment not make people continue to do wrong things?” Yudhishthira countered.
“Not punishment exactly. But a stern warning that adharma will not be tolerated, perhaps accompanied by tangible repercussions… they will be afraid of doing such things again”.
“No, they won’t. The force of punishment will just make them do worse things,” Yudhishthira raised his voice.
The street fell silent. The prince, feeling all eyes upon him, blushed hotly.
But the girl in front of him seemed unperturbed. With a smile, she inclined her head, “I suppose you’re right. Also, you do not need to defend your dharma to me, Yuvraj. I’m merely a subject in your kingdom. Excuse me, if you please. I have to go and finish some work before lunch”. She smiled again and walked away from the prince.
Yudhishthira stood alone on the pavement, staring after her. What a strange girl. She had not been flustered by talking to him, she had remarked boldly on his clothes, countered his statements, thrown him off his stride so much that he had raised his voice in public, and now she coolly walked off as if nothing had happened. She was polite of course, and not precisely arrogant, but….
Yudhishthira, puzzled, went on his way. He turned into the doors of another of his favourite temples and sat down to meditate for a wee while before going home. But his thoughts kept darting back to the recent encounter.
The next few days, Yudhishthira went about his duties in a daze. His family found him abstracted, the court found him preoccupied. He couldn’t banish the image of the girl in white from his thoughts. Every aspect of her startling behaviour would appear with renewed freshness in his mind.
On the second day after the encounter, as he had now dubbed the incident, he went back to the street where he had spoken to her. After standing for a few minutes and looking around, he retraced his steps home feeling foolish. Of course she wouldn’t still be here. Why in the three worlds did he want to see her again? He didn’t know. To top it all, he didn’t even know her name.
His brothers would have teased him for dreaming about some girl if they didn’t know better. But they did. He was Yudhishthira. He didn’t spend his time dreaming about girls.
Soon, the court was in session. Duryodhana was as usual yelling. Vikarna was trying to shush him. Yudhishthira suppressed a yawn. It was going to be a long morning.
……………………………………..
Excusing himself from the lunch table, Yudhishthira went to scout round the palace kitchens for his favourite mysore pak sweet.
Entering the kitchen, he saw someone trying not to stumble while balancing three heavy baskets. Yudhishthira narrowed his eyes. The slender frame looked familiar. As she paused to adjust her grip, her back towards him, he stepped up to her.
“Shall I help you with those?” said Yudhishthira pleasantly. The girl looked up and Yudhishthira’s eyes widened.
“It’s you!” he exclaimed, feeling foolish and relieved at the same time. Obviously it’s her, chuckled fate or karma (depending on your point of view). Dharmaputra grinned. He was all-too familiar with karma and its antics.
She smiled in that uniquely enchanting way, and Yudhishthira knew he would be in for more sleepless nights ahead. “Hello,” she said.
There was a pause. “So you’ve finally seen the palace,” said Yudhishthira at last, smiling faintly.
She bobbed her head excitedly. “Yes, finally! I must admit it’s beautiful!” Yudhishthira grinned, displaying all the satisfaction of a dutiful landlord.
“My friend is a little unwell so I’m helping deliver groceries to the kitchens. Clearly I should have asked for help,” she laughed and jerked her head towards the baskets.
Yudhishthira reached out and took two baskets. She protested, but he laughingly moved away.
“You doubt my ability to carry two baskets?” He quirked an eyebrow at her.
She cast a glance at his muscled warrior-shaped arms and laughed. “I’m sorry, Yuvraj.”
He laughed again and followed her into the kitchens. They placed the baskets on a large table. Then she turned towards him and folded her palms mischievously. “Thank you”.
Yudhishthira smiled, “No need to thank me”. A hushed silence fell as they stared into each other’s eyes for a brief moment.
“What is your name?”
“Savitra,” she replied.
Yudhishthira nodded. He didn’t know what to say next.
“Your name is Yudhishthira isn’t it?” He loved the way she rolled the syllables of his name.
“Yes, were you in doubt?” he asked teasingly.
“Rarely does anyone address you by that name,” Savitra pointed out.
“Jyesht!” a voice boomed behind them. “Where are those mysore paks?”
“See?” Savitra twinkled.
Yudhishthira groaned inwardly but managed to keep his face impassive. Savitra looked at the door, anticipating rajkumar Bhima.
She was to have him. And more. Following Bhima were his younger brothers, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.
“I was just getting them,” said Yudhishthira defensively.
“Why are you taking so long?” complained Bhima, sniffing. They came up to stand beside their Jyesht, and eyed Savitra with undisguised curiosity. Who was their Jyesht talking to?
Yudhishthira introduced them. Savitra very properly said “Namaste”, excused herself with a murmur and quickly left the kitchen.
The brothers stood in silence for some time. Then, the inevitable question came. “Who is she Jyesht?” asked Arjuna curiously.
“She’s someone I met near the mandir,” Yudhishthira said in a nonchalant tone.
Bhima lost interest and went to discover the missing sweets. Nakula and Arjuna exchanged meaningful looks while Sahadeva stared blankly at him.
“You’re talking to an unknown girl?” Yudhi’s youngest brother exclaimed. “Is she a princess we don’t know about? Where are her escorts?”
“She’s not a princess. She’s a subject of Hastinapur”.
Yudhishthira saw his brothers’ eyes widen in shock. Their Jyesht talking to a random girl?
“I’d better get back to court,” Yudhishthira mumbled and pushed past them just as Bhima came up.
“Jyesht, don’t you want your sweets?” Bhima shouted after the vanishing figure. “What’s wrong with him?” he asked.
“I think he’s fallen in…..” Sahadeva couldn’t bring himself to say the word. Arjuna hooted with laughter. “This is going to be fun!” he exclaimed in glee, slapping Bhima’s back.
“But she’s not a princess!” exclaimed Nakula. “Exactly!” Arjuna’s eyes filled with mischief.
“I see no reason why our Jyesht shouldn’t marry a non-princess!” said Bhima through a mouthful.
“I agree. No reason at all. But you may be sure that Mata, Pitama and Kakashri will come up with some!” countered Arjuna.
Sahadeva looked worried. “Should we warn him? Before it gets serious?”
“I don’t think he’ll listen to us,” observed his astute twin.
……………………………..
“Oof! It’s hot!” Sahadeva mopped his brow, swaying as his horse bumped over the cobblestones.
Nakula, sitting cool and collected on a black steed, laughed and threw some water at his twin.
The Pandavas were out for a ride, journeying to check the fortress that protected the southern part of the city.
Yudhishthira was deep in thought, as usual. Bhima was triumphantly recollecting his successful duel of the previous day; Arjuna was smiling shyly at all the giggling girls passing by.
The cavalcade paused to let a fleet of carts go by. Yudhishthira glanced idly at them. His roving eyes alighted on a group of girls in the far corner of the street. Narrowing his eyes, he thought he could espy a familiar figure.
His heart began racing – a most unnatural event for the sedate Yudhishthira – and his eyes glowed with a sudden rush of joy.
A second later, she had come into direct view; her friends dropped into a curtsy and Savitra glanced over her shoulder. She caught sight of the crown prince and involuntarily smiled. Inclining her head in response to Yudhishthira’s slight bow, she crossed the road and stopped by his horse, seemingly unaware of his watching brothers behind him.
“We do keep bumping into each other, don’t we?” she asked playfully.
Arjuna and Nakula snorted. Even Sahadeva smiled. Yudhishthira swallowed hesitantly and said nothing.
“I see you’re decked in purple again,” her amused voice held a trill of laughter.
Everyone looked at Yudhishthira’s dhoti. Resisting the urge to glance down, he sighed. He hadn’t paid attention while dressing this morning; he must have worn the purple dhoti again.
“Yes,” he replied blandly, trying to squash any further observations on his clothes.
A pause. Bhima looked curiously at the girl. “How do you know Jyesht so well?”
Savitra lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t know the Yuvraj well at all. I’ve met him only twice before. And just for a few minutes”.
“Oh”. Bhima looked confused. Savitra curiously eyed all the brothers; Sahadeva looked uncomfortable but Arjuna’s evil brotherly smile made her almost choke with laughter.
“Jyesht, we should go,” said Sahadeva, trying to urge his elder brother to move.
Yudhishthira said nothing, still looking at Savitra. He blushed slightly when she turned her gaze back to him, and felt heat creeping up his neck.
“Jyesht!” Bhima poked his elder brother in the ribs.
Yudhishthira cast Bhima a miffed look.
“We have to reach the fortress before nightfall you know,” remarked Arjuna playfully. Savitra bit back a giggle.
“Forward,” commanded Yudhishthira; he nodded to Savitra and fixed his eyes on the road ahead, pointedly ignoring his brothers’ mischievous looks and sly smirks.
“Wait till Karna hears about this!” Arjuna hissed loudly from the back.
Yudhishthira’s neck and cheeks turned scarlet. But he pretended to ignore Arjuna’s comment. Nakula and Bhima chuckled. Sahadeva thrust away his concerns over possible implications and joined in the laughter.
The sun was closing its eyes by the time the Pandavas returned to the palace. They washed up and headed to the dining hall.
As the first course was served, Yudhishthira wiped his sweaty brow and looked out of the window. Clouds framed the horizon, promising rain in the near future. His mind wandered into dreamland; he thought of Savitra again.
“Putra Yudhishthira,” said Kunti, looking at her son. “Are you all right?”
All eyes turned to him.
Yudhishthira pulled his gaze from the window and smiled faintly at his mother. “Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking”. He shoved some pulao rice into his mouth.
“Hmm… thinking,” said Nakula, tapping his chin, “Of what, or whom I wonder?”
Arjuna choked. Yudhishthira pretended to look unconcerned and steadily ate.
“Who else but that girl we met,” remarked Bhima through a mouthful of aloo sabzi. Kunti stared at him, astonished.
“Girl? What girl?” she asked perplexedly.
“Mata, our Jyesht was talking to some girl….” Arjuna trailed off, looking wickedly at his elder brother.
“Oh really? Who is she?” Kunti was interested now. “We don’t know,” said Sahadeva. “She’s not a princess”.
Utter silence. During which Yudhishthira continued to eat, not looking at anyone.
“Not a princess,” Kunti repeated and looked at her son questioningly.
Yudhishthira gave her an infuriating smile. “Must I talk only to princesses mother?”
“No no of course not, but…” Kunti looked harassed.
“But what? I exchange a few words with a girl, a subject of Hastinapur, I speak to her as a crown prince, and this raises so much speculation?”
“But you rarely talk to girls of your own accord, Jyesht,” protested Sahadeva. His brother raised a shapely eyebrow. “This happens to be one of the rare occasions. And we barely exchanged a few words. You were all there”.
“Yes, Jyesht,” continued Arjuna remorselessly, “but there’s a certain look in your eyes when you see her. And you have been acting strange lately. Abstracted…..”
“And you stare at her a lot,” put in Nakula.
Bhima guffawed and Yudhishthira looked at Arjuna, furious. Kunti hurriedly shushed her sons and looked at Yudhishthira again. “You must bring her to meet me putra”.
Now Yudhishthira finally lost his self-restraint. “Mata, she’s just an ordinary girl! I’ve only spoken to her twice…. thrice. There is nothing going on between us that necessitates me bringing her to meet you!”
“But you do feel something for her, don’t you Jyesht? You don’t think she’s just an ordinary girl,” Sahadeva looked squarely at him.
Yudhishthira opened his mouth and shut it again. Why did Sahadeva always ask the difficult questions!?
“When is Karna returning mata?” asked Bhima smirking at his elder brother.
“What has Karna got to do with this?” Yudhishthira turned to him, grabbing the opportunity to deflect Sahadeva’s question.
“We want his opinion. He might want to see the girl,” said Arjuna blandly, twitching his nose at the kheer.
Yudhishthira narrowed his eyes.
“Putra Karna will be back tomorrow morning,” said Kunti smiling.
All the brothers cheered and clapped in glee, except the eldest, who was looking like a thundercloud. Finishing the sweet, he got up and stalked off with as much dignity as he could muster.
……………………………..
“Hello my little brothers! Why so serious?”
The five whipped their heads to the door. There stood Karna, resplendent as usual in gold, bow in hand, grinning widely at them.
“Karna!” they shouted in unison and rushed to him. Karna held out his hands and enveloped his brothers in a big group hug.
They sat down on the divan. After a pause, Karna said, “Well, why were you all looking so forlorn when I came in?”
“Not forlorn, bratha shri,” protested Arjuna. “Just thoughtful,” added Sahadeva.
Karna lifted his brows and glanced at Yudhishthira next to him. The latter was staring into the flickering lamp, brow furrowed.
“We still haven’t figured out who shot the brahmastra at you!” blurted out Bhima, swinging his mace.
“Apart from that…. we have some news for you,” Arjuna whispered conspiratorially.
“I had forgotten about her,” chuckled Bhima.
“Her?” Karna looked surprised.
Nakula chuckled. “Yes, our Jyesht’s latest…” he trailed off.
“Huh?” Karna looked confused.
“Jyesht has fallen for some girl,” announced Arjuna, grinning cheekily at said brother.
“Ooooh,” Karna grinned happily. “So I won’t need to arrange a swayamvara after all…. who is she?”
“She’s not a princess,” said Sahadeva.
Karna smiled. “Oh Sahadeva. Isn’t that just like you. But who is she?”
Yudhishthira came out of his reverie. “She lives in Hastinapur. Her name is Savitra.”
“They’ve only just met but act as if they’ve known each other for yugas!” said Arjuna, as Karna opened and shut his mouth like a goldfish.
“Aren’t you going to say anything bratha shri?” asked Bhima impatiently.
Karna looked at all of them, then at Yudhishthira. “You’ve fallen for Savitra?” his voice had an odd tinge to it, an emotion that no one could quite name.
Yudhishthira looked narrowly at him. “You know her?” he asked as casually as he could.
Karna laughed loudly. “Yes, of course. We’re childhood friends.”
“Oh wow,” Arjuna dramatically put his head in his hands. “Our two Jyeshts. Come on Bhima, let’s go practice for our upcoming duel.”
Karna playfully smacked Arjuna’s head and laughed. “We’ve known each other all our lives”.
“I should call her over then so that you can catch up,” Yudhishthira smiled faintly.
Karna got up. “Then do. Send her a message immediately. Once she comes, we’ll discuss what to do about this plotter of ours.” He went out of the room.
“Well Jyesht?” ventured Arjuna after a pause.
“I’m actually glad that Karna knows her”.
“Hmm…” Sahadeva murmured.
“What?”
“Nothing Jyesht,” Sahadeva said hastily. “Just thinking….”
“You people think too much. I want some exercise. Come on Arjuna. Call us when your girl arrives Jyesht”. Bhima and Arjuna went out, chuckling over the fact that Yudhishthira hadn’t bothered to refute the teasing reference to Savitra.
……………………………….
“What news from Anga?” Arjuna looked at his elder brother, who was lounging on the divan.
“Well…” Karna stopped suddenly and stiffened. He slowly sat up, eyes darting to the sun peeking through the window.
His brothers stared at him. “Something wrong?” Nakula poked Karna in the leg.
But Karna didn’t notice. His eyes were fixed on the sun which suddenly shone brighter and his lips curved into a sly smile. Grabbing his bow, he stood up and walked a few steps forward, eyes now on the closed door.
“Bratha shri? What is it?” asked Yudhishthira in concern.
“Is it the plotter?” Bhima stood up.
“No. If it was then he wouldn’t be smiling,” pointed out Sahadeva.
Karna said nothing, still watching the door. Then quick as lightning, he strung a bow and let it fly.
At that precise moment, the door opened, and the arrow landed on the carpet outside.
Karna’s brothers leaped to their feet. “What are you doing?” Arjuna was scared now. “Fighting inside the palace? Inside the Yuvraj’s suite?”
Karna’s smile grew wider as footsteps drew closer. All eyes turned to the door.
Thwack! A spear landed at Karna’s feet, knocking the bow from his hand in the process. Bhima and Arjuna immediately stepped up, fists clenched, eyes smouldering.
“Hold!” Yudhishthira said clearly, holding up one hand. But he too stared at the open door, his features tense.
Karna picked up his bow and let fly another fiery arrow. It was repelled by an equally fiery one, and the arrows vanished in mid-air.
Savitra turned in at the door, bow in hand, her eyes laughing and her lips curved in a smile as wide as her friend’s. “And hello to you too, Karna”. She laughed and stopped at the doorway.
Everyone stared in shock. Except for Karna who laughed and bent to pick up her slender spear. “Pitashri hinted at your arrival,” he jerked his head towards the shining sun.
Savitra followed his gaze and mentally made obeisances to her favourite god. The Pandavas looked in astonishment at the unfolding scene, at Karna and Savitra smiling at each other.
Sahadeva sank into the divan. “This is too much for me to handle. Permission to withdraw Jyesht”.
His brothers looked at him. Karna chuckled. Yudhishthira said nothing, but continued to stare at Savitra.
Arjuna stepped up to her. “Is this the usual way you greet each other?”
“More or less,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes.
Yudhishthira cleared his throat. “Well, come in. Everyone please sit down.” He turned and sat on the divan.
Savitra hesitated, waiting for Yudhishthira to indicate where she should sit; surprisingly he didn’t, so she ventured to sit next to him. Yudhishthira looked curiously at her and opened his mouth to comment. But he thought the better of it and shut it again.
Savitra raised a brow at Yudhishthira’s strange behaviour. “Do you want me to sit at your feet, in true Upanishadic style?”
“No no,” disclaimed Yudhishthira hastily. Karna choked. His brother glared at him and Karna gurgled again.
Savitra sighed. “What’s the joke? And you called me here because…..?”
“No joke,” said Karna with a straight face. “I think, but I’m not sure, that Yudhishthira is wondering why you sat next to him instead of me”.
Yudhishthira made an inarticulate noise of protest and pursed his lips.
Unable to make sense of this reaction, and the fact that no one had answered her question, Savitra sighed and turned to Karna. “I’m so glad you told them that you are their elder brother”.
“Me too.” Karna laughed.
“How was your holiday?”
“Good.”
“Did you find the person who shot the brahmastra at you?”
“No. Did you?”
“No. But I might have an idea…”
“Do tell.”
“All in good time”.
Yudhishthira squirmed uncomfortably at this exchange; he suddenly realised that there was much more to Savitra than he had previously thought. His mind whirled with unanswered questions. Granted she wanted to help her friend, but why would she hunt for the plotter? Was she from a warrior family; she didn’t quite fit the bill though…. yet how was she trained in archery? And was that actually a spear!?
Savitra turned to the crown prince in confusion. “Look, if you don’t want me to sit next to you, then say so! I….”
Yudhishthira broke in. “No, of course I want you to sit next to me. I mean…” he trailed off again as Karna burst into laughter.
Drawing a deep breath, Yudhishthira said, “Never mind. It’s nothing important. Now can we focus?”
“But first we want to know how you and Karna know each other,” piped up Arjuna.
“That’s a long story,” said Savitra.
“It would be,” muttered Yudhishthira and hastily looked at the ground when her gaze fell on him.
“We have known each other since we were small,” continued Savitra. “And…”
Yudhishthira thumped the table. “If you want a reunion, I suggest that both of you go into some other room!”
A stunned silence fell over the room. Yudhishthira had raised his voice again. So much that it echoed around the room. Karna tried hard not to fall on the floor from helpless laughter. “So our Jyesht has finally lost his calm”.
Yudhishthira looked at the floor again, his cheeks red, beads of sweat on his forehead.
“And he tells us to be shanth! Huh!” exclaimed Bhima.
“Bratha shri….” said Sahadeva and Nakula worriedly.
“I think the problem with your Jyesht has something to do with me,” said Savitra sweetly but with a menacing look in her eyes. She got up determinedly. “We need to talk,” she looked pointedly at Yudhishthira and motioned to the adjoining chamber that contained Yudhishthira’s hidey-hole, also known as the library.
Yudhishthira gaped at her and continued sitting. Then she grabbed his wrist and yanked the crown prince to his feet.
Yudhishthira uttered a squawk but fell silent at the dagger-like look in her eyes; he allowed himself to be dragged away. “Spear, Karna, just in case,” she commanded, and Karna still chuckling, handed her the weapon. Pulling Yudhishthira along behind her, she swept the curtains aside and shut the door.
“What was that?” whispered Arjuna in an awed voice, breaking the stunned silence.
Karna picked up a glass of juice and leaned comfortably against the cushions. “That was my best friend, Savitra.”
His brothers looked at him helplessly. “Well, this is going to be extremely entertaining,” muttered Sahadeva. Karna laughed at their expressions. “It will be. I, for one, am looking forward to it. Depending on how this little romance proceeds, I foresee the four of us forming some wedding plans…”
His brothers chuckled and joined in a toast.
…………………………………………………….
A/N: Although the title says ‘holiday’, this short piece takes place after the brothers’ holiday in Dwaraka. The Pandavas are safely back in Hastinapur, and our crown prince finally has some time to relax. Karna goes to Anga to break the news to his bestie, Duryodhana and stays behind to finish some pending work. I haven’t included the latter’s reaction here but might follow this up in another post. The story of Savitra and Yudhishthira here is slightly different compared to the previous blog posts. Savitra is a resident of Hastinapur and her background is just a tad mysterious, as are her hints about the future of Hastinapur’s royal family. Just leaving it open-ended for now and possible storylines to the readers’ imagination. That aside, the rest is the usual fluff 🙂
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to me, the author. Based on original sources. No copyright intended. Creative thoughts. No insult, harm, disparagement etc. meant to any person, living being, thought, or non-living entity. Completely fictional. No offence is meant to the actual story, authors or characters or any others who hold the text sacred and possess different views. This is merely a creative, personal take on the real story. All copyright of content belongs to the owner of this blog and cannot be reproduced or distributed without my permission.
Everlasting Vistas 