200 Words, Real Fast

Archery

Panchala kanya finally sits on the throne of hastinapura, but at what price?

The Mahabharata records stories of the Kuru’s and the Yadu’s.The Queen of the five Kuru princes, Draupadi she was so called because she was the daughter of King Drupada,was married to all the five brothers.

The war between her husbands and their cousins were over, her husbands had won. She was crowned Queen when her oldest husband Dharmaraja became king. But the price she paid was her five sons.

Every sundown brought her memories of that morning when she woke up to be told that her five sons died when the camp burnt down. She had held them in her arms and cried.

She Draupadi the wife of the five pandava’s shed tears for her sons all alone. She cried out Krishna, who was standing by “When Gatodkatcha died, Bhīma was by Hidimba’s side, sharing her grief, when Abhimanyu died, Krishna you were with Arjuna beside her. I am mourning my five sons, their fathers standing detached, why Krishna, why am I crying alone.”

Krishna had then told her the war of Kurukshetra was the price the Kuru’s paid for her arrogance so she was responsible for every mother who shed tears.

“Yajnaseni, why do you think that your tears are relevant or important? Go down the streets of Hastinapura, every house is filled with a widow who lost husband, or mother who lost a son, a bride who never became a wife. You are answerable to them all.”

“Why the sigh Panchala Kanya?”

Yajnaseni Krishnaa turned around to see who spoke to her

There was a gentle elderly tribal woman,

“The bride of dharma sits on the throne of hastinapura—this is my triumph, the triumph of dharma”

“Are you deluding yourself Panchalakanya?”

“Why do you address me as Panchalakanya and not Kuru Vadu?”

“Are you the Kuru vadu—yes you are indeed Kaunteya-patni even that incomplete”

Why am I wasting time talking to this lowly forest dweller wondered draupadi

The woman smiled,

“Hey Drupada kanya—the house of dharma you say, where was dharma, when my sleeping sons and I were burnt in at vanavrata?”