Pandavas & Panchali: An Eternal Love Story

6. The first step is jealousy.

Love is a four letter word. However, semantically and pragmatically it is far more complex than its morphological or phonological structure. Love can be of different types- Love that exists between a parent and their child, two siblings, husband and wife, two friends and the list could further go on. People usually claim that they know everything about love but, only a few can understand its true essence.

Krishna, the almighty one, knew about the truest form of love. So, he decided to act as the harbinger of love in the lives of Pandavas and Panchali.

Initially, he had thought that he'd would have to pull a lot of strings to make his cousins fall in love with his Sakhi. However, now he could see that he didn't have to waste a single drop of his sweat for this task. Panchali has already done the task unknowingly and effortlessly by just being herself.

The only thing that he needs to do now is to make the Pandavas realise about their love for Panchali. He didn't want them to misunderstand their growing feelings for her as mere attraction or infatuation.

"Sakhi, do you know that your father has already asked me to search for a suitable suitor for you to get married?" Krishna said it loud enough to make Panchali and Arjun hear it.

"Govind, what are you saying. It hasn't been a day since my arrival in this world and my father already wants to get rid of me or what?" Panchali was dejected. She didn't want to get married just yet.

"Chill! Meri Sakhi, it won't happen in a day. It might take a month or maybe a year to search for a perfect groom for you." 

"Madhav, why don't you just stop talking about these unimportant things and focus on something better, instead?" Arjun spoke this time. He was fuming with anger inwardly. However, he didn't want to scare off Panchali who was sitting next to him. If Krishna wouldn't have been his best friend, he would have wrung his neck already out of anger.

Dhananjay was possessive about everyone that he loved. Be it his family or friends, he loved them all like crazy. Now, he could feel the same amount of possessiveness towards Panchali, if not more. Jealousy was a foreign emotion for him until today. He has never felt jealous of anybody ever. Nonetheless, today he could feel the feeling of jealousy seeping in through his head and chest, directly into his mind and heart. He is jealous of that xyz person who'd be Panchali's suitor in future.

Arjun didn't know whether it was mere attraction or love, that he was experiencing towards Panchali at the moment. What he was sure of is that, whatever it was, it was too strong for him to deny as something worthless. It was so strong that he felt like he'd lose himself in the process.

Panchali for the first time tried to look at Arjun, although indirectly, through her peripheral vision. She didn't like the way Arjun had brushed off the conversation about her future in a dismissive manner.  How did he dare to call it as unimportant!

Arjun, who could feel even the slight fidgeting of Panchali's fingers against her own hand, easily saw Panchali looking at him with a frown on her face. From her expression he could deduce that she didn't like what he had said. Nonetheless, he carried on with his act. He can't let Panchali to be someone else's even before trying to win her heart once.

"Parth, how can you say it is unimportant? Anything related to my Sakhi is important." Krishna replied in mock anger, as if he didn't understand what his Parth had actually meant.

"Forget it Govind! Some people are just rude it seems." Panchali spoke this time. She thought that Arjun was being rude.

Hearing Panchali call him as rude, Arjun wanted to laugh. How can someone be so innocent. She had literally no idea about his inner turmoil.