Maharani Gandhari tossed and turned in her sleep, lost in a vivid dream that she couldn't escape.
A handful of Princes were going about doing their daily routines. Scriptures , canvases , musical instruments, weapons.....
A few paces away sat a princess , smiling as her brothers gathered around her. All smiling carefree, basking in the glow of deep affection they had for each other. Even in dreams Gandhari knew, they were none other than her 101 sons and 1 daughter even if her eyes showed her a vision of the distant unpredictable future. They were all thriving, but they seemed distant, as though they were out of her reach.
Gandhari tried calling out to them but they seem to be totally ignorant to her presence, going on with their works like they were just illusions fallen off the fragmented future. No.... the one who was the shadows of the past was her..wasn't it?
Gandhari wanted to see their faces clearly but they all seemed blurred to her . She squinted, trying to get a better view.
Suddenly they all turned in her direction. but in place of eyes , nose , mouth there was nothing . Blank. Gandhari screamed.
Suddenly, the scene shifted, and Gandhari found herself in the sacred cave where her children were growing, being nurtured in special vessels filled with ghee. .She could feel the weight of the previous memory on her chest, but she couldn't move, as if she was trapped in an unending loophole.
Then, she heard a sound. It was faint at first, but it grew louder and louder until it filled the cave. It was the sound of her unborn children's hearts beating, all 101 of them, calling out to her.
"Mother
"Mother"
Overwhelmed by the sound, she cried out, "My children, is it you? Where are you?"
" Mata! Mata! Why are you crying? " Soon Karna realized his mother was having a bad dream. Again... He tried to wake up Gandhari, shaking her slightly " Mata please wake up. Everything is fine, it's just a dream. "
Gandhari suddenly woke up from her sleep with a fright, her blindfold soaking wet in her tears, her form, disheveled with sweat and tears.
" My sons! Where are my sons!? Why can't I hear them? Where is my daughter!?? '' Gandhari panicked.
Karna felt his eyes well up with tears as he could feel his mother's panic and sorrow and that made his heart ache.
"Mata! Please calm down.. It's ok. You were just having a bad dream, " Karna tried to pacify his mother. "See I am completely fine. Even my brothers and sister are completely fine. In the sacred caves no one can harm them. Even if they could, I would always be there to protect them. "
Gandhari calmed down a little.
As she took Karna in her lap she felt his wet cheeks. Feeling of remorse overwhelmed her as she wiped away his tears. " Did I scare you, my child? I am sorry I made you cry. " Gandhari said soothingly, her voice wet with tears.
