🔶🔹Ŧħōʂɛ Ðāÿʂ ļŋ Ęxîɭɛ🔹🔶

~*~Quest for Fragrant Flowers~*~

Draupadi's POV:

This exile had caused many unfortunate events in my life; however, the most unfortunate event was when I had to depart from my dear sons and my dearest daughter. But I never imagined that, in these wildernesses, I will get to meet another son of mine. Though, I had not given birth to him and met him at the Gandhamadana hills for the first time, but when he called me 'mata,' I felt the same bliss I felt when Prativindhya [1] called me mata for the first time. 

Very soon, the formal addressing of 'mata' changed into informal affectionate addressing 'chhoti maa. Every morning, he would get flowers and fresh clean water for my worship. Whenever I went outside the hermitage, he would appear infront of me out of nowhere and keep pleading to take him with me until I agreed. At night too, after feeding all the sages, brahmans and his father and uncles, he would have dinner with me. Sister Hidimbi had given him a good upbringing.

One day I had told him jokingly, "Son, I am annoyed with you." In a single moment his face went completely pale. He stammered, "Why chhoti maa? Have I done any mistake? Please do tell me how can I correct it?" Looking at his fear-stricken face, nobody could tell that he was the Great Demon King Ghatotkacha. Controlling my laugh with utmost difficulty, I said in a fake serious tone, "I am annoyed with you because I know that all the love you show for me is just fake."

He immediately replied, "Never, chhoti maa. For me both you and my mata Hidimbi are same. For you I feel the same affection and respect as I have for mata Hidimbi." Interrupting him in the middle, I said, "If that's the case, why have you never come to Indraprastha to meet your chhoti maa." He suddenly went silent. It felt as if he wanted to tell so many things yet he didn't know how to tell. 

I tried to encourage him, "What happened son? You know you can tell anything me." Ghatotkacha said in a timid voice, "Mother, I was embarrassed to come to Indraprastha." I kept looking at him with a questioning gaze and he continued, "Chhoti maa, unlike you, my mother Hidimbi is a demoness. Her marriage with my father was an accident. I never met anyone from my father's family except grandmother and my uncles. At times, I really wanted to come to Hastinapur and Indraprastha to meet everyone. I had also heard a lot about you, so I was quite curious about you too, but I felt embarrassed with the fact that whether a half demon like me, would be accepted in a family of Kshatriyas." Saying this he immediately dropped his eye lids.

His explanation has brought tears into my eyes. I was sitting on a rock while he was sitting on his knees infront of me. I caressed his face with my right hand and raised his head so that I can look into his eyes. Then I told him in an affectionately, "Son, no kind of barrier can ever come between mother and son. For a mother, all her sons are equal. Have you ever thought how your father and uncles would feel if they ever come to know about this. So, promise me once our exile is over and we get back our kingdom, you will come to meet your chhoti maa whenever you feel like and never you will feel embarrassed about it. Please also bring Sister Hidimbi with you. I want to meet my sister from another mother and want my sons to meet their eldest brother." Ghatotkacha agreed to it happily.

Like these, days kept on passing merrily at Badrika Ashrama, while we waited for Aryaputra Arjun to return. One morning, I was sitting outside the hermitage and enjoying the scenic beauty. The cold gentle winds blowing from the north eastern regions under the basking morning sun, felt very soothing. At times, the winds carried along with it the fragrances of various flowers and herbs from the Gandhamadana hills. The chorused melody of multiple birds chirping felt like a soft music to the ears. All these combined together had the power to uplift anyone's sorrowful mood. For few moments, I even forgot about my humiliation.