The Lost Flute

The Blazing Fire

Rukmini rushed down a side path parallel to the main street, Manmatha following close behind her. In her hurry, she had barely even worn any jewellery. She pushed through the crowd gathered along the main road to see the angry sage. Krishna was already there, standing quietly as the sage cursed up a storm of insults. Krishna's face was inscrutable but his eyes lit up the moment he spotted Rukmini. Beckoning her close, he whispered to her, "He seeks your hospitality, Vaidarbhi. He will not settle for anything less." Rukmini stole a glance at the sage before lowering her eyes as was customary. His eyes were bloodshot, his face almost hidden by his matted mane. He smelled like the accumulation of dirt and slime over a decade and was dressed in tattered tiger skin.

Rukmini had grown up listening to the stories about Durvasa's temper and his affinity for cursing anyone and everyone. She was terrified of the stories alone, and above all, she knew her husband was not exactly fond of him. They were both devotees of Lord Shiva and hence tended to run into each other at regular intervals at conventions and festivals. Rukmini had never seen Krishna return happy from any of these meetings. "Working on your makeup, were you?" The sage taunted, breaking Rukmini's chain of thoughts. She hesitated, not knowing how to respond to such a comment. Krishna cleared his throat, "We were unprepared, Sir. This won't happen again." Rukmini looked up at Krishna. His face was still neutral, but his jaw had hardened and his knuckles were white as a sheet.

"Too late for that, is it not, Vaasudeva? I see that your wife dares to stand in her fancy slippers while my feet burn on these marble tiles you have installed here! Is this how your women receive your guest in your new kingdom?" Rukmini's eyes shot towards Krishna's feet. He had already removed his boots, standing barefoot. Rukmini quickly kicked off her sandals, nervously shifting from one foot to another as the hot tiles burned her soft feet. Durvasa continued, "What? Is she too good to answer when spoken to?"

Rukmini's eyes burned with humiliation. How dare he talk down to her, in front of all their subjects no less! Still, she controlled herself, mumbling a brief apology. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Manmatha too was shaking, his hand steady on the hilt of his sword. However, Krishna simply smiled, "Wouldn't you like to visit our humble abode? What would you like for lunch?" He said, as he slowly whisked the sage away from her. Rukmini felt Manmatha's hot, shallow breath on her shoulder. "You just say the word, your grace," He whispered, "I'll take his head off before he can even blink!"

Rukmini gulped and slowly shook her head, "Do not sin on my account, just let it go."

---

In the afternoon, after lunch, Durvasa summoned Krishna and Rukmini to the guest quarters. Rukmini could've sobbed when Manmatha came to fetch her.

He had already made her and her co-wives cook the same meal thrice, each time rejecting it citing some minor issue. "Is he a sage or our evil mother-in-law?" Satyabhama had quipped while mincing the vegetables for the third time. "Maybe he heard how exceedingly nice our actual mothers-in-law are, and came here to give us a taste of the other experience!" Rukmini had laughed ruefully.

Rukmini sighed as she looked at Krishna. He was pressing the sage's feet with the same neutral expression adorning his face. She wondered if his fever had subsided yet, but she was too afraid to ask, lest the sage start firing off again. Only a few hours ago Durvasa had made him clean the entire guest quarters by himself. She wondered why did the sage insist on such bizarre, seemingly useless shows of faith. It must add up to something, she tried to convince herself.

Durvasa, meanwhile had started speaking to them, "So, the lunch was okay, but I had expected better from your wives, Vaasudeva. Anyway, would you two not take me sightseeing?"

"Of course, Sir." Krishna smiled briefly, "I'll order a chariot to be drawn up. We can start whenever you wish."

Rukmini was surprised to see Durvasa smile through his peppery beard. "Why waste good daylight? Let's start now!" He exclaimed as he jumped down. Rukmini breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him leave. Happily, she called up Daruka, Krishna's charioteer, to prepare Krishna's eagle-flagged chariot itself to take the sage around the city.