Jānakī Manoharā Ābhā : The Twins of Ramā

9 | Satya

Satya

(Lit.) Truth

Sita stared at the gift she had received from her twins years back—a little clay statue of a tree. Lava and Kusha were both curious kids, and Sita had already expected them to start asking about their father when they reached a certain age.

Sita didn't know what to tell them. If she told them the truth, their hearts would be filled with hatred towards their father. But if she lied, it would not create a healthy childhood memory for them. So, she postponed the answer, saying they were still too young to understand.

Most of the time, she tried to remain calm while answering their questions. However, there was one occasion when she lost her temper and raised her voice slightly, creating guilt in the twins. Sita hated seeing her boys like that.

"What are you looking at, Mata?" Lava questioned, causing Sita to startle. The twins had gone to Ayodhya with a sage to sing the Ramayana on the streets. Sita had opposed the idea, saying the capital city was harsh for her sons, but Valmiki insisted that it was necessary.

"You both are back? How was your day? Did anyone say anything? Did they—"

"Maa, it was fine," Lava interrupted.

Sita sighed in relief. "Just that we got to know that Maharani Sita is exiled," Kusha added.

"Quite shocking that Gurudeva never told us about it before." Lava let out a dry chuckle as he placed his instrument in the corner.

Kusha nodded as he gulped down a glass of water. "Did you say anything?" Sita questioned.

"Ah, no. It's just that we were quite shocked, and it was evident on our faces. In fact, we were so naive that we asked the King where the Queen was... he must have thought we were silly," Lava replied.

Silence fell around them.

Sita didn't know how to respond. It was one of the few times she was at a loss for words. "Hungry?" she managed to ask.

"Not really, Maa. Have you eaten?" Kusha asked. Sita nodded, "I did."

Brief silence.

"Your father. You both want to know about him, right?" Sita asked, successfully gaining the attention of both Lava and Kusha.

"Only if you are comfortable, Maa," Lava spoke gently. Both boys knew something had happened and didn't want to make their mother sad. They hated seeing her sad.

"You both resemble your father," Sita paused. The twins looked at each other. "Sri Rama," she concluded, carefully examining their expressions.

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

"What?!"

Kusha was absolutely shocked. His expression didn't hide that fact; his lips parted and his eyes widened. Lava's reaction was similar, with his hands turning cold and his ears turning red.

"You are joking, Maa?" Lava muttered, Kusha immediately hit his brother, "You think it's a topic to joke about?" he mouthed.

"It means.. you are...Sita?" Kusha was the first one to gain realisation, with Lava widening his eyes. All these days, they were praising and talking about Sita infront of Sita, who is their mother and they had no idea about it./

Sita nodded her head. The boys fell silent, no one spoke anything.

"Are you both upset with me?" Sita questioned.

"No Maa, just a little more upset with King Rama that he exiled our mother"

And it was happening, the thing which Sita feared the most.

...

"Those twins were magical, Jyeshta!" Shrutakeerti exclaimed as she served the food to Kaushalya. Urmila agreed, and Kaushalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra all smiled, feeling a rare happiness.

"Don't you think they resemble someone?" Mandavi asked, raising her concern. Shrutakirti paused, trying to recall the boys' faces.

Sumitra's eyebrows lifted as she realized something. Kaikeyi and Kaushalya looked puzzled, not understanding Mandavi's point.

"No way, Maan. Are you thinking the same thing? I thought it was just me thinking like that because I am missing Jyeshta so much!" Urmila exclaimed.

"Sumitra, what are they talking about?" Kaushalya asked. Sumitra's face had a different glow. "Jyeshta, do you remember how Rama looked at their age?"

Realization dawned on Shrutakeerti. "Are you suggesting they might be Sita Jyeshta's children?"

The room filled with joyful sobs. Bharata and Shatrughna entered, caught up in the excitement and began celebrating, even though they didn't know the reason.

When Lakshmana arrived, Urmila explained everything. They hoped Lakshmana would immediately go to Valmiki Ashrama and bring Sita Bhabhi back, but he stayed put.

"Why do you all come up with these ideas? They're going to disappoint you," Lakshmana said.

"Svami—"

"Every single day, Urmila, we waited for Bhabhi to return, hoping she would come back with each new birth. But did she? I was the one holding onto that hope, and it broke me. I don't want you all to go through the same pain."

No one spoke against him.

Because they knew that it was the truth.

They can't make assumptions just because they want to meet their Jyeshta. The boys might not be Sita's sons like they are thinking. 

Lakshmana didn't want to spoil their happy mood, but it was necessary. He didn't want his family to go through the same pain he went through.

"M-Maybe it's because I miss Jyeshta soo much. Every night, Taksha asks me when will his elder siblings come home. It's hurts, I can't answer them." Mandavi muttered. 

The last thirteen years have not been easy for anyone.