Siyanshi: My beloved

28

"Bhrata Parvan." the twins called their older brother who was getting ready. "What is it now?" he sighed tired of his unkempt curly hair.

"What does chudamani signifies?" Arnima asked. "Ummm I don't know. Something like love maybe since it's used during marriage." Ruchiparvan said as he gave up on taming his unruly hair and sighed in frustration.

"Why do you ask?" he asked. "Jyestha bhagini said that she wanted maa's chudamani when she was a child but didn't get it since it was only for married women and held deep significance." Arnima said. "But we forgot to ask what significance." Arunima asked.

Ruchiparvan sighed as he thought of the answer. "Hmmm, I do not remember the story but I do remember matamahi saying that it signifies a woman's marital status and one who wears it will remain akhanda soubhagyavati. It is a token of love and appreciation from a husband to his wife." Ruchiparvan answered.

"Then does that mean our maa is not akhanda soubhagyavati?" Arunima asked. "I have never seen maa wear her chudamani. Have you?" Arnima asked. "No.... Neither have I." Ruchiparvan replied since he was too young to remember his days back in Indraprasth with his complete family where everything was merry and fine with the Arjun-vallabhi in her full brilliance and radiance as the chudamani sat proudly on her hair.  

"I thought maa was fond of dressing up and making herself look pretty like jyestha, Rima and I am. Why does she not wear her chudamani?" Arnima asked. "Because your pitashree took it away." Ruchiparvan replied.

"He took it away? Why does he not love maa? Does he not want maa to be akhanda soubhagyavati?" the twins eyes widened. "If he did would he have left her and all of us behind? What kind of married bliss have he given to our maa except for 13 long years of pain, longing and separation?" Ruchiparvan said as he forcefully pushed up the golden headdress up his forehead.

"But... but.... everybody says that maa and pitashree's marriage is and is going to remain one of the greatly sung love song and stories." Arnima said unable to accept the words of her elder brother. 

"I don't know for how long I can keep you in this delusion anymore." Ruchiparvan whispered as he sighed. Growing up Ruchiparvan despised the absence of his father, he despised how he had caught his mother crying due the pain of separation from her husband. The seed of hatred which had been sown deep since childhood remained strong as he refused to listen any of the good deeds his father had done or the love his father held for his mother. He was a stubborn, young man who refused to believe in other's words until he was proved wrong.

"Question yourselves my dear sisters. Have you seen the love of your parents that the people praise?" Ruchiparvan asked. "But I have felt it!" Arnima cut him off, Arnima had always been the more empathic of the three younger children of Parth and Siyanshi.

"I have felt maa's love for pitashree!" she argued. "But have you felt your pitashree's love for our maa?" Ruchiparvan asked and Arnima didn't know how to answer that, she did feel that her father love her mother by listening to their older siblings, family members, friends and the praja but those were all just stories and talks which she knew her older brother wouldn't consider.

"If he loved her would he have left her? Did he ever write a letter? Did he ever send anybody to check up on her or us? Did he ever drop by to visit?" Ruchiparvan asked. "They are in vanvas! They are in exile-" "Your pitashree was in exile when he first met our maa. If he could meet her back then, spend a whole year with her while living as a sage, do you really think he couldn't just even pass by?" Ruchiparvan asked and once again Arnima was in loss of words.

With tears in her eyes she ran out of the room weeping. "Arnima!" Ruchiparvan called but no avail since she didn't stop. He just sighed in response.

"Why do you call our pitashree, 'your pitashree' or 'maa's husband'. Isn't he your pitashree as well bhratashree?" the younger twin who stayed back; Arunima asked. Ruchiparvan looked at his youngest sibling who fell abit on the naiver side and easily believed people.

"Tell me, my dearest sister. What has he done worthy to be our father? Did he raise us? Did he sacrifice countless sleepless nights looking after us like maa did? Did he teach us anything? No right. He does not even know what we all look like." Ruchiparvan said.

"He is still our father, Parvan!" Prabhavati entered the room. "He is our creator-" "Maa is our creator! She is our Life giver! She is our caregiver!" Ruchiparvan answered back.

"I get it that you are angry with pitashree but it does not give you the right to be so hateful and hard towards him. Or go even as far as to brainwash the littlest of us." Prabhavati said. "Brainwash?" he scoffed. "Do you think that low of me?"

"Is that not what it is then?" his elder sister argued back. "I said what was the truth!" Ruchiparvan answered. "If so then you lack the power of differentiating what's right and what's wrong, what's true and what's false." Prabhavati said.

"You, out of all the nine children of pitashree. You look like the exact replica of him, who possess all the physical qualities but at the same time you lack all of his good qualities!" Prabhavati pointed at him accusingly. Ruchiparvan hated being reminded that he looked exactly like his father.

"What good qualities does he even have to begin with?" Ruchiparvan answered back. "Many! Countless! You wouldn't know of it." Prabhavati said. "Obviously I wouldn't know of the 'countless' good qualities of his that you speak of. Afterall only his ladli and only daughter Prabhavati would know of it who can see no wrong in her father who loves her so much that his love had blinded her!" Ruchiparvan said.

"Enough, both of you." Siyanshi entered the room with a crying Arnima clinging to her and Prabhavan besides her.

"Did you hear his words, mata?" Prabhavati turned to her mother. "Did you hear the cruel words he spoke about pitashree?" she said. "I only said the truth!" Ruchiparvan said.

"What truth! You don't know the truth you speak of! You don't know the man our father is!" Prabhavati said. "Exactly! I do not know the man! I do not know the man because he abandoned me!" Ruchiparvan said.

"Ofcourse only you both; jyestha bhagini and jyesth bhrata would know what father is, who father is and how father is. Only you two know of his love and not me or my two sisters. Always talking about pitashree this, pitashree that. I get it that you both are pitashree's favorite!" Ruchiparvan said joining his hands infront of Prabhavati.

"You know of the circumstances, Parvan. Do not blame pitashree for it my brother. He loves all of his children dearly." Prabhavan said. 

"Exactly. He loves all his children dearly and among his children I am not included neither are Arnima and Arunima." Ruchiparvan said. "Pitashree does not love me?" the crying Arnima looked up to her mother.

"Ruchiparvan!" Siyanshi frowned at his behavior and his words. "Bhratashree. I too am pitashree's daughter. Arni is too. Why are you calling jyestha bhagini as his only daughter?" Arunima pulled on Ruchiparvan's angavastram.

"Because the man who you talk about does not know of your birth. He does not know if he has a son or a daughter let alone twins. He is out there living life of a sage in the forest, Himalayas, mountains and all." Ruchiparvan said.

"Ruchiparvan!" Siyanshi reprimanded. Ruchiparvan who could never raise his voice even a decibel against his mother quickly left the room in anger and frustration leaving behind a crying Arnima clinging to her mother and Arunima who was left in the dilemma on whether to believe her older brother or jyestha bhagini.

"Mata. I never meant to make Ruchiparvan feel like pitashree favors me and Prabhavan." Prabhavati turned to her mother with quivering lips as she looked near to tears. "I know, I know my love." she said caressing her face as she embraced her first born.

Prabhavan went towards Arnima who looked lost and didn't know whom to believe. "How can one love somebody without knowing about them, jyesth bhrata?" Arunima asked her eldest brother who rested his hand on her head. Arunima hugged her older brother. "Pitashree does not love me?" she whispered to herself as Prabhavan carried the youngest of all his siblings in his arm and walked towards their mother.

.

..

...

At the very same time, in the Kingdom of Virat the eunuch who had been assigned the role of the dance teacher of the Princess of the Virat Kingdom sat there on the floor resting against the pillar as he held the beautiful chudamani made of gold with intricate designs, decorated with beautiful, rare gems which he had remembered crafting himself in Indraprastha before heading for the Videha Kingdom nearly 20 years ago.