Janani - The Warrior Mother

Chapter 7

The sun hung low in the sky, casting dappled light through the canopy of towering trees, creating a mosaic of light and shadow on the forest floor. The air was cool, tinged with the earthy scent of damp leaves and wildflowers, and filled with the gentle hum of insects and occasional calls of distant birds. Abhimanyu, with his bright eyes wide with curiosity, walked hand in hand with his father, Arjun. His small fingers clasped tightly around Arjun's, the warmth of his touch bringing a smile to his father's face.

"Pitashree, where do the stars go during the day?" Abhimanyu's voice broke through the tranquil silence, transporting Arjun back at least 25 odd years, to a time in the forest with his father, Pandu.

"What happens to the stars in the daytime?" Arjun had asked him, and Pandu had looked to his boy with eyes filled with wisdom and kindness.

Pandu had stopped, crouching down to be at eye level with his son. He had smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and gently ruffled Arjun's hair. "The stars, my son," he began, his voice deep and soothing, "never truly leave us. They are always there, watching over us. But during the day, the light of the sun is so bright that it hides their glow. They wait patiently for nightfall, when they can once again light up the sky and tell us their stories."

The vision was vivid in his minds eye- Arjun had not realised how lost he was when Abhimanyu tightened his hold on his hand and gone, "Pitashree?"

Arjun shook himself out of his reverie, seeing himself in the same position as his father had once been. "Yes, putra?"

"My question," Abhimanyu reiterated. "Where do the stars go in the day? They're always there at night...."

He knelt down, just as Pandu had done all those years ago, and looked into his son's eyes. "The stars, my son, never really go away. They are always up there, watching over us. But during the day, the sun's light is so bright that it hides their gentle glow. The stars wait patiently for the night, when they can shine brightly again and tell us their stories."

Abhimanyu's eyes widened with understanding and wonder. "So they're always there, even if we can't see them?"

"Exactly," Arjun said, nodding. "They are always there, just like the love and guidance of our ancestors. Sometimes we can't see it, but it's always present, watching over us and guiding us."

"Does that happen with people too?" Abhimanyu questioned. "When we can't see them but they're always there?"

"Sometimes, yes," Arjun replied staring into eyes much like his own. "They can go, but our bond with them never breaks."

Arjun looked up at the sky, hoping his father could see the man, the father he'd become.

The air around them smelled of pine and earth, reminding him of his own childhood. As they continued walking through the thicket of trees, Arjun's mind drifted back to his own days of youth, a time filled with laughter and adventure.

"Do you know, Abhimanyu," Arjun began, his voice soft with reminiscence, "that when I was your age, I spent most of my days in these forests? It was our playground, our sanctuary. We would wake up before the sun and run through these paths, feeling the cool morning dew on our feet, the whispers of the wind guiding us."

Intrigued, Abhimanyu asked, "What did you do then?"

Arjun chuckled. "We built shelters with branches and leaves, pretending we were kings of the forest. We would race each other up the tallest trees, shouting with joy as we reached the top and looked out over the world."

"Didn't Pitamahi Kunti scold you for wandering off?" Abhimanyu asked. "Did you ever get lost?"

"Mata Kunti and Mata Madri always worried for us," Arjun smiled, a nostalgic smile crossing over his face at the mention of his step-mother. "They would scold us too, but we never got lost. You see, we knew the forest like the back of our hands."