Arjuna - Draupadi, A Saga of Love, Silence, Sacrifice and more...

An evening to remember...

Narration by Arjuna...

Even though it was a chilly evening, but we wanted to get out of the palace and go to the city outskirts and spend some quality time together in the midst of the nature with breeze flowing across, chirping sounds of the birds, lush green fields, and the picturesque surroundings made much more breathtaking by several waterfalls spread throughout the city outskirts.

We simply wanted to escape from the hustle and bustle of the palace and were looking forward to have some quality time together in solitude amidst nature and its majesty as the only companion with us. This was the year I was supposed to be with my beloved but I already lost valuable time of it as I had to spend more than half of it in waging battles far away in the Northern most part of the Aryavart in trying to subdue some ferocious enemies of the kingdom of Indraprastha. Even though our year started exactly 7 months back, but unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, on the first day itself I had to venture to the Northern part of the Aryavart to subdue the kingdoms which were trying to destabilize our kingdom of Indraprastha.

Instead of in a chariot, we rode on a horseback as usual, since Panchali loved to ride on a horse. During the initial years, I felt a bit embarrassed to ride along with Panchaali on the horse, and when I tried to call in for a chariot, she gave a deadly glare and that was the last time I tried to call in for a chariot and since then we always went on a horseback. She looked very excited for the ride as it was after long we got a chance to be together. After reaching the outskirts, we halted and I jumped from the horse and gave hand to Panchaali to step down from the horse but she was having none of it and was in a playful mood and instead gave me a lovely smile and ruffled my curly hair and asked me to carry her. I thanked almighty in my heart for blessing me with such romantic moments with my beloved.

I was more than happy to carry her and was already in a dreamy mood by reliving some of our romantic moments of the past. She was so easy to carry due to her slender physique, even though she was physically slender but mentally and emotionally was such a strong and tough woman. She was one of the most courageous women I encountered all my life, she had such a dignified presence and aura and oozed class all through with her behaviour and disciplined way of life.

While carrying her, I was reflecting on thoughts like what else does one need in life, when one is with his beloved and enjoying the splendid nature and its serenity. I thought these moments were more precious and valuable than defeating ferocious enemies or winning kingdoms. As I was into these thoughts, Panchaali was making a thorough mess of my flowing curly hair by playing with it and knotting it in several styles as she pleased. I had long, thick and curly hair and think I loved my hair a bit too much, so apart from Panchaali at least in my adult life none dared to touch it. I observed that whenever she was with me, she dropped her guard and acted like a free spirited girl and treated me like her best friend instead of as a husband and was always up to playing some tricks and pranks. As far as I knew, I was the only one among her husbands whom she called on first name basis, she fondly used to call me either Arjuna or Savyasachi. She liked to call me Savyasachi among my many other names, probably because that name I earned was in direct relation to my prowess in archery. Things like these make my beloved so much special, she knew me inside out, my soul was always bare in front of her and she was perfectly capable of understanding my silence too. And, when I look back, yes there was something, some might call it a spark or whatever, but there was definitely something that clicked between us on that first unforgettable encounter in Swayamvar which stayed intact all through our lives. Yes, that was a thrilling experience of my life and how can I forget that magical moment. I can relive every moment of that spectacular day without missing even minute detail.

I can never forget our first meeting and Swayamvar has been one of my most cherished moments in life. I could feel even now that unimaginable excitement engulfing me and the electrifying chemistry between us. I can never forget the look, the beautiful princess gave me and I don't know how to explain it but felt that look strangely had both shyness and boldness at the same time which was enticing me like a challenge. I can never forget that lovely smile, even though I tried hard to not stare her during the garlanding ceremony but I was not able to keep my eyes away from those beautiful lotus eyes, that enchanting smile and from that angelic face. Only God could sculpt such a beauty, and no mortal can sculpt in stone or paint on canvas such a beauty.

My dreamy thoughts into the past were abruptly disturbed by Panchaali who shook me hard as we were about to bang into a large sandalwood tree. We stopped within a whisker of the tree and Panchaali's ringing laughter made me come out of my stupor and the romantic in me awoke and it was my time to pull tricks on Panchaali. I delicately placed her on the grassy land under the sandalwood tree that was emanating intoxicating fragrance and aided to it the natural lotus fragrance of my beloved made for quite a memorable atmosphere. I came near Panchaali took her face delicately in my hands, let her hair loose, and placed her on my lap. Whilst all of this, I saw some tears forming in her eyes, and I was taken aback by that and worriedly questioned Panchaali about it through my eyes, and she responded back with a sudden scorching kiss. It was a passionate moment that produced such pure bliss and seemed that the rest of the night passed away in a jiffy.

Next day, as I awoke to the bright sun rays falling directly on my face, I could see my beloved sleeping soundly by placing her head on my chest with one hand wrapped around my waist and with warm breaths blowing on my neck. She looked so content and her face was picture of pure bliss and I wished that moment is frozen in time and we never are to return of it to again start with our daily routine of duties and responsibilities. Even though I was renowned to be steadfast in accomplishing my goals and having great discipline but I always felt very difficult to control my emotions and discipline when I was with my beloved, and desperately wanted such moments of bliss to never lapse. May be, that is the reason it is said 'Love is undefinable, and it engulfs everything'.

I slowly tapped her shoulder and gently placed a peck on her forehead to try to wake her up, but she was not in a mood to wake up though and instead hugged me more tightly and placed my face on her neck and started to sleep like a baby. This act of hers made me remorseful that she was so happy to have been provided with such small moments of happiness which I failed to provide regularly due to my preoccupation with duties and responsibilities. I was running high on emotions that day and could not control my tears and those tear drops fell on Panchaali and she awoke instantly and gave a dazzling smile and wiped my tears and hugged me tightly. That moment was enough for me to realise that whatever the world may think of us and our relationship, we knew what place we held for one another in our hearts and how my silence at times was so well understood and forgiven by my beloved. I would be grateful forever to my beloved for forgiving me for all the mistakes I committed and thank almighty for blessing me with such a wife. Panchaali knew what place I held of her in my heart and for that reason alone, she never needed me to spell out my love explicitly for her. She knew I was having my own obligations and bound by duty and with greater cause in mind, so it was impossible for me to profess my love for her openly. She knew I was her destiny and she never ever forgot that in her life and always showered me with such love which I sometimes felt I did not deserve. But, as they say 'Love does not care for any social status, prestige, rank, ability, worthiness etc., it just happens between two individuals which cannot be explained easily. Love is all about giving rather than taking and in which unlike arithmetic one plus one is not two but may become infinite'.