HELLO MAHABHARATA

43. Hiraeth

Hiraeth /ˈhɪərʌɪθ/ Welsh, of Celtic origin. A homesickness, a deep inborn yearning for home that is beyond this plane of existence.

A FEW STACKS OF OLD RECORDS in damp parchments and a book Nitishashtra va Samajshashtra were proudly embedded on each side of the to-be bride, who now was only the court events administrator of Indraprastha.

Despite, Yudhishthir's several denials and Draupadi's threats to not let her complete the book on the Agni Dev she has been almost on the verge to finish; Simran was hell bound to give a final analysis of the case involving the latest espionage on their borders. Sitting idle and listening to various essential protocols that a betrothed should follow was all she was doing from the past two weeks.

Attending a marriage and getting married are two entirely different poles, north and south. Everyone treated her as a fragile flower. Not that she hated being loved or pampered but when it becomes a twenty four hour routine it's ruffling feathers. She was going bananas. Exceptional cases were Krishna giving her company and she reading some books. Over the top, Arjun was not allowed to meet her till the marriage day strictly.

What was this for? Were we not watching each other before?

The holy day of Lord Buddh, the sun in venus and moon in jupiter was the day selected for her wedding. The day is tomorrow. After a few prahars from now she'll be no longer a maiden but a wife, a daughter in law, a sister in law, a co-wife and probably a mother too? Wedding of a simple, basic girl from kaliyug to a demigod, an archer from dwaparyug.

Through an endless black nighttime sky, festooned in brightly lit diamond stars warped in a warm quilt of cool zephyrs which slightly brushed past the last lot of parchments and her soft glowing skin. She was stacking the records to put them on the table on the right side of the regal bedside.

As the kuru clan priest had informed while tying a holy thread on her left wrist today for the kaangana ritual, it will be a full moon night tomorrow. Was she anxious or paranoid? The divine heavens above she is getting married tomorrow.

"It's all pre martial stress and jitters" She raised her arms in pandiculation putting the feather quill back in the charcoal ink pot that Arjun had gifted to her. Taking a glimpse of the dark coffee brown hue imprints of the mehndi adorning her perfectly shaped hands, she just noticed blotches of charcoal ink on her index finger and thumb tips. Strange coalesce but one possibly beautiful union. Trimax pen ink?

Yawning a bit and in between stretching her muscles, a debate was on the zero hour of the parliament inside her. She closed her knackered and strained eyes throwing her slouched figure on the bed.

With a flinch she opened her nostalgic eyes and sprang up from the bed. As her conscience proposed a remedy, she brusquely bounced to the basic bejeweled chests and treasures in mahogany. Probably, this might treat her hiraeth fluctuations. This is her daily routine, changing into a loose t-shirt and a pyjama; but this time she clearly wanted something satisfying and precious, something homely.

A cotton fabric dyed in crimson red color printed with cherries. The night suit she was wearing when Krishna brought her to dwaparyug for the maiden time. That arrival, tumble, topple, stumble whatever it was; at least that piece of fabric will provide her the warmth of her home. The red shirt with white buttons and a red pyjama, she might be able to feel the presence of her apricity house.

"Perhaps, this is your favourite"

Lord in all his glory and divinity said entering the chamber with a bowl of diced apples. Krishna is omniscient. Somehow, he loves hearing that from you instead of saying that to you. The silver beams of moonlight outlined his empyrean demarcation. The king of Dwarka was cladded in a turmeric dhoti and golden silk angavastra embroidered in gold threads and few rubies. The leisure hours allowed him to be without bulks of jewelries, but the iridescent feather on his elysian forehead was like the moon resting on the bluish black sky.