Chapter 6 : leaving
In these ten years, many significant events had unfolded in Hastinapur. For instance, Prince Pandu, who was the prime candidate for the throne and was on the verge of becoming King, saw his fate change drastically due to a single hunting trip.
One day, Prince Pandu went into the forest to hunt, accompanied by his two wives, Kunti and Madri, along with some soldiers.
Suddenly, Madri spotted a pair of deer. They were quite unique, unlike normal deer. Seeing them, a desire arose in Madri to have a seat made from the skin of this exquisite pair.
She insisted that her husband, Pandu, kill them. Prince Pandu yielded to his wife's request.
He went alone towards the deer to hunt them. After going some distance, Prince Pandu tracked the sound made by the deer, raised his bow, pulled the string, and released an arrow in the direction of the noise.
The arrow hit the pair of deer directly. However, instead of the cry of an animal, the voices of a man and a woman rang out.
Hearing this, Prince Pandu's joyful mood turned into panic, and he rushed to see what had happened.
When he arrived, he saw that his arrow had struck a Sage and his wife. The Sage's wife had already died, while the Sage was still alive, writhing in pain.
Prince Pandu recognized the sage; he was no ordinary ascetic but the great Maharishi Kindama.
Realizing his grave error, Prince Pandu fell to his knees and begged the Sage for forgiveness.
Maharishi Kindama spoke in a voice filled with pain and rage, "You fool! Could you not distinguish between a normal deer and a supernatural one?
I, Maharishi Kindama, curse you: just as I was killed while in the midst of lovemaking with my wife, the moment you attempt to make love to your wife, you shall meet your death."
After uttering these words, the Sage also breathed his last.
Wait, wait, wait. I have to give my opinion here.
Maharishi Kindama lived in the forest. Did he not know that deer have many predators, including tigers, lions, and humans? Yet, he chose to take the form of a deer.
Did you leave your brain at home? Who in their right mind decides to make love in the open while disguised as a deer? You may have taken the form of a deer, but originally, you are a human, aren't you?
And your argument was that you were a 'unique' deer. I agree with that point, but mystical powers are not exclusive to Sages; demons possess them too.
This is entirely your fault. You took the form of a deer to mate, and yet you cursed poor Prince Pandu? He was merely following his duty as a hunter. What was his crime?
I have a suspicion about this entire incident. If the Sage hadn't cursed him, Prince Pandu would not have died from intimacy. If there were no curse, there would be no issue with procreation, and consequently, his wife Kunti would never have revealed the secret of her mantra to her husband.
Pandu would have become King. There might have been small issues regarding his ascension, but nothing major. Prince Dhritarashtra would never have become King; he might have been upset with his brother, but not to the level of enmity.
Since he wouldn't be King, Dhritarashtra wouldn't have had the desperate craving for a son like before. He might have even adopted an orphan and lived happily with his wife, Gandhari.
Everyone would have been happy except for Uncle Shakuni, who would have remained in great sorrow because his revenge would never be fulfilled.
So, ultimately, there would have been no chance of the Mahabharata ever happening.
From this, you must have surely understood that the Mahabharata was not a mere coincidence, but rather a carefully orchestrated conspiracy. I shall not dwell on this further; you know what happened next.
Prince Pandu returned to his wives and informed them of the incident. Eventually, they returned to the royal palace in Hastinapur. Prince Pandu could not overcome his guilt, so he confessed everything to his uncle, Bhishma.
To atone for his sin, Prince Pandu decided to renounce Hastinapur and live the life of an ascetic in the forest along with his two wives.
Bhishma said nothing and silently agreed to his decision. Consequently, in place of Prince Pandu, Prince Dhritarashtra was made the King of the realm. Bhishma accepted this decision with great reluctance, simply because he had no other alternative.
However, Prince Dhritarashtra did not become the King in the truest sense; he was merely the caretaker of the throne. It was decided that whoever among the next generation was born first would become the true King.
Seven months later, news arrived in Hastinapur that a son had been born to Prince Pandu—the eldest of the new generation. Just one day later, King Dhritarashtra also had a son, who was named Duryodhana.
"And apart from that, there was no other significant news."
I concluded my narration.
I took a deep breath and began walking toward the exit of the orphanage.
Upon reaching the threshold, I took my first step into the outside world. Outside, I saw that many other orphans were also leaving the orphanage today.
Some were leaving voluntarily, as if they had accepted their fate.
Others, who did not wish to leave but also refused to sign the soldier's agreement, were being forcibly kicked out by the guards.
Some had signed the agreement and were returning to the orphanage, securing their stay for another six years.
Then there were the sensible ones—those who, though less capable than me, were still smart. Clutching their hard-earned savings and having already planned their futures, they were setting off on their own separate paths.
I left the orphanage and began walking along the streets of Hastinapur.
These were "roads" in name only; they were not paved with anything but were essentially dirt paths.
The street was bustling with noise. Horse-drawn carts trundled along, and people walked by, all dressed in the attire typical of this era.
To be continued...