Mischiefs and Worries of King Dhritarashtra...

(This chap will be a short P.O.V of our dear prakriti Maa, can skip if you like?)

Prakriti's P.O.V,

"Putri~ Calm down~"

"You are not yet qualified to learn this truth..."

I... am Prakriti, the indirect creation of Lord Brahma and one of the daughters of Maa Shakti...

Even as her daughter, I had been unable to meet my mother, since the time Immemorial... Aside from the esteemed Trimurtis, no one had ever gazed on her figure, beyond the wildest imaginations of any being...

But,

At this moment, I-i h-heard her v-voi-ce!

I am formless...

At least, I was supposed to be... 

Before the gentle caressing of someone's hand was felt on my ego...

Without a doubt, t-the sweet voice w-as from the supreme mother!

 Graced with her presence, my purpose of existence has been fulfilled!

Whether it was the allure of her momentary presence or her words sweeter than the whole pot of Amrita, they were unforgettable! 

Sadly! The joy of celebration wasn't made for me! Without a body, all I could do was to turn the Mortal plane into a paradise for a brief moment!

And that's what I did!

...

"Arya! Look outside!"

"Hey! What's this!"

"Hmm? Why are there rainbows in the sky?"

"MAA! FLOWERS!"

...

Hidden from the observation of the Devas, I brought heaven on Earth!

The Flowers bloomed and emitted their sweetest fragrance, trees danced with winds along with the green grass, white clouds closed the sky as the transparent drops of water fell on the ground, creating countless rainbows, dying the sky in their colours!

Witnessing the strange but beautiful event, the Creatures deemed it as the grace of the deities! They danced, laughed, sang, and enjoyed the once in a Yuga event!

Capturing every single bit of it~

[Writer's Note: Oh NO!!! Why am I not present there? Ah!!! Sad life~]

...

"Om~"

Forgetting the immature act of mine, let's observe the child sitting on the top of a flat surfaced rock, chanting gentle hymns with some incomprehensible mantras.

This time, there are no special effects or anything like that to amplify his presence but a tranquil aura, appearing calm and collected.

Apparently, his presence didn't cause me any trouble for the first time in these short eight years. Rather than feeling glad for the one less problem, I felt a little lost.

In these recent years, I had been his guardian, covering up his mistakes or anything that may prove detrimental for him.

Unbeknownst to me, I have developed a deep connection with this child of mine, a special kind of bond which is far different from others...

I have been observing more than my sister Nyati could. In all those past years, I have been pran-! Ahem* Playing with him...

Sometimes, I used wind to circulate beside his ears, fearing the kid. Or, I made him trip on the ground. From whispering something gibberish beside his ears to wetting his clothes, I've had too much fun!

Though, It was very bad of me but... Who can resist his puzzled and helpless expressions on his beautiful baby face?!

Therefore, Along with him, I prayed to Maa Shakti to forgive my sins...

However, I never tried to abuse my powers. Aside from some harmless pranks with only him, I remained impartial to everyone else. 

It can be said, he is the first to change my monotonous eternity for the better!

But, every good thing has its ends...

Grievously enough, it was a rule created by me!

As he grew up, his true sentience slowly came back to him, raising the difficulty to pran-! Ahem* Playing with him.

And, the incident with Maa Ganga had broken his last layer of the barrier, trapping his wisdom under the mask of a naïve kid.

Hah....

If you are getting bored?

Go and venture into the castle of Hastinapur...

***

King Dhritarashtra P.O.V,

Strength, Wisdom, Dharma, Kindness, Trust, Decisiveness, Farsightedness and Good Karma...

I used to think that these were the necessary qualities of a ruler or they must be in one to be a king.

How foolish of me!

The truth was shoved onto my face by Nyati herself when..

Our elders whom I had respected dearly decided to crown my younger brother as the king of Hastinapur...

Yes, my younger brother, born from Mata Ambalika-the sister of my mother and second wife of my late father, the previous king of Kuruvansa Maharaj Vichitravirya.

From a young age, We had been taught & trained by Guru Kripacharya and Chacha (Uncle) Bhishma in the knowledge of Vedas & the art of weapons.

Though I didn't lose out to my Anuj-Pandu, whether in terms of strength or intellect, I had been thoroughly defeated by him to get the admiration of Our Elders.

Grievously enough, the fault lies with my mother whom I can never blame for this folly. After all, she was the one who brought me into this world. 

Due to the sudden death of my father Maharaj Vichitravirya, Maa Ambika and Mata Ambalika have no choice but to enter Niyoga (A type of practice in which a childless widow can conceive a child with the spiritual unity with a Sage).

At that time, Maa was frightened by the sight of Maharishi Ved Vyasa (My spiritual father), who recently came out from his deep meditation lasting for nearly a decade. At that time, his appearance was akin to savage. His overgrown nails and untidy hairs covered in dirt was comparable to a horrific creature.

Therefore, She covered her eyes to not disrespect the sage by running away due to the sheer horror, making me blind from Birth...

To compensate for my blindness, Maharishi Vyasa blessed me with the strength of one hundred thousand elephants!

But, for what?

A strength that can't be shown on the battlefield? What was the meaning of this boon?

...

Despite my wisdom, I couldn't help but think about this...

This blessing of the esteemed Sage was to compensate me for my liability, but it has never served its purpose...

I am a Kshatriya, capable of defeating countless peoples, have the strength desired by many and yet, It is... but a show piece.

My blindness didn't let me wield weapons and even if I do, what can I do with it?

My power, My status and My wisdom, everything have been overshadowed by this disability of MINE!

Although, Mata Ambalika, Chacha Bhisma, Guru Kripacharya, and others have never treated me badly. Their love for both brothers remained equal and impartial.

However, When It comes to the matter regarding the throne, I was denied my rightful right over the throne, right to battle, respect as Kshatriya...

Even when Pandu was unfortunately cursed by Sage Kindama and abdicated the throne before leaving to do penance along with his wives, I was only made the representative of the King (Acting King).

It gave me the same status as that of a ruler and yet, it denied me to show my might as the true king.

I couldn't blame others for this...

It is my disability, my responsibility to accept everything that came with it, whether it is respect, pity or insults...

With this kind of Attitude, the recent years have been very peaceful and joyous for me with a little bit of ups and downs.

Additionally, Eight years ago, My friend Adiratha was finally blessed with a healthy son, and just tomorrow, he arrived in Hastinapur along with his wife and child.

Despite my urge to meet him, I gave him some time to settle in this new city.

However, Night comes after every day. My younger brother Pandu was blessed with a Son, Yudhishthira, from Lord of Dharma and Death Yama himself.

It was supposed to be a joyous occasion at normal times, I have to be glad for him which I was.

Yet, My gladness was covered by the dejection and sadness of my wife's inability to produce an heir. 

My wife Gandhari-the princess of Gandhar, is blessed to have a hundred Sons by Maharishi Durvasa. The fear and anxiety of my unexpected departure like the previous kings of Hastinapur made Pitamah marry us.

Since our marriage, I have been blaming myself to ruin her life. As an avid believer of Lord Shiva, She takes dharma more seriously than I ever wanted her to. To not disgrace me, She had blindfolded herself since the night of our marriage, something I never wanted to!

To dissuade her into removing her blindfold, I tried various strategies, all ended in vain. None of them were able to shake her unwavering belief. At last, I kneeled (Figuratively) before her character and let her do as she wished.

Our life as a couple was a happy one, but not anymore...

The news of the birth of Pandu's child crushed my dreams to throne my heir as the rightful King! Something I was never able to.

My dear wife had been pregnant for two years before she birthed a grotesque, crimson mass of flesh.

To hear about this horror had hollowed me out! I was shaken!

It made me remain mute at the unfortunate event when I had to stand firmly with my wife. But, yeah, I have always been a disappointment...

The world might have observed our grief as, for the first time since my birth, I thanked Nyati when Maharishi Vyasa appeared and explained the situation!

He split the mass of flesh (Devi Gandhari's fetus) into hundred and one pieces into clay pots, covered by Ghee.

It's been a year since the event and yet, my children haven't been born.

The stress and anxiety of some unfortunate event made me take the unforgivable path! Lost in my desire to get an heir, I bedded my wife's maid Sughada. It was...

My greatest folly! 

It created an invisible gap between my wife and me...

Which I have yet to mend...

***

So how was King Dhritarashtra?

Was his act right?

Do share your thoughts!