Chapter 12: A Carnival Of Hope In The Celebration Of Faith!!

A Carnival of Hope in the Celebration of Faith

The palanquin came to a gentle halt. Raj Mata Satyavathi stepped down from it, radiant as the afternoon sun.

Radha and Yashoda stood spellbound, watching the graceful woman approach. She walked with regal poise while her attendants unfurled a silken carpet before her feet. Her bearing reflected royalty, yet her eyes carried the serenity of a sage.

She entered the modest house and paused.

It was only the dwelling of a village chief, yet to her it was holier than any palace. Here, the Supreme Lord had once crawled, laughed, played, and enchanted every soul of Gokul. Before crossing the threshold, she quietly removed her footwear, as though entering a sacred temple.

The maidens whispered among themselves.

"She is Satyavati... the Raj Mata of Hastinapura... the matriarch of the Kuru dynasty, grandmother of the Kauravas and Pandavas."

"What?" another exclaimed in disbelief. "Great-grandmother? Are you teasing me, Madhavi? She looks as young as we do!"

Radha looked at the royal visitor with innocent curiosity. Satyavati noticed the question shining in her eyes and smiled knowingly.

As Yashoda bent to wash the Raj Mata's feet, Satyavati gently stopped her.

"Yashoda," she said affectionately, "you are revered throughout the world for your blessed fortune. It is not for you to perform such service."

Yashoda smiled with folded hands.

"You are the Queen Mother of this vast kingdom, Raj Mata. I am only a simple village woman, your humble subject."

Satyavati clasped Yashoda's hands with deep reverence.

"No, Yashoda. You are the mother who nursed God Himself at your breast, sang lullabies to Him, sheltered Him with your love, and when the time came, surrendered Him to His destiny without a trace of selfishness. There is no honour greater than yours."

Her eyes overflowed with admiration for that simple mother.

Turning towards Radha, she smiled warmly.

"My child, I know what is troubling your mind. You wonder how one who is the stepmother of Bhishma and the great-grandmother of the Kauravas and Pandavas can still appear so youthful."

Radha blushed shyly.

"It is true," Satyavati continued. "Sage Parashara blessed me with eternal youth and a divine fragrance. After my grandson Pandu departed from this world, I renounced palace life and retired to the forest for penance. Only occasionally do I visit Hastinapura to watch over the growth of the Kuru heirs."

She paused thoughtfully.

"During my last visit, I was deeply disturbed by what I witnessed. Jealousy had begun poisoning the hearts of the princes. I called Vidura and asked him where this growing darkness would lead the kingdom. He answered only one thing—'Meet Vasudeva Krishna. He alone will answer your questions.'"

She smiled gently.

"On my way back to the forest, I travelled to Dwaraka."

The memory softened her face.

"The moment I beheld Krishna, I was overwhelmed by His divine radiance. In His presence, every burden hidden in my heart came pouring out."

Her thoughts drifted back to that unforgettable conversation.

****************

"Krishna," Satyavati had said, "I believed that a kingdom could not survive without an heir. To preserve the throne, I set aside the conventions of society and followed the ancient customs of my own tribe. My only concern was the welfare of the kingdom."

Her voice trembled.

"In pursuing that duty, I failed to understand the silent anguish of my daughters-in-law, the widowed queens of my departed son. I do not know whether I acted rightly or wrongly. At that time, securing the future of the kingdom was all that mattered to me."

She lowered her eyes.

"Later, I asked your aunt Kunti to follow the same path and obtain sons through divine blessings. The kingdom indeed received many princes, yet instead of peace, rivalry flourished there. Every young warrior wishes to prove his strength over another."

A sigh escaped her lips.

"After Pandu's death, I withdrew into the forest to atone through penance. Yet every visit to Hastinapura fills my heart with doubt. Did my decisions truly protect the kingdom, or did they sow the seeds of its destruction?"

She looked at Krishna with folded hands.

"Now I understand why Vidura insisted that I should meet You. Your very presence has filled my heart with peace."

Just then, Rukmini entered carrying fruits and fresh milk. One by one, Krishna's queens followed her and bowed respectfully at Satyavati's feet, seeking her blessings.

Watching them, Satyavati smiled.

"I hear, Krishna, that you are reshaping society itself, by questioning ancient customs and establishing new ideals. Is that true?"

Krishna smiled gently.

"Yes, Raj Mata. Every age demands its own dharma. Customs that once protected society cannot remain unchanged when human nature itself begins to change."

His voice carried both compassion and certainty.

"For generations, wise rulers governed kingdoms while strength remained humble before motherhood. Under such balance, peace prevailed."

He paused.

"But now a dangerous illusion is spreading. Men believe that power alone grants authority. Valour seeks to dominate wisdom. Ego wishes to rule where compassion once guided. Selfish ambition and unrestrained desire are slowly replacing dharma."

His eyes seemed to gaze far beyond the present.

"The days ahead will test humanity. Those who attempt to possess a woman against her will, who covet another's wealth, or who build kingdoms upon adharma shall inevitably meet destruction. Such evil cannot be allowed to flourish."

Silence settled around them.

"I know what destiny holds for every soul," Krishna continued softly. "I shall strive with all My strength to prevent war. Whether I succeed in stopping it or whether I must stand at its forefront, only Time knows."

His expression grew grave.

"You now understand why Maharshi Veda Vyasa advised you to visit Hastinapura one final time, and why Vidura sent you to Me. Your heart is too compassionate to witness the destruction awaiting your great-grandsons."

Then His voice became gentle once more.

"Do not grieve, Raj Mata. I shall safeguard the true inheritance of your lineage. That is My promise. The time has now come for you to continue your penance and prepare for your final journey towards the heavenly abode."

Hearing those words, Satyavati's eyes filled with tears—not of sorrow alone, but of surrender, faith, and the quiet peace that comes only after placing one's burdens at the feet of the Divine.

Rukmini gently wiped away her tears. Jambavati took the peacock-feather fan from a servant-maid and began waving it softly.

After a long silence, Satyavati had suddenly asked Krishna,

"Krishna, I have always heard that you descended to this earth with your eternal consort, Lakshmi. Yet something seems amiss. I can feel it, but I cannot understand what it is."

With a gentle smile, Krishna had replied,

"While returning to the forest, visit Nandgaon once. Meet Yashoda, My first mother, and Radha, My strength and My wisdom."

Now, standing before Radha, Satyavati finally understood the meaning of those words.

A divine radiance surrounded Radha. Here stood the delicate, seemingly fragile woman whose love had shaped Krishna's thoughts, strengthened His resolve, and silently become the foundation of His greatness.

Satyavati spoke softly.

"Radha, when I met Shri Krishna at Dwaraka, He was seated amidst His Ashta Bharyas. At that moment I felt I was standing before God Himself.

I asked Him,

'You are the wisest man on earth. Kings, sages, and nations listen to your words. Can you not stop the destruction that is engulfing this world?'

He smiled and answered,

'Rajmata, I shall do everything within My power to lessen the destruction. Your dynasty will survive the coming war, and the generations that remain will rebuild the Kuru kingdom. Humanity will lose great kings, noble administrators, fearless warriors, and many whom you dearly love. Yet a few shall survive. They will lift the Kuru dynasty from the ashes of war and lead it towards a brighter future. But until that hour arrives, there is still time. Let us live, for now, in our beautiful illusion.'

As He spoke, my eyes fell upon the portrait of an extraordinarily beautiful young woman.

I asked Him,

'Who is she?'

Before Krishna could answer, all His queens replied together,

'It is each one of us. You can see a part of us in that portrait.'

I looked back into Krishna's eyes.

How beautiful they were! It seemed as though all the love in creation flowed through them like cool moonlight. His voice was like a gently flowing river, every word carrying peace into the heart.

Words cannot describe what I experienced in His presence.

Only then did I understand why Vidura had urged me to meet Krishna before retiring into the forest. He wished me to behold the Divine with these very eyes while I was still alive.

Then Krishna asked me to meet His childhood mother and His beloved maiden before I departed from this world.

I accepted it as His command.

Every word that leaves His lips is a discourse for mankind.

Only now do I understand why the Almighty wished me to meet both of you."

Overwhelmed, Satyavati embraced Yashoda. Holding both her hands, she gently raised them to her own eyes in reverence. Bowing her head, she said,

"Today, the Rajmata of the Kuru dynasty bows before the village mother who cradled God in her arms, sang Him lullabies, and lulled the Lord of the Universe to sleep upon her bosom."

Yashoda stood motionless.

As always, whenever someone spoke of her Kanha, her heart wandered back to His childhood. A serene smile blossomed upon her face as memories of those divine days flooded her soul.

She embraced Satyavati with the affection of a mother.

Radha watched the two women with a gentle smile.

Suddenly Satyavati turned towards her and laughed heartily.

"What a wonderfully clever person your Krishna is!

When I looked at that portrait, instead of uttering your name and inviting the playful anger of His queens, He simply asked me to visit you.

How wisely He protected everyone's heart!

Now I understand the truth.

He searched for fragments of you in each of those extraordinary women and married them so that, within the palace at Dwaraka, some part of Radha would always remain close to Him.

Rukmini told me that you gifted Krishna to the entire universe so that He could fulfil His divine mission. I saw in her eyes the same selfless love that shines in yours.

Satyabhama possesses your fierce pride and fearless courage—the spirit that would stand before every danger to protect Krishna.

In Jambavati's devotion I saw your unwavering adoration.

The quiet dedication I witnessed in Mitravinda is the very same devotion I now see upon your face.

And Bhadra has inherited your gentle love of peace.

Each queen carries one precious ray of your light.

But standing before you today, I behold the complete moon."

Radha lowered her eyes.

She neither accepted nor denied Satyavati's words.

She merely smiled—the same tranquil smile with which she had always offered Krishna to the world.

When the time came to depart, Satyavati once again looked upon the village she had come to visit. Nandgaon shimmered before her like a carnival of hope, celebrating nothing but faith in one beloved soul.

As she walked toward her palanquin, she turned back one last time. Radha stood bathed in the soft ochre glow of the late morning sun, serene as a sacred flame. Beside her, Yashoda's face shone with the quiet pride of a mother whose greatest treasure had long ago become the world's.

A sudden wave of remorse swept through Satyavati's heart.

"How different our journeys have been," she thought.

"In my ambition, I desired a kingdom for my sons. In their love, these two women offered their beloved to the entire universe."

She folded her hands toward Nandgaon and whispered within herself,

"Was this why You sent me here, Krishna? Not merely to meet Your mother and Your Radha—but to understand the highest form of love, where nothing is possessed and everything is surrendered."

For the first time in many years, Rajmata Satyavati felt utterly at peace.

She departed not with the burden of a kingdom, but with the peace of understanding.

To be continued...

Viswasruti2020-11-05 17:36:02