The funerals of all the warriors had just been completed. Kunti revealed to her sons that Karna was their eldest brother, and
asked them to do his water rituals. Yudisthir was shocked, and then offered oblations to Karna. All the women around began grieving, and Yudisthir then ordered Karna's womenfolk to be brought b4 him. So Vrushali was brought b4 him.
Vrushali, now in a widow's sari, arrived, completely numb after all that crying. First of all, she had lost her mukutdhari arya years ago to the Kauravas, and now that Pandavas saw to it that she'd never get him back 😭 She had spent the last 2 days crying, first over the deaths of Prasena, Vrishasena & Karna, and then over Chitrasena, Sushena & Satyasena. So when she received Yudisthir's summons, she thought it was their payback time for Draupadi. She had several things going in her mind. For one, instead of returning to Indraprastha as Draupadi's maid, she ran away w/ a friend of her great enemy Dushashan. So she expected Draupadi to be angry w/ her. On top of that, her husband was rumored to have ordered Draupadi's disrobing, so now she was scared that the evil mukutdhari Pandavas would order the same thing on her. However, w/ everyone she loved dead, she had nothing more to live for, so she just quietly went.
Yudisthir received her and welcomed her, and bowed b4 her. She was completely taken aback - wondering whether the Pandavas would put on an act similar to what the Kauravas did when they welcomed the Pandavas b4 the game of dice. Not just that - none of the Pandavas were wearing any mukuts. Had they not been the killers of her husbands & sons, she might even have welcomed them. Nonetheless, she too bowed, her gaze just on the ground. Suddenly, Yudisthir requested her to do the water rites of her husband, along w/ him. Vrushali hesitated at the thought of going in w/ another man into the water, but remembering that everyone she had was dead, she just quietly obeyed. All the other womenfolk of Karna followed her as well.
The oblations offered, all the women left the water. Yudisthir, however collapsed, and Bhima took him out. Yudisthir then recovered, and approached Vrushali just as she was leaving. He knelt @ her feet. Vrushali was shocked.
V: Maharaj, I beg of you - please don't mock me. For the sake of a mukut, you've destroyed my entire family. I recognize it - you are the king. If you want, we'll leave your kingdom asap, but it will take us some time, given that we've lost everything. I would have used Arya's chariot, but I don't know if that wheel ever got out of the ground.
Hearing Vrushali accuse Yudisthir, Draupadi was furious
D: Vrushali!!! How dare you!!! I know I befriended you and that I wasn't ever gonna punish you for speaking out against the rulers. However, this is my husband, and nobody dares insult them. The ones who did - well, see for yourself!!! 😡
Y: Maun raho, Panchali!!! This is not any maid of yours - this is your jethani. Now, w/o a word, go to her, touch her feet & apologize!!!
Draupadi stood there, seething at the thought of touching the feet of a suta woman. All her life, she had caused the deaths of sutas, be it Keechaka or Karna. Now, the thought of defiling herself by touching a suta woman's feet was too much for her.
V: Maharaj, it's not necessary. I don't hold Maharani's outburst against me - mukuts do tend to corrupt the best of people. She needn't touch my feet or anything. I just request you to let me leave the kingdom. I have no idea where I'll go, but I'll leave so that nobody will have to be embarrassed due to my presence.
Yudisthir burst into tears & fell @ Vrushali's feet. Draupadi was shocked & tried to pull him up, and Yudisthir slapped her really hard!!!
Y: Panchali, everything you wanted, you got - Dushashan's blood in your hair, Duryodhan's crushed thigh, Karna's head. That's enough!!! You don't know how to respect my elders, fine! But don't even dare stop me.
D: But Arya, she's a suta
Yudisthir slapped her hard again, this time on the other side, and ordered Arjun to take her away, and leave the place. Arjun took Draupadi and left the scene. Yudisthir resumed addressing Vrushali.
Y: Vru... actually, Bhabishree, you are right. My greed for a mukut did cause this bloodbath. Not just that, I'm personally responsible for Brata Karna's death.
Now, it's Vrushali's turn to get enraged, and she slaps Yudisthir really hard. Bhima, Nakul, Sahadev, Kunti & Krishna are shocked.
V: Don't you dare call my husband 'Brata', or me 'Bhabi'. All your life, those accursed brothers of yours have been calling him sutaputra, while your beggar of a mom approached my husband asking him to spare you all, while giving him nothing in return. Well, now there is none of him left to give, and I refuse to accept anything on his behalf.
Yudisthir resumes bawling, and Kunti now intervenes.
K: Putri...
V: Maun raho, rajmata!!!!
K: Vrushali, I understand your anger, but please direct it properly. The person who deserves your punishment is me. It's I who witheld your husband's secret, so the anger for the destruction of your entire family lies w/ me. Punish me all you want. But none of my sons knew that your husband was their brother.
V: So? If he wasn't their brother, that just makes it okay for them to insult him as much as they desire? Starting from the rangbhoomi...?
Bhima decided to get in on the conversation. He knew that calling her Bhabi would provoke her, and calling her Vrushali would be disrespectful. So he decided to tread carefully
B: Devi, I agree that I was wrong, and so were my brothers. We just thought that the greatest archer had to be from within the family, and in that, this enmity was created. But please understand - in our enmity w/ him, we never got you into the picture - if we didn't respect you, at least we ignored you, which you didn't seem to mind. That's more than can be said for your husband. Even if he was her jeth, was it right for him to insult her, and order that she be stripped?
Vrushali calmed down, and decided to talk to Bhima, who seemed the only one so far who hadn't joined her husband in losing his head
V: Maharaj, I agree w/ you that what he did was wrong. I'm not proud of it. But the rest of my family did not insult your queen, nor did they murder Abhimanyu. Yet, my Vrishasena was slaughtered by Arjun while he was fighting Nakul. My other sons all died. You've got to understand that I can't suddenly after that accept any offer to be a part of a family that neither my husband nor sons had any right to.
Y: Devi, had we known, they too would have been welcomed into the family. If Brata Karna hadn't accepted my offer, I'd have offered it to Vrishasena, or to your other sons. But I agree - my greed for the kingdom blinded me. I refuse to wear this mukut, but will live my life an ascetic.
Vrushali lit up, overjoyed. For the first time in her life, a king had offered to surrender his mukut for good. Tears rolling down her eyes, she smiled @ him, and spoke.
V: Okay, if you have realized this and are willing to forsake the mukut, I forgive you, and accept your offer, devarji!!!
Yudisthir was overjoyed to hear the word 'Devarji' come out of her mouth. He fell @ her feet, had her sit down, and washed it w/ a mix of Ganga water & his tears, and gave her a new pair of crocs. The other Pandavas, Kunti as well as Krishna, Arjun & Draupadi, who had returned, were shocked to hear this. Kunti approached Vrushali.
K: Vrushali, if it makes you happy, Yudisthir won't wear a mukut in front of you. But he does have to be king. After this carnage, we can't suddenly leave Hastinapur & Indraprastha kingless. Please agree to this. Let Yudisthir wear the mukut. He will personally come & serve you, as will I or any of my sons. Whenever anyone comes, they will leave their mukuts outside, just like they leave their shoes outside a temple. I promise you - you'll never have to see any mukut in your life again.
Draupadi too joined Kunti. This time, she had forsaken all her jewels, and swallowing her pride, she too sat @ Vrushali's feet.
D: Vrushali, it was wrong of me to have insulted your husband, or other Sutas. I should have just hated them for what they did, rather than what they were, be it my jeth or Keechak. But see - I have Dushashan's blood in my hair, and he was my cousin devar. So it's not like I'd have given your husband a free pass, but I'd not have insulted him as a suta.
But like matae says, nobody will wear a mukut in front of you. And I and my sisters will all serve you for the rest of our lives - or yours, whichever is shorter.
V: That won't be necessary. We are widows, so will live on our own, in hardship until we die.
K: Please don't say that. Even I'm a widow. If it makes things any better, come live w/ me. Or if you prefer, Gandhari. They are pretty grateful to your husband for everything he did for their sons. Whatever it is, the choice is yours.
V: No, I don't like Gandhari or her sons: they were the ones who tried to prevent me from joining my father, and forcing my husband to wear a mukut. In fact, if you want me anywhere near you, you'll have to abandon them for good.
K: Let me think about it. In the meantime, is it okay if Draupadi, Subhadra or others join you?
V: No. Their arya killed mine, so I don't want any of Arjun's wives anywhere near me. Nor Uttara. Nor Nakul's wife. Maybe I'll accept Sahadev's wife - Jarasandha's daughter as a companion, since Jarasandha was the only one who respected my arya.
Sahadev joined in.
S: Done. From today, she'll always be @ your service.
B: B/w Gandhari & Bhabi Vrushali, I'd rather have my wives serve Bhabishree. Bhabishree, is it okay if I send Valandhara too to give you company, since I don't want her serving Dhritarashtra or Gandhari?
V: I guess so, devarji. But can you also send Hidimbi as well?
B: She isn't allowed in Hastinapur or Indraprastha.
V: In that case, can you grant one last wish of mine?
B: Anything for you, Bhabishree. What is it?
V: Is that a promise like the one my arya used to give? One he kept?
B: Sure. What is it you want?
V: I want you to ask Hidimbi to accept me as a sister & let me live w/ her for my remaining days. I won't deprive Sahadev or you of your other wives. I just want Hidimbi.
B: But Bhabishree...
V: Devarjee, you promised...
B: Okay, let me talk to Hidimbi...
Bhima then went to the forest w/ Vrushali & Karna's other womenfolk. He met Hidimbi and told her everything. Hidimbi welcomed Vrushali, who apologized to her for Karna killing Ghatotkacha. Hidimbi embraced her and welcomed her into her home.
B: Bhabishree, my wife will give you and my other bhabis company for the rest of your days. But may I ask why you chose this?
V: Unlike yall, who will be removing your mukuts whenever you come to see me, devrani Hidimbi and her friends won't be wearing mukuts @ all. So I've decided to spend my remaining days in the company of Bhupatni.
Bhima bowed to her and returned. Vrushali spent her remaining days w/ Hidimba, sad @ having lost her family. But one thing that made her happy - she never had to see a mukut again.
and it worked actually.. I loved my time trying to speak Bengali with my less than average Hindi speaking capacity 😆 am sure others had more fun than what I did 😆
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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