THE FIRE BORN'S THIRST
The sun rose as his brilliantly bright rays fell on her beautiful lotus-shaped eyes, making them get distracted from their sleep. She gently rubbed her eyes as she rose from the soft and squishy bed, squinting to get familiar with the world, forgetting her dreamland.
She joined both her palms as her vermillion coloured lips parted in order to chant a couplet of Sanskrit verse.
"Samudra-Vasane Devi Parvata-Stana-Mandale
Vishnu-Patni Namas-Tubhyam
Paada-Sparsham Kshamasvame!"
Her eyes closed in a deep prayer, she uttered the Kshama-Sloka to the Goddess Bhumi.
"The Devi Who is having Ocean as Her Garments and Mountains as Her Bosom,
Who is the Consort of Shri Vishnu, I Bow to You! Please Forgive me for Touching You with my Feet!"
As she completed intoning the Vedic hymn, her body, heart and soul solicited absolution from the Mother Earth. She slowly kept her right foot on the ground, followed by left one. She stood on her feet and looked forward to find her maids and Sakhis standing with different plates in their hands.
One with the smooth rose petals, one with the white milk, one with the turmeric and so on. She grinned at them as they looked at her enthusiastically.
"Praanipat, Rajkumari Draupadi!" They greeted her, as she smiled.
"Sudha! What all are these for?" Draupadi questioned, scanning her chamber with her sharp fire-resembling eyes.
"Rajkumari! Looks like you have forgotten about your Swayamwara!" Sudha, her head maid exclaimed as Draupadi's eyes lost their spark.
"Is it today, Sudha?" She asked, her eyes possessing a kind of confusion, yet firmness.
"Ofcourse, it is today, Rajkumari!" One of the maids shouted, making Draupadi astonish.
The whole Panchala was excited, for her Swayamvara or for her to leave her maternal kingdom forever? But, she knew. She knew who is she for the Panchala people. She is their boon, their blessing. Their godsend princess.
Agni Suta she is, the daughter of the most pious fire. The most beautiful woman of her time and the one who never gets old, Nityayuvani. The Divine lady emerged from the holy sacrifcial fire, Yagyaseni. Darker than the darkness, but as bright as the flames of her father, Krishnaa. Her fragrance can be felt for miles, for she is Yojanagandha. She is Panchala Naresh Drupada's Draupadi. Draupadi is she.
"Rajkumari!" She can hear her Sakhi, Malini calling out for her. She inhaled deeply and shooked off her thoughts as she turned to her maids.
"Carry on with your duties!" She ordered them as they reached the Princess and took her to the bath-place.
Draupadi felt a tinge of yearn knock the door of her heart, without her interference. Her eyes burned for some reason which she was unknown of, but she knew that it isn't signify anger, instead it signifies a strange desire. She could feel her breath turn hot and hot, making her lose into a trance.
Without her knowledge or reaction, the maids applied turmeric to her shining skin and poured the milk with rose petals, finishing the auspicious bathing ritual.
Her Sakhis teased her, pinched her cheeks, and did many antics only to get surprised with Draupadi's reaction less face.
They took her to the front of the mirror and made her sit. Her mother started to make her hair into a braid and decorated it with many kinds of flowers.
She placed the gold Maangtika in the centre forehead hair parting of Draupadi. The Queen of Panchala adorned her daughter's ears with pearl-gold long and round earrings which are pinned to her hair. She embellished Draupadi's waist with a waistband and ornamented her arms with armbands.
"My Parshati looks like an angel from heaven!" Prashati exclaimed, kissing Draupadi's ruby red cheeks. Draupadi smiled at her mother as Prashati beautified her with a gold nose ring, which is connected to her Jhumkas.
"Ain't I'm I, Matashree?'" Draupadi raised her right eyebrow "I'm the daughter of Fire himself, who lives in the city of immortals, Amaravati, Heaven,"
"Yes, Putri! You are," Prashati grinned "Indeed a immortal soul in a mortal body,"
Draupadi chuckled as she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror. Heavenly beauty she is, without a doubt. The fingers of her two hands clasped, as she saw Prashati leave the chamber by Drupada's call. Her mind was again filled with an unknown desperation.
Why my destiny seems unclear for me?
Who is going to fill the sindhoor in my hair line?
For whose love, I'm I craving for?
I only could lay my trust on you Bhagwan!
For I knew you will unite me with my soul mate.
Draupadi sauntered to the Shivalinga and kneeled in front of the Lord. She prayed to the Destroyer God with all her devotion.
"Thathpurushyaaya Vidhmahe, Mahadevaaya Dheemahi, Thanno Rudra Prachodayaath"
She decorated the Shivalinga with the flowers and bowed to the Lord once again.
As she was about to rise from the ground, a gust of wind waved past the Puja chamber making five of the flowers which are sitting on the linga fall on her lap. She looked at them with awe, not knowing what to do. She slowly took them in to her both hands and clutched them to her heart.
"You are conveying something, Mahadeva?" Draupadi inquired the Lord "But, five flowers?"
She caressed them as she rose and placed them neatly beside the linga.
If only she know that he himself will come to her in five of his forms as she is non other than his consort Parvati's Ansh.
She felt her heart of Gold, now pining for something which is beyond her words. Her Graceful Soul, now is thirsty for something beyond her thoughts. She walked aimlessly downstairs gazing into nothingness, but her concentration told her that she could find the thing which she is longing for in that oblivion.
Can she? Will she? Love is not receiving, but giving. She didn't needed love but she needed to love. She can sense the person who was her life partner from births is breathing now. She can, yes. She would find him. Soon.
She will quench her thirst of LOVE. Soon.
Love thirst is when Soul yearns for it's mate, not body
