Indulekha: The Sister of The Pandavas • Mahabharat

2. Pandu's Death

Kunti, Pandu, and Madri were more than satisfied with 5 kids. They were the apple of their eyes and they loved them. The five kids-Yudhisthir, Bheem, Arjun, Nakul, and Sahadev, filled their lives with happiness.

But Kunti still felt troubled. She did want a young girl in the house and was blessed that the last child of her shall be the result of the most beautiful lady the whole Aryavarta had seen.

One day, which was about one or two years after Nakul and Ssahadev's birth, she felt intrigued to have a daughter and asked her husband about it. Pandu was quite happy with the thought of having a daughter and accepted. But the dilemma was that Kunti wished to have a daughter but she already had 3 sons and Madri had only 2.

"It's ok, jiji. There has to be a way in which she can be the daughter of us both." Madri suggested.

Kunti smiled, knowing that there, indeed, was a way.

***

The two mothers and their husbands prayed for a few minutes. The sun had set and the moon was shining bright in the sky.

The kids were sleeping and were impatient to meet their younger sister.

As beams of white lights lightened the area, the three- Kunti, Pandu, and Madri, opened their eyes. "Pranipat, Chandra dev."

"Humne aapko-"

"Gyat hai mujhe, Kunti. Mein tumhe ek saundaryavan putri deta hu. Wah Aryavarta mein dharm ki sthapna karnien mein apna bhaiyon ki sahayata karegi. Uske kaaran 5 pandu putra saabse balvaan honge. Jab sabke man mein andhera chaya hoga tab, chand ki bhati, wo sabko apne prakash se sukh degi. Yah adbhut stree purn Aryavarta mein Indulekha ke naam se jaani jaegi."

[I'm aware, Kunti. I will give you a beautiful daughter. She will help her brothers establish righteousness in Aryavarta. Because of her, the five Pandu sons will be the mightiest. When darkness will shadow everyone's mind, she will bring happiness to everyone, just like the moon, with her brightness and charm. This special woman will be known as Indulekha throughout Aryavarta]

A small body of a baby appeared in the arms of the mothers. They placed a kiss on her forehead and thanked Chandra Dev for such a beautiful baby.

"Indulekha." The mothers whispered as they adored the child.

"She will be the strength of our sons. She will be their peace. Their Indu."

Time skip: A few years

It was a normal day for the kids. All six kids were playing in the forest. The five boys played with the stones while the little girl tried to make a garland out of threads and flowers. She would often look at her brothers giggling and laughing and would adore them.

While the two mothers prepared food, Indu, accompanied by Sahadev, rushed over to the hut and asked, "Mata, I need more flowers for my garland! Can you please give me some?" Madri smiled. "Awashya, putri. I'll go get some flowers, right now."

"Mata," Kunti looked at her "Will you wear my garland after I finish it?" She left a chuckle and said, "Yes, I will. But don't you think that it's way too small for my neck?"

Indu pouted as she looked at the small thread of her garland. "Then will you wear it, bhrata shree?"

"As you wish." He said, patting her head.

Sahadev's slight smile turned into a frown as his mind became unstable. Thoughts about his father and something bad happening to him rushed through his mind.

"Kya hua, Sahadev?" Kunti asked him, feeling his uneasiness. "I don't know, mata. But I feel like something bad is going to happen to pitashree."

Kunti was stunned for a moment. She thought for a while and asked him, "Where is he?"

"Wo to puja ke liye pushp lene gaye hai."

[He went to get some flowers for the puja.]

Kunti sighed, thinking about something that could happen if he was just collecting flowers. Then she realized Madri also went to get flowers.

"You both go to your brothers, I will be right back."

Kunti said and left. The two kids stared at her leaving figure in confusion. "Let's go, Indu." They walked over to their brothers who were still playing.

Thunder crashed on the muddy ground and the clouds turned into a frightening red. "Why is the weather like this?" Bheem asked himself out loud and observed the clouds. Their talkative sister was way too quiet. She was sitting against a tree with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was staring at her feet, not wanting to think about anything.

Few of her memories came flashing back to her mind. Her father, and her mother, Madri had died. She felt a stinging pain in her temples and her forehead. She flinched and winced, but so lightly that no one could hear her.

"Pitashree." She let out a bare whisper. Salty tears left her eyes as she buried her head between her knees. The five kids looked at her in shock. They'd never seen this cheerful child cry, except for the times when she was a baby. "Indu! Kya hua?" Yudishthir walked over to his weeping sister and calmly patted her back. The shock of seeing her cry hadn't left the 4 boys, but Yudishthir wasn't even fazed. "P-pitashree aur Mata Madri." That was all she could say. She wanted to scream and shout but her dry throat didn't let her. Words tried to come out of her mouth but they stopped mid-way.

"Kya hua mata pita ko?" Nakul asked.

[What happened to our mother and father?]

 Her cries now got louder. The brothers looked at each other, not knowing what to do. "Please stop crying, Indu." They all said in an attempt to calm her down but it didn't work.

"Indu-"

They saw their mother walk over to them. Her bloodshot eyes stared at the kids for a moment and she said with a dry throat, "Follow me."

She walked off saying so. The kids followed her until she stopped. They looked at the body lying on the floor. The body was of their father.

Their faces were of pure shock but none of them knew what to feel. None of them shed tears but deep down they wished it wasn't real, that it was all a dream.

"Kshyama karna mujhe. Mein tumhaare pitashree ke pran nahi bacha saki."

[Forgive me. I couldn't save your father's life.]