In the Wake of the War

Chapter-3

Vrishaketu frowned as he saw his mother's face grow grim as she read the letter from Bhanu Kaki.

Vrushali put it down and sighed.

"What is it, Ma?" he asked, concerned.

"Bhanumati and the rest are not coming here." she said.

"What?! WHY?!" he asked, enraged. "Did my uncle," he spat "the emperor Yudhishtir not allow her and the others to come? Have they not taken enough from us? Will they not even let us grieve together?"

Vrushali shot him a sharp look.

"Do not take that tone, young man."

"Why not?! They killed Pitashree! They killed all my older brothers. They deserve every bit of my ire." he said, chest heaving. He could not understand how his mother could be so calm.

"You have every right to be upset, my son. You have every right to be angry. And as long as you don't let your rage become disruptive to yourself or others, it is fine. Don't forget that this war was caused due to raging and fighting and hatred amongst family. We must at least attempt to break the cycle. Don't forget, the Pandavas have suffered great loss as well. Even at your father's hand as he is partially and completely responsible for the death of two of their sons as well."

"What, so we're just supposed to forgive and forget?" Vrishaketu asked in disbelief.

"Certainly not forget." Vrushali said. "And forgiving is hard. It is all right to not forgive. But in my opinion at least, it is always better to seek truce if possible, rather than revenge. And above all my dear, you must not allow hatred to darken your heart. Not ever, but especially not in the next couple of weeks."

"Why, what's happening in the next couple of weeks?" the seventeen year old asked suspiciously.

"Bhanumati says that Yudhishtir did not forbid them from coming, but both he and Arjun practically begged them not leave. That they did not want their family to fracture further."

Vrishaketu interrupted with a scoff. "Really? And she stayed at their begging? And where was all this thought of not wanting to fracture the family during the war?"

Vrushali continued as though he had not spoken.

"Bhanumati says that they would have probably left despite that, but then, Rajpita Dhitarashtra begged them not to leave him and Rajmata Gandhari. And they cannot leave Hastinapur. How could she refuse?"

Vrishaketu looked down. He supposed that was understandable. He was a little ashamed that he had not thought of the old Kuru parents in his anger.

"And we have been invited to Hastinapur's palace."

His head shot up.

"WHAT?! By whom?"

"Why, by the Samrat himself, of course."

Vrishaketu could not believe the audacity of these people. They had destroyed his whole family, and now they wanted them to go spend time with them?!?!

"We are going to go." Vrushali said, anticipating an argument.

Vrishaketu took a deep, calming breath.

"Fine," he said. "We'll go."

Vrushali blinked at the easy acceptance.

Vrishaketu smiled shakily at his mother.

"I'm not going to miss a chance to see Bhanu kaki, or Rajmata and Rajpita after the war. Besides we were going to go to Hastinapur to visit Pitamaha and Pitamahi anyways. We were simply not going to stay in the palace like we usually did. Now we are."

Vrushali took his hand with a smile.

"We should get Pitamahi Radha and Pitamaha Adhirat to come stay with us now. They have become quite old. I know their neighbours all take great care of them, but I don't like the idea of them so far now." Vrishaketu told his mother.

Vrushali laughed. "Your father had been trying to get them to come here for years. They would never agree to leave their home. They would insist that there was no need, as Radheya and all of us along him would go to meet them regularly anyway since he and to a lesser extent we, spent half the time in Hastinapur."

"Yes, but father cannot visit them on his regular trips to Hastinapur now. And we have less reason to go there as well." The boy snapped.

The mood grew somber again. Vrishaketu placed his head on his mother's shoulder and Vrushali let go of his hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"How we will we live with them? The men who killed my brothers? The man who killed father."

Vrushali sighed heavily.

"Our family has always persevered in the face of challenges, hasn't it? We will persevere now as well. "

He could no longer stop the tears from rolling down his face and onto his mother's shoulder.

"Please don't expect me to go there and play happy families, Ma." he said. "Please don't expect me to go touch the feet of those Pandavas or their wives or their mother. Please don't expect me to greet them with a smile and embrace them. I can't do it Ma, I can't do it."

"I won't, my dear." Vrushali said, feeling a stinging behind her own eyes. "A mother can hardly be so cruel."

Her eyes hardened then.

"Although there is one particular mother in that Palace of Ghosts, that I shall certainly be having words with."