Indulekha: The Sister of The Pandavas • Mahabharat

37. Secrets ?¿ {Part-2}

"This huge of a secret was hidden from me and you never felt it was necessary for me to know?" Angraj mumbled, his fists tightening around his angavastra.

Kunti let her tears release and enveloped her son in a hug. A hug, something she was never able to give him. The moment she saw him standing in the kridangan, she knew that she could've never been able to hug her own son. The enmity of her sons had grown as her heart sank deeper into a mess.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"It's been days since they left for vanvas, Kunti. Try to reconsider. My sons are still childish in nature, it was all a mistake. Please forgive them, there is no need for war." Gandhari spoke as Kunti turned around from her.

"They have been forgiven a lot many times, Jiji."

A dasi entered, interrupting the conversation. "Angraj Karn is here to meet you, Rajmata Kunti."

"Let him in," Gandhari spoke. "I'll leave you two to be, Kunti, but please do not wage war. They are like your children too." Gandhari continued, to which Kunti remained silent.

The moment she left, Karn entered the chamber greeting both of them. Not leaving a moment, he decided to talk to her about the situation. It wasn't every day you find out that your parents aren't your biological ones.

"Rajmata, Indu ne mujhe mere satya se parichit karwaya hai."

[Rajmata, Indu has informed me of my truth.]

"Konsa satya, putra?" She asked, knowing Indu didn't know about Karn's identity.

[Which truth, son?]

"Mein aapka putra hu," He said, tears forming in Kunti's eyes.

[I am your son.]

How was the secret that she tried so hard to keep hidden now exposed? Exposed just like a raw wound. She didn't know how she would make him understand, she didn't understand her decision herself. And what worried her more was how Indu knew the truth about Karn's birth. Kunti nodded,

with no words left for her to say. How could she tell him that she was the one who gave birth to him, not Radha maa? How could she tell him that the ones who cared for him, loved his mall his childhood were not his parents and the one who never even knew him and abandoned him was his true mother? How, even?

How?

"This huge of a secret was hidden from me and you never felt it was necessary for me to know?" Angraj mumbled, his fists tightening around his angavastra.

Kunti let her tears release and enveloped her son in a hug. A hug, something she was never able to give him. The moment she saw him standing in the kridangan, she knew that she could've never been able to hug her own son. The enmity of her sons had grown as her heart sank deeper into a mess.

"I know I wasn't able to give you my presence, but you don't know how sorry I am for it. I was just a child when I gave you up, afraid of society. If I had known that such a decision would make you suffer so much, I would have never. But this one mistake has made me lose so much, I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am."

Karn's mind soothed, remembering how Indu always referred to him as 'Bhrata'. "It was for the better, right?" He smiled. Kunti shrugged, wiping the tears still residing in her eyes.

"I got another mother's love, if not yours. I got a loving father, too. In the end, I got two mothers, Isn't that something to be proud of?" Saying so, Karn bent down to touch the feet of his birth mother.

"May you be prosperous."

▣–▣–▣–▣–▣–▣–▣–▣

In the gardens of Dwarka, Maharaj Satyadev was invested in a conversation with Krishna. While he kept talking, Krishna kept listening as both of them strolled through the lush green trees.

"Everything which I just told you was told by her." He mumbled as Vasudev looked at him with a serene smile. "I have always thought of you as divine and worshipped you like Indu does, and so I believe you would answer this question for me."

"Of course, Maharaj." He widened his grin, plucking one of the tulips in the garden. The tulip which had withered out seemed to have blossomed the moment it was plucked off.

"Who was I in my previous life? Was I from Kaliyug too?"

Stopping his steps, Vasudev turned around to look at Satyadev. His mouth spoke question while his eyes held confidence that he'd gain the answers from The Supreme Lord himself. Appreciating his pure love towards Krishna himself, he decided to answer his questions.

"Mahesh."

"I'm being selfish, now am I? You're the one whose agreeing to marry your sister off so that you can get into some university, Aadhya!"

"It's not some university! It's one of the most well-known and popular one. It can help this family so much if I successfully become an engineer. And Mahesh is also loaded, we'll never run out of money!"

A sharp sting of pain hit his head, suddenly. Fragments of memories came rushing back to him. The memories were broken pieces which were hard to decipher as if remembering only the key point of a story.

"You were Mahesh Sharma, the son of Veer Sharma and Kavita Sharma. You were a huge bhakt of mine. You prayed to me ever since you were a child. You had a keen interest in my stories and everything action I'd take. The number of prayers you recited every day was wonderful and more than anyone else in Kaliyug. I had answered all of your prayers. Growing up, you realised that happiness was not material but was in worshipping me. Thus, you stopped asking for good grades and started asking for the happiness of your parents. You asked for yourself to cause an impact in the world," He paused and let out a little laugh.

"Then, you fell in love with Indu. You were heartbroken when she rejected you and more devastated when you realised that your father had made your marriage a business deal for her. I answered both your prayers, of causing impact in the world and marrying Indu in your next life. Your bhakti and devotion to me were pure."

Eyes wide, Satyadev, or Mahesh as Krishna referred to him, started joining the fragments of his stories and it all made sense. He sat down on his knees with his hands joined, realising why he believed Vasudev was divine. Satisfied with a simple gesture, Krishna hugged his bhakt.