✧ *✧･ 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐤𝐚 • ✧ *✧

1. No one messes with nature

"Give it! Give it to me! Nakul! Now you can't escape me. I won't leave you. Come here. Arre-" Yelled a boy, about 15 years in age, looking for his brother Nakul, who had ran away with his laddoo.

"Come on bhrata Bheem,  how will you leave me when you haven't even caught me!  Laughed a young boy, trying to outrun his brother, Bheem.

" Bhrata Bheem, did you know, there behind the stream I spotted three mango trees, with juicy yellow mangoes.  Go over and see.They are exceptionally sweet, just like mata's ladoos. "  Said Arjun,  winking at Nakul .

" Yes - yes bhrata Bheem. You go over there, we'll look for bhrata Yudhishthir Sahdev and Jyeshta, so they'll also enjoy. " Nakul spilled, containing his laughter.

" You are right. Call them over, we'll all eat. " Bheem said, the prospect of mangoes to good to be true.

He went to the trees, but unbeknownst to him, his sister, Jyeshtha Karunika was sitting there in deep meditation of her aradhya, bhagwan Vishnu.

Showing his strength, he shook the mango trees, trying to drop the mangoes from the trees.

"Aaaah! Who's there? Whoever you are,  I won't spare you.  If you want to eat the mangoes, climb up and break them. What is the need to disturb the whole nature," she said, in the mood to scold the perpetrator of chaos, but turning around, she saw the fear stricken face of her brother.

"BHEEM!  You are here?  Are you the one who shook the tree?  Wait. I won't spare you. " She said, jokingly, trying to scare her brother .

" Jy- jyes-jyeshta aap?  Nahi, nahi. I didn't shake the tree. Must be an earthquake. I'll just. I'll just go. " He said, trying to escape as fast as he could. His sister was a wonderful person, even one of the loveliest and sweetest people on earth. ... As long as you don't threaten what she loves.. Then may Narayan only save you.

" Wait.. You.. I'll just. " She came in front of him and gave him a hug.
"Jyeshtha. Are you forgiving me? " He asked astonished by her behaviour.

" Nahi. I'm about to twist your ear. But before that I wanted to show you that I do love you. " She said breaking away and then immediately twisting his ear.

"Aiiiii! Jyeshta! Kshama. I swear I won't do it again. I'll even apologise to Prithvi ma. Hai prithvi ma, I ask for forgiveness. I won't do this ever again. I promise. I'll be good. " He said, trying to get his ear out of her painful grasp.

" Good. I am proud of you. Now, you wanted to eat mangoes, right. Come, I'll feed you.  I am sure Nakul  or Arjun must have sent you here on purpose.  I'll scold them both. Don't worry. " She said, laughing at him rubbing his ears, and watching his face light up at the thought of her feeding him.

" Jyeshtha! " Three voices called and came over to hug her, almost toppling her over. 

" Arre!arre!  Carefully Nakul, Arjun Sahdev, you'll push me down. Just by doing this you won't be saved.. You purposefully sent Bheem here didn't you. She looked at them with fake anger.

" Ji.  We thought he'll get scolded for stealing the ladoos mata gave him to share with us. He was about to eat them all on his own."  Nakul exclaimed, fearing his sister.

" Bheem, Nakul, Arjun ,Sahdev, mata gives you all ladoos. If you want more then tell her. It's not nice to steal. " Said Yudhishthir, ever calm and  trying not to laugh at his brother's antics.

" Come, I'll feed you all with my own hands. "  Karunika said, laughing.

They all sat down next to her, eating the mangoes. Afterwards, they lay down next to her, and slept, fully confident, that their elder brother and sister would never let them come to any harm.

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Later, while playing, Sahdev ran to mata Kunti, telling her about his premonition. He felt something bad  was going to happen.....

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Karunika sat in the hut,  numb from the pain. . She lost her father and younger mother in one day. Her mother inconsolable with tears had just laid down in her daughter's lap, trying to achieve some level of comfort in the darkness that surrounded their happy lives, crying herself to sleep.

Someone has rightly said, that life must be lived to the fullest. No one knows what might happen. Her whole world had been turned upside down in a manner of 1 prahar.

She saw her brother Yudhishthir coming.

" Where are the others ?" She asked.

" Still with Kakashree Vidur. He wanted to talk to them about Pitashree's great works as a king to encourage them to be strong, after they cried their eyes out."  He said, his own voice hoarse from trying to control his tears.

" What about you dear brother. Do you not want to cry out in pain " She asked him, watching his eyes crumbling with pain, but trying to be strong for his brothers and mother. He knew, his sister. She would never let him become weak, but she would allow him to grieve, to surrender to the grief so that it may not trouble him later.

Softly crying, he nearly ran to her, hugging her and crying his eyes out , hoping that life may give them a better way, a way to come out of the darkness shrouding the  shining moon of their lives.

Carefully, so as to not wake either, she adjusted her mother and her brother, to make sure they could relax, as she would, in the quiet of the night when no one would hear her cries,in front of her bhagwan, singing his praises, hoping he could wipe her tears.

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The next day, the 5 pandav brothers, their sister and mother went to Hastinapur with Vidur.

Karunika saw the gates, and hopeful that this place would offer them the love they had lost. While no one could fill the hole the deaths of her father and her choti mata, she hoped that her brothers  and mother would be loved just as much as she does.

How wrong she would be, she didn't know.

Especially since Yudhishthir would soon need to be crowned Yuvraj. After all, everyone know that Maharaj Dhritarashtr was only the deputy king. She had a  chance to become the Yuvrani, but she would rather have her brother sit on the throne. Her life was dedicated to her family and her bhagwan, Narayan.

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Author's note.

Hello people, this is your author Matsya. I hope you enjoy reading  this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it.

As always, constructive criticism is welcomed. I wanted to speedrun through a few instances of the mahabharat, as I have some other points to focus on.

I'll see you tomorrow, or next week.
Radhe radhe ❤