The Longing Heart: Arjun and Subhadra's Tale of Exile

Killing of Kichak

Virata had no clue that the man called Kanka who advised him on matters
of dharma and often played dice with him was actually Yudhishtira, or that
the man called Ballava who cooked so wonderfully in his kitchen was
actually Bhima, or that the eunuch called Brihanalla who taught his
daughter dance was actually Arjuna, or that the men called Damagranthi
and Tantipala who took care of his horses and his cows were actually
Nakula and Sahadeva.

His wife, Sudeshna, did not realize that the woman called Sairandhri who made perfumes for her and styled her hair was actually Draupadi.

What the royal couple did notice was that their new servants were
different: self-assured and dignified. They never ate anybody’s leftovers
and each one had clear demands before they accepted employment. As the six never spoke to each other, neither Virata nor Sudeshna suspected they were related to each other.

Months passed without any event.

Yudhishtira had to suffer watching a
king who gave more value to his desires than to dharma.

Bhima moaned the fact that he had to cook and serve food that he could never eat.

Arjuna yearned to hold the bow but had to be content holding dancing bells.

Nakula spent all day cleaning stables and Sahadeva spent all day with
cows.

Then something terrible happened.
The queen’s brother, Kichaka, was an oaf with a roving eye. He found
Sudeshna’s new maid, Sairandhri, rather attractive.

Every time he saw her, he stared shamelessly making his intentions rather plain. When Sairandhri complained, the queen admonished her instead for she doted on her brother and refused to hear any criticism of him.

One day Kichaka asked his sister, ‘Can you send that arrogant maid of
yours to my chambers?’

Not able to say no to her brother, the queen said, ‘I will surely try.’ She
called Sairandhri later that day and asked her to deliver a jar of wine to her brother.

Sairandhri tried to wriggle out of this chore, for she knew what would happen to her if she went into Kichaka’s chambers alone, but Sudeshna insisted.

Annoyed by Sudeshna’s casual attitude, Sairandhri went to Kanka, ‘Protect me from such harassment.’

‘I cannot,’ said Kanka, ‘I am helpless. Please understand. None of us can
risk discovery. We must endure this humiliation and do everything in our
power not to reveal our identity till the end of the year.’

Tears rolled down Sairandhri’s cheeks; while she understood Kanka’s
argument, she could not forgive his not coming to her defence. Who could
she turn to now? Brihanalla and the twins would always check with Kanka
and never go against his wishes.

That left Ballava who was always quick to temper and who, in rage, did whatever she asked him to.

She went to the kitchens and found him cooking yet another meal for the
royal family. She told him everything and he reacted predictably. His eyes
turned red in fury at the thought of his wife being touched by the lout. ‘I
will teach him a lesson he will never forget. That I promise,’ he said
grimly.

That evening, when Kichaka entered his chambers, he found all the lamps
had been blown out.

On the bed sat a lady with anklets that looked familiar. It was Sairandhri! He was pleasantly surprised to find her so willing—he had expected her to sulk and resist. The lady in bed welcomed Kichaka with open arms.

Kichaka tumbled into bed and started to grope her when he realized the arms he touched and the thighs he caressed were rather thick and muscular, certainly not those of a woman.

Before he could think another thought, he found himself being crushed in a bear grip. He tried to escape but in his drunken, lustful state he was no match for his opponent. Within a few minutes, Kichaka’s bones were broken, his flesh smashed and skull cracked.

The next day, the whole palace woke up to the wailing of the queen who
had found her brother beaten to a pulp and literally reduced to a bundle of flesh and bones.

Sudeshna suspected that Sairandhri was somehow involved in this. When
she told this to her other brothers, they decided to burn Sairandhri alive on Kichaka’s funeral pyre.

As they dragged her towards the flames, she screamed for help. All the Pandavas heard her cry but only Bhima came to her rescue.

Uprooting a tree, he swung it around and smashed the skulls of Kichaka’s
brothers. Soon, the funeral ground was strewn with the broken bodies of Sudeshna’s brothers. No one saw who did it. ‘I am the wife of the
Gandharvas. They can appear out of thin air and protect those who harm
me,’ explained Sairandhri.

The queen of Matsya wailed in memory of her brother's and cursed her wretched maid, and ordered her to leave the kingdom of Matsya.

Virata, however, did not want to annoy the powerful,invisible Gandharvas who had protected Sairandhri. So he allowed her to stay in the palace for as long as she wished.

News of the death of Kichaka and his brothers reached Hastina-puri. This
was the work of Bhima, of that Duryodhana was sure. ‘Only one who has killed Baka and Hidimba and Kirmira and Jatasura could have killed Kichaka.’ He smiled.

He knew the hiding place of the Pandavas. He was excited by the possibility of catching them before the end of the thirteenth year, which would force them to stay in the forest for another twelve years..