Vasudev and Pritha -Siblings who brought the Gods to the earth #Mahabharata

Hell comes to Earth

"Careful what you wish for son! Hell might manifest on this very earth in your very life if you wish for it!"

He had warned! The one who claimed to be Rishi Durvaas had warned him. Vasudev had dreamt of these words often and now, he saw the ascetic appear every night in his dreams and disappear before he could even ask about the well being of Pritha. Vasudev awoke with a start, this time hearing the scream. Devki's scream from the inner room and then the cry of the infant. Vasudev rose in a flash and rushed inside. He saw the mid wife place the newborn by the side of the bed. 

"Inform Lord Kans!" Vasudev heard her shout out to the guards. He had disliked her the moment she had taken charge of Devki's delivery. He had felt extremely uncomfortable with her handling the eighteen year old pregnant girl. 

"Wait! Inform Kans? Nobody shall touch my child!" The words fell upon deaf ears. The Mid wife left without as much casting her eyes on Vasudev. 

Vasudev checked on Devki whose faint seemed to prevail longer than expected and then took the child into his arms. A boy! He had to brace himself for what came next. Lulling the baby to sleep, like he had done to his younger sisters, as a boy, Vasudev plotted the next move. 

One against how many?

It was no use taking on the guards for he would be out numbered and pinned down in no time. Vasudev, took out the dagger he had managed to steal from an absent minded guard, some weeks before. It was Kans that he needed to end. 

He knew how Kans entered the home-prison. The coward always sent 2 guards to take positions by the door and entered keeping two more close behind him. The moment he would step into the inner room, Vasudev thought would be the moment. 

"Devki." His young wife still lay unconscious. "I'll not let your pains go in vain." 

Hearing the sound of horses neighing outside, Vasudev stiffened and put out the lamps. Darkness should be a friend, now that it was past sunset. Foot steps neared. Vasudev could recognise them. The heavy clatter of wood, but distinctly quieter today. Like the Lord of Andhakas measured his own steps before facing what he thought was his death! An Infant!

Vasudev's fingers tightened upon the hilt of the dagger. The presence be the doorway of the inner room. He could feel it. Vasudev held his breath, calculating his moment, watching the long shadow loom over the bed where Devki lay. 

The hand hovered above his new born and froze at the touch of steel at his neck. 

Vasudev laughed. "You are mistaken Lord of Andhakas! Your death is not that guileless infant, but here, right behind you!"

Kans tried fighting the iron grip around his neck, but could not. 

"Try calling the guards, you are dead!" Vasudev hissed and dragged Kans out of the inner room glaring at the guards who looked equally shocked by the unexpected fight back. 

"Leave if you want your master alive!" Vasudev snapped.

"They are the Magadhan regiment, you rat!" Kans laughed. "Kill me and they shall raze Mathura to ground!"

"Not today Kans. You had my hands tied behind me, using the Yadava peace every single time. But it shall all end today! And Thank your gracious father in law for this! The Yadava clans shall unite and fight the foreign regiment!" 

"Do It" 

The hand that held the weapon froze as soon as it drew blood. Vasudev realized to his own disgust and horror that it was beyond him. The moment was enough for Kans to wrest himself out of his grip and for three burly Magadhan guards to hold the Shoora Lord down.

"Coward! Can't stand blood at all!" Kans laughed drawing out his sword and kicked Vasudev twice, once in his belly and then into his groin.

"No!! No Kans, you demon!" Vasudev fought the grip of the guards. Blows by their clubs rained upon him while Kans re-entered the inner room and brought the infant holding him by one hand. 

"Let me help you get used to the sight of blood, my friend! Starting with your own!" 

The part cry of the rudely awakened infant came to an abrupt halt against the hard wall. 

Vasudev's limbs failed him all at once. A blow landed behind his head. The world went dark.

------

"Lord Of Shooras!" 

Vasudev sat unmoved, his hands caressing the mound of mud where he had buried his first born. 

"You've been sitting here all day." Devki collapsed, her own tone bereft of all emotions. Her husband did not show any signs of moving from the backyard and the only sound she heard was that of the birds chirping by the River Yamuna. 

"There are times when I run out of courage too Arya!" She fell upon the mound. Tears refused to spill out of her eyes. 

Vasudev sighed and lifted her into his arms, wincing at the numb pain over his body. 

"You fought them hard." Devki remarked, pressing at the bump on his forehead. "Stop!" She cried pointing at the dark stains on the wall as they entered inside.

"Devki, no!" Vasudev shook his head, attempting to make her turn towards him. 

"Was that where....?" She asked weakly, getting down on her feet. Vasudev saw that after five days of delivering the child she was yet to recover from the strain of child birth. "Our first born's blood?" 

Vasudev held her back, wrapping his arms around her. It added to his concern that she did not break down even after the long ominous moments where her mind worked on the images of Kans hurling the infant against the wall. He was prepared to hold her as long as she sobbed her grief out. But Devki stood, sturdier than the stone that made the wall. 

"The next time, show me his face before you bury him."

"Next time? You are sure there would be a next time?" It was Vasudev who had the hard time suppressing his sobs. 

Devki nodded, her eyes still on the blood stains. "Till the deliverer is born!"

"By Mahadev, don't tell me you believe in those formless voices, Devki! They aren't true!"

"Then, Vasudev, we need to make it come true! That is my promise to my first born."