Chapter 28: Chapter 25 : Abhira tribes

The day had arrived for Subhadra to start for Indraprastha .Surely it must be difficult for her ,but she never showed up on her face that much .She was as usual happy ,but I could feel her emotions .Krishna was always calm and composed ,never showing out his emotions .

Grand preparations were made for the newly wedded couple ,for their comfortable journey to Indraprastha .They took blessings from all the elders of the family .Everyone was quite emotional that day ,as Subhadra was their beloved young princess who was raised up with much pampering and attachment .Today she was leaving for her In-law's house as a queen ,and had to take up new responsibilities and duties in her life .

"Krishna ,do you think that Panchali will accept Subhadra and share her household ?" I asked curiously. Krishna looked at me calmly "Godha ,Draupadi will surely accept her . She has to accept her ,as this is a first step towards the preparation of the Great War coming ."

"But how ?"

"Subhadra shall remove Draupadi's anger by her humbleness ,at the same time by her wits and tact .After all ,Subhadra is my inner most energy (yogamaya) and a part of me .They both will become closest sisters ,you'll see ." He said .

Subhadra came to both of us ,and embraced Krishna tightly .

"Bhratashree ,I love you so much .How can I ever thank you ? Won't you come along with us to Indraprastha ? Please ..." I could feel the desperate tone in her lines .She really needed Krishna to come along and guide her .My lord looked into his sister's teary eyes with compassion and love "Bhadre ,I'll surely come and visit you in a few days ,for I have some work to be completed . Until then ,take care of yourself and convey my regards to every else .And....." he spoke in a very low tone "You know how to deal with Panchali ,right ?". She nodded brightly .

"Also ,I want you too to come to Indraprastha ,along with my brother .I'll miss you ,Godha ." She said as she took myhands in hers .

"It'll be my pleasure ,Queen Subhadra !" I replied. Arjuna and Krishna on the other hand were in deep discussion ,regarding their next plan .Perhaps ,the next plan was Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yagya .

After bidding farewell ,Subhadra sat inside her royal palanquin and started for Indraprastha .

After all the work ,I went to a garden and spent time looking at the plants .I was moody for sometime ,but I thought to divert myself into something new .Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I know ,you're feeling bored .You're missing Subhadra ,right ?" Satyabhama softly asked me . I nodded at her slightly .

"That's why I came here to take you with me .We'll do something interesting ." She said as she pullled my hand and lead me somewhere .

"Where are we going, Devi ?" I asked curiously

"To the stables ." She replied.

Why was she taking me to the royal stables of Dwarka ?

"We both will go for horse riding ,through the city and the fields .This will cheer you up for sure !" She said

Horse riding !? I did it when I was very small ,as an extracurricular activity in school .It was so many years ago ,and now it was completely new for me .

"Devi ,I must appreciate your idea .But I apologise, I don't know how to ride it .." I replied in a shaky voice .

"Oh it's alright ! I'll teach you and make you an expert in it ,don't worry ." She said joyfully and asked me to choose a horse of my choice .I pointed towards a white milky stallion ,which looked really majestic .Soon I realised that it was one of Krishna' four stallions ,Meghapushpa .Satyabhama laughed after seeing my choice "Lord will be truly surprised when he sees you riding his horse !"

Her horse was a silky black ,well built stallion named Shyam .She mounted on it without any difficulty,smoothly and perfectly .I kept on staring at the horse ,and felt quite hesitant to ride it .

"You saw me how I sat on it .Softly and steadily ,climb up the horse .Don't overthink it ,just do it " She said

I did as she told me ,but since my hands were trembling and I myself was nervous ,I did something which made the horse get disturbed .I pulled the reins quite forcefully and the way how I was climbing ,was totally wrong and weird .Suddenly the horse neighed loudly and jumped ,making me fall on the ground upside down with a thud .Satyabhama came running towards me and held my hands .Krishna's palace was just near the place where we were .I could see his balcony ,where he was discussing something with his ministers .And when I fell down ,at that moment Krishna too turned and saw me from there ,along with everyone else .It was embarrassing for me at that time.

"Are you alright ,did you get hurt ?" She asked me ,while rubbing off the dust from my shoulder and clothes .I nodded at her disappointedly .

"Don't get sad princess . You'll get it ,and besides Meghapusha is very understanding and soft compared to others . He couldn't understand it first ,but now he gets it that you're a beginner .Am I right ,Megha ?" Krishna came there and caressed his horse .

"Lord is right Godha .You only have to be calm and steady ,without getting tensed .Come on ,let's try it again ."

"What ? Again !? No ,no it's enough for today . What if I fall again ?" I asked worriedly

"You really are an over thinker ,aren't you ? Without trying anything ,how can you conclude it so ? You are not going anywhere ,until you learn this skill fully ." Krishna replied quite authoritatively .Both of them helped me to get up on the horse simultaneously. I held their hands and the reins of the horse ,and with much difficulty I succeeded to sit on it .

"Oh dear ! This was so tough ! How do you all climb up and down so smoothly ?" I asked ,as I settled myself on Meghapushpa .Both of them looked at each other and smiled .

"Godha ,see you did it .By practice you can learn anything ,always remember that .Now riding him slowly and steadily won't be much tough for you .You'll get it ." Satyabhama said

"Bhama is right ,and as I said earlier ......Megha is very smart and intelligent . I'm sure you both will become friends." Krishna replied while looking at his horse lovingly .I too felt as if Meghapushpa had started to understand me .He slowly walked ,without making me feel uncomfortable .I felt very happy when I was riding ,especially on Krishna's horse .

"Dwarkadhish ,would you like to join us in the ride ?" I asked him as I was moving in circles .

"I'd love to ,but there are some matters of the kingdom which requires my attention .I have some pending tasks to be completed princess .I'll try to finish the work as fast as I can ,until then you and Bhama carry on ." Krishna spoke softly and looked at Satyabhama in agreement . I had a great time riding horse through every street ,fields and gardens of Dwarka along with Satyabhama.

(Credits to the creator 👆)

One day ,I came up with an idea .I wanted to give a surprise to Krishna ,something beautiful and artistic. I decided to create his painting , and desired to portray Krishna differently .But for that I needed lots of colours ,perhaps colours from natural forest flowers . They'd be more suitable .

"Um ,Sakhi ? Do you know where I can get large amount of flowers ?" I asked my maiden ,Raji .

"Princess ,you can find many flowers in garden ,especially in Dwarkadhish's garden . Shall I go and get them for you ?" She asked

"No ,but I want more variety of flowers having different shades .It's for my painting ." I asked curiously . The maiden was silent for sometime .

"Princess ,there are many vibrant shades and exorbitant variety of flora in the forest ,which lies upon that hill ." The maid said as she pointed at a hill through the window . It was covered by the clouds which were at low level ,and the hill was covered with dense trees .

"Alright then ,I'll go there and get the flowers" I thought to myself and proceeded ,but the maiden stopped me in between "Princess ,I know what you're doing .Please don't go there ,it might be dangerous ." She said

"But why ,because of wild animals ?" I asked

"Not only wild animals ,but that hill is the residential area of the Abhira tribes .The flowers belongs to them ,it's their property ." She said

"Abhiras ? But they are also devotees of Dwarkadhish .They are after all good people ,so they won't harm anyone ." I asked

"My princess ,it's true whatever you are saying .But they won't allow strangers to enter and take their property .So I suggest you don't got there ." She said worriedly .I was lost in thoughts ,brooding over continuously .Finally I came up with decision .

"Look Raji ,I want to offer a beautiful painting for my lord .I am ready to take up any challenge for Dwarkadhish .The colours which I need can be only extracted from the forest flowers .The flora present in the garden is not enough for me. And I truly believe that the Abhiras will surely grant me permission to collect their flowers . That's my decision !" I spoke firmly ,yet my mind was getting second and third thoughts .Raji was surely shocked after hearing my statement ,and even tried to stop me from doing so .

"I am firm with my decision ,I shall surely get those flowers .But let this be a secret ,don't tell anyone about this ,not even Dwarkadhish .He will surely stop me ,because of his concern for me .Okay ?"

She only nodded ,worried and anxious . I called out Megha ,and started for that hill . I was determined to get those flowers ,for it was meant for the service of my lord .I wanted to surprise everyone ,by my painting and my adventurous deed . By constant practice ,I got trained well in riding the horse ,so I was confident .The market place was crowded with people ,the weather was pleasant and calm .But when I neared the hill ,the number people gradually decreased and there was utter silence .The trees were thick and lush green ,the clouds had covered the sun light .Nobody was there ,and strange sounds of creatures living in the forest were coming .As I proceeded forward ,the place was becoming darker and denser .Sunlight was peeping through the leaves of the huge trees , and there was pin drop silence . "Where can I get the flowers ?" I thought to myself  ,when suddenly I saw a bush shaking violently ,and a tiger jumped out of it .It was looking extremely ferocious ,and a huge beast .Its claws and teeth were very sharp and razor edged .Its eyes were red and was keenly watching us ,ready to attack .Due to extreme fear and nervousness ,I fell of the horse .Meghapushpa ran from that place frightened ,leaving me alone .

"Megha ! Stop ! Don't leave me alone here ! Stop!" I shouted and screamed ,but he ran away .The tiger got distracted by the horse's escape and tried to catch it ,but unfortunately it focused on me again .I guess it was more interested in human flesh ,instead of an animal's .I had no way to run ,and stood under a tree and pushed myself against it .The tiger was looking at me with its fiery eyes and immense hunger .I was panting heavily ,and my body hyperventilating .My hands and legs were trembling with fear ,when it roared thunderously .

"Oh Jagannatha ! Dwarkesha ! Please protect me ! Krishna ! Save me from this wild beast !" I called out .It pounced and almost caught me in its claws ,when an arrow stuck it and fell down .It was breathing heavily and became unconscious .I moved from there ,with my body still trembling with fear .I didn't understand what had just happened ,and who had saved me from this terrible incident . Was it Krishna ?

I moved forward in search of the person who saved me ,but again an arrow came towards me and blocked my path .A group of people came running towards me and surrounded me from all sides ,standing in a circle .They pointed their sharp spears and arrows towards me .The people actually looked very simple ,adorning themselves with flowers and leaves ,and wearing animal skin as their clothes .I was standing absolutely still ,looking at them completely bewildered .Why were they attacking me ?

One of the men came forward with a weapon in his hand "Who are you ? How dare you come here ?"

"I...I'm sorry ,please allow me to explain......" I stammered .

"Aren't you aware that this place belongs to us ? We are the Abhiras ,and this is our home granted by mother nature herself ."

"I am truly aware of that ,but please listen to me .I mean no harm to anyone ,and the reason for my arrival here is quite simple .I require the beautiful flora of yours for an important task . I sincerely ask your permission for taking them ." I spoke in the most humblest way possible .

"We don't entertain trespassers to come in and take whatever they want ,young girl ! This forest's bounty belongs to our lord ,Sri Krishna .We are closely connected to cowherds and worship the lord of all cowherds ,Gopala .So go back from where you came ,or else you won't be spared ." The man shouted angrily .

"I am also an ardent devotee of Sri Krishna . And I am asking for the flowers ,because I desire to offer a painting to him with my own hands .Your forest's valuable flowers can help me to create wonderful colours ,which can make my painting look more beautiful .Please ,I request you all."  I begged to them .

They were silent and looked among themselves. But still they didn't believe my words completely .

"How do we know that you're a devotee of Sri Krishna ? What if you are taking advantage of us ,and fooling us ?" They asked me suspiciously.

"I'm certainly not lying ,please trust me ." I pleaded to them

"We don't trust outsiders .Many of them have exploited us a lot already .All we know is our devotion ,and the forest's bounty and gift ." The people were adamant ,and surely they didn't trust me at all .It was fair enough from their perspective that they didn't want to believe outsiders ,but for me it was difficult to explain to them that I was true to my word .No ,this was not working .

"However ,if you really want us to believe you ,then prove us that you are an ardent devotee of Gopala ." A man told after seeing my desperation .

"What would I have to do ,to prove myself right ?" I asked them ,slightly tensed about the their answer .What were they demanding from me ? What if they ask something difficult ?

"You claim yourself as Krishna's devotee ,so you must know what to do ." They replied. They never asked anything from me in specific .All they wanted was that truly how much I was devoted to Krishna . These instances showed that how much firm and intact was their love for Dwarkadhish .I went forward ,took a deep breath and closed my eyes ,meditating upon Krishna's divine form and started to sing as loudly and clearly as I could. Madhurashtakam was the right choice .

(Credits to the creator 👆)

अधरं मधुरं वदनं मधुरं नयनं मधुरं हसितं मधुरं ।

हृदयं मधुरं गमनं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥१॥

वचनं मधुरं चरितं मधुरं वसनं मधुरं वलितं मधुरं ।

चलितं मधुरं भ्रमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥२॥

वेणुर्मधुरो रेणुर्मधुरः पाणिर्मधुरः पादौ मधुरौ ।

नृत्यं मधुरं सख्यं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥३॥

गीतं मधुरं पीतं मधुरं भुक्तं मधुरं सुप्तं मधुरं ।

रूपं मधुरं तिलकं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥४॥

करणं मधुरं तरणं मधुरं हरणं मधुरं रमणं मधुरं ।

वमितं मधुरं शमितं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥५॥

गुञ्जा मधुरा माला मधुरा यमुना मधुरा वीची मधुरा ।

सलिलं मधुरं कमलं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥६॥

गोपी मधुरा लीला मधुरा युक्तं मधुरं मुक्तं मधुरं।

दृष्टं मधुरं सृष्टं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥७॥

गोपा मधुरा गावो मधुरा यष्टिर्मधुरा सृष्टिर्मधुरा ।

दलितं मधुरं फलितं मधुरं मधुराधिपते रखिलं मधुरं ॥८॥

After I finished with the song ,I opened my eyes slowly and looked at everyone .The people were awestruck and amazed ,some staring at me constantly without even blinking their eyes .

They lowered their weapons ,and walked towards me in curiosity "Such a sweet song !About whom did you sing ,girl ?" The leader came forward ,and asked me with extreme interestedness . I was feeling delighted as the people were getting more inquisitive about my song .

"I described the sweetness of my lord ,Sri Krishna in his every action .His eyes are sweet ,his lips are sweet ,his smile is sweet ,his laughter is sweet ,his heart is sweet ,his walk is sweet ,his wandering is sweet ,his words are sweet ,his place is sweet ,his flute is sweet ,his feet are sweet ,his dance is sweet ,his friendship is sweet ,his singing is sweet ,his Pitambara (yellow silk) is sweet ,his form is sweet ,his tilaka on his forehead is sweet ,his stealing is sweet ,his love is sweet ,his garland is sweet ,his beloved Yamuna river is sweet ,the water of Yamuna is sweet ,the lotuses on the river are sweet ,the Vraja Gopis are sweet ,his pastimes are sweet ,his sidelong and loving glances are sweet ,his creation is sweet ,the Vraja Gopas are sweet ,the fruit bearing trees of Vrindavana are sweet .The deeds and Leelas of the ever-sweet and handsome lord Sri Krishna ,are sweeter than honey or Amrit found in the Swarga Loka ."

The Abhiras were indeed captivated and mesmerised by my description .They dropped their weapons and cried in ecstasy .I was happy that atlast I could gain their trust and win their hearts .But suddenly they stopped and were staring at me with a shock on their faces ,their eyes widened completely. They folded their trembling hands and sat on the ground over their knees ,bowing their heads completely .I was confused ,totally unaware of what was happening .Why were they bowing their heads ? To whom they were showing so much respect? I realised it suddenly and turned back ,where I saw Krishna standing behind me ,his hands resting on his hips .The people were highly overwhelmed and mad in joy ,after seeing him at their place .

"The girl has called the lord himself at our place ,by her song .She is indeed his devotee ! It's true !" They shouted joyfully in unison and walked briskly towards my lord to welcome him .Krishna gave his compassionate smile to everyone ,but when he looked at me he somewhat became disappointed . He never gave his usual,disarming smile to me which he always did earlier .His eyes reflected sadness and even slight anger as he looked at me .Shivers ran down my spine ,as I realised his behaviour towards me .

The tribals offered Krishna variety of juicy fruits ,nuts and colourful garlands of flowers .He accepted all of them lovingly ,chatted with them ,enjoyed their artistic dance performances .But he never looked at me or smiled at me even once .He was surely angry upon me ,but didn't show it that much on his face . When it was time to leave ,a tribal woman came forward and handed over to me a bunch of exotic and vibrant flowers .Lavender ,blue ,purple ,magenta ,yellow, green ,orange .....almost all the colours were present in those flowers .I was indeed grateful for achieving want I desired ,but after seeing Krishna's face I got tensed .I had to apologise to him as soon as possible ,because I was scared whether he'll even talk to me or not .The tribals thanked me again and again "We thank you ,young girl ! It's because of you that today lord of the three worlds himself has come to our place ,allowing us to witness his divine presence ."

"My dear people of the Abhira Clan ! I am pleased with your unshakeable devotion and love which you all have shown to me . I thank you all for this wonderful service ,but now I must be leaving ." Krishna said while bowing to them respectfully and walked towards his chariot .He gave a side glance ,signalling me to come .

I thanked the people for saving my life earlier from the tiger and for the flowers .I walked towards the chariot fully afraid ,for I had to face my lord now .

I came all the way silent ,while Krishna was driving his chariot .We didn't speak a single word to each other ,but I wasn't liking this .So I started a conversation ,hoping to change his mood

"The weather seems so pleasant ,right Krishna ? And the tribals were so happy to meet you". I expected him to reply ,but he stopped his chariot and looked at me with his sharp eyes ,demanding proper reasons for my actions .

"Godha ,I'm happy that you got what you wanted .But I'm really disappointed in you actually .Do you know what you have done ?"

I breathed deeply "Krishna ,I'm really sorry ,I didn't mean to......"

"You put yourself at risk .You never bothered to inform me or anyone at the palace and left just like that ,leaving me worried and tensed .You promised me that you'd be responsible and alert ,but what you've done today .....is extremely careless and immature ."

For the first time Krishna was so much angry and tensed ,because of me .His voice was stern and commanding today ,when he spoke to me .

"Meghapushpa came running and was tensed when he entered the palace gates .I knew you were going to be attacked by a tiger ,and it was me who had sent those tribal people at that time to save you ,because you called out to me .Or else ,you would have become a meal for that predator !"

"Krishna ,I wanted the flowers for my painting which I wanted to offer to you .I didn't mean to disobey you ,please don't mistake me .I wanted to give you a surprise ...." I spoke in a shaky tone.

"Surprise ? Is is this surprise for you ? You gave me a shock ,not a surprise. I'm very glad and elated after seeing your immense love for me ,but you risked your life by venturing out alone .You don't understand how risky this is ,you could have been kidnapped by my enemies  who are longing to insult me .And your handmaiden ,Raji informed all of us as soon as you left from the palace. Moreover, she says that you told her to keep all of this as a secret ,even to me .This is what makes me get angry upon you !"

I felt extremely bad and guilty .I did something which angered and disappointed Krishna a lot .

"Why didn't you call me ? You always used to call me whenever you wanted to do something new ,but today you took a risk ." He questioned me

"I didn't want to disturb you Krishna again and again ,you yourself were busy with so much state matters ..."

"Stop giving feeble and vague excuses ,Godha ! You have done a mistake today ,so don't keep on justifying .Just admit it ." Krishna said ,and afterwards he didn't talk to me anything till we reached the palace .I had to pacify him and apologise to him for my irresponsible behaviour ,but how ? I really needed someone to help me in removing Krishna's anger .