MAHABHARATA SERIES BOOK#2: The Seeds of War (Mba) by Ashok K. Banker Page A

palace complex, and slept in the same bed as her rival, wearing her rich clothes and jewelled ornaments, while Sharmishtha had to endure the humiliation of living as a servant in her own father’s house, sleeping with the other maids in their quarters and watching her most hated rival take her place. But deep in her heart, the bitter seed of resentment still held root. 

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    Years passed. To all intents and purposes, Devayani lived like a princess in the palace of Vrishaparva while her father conducted his brahminical vocation for the asuras as before. In this interim, Yayati son of Nahusha, besotted by the vision he had rescued from the well in the deep forest, returned more than once to the site of his infatuation, hoping to find her and this time to progress beyond merely holding her hand and shoulder. Inevitably, he found no trace of her and could not trace what had become of her. Even though he knew her name and her father’s name, he hesitated to ask after her. As she was the daughter of a brahmin, it would not be proper for him to go around asking after her. In this way, a young girl’s reputation could be ruined. So he kept his silence and bided his time, returning whenever he could, or when the hunt permitted, to that same neck of the deep woods, in the hope of someday encountering the vision once again. 
    One day, Devayani awoke and thought how nice it would be to return to the forest and spend a few days. She had grown up in a forest ashram and while she loved the luxury of life in the palace, she missed the simple natural pleasures and beauty of that environment. She commanded Sharmishtha to arrange for a trip to the forest. With her thousand maids in tow, she arrived in regal style to the same spot where she had played with many of them in earlier days, sporting and playing. They ate fruits and roots, sipped the nectar from madhavi creepers, swam in lotus ponds and enjoyed a delightful holiday. Devayani made it a point to go to the same spot on the riverbank where they had swam that fateful day, and made Sharmishtha stay ashore, holding her richly brocaded garments and waiting for her to finish swimming and playing in the water until she returned. As Devayani silently slipped into the fine garments held out by her former friend, she felt a momentary pang of regret for the friendship they had once shared. But then she recalled the vile words Sharmishtha had shouted at her and the last trace of regret faded away. ‘I wish to walk,’ she said, and of course Sharmishtha had to follow, alongwith the rest of the entourage. Devayani took them to the very spot where the fight had occurred, right up to the mouth of the well into which Sharmishtha had pushed her, and she deliberately stood beside it and looked pointedly at her maid. Sharmishtha’s face was a mask of wax, betraying no expression or emotion, but the stiffness of her stance and the way she held her shoulders and arms revealed her inner feelings. Devayani shot Sharmishtha a provocative look as if to say, How far we have come since that day, have we not? Now it is you who is trapped, and I who am above you! And it shall stay this way forever. Not once would Sharmishtha raise her eyes and meet her gaze. Their companions chattered and laughed and played around them, unaware of the tension between the two women or the significance of this spot in their lives. 
    Devayani decided to seat herself in that spot and had her maids make arrangements. Then she ordered Sharmishtha to massage her feet. The other maids continued to frolic and play, free to do as they pleased, enjoying their holiday. Only Sharmishtha was compelled to wait on Devayani, hand and foot.
    The sound of hoofbeats silenced the chatter of the maids. All heads turned as a solitary figure rode into sight, trailing a second horse on a tether. At the sight of the rider, Devayani’s heart leaped. She recognized Yayati’s handsome features and powerfully built physique at once. It had been that