KRISHNA CORIOLIS#6: Fortress of Dwarka (29 page)

Now, he stormed out onto the field, shaking his fist up at the sky where the pushpak was only a wink of gold against the azure blue. Around him, kings and chiefs were shaking their heads and staggering like drunken men trying to shrug off the night’s excesses. Many clutched their heads, moaned and fell to their knees, unable to stomach what they had experienced. Others were still overcome by the overwhelming emotions that had blinded them and staggered away, unable to see or hear anything in the real world. But by and large, the majority were recovering and struggling to shake off the after effects.
 

Jarasandha’s resounding tenor shout brought every head up and made every pair of eyes turn in his direction.

“Kings of Vidarbha!” he shouted, his mid-tone voice an advantage because though it lack bass, it carried more clearly than any deep voice would have. “Aho to you all! Shame upon all the men in your kingdom. I have eunuchs in my service who are more manly than you all! Even though you have arms and bodies muscular with strength, bows and arrows and swords and maces aplenty, yet you permitted the Princess of your realm to be carried away by a single unarmed man looking like a girl!”
 

His shouts cut through the confusion and after effects of the DevaMaya, helping focus the confused gathering’s attention upon something that made sense and distracted them from the potential madness of dwelling too long on the contemplation of the vision they had all experienced. Men began to stand straight and stare at him, listening angrily.
 

“Krishna of Dwarka has stolen our prize! The Princess was to be won in a fair contest by the best man here today. We all came prepared to prove ourselves and wrest her hand fairly according to dharma by showing our prowess at arms, our skill, our wits, or in any way she chose. Yet she was not given the opportunity to view our display. Nor were we given an opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities. Instead, a man used subterfuge and illusion to delude us all and steal the Princess away. This is unacceptable!”
 

Many heads nodded in response. Clenched fists greeted the words in agreement. More men had recovered now and were snarling as the full import of what had happened came home to their addled brains.
 

“He has taken her away in his flying chariot,” said one king, pointing up. “I saw them climb aboard and leave! How are we to follow a flying chariot now?”

Jarasandha lashed out with his tongue: the twin tips shot out a full one score yards to where the man stood, weaving around other men’s heads, bodies, necks and shoulders to strike the speaker’s eyes hard enough that both were punctured instantly and exploded in twin splashes that ran down the unfortunate king’s face.
 

He screamed briefly then collapsed.
 

Nobody glanced at him again. They were more interested in what Jarasandha had to say.
 

Men glanced fearfully as the yards-long tongue retracted into Jarasandha’s mouth.
 

He tasted the moisture on the tongue tips before speaking again:

“Shall we just stand around here and feel sorry for ourselves now that he has gone? He may have a flying chariot but we have armies. I have watchers everywhere around the town for yojanas in every direction. The DevaMaya will not work again. If we ride after them, my spasas will tells us which way to go to follow him. Sooner or later, even a flying chariot must land on ground. Even if he flies back all the way to Dwarka, he cannot elude my network of spasas. I promise you we will be informed which way he goes and where he lands eventually. But we must ride at once, in full force, and ride with full resolve to track down and slay Krishna, and bring home the pride and honor of Vidarbha.”
 

Almost every hairy arm shot up at once. “AYE!” came the resounding response. “RIDE!”
 

And they ran towards their chariots, horses and other means of travel.
 

Rukmi and his associates came up to Jarasandha. Viduratha and Shalva seemed almost wholly recovered and Dantavakra was only holding his chest in dismay but Paundraka seemed confused and sluggish. “My Lord, what do you wish us to do?”
 

Jarasandha addressed Rukmi: “Sound the full alert. Inform your armies and your countrymen that the Vidarbha nation and its allies are at war with the Yadavas now. Magadha fights beside you as do her allies. I speak for King Viduratha, Shalva, Paundraka and Dantavakra as well.”
 

When Rukmi hesitated, Jarasandha asked sharply, “Do you object to our assisting you, Prince Rukmi?”
 

Rukmi’s eyes cut this way then that as his crooked upper tooth showed itself beneath his lip. “Of course not, great one. But is a declaration of war necessary right at once? After all, it was the Princess of our house who was stolen, not a matter of the entire nation’s daughters.”
 

Jarasandha snarled, showing his split tongue as he did so: “Yatha raja tatha praja. As does the king, so do the people. If you will not fight for the honor of your own sister, then every man everywhere will say that the daughters and wives and sisters of Vidarbha are easy prey and can be picked up and taken at will. Is that what you desire?”
 

Rukmi’s eyes stopped shifting and focussed on Jarasandha. “No! Never! WE RIDE NOW!” he yelled.
 

Jarasandha moved toward his own chariot. Krishna had tricked him by outmaneuvering his well-laid plan. But he would out-maneuver him again. Now, all the kings and warriors fighting Krishna would not only do so out of the usual misplaced heroic impulse but because it truly mattered. If Krishna would not fight him in Kundini, then he would follow Krishna to Dwarka and find him there.
 

13

RUKMINI
looked at her Lord adoringly as the chariot sped through wisps of clouds high above the earth. “I know why you did not fight your enemies or provoke a clash,” she said. “You did so in order to spare my home town and my family.”
 

Krishna smiled at her. “My heart is an open scroll to you, my love. Yes, though they are but your mortal family for this lifetime, I could never cause pain or suffering to any whom you care about. I too am linked intimately in my own life to many mortals and their welfare is always my primary concern.”
 

Rukmini clasped his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I thank you for that consideration.”

Krishna sighed. “Do not thank me too soon, Rukmini. I fear that your loved ones may not show me the same consideration.”

She frowned. Before she could ask him what he meant, Krishna turned away to speak to the charioteer. At once Rukmini sensed that they were descending again.
 

Krishna took her shoulders in his hands. “My beloved. Soon this will all be over and we shall be able to live the rest of our mortal lives in Dwarka in peace. But for now, I must fulfill my dharma as a kshatriya in this form.”
 

She glanced over the rim of the chariot well and saw that they were descending earthwards in a region just north of Kundini, at the open plains near the edge of the Dandava-van. She felt her heart leap. “Why are you descending? Why are we not simply flying back to Dwarka? What do you mean to do, Krishna?”
 

Krishna continued to hold her, gazing directly into her eyes. His raven-black eyes bored into her consciousness.
 

This game must be played out, my Beloved. Jarasandha and his spasas will be seeking this chariot out now. I cannot simply lead them back to Dwarka and risk them following and besieging the city. However invulnerable it may be, all fortresses can be taken eventually. I do not wish to start our life together by gifting the people of Dwarka a generation of siege of war. I built Dwarka to free them from violence and warcraft forever. And as a new wife, how would you feel if you brought home armies of enemy forces determined to destroy you and your husband’s people?
 

She knew he was right. Yet she could not accept it.
But my brothers. My father. If you wage war against them, you will surely kill everyone. I cannot be responsible for having caused their death, Krishna! Whatever they may be, they are still my brothers and father. I cannot start my new life with you by walking over their corpses.
 

Krishna nodded.
I understand this. That is why I drew them outside the city, where we can fight safely. I give you my word, Rukmini. None who love you or whom you love will be harmed. I swear this.
 

She felt greatly relieved on hearing his words. Because she believed him.
In that case, I cannot object any further. If you feel this confrontation is necessary, then go ahead. But take care, my love. Remember that you too are one of those I love, the one I love the most in fact.
 

He smiled at her.
And the one who loves you the most as well. Fear not, beloved. Violence is for a moment. Love is forever. Daruka shall steer the chariot and keep you safe until the conflict is over. Whatever happens, stay in the chariot, I beseech you. I shall return to you soon.
 

And so saying, he turned and dropped from the ledge of the chariot, leaping the final three or four hundred yards to the ground. She looked over the well’s rim to see him land in a puff of dust below, then stand and wait, a solitary figure between the outlying plains of Kundina on one side, and the great dark dense mass of the Dandaka-van on the other side.
 

***

Krishna did not have long to wait. Although his pushpak had reached the spot in mere moments and Jarasandha and the rest would take at least several moments to ride this far, the enemy was already at hand. What had not been visible from the sky due to the dense overgrowth of Dandaka-van was instantly perceptible at ground level.

The forest was swarming with soldiers. Within moments of his touching ground, they began to appear at the edge of the forest, many pointing towards him and shouting to one another. He glimpsed riders farther away, coming and going from the direction of the town and elsewhere: couriers, conveying tactical commands. And soon enough, the first wave of enemy soldiers began emerging from the woods in a coordinated pattern. Once in open ground, they regrouped, forming ranks, lowering spears, and took up positions preparatory to a charge. As more and more emerged constantly, it was soon evident that this was no reinforcement force but an entire army. Or several armies.
 

He had expected something like this. Not on this scale, it was true, but an aggressive show of arms. What he had not been expecting were Rukmi’s links to Jarasandha and the carefully orchestrated campaign of retaliation the Magadhan had swung into motion once he became aware of Krishna’s coming. More so because now Krishna was ham-strung.
 

He dearly wanted to fight Jarasandha to end this conflict with the self-declared God Emperor once and for all. But to do so would put Rukmini’s brothers and father at risk. For they would surely come with Jarasandha on this field and participate in the battle. However carefully Krishna proceeded, there was always a risk of injury or worse to them. Even if he did not assault them directly, this was after all a battlefield now and war could result in strange outcomes.
 

For the first time since leaving Dwarka, he wondered if he had made a mistake in leaving Balarama out of this. He had not wished to involve anyone, and leaving Balarama had been a tactical decision: With bhai home to protect the city and the people, he could complete his mission to fetch Rukmini without any distraction. But he could not help thinking now that it would have been useful to have the burly brother along for the ride as well. Balarama could be exceedingly useful in situations like this.

You called, bhraatr?
 

Krishna swung around, looking in the geographical direction from which the mind-voice had come.
Bhai? Where are you?
 

To the north and east of you, about a yojana away. Approaching some heavy interference now. Nothing we can’t handle though.
 

We?

The army is with me. Everyone knows about your trip to procure your wife. Did you really think we would stay in the dark about it? You know us Yadavas. Gossip spreads like wildfire; secret gossip spreads twice as fast!

So you found out and told everyone.
 

Krishna saw Balarama grinning in his mind’s eye. His brother was in his chariot, hovering above ground, the entire Yadava military force arrayed behind him. They were facing an army almost as large.
 

I can’t take credit for this one, bhraatr. Apparently a young apprentice Watcher on the Wall was witness to your visitor the other day--the very wet brahmin you fished out of the sea? Young tongues being what they are, his wagged a bit. Before you could say Yashoda-maiya, the whole of Dwarka knew that a brahmin had come to meet you. One of your servants who delivered food to your apartment the next day couldn’t help but overhear him speaking to you and learned that he was named Sunanda and was from Vidarbha. The rest I gleaned together from what you had told me about finding out that your soul-mate was here in this time and place. Are we done with the update now?
 

Yes,
Krishna sent back, smiling and shaking his head ruefully.
Apparently even gods couldn’t keep secrets anymore! Why? Do you have a pressing assignation elsewhere?
 

Something like that. I believe the Magadhans wish to attack us or be attacked. We have to make our move now.
 

So those are Jarasandha’s forces. I should have known.