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It was dusk , Karna was at the banks of Chambal river . She looked peaceful like always. River really looked so much like life.. a journey to reach the ocean; to the ultimate you, the reality.

His life turned upside down today , he discovered another family of his. The one he belonged by birth; but never got accepted , now they are here .
Well his brothers were here , what about his mother , who was she really?! Has she ever seen him  ? Maybe not , never got a chance to meet the queen mother in person , but he had made a lots and lots of Lotus to shower over her , during her welcome in Hastinapur as the daughter-in-law; he did welcomed their then queen with all love , that he felt for some unknown reason.

well... Now he knows, the longing to meet her was from the blood , from the heart that had secured a little glimpse of that teary faced mother while she left her first born in the waves of Ganges.
That was the first and last time he had seen her , never after that , Radhey didn't knew how she looked. But Yudhishthir had told him his feet and his eyes resembled their mother's.
He felt warmth and ache filling his heart.  Fate works in mysterious ways , how comical is this?!
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Arjun has slowly left home, a little behind Karna ; not stalking or anything, just tagging along as a younger brother, he wanted to ask his elder brother - 'were his Jyesht was heading to , can he tag along too..' but something in him stopped  from doing so.

Well here Karna was offering his prayers to the Sun god , well his new found father. And the god has showered some heavenly amount of blessings over his son with his gentle yet bright rays. The dusk itself looked beautiful with Karna in the middle of the waves of Chambal , sun rays illuminating every bit of his celestial like torso.
Arjun sat on a rock watching the divine scene infront of him.. he himself felt the caring fatherly affection of Sun god through his rays ... 'That was such a comfort', parth thought.

Is there something important Arjuna?!
Karna asked without turning around.

Well.. I.. I ..d..didn't mean to disturb y..you, I just felt like tagging along , so..
Arjun panicked.
Karna gently smiled at his innocence before turning around to face his brother.

I was just wondering if Abhi and Mata were here yet , that's it brother.
Karna smiled serenely at him, as he climbed out of the waves of the river , and sat on the rock.
He patted the seat next to him , indicating Arjun to sit.
Dhananjay sat quietly.

Now tell me about our family, I barely know someone.
Karna sang as he wrapped his hand around Arjun's shoulder.
Arjun felt a warmth engulfing his heart , it warmed up and creeped up to his cheeks and ears making them red.

Well , Pitamaha is the eldest of our family, you might know him ..
Arjun said smiling, reminiscing over the old hearty memories.

I do , Mahamahim Bhishma, Gangaputr Devrath Bhishma... I lived my childhood in Hastinapur. So ofcourse I knew him. As the defender and saviour of Hastinapur, nothing much though.
Karna finished with a shadow of a smile on his lips.
Arjun noticed it too.
'seems like Jyesht is not very fond of Pitamaha' Arjun noted.

Then... Karna suggested ahead.

Then , Maharaj Dritharashtr, Pitashri Pandu , and Kakashree Vidur .
They are brothers and while Thathshree had 101 sons along with Bhratha Yuyutsu and 1 daughter Dushala ; Pitashree and mata Kunti had Jyesht , I mean Bhratha Yudhishthir, Bhratha Bheem and me , while mata Madri had Nakula and Sahadev.
Mata Gandhari is the mother of the Kauravas , and Devi Sugandha is mother to Bhratha Yuyutsu .
That's about the broken family we have .. it's not family anymore Jyesht.
By the way , Bhratha Yuyutsu is fighting from our side .
Arjun said with a distant look in his eyes , those glassy eyes held a lot of pain , Arjun was always a sensitive one , even after having all control over his emotions and feelings, the soft heart inside the hard warrior sometimes bleeds heavily .
Karna noticed it too , his younger brother was a sensitive one.
'Seems like it's time to change the topic' Karna thought.

Rest of the family for later.
Karna said as he ushered Arjun to walk alongside him to home.
Have you eaten Kandamool yet?!
Karna said in a cheerful voice .
No , .. would like to have one though .
Said Arjun , slightly smiling , again lightening up his mood along with his Jyesht's.
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Nakul and Sahadev was seated beside their Bhabi , Bheem was sharing her a recipe that he cherished in the palace kitchen of  Kingdom Matsya.
Vrishali was an attentive listener, Nakul would pick some joke with his Bhratha Bheem and next moment he will get his ear pulled by Vrishali , and as always Sahadev laughed.
Yudhishthir was sitting beside Mrinal watching them , Vrishketu was seated in his lap.
What do you think new-found-Kakashree, Can blind people see their dreams?
Asked a thoughtful looking Vrishketu , his eyes glinted with mischief.
Yudhishthir looked down to see his nephew's doe eyes staring back at him.

I am not blind ketu, how would I know .
Said a confused Dharmaraj.
'This kid is something else' he thought.
Mrinal chuckled.
May be Thathshree could answer you.
Yudhishthir completed.

Why?! Is he blind?
Vrishketu voiced.

Very much; to my knowledge.
Yudhishthir said , memories of the wretched Dyut sabha pouring a molten lava in his ears and hands , his sight getting blurred with new tears. The words of his cousins about his wife and his Thathshree , no the blind King's words had wounded him beyond expectations, and those scars still have betrayal bleeding from them.

When will they return chote Pitashree.
Mrinal quipped. The bitterness he felt earlier melting away with her sweet voice. When Mrinal got too many uncles all of a sudden , she decided to address Yudhishthir as her 'chote pitashree' .
And Yudhishthir was obviously feeling like floating with all the love he was receiving. He agreed immediately, when his niece asked him if she can address him so.

I am sure it will take a little while , maybe we will have to wait until tomorrow dawn.
Yudhishthir said patting her head gently. Krishna along with Vrishasena has went to the borders of Advaya bhoomi to accompany Kunti and Abhimanyu home, who has left Dwaraka a little after the Pandava's departure. Kunti couldn't wait any further , so she pleaded Balarama to do something, and Kanha's dear Dau sent Kanha a letter , stating that their Bua along with Abhi has headed towards Advaya bhoomi right behind them.
And everyone was waiting for their arrival , as they didn't knew what else to do .
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It was getting dark ,
Where is Vasu , why isn't he home yet?!
Vrishali said her eyes darting on the entrance.
They will be fine Bhabi , Arjun is with him too..
Said Bheem.
Why would I be afraid of his safety bheema , I was just wondering why they were taking so long, dear brother.
Vrishali pulled his cheeks lightly at the end. Nakul laughed. Bheem was red , he never knew he needed a caring Bhabi like her until he met her today. Vrishali has liked Bheem a lot, he had completed the whole plate of food served to him without any complaints unlike her kids and her husband.

I heard Jyesht saying that he wants to participate in the war as well , has he learned Shasthra Vidya Bhabi?!
Sahadeva voiced a relevant question.

Haa.. he is good at Archery , and he can handle all other weapons too.
And according to my knowledge he has education on Shaasthra , Veda , and knows a little about Ayurveda as well.
Vrishali finished , her eyes still fixed on the gate.

WHAT!! really Bhabi ?!
Nakul  squealed.

Where did jyesht learned all this , the society must have been harsh on him.
Yudhishthir pondered loudly.
This society could be so hard at times , I wonder how Jyesht faced all those taunts .
Yudhishthir mumbled almost to himself.

Vrishali sighed.
He was rejected several times , by several teachers . At last Bhagwan Parshuram agreed to teach him. I got to know that Radhey had to go through some vigorous test to prove himself to be worthy enough for the Bhargava to break his oath of teaching only the Brahmins.
Vrishali finished , not noticing the hung jaws of her brother-in-laws.

He is the student of the great Parashurama , means , he is Gurubhratha to both Pitamaha and Gurudeva. Which sounds absolutely thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
Squealed an excited Nakula.

That's a new knowledge Bhabi , and we are so proud of him , he was capable of achieving all this without the support of any status or class , and he fought against castism and the harsh society alone and found his own heights to conquer;
which is so much like the sun rays which penetrates the darkest of the corner of this world to illuminate it with its brightness.
Sahadev said his eyes twinkling with admiration for his eldest brother.

That's true , it must has been a hard journey..
Bheem sighed.

Oh! There they are .  !!
Cried Vrishali .
Vrishaketu ran to his father from his uncle's lap and launched himself into his father's arms. Karna successfully caught him and threw him in the air to land back to his arms safely.

Ooffoo.. how many times  have I told you not to throw him so carelessly. What if you happened to not catch him , hey mahadev , let it never happen..
She caught her tongue between her teeth, like what she said might
Come true if she wouldn't do that.

Do it again baba.!!
Vrishketu hiped , only to get a glare from his mother.
Ok may be later .
Ketu Whispered to his snickering father.

Where did you got that Kandamool Arjun?!
Vrishali acknowledged her devar who was behind Karna , laughing at his nephew's antics.

Bade Bhaiyya got it on the way , so all could have a nice snack while we wait.
Arjun said with a cozy smile.

That one looks good , hand it over, let me cut them into fine pieces for you all.
I will be right back.
Said Vrishali as she headed towards the kitchen with the giant fruit in her hand , with an excited Mrinal at her tail.
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So Bade Bhaiyya...
Arjun started.

Wait wait , are you gonna call him 'Bade Bhaiyya' ?
Bheema interrupted  him .

Well!, that sounds good to me.
Karna added.

I decided to call him Bade Bhaiyya, because it is convenient and will avoid confusions.
See , we already have a Jyesht , and to have two Jyesht is thrilling for us younger ones, but it will be confusing for both the elders. So I decided Bade Bhaiyya will be 'Bade Bhaiyya' and Jyesht will remain 'Jyesht'.
Arjun stated like obvious.

Karna smiled gently at him , as he placed a hand on Arjun's shoulder.

But he is the eldest, and he is the one worthy of  being called Jyesht , not me anymore.
Yudhishthir said.

But you have been their Jyesht for a very long time Yudhi , and you will be forever , no matter what . You were there for them when I couldn't. You will always be the most worthy of that title when it comes to this four. And everything apart, I am happy to have a bunch of siblings none the less. And I like the way Bade Bhaiyya sounds ; it feels homely.
Karna sang.

Then I am gonna call you as Bade Bhaiyya as well. Seriously I was a bit awkward about calling Jyesht as Bhratha. so that problem of mine is solved.
Nakul gave a toothy smile.
Karna ruffled his hair as a cute gesture.

OHH NOO!! My PeRFeCt HAIR.
But it's ok , I will allow you to do that Bade Bhaiyya.
Said a sassy Nakul.
And Bheem immediately grabbed Nakul's hair right after he fixed them back.
Their bickering continued so did the laughs.

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Words : 2050
This will take more parts readers...🙃🙂
Shall I make this a seperate little book.
Just a suggestion, let me know what you think. ☺️

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HAR HAR MAHADEV 🙏