THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (52 page)

Vasudev stared at Kansa. He was the only one there who noticed the change in his demeanour. Kansa had not returned his smile.
Maybe he is tired from the journey
, he mused. Nevertheless Vasudev was delighted that Kansa had returned. He knew Devki would be thrilled and it was nice to have his old friend back.
I have got to share with him all that has happened in the last few weeks
, he thought.

Ugrasena welcomed all the people who had arrived for the wedding and he suggested they retire to the royal quarters readied for them. A group of attendants had been appointed for each guest and now approached to escort them to their respective residences within the palace.

The formal welcome being completed, Ugrasena excused himself and left the court, motioning to Kansa to accompany him. The guests started dispersing as the court broke up. Handshakes were exchanged and there was a lot of back-slapping as several old friends mingled with each other. Everyone present wanted to congratulate Vasudev on his imminent wedding and some of the older warriors even made coarse jokes about Vasudev’s approaching wedding night. Vasudev took all the jokes aimed at him good-naturedly. He knew the men meant well. After he had met all the guests present, he left Surasena to handle them and quietly left the court. He was eager to meet Kansa.

‘But why do you want to leave so soon?’ Ugrasena said agitatedly. ‘You have just arrived.’

‘I am not leaving, My Lord,’ Kansa replied softly. ‘I just want time to prepare a surprise for Devki and Vasudev.’

Ugrasena stared hard at Kansa. ‘Since when did you need to call me “My Lord”, son?’

Kansa averted his gaze and looked away. He didn’t trust his voice enough to speak right now. It had taken all his self-control just to come to Madhuvan. If Jarasandha hadn’t persuaded him about how important it was for him to return, he would have not come back at all. But to stand in front of the man who had called him his father all these years and then disowned him, was galling for Kansa.

‘I said, since when did you need to…’ Ugrasena’s sentence was cut short by a knock on the door. The guard outside announced the arrival of Prince Vasudev.

Ugrasena shook his head in frustration. He had thought everything was going to be fine when he saw Kansa enter the court in the morning. But there was something different about Kansa. He seemed changed; stiff and reserved as if he were suppressing some strong emotion inside him. Vasudev’s arrival put an end to the discussion with Kansa.

‘Kansa!’ Vasudev exclaimed in delight. ‘How have you been?’ he said, enveloping him in a bear hug.

Kansa’s body was rigid and Vasudev felt unfamiliar cold vibes emanating from his friend. He abruptly let go of Kansa and stepped back. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked quietly.

Kansa forced himself to smile at Vasudev. A tiny voice in his head, growing in intensity, wanted him to crush the head of the man standing in front of him. But he restrained himself.
This is not the right time
, he murmured to himself.

‘He wants to leave already, Vasudev. Why don’t you try and reason with him?’ Ugrasena goaded his future son-in-law.

‘Leave? What, already! Aren’t you going to attend the wedding?’ Vasudev exclaimed.

‘I am going to attend the wedding, Vasudev. That is the reason I returned, after all,’ Kansa paused thoughtfully. ‘I had planned a surprise for Devki. I need some time to prepare it for her…and for you!’

‘What surprise, Kansa?’ Vasudev asked, pleasantly surprised. ‘Devki will be so happy. Your coming here will be the biggest surprise for her though.’

Kansa smiled. This time it was easier to do it.
Maybe I will get used to smiling at these people finally
, he decided.

He looked at Vasudev, his mind preoccupied with painful memories. ‘Devki always told me how much she would miss going away from Madhuvan after her marriage. She felt that once she left for Bateshwar, she would lose a sense of belonging here, at Madhuvan.’

Vasudev nodded, not sure what this had to do with the surprise.

‘I wanted to make a separate palace for Devki,’ Kansa said softly. ‘A place which would be all her own. A home right here in Madhuvan where she could come back any time she wanted to, and it would always be the way she would have left it. Two years back, I started getting the palace made for her. It’s located a little outside the main city and is next to a beautiful lake.’ Kansa looked Vasudev in the eye. ‘I had planned this as a wedding gift for Devki.’

Ugrasena took a sharp intake of breath. ‘All this while, I thought you were making that palace for yourself; or for Asti and Prapti in case they wanted to have more privacy away from the main palace.’

Kansa shook his head. ‘No, that palace was always intended for Devki. It was to be my gift to her.’

Vasudev held Kansa by his shoulders. ‘Devki is lucky to have you, my friend,’ he hesitated, wondering whether to say more. ‘Kansa, Devki told me about her last meeting with you at Magadha. She didn’t give me any details but mentioned something to you towards the end that she shouldn’t have. All these days, it has been her wish that you could somehow forget and forgive her that.’

Kansa strained to keep his voice steady as he replied. ‘I have already forgotten…everything,’ he said softly.
But I may not forgive
, he thought as the agony of Devki’s betrayal threatened to overpower him yet again.

He knew he had to leave before his malevolent persona took over. The time was not right, yet. He looked at Ugrasena now. ‘I haven’t been to that palace since I left for Magadha. It’s been a couple of months, and I want to make sure the place is clean and ready for Devki and Vasudev.’

Vasudev looked surprised. ‘Why do you want to have it cleaned now? The wedding is tonight and we leave for Bateshwar tomorrow morning, at first light. Devki isn’t going to be back for some time, at least!’

Kansa smiled. When he spoke his voice was eerily soft. ‘That’s the other surprise. Devki and you will consummate your first night in her new palace.’

The rituals for the dead and the Godana rites had already been preformed earlier in the day by Vasudev and his father. Surasena had made a bequest of one hundred thousand gold-horned cows to the various brahmans gathered for the Godana ceremony.

Now, the hour set for the wedding had approached and Vasudev arrived at the temple. He was wearing a sparkling white dhoti, his torso bare, and a red cord of wool tied on his wrist.

Surasena signalled to his son that Devki was already waiting at the altar, and the vivah sanskar could commence without any delay. Vasudev walked towards Devki. His jaw dropped as he looked at her. The mischievous princess of Madhuvan had never appeared so desirable and alluring as she did at this moment. Her bright red sari heightened her ivory complexion.
She looks amazing
, thought Vasudev, his pulse racing. Devki noticed Vasudev staring open mouthed at her and smiled inwardly.

Ugrasena, standing next to his daughter performed the first ritual of the ceremony—the kanyadaan—this was a simple procedure where Ugrasena took Devki’s hand and placed it gently in Vasudev’s. Vasudev solemnly accepted Devki’s hand and as dictated by custom, recited the Kamasukta verse in Ugrasena’s presence. Ugrasena then asked Vasudev to not fail his daughter in his pursuit of dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth) and kama (love). Vasudev repeated his commitment to all three pursuits, three times. He looked so serious as he followed the procedure that Devki had to wink at him to get him to lighten up. Vasudev grinned back at her. The declaration of his commitment three times to Ugrasena marked the end of the kanyadaan.

The next ritual was the vivaha-homa rite where Vasudev lit a symbolic fire marking the commencement of a new household with Devki. The panigrahana ceremony came next with both Devki and Vasudev holding each other’s hands as a symbol of their impending marital union. Vasudev announced his acceptance of responsibility to four deities—Bhaga (signifying wealth), Aryama (signifying heaven), Savita (signifying a new beginning), and Purandhi (signifying wisdom). As per custom, Vasudev faced west, while the smiling Devki sat in front of him with her face to the east. They held hands while the presiding pandit recited a mantra from the Rig Veda.

The pandit looked on satisfied as the ceremony was done to perfection. The final stage of the vivah sanskar was the saptapadi, which would make the marriage legal and binding, as per the prevalent laws. He motioned to the bride and the groom to rise for the concluding phase. Vasudev got up gingerly. He wanted to make sure he didn’t mess anything up. Devki was less careful, and she jumped up in her excitement, colliding with Vasudev and almost knocking him down. She giggled even as the old pandit rolled his eyes at her in disapproval.

‘Do you want the pandit to get us married or not?’ Vasudev grinned at her.

Devki pouted at him, ‘Yes, take that old pandit’s side against me now.’

Vasudev tried hard to control his amusement.
I wonder how I am going to manage you
, he thought, his love for Devki evident in his expression.

Vasudev and Devki walked towards the sacred agni (holy fire). The saptapadi ritual involved the two of them conducting seven circuits around the agni, which was meant to be a witness to the vows they would make to each other. Ugrasena came forward to tie the edge of Devki’s sari to a loose end of Vasudev’s dhoti. Vasudev then took Devki’s right hand in his own and she led the two of them around the sacred fire for the first six circuits. Vasudev led in the seventh circuit as Devki now walked behind him. At the end of each circuit, Devki and Vasudev, both took their respective vows of marriage.

Devki mentally chanted the following vows:

Vasudev grimly took the vows of the groom:

At the end of the saptapadi, Devki and Vasudev performed the surya darshan, turning to look in the direction of the sun in order to be blessed with creative life. Next, they completed the dhruva darshan, looking in the direction of the polar star and resolved to remain unshaken and steadfast like the polar star.

A roar of approval went up from the assembled guests as Vasudev and Devki completed the vivah sanskar, which bound them for eternity as man and wife.