Everlasting Friendship with Krishna

Check the theme here: Pandava Mahaprasthana

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The dark monsoon clouds with Krishna’s color hung heavy in the afternoon sky, ready to drown them in the rain. Arjuna felt the change in the breeze and turned northwest, allowing the coolness of the breeze to soothe him. He could smell rain inching closer with each second. Arjuna looked around and jogged deeper into the forest, where a cave was half-hidden among dense shrubs. Sahadeva and he found it the previous week and marked the route in case they needed an emergency shelter. It wasn’t large but had enough space for six people and the dog that refused to leave them.

Arjuna was almost there when a thunder rumbled and the raindrops lashed at him, fast and furious. He was wet by the time he entered the cave. Raindrops slid down his torso, still hard-muscled despite reaching eighty years. He was a warrior and refused to let the pleasure of a royal life make his body soft.

“Yet, I couldn’t string the Gandiva to save those women and children. Why, Mahadeva, why? Why did you leave my side when I needed your support?” Arjuna spoke towards the sky he couldn’t see, despite squinting. “You gave me the Pasupata astra to fight my enemies. Weren’t those bandits my enemies too? Weren’t they abusing the women Krishna saved from Narakasura? He even married them—all sixteen thousand women, to give them an honorable life at the cost of his reputation. People called him names, but what did he care?”

Tears streamed down his cheeks, blending with the raindrops as Arjuna sank onto a small rock. He placed the Gandiva bow on his side, unwilling to part with it no matter what. The grief he had suppressed for the last couple of years refused to stay ignored. Arjuna gave in and cried, calling out Krishna’s name again and again.

“O Krishna! Why did you leave me and go away? You were the only one who understood me when I couldn’t understand myself. Krishna…!”

Arjuna stared at the curtain of rain and thought back to the first time he met his Yadava cousin. Of course, they had heard of Krishna and Balarama and their exploits. However, he hadn’t thought he would become the enigmatic Krishna’s best friend.

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The events went from surreal to dangerous in a blink. Arjuna looked at the beautiful Draupadi walking beside him and grinned. Bhima walked two steps ahead, his stride confident and threatening. No one dared to stop them, not after the way they took on the attack in the swayamwara and proved their worth.

The dirty and poor Brahmin lads were Kshatriya princes in disguise, no one could recognize, or so Arjuna thought, when even Duryodhana, Karna, and the other Kauravas failed. Arjuna strung the bow and hit the target, the eye of a rotating fish, by seeing its reflection in the water below. The mesmerizing princess of Panchala walked towards him with a satisfied smile and starry eyes. She garlanded him amidst the chaos that erupted as the other kings and princes protested. Arjuna winked at her, unable to contain his excitement at winning the hand of such a princess.

“Am I worthy of you, Princess?” He whispered as he bent to accept the garland.

Draupadi let out a musical laugh. “Would I marry you otherwise, young Brahmin?”

The next instant, he faced the Kauravas and the kings who attacked him. Bhima tackled the others as Draupadi’s brothers did their best to get the situation under control. At last, it was the voice of a blue-skinned handsome man that stopped everyone. Arjuna marveled at how alike yet different the trio of them appeared—Krishna, Draupadi, and himself—all dark-toned, with high cheekbones and wide eyes. Krishna also had thick curly hair, Arjuna mused as his steady voice reprimanded the kings and made them step back in shame and guilt.

“Have you lost your minds, rajas, attacking your host and the young man who won the swayamwara fair and square?” Krishna demanded.

Arjuna saw he was young, too, and guessed they would be around the same age. Still, Krishna’s personality and voice held a timeless gravity, as if his soul had been born before the creation of the universe.

Krishna looked at Arjuna in the eye and said. “If the princess agrees, you may leave now, Brahmins.”

Arjuna felt Krishna saw the real them. He nodded and turned to Draupadi, who inclined her head in acceptance. They walked through the streets, though King Draupada offered a chariot. The princess didn’t mind the walk. She seemed to agree with them.

Later in the evening, Krishna visited their little hut in the forest and introduced himself. He bowed to their mother and touched her feet with his head.

“Princess of Kuntibhoja, my dear aunt, please accept my apology for not being able to help. Dwarka needed me. However, I promise to be by your side in the future.” Krishna’s voice was full of affection.

Arjuna noticed his mother hug Krishna for an extra minute. With a teary smile, she introduced him as their cousin.

“Krishna is the son of Vasudeva, my brother.” She reminded them of how the king of Kuntibhoja adopted her when she was a child. “Arjuna, Krishna was born six months before you. By the time I heard of it, he was a strapping young man who killed the evil Kamsa and freed people from his clutches. Later, they moved from Mathura to Dwarka, a new kingdom Krishna built from scratch.”

Arjuna could hear the pride in his mother’s voice. She sounded the same when she spoke about him and his brothers.

It helped distract his mind from the decision made earlier—his bride would be married to all five of them. Arjuna said nothing, not wanting to argue against his elder brother. However, he didn’t have to like it. Stealing a glance at Draupadi, he thought she too was thinking, standing aside from the group. Polyandry wasn’t common in their kingdoms and was practiced only in some regions by certain communities. Would she agree or would she say no? If she declined, he would lose her. If she agreed, he would have to share her. Neither option gave him peace. It was a strange feeling since Arjuna grew up knowing he and his brothers were a unit.

“Arjuna, a word, my friend?” Krishna’s voice broke into his thoughts.

They walked away from the hut and towards a nearby lake. Krishna got straight to the point. “You should go ahead with the wedding. All of you will need Draupadi; not just now, but always in the future.”

“It’s her decision to make,” Arjuna mumbled.

“She will agree. I know my friend.”

“You’ve met earlier?”

Krishna smiled. “We’ll be best friends, Arjuna. You and me; her and me.”

“As you say, cousin… and friend,” Arjuna replied, tasting the word. He hadn’t had a friend ever. Though he had four brothers, they weren’t his friends. He had trained with many warriors under Dronacharya. However, none of them were close to him.

“We’ll meet again soon. I’m happy to help in any way I can. After all, building a new city needs much work!” Krishna said as they walked back to the house.

Arjuna frowned and tried to ask what he meant, but Krishna was gone, his chariot racing through the woods.

A few months later, he found out. Dhritarashtra gave them the barren land near Kandavaprastha to do as they wished. Krishna arrived right away, ready to help with layout planning, water channels, and everything necessary to build a new city.

Krishna and Draupadi spent many hours together, discussing the designs and changing them to make the city sustainable in the long run. She was Yudhistira’s wife for the period, but it hurt less when all of them were so busy that even eating and sleeping felt like an afterthought. Krishna gave them financial support too, though he called it wedding gifts. Soon, Indraprastha rose from the wasteland, attracting people from the nearby and far-off kingdoms.

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The sharp cry of a peacock broke Arjuna’s reverie. The rain settled into a mild drizzle, and the animals were out. A majestic peacock danced with its tail wide, the shades of blues, greens, and gold glinting with diamond-like water drops.

A smile tugged at his lips. Krishna always wore a peacock’s feather in his hair. He tucked it into the diadem that held his curls. The same curls that looked lackluster when Krishna’s body was on the funeral pyre. Arjuna lit the wood himself, saying goodbye to his dear, dear friend.

“O Krishna!” He cried in agony as more memories from the past rushed through his mind.

Krishna pointing out the young and lovely Subhadra and suggesting Arjuna marry her. Krishna visiting them in the Kamyaka forest after the game of dice and assuring Draupadi that he would avenge her insult. Draupadi had clung to Krishna, her tears drenching his angastram.

When it was time for negotiations after the exile ended, Krishna stood by them and risked his life, hoping to make one last attempt at peace by visiting Hastinapura. That nasty Duryodhana tried to imprison Krishna. Arjuna swore he would have destroyed the city if they hurt Krishna.

“My dear friend, focus your energy on the upcoming war. I’ll ask for your help one day, and you will be there for me then.” Krishna teased, his voice light and intense at the same time.

“But I failed you!” Arjuna shouted, startling the squirrels and rabbits that investigated the cave’s entrance.

Ever since they met, Krishna had been the one who helped the Pandavas. He asked for Arjuna’s help just one time when Dwarka was sinking. Still, Arjuna failed. He couldn’t save his best friend or his family.

“How will I show my face to you in swarga, Krishna? Can you forgive me?”

The peacock let out a shrill cry again, almost sounding indignant. It continued to screech until Arjuna stood and walked outside the cave. When he was close enough, the peacock shook its tail and stalked off, head held high.

Arjuna saw two feathers on the ground where the bird stood. He laughed, tears pooling in his eyes. “Krishna! You will always be with us.”

He felt the guilt lessen. It would still be there, but seemed manageable. Tucking the shimmering feathers into his waistband, he searched for the bird and didn’t find it.

Smiling to himself, Arjuna walked back to the hut. His family would be waiting for him. He knew who the second feather was for. Krishna had two best friends, after all!

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