MAHABHARATA SERIES BOOK#2: The Seeds of War (Mba) Read Online Free PDF Page B

well. Devayani’s arms cart-wheeled and she struggled to keep her balance but her feet slipped on the mossy rim of the well’s lip and she plunged down into the dark cold hole, landing with a scream and a splash far below. Sharmishtha threw the remains of her garment after her. 
    ‘Wear this now and see who admires your beauty, you beggar’s daughter!’ Sharmishtha yelled down the mouth of the well. Her own voice came up, echoing off the stone walls. She remained flat on her belly, listening for several moments, but could hear nothing else, except the gentle slap-slap-slap of the water against the walls. Not a whisper from Devayani, not even a whimper or cry for help. Sharmishtha realized that Shukracharya’s daughter must be dead. She had probably struck her head or neck on the way down and either lay with a smashed skull or broken neck. In any case, if she was unconscious down there, she was as good as dead, for she would drown in the water. She already knew that Devayani could not even tread water to stay afloat for when they played in the river, the Maharishi’s daughter would never dare to venture beyond the reach of her feet. 
    Looking around, Sharmishtha heard the sounds of the other girls approaching. Acting quickly, she pulled the wooden cover of the well into place and ran to meet them. They saw her dishevelled, bleeding face and arms and exclaimed aloud. She told them that Devayani and she had fought and that she had beaten the guru’s daughter so badly, she had run home wailing to her father. She told them she had thrown the rest of the precious garment after Devayani, telling her to wear it to her marriage if she liked it so much! They all laughed at that, for everyone of them had felt the sharp edge of Devayani’s tongue at some time or other and all felt that the brahmin girl thought much too highly of herself. 
    Sharmishtha and the other girls went home and quickly forgot about the incident by the river. Sharmishtha assumed that Devayani was dead and never went back to the well again. 

    2

    Around this time, Yayati, one of six sons of the supremely powerful Nahusha, happened to visit that same region of the forest, seeking deer to hunt. He rode one excellent horse and was followed by a spare, for he was fond of wandering far and wide in search of good game. This time he had ridden so far, both his horses were exhausted and so was he. Seeking water, he spied the wooden cover of the well into which Sharmishtha had pushed Devayani and moved the cover aside, expecting to find water to slake his thirst and refesh his horses. 
    Instead of water, he was surprised to see a woman at the bottom of the well. Unknown to Sharmishtha, the well was almost dry, with only a little water and muddy sludge at the bottom. This had broken Devayani’s fall and saved her life but the impact had knocked her unconscious. In addition, the sun had been slanted from the west, casting deep shadows into the well, which made it impossible for Sharmishtha to see inside clearly. Assuming her silence to mean death, Sharmishtha had covered up her crime and gone about her way. 

    It so happened that when Yayati looked in, the sun was exactly overhead, and its light shone directly into the tube of the well, enabling him to see clearly. It was some days after Devayani had fallen in and while she was thinner from want of food, she was very much alive. If anything, her forced fasting only brought out her inner beauty and the unusual perspective of the well gave her a certain magical appearance, captivating Yayati on sight. What he saw was a beautiful young woman, with lips and fingernails as red as copper, eyes that glittered, high cheekbones and a dusky coal-grey complexion that was set off by a pair of scintillating earrings and a bejewelled nose ring, clad in barely any garments. 
    When Yayati looked into the well, hoping to find water, and was met instead by the unexpected sight of a beautiful young woman looking up mournfully,