"So ,what are you going to paint ?" Krishna asked me ,as we were taking a walk through the corridors at night . "I won't tell you ,it's a secret ! And anyways ,I think you already know my idea .Nothing can be hidden from you and your sharp eyes ." I said ,as I was childishly jumping on the tiles .
"But I don't know anything Godha .I'm serious" He said ,showing a very innocent look on his face .
"Don't be so modest ,Krishna .You know everything .Why don't you try guessing it ?"
"So ,are you going to paint me and Radha together ? Maybe on a swing or a boat ?"
"No..."
"Landscape of Dwarka in sunset or sunrise ,or under moonlight ?"
"No..."
"Hmmm ,so maybe you'll paint yourself along with me ,where your head is resting on my shoulder ,and I am looking at you lovingly as I play the flute . Yes ?"
I blushed and laughed heartily "No ,but your idea is wonderful .I'll keep it as my next painting .But as of now I'm going to paint you only ,in a different form ."
"Sounds interesting .Alright then ,if you need help with anything ask me ."
"I will surely be requiring your help .And there's one more thing ...can I go out ?"
Krishna raised an eyebrow and looked at me "Of course you can go out ,I'm not denying that .But only till the market place and the gardens .Not farther than that .Don't go into any aloof place ,like earlier .Understand ?"
"This time I will be careful ." I replied ,assuring him .
The next day I got up early ,dressed up fully and took all my painting stuff outside ,to a garden where the palace architecture looked more splendid .I prepared my canvas ,and started tracing out a picture of the palace's structure .So deeply I was involved ,that I didn't notice people surrounding me and looking at my work with interest and curiosity .
Time passed by and it was afternoon ,as the sun was blazing high and its heat was scorching .As I got up and started towards my room ,I saw few men near the palace walls who were hiding behind the trees ,and were keenly looking at me .When I turned fully ,they hid themselves completely ,trying to avoid my attention .But I found it out and got a feeling of fear and danger .I immediately left that place with all of my things ,without looking back .
Who were those men ? Why were they spying on me so closely ? I had to tell this to my lord as soon as possible .
"Dwarkadhish , I need to tell you something . It's important ." I asked him as he was writing a scroll ,accompanied by Uddhava .
"Come in princess .What is bothering you ?" He asked .
"My lord please don't mind that I am asking you this ,but did you send your Narayani Sena or Yadava nobles to keep a close eye on me ,so as to check whether I am safe or not ?" I asked him ,stammering .
Krishna stopped writing and looked at me intensely ,without even a blink .
"Why would I do like that ? We settled the matter yesterday itself ,and I am confident enough that you will obey my words .You have assured me that you won't go alone anywhere ,so why would I doubt you unnecessarily and send someone after you ? Of course I won't do like this princess ,that's certain .Why are you asking this ?"
"Because ,while I was in the garden I saw a group of 2-3 men spying on me secretly ,behind the dense trees .As I turned to look around ,they hid themselves and probably ran away ." I replied with a mixture of anxiety and fear .
My lord's face turned serious and intense ,determined to find about those strangers .
"What are you saying ? Uddhava ,go and immediately find out about those strange men who dared to spy on the princess ."
"Dwarkadhish ,they mustn't have gone too far .We'll get them ,but I have a feeling that they are spies of our enemies ."
"Whoever they may be ,but this is crucial .And what business do they have in Dwarka ? Increase the security across the kingdom ,and make sure that whoever enters or exits the city has a proper official seal and permit with them .Even the traders and merchants must be checked thoroughly before letting them inside ."
After receiving the orders ,Uddhava left the room .I was really worried now and looked at Krishna . "What is happening ,my lord ? Who were they ?"
"Godha ,don't worry about anything .For some days ,I suggest you don't go out anywhere alone ,be it any place ."
"I'm feeling very scared ."
"You don't have to get so much tensed ,but do you realise that why I was stressing on the fact that you had to be careful every time ?"
"I know Krishna ,and after seeing those spies after me ,I'm feeling highly insecure ."
"Do not worry ,when I'm there for you .I will surely take action upon those who'll dare to harm my beloved Godha . Also I wanted to tell you that in a day or two ,we'll be going to Indraprastha .You were longing to see the kingdom ,didn't you ?" He kept a hand on my shoulder ,which gave me immense relief and assurance .
"Yes ,that's amazing .It means I should start packing my things for the trip immediately ."
I went for my room ,but still I had the thought reeling in my mind regarding those spies .But no worries ,because they don't know that Krishna is with me and when they'll realise it ,they won't be able to do anything . Nobody messes with my all powerful lord !
(Credits to the creator ð)
As I was keeping my things in place ,I noticed that my paints were missing .After searching hard ,I found out that someone was hiding behind the big curtains hanging on either side of the balcony .
"I know you're in there .Just come out and show yourself ." I said softly as I walked towards the curtain ,and when I pushed it aside ,it was a little girl .She really didn't expect me to find her ,and her face was filled with tension as I found her .And of course she was the one who took my paints ,and out of curiosity she had spilled them all over the room and on herself too as well .
"Hello there young lady ! Don't be scared ,I won't scold you ." I held her soft ,little chubby hand as she was too shy and fearful to come out .
"I'm ...I'm sorry .I just wanted to see those colourful paints ." She stammered and slowly returned the paints to me .Her hand was filled with all the colours ,even spilled on her pretty silk dress .
"Oh it's not a problem ,the colours are actually very beautiful .One could easily get attracted to them ,so don't worry .What are you doing here ?"
"Please hide me somewhere ! It's necessary !" She freaked out and hid behind the large canvas on which I was painting ,and since she was small she could easily hide behind it .
"Charumati ,where are you ? Come here right now !" I could hear Rukmini's sharp yet sweet voice echoing through the palace corridors .She came inside my room and was looking at the colourful mess here and there ,with a disappointed sigh .
"I know she's here .Godha ,have you seen her by chance ? Even after several reminders and calls ,she never came downstairs to have milk .She's indeed getting very adamant day by day . And now I am running everywhere ,all over the palace to find her ."
"Devi ,she is here only .If you don't mind ,I'll give her the milk .You can go and take rest ."
"That's really sweet of you ,but it's a difficult task .She really does many tantrums for having milk ."
"I'd love to do that ,and also love to see her childish tantrums .Spending time with children is my favourite thing ,so I've got this .I will make sure that she's had her milk and fruits fully ,without any fail ."
Vaidarbhi gave a motherly smile and kept the golden plate containing fresh fruits and milk on the table .As soon as she left the room ,Charumati appeared out slowly .She looked at the plate with a frown on her face .She sat beside me ,looking at my new painting with curiosity filled in her eyes .
"Come here ,it's time for your fruits and milk ." I called her ,as I took the plate in my hand .
"But I don't want to have it now ! I don't like pomegranates ,and I can see that there are lots of them in the plate .Also I don't want to have milk ."
She said ,as she was observing the plate .
"But these are good are for you. Didn't you see how Queen Rukmini was searching for you all over the palace ? You must obey her ."
"Why don't you have all the milk and fruits ? Then you tell her that I ate all of them ,this way she'll have no doubt and will be satisfied .I'll only take the mangoes ,rest of them are all yours !" Charumati said as she was heartily laughing and running all over the room .With much difficulty I got her ,and made her sit on the couch .
"You seem to be a like a very naughty girl .Now have these ,or else I will complain to your parents." I fed her ,and she ate them silently but with a little bit of frowning .
"How do you know me ? Do you know my parents ?" She asked me innocently .
"Oh yes ,I do . You are Dwarkadhish's and Vaidarbhi's daughter ,beloved princess of Dwarka .You are kind and soft like your mother ,at the same time naughty and active like your father .Your eyes resemble your mother's lotus eyes ,and your smile is like that of your father's .When I see you ,I got reminded of Dwarkadhish ." I cupped her pink cheeks ,and she chuckled sweetly .As I was taking the glass of milk for her ,she got up instantly and tried to run .
"Not the milk , I don't want it !"
"Princess ,have you ever wondered why Dwarkadhish insists on having lots of dairy products in his everyday meals ?"
"Why ? He even tells me to have milk compulsorily during breakfast ,curd and buttermilk during lunch and dinner ." She replied
"Because when he was of your age ,he used to have lots and lots of milk and butter .He wanted his skin complexion to become fair (gauranga) like that of his elder brother ,since his colour was of the dark rainy clouds (Shyam) .So his friends told him to have many glasses of milk ,so that he'll become more handsome .Also ,do you know how he killed many asuras ,sent by his evil uncle ?"
She stopped running and looked at me with high level of interest .She loved to hear stories .
"He killed a demoness when he was a small baby (Putana) ,stopped a big monstrous storm from destroying the village (Trinavart) ,kicked off a monster cart under which he was sleeping during his naming ceremony (Shakatasur) ,ripped off the beak of a monster crane apart (Bakasur) ,saved his friends from a gigantic snake which tried to swallow them and teared it's stomach by making his form big (Aghasur) ,killed a demon calf (Vatsasur) ,saved Vrindavana from the wrath of a monster bull (Arishtasur) ,saved his friends again from a monstrous creature who kidnapped them (Vyomasur) ,saved the milkmaids of Vraja from a monster who kidnapped them (Shankachur) ,sucked in the forest fire in his mouth ,and...."
As I was narrating ,I observed Charumati's eyes were wide and round ,completely involved in the stories of her powerful father .So absorbed she was in his stories ,that she forgot to resist and do tantrums for having milk ,so I took the opportunity .She drank all the milk ,and ate all of the fruits successfully
(Credits to the creator ð)
"If you'll have milk and eat a healthy diet daily ,you'll be strong and beautiful ,like your parents ."
Very soon her eyes became drowsy and she slept on my lap itself .I kept the plate aside and carried her in my hands .I was admiring how cute she looked ,her chubby cheeks ,her long black curly hair ,her hands as tender as rose petals ,her little pink lips always having a disarming smile ,like Krishna .
I carried her all the way through the royal corridor ,and found Rukmini who was assisting Krishna in some trade related work of kingdom .She was writing a letter ,which was being dictated by her husband .Her handwriting in Sanskrit was so exceptional ,I could just stand there and stare at it for hours .
"Godha ?" She looked at me and her daughter in my hands ,who was sleeping calmly .
"Devi ,I have fed her fully .She slept as soon as she completed eating everything ." I handed Charumati to Rukmini carefully ,without disturbing her even the slightest .
"Thank you so much ,but how did you do ? Did she trouble you in anyway ?" She asked me .
"Oh not at all ,she is a very lovely and a charming girl .I just did it ,without any trouble ." I replied while looking at Krishna ,who was smiling at me knowingly .He knows what all I was narrating to his lovely daughter .