Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

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As soon as Devara stepped through the palace gates, his wives moved forward together, and without needing anyone to say a word, each of them raised the Aarti plates they had been carrying.

The flames flickered brightly in the evening breeze as they performed the ritual one after another, welcoming their husband back after more than a hundred days away from home.

Devara stood quietly before them, watching each of their faces.

There was relief in their eyes.

There was happiness.

And beneath all of it, he could see the worry they had carried while he was away.

He smiled at them, understanding without needing them to explain.

Once the Aarti was completed, Devara turned toward Rajmata Satyavati.

He immediately walked toward her and bent down, touching her feet.

Satyavati’s face brightened at the sight of him.

She placed her hand upon his head and blessed him, her eyes already becoming moist with happiness.

"May you always remain victorious, my son. May you always walk upon the path of Dharma, and may the gods protect you wherever you go."

Devara remained bowed for a moment before rising.

"Your blessings are enough for me, Rajmata."

Satyavati smiled and touched his cheek.

Even though she wasn’t his birth mother, that distinction had never mattered to her.

Devara was Goddess Ganga’s son.

She had known that from the beginning.

Yet over the years, she had never treated him as someone else’s child.

She had accepted him as one of her own sons, watched over him, advised him, scolded him when necessary, and celebrated his achievements just as she did for the rest of her family.

And when Devara had established his kingdom, Satyavati had made a decision of her own.

She had chosen to remain in Trivenivrata.

Part of her reason was her connection to the fishermen community from which her own family was currently staying.

She wanted to remain close to her kin, and she also wanted to stay beside Devara and help him build the kingdom he had taken responsibility for.

Devara had never forgotten that.

He gave her one more respectful bow before turning toward the guests who had arrived with him.

Queen Devaki and Princess Indhumati stepped forward.

Devara gestured toward them.

"Rajmata, this is Queen Devaki of Pushkarniya."

Satyavati immediately welcomed her with a warm smile.

"Welcome to Trivenivrata, Maharani. You are most welcome here."

Devaki folded her hands respectfully.

"It is an honour to meet you, Rajmata."

Devara then turned toward Indhumati.

"And this is Princess Indhumati."

Satyavati looked at the young princess for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"Ah."

Indhumati’s cheeks immediately turned slightly pink.

Devara noticed but pretended not to.

Satyavati stepped forward and gently welcomed her.

"You are welcome to our home, child."

Indhumati bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Rajmata."

The palace attendants and guards immediately treated Devaki and Indhumati with the highest respect.

They weren’t merely foreign guests who had arrived alongside the returning army.

They had been personally brought to Trivenivrata by their king, and everyone understood that their presence carried importance.

Devara then looked behind him.

Gandhari and his other wives had stepped aside after completing the Aarti, but he wasn’t going to let them simply stand there.

He walked toward them.

The first one who was near by he reached was pulled into a warm embrace.

"I missed you."

She smiled against his shoulder.

"We missed you too."

He released her and immediately embraced the next.

Then the next.

And the next.

He didn’t rush through any of them.

Every single one received the same affection.

A hug.

A few quiet words. A reassuring smile.

He had spent more than a hundred days surrounded by war, death and uncertainty, and during all of it, these women had been waiting for him at home.

Now that he had returned, he wanted them to know that he had not forgotten them for even a moment.

Gandhari stood nearby watching the scene with a soft smile.

When Devara finally reached her, he didn’t say anything.

He simply opened his arms.

Gandhari walked straight into the embrace.

For several seconds neither spoke.

Then Gandhari quietly said,

"You took too long."

Devara smiled hearing her complaint.

"I know... That’s why I am back here to spoil my wives as much as I can."

"You frightened everyone. You are not allowed to do that again."

Devara chuckled seeing her acting angry.

"I’ll try my best my queen."

Gandhari pulled back slightly and gave him a stern look.

"That wasn’t the answer I wanted."

He laughed.

"Then I’ll promise... I will be safe and sound."

She hugged him again.

A few steps away, Indhumati watched the reunion quietly.

She could see something now that she hadn’t fully understood before.

Devara wasn’t merely a king with several wives.

These women were his family.

They had waited for him, worried about him, and now they were surrounding him with the kind of affection that could not be manufactured by royal ceremony.

Queen Devaki noticed her daughter’s expression and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Now you understand why he wanted to come home first."

Indhumati nodded her head.

"Yes."

Her eyes remained on Devara.

"I understand."

And as Devara stood surrounded by the people who had been waiting for him, the palace that had felt incomplete for more than a hundred days finally felt whole again.

Devara did not remain in the palace courtyard for long.

Although he had only just returned and had barely finished greeting Satyavati, Gandhari and his other wives, there was already another matter waiting for him, one that was far too important to be postponed simply because the celebrations had begun.

The moment he had received the reports during the journey back to Trivenivrata, he had been unable to stop thinking about what had happened at the kingdom’s borders.

Five neighbouring kings had joined their armies together and marched against his kingdom while he was away.

And they had chosen the worst possible way to do it.

They had not sent messengers.

They had not declared war.

They had waited until night and launched their attack when most of Trivenivrata’s main forces were away fighting alongside him.

Under ordinary circumstances, Devara would have been furious.

Instead, when he heard what had happened, his first reaction had been disbelief.

Not because the five kingdoms had attacked.

He had already suspected that some of his neighbours were waiting for an opportunity.

What had shocked him was the scale of what happened afterward.

According to the reports brought from Trivenivrata, the entire invading army had been destroyed within minutes.

Not defeated after a long battle.

Not driven back after several days of fighting.

Destroyed.

Thousands of soldiers had marched toward his kingdom believing they were about to take advantage of its weakened state,

Only to find themselves standing before something none of them could have prepared for.

His mother had kept her promise.

When Devara had completed his penance and received Parvati’s blessing,

She had promised him something that had seemed almost impossible at the time.

As long as he ruled Trivenivrata, if an enemy attempted to harm his kingdom or its people through Adharma while he was unable to protect them himself, she would descend in her fierce form as Maha Kali and stand between them and destruction.

Devara had believed her.

But believing a divine promise and actually hearing that it had been fulfilled were two very different things.

He had never imagined that he would return to his kingdom and hear that his mother’s divine form had personally descended and annihilated an entire invading army.

As he walked through the palace corridors toward the royal assembly, his expression became increasingly serious.

The celebration outside continued.

People were still cheering.

Musicians were still playing.

But Devara’s mind had already moved toward the next problem.

The five kings.

The mysterious circumstances surrounding their attack.

And, perhaps most importantly...

The shadowy figure who had apparently encouraged them to make the decision.

He had no doubt that the five kingdoms had not suddenly decided to act together out of pure coincidence.

Someone had given them confidence.

Someone had convinced them that Trivenivrata was vulnerable.

Someone had known that Devara and Ashwatthama were away.

And someone had clearly expected the kingdom to fall before either of them could return.

Devara reached the doors of the royal assembly.

The guards immediately opened them.

Inside, the entire council had already gathered.

Dronacharya stood among the senior ministers and commanders.

Several generals who had remained in Trivenivrata during the war were present, along with administrators, royal officials and representatives responsible for the different regions of the kingdom.

The moment Devara entered, everyone rose.

"Maharaja."

Devara raised his hand.

"Sit."

Everyone obeyed.

He walked toward the throne but didn’t immediately sit down.

Instead, he stood before the assembled council.

For several seconds, he simply looked at them.

Then he spoke.

"I have received the complete report concerning the attack on our borders."

The room became completely silent.

"I have also heard what happened after those five kingdoms crossed into our territory."

His expression remained calm.

"Goddess Maha Kali descended."

A few members of the council lowered their heads respectfully.

Dronacharya nodded his head.

"Yes, Maharaja."

Devara finally took his seat.

"I knew she had promised to protect this kingdom when I was helpless. I never doubted her word."

He paused.

"But I did not expect that she would destroy an entire army in such a short time."

One of the ministers quietly replied,

"We witnessed only a portion of what happened from the walls, Maharaja. By the time we understood what was happening, the invasion had already collapsed."

Dronacharya spoke next.

"The five kings violated every basic principle of righteous warfare. They attacked at night without informing the kingdom, and they deliberately chose the moment when our principal forces were absent."

Devara’s expression hardened.

"That is precisely why she descended."

He leaned back slightly.

"If they had declared war and attacked openly, I would have expected our soldiers to meet them on the battlefield. They would have had every right to fight us, and we would have had every right to defend ourselves."

His fingers rested against the arm of the throne.

"But they chose Adharma¹."

"And my mother had already told me what she would do if someone attempted to exploit that."

The council remained silent.

"...."

Devara’s gaze slowly moved across the room.

"Tell me exactly what happened after Maha Kali appeared."

Dronacharya began explaining everything that had taken place at the border, from the arrival of the five armies to the goddess’s descent and the destruction that followed.

He also told Devara about the five kings being deliberately left alive and sent back to their kingdoms.

Finally, he mentioned the strange Rakshasa who had appeared afterward.

That made Devara’s expression change.

"A Rakshasa?"

Dronacharya nodded.

"He appeared after the goddess had already defeated the invading armies. He spoke to her with respect and asked why she had personally intervened."

"Did you recognize him?"

"No."

"Did he give his name?"

"No, Maharaja."

Devara fell silent hearing him.

"...."

His mind immediately returned to the mysterious shadow figure who had been manipulating events from behind the scenes.

Something wasn’t right.

Pushpasura had been defeated.

The war at Malikavana was over.

Yet the moment one threat had ended, another had appeared at the borders of his own kingdom.

It was beginning to look less and less like coincidence.

Devara finally looked toward Dronacharya.

"How many of the five kingdoms’ soldiers survived?"

Dronacharya shook his head.

"Very few, Maharaja. Most of the army was destroyed."

Devara slowly exhaled.

"And the five kings?"

"They returned back to their kingdom in shame and humiliation."

"Good."

Several ministers looked surprised by his response.

Devara’s expression remained unreadable.

"Let them return."

"They need to live long enough to tell their people what happened."

He paused before adding,

"And I want every report we have concerning those five kingdoms placed before me."

The council immediately understood.

The celebration could continue outside.

The kingdom could welcome its victorious king home.

But inside the royal assembly, the war had created another problem.

One that had nothing to do with Pushpasura.

Someone had deliberately pushed five kings toward Trivenivrata.

And Devara intended to find out who.

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(Author note:)

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