Read Online MAHABHARATA SERIES BOOK#2: The Seeds of War (Mba) by Ashok K. Banker - Free Book Online Page A

hand. Yet even with a thousand maids present, not once did she offer him a drink of water or enquire after his needs. Only his breeding kept him from stalking away without a response. 
    ‘My name is Yayati. I am a king and the son of a king, and like all kings of my line, I spent the first twenty five years of my life in brahmacharya-ashrama, by the side of my illustrious guru, steeping myself in knowledge of the Vedas.’ He did not elaborate further, deliberately leaving her pertinent questions unanswered. He would rather have taken the maid aside and walked with her through the forest to the river, talking with her. She looked to be much better company than this high and mighty queen of a thousand maids!
    She noted his displeasure, and also the direction in which his eyes kept glancing. It irritated her even more. Instead of changing her attitude, she grew even more arrogant. ‘So what brings a great king such as yourself to this aranya? Have you come hunting deer? I know that kings love to hunt down and kill a defenseless doe. Or perhaps,’ she added coyly, ‘you hoped to collect lotus flowers instead?’ Her meaning was underlined by the look she gave him, sidling her eyes sideways to indicate the maid beside her and the many others clustered nearby, some quite pleasing to the eye. ‘We are quite famous for the beauty of our lotuses.’
    That was as much as Yayati was able to tolerate. There were limits even for a well-mannered king. He stood up slowly, making a show of being weary. ‘I was hunting earlier and came by to seek water for myself and my mounts.’ He paused, noting that even now she did not bother to offer him a drink of water, or to send some of her many servants to fetch it. ‘You are given to speaking a great deal. I will take your leave now.’ He turned to go, moving in the direction of the river. At once, the chatter of the maids died down, resulting in a hushed, shocked silence. Everyone knew what had happened and reacted: Devayani had been rude to the handsome young king! And now he was leaving. She felt their eyes judging and assessing her and couldn’t stand it. 
    Devayani sprang to her feet. It was a little more awkward than it used to be as she had put on more than a little weight, thanks to her constant pampering and self-indulgences. She called out to Yayati, stretching her hand out in his direction: 
    ‘Raje!’
    Yayati paused, glancing back over his shoulder. His face did not look like the face of a man interested in staying a moment longer. It was only out of sheer politeness that he had even stopped. As far as he was concerned, he had no desire to see Devayani ever again. The maid on the other hand… ‘Yes?’ he answered curtly, not bothering with her name or even a honorific. 
    ‘I was remiss in my hospitality,’ she said. ‘I was only seeking to exchange a few pleasantries first. I should have realized you must be tired and thirsty from a long ride and from hunting wild game. Pray, do me the honour of seating yourself once more and I shall place all my maids at your service to fetch whatever you wish to eat or drink.’ 
    Yayati looked at her warily, but remained where he was. ‘I had best be on my way. A short visit to the river to water my horses and myself and I shall return to my kingdom.’ 
    Devayani realized she would have to do more than just be polite now. She saw the direction in which his eyes glanced even now and pounced upon the opportunity. 
    ‘Sharmishtha!’ she cried. 
    Sharmishtha frowned and rose to her feet. ‘Yes, mistress.’
    Devayani gestured towards Sharmishtha. ‘This is Sharmishtha,’ she said to Yayati directly. ‘She is my personal maid. She is enslaved to me for life. She and my thousand other maid servants can fetch you anything you desire. Please, stay a while. It will be pleasant to talk awhile longer.’
    Yayati turned and came towards the spot where he had sat earlier. His eyes were fixed on Sharmishtha even as he spoke to