With the cold Breeze, her white lehenga was flowing like a river. Her lustrous waves were falling on her shoulder, reaching up to her mid waist. She sat down near the idol, joined her hands together, closed her eyes and started singing the song.
Jai ho jai ho shankara
Bholenaath sankara
Aadi dev shankara
Hey shivay shankara
Tere jaap ke bina
Bholenaath sankara
Chale ye saans kis tarah
Hey shivay shankara
Ashwathama just stood there stunned, his eyes and ears never leaving her. He understood that this is the same girl, who sang in the temple nearby the Gurukul.
Mera karam tu hi jaane
Kya bura hai kya bhala
Tere raaste pe main to
Aankh mund ke chala
Arjun wanted to chase the voice again, but was unable to move being dumbstruck. As everyone was enjoying the song, Nakul noticed how his 3rd brother was just awestruck and lost. He signalled his brothers to look at him and they all giggled at him.
Namo namo ji Shankara
Bholenaath Shankara
Jai Triloknaath Sambhu
Hey Sivay Shankara
Namo namo ji Shankara
Bholenaath Shankara
Rudradev hey maheshwara
Ashwathama noticed how the environment changed into a pious one. The girl standing in front of him is singing about his Bholenath like no one has ever sung in the whole aryavart.
Sristhi ke janam se bhi
Pahle tera waas tha
Ye jag rahe ya na rahe
Rahegi teri aastha
Kya samay, Kya pralay
Dono mein teri mahaanta
Mahaanta, mahaanta
The soft breeze has stirred up into a strong wind, as if the Lord himself was elated by her song. The wind made the Princes to halt on their way. 'wow, why does the wind have to come now only?', the Archer thought.
Sipiyon ki onth mein
Bholenaath sankara
Motiya ho jis tarah
Hey shivay shankara
Mere man mein shankara
Bholenaath sankara
Tu basa hai us tarah
Hey shivay shankara
Because of the wind, the flowers which are kept for getting knitted by the priest's wife, flew on air and fell upon her, As if the gods from heaven are showering those flowers on her.
Mujhe bharam tha jo hai
Mera tha kabhi nahi mera
Arth kya nirarth kya
Jo bhi hai sabhi tera
Tere saamne hai jhuka
Mere sir pe haath rakh tera
The princes continued walking anyways as they didn't want to get any late. The three eyed guy saw that a platter full of holy ash, which was kept near the idol, was about to fall on her.
Namo namo ji Shankara
Bholenaath Shankara
Jai Triloknaath Sambhu
Hey Sivay Shankara
Namo namo ji Shankara
Bholenaath Shankara
Rudradev hey maheshwara
Rudradev hey maheshwara
Rudradev hey maheshwara
Ashwathama tried to push the plate back, but accidentally pushed it forward, making the ash fall on her. Just as she opened her eyes, a good amount of ash went inside her eyes, and in no time, she was fully covered in Vibhoothi.
"Wow, Mahadev blessed you Putri!!! These are the ashes directly from the god's idol", Priest said happily. But Vaishnavi was in no position to be happy right now. All she is thinking about is how to get the ashes off her eyes.
Everyone was happy to hear it, while Ashwathama noticed that she was struggling with something. He immediately went to her and asked, "Devi, do you need any help?". "My eyes- my eyes are burning", she answered with pain.
Dushala and subhadra, having understood that the ashes went inside her eyes, immediately ordered the guards to bring water to wash it off.
"No Putri. Don't wash it off here. It is such a good omen. If possible, keep it until you guys reach the palace. Please use this to clean your eyes until then", the priest said, offering a piece of cloth dipped in water.
"Then let's go to the palace immediately. Subha, let's leave", Vaishnavi immediately told the princesses for which they nodded. "Subhadra, can you take care of the Prasad here? By then I'll go with guards to make arrangements for her palanquin. Vaishu, I'll help you wait", Dushala proceeded but Ashwathama interrupted and told her, "Devi, I'll help her. You please look after the needful". "Thank you so much!!! Vaishnavi, I'll be right back", saying this Dushala and subhadra left the place.
"Devi, may I?", Ashwathama asked. "Yeah", she told. He slowly held her hand and helped clean her eyes by herself. "Are you okay, Devi", he asked concerned. "YEAH YEAH YEAH!! I'm ABSOLUTELY fine, can't you see I'm having fun right now?", she replied with sarcasm. Ashwathama couldn't help but chuckle at her words. No woman has ever spoken to him in this way.
"Vaishnavi, let's go", Dushala came, thanked Ashwathama for his help and took vaishnavi with her. Ashwathama couldn't take his eyes off the slowly disappearing figure. "So, Vaishnavi is your name", he told himself, making a note of it in his head.
Soon, the princes arrived at the temple, whilst a pair of eyes were searching for a nightingale of a girl. Arjun went inside the temple, only to fail in finding the girl. 'she might have left the place', He thought. "Pranaam Pitashree!", Ashwathama greeted his father. "What's the matter son? You look extremely happy?", his father asked him, after seeing him smiling like a lovesick guy.
"Gurudev, I'll bring flowers for the prayer from that tree if you allow", He pointed at the tree outside of the temple. "Sure, go ahead Arjun", Guru Dron agreed. " Go go bhratha shree, go find your flower as well", Nakul whisper shouted, which only the sons of Pandu could hear. Arjun hit him slightly and ran outside.
Plucking flowers from the tree, he was searching for any sign of her. As he couldn't find any, he turned around only to stumble into someone, a girl to be precise. As she was about to fall, he held her by her waist, and time seemingly stopped for him.
The flowers which he held, fell upon both of them. He saw a girl, covered totally in Mahadev's Vibhoothi making her white lehanga even more white, with flowers sticking here and there, with her eyes wide open. She looked nothing less than a Goddess to him. But he could not see her face properly as it was full of holy ash. Her big round eyes with brown hues watching him with a surprised look, and her hands on his shoulders for support were making him feel things which he never felt before.
As she thought she would fall down, she felt herself being held by a pair of masculine hands. She opened her eyes to meet with a pair of copper brown eyes. Her eyes went wide by seeing the guy in front of her, who was looking at her with utmost adoration. She made out that he must be one of the princes of Hastinapur by looking at the Armor he's wearing but couldn't make out who he is.
'who's he?'