The Journey To The Last Post
In the cold gray silence of a winter night
they walked away;
they walked away from the damp sand,
never for a moment looking back
at the world, they left behind.
The five of them, five men and a woman with them,
made for the Himalaya's steep ascent.
A dog befriended on the way, followed them.
None spoke during the mysterious journey to the last post,
with no provision for a sojourn on the way.
The last test of their endurance
and they knew well that the days of battling for a reward were over and done with now.
The first to drop with exhaustion was the woman.
In the throes of death, she begged for water.
They turned to look at her but did not tarry.
They walked ahead as if they had a mission to carry.
But the one among them who walked closest to her
was moved by compassion and came to her.
She in the pallor of the moment of her last breath
saw a massive cloud of rain
lean over her in a spirit of gentle love.
"Who else but a cloud would be so gracious as to stoop so low
over a soul dying in this wilderness," she thought.
"Draupadi, my love, I will not let you alone in this wilderness," he said.
He held her hand, still trembling, frail, in his own wrinkled hand.
She had no stamina to speak. "You have come; now I shall die in peace," she said, a deep tranquil smile spread over her face.
There were no last rites to be performed on that holy ground.
The four other companions who had walked ahead,
briefly turned around. They saw from a distance how death had overtaken the first of the six of them.
"She was the dearest to all of us", they thought,
"But how does it matter now?" they asked.
The eldest among them signaled them to follow.
They trudged on, and the faithful dog followed their trail.
That was how the epic Mahabharat saw the end
of the five brothers Pandavas and their soulmate in life,
Draupadi, the witness and the participant in the saga of their life.
Sushama Karnik
In the cold gray silence of a winter night
they walked away;
they walked away from the damp sand,
never for a moment looking back
at the world, they left behind.
The five of them, five men and a woman with them,
made for the Himalaya's steep ascent.
A dog befriended on the way, followed them.
None spoke during the mysterious journey to the last post,
with no provision for a sojourn on the way.
The last test of their endurance
and they knew well that the days of battling for a reward were over and done with now.
The first to drop with exhaustion was the woman.
In the throes of death, she begged for water.
They turned to look at her but did not tarry.
They walked ahead as if they had a mission to carry.
But the one among them who walked closest to her
was moved by compassion and came to her.
She in the pallor of the moment of her last breath
saw a massive cloud of rain
lean over her in a spirit of gentle love.
"Who else but a cloud would be so gracious as to stoop so low
over a soul dying in this wilderness," she thought.
"Draupadi, my love, I will not let you alone in this wilderness," he said.
He held her hand, still trembling, frail, in his own wrinkled hand.
She had no stamina to speak. "You have come; now I shall die in peace," she said, a deep tranquil smile spread over her face.
There were no last rites to be performed on that holy ground.
The four other companions who had walked ahead,
briefly turned around. They saw from a distance how death had overtaken the first of the six of them.
"She was the dearest to all of us", they thought,
"But how does it matter now?" they asked.
The eldest among them signaled them to follow.
They trudged on, and the faithful dog followed their trail.
That was how the epic Mahabharat saw the end
of the five brothers Pandavas and their soulmate in life,
Draupadi, the witness and the participant in the saga of their life.
Sushama Karnik
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