Gatothgaja - Chapter 9

Gatothgaja and a few of his trusted rakshasas – all of whom had the magical power of the rakshasas, entered the Virata kingdom. They all flew inside the kingdom in the dead of the night and none of the people or the guards in the kingdom were any wiser.

Gatothgaja and his friends were disguised as the normal humans and they looked around the city.

There, Gatothgaja was in for a bigger surprise. The city had an absolutely beautiful and festive look. Asking around, the rakshasa realized that Uttara, the princess of Matsya was to be married the next day. She was to be wedded to Duryodhana’s son – Lakshmana Kumara.

Obviously, the king of Virata had not only decided to reject Abhimanyu as Uttara’s suitor, but he had also decided to marry Uttara to Abhimanyu’s father’s rival. The preparations for the wedding were on at a full scale and the entire capital was in a festive look.

Realizing that he would have to act fast, Gatothgaja asked his friends to make the necessary preparations.

Gatothgaja’s friends used their magic and created the most beautiful textile shop right in the middle of the city of the Matsya kingdom. The clothes of the shop were unbelievably beautiful.

Better still, knowing that the marriage of the beautiful princess would create a huge demand of rich clothes, the rakshasa friends took the rich and beautiful clothes to the part of the Matsya palace where the Kauravas and their soldiers were staying.

The rakshasas could have made a killing profit by selling their beautiful clothes at a high price, just before the grand royal wedding.

Instead of focusing on the profits, the disguised rakshasas undersold the clothes.

The Kaurava soldiers did not understand the purpose of why the people were almost giving away their rich clothes. The Kauravas bought all the beautiful clothes of the rakshasas and the Kauravas were snickering at the foolish people for having sold the beautiful and rich goods at a seeming loss.

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Meanwhile ignoring the buying spree outside, Gatothgaja entered the palace using his magic.

For doing that, the rakshasa had changed himself into a beautiful woman. He looked around and went to the room of the princess.

The maids of the princess were surprised at the sudden arrival of a strange and beautiful woman, but the woman was so beautiful that the maids could not ask any questions.

“My princess….” The strange woman told Princess Uttara as soon as she had entered the room of the princess. The words of the woman however died in her throat as the woman was shocked on seeing the princess.

The hair of the princess was unkempt and the princess looked like she was not even going to get ready for any of the ceremonies of the wedding. Her friends had been trying to convince the princess to get ready when the woman had come inside.

“Why are you not getting ready for the wedding ceremonies, my princess?” The woman asked.

“Why should I get ready?” The princess demanded looking furious. “I do not want this marriage….”

“Have you told your parents about this, your majesty?” The woman asked the princess.

“Of course!” The princess nearly exploded. “You think I can marry anyone else other than Abhimanyu? How can my parents even think that…”

“Prince Abhimanyu who is the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, my princess?”

The other maids were behind the woman and they could not see the face of the woman.

But Uttara saw it and she nearly gasped. Uttara saw that the strange woman now had the face of the man whom Uttara loved with her whole heart.

Uttara stared blankly at the woman, unable to believe what she had just seen.

“What? How….” The princess was gasping.

“I think it would help if we talk alone, your majesty.” The woman told the princess. “I think it is best that you get ready for the wedding. You shall see that this match is the best one for you. I can convince you of it.”

Princess Uttara recovered.

“I need to talk to her alone.” The princess said suddenly unable to hide the smile in her face as she had sent the other girls away from her room.

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“Who are you?” The slightly shocked princess asked the woman. “Do you know Abhimanyu?”

“I am Gatothgaja, Bheema’s son.” The woman said as she shed her false face.

The princess nearly screamed as she saw a huge male rakshasa appear in front of her. Then the princess heard the rakshasa’s words.

“Bheema’s son? Bheema the Pandava?” Uttara demanded looking shocked.

“Yes, your majesty.” The rakshasa said smiling at the princess.

“What are you doing here?” The princess demanded and suddenly she looked worried. “My father is getting worried. He wants to get me married as soon as possible. Tomorrow is the wedding. Lakshmana Kumara is already here. It is a certainty that the wedding will take place tomorrow.”

The rakshasa smiled at the agitated princess. “Just tell me where Prince Lakshmana Kumara is, and get ready and stay in your bed. Do not worry about anything else.” The rakshasa said looking proudly at the princess. “My brother loves you. And you also love him. I am here. I shall take care of it. Take rest and worry about nothing else.”

“But…” The princess started.

“Don’t worry, my princess.”

With those words, the rakshasa walked away leaving the princess in her room.

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From there, the rakshasa went to the room of Lakshamana Kumara.

It was said that the rakshasa went inside the prince’s room with the face of the princess.

But once the rakshasa met Lakshmana Kumara, Gatothgaja took a huge and hideous form.

The rakshasa terrified the Kaurava prince with his appearance so badly that the prince fell unconscious!

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From there, the rakshasa flew to the room of the princess and there he carried the princess who was sitting in her bed.

The rakshasa carried the princess from the balcony of the place. All the soldiers of the palace, especially, the Kaurava soldiers saw it. They all shouted as they ran after the flying rakshasa trying to catch them.

It was at that time, that Gatothgaja’s friends also joined him.

The clothes that the Kauaravas had purchased from the disguised rakshasas also flew away along with the flying rakshasas!

Embarrassed, the Kauravas went back to their room.

Now without any hindrance, Gatothgaja and his friends had carried Uttara to the forests, where Abhimanyu was waiting for them.

Abhimanyu married Uttara in the same auspicious time that Uttara’s father had fixed for her wedding with Lakshaman Kumara.

In the end, Lakshmana Kumara was so terrified with the sudden apparition that he had seen that he vowed never to marry in his life!