The Survivor's Secret

Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan
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“How did you stay sane in the face of all that they did to you?” she asked after he had told his tale, the concern evident in her trembling voice.
He paused, deep in thought, before he replied.
“I always remembered the warrior Arjuna who would have been reduced to ashes early on in the battle under the rain of celestial weapons unleashed by Drona and Karna, had it not been for the  power of the man who silently guided him... the man holding the reins of his chariot who absorbed it all and allowed the warrior Arjuna to focus on his goal and eventually win against the odds. Only when it was all over did Krishna finally alight from the chariot and the true form of the disintegrated chariot was revealed.”


“In my worst moments, I too found an inner resolve I never knew I had – my own Krishna - which allowed me to suffer in silence but did not allow me to give up no matter how many times I was humiliated.” He turned away from the window and faced her finally, tears falling across his scarred cheeks. “I had faith in the charioteer of my destiny, knowing that I would find happiness once more if I just refused to give up.”
She tried to speak but knew she did not have the right words to convey her heart's voice and so just held his weary face in her soft hands and kissed him gently, sharing the same thought as this man she loved more than life itself.
Arjuna had finally won.



Author's note: This is my take for the Write Tribe Festival of Words 3 prompt - writing a piece of fiction containing exactly 9 sentences.


I'm taking part in the Write Tribe Festival of Words -3


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74Comments

Let me know what you think.

  1. "I had faith in the charioteer of my destiny: - and faith can move mountains. Love how you weave the Mahabharata into your story. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are my favourite stories of all time. Each time I read them I learn something new. your post made me happy today.

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    1. That's exactly my point. There are so many little life lessons hidden in how you interpret the story. Even when you evaluate it years later, you find something new.

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  2. It's said that man's inner resolve and never give up attitude is what holds them on in the face of all odds. You've wonderfully conveyed through through the Mahabharata analogy.

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    1. Thanks Jini. There are a lot of people who need faith/proof of it everyday... this was my little way of showcasing where to find it.

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  3. What a lovely way you've brought out how we can all find our God deep within and channel that strength into our lives. A beautiful tale of inner strength and the companionship of one who understands us deeply.

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    1. Thanks Corinne. Yes, it is in our worst moments that people need to find an inner resolve... a reason to hang on, don't you think?

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  4. The Mahabharata is a favourite in my household. MY eight-year-old revels in the stories and I adore the philosophy that abounds in its pages. Lovely blend of mythological lessons with life's reality, Roshan!

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    1. Awesome that at such a young age, your eight year old loves the stories... make sure he never loses that wide-eyed wonder for the written word :)

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  5. I guess in life we all need a "Krishna" inside us. Whether it is protect our dignity or to help us gain victory. I am glad he found victory and love.

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    1. True... we do need it to hold on, especially in today's world where you dont have to do anything to get into people's bad books...

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  6. That was a wonderful analogy. The idea of the Krishna within all of us is a powerful and inspiring one.
    The Mahabharatha is an evergreen epic and has so much scope for interpretation. Very well though out idea.

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    1. Aarthy, thanks. Yes, its the scope for interpretation that I always look forward to. Thats where I saw this concept from... decades after I first read it!

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  7. Beautifully expressed, Roshan!
    Sometimes, words can not heal the way gestures do.

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    1. Thanks TaWitW, and yes. Sometimes, words are not enough... human contact can convey more...

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    2. Everyone calls me "A Walk" :) That should do. Thanks for responding to my SOS!!!

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    3. Ok.. "A Walk" is easier to type too. :D

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  8. Wish we could internalise God the way your protagonist did and trust in our own charioteer. Loved the analogy.

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    1. Never easy to hold on to that faith but if we don't believe, we dont really have anything, do we?

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  9. You are perfectly right....We all are in our own battle grounds and our charioteer is always inside of us.....liked the description....

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  10. That was a wonderful way of using Mahabharata analogy to depict his faith and resolve

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  11. How can you write something so elaborate in just nine sentences? Very nice :-)

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    1. Glad you liked it Anita. Thats the challenge, na :) Wanted to leave a lot of room for interpretation yet convey a theme

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  12. So good he found his inner Krishna.. Many could use one in dark moments... Sorry for his pain, but happy that he is a survivor with some strengths it seems... A very well told story:-)

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    1. Thanks Eli. It's when you come face to face with your dark moments that you need to have faith. Everyone finds it in different places, be it religion, money , books etc... I just offered another option :)

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  13. sometimes we all need is the firm belief that there is a pillar who will stand by come wat may....

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    1. True. We all need to have that safe place in our lives... be it a physical manifestation or just in our minds.

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  14. We all have the inner charioteer....only if we let him take over the reigns and lead us along the path of survival ! The Mahabharata and The Ramayana are eternal sources of life's lessons. Thanks for sharing this piece with us :)

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    1. Thanks Sreeja. Yes, I sincerely believe that inner charioteer is within us. But we need to trust him during our bad times. Believe he is leading us towards our destiny.

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  15. Nine power-packed sentences these are! Very well done!

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    1. Thanks Beloo.. quite a challenge really making a nice sentence story!

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  16. And we are all Arjunas. We should be resolute, no matter how others may humiliate us, especially if it is our destiny, for we will win in the end.

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    1. Exactly. I totally agree. It's when we falter and give in that we are finished. Till then, we may lose momentarily but we have the chance to rise again.

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  17. How beautifully you have given the example of the Mahabharata. We all have a charioteer within us. Only we must be strong enough to listen to our inner voice.

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    1. Thank you. Yes, we must have faith that there is someone protecting us.

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  18. That was wonderful, Roshan. Truly as much as we all suffer tumult within us, so is our inner Krishna around to guide us towards the light. Thank you! :) Very inspiring.

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    1. Thanks Vidya. Glad you liked it... Yes, many feel demoralised when the going gets tough... this post is meant mainly for them, i guess.

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  19. Beautiful Roshan. In the end I am glad everything was alright. And wow such a strong message "A Krishna inside us to guide and show us light"

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  20. well done...dil jeet liya :)

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  21. That's excellent! I loved the lines : "which allowed me to suffer in silence but did not allow me to give up no matter how many times I was humiliated" This just kind of defines 'our' faith! Isn't it?

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    1. yes, it does define our faith and culture.. yet many tend to forget that when the going gets tough... many do suffer in silence even now Im sure, but the alarming trend is more and more people giving up instead of hanging on.

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  22. It's only in times of distress that our inner resolve surfaces, comes to our rescue. Yes, it is up to us to hold on to it and move forward. Lovely as always Roshan.

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    1. As I mentioned in the comments, many struggle to find that faith... if they choose to stick to religion, perhaps this is an analogy they could use in their bad times... that was my aim

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  23. You have fused mythology and the current state of the protagonist effortlessly. Our epics are a treasure trove of wisdom and we can safely and wisely rely on them.

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    1. totally agree Kalpana.. there is so much we can learn and imbibe in our own daily lives from it based on our interpretations

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  24. You have beautifully blended the essence of the Gita in your post. Awesome

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  25. Finding inner strength when you need it usually means that there has been many struggles in that arena already. You painted a good word picture in 9 sentences.

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  26. Lovely post Roshan. I loved how you used the Mahabharata's analogy here...true that in your worst and darkest moments you need to be able to trust that inner voice, believe in your own light - it will surely guide you!

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    1. Thanks Aditi :) Yes. A little faith and a lot of inner resolve can get you through your worst moments in life.

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  27. Nine words: Simply loved these Nine sentences, hats off to you :)

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    1. Thank you so much Karanth :) Glad you liked it... I always enjoy such challenges..

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  28. Sometimes, it's better to feel the emotions rather than expressing in words. Now, this is something I need from time-to-time in life and I realized that it makes no point to fight against the situation:)
    http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/day-1-wtfw-9-sentence-fiction-bonding-over-pani-puri/

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    1. true... fighting it within your head over and over again just kills you... focus on what your goal is for yourself and move on. Trust that the rest will fix itself or become irrelevant.

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  29. wow!!! what a post! Liked it the way the message has been sent across... believe in yourself no matter what... a belief that we all must have and possess. :)

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    1. I wish more people would hold on... I'm worried when I see people giving up because of some admittedly bad event in their life. We need to find that belief to hang on till the end...

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  30. The parallel drawn is very beautiful. I do believe our epics have more to offer than what we would like to believe..

    Richa

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  31. Very profound, Roshan! This gives a lot to think and chew on. Yes, we all need to listen to our inner Krishna's to guide us during tough times.

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    1. Thanks Shilpa :) Glad you too see it that way...

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  32. Well written Roshan. You managed to pack in a meaningful writeup in barely 9 sentences. Good job.

    Updated my blog twice over the past month. Do drop by.

    Cheers
    CRD

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  33. Ananya, this was awesome! I had once written a poem on similar lines for my husband. Your post is so much better :) Loved reading it :)

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    1. Thanks. Glad to see you back after so long, Meety :)

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  35. Awesome Roshan, A perfect inspiring way to start your day....keep going ...!

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