An Eye for the Relevant

"Awareness is important,
For it has a bearing,
On the immediate & distant.
Pick up your bows,
Archers, step up as I call,
But first, answer me my question."

Along came Durya,
First of the Kauravas,
An ace of weaponry.
Yodhana the warrior,
Puffed chest, he strode,
All pomp and show.

He took position, beside his bow.
'You see what, Prince?'
The Acharya, whispered.
'The tree, leaves & birds,
Branches, twigs et al,
Awareness extreme, I see all!'

Drona nodded gravely,
'Step down Prince,
A lesson's still undone!'
Trooped up & down, the princes,
Unable to satisfy the master,
Kaurava, Pandava, others.

Finally Drona called upon,
Arjuna the archer, ever dutiful,
His favorite pupil, sharply mindful.
He eased into a stance.
'What do you see Prince?'
Drona whispered, giving him chance.

'See an eye, is all'
Drona sought to distract,
'No leaves, twigs et al?'
'For your call, am ready,
Arjuna sees what he sees',
Pleased Acharya asked him to go!

The arrow zinged from the bow,
Clean through the clay eye of,
A parrot on a tree yonder.
To the lost students,
Chance begone, bit crestfallen.
'So then princes' advised Drona.

"The lesson of the day
Was not in shooting,
But in un-recognizing.
Awareness, while good,
Most of the time,
In life what matters is,

Simplicity & focus,
Clarity & aim,
Uncluttered zeal,
Stillness of gaze.
Important of all,
An Eye for the Relevant!"

Leftovers

the prompt was "Leftovers" with a 1000 char limit :

"Look Mother, what I have brought" Arjuna said, calling out to Kunti, the Pandava’s mother, having won Draupadi from amongst a court full of suitors, piercing the eye of a fish atop a circling wagon-wheel with a single arrow.

“Share it equally with your brothers” she said. To the five brothers, her pronouncements were above negotiation.

‘Impossible and improbable!’ said Bheema, always the one with the quick temper,

‘Doesn’t Draupadi have a say in all this?’ asked Nakul the first half of the twins of Madri.

‘Krishna, I am all ears. I would like to see you sell this one to me!’ said Draupadi to the great advisor of the Pandavas, sure nothing would come of this preposterous ask.

“Well it really is of your own doing. The fulfillment of a boon from a previous birth and penance. Lord Shiva had appeared before you and granted a wish. You wanted to be married to someone with five specific qualities. Each time you asked for that quality, the Lord had said Tathaastu – So Be It! He added, such a thing was possible only when the Pandavas were born, which is your current birth!’

‘Ah so this is a fulfillment of leftovers from a previous birth?’

‘Indeed my pretty one. The great cosmic reconciliation of accounts,' said Krishna knowingly.