King Chandragupta Maurya was back in the King's Chamber. It was 3 am. The night was about to be over very soon. But he still couldn't sleep. Too many things have come to light in one night. People whom he loved as his own, have conspired against him. He couldn't believe what was happening around him. He was lost in deep thoughts.
His acharya had always told that a King has to be a slight sleeper; he should be always prepared for war. All the letters he had collected as evidence were lying on his desk and slightly fluttered in the cool breeze of the night. It is time for war. A King needs to be prepared for war, but he should also find out ways to avert it - after all, a King is responsible for protecting the lives of his people. Saam... Dhan... Bhed... Dand... his Acharya's words rang in his ears.
His legions are comprised of both Yavan and Magadh sena.By this time the Strategist Acharya should have made arrangements to give exclusive practices to Magadh sena in hideouts in jungles
He grew up as an orphan. Chanakya was his teacher; his mentor; his father figure; his everything. And suddenly, one fine day, he came to know about his biological Mother's existence, that he was Piplivan's Crown Prince, and that Nand had murdered his Father and kept his mother in Prison for last 20 years. Chanakya and Helena were the first ones he shared about the secret of his birth. Never share your secrets with anybody; you will never know when people will use it against you. Enemies will always strike at your weakest point - His Acharya used to say. Both mother and daughter had used his weakness for a Family and Relationships for their benefit.
And after winning Magadh, suddenly he had a Mother, a Sister, 3 Wives, their relatives, a BIL, a Daadi ... his life was full of relations that he never knew existed, and he finally got the kind of family he yearned for.
He who had never had anybody to share his feelings with, suddenly had a big family to share everything. Whatever was His, He wanted to share with each member of his family. He wanted to keep each and everyone around him happy and... he earnestly tried. He wanted everyone around him. He never wanted to leave any of them. Including his foreign wife Helena. Including extended family like Apama, Sunanda, Avantika, Malay, Gautami ...why, even the Greek Army of Soldiers who joined him in his fight against Nand were treated on par with his Magadh Praja.
Thats why he never bothered asking Apama when she is planning to go back to her homeland. A Guest doesn't stay beyond a stipulated period... and here she was staying at Pataliputra, for months together... She had her kingdom to look after, and she was sitting here in Pataliputra, ordering and instructing people around, meddled with administration, pried and offered her advice in matters unrelated to her, etc.
He knows it is not so easy to send her back.Sprawling Yavan sena is still there.Who is their favourite?
But he always looked at her like another Mother, and never questioned her even if she interfered in his family or political affairs. If it gives Helena, his foreign wife, who is living with him in a foreign land, a little happiness to have her mother around, then why not ?
One should never be too honest in his dealings; Straight trees are always cut first - His brain reminded him again of Acharya's words.
A new proverb by Great Chanakya..we should be honest where it's meant tobe
His blood was boiling. His jaws tightened and eyes glowed in blind fury. He looked like a lion pacing up and down in his room.
And THIS... is what I get in return ??
My Best Friend, My Wife, My Queen is killed. My Son is left crying without his mother. He is suffering from the poison in his body - All, because of you Apama.
My Wife, my Lover, my Soulmate, my Nandini... was separated from Me. You separated a Husband and Wife. We both suffered because of you. You misused my SIL Roopa to play against my feelings ? I married your daughter knowing that she had an affair before marriage. And You tried to defame my virtuous Nandini ? Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I had, when I imagined Nandini in another man's arms?
You tried your tricks to separate me and my Acharya ? You tried to point out mistakes of a Man who practically raised and turned an orphan into a King? You tried to blame my Acharya in stealing 1 lac gold coins from the King's Treasury. Do you even know that my Acharya is knowledgeable enough to turn 1 gold coin into 8 gold coins?
You tried to establish Yavan Empire during my reign ? You tried to invade my Motherland by killing my family members ?
Who gave you the right to play with My Feelings ? My Family ?? My Acharya ?? My Motherland ??? What gives you that confidence ?
A fine and furious soliloquy .If I find that vicious lady I will tear her to pieces.She is worser than magam Anga..At any a time she didn't want her foster son to suffer
His Acharya had taught him that - To outwit the opponent, one needs to understand their opponent first. He was contemplating the strengths and weakness of Apama.
Apama's confidence is her strength. She derives that strength from her family. She has a strong mental hold on her husband and daughter. Therefore she has a control on the Power and Authority her husband has, as a King; and her daughter has, as a Queen.
Both her Husband and Daughter are in two different countries, having an army of their own. The geographical spread of both the Kingdoms, her family member's hold on different people with different cultures is her advantage.
She controls the minds of her husband and daughter to do anything she wants; and their power and authority gives her the arrogance to manipulate things according to her will.
Her "family" is her strength. "Their" Power is her strength. Knock it off, who is she?
His Acharya's lessons came to mind "Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts.. perhaps the Fear of Loss of Power."
Lady, You forget that I am a Warrior by profession. Being a King was only a lateral movement. You tried to invade my Bharat. You waged a war against My Weakness. You have challenged a warrior. I will win this war by turning your strength into your weakness.
You attempted to separate me from my family. Now I will attempt to break you from your family. You used a King like a Pawn, and played me against my own family members. You will see how I am going to play you against your own husband and daughter. Tooth for a tooth; nail for a nail.
You tried to invade my Motherland ? I will ensure that you never step foot into my Motherland... EVER.
Yes..at present who is his real enemy?At the outset Padmanandh is roaring to take vengeance on his SIL..but this lady..a quite anonymous creature has created such an havoc in his family
Sangeetha, does he respect(?) her this much to give credence to her activities
And you, Helena...
He had an arranged marriage with all his 3 wives, for political reasons. He Knew it. They Knew it. And all was well.
As far as Helena is concerned, she married him only for taking revenge against her lover Malay and wanted to become Magadh Queen. He married her for her Greek army to defeat Nand, avenge his father's death and rescue his mother from Prison. It was an arranged marriage, purely with a political and selfish motive. There was no love. There was no talk of Husband-Wife relationship, Children and the normal desires of a married couple. Their relationship was so platonic that they even spent their marriage first night on planning war against Nand. They were mere War Partners with their own motives to win. And both of us were aware of it, Helena.
Here we have some irking thoughts ...refusing conjugal rights to her..is it fair?
Helena was an egoistic, narcissistic, selfish woman. Even when he was in Alexander's camp, he knew that she was power hungry, liked to rule people around her. Nothing beyond her was important. She always wanted to be the centre of attraction, and insisted on being treated like one. She was always adamant on getting what she wants. She considered herself to be a princess, and treated others as if they were below her. When he became King of Magadh, she naturally became Patrani, the First Queen. She became the Queen of Magadh, got a big Kingdom and people to rule, and got all the attention as a Yavani from the Indian natives. I was very happy that I was able to make all your dreams come true. I was happy to see you Happy. Then why did you do all this?
Acharya used to tell him that "an Evil Person will always cause harm even if treated well; just like a serpent will spit poison even if you feed it with milk".
Suddenly, she wanted to have wifely rights and get a child through him. The possessiveness slowly became craziness and became domineering over a period of time. The problem with Helena is that She liked to control Him. And she wants to control Him, through his Child. He remembered the day She humiliated Him saying that, if it wasn't for Her and Her Greek Army, He would not have become King of Magadh. That was the day his warrior senses gave him a strong warning signal that she was hinting at having him as a Slave King. And he had been avoiding her advances since then.
You have described her narcissism and self centredness beautifully and elaborately
Acharya had already warned him to get a Heir to the Throne through an Indian wife. If he had a child through Helena, a Yavan Rani will become Rajmata and Yavan genes will be ruling the country. In short, an indirect method of foreign rule in India. And both Chanakya and Chandra were clearly against foreign invasion in India. Which is why he wanted his first heir through Durdhara.
And now, Durdhara is dead; he doesn't have another child than Bindusar; he hasn't touched Nandini yet. The question of getting a child through Helena at this stage is... well, a seriously delicate one to consider.
Child mortality was high, Bindusar was sick with poison and he din't have another Indian child yet, to follow Bindusar. In case something happens to Bindusar, another Indian child should become Heir to the Throne. Ofcourse, all this was a political motive. He knew Helena was his wife and he had to give her a child some day. But he never tried explaining all this to Helena whenever she made her advances, because he din't want to hurt her feelings (knowing how she is). And he was careful not to play his one wife against another.
No he was very abrupt with in each of her advancement..he didn't spare her to give harsh remarks on her selfishness and lack of motherhood
As such, he felt a little awkward with Helena. So, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her physically, just because she wanted it. And on his Birthday, when she willingly walked into his arms, and insisted on the Act repeatedly, He politely declined it and was very clear in his explanation - "When your heart is against that act, i think we should not attempt it, Helena. Forgive me."
He never said that he will not make her a Mother, at all. All he wanted was time. He never rejected her. He just said he wasn't ready. Nandini was not ready to bear child through him. And he never forced her. In all fairness, when he was not ready, he expected Helena to understand him and grant him the same freedom. Shouldn't that freedom be given to Man and Woman equally? Is that wrong ?
He often repeated her not to expect any husband-wife treatment from him
And now she was party to Bindusar's kidnapping attempt. You thought if Bindusar is lost or killed, with Durdhara and Nandini gone from my life, I will have no recourse but to have a child through you ??
Is she involved in Bindu's kidnapping attempt?
But it was not just about a child, was it ? Today's revelation of Helena's handwriting on Nandini's letter to Malay, showed very clearly that she had been planning against Nandini for a long time.
He remembered Acharya telling him on his Wedding Day with Nandini - that someone had tried to kill Nandini through Haldi poison, but wanted to save Chandra. And Apama had arrived at the Pataliputra Palace just on that day. Could Helena and Apama be involved in this crime too? Why Not? Till that day, Helena had never made any advances towards him. Forget about making advances, she never even looked at him. The first thing she did upon entering the Magadh Palace was to make Nandini her Daasi. And Helena was really angry to let her Daasi go, when Chanakya told that Nand is still alive, and to avoid war, Nandini will have to be as a pawn - as Chandra's wife. And she started insisting on wifely rights only from the day he married Nandini. Neither Nandini, nor I, meant you any harm. Durdhara wouldn't hurt even a fly. You don't have a single Reason to hurt or take revenge on any of my Family Members. And yet, you played each of us against each other. Why? We never showed you any enmity. We considered you Our own, even though you belong to a different country and race. And you willingly fell out of the circle to deceive us?
First time poisoned haldi was prepared by nandini herself to kill Chandra
"Betrayal never comes from your enemies; it comes from friends and your loved ones" - His Acharya's lessons came to his rescue.
yes very true..in those monarchical period,the kings cannot even believe their shadows
Helena had never cared about the feelings of her Objects of Desire. He remembered how she treated Argos the Rabbit, before she left Alexander's camp for Malay's RajMukhut ceremony. She wanted to play with the rabbit. At that time, the rabbit was found in the company of other rabbits. Well, it was Basic animal instinct.. But, She couldn't tolerate to see her favourite rabbit spending time with other fellow rabbits. So, she left him purposely near the Rabbit Trap, in the forest, to die.
yes the rabbit incident..neatly gave out her extreme craving for admiration and centre stage.Now where is she?
What I did not expect, Helena, is that you would extend the same treatment towards human beings too. He never wanted to be in love with Nandini. It just happened. But then, Love can never be planned, can it ? You had always wished to see My Nandini as a Daasi. You manipulated Me using Roopa to think Nandini and Malay are having an affair. And You used your father to arm twist Me, at the most delicate time, when Nand and his army were standing at the Palace gates for war. You wanted to send Nandini out of the Palace. You framed Nandini in Durdhara's murder and instigated me against her. You manipulated Me using Bindusar to bring her as a Daasi from Kaling. You tried every possible way to separate me from Nandini. And you call it Love. If you really loved me Helena, would you have allowed me to go through such pain ?
What crime is left out on her behalf.She soaks herself in complete evilness.Let her rot in hell!!
I gave you Power and Authority to rule. I gave you Freedom to exercise your rights. I respected you, for what you are. I accepted you, the way you are. I never pushed you to do anything you din't want to do. I agreed to your condition of sending Nandini out of the Palace. I even agreed to make her a Daasi as you wished.
I gave you all that you wanted. Even though you are a foreigner, I considered you my family. But if your greed is such that you want to rule Me, My Heart, My wives, My Child, My Kingdom, My Motherland - that's just not done. I am a King. I am not your slave. I have no obligation to tolerate you. I am a warrior. I will not accept defeat without a fight.
I never challenged a woman; not out of superiority, but out of respect. But now that you have started playing Chess against me, it is my dharma to answer your challenge. I have no interest to counter you; but I will go to any extent to protect my Kingdom and my Motherland.
You have played your game. You rolled your dice. Now its my turn.
But, will Chandra fight against a woman..just ignoring is the greatest punishment to her
Even your mother Apama has some loyalty towards her husband and daughter. But You... you don't have any loyalty towards anyone. You betrayed Me. You betrayed your Husband.
Even Vishkanyas remain loyal towards their masters. They only hurt others with their venom. You can't be compared even to a Vishkanya. You spit your venom on everyone in my family who have stood by you and treated you as their own.
Even a Man would hesitate to touch a pregnant woman. And You... you poisoned and killed My Durdhara at the advanced stages of her pregnancy.
The greatest and horrible sin committed by her..killing that innocent lovely Durdhara in her full pregnancy.It should not be pardoned on any moral grounds .Comparing a gladiator with her is a degradation for him..he is just trained to kill his opponents(not enemies) in a combat
Even a cruel Gladiator would show mercy on a child. And You... you tried to kill my child even before his birth; and repeatedly after its birth.
Even a Witch will have love for her broom. You... you don't have love for anyone except yourself.
You are not a woman; You are not a Vishkanya; You are not a Gladiator; You are not a human being; You are not even a Witch. You are soulless. YOU...are a DEVIL...
You mercilessly murdered My Durdhara, before she could even have a single look at her child. You tried to kill my Unborn child, in his mother's womb. And you want to have a child through Me ?? Let me see how you manage that. Even if you do, I will see to it that your child never gets its due rights in ruling the Kingdom.
Oh dear,for that he has to go for sexual intimacy,that is intolerable to imagine him in...
You deliberately made my child live without his own mother. I will see to it that you are separated from your parents.
You made extramarital affair allegations on Nandini to defame her. Do you have any idea how much an extramarital affair of your loved ones affects you? I will show you how.
You took sadistic pleasure in separating Me and My Love. I will separate you from everything you love - Parents, Position, Power, Army, Influence.
Yes Chandra do it..put her in exile..take off every thing from her..make her stand before all with the glaring truth
You tried to separate Me from My Family - my friend; my wife; my child. You inflicted the Divide and Rule policy on me and my family, without a cause. I will ensure that you never have anything to call your own.
You tried to invade and rule MY Motherland, through Me? I will ensure that you are trapped here, in this foreign land, for the rest of your life... All Alone... without family or friends.
They say keep your friends close, and enemies closer. And A Devil like You should be kept on constant watch. I will always keep you near me. You will have the Position, but without the power to say or do anything. I want you to feel every minute of your life that your movement is being watched and tracked. I will make you live life like a vegetable.
do you want her near you again..she is a poisonous virus..root out her existence from Hindustan
"Always be wary of soulless enemies. Between a Rogue and Serpent, the serpent is better. The serpent strikes only when he wants to kill; while the former does it at every step" - His mind brought out another lesson of Acharya.
Just then, he received word from Daasi that Prime Minister Acharya Chanakya would like to meet him urgently.
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