Chapter Forty-Seven:
At Rajnagari,
Rajkumar Arjun had received a letter from Rani Nandini. As soon as he received it, he ordered his own personal army contingent to be stationed in readiness for him. Hearing this, Maharani Swaralika, his mother was greatly disturbed. The truth of Rajkumari Chaaya's secret marriage to Satyajit and his death was not known except to the members of the Royal family of Magadh. It was a closely guarded and tightly kept secret.
But all the same, Swaralika had been terribly miffed that none of her well-laid out plans or scheming had got her anywhere. She had expected that Maharaj Chandragupt would buckle down and crumble under the pressure of the conditional diplomatic and war alliance and agree to the marriage between Arjun and Chaaya. But he had blankly refused to agree to anything of that sort right at the outset itself.
After that, they hadn't heard anything from the Magadhan side as regards either the diplomatic alliance or marriage alliance. Ultimately this had strained relations between her and Maharaj Indupratap who held her responsible for this entire failure. He bemoaned his own weakness in falling prey to her emotional blackmailing and for having destroyed what he himself sought to create and establish. She and Kunwar Arjun had not even been on speaking terms after this. He had been absolutely disgusted with her.
Swaralika: Arjun, why are you going to Magadh for people who don't even care for us?
Arjun (with quiet self-command and assurance): If they do not care today, the blame is entirely on our side. We backtracked from our original stance and position.
Swaralika, clearing her throat and changing line of argument and approach, "Kadachit main galath thi...par parsthithiyan aisi ulajgayi ki abhi thera Magadh jana theek nahin hoga...(Perhaps I was wrong...but the way situations have got tangled with Magadh, your going there would be inadvisable...)
Arjun, without losing his self-composure and in an absolutely determined tone, "Paristhithiyan ulajgayi hain...Isliye toh suljane ja raha hoon!" (It is because the matters have got tangled that I have to go to untangle them!)
Realizing that even this was not working, Swaralika ventured hopefully, "Tum kyun yeh sab kar rahe ho, Arjun? Us ladki ke liye jo thera hone ke liye ...ya thera beta Vidyut ki Maa banne keliye kabhi nahin manegi?" (Why are you doing all this Arjun? For that girl who will never accept to be your own...or the mother of your son Vidyut?)
Arjun: Maa, let me clear one thing! I don't want a wife. It's enough if my prospective wife agrees to be a mother to Vidyut. Secondly, why do you imagine that whatever I am doing now, I am doing it for the sake of Rajkumari Chaaya? At present, she is really nobody to me...But I have accepted Rani Nandini as my sister...So no force on this earth can stop a brother from going to the aid of his sister...when she is in trouble...and in need of help!...And Maa, if it had really been about the welfare, safety and happiness of my would-be wife...let me assure you, I wouldn't have stopped doing just this much!
Swaralika: Woh tere apne nahin hain, Arjun. Main teri hoon...teri apni Maa. Kya tum mujhe chodkar un logon ke liye jaoge? (They are not your own, Arjun. I am your own...your own mother. Will you leave me and go?)
Arjun: Maa, when will you understand that the matter is not about you, me and other petty considerations? Do you even realize if Magadh falls, what will happen to the rest of the country? If Padmanand wins today, the whole of Bharath will be pushed back to the dark ages for God knows how long. It will be little consolation that we didn't act when we should have due to our petty mentality that cannot think beyond itself. That was the very reason why Pithaji initially envisioned this diplomatic and war alliance, keeping the interests of the whole of country and Rajnagari in mind, before he was misled by your words. Maa, shall I tell you one thing? If ever Rajnagari was in danger and needed help, Maharaj Chandragupt would surely come to our aid, with or without this treaty. So shouldn't we too do the same for Magadh?
Indupratap who had come just then and heard this conversation encouraged him saying, "Son, you are correcting the mistakes and errors I committed by not repeating them. You are doing that which I cannot do. I am proud of you. May you succeed Son!
Arjun sought his father's blessings and best wishes. Swaralika in a weak voice realizing that she was pushing a lost cause with her son, "Then what about Vidyut? ...Who will take care of him if you go away?...You know the pathetic state of my health?"
Arjun: Yes, I do Maa! That's why I am taking Vidyut along with me. I know he will be taken better care of in Patliputra than here...(in a sneering tone) suffering as you do from such a pathetic state of health!
This time Swaralika doing a complete volte- face seeing all her ruses failing and Arjun very determined to pursue what he had planned on doing, "I see you are very determined!...(After a pause)My blessings are with you!...May you have success in whatever you plan! Vijayi Bhava Putra! (May you succeed, Son!)...That is all this poor and invalid mother can do for you and her grandson...
Arjun, as he bent down to Swaralika's feet to take her blessing before his departure to Magadh as a mere formality, "Of course!...How would I not know that!"
In a royal encampment at the outskirts of Patliputra,
Rajkumar Malayketu and his uncle Veerabahu the king of Uttara Meru were contemplating jumping sides and joining Chandragupt and Acharya Chanakya. Several factors had resulted in this sudden turnaround. Veerabahu was still not sure if they had done the right thing in deserting Padmanand. Both uncle and nephew sat sharing a couple of drinks and discussing if they were doing the right thing joining Chandragupt.
Veerabahu: Malay, I hope you know what you are doing!
Malayketu: Yes, Chachaji. We did the right thing in ditching Padmanand and placing our bets on the winning horse. Moreover, this overture of friendship has come from their side. Acharya Chanakya has personally written on behalf of Chandragupt seeking truce and offering Rajkumari Chaaya's hand in marriage in return for cessation of hostilities from out side. We have also been promised that the kingdom of Parvathak which we lost in war will be returned to us as part of the dowry apart from a hundred war elephants. What else could we want? All our demands and issues have been met.
Veerabahu: Still...Still...I have my doubts! I do not have even an ounce of faith in Chandragupt and Acharya Chanakya. Anyone who has seen them arm twisting the kingdom of Anga by threatening to withhold the waters of River Champavati will not...Moreover, where do we stand if Maharaj Padmanand wins this war? We will remain neither here nor there.
Malayketu: Which I am confident by this time he will not!
Veerabahu: But supposing Padmanand wins, then what do we do?
Malayketu: The obvious! What we always do to such perfection! Crawl on our knees to him and say that Chandragupt threatened us or Acharya Chanakya misled us.
Veerabahu: But even then what guarantee do we have that Chandragupt and Chanakya are not manipulating us?
Malayketu: Oh, that! That's where this offer of marriage alliance with Rajkumari Chaaya comes in handy. Neither would Chandragupt nor Acharya dare to play games with Rajkumari Chaaya's husband.
Veerabahu: Methinks you are besotted by the pretty princess and her even prettier horoscope. Both these things are unduly influencing your judgement and decisions.
Malayketu: Yes, Chachaji! I will hide no bones from you! The princess and her beauty which I witnessed in her painting are spectacular and breathtaking. Anybody would want to possess her. But even more enticing was the horoscope. You know I believe a lot in these things. I was ready to marry Nandini again specifically because her horoscope had the Bhagyashali Yog and Akhand Sowbhagyavati Yog. Now Rajkumari Chaaya's horoscope is ten times better than Nandini's. Her husband will become the unchallenged ruler of the whole of Bharat in due course of time.
Veerabahu: Alright have it your own way. But I am still not willing to take either Chandragupt or Chanakya at face value. You will go and visit Rajkumari Chaaya in Patliputra with one third of our force for your security. I and two-thirds of the force will camp at the outskirts in perfect readiness to besiege the capital if we feel something is going wrong. I hope you will have no problems regarding that!
Malayketu: Of course, Chachaji! After my father's demise, you are like a second father to me! But you must promise me that if everything works out well, you will come and attend my marriage with Rajkumari Chaaya in Patliputra. You are the only one whom I can call my own!
Chapter Forty-Eight: Page 96
Edited by shailusri1983 - 8 years ago
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