Entry 4:
The Intricacies Of Politics
"Maa! Please don't go away! Please come back to me!", I was
screaming while running behind the Maharani of Magadh. The distance between us
seemed to be increasing with each step that she took away from me. I continued
to run behind her and my screams only worsened as she continued to move away
from me.
I continued running and screaming behind my mother as her
figure became hazy in my eyes and her voice continued to reach my ears, "Don't run
behind me. Look behind you. So many people are waiting you. Moreover you have
to stay in Magadh and avenge my death". And with that she was gone...
I woke up with a start with sweat beads on my forehead. The
same nightmare, it has become a routine for me since I have lost my mother,
Maharani Dharma of Magadh. Looking around my room, I came to the reality
slowly. This was not my bedroom in Pataliputra but the guest room of the royal
palace of Prayag. Stretching my hand to get the earthen mug which had water, I
grasped it hard and drank till the last drop of the colorless liquid was inside
me. As my thirst was quenched, I made up my mind to talk with the King of
Prayag, that the time of attacking Magadh was coming near. I had to remind him
of the mission behind our attacking Magadh.
I thought of the time nine years ago when I had left Magadh.
What was I to do if my own father did not believe me? I tried to reason with
him so many times but it seemed that his eyes were closed in the love of his
step-mother. In the process of making him understand, I had lost both my mother
and father. I hate to call Rajmata as my grandmother. After all, how can a
grandmother make her grandchild a orphan. In her dream to make her son Justin,
the king of Magadh, she has robbed me of my mother. I heard her talking with
her son about the poison that they gave my mother. I was so angry with them and
when I confronted them about the matter, they threatened me to stay quiet. How
could I do that! That's why I went to Maharaj Bindusar, my father, to reveal
the culprits behind my mother's murder.
But I was so wrong to believe that he would believe me. He
easily fell trap to his step-mother's emotional blackmailing and as a result
left my mother's murder issues alone. I tried to extract the truth from the raj
vaidhya but even she refused to accept the truth.
In front of the people of Magadh, my mother's death was due
to ailment but I was the one to die every moment knowing the truth behind the
false faade. I knew my father was only becoming more and more frustrated with
my mood swings and my rant of my mother's murder, but still he did not trust me
for once.. How could he not trust his own blood!
The last pin on the coffin was my father's second marriage
with Rajkumari Charumitra of Chedi. Obviously the marriage was a result of the
conspiracy of Justin and Rajmata. I tried to make my father understand about
the consequences of his actions but he was not the one to trust me.
In one of my heated moments, I had uttered some words to the
new Maharani of Magadh which I shouldn't have done, and the punishment that I
got was exile from Magadh for my whole lifetime.
I still remember his last words to me, "I don't need a son
like you. Maharani Charumitra will give Magadh it's heir. You will be leaving
Magadh today only and never ever dare to set your foot on Magadh again".
I was so hurt that day. Suddenly he seemed to be the
step-father to me, after all, how can someone's real father say this to his ten
years old son!
The loud rumbling sound of thunderstorm outside the room
took me out of my reverie. Having decided to talk again with the King of
Prayag, I embraced the pillow again.
*************************
The loud noise of conches signaled the beginning of the war
between Magadh and Prayag. And I felt like the most unlucky son of this world
when I faced my motherland in the battlefield, but as an enemy. The look on the
faces of the subjects of Magadh made me feel horrible. The subjects who once
used to hail at my entry, now stood against me with their faces showing
disgust. I learned from my fellow warrior that the King of Magadh was not to
come to the war field today. He was ailing.
*************************
As the night descended on the battle ground, I felt
homesick. My mother's voice came to me. She used to say that her dream was to
see me fighting in the battle for Magadh. What an irony! Today when I was
fighting, it was against Magadh.
An aide entered the camp announcing the visit of the Chief
Councilor of Magadh, Chanakya.
I stood up to greet him. As I went to take his blessings, he
stepped away, "I don't give blessings to those whose sole aim is to harm
Magadh", was all he said.
"Guruji, I have never meant to harm Magadh", I said facing
the other side.
"Then why is this sudden war?", he forced me to face him.
I was afraid to tell him the whole truth but still I went on
and told him everything. As I looked at him after finishing the story, I found
his eyes steeled.
"Don't worry son. I will surely make the Vaidya utter the
truth. I will make sure Maharaj comes to know the entire truth this time. He
has been in the dark for long", was all he said.
"Me too hope so..", I sighed hearing him.
*************************
The next day sunrise commenced the second day of the battle.
It was afternoon when the war was suddenly called off from
Magadh. Though everyone was surprised at the latest developments, I was not.
While everyone's mind was filled with numerous questions, my heart was filled
with new hopes... hopes of returning to my motherland, of being accepted by my
father again.
It was not long before my call came from the Royal palace of
Pataliputra. Thanking the idol of Shivji, that I worshiped, I began my journey
to the palace. I remembered the numerous times I had crossed the palace gate as
a child. The whole palace was eerily silent. I wondered where Justin and
Rajmata were. I didn't want to face them again. I was escorted by an aide to
the King's bedroom. It was exactly same as I had seen it nine years ago. There
my father was lying on the palatial bed with Chanakya seating beside him. As
our eyes met, tears pricked behind my eyes. I lowered my eyes not able to look
at his eyes. He looked like he had aged by fifty years. Hairs grey, body lean,
the once strong hands laid lifeless by his sides, I couldn't remember the last
time he had looked so helpless.
When he called me, I saw Chanakya leave his place, so that I
could sit there.
As I sat there, I heard Chanakya say how the Vaidya accepted
her crime of giving poison to my mother. I heard him say how my father was also
given poison slowly for these nine years. I heard that my mother was killed to
make place for the entry of Charumitra, who was assigned with the task of
slowly poisoning my father.
I could hear no more as the tears fell from my eyes and I
broke down on my father's chest. I found the solace, I was searching for the past
nine years there. I felt him stiffening a little before his hands slowly came
to rest on my head. I raised my head slightly to see his eyes spilling tears.
I embraced him again as Chanakya told me about the impending
hanging of Justin, Rajmata and Charumitra with the sunrise of the next day.
"Son, after their hanging tomorrow, you will be declared as
the King as I don't have any other child", my father said quietly.
I shook my head, "No. I will only sit on the throne when you
will be standing beside me portraying the proud look in your eyes", I argued
with him.
"I'm not going to live that long son", he sighed looking at
the other side.
"Nothing is going to happen to you now that I'm here. I have
lost my mother, but I'm not going to lose you", I promised embracing him
tightly as tears continued to flow from both our eyes.
These tears are needed, I thought as I felt his hands
hugging me, in a comforting manner and I heard his words, "I'm sorry my son".
Entry 5:
Lost and found
He looked towards the Peepul tree with the same longing in
his eyes. He was leaving that place today.. the place where he grew up since a
child. He tried to make his parents understand but they seemed to be extremely
unreasonable for reasons unknown to him.
He turned back, making his mind not to look at the tree
again, as it would only hurt him more. Being a lonely child that he was, he
loved to spend his time alone, rather than being with others. And in that alone
life of his, the Peepul had become a very important part. He used to share his
every little joy, every sad experience and every tear with it. Thoughts of
having to leave that tree made his heart painfully constrict again.
The tree also had another importance. It is below that tree
only that he had met the Maharani of Magadh, Dharma.
It was a stormy day, when he had found a palanquin from the
royal palace resting below that tree, while a broken branch of the tree had
managed to crush one end of it.
On reaching near, he had found the Maharani laying there.
Her unconscious figure lying there had managed to tug unknown strings in his
little heart. He looked around to find no one there, the carriers must have
fled sensing the storm approaching.
Thereby, running on his toes to fetch the required medical
herbs to treat the queen's wounds, and treating her wounds, he had developed something
special with her. Though he couldn't place what they shared, but he knew that it
was another important bonding to him.
When the queen had opened her eyes, the first word that she
had uttered was, "Ashok".
"I'm not Ashok. I'm Jaimal", he had introduced himself.
But he had soon understood that his words had fallen on deaf
ears as she had crushed him in a fierce embrace calling him Ashok again and
again.
He had heard that the Prince of the neighboring state
Magadh, Ashok's name who was lost when he was just a month old.
He had understood that moment that the royal lady sitting in
front of him was none other than the Royal Queen of Magadh.
After she had come back to the reality, the queen had told
him how she was travelling to her father's place in Awadh, when the storm had
come. Rest she didn't remember.
It was from that time, a beautiful relation had grown
between the two. The relation was a strange one.. Neither was it a mother-son
relationship, nor that of two friends. Whatever it was, they both knew that it
was extremely important for both. A mother searching for her son had found
solace in the little Jaimal and a little boy, a loner in the world's eye had
found a friend in the royal lady.
Thereafter her visits to her parents home increased and
whenever she came to Awadh, she used to visit Jaimal surely. The same was with
jaimal. He used to wait for the queen's visit to Awadh.
This had continued for four long years. Strangely, though
there was nothing to hide, but both of them had kept their meetings hidden from
others around them.
It was just two days ago when jaimal's mother, Kanchi had
found about the secret meeting, when she had seen them Jaimal sitting below the
Peepul tree laughing on something that the Queen had uttered.
Kanchi was afraid when she had seen the Queen's eyes
sparkling with unknown happiness and Jaimal basking in her unconditional love.
She faced a hard truth; Jaimal was never like this with her.
Kanchi and her husband Manohar had found Jaimal lying by the
riverside on a small vessel about twelve years ago. He was a small child of a
month or two at that time. It was from that time Kanchi and Manohar had brought
him up. They were always protective about him meeting other people and were
always haunted by the fact that if ever his real parents met him...
Seeing the Queen's face and the relation between the two,
Kanchi had come to understand, there was surely something more than that met
the eye.
That day after Jaimal had returned home, he was subjected to
endless questions from his parents, at the end of which he had poured his heart
out. He had divulged to his parents, how he had met Dharma and how they used to
meet every time she used to visit Awadh.
The next day he was given the news of their shifting to
Ujjain. He had tried everything possible in him to stop his parents but they
were not the ones to pay heed to his pleadings.
A long defeated sigh left his mouth as he pondered upon the
thought that he would never be able to meet Dharma maa again.
*******
The Queen of Magadh came below the Peepul tree to meet her
best friend. But the loneliness she met there, did not seem to be normal to
her.
"Why did not Jaimal come today?", she thought.
"What if something had happened to him..", as soon as the
thought came, she snapped herself out of it! What was she thinking!
"May ne he's busy today.. I'll come tomorrow", she told
herself.
*******
The next day also was spent waiting for him. She had spent
her whole stay in Awadh waiting for him.. But Jaimal did not come..
*******
"Maharaj", she slowly called the King from behind, "Please
search him. I can't live without him".
Maharani Dharma had returned Magadh sooner than she had to.
In order to find for jaimal, she had divulged the whole story of meeting the
boy to her husband, King Bindusar.
"You take rest. I'll appoint Amatya Chanakya to search for
him", the King said while consoling the broken queen.
*******
"Bring them to the court now", King Bindusar ordered his
minister.
Within minutes, Jaimal, Kanchi and Manohar were presented in
the court.
On questioning them again and again, at last they disclosed
the reason behind their sudden shifting.
Jaimal was shocked would be an understatement.. he was shattered.
The people whom he had known as his parents were not his real parents; this
bitter truth stabbed his young heart.
"We found him on the river banks twelve years ago", Manohar
said with his eyes lowered.
Bindusar was shocked to find that the boy standing in front
of him was found twelve years ago, when his own son was lost.
He remembered how frantically he had searched for Ashok, but
only to meet with dead ends every time.
*******
"Maharaj", Chanakya barged in the King's chambers with his
heart racing with the news he had suddenly received.
"The boy jaimal is our Ashok", he broke the news to a
baffled Bindusar, "Our soldiers found Maharani's chain and pendant in their
house while they were searching Manohar's home.
"Present them to the court now", Bindusar ordered before
going to give the good news to the queen.
*******
"Maharaj, not only we have found out that Jaimal is our
Prince Ashok but also the culprit behind the incident", Chanakya announced in
the court as everyone gasped out loudly.
"It was on the night after a month of the birth of the
Prince. I had heard Rajmata and Prince Justin talking about the river. Though I
didn't get anything at that time but after a week when the Prince went missing,
I had my doubts on them. But due to less proofs, I didn't take up the matter to
you. But after Jaimal is found, yester night, my disciple Radhagupt found this
letter written by Rajmata to Prince Justin who is busy in war against Ujjain. I
want you to read this", Chanakya declared as the whole court sat with their
mouths gaping.
********
...The boy came to the
palace today and Justin my heart says that this boy is Ashok.
As King Bindusar read the last line, his face went on to
become more red.. red with pain of betrayal by the woman he considered his own
mother, red with fury for the criminal who was now standing in front of him.
********
Thereafter jail till death was announced for Rajmata Helena
and Prince Justin. Justin was ordered to be back from Ujjain.
Maharani Dharma didn't waste a second to take Ashok in her
arms and Ashok went willingly to her extended arms. He cried his heart out
along with the queen and was soon joined by the King himself.
As the family went busy in shedding happy tears in the four
walls of their room, King wiped his tears, "I have ordered Manohar and Kanchi
to stay in Magadh and they will be given all facilities from the Palace. Ashok,
son, you can visit them whenever you wish."
Ashok grinned, "Ha. From now on I have two mothers, just
like Kishenji had. Isn't it mother?"
Dharma went on to laugh hearing that, "Yes my son".
Entry 6:
Magadh Ka Mahayoddha
After a much needed hiatus, finally the day had arrived for
which entire Magadh was waiting with baited breath. The day which would
determine the ultimate victor of the Magadh mahayoddha competition. Both the contenders for the coveted title -
Prince Sushim and Ashok - were keen for the commencement of the deciding stage
of the competition. An aura of restive energy and steely determination had been
emanating from Ashok while that of sheer wiliness and iniquity had been
emanating from Sushim. An ambience of expectation and anticipation began to
build up around them as they awaited the commencement of the culminating part
of the competition.
Laid
in front of them an intricate maze, a labyrinth, which was the brain child of
acharya Chanakya. The task assigned to the ultimate contenders, Ashok and
Sushim, was to reach the other end of the maze. However, in accordance with
acharya Chanakya's views, appearances, in most cases, are highly deceptive. Everything
was not as they appeared.
"You do
know that all your efforts are futile and that I will win the sword at the end
of the day, don't you?" Sushim drawled with a sly smirk.
"I do know one thing. The sword of a true patriot can only
belong to another true patriot. Let's see who among us that will be." Ashok
rejoined with a serenity he was far from experiencing.
Sushim glowered at Ashok, his eyes reflecting the malice in
his heart but Ashok met his glower head on, his eyes reflecting steely grit.
However, before Sushim could come up with another snarky
rejoinder, the announcer's booming voice alerted both Sushim and Ashok to their
surroundings and they returned their attention to him. With the announcement of
the commencement of the round, the announcer let the piece of crimson cloth
fall from his grip.
Following the cue,
both Ashok and Sushim dashed towards the maze like a pair of arrows shot out of
a bow. However, Sushim was absolutely no match to Ashok's speed and within no
time he began to lag behind. By the time Sushim entered the labyrinth Ashok was
nowhere in sight.
Ashok came to an abrupt halt at a crossroad. Three identical
paths led to three different directions. He frowned as he tried to determine
which path could be the one leading out of the labyrinthine maze and which
could lead him deeper into the confounding labyrinth. The paths in the left and
right were paved broadways while the middle path was a narrow one carpeted with
cobblestones and while the other two paths were flanked by smooth walls on
either sides, those of the middle path had jagged edges.
Any other
person would have preferred either of the roads which, by the look of them,
promised a better experience and evade the middle one which displayed, in no
uncertain terms, a difficult way ahead. However, Ashok was no other person. He
was the student of one of the greatest and most gifted teacher of all time of
the country. He recalled that on one occasion acharya Chanakya warned him that
appearances can be deceptive and everything may not be as they appear. Acharya
also told Ashok once that there was no shortcut to success and that destination
lay at the end of the most toilsome and difficult path. With a deep inhalation
of fresh air, Ashok fortified himself as his choice became crystal clear in his
mind's eye. Wasting not a moment more in futile deliberation, he strode towards
the middle path. However, in his haste, his arm brushed with one of the several
jagged edges on the walls flanking the road which lacerated his skin, drawing
blood. Ashok grimaced at the sudden pain. Though he instantly tore a piece of
cloth from his attire and tied it securely around the wound, thus stopping the
flow of blood, Ashok didn't notice the few drops that had already scattered on
the ground. Ashok was not one to let a mere wound deflect him from his
destination. He strode ahead through the path, albeit cautiously this time.
A while after
Ashok had disappeared out of sight, Sushim skidded into a halt in front of the
crossroad. The paved and less toilsome roads decided it for him and he was
about to chose the one in his right when a glimpse of something crimson caught
his eye. He walked towards it and on a closer inspection, realized it to be
someone's blood. His sly mind instantly realized that it could only belong to
Ashok as he was the only other person beside him in the maze and that it
insinuated that Ashok had opted for the middle path. Hence, Sushim, too, took
that path.
After he
turned a corner, Ashok came within his range of vision. There was quite a
distance separating him from Sushim. The disquieting realization that he could
not hope to outmaneuver Ashok through fair play struck Sushim. Who cared for
fair play anyway, thought Sushim, he had always displayed nepotism towards the
idea of achieving his objective through any means, no matter how foul they
were. With his signature sly smirk, he brought out some pebbles, hidden in the
folds of his garments probably for a moment like the present one. He sprinted
towards Ashok to reduce the distance between them to some extent and then did
what he did best. He stooped and rolled the pebbles on the ground towards
Ashok.
Oblivious of
the booby-trap, Ashok accelerated his momentum. However, at that precise
moment, he stepped over the pebbles, stumbled and was thrown on his back.
Before he could wrap his head around the out of the blue fall, someone's
footsteps grew louder. From his position on the ground, Ashok turned towards
the sound and found Sushim gaining in on him. Soon Sushim skidded to a halt
beside him and looked down at him with unadulterated scorn.
"Tch, tch! Poor trivial creature! Told you all your efforts
will come to nothing. You cannot win against prince Sushim." Sushim jeered.
"Even you know, prince Sushim, that you were lagging behind
until you resorted to your nefarious means."
Ashok gritted through clenched teeth.
"It doesn't really matter. At the end of the day everyone
remembers the winner, not the means by which he won. Victory is all that
matters. Get ready to congratulate me on my victory." Sushim retorted with a
palpable smugness and resumed his sprint.
"Never Sushim. I
can't and won't let you win. Not today, not ever." Ashok vowed vehemently.
Disregarding the
gashes on his arms and legs oozing blood, Ashok leapt on his feet with the
agility of a wild cheetah and gritting his teeth against the pain, resumed his
sprint.
Sushim skidded to
a halt as he came across Subahu, who seemed to have materialized out of thin
air.
"Sushim. My
mother is in grave danger. Please help me to rescue her." Subahu entreated.
"Yeah, right! Why
not? Now I'll go save your mother and let that Ashok win the competition. Do
you take me for a fool Subahu?" Sushim scoffed "Victory is much more important
to me than rescuing your mother. Go, save her yourself. Don't bother me." Shoving
Subahu aside Sushim went on his way.
Within no time
Ashok reached the spot and stopped on encountering Subahu.
"Ashok, please
help me save my mother. She is in grave danger." Subahu entreated again.
Ashok glanced at
Sushim who was getting farther away with each passing moment and then returned
his gaze to the helpless boy whose heartfelt entreaty touched him. He was aware of the excruciating agony of
losing a loving mother and certainly did not wish such a misfortune to befall
even a foe. He realized that he had two choices, either to pursue his dream or
to save Subahu from experiencing the bereavement that he, himself, had had to
endure and at that moment his choice was made. He could live with losing a
competition but he could not live with the compunction of shoving one to endure
the bereavement of losing a mother.
"Lead me to the
place where your mother is. Don't worry together we will save him." Ashok
promised.
With a grateful
smile, Subahu beckoned Ashok to follow him. However, moments later, to his
utter befuddlement, Ashok found himself at the other end of the maze and in
front of emperor Bindusara, acharya chanakya and others. He glanced around but
there was still no sign of Sushim.
"You must be
thinking how suddenly you are standing at the other end of the maze. The real
test was to see if you are compassionate enough to give priority to others over
your own interests. As you have shown compassion you have won the competition.
A great warrior should also possess compassion beside valor and patriotism.
Valor without compassion becomes atrocious." Chanakya beamed.
A beaming Bindusara presented Chandragupta Maurya's sword to
an overwhelmed Ashok who accepted the honor with inherent humility. Once again
good triumphed over evil.
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