AJAYA - RISE OF KALI (Book 2)

  Vidhura turned away, unable to look at those greying eyes. His heart felt as heavy as a stone. At that moment Vidhura hated the Suta and his victory more than anything in life.

  Bhishma went to his chair, sat down, and gestured to Vidhura to sit near him. Relieved, Vidhura eased himself onto the chair. Bhishma began going through the pile of palm leaves on the table but it was evident his mind was not on the task. The victory procession had moved into the palace and the faint sounds of cheering and clapping floated into the Grand Regent’s chamber. Each time they heard footsteps outside, the men looked at each other and then at the door, expectantly. After what seemed like an unendurably long wait, they heard a knock.

  Bhishma sat back in his chair, the expression on his rugged face was stern and cold. “It must be Suyodhana and his friends come to tell us of the victory.”

  Vidhura walked to the door. It opened to admit a servant, who bowed deeply and placed a silver tray with a glass of milk and a bowl of dried fruit and nuts on the table and then left without a word. The two most important men in the empire looked at each other silently.

  Bhishma beckoned to Vidhura and they began poring over the various administrative matters of State. Time dragged by. The party ended in the palace but no invitation came for the Grand Regent. Finally, when the sky had grown grey in the east, Bhishma stood up wearily.

  Vidhura did not look up. He knew what was coming. When the Royal Insignia of the Kuru empire was gently placed before him, the Prime Minister turned away, tears in his eyes. “No Swami, no. Do not do this...”

  “Vidhura, my time has ended. Prince Suyodhana is being kind. Remember my words, Vidhura? I said I would hand over the reins of empire to him if the Suta came back alive. Well, he has not only come back alive, but victorious. Hastinapura no longer needs the services of this old man. The Prince has subtly reminded me of my own insignificance.”

  “No, Swami, no.” Vidhura stood up angrily. “I will talk sense into that young fool. He cannot treat you like this. I will not allow anyone to treat you like this.”

  “Vidhura, no man is indispensable – neither you, nor me. If someone thinks otherwise, he is a fool. The world existed before us, and will do so after we are gone. My time has ended, that is all. I am no longer young. I have borne the burden of ruling this country for a very long time. For the last three generations, I have nurtured this kingdom, without in-fighting, palace feuds or coups. Before me, the corridors of power were paved with the flesh of kin fighting kin for the throne. The flowers in the garden drank more blood than water. For three generations, I have preserved this land. Now the Princes have grown up. My duty is done. The time has come for this old man to rest.”

  “Sir, the throne for which all these fools are fighting, belongs to you. It is only because of your renunciation...”

  “I did it voluntarily, Vidhura. This also I do voluntarily. I must keep my word. Let Suyodhana rule. Let him learn how easy or difficult it is to rule a country, a people. Let me sit back and watch. It is already a new day. The past was buried yesterday. The sun is now shining on a new generation. The Sun God has showered his blessings on the Suta. So be it. Who am I to question destiny?”

  “Swami, they are young and heedless, they may have forgotten... ”

  “Vidhura, the past is meant to be forgotten. We are the past. I am not bitter, why are you? Hand over the Insignia to the Crown Prince and announce my retirement. Do not wake him now. They will be tired after their celebrations. You, too, go home and get some sleep. I can now sleep with a clear conscience and a free heart. Ah! The sweetness of freedom is exhilarating. I should have done this long ago.”

  With a sinking heart, Vidhura took the Insignia from the Grand Regent’s outstretched hand and walked to the door.

  “Vidhura.” The call was soft and tender and Vidhura felt he would collapse right there and die. “Son, do not do anything rash. You have a family to feed. Your children are still young. Do not resign your post. The younger generation needs your wise counsel.”

  “Suyodhana can search for a new Prime Minister from today. If poverty awaits me, so be it, but I will not bow my head to any man other than you.”

  For the first time in his life Vidhura defied the Grand Regent and walked out. He did not know how he was going to feed his family and bring up his children, but he was determined never to enter the palace again.

  It was a glorious day outside.

  *****

  17 DARK PRINCE

  A LONG TRAIN OF SERVANTS CARRIED in the ransom and loot from the Southern Confederate and piled it in the Sabha. Karna walked to the centre of the great hall and pulled out a fistful of precious stones. He turned towards the group of Brahmins standing huddled in the corner with sullen faces. “Revered ones, these are the humble offerings of a Suta,” he said, placing the stones on the floor and walking back a few steps so as not to pollute them. He stood humbly, his head bowed.

  The Brahmin priests looked at each other. One of them quickly moved forward to pick up the stones. Seeing that the Suta’s respect appeared to be genuine, they broke into animated conversation. Finally, one of them cried out, “Dhanaveera Karna! Dharmaveera Karna!”

  An uneasy silence followed. Karna stood upright and tense. Then the group of priests shouted the accolades in chorus, their voices reverberating through the palace. Karna’s handsome face lit up like the rising sun. At last, he was getting his due. The people who mattered were accepting him as a hero.

  “What is all this, Karna?” Suyodhana whispered in his friend’s ear, but Karna ignored him. He was terrified that his friend would say something rash.

  Bhanumati appeared with her twins, saving the situation. Lakshmana Kumara ran towards Karna, followed by his sister. They jumped into Karna’s arms as Bhanumati looked on with a smile. But when her eyes met Karna’s, she pressed her lips together and tears filled her eyes. Suyodhana stood apart. Karna sensed that something was wrong between his friend and his wife. What had happened?

  “Where is Aswathama?” Karna asked.

  Suyodhana stared out of the window. Karna’s eyes searched for the impish Brahmin in the crowd. Had he not returned from Gandhara?

  “He has not come back,” Bhanumati whispered.

  “Not come back! And you are sitting here doing nothing?” Karna turned to Suyodhana but his friend refused to look at him.

  “Lord Bhishma has a vice-like grip over everything. He and Uncle Vidhura would not hear of a rescue mission to Gandhara. Why blame Suyodhana?” Sushasana said, moving closer to his brother.

  “Suyodhana, we must save him,” Karna said, his eyes glittering dangerously.

  A soldier entered and announced the King of Sindh.

  “Jayadratha! We had no prior intimation of your coming!” Suyodhana walked towards the proud King, hands outstretched.

  Jayadratha looked at the bounty piled in the hall, the group of Brahmins standing with their presents clutched to their chests, and laughed mirthlessly. A flush crept into Karna’s cheeks.

  “Congratulations, my friend. You have become Dhanaveera Digvijayi Karna,” Jayadratha said, the sarcasm barely concealed.

  “With the help of your men, Your Highness. It is all thanks to the bravery of the soldiers you lent me,” Karna said with cold civility, bowing low. The soldiers of Sindh had been the first to turn tail when they faced the assault of the Confederate troops.

  “I have a gift for you, Suyodhana. I have captured the leader of the Nagas – Takshaka himself,” Jayadratha announced.

  An awed hush fell in the Sabha.

  “Bring him in!” Jayadratha commanded, his cold eyes never leaving the proud Suta’s face. He was not the only man who could perform wondrous feats.

  As the Sabha waited anxiously, a group of soldiers pushed and shoved a tall, dark man in chains into the hall. His muscles rippled as he tried to free himself.

  “Behold Takshaka!” Jayadratha turned to Suyodhana, awaiting his words of appreciation.

  The Sabha reverberated
with applause. When the din died down, Suyodhana moved towards the captive man. His gaze rested on the man’s right hand. It had four fingers. The captive looked him straight in the eyes, the hint of a smile on his lips.

  “Ekalavya! Welcome to the Sabha of the Dark Prince, Duryodhana,” said Suyodhana.

  *****

  18 NISHADA’S DAUGHTER

  EKALAVYA EYED THE CROWN PRINCE HAUGHTILY. He knew it was a futile statement but he could not help rattling the chains that bound him. ‘They are amused, these privileged, highborn rascals; amused to see me like this. They make me stand in their Sabha like a performing monkey in a market.’ Rancour welled in his heart like bitter bile. ‘Where is Drona’s son? Why did the Suta laugh? They will no doubt purify the marble floors with cow dung after sending me to the gallows. They should have killed me instead of subjecting me to such humiliation.’

  “Untie him.”

  Ekalavya could not believe his ears. A soldier struggled to free him of his chains. A little girl, standing near the throne, giggled. Ekalavya stared at her, anger burning in his eyes. ‘Even the little ones of these high-castes make fun of us,’ he thought. But the little girl smiled at him, dimples leaping into her cheeks. With the chains removed, the thought of fleeing flashed though Ekalavya’s mind. No, he was exhausted. Months of imprisonment had sapped his strength. His body could not follow his mind as quickly as he wanted it to. He would have to bear the humiliation for some time.

  “I have been trying to trace you for a long time, Ekalavya, in fact, from the day you gave Drona your gurudakshina,” Suyodhana said.

  Ekalavya quickly covered his mutilated hand with his other one. “So you have not finished having fun with us, eh?” Ekalavya smiled at the gasps in the Sabha. It felt good talking back to the mighty Crown Prince. Perhaps he only had a few minutes to live but he was determined to go down with his head held high. “You think you have defeated us? Krishna thinks he has escaped. You may kill me, but one day my people will rise and sweep you into the Ganga. You can kill me now, but how many Ekalavyas will you kill, Duryodhana? The forests of this country are pregnant with revolution. There are thousands of Ekalavyas rising.”

  “Ekalavya, I wish to stop the revolution.”

  “The entire army of Hastinapura and all the great warriors here will not be able to stop it, Prince.”

  “I do not wish to stop it by force. I know I cannot do that. I wish to stop it by...”

  “By acting nice and throwing us some tidbits? Ha, I would rather face your cousin Arjuna’s arrows than your patronising acts.”

  “You feel proud to be rude, Nishada? I am merely extending my hand in friendship.”

  “Are you so desperate to prove yourself a good man, Prince? You think I will fall for such petty tricks? You are preparing for a war against your cousins. You think one more warrior, even without a thumb, will be useful against Arjuna? Do you want to know what we think about your fight with your cousins? We think that it is a sham. Whoever wins, our plight will remain the same.”

  “I am the only person who has stood up for your people.”

  Ekalavya watched Suyodhana flush with anger. His ghost thumb itched savagely. “Where were you, Prince, when my aunt and cousins were burned like chickens in the trap you set for your cousins? What did you do when Arjuna murdered thousands of helpless women and children to build Indraprastha? Had your nobility gone into hiding then? Where were all the mighty warriors – the righteous Bhishma, the great Guru Dronacharya, the noble Suyodhana, the wise Vidhura, and Dhanaveera Dharmaveera Karna? Where were all of you when our people were dying in the forest fire or being shot by Arjuna’s arrows? Not a man raised his voice to say it was adharma, not one woman of this noble land shed a tear!” “I have tried to make amends. The Pandavas have been exiled.”

  “Ha, you tricked them, not because you felt sorry for our people but because a woman laughed at you. Do not make your battle with cousins to be some cosmic fight between dharma and adharma. Do you think the common people cannot see through it? These are cheap political ploys for power to crush the weak and oppress the common people. The Pandavas bow to the Brahmins because they think they will get their support in their war against you. You have already lost the support of the priestly class, so you have come to us, thinking we will shed our worthless blood for you. Do you think you can sit on the throne and claim you are our saviour? Think again, Prince; we live in different worlds.”

  “Another word from your uncouth mouth and you are dead, Nishada.” Karna’s sword was pressed against Ekalavya’s throat, his eyes glittering. He looked at Suyodhana for permission to plunge in the sword and silence the Nishada, but Suyodhana was looking away, his eyes clouded with shame.

  “Go ahead, Suta, show your loyalty,” said Ekalavya, facing Karna calmly. The sword pressed into the Nishada’s skin and a drop of blood appeared.

  “Karna, drop your sword! He has the right to speak in this Sabha. If I do not listen to the voice of my own people, what kind of King will I be? Free him!” Suyodhana waited until Karna reluctantly returned his sword to its scabbard and then turned to Ekalavya. “I do not know what force prompts me to act the way I do. Perhaps I am a selfish man, who has done many things wrong to gain power. But power is my birthright. I am the firstborn of the King and no one can take that right from me. I was wrong to disrobe Draupadi, I admit it to my eternal shame. But I will not accept being called evil by my cousins and their sycophants. I do not have the blood of innocent people on my hands as they do. Your aunt and cousins, the thousands that were slain in Khandivaprastha, the blood of King Jarasandha and your father Hiranyadhanus, the list is endless, yet I am called the evil one, not my cousins Pandavas. Ironic, is it not?”

  “Have you dragged me here to listen to your justifications, Prince? We have suffered enough because of the power struggle between you Kuru cousins. Our people are desperate and many among us think Takshaka is the answer to our problems. I know Takshaka, and I know what will happen if his revolution wins. We are caught between you.”

  “I will make amends, not only for my silence when my cousins razed Khandivaprastha, but also for the wrongs done to your people. I will make you King of all the forest lands in Hastinapura’s domain.”

  The assembly broke into an uproar. Even Karna looked shocked. Ekalavya watched Karna’s reaction before replying. Perhaps the Suta was thinking he was not as special as he had thought. Suyodhana had gone one step further than he had done with the Suta, and dared to offer kingship to a Nishada. ‘But I am no Suta to wag my tail before the master,’ Ekalavya thought to himself. He rubbed his chin with his mutilated right hand and smiled when he saw Suyodhana wince. The thumbless hand had that effect on most people.

  “Are you trying to buy me off, Prince? Who are you to make me King of my own lands? Your writ does not run in the deep forests of this country. The only power you have over me is to kill me now. I have faced death and far greater humiliation than you can subject me to. You hold no power over me. You can bestow nothing on me.”

  “Suyodhana, will you allow this arrogant Nishada to insult you like this?” Karna’s hand was once again on his sword. Jayadratha and Sushasana also moved closer to the Nishada, ready to pounce on him at the slightest nod from Suyodhana.

  “Karna, we can silence one Nishada here. Can we silence the entire country? We have thirteen years until my cousins return and stake a claim to my throne. I know war will come, but I do not intend to allow them to take what is not theirs. Meanwhile, I am determined to prove I am fit to rule this land. I will not be bound by mindless rules and traditions. I will listen to the voice of the people. He is that voice. I will not silence him. Yes, I want power. I am no God, nor claim to be the son of one. My parents are mortals, blind at that. Ekalavya’s words have made me realise I was more concerned about the insult from Draupadi than the mass murder Arjuna committed in Khandiva; more concerned about clearing my name in the house of lac incident than about the lives of the Nishada woman and her children who peris
hed in it. Does that make me evil? Perhaps it does. Does it make me more evil than the ones who actually committed those acts? That is for posterity to decide.

  “All my acts are selfish, including our friendship, Karna. Every act of love is selfish. I believe that when the time comes, you will stand by my side. So will Jayadratha, Aswathama and Sushasana. I believe that all my brothers will stand by me, not because I am righteous or the epitome of dharma, which I am not, but because you love me as a man and a friend. I offer the same friendship to you, Ekalavya. It is for you to accept or reject it. Whatever your decision, you will leave here a free man. I cannot promise what will happen tomorrow; perhaps as a ruler I may order your death or capture, but today you have a choice.”

  Ekalavya was thrown into confusion. Was this a trap? Was the offer of friendship nothing but a bait by the Prince, the usual one set by the elite to trap the poor? Ekalavya tried to hide his emotions but found it difficult to mask his happiness. Was this not what he had always yearned for, to be accepted like Karna by the same society that had made him toil to put together his shattered ambition? Yet, in a corner of his mind, something nagged at him; his primeval instincts told him it was a big mistake to align himself with the Crown Prince.

  “I will accept your offer on my own terms – you will not interfere in our affairs; there will be no killing of Nagas, Nishadas, Kiratas or any forest dwellers; you will grant me freedom to rule as I deem fit; and in the areas I rule, no varna or jati system will be accepted.”

  “I agree, but on one condition. When required, you and your people will support me.”

  “You will have to earn it, Prince. You are acting in your selfish interests and I in mine.”