“Greetings Commander! We welcome you in the kingdom of Nishadaraj Neel.” said Ranveer joining his palms together to greet the commander in his tent.
The Commander of the North Kosala army was a tall and well-built man of around forty years. His name was Indrajit. He was of fair complexion. A delicately shaved beard, wide forehead, and long hair tied together neatly made him look like a man of prominence. He was accompanied by about fifty armed soldiers who stayed outside the tent.
“Greetings Commander! How are you?” replied Indrajit with palms joined together.
“What do you think I am feeling after listening to the news you sent?” replied Ranveer looking worried and anxious.
“That's why I am here. We are here to help you in this moment of distress.”
“So, what is your plan Commander? How can you help us in this situation?”
“We have a plan to free his Highness Neel and his friend Dhananjay from the clutches of Sripur's army. There is a huge festival at Mahanadi's bank outside the fort of Sripur, day after tomorrow. Princess of South Kosala Pallavi will be coming to that festival. We plan to kidnap the princess. We will negotiate the release of his Highness and his friend in return of the princess. This will result in meeting our goal without a battle or bloodbath,” explained Indrajit.
“Kidnap the princess! But don't you think there will be heavy security for her there?” asked the sceptic Ranveer.
“Don't worry about security. Our battalion will be ready there as and when needed.” assured Indrajit.
“I am short of words to thank you my friend. How many soldiers should I take along?” asked Ranveer holding both hands of Indrajit in his hands.
“You can send about fifty. We will brief them. Maybe we won't need that many, but we should be prepared for any eventuality,” replied Indrajit with a smile.
“Your Highness!” asked Vaishali looking shocked at finding Neel and Dhananjay at her doorstep.
“How are you Vaishali? We were concerned about you?” asked Neel still looking worried.
“I am okay, your Highness, what about you?”
“Yaduvanshis have found out about us, Vaishali.” replied Neel looking anxious.
“How did that happen? Nobody knows about you here except me. Are you…?” asked Vaishali looking puzzled and confused.
“No, Vaishali. We can't doubt you. Rather we were worried about you. If they have found about us, they'd soon find out that you are helping us. That will bring trouble to you,” said Neel showing concern towards her.
“Don't worry too much about me your Highness! I have learnt over the years how to tackle these Yaduvanshis. But what about you, what will you do?” asked Vaishali.
“We will have to get out of here as soon as we can. The security is too tight, and it'll get harder as the time progresses,” replied Neel.
“You can stay at my house for at least a couple of days. In two days, there is a cultural festival in Sripur, outside the fort in a Vishnu temple on the bank of Mahanadi. There will be a lot of cultural programs. Artists, musicians, dancers will come from all over the country. They will all congregate here in the town and leave together towards the temple tomorrow. I can mix you two in disguise with them and you can leave the town easily,” suggested Vaishali.
“Two days here? But I think they are already looking for you. They will come here for sure,” added Dhananjay.
“Nobody will know. I am going to serve the guests. I have a basement in my house where you can hide. I will lock the door from outside. Nobody will know,” assured Vaishali.
Vaishali's confident assurance relieved the duo. Neel looked at Vaishali with tenderness and asked, “What do you mean by 'you are going to serve the guests'?”
“You know what I mean, your Highness! Let it go,” whispered Vaishali tenderly while looking down.
“Vaishali I promise with all my heart that I will avenge Yaduvanshis for all the humiliation you have to go through here,” replied Neel while clinching his fists and a tear drop rolled down his royal cheek.
“This is the last thing you should worry about now your Highness! You must think about escaping out of here,” replied Vaishali gently looking up at Neel's face.
Chapter 21
Shatvari's parents found out about all the events. Damodar's father Acharya ji wasn't aloof to it either. They all tried to talk Shatvari into going back to Damodar and restore her household, but she wouldn't listen to anyone. She believed that if her love had any strength, it would pull Damodar back to her. Whether he came with repent or begging on his knees is another matter. She wouldn't initiate the matter at all.
In the meantime, Shatvari started to meet Gunjan frequently. His talks were soothing to her estranged heart. She started to get engrossed in devotion to God. She started to believe in the thought that what we call love was actually a yearning for the Almighty. It's just a matter of expression.
A lot of people from the village started to talk about Shatvari. Not only was she living with her parents leaving her husband in town, she was associating with another man, that too a Shudra. Tongues wagged. Aditi's father Pandit Vishvamohan also felt it going beyond the social rules. He was already not happy with the growing fame of Gunjan, now his frequent meetings with a Brahmin girl made the matters worse.
“Why is Shatvari living with her parents? Why not go back to her husband?” Pandit ji asked Aditi.
“How would I know? It's their internal matter.”
“These things are not simply internal matters of a family. These are social matters. We all live in a social order. It's not right for a married girl to come live with her parents for so long.”
“She is living with her parents, why do you care?”
“If every girl started to do that, our whole social system will collapse. What about her frequent meetings with that Shudra cartman!”
“What about it? He is no more simply a cartman. He is a saintly figure now.”
“How can a Shudra take up the job of a Brahmin?”
“Maharishi Valmiki was also a Shudra.”
“Right, so now you will also teach me dharma and philosophy. I am telling you in clear words Aditi, I do not want you to meet that girl anymore.”
Aditi didn't reply. She bowed her head and went out of the room.
Soon Shatvari found out that she was pregnant with Damodar's child. The feeling of motherhood made her even more anguished as the father of the unborn child was not with her. That erupted into thoughts of doubt and nervousness. She felt the urge to go back to him. But she had decided not to do that until he came with apologies. But now even if he did come back, it would be more likely for the sake of the child and not for her.
Soon the whole village found out about the news of her pregnancy. People started to link the child with Gunjan. Pandit Vishvamohan grabbed this opportunity with both hands. He had obvious issues with Gunjan, and he was jealous of Shastri ji's social reputation too. He felt he could kill two birds with a single stone.
Village chief Jugalkishore and head of Panchayat, Sarpanch Ramprasad were present in the meeting called by Pandit Vishvamohan.
Jugalkishore was a short and stocky man of dark complexion. Protruding belly and round face gave an impression of a man enslaved by luxuries. On the other hand, Ramprasad was a tall and lanky man of dark complexion and sharp features. He had an aura of alertness on his face.
“This cartman Gunjan is hell bent on destroying all our social traditions. He goes around his Shudra community reciting the Vedic knowledge as if it's a child's play,” Pandit Vishvamohan was loud and clear in his tone.
“Yes, we have also heard him saying that a lot of rituals, were irrelevant and useless. He stresses for devotion and meditation instead.” Jugalkishore said.
“That is all because of Pandit Aditya Shastri ji. He gave the lessons in holy texts to this Shudra. On top of that his own daughter has left her husband and is now staying with them. If that wasn't enough, she is very cosy and a frequent visitor to this
cartman, Gunjan,” Pandit Vishvamohan wanted to come right to the point.
“There is no doubt that Shastri ji is a very learned man. He would have pondered long and hard before imparting Gunjan with the Vedic knowledge. He would have tested his abilities before making him his student.” stated Sarpanch Ramprasad.
“Can Shastri ji decide who can or cannot study the Vedas? Our tradition and culture do not allow this at all,” replied Pandit Vishvamohan.
“Traditions are created and modified by learned intellectuals of the society. I believe that someone like Shastri ji has the deserving right to guide us in the right direction even if that meant changing the traditions.” insisted Ramprasad.
Jugalkishore felt that the discussion was getting hot. He suggested, “Why should we argue about this here? Why not call the Panchayat and let it be argued in front of the whole village?”
Panchayat was called and the whole village gathered around the five members of the Panchayat. Gunjan and Shatvari were summoned as the accused. Shastri ji and Acharya ji served the dual role of the relatives of the accused as well as the religious social experts. Pandit Vishvamohan was also invited to give his expert opinion.
Village chief Jugalkishore started the proceedings by addressing the whole gathering, “Today's Panchayat has been called to assess the accusations labelled against Gunjan and Shatvari. Gunjan has been accused of imparting the Vedic knowledge to Shudras. He, himself being a Shudra, has no right to interpret and spread his Vedic knowledge to people. Shatvari has been accused of leaving her husband and living with her parents. On top of that she maintains friendship with another man despite being pregnant. Now I hand over the matter to the five members of this Panchayat and the invited experts to discuss and come to a mutually agreed solution.”
As soon as Jugalkishore finished, Sarpanch Ramprasad addressed Shastri ji, Acharya ji, and Pandit Vishvamohan, “First I would like to hear the opinion of our experts here. Shastri ji what do you have to say about the accusations?”
Shastri ji thought serenely for few moments and then said, “According to the Vedic Shastras, a person can't be truly labelled Brahmin by birth. A person's aptitude, intellectual level, and abilities should decide the social hierarchy for him. There are many examples in the history of Aryan culture where people born into non-Brahmin families went on to become great Rishis and Maharishis. Maharishi Valmiki, Maharishi Vishvamitra, Rishi Jabaal and many more....”
Even before Shastri ji could finish, Pandit Vishvamohan interrupted by saying, “That was a different era...at that time Aryan society was not so vast. It was easier to manage the small population. That's why it was allowed to change from one social community to another. Now our society is an ever-expanding population. We must have a definite system in place to keep the society in discipline. If everyone did as they please, we'll have no system left and a chaos will set in.”
“But life's goal is to follow your path as per your inherent abilities and aptitude. If we forcefully kept people in social systems irrespective of their abilities, how will the society move forward? If we do not allow people to realize their true potential, they will be dejected resulting in frustration in the society. That kind of all-pervasive frustration and anguish will culminate in some sort of revolt. You might know of numerous such examples from history.” said Shastri ji.
“Abilities and basic aptitude come from parents and ancestors. And every soul takes birth based on its karma in previous births. A person born in a Shudra family will have the aptitude and hereditary instincts of a Shudra,” stressed Pandit Vishvamohan.
That made Gunjan stand up and speak directly to Pandit Vishvamohan. He said, “If you are challenging my abilities, why not test it by doing a Vedic Shastrarth with me. We'll all find out who stands where.”
“Shastrarth with a Shudra! You want to spoil my dharma, you fool!” shouted Pandit ji.
“Pandit ji don't refer to Vedas when you talk about upper and lower classes. Vedas and Upanishads never teach discrimination.” Shastri ji spoke in favour of his student.
“Shastri ji you might not remember that Vedas clearly say that Brahmins were created out of God's mouth, Kshatriyas from the arms, Vaishyas from his thighs, and Shudras from the feet. Hence, Shudras must stay at the bottom of the social system.” explained Pandit ji.
“You are talking strange Pandit ji. We all know that the holiest place in the entire universe is at the feet of the Almighty God. Then how come someone arising out of God's feet is the lowest? He could be right up there at the top.” Shastri ji replied back.
Pandit ji kept quiet. Sarpanch Ramprasad asked everyone, “So what should we do with this cartman Gunjan?”
Shastri ji said, “I have complete faith in Gunjan's intellectual abilities. If you have any doubt, you can invite Pandit ji to have a Shastrarth with Gunjan. Otherwise, considering his intellectual and spiritual insights, he should be declared a Brahmin in front of everyone here.”
“And what about your daughter Shatvari?”
“I suggest Shatvari to allow Damodar one more chance. She should forgive him this one time and restart her domestic life again.”
Shatvari was never in agreement with that suggestion. By now she had completely distanced Damodar from her heart. She was always thinking and waiting for her only child. She was upset to hear her father's words. She said, “Is this not a very male-dominated society? A woman who is holier than the Ganges is asked to pass through the fire to prove her sanctity, while a man who has been proven guilty of acute adultery is offered forgiveness and another chance!”
“Everything is contextual. What happened in past had its own relevant and appropriate context. Religion teaches, forgiveness and patience. It's my humble request that you give Damodar another chance, especially when he is fully regretful of his mistakes.”
“Simply being regretful is not sufficient. One needs to atone for his sins.” replied Shatvari.
“My dear, I suggest you listen to your father's advice and respect the decorum in this Panchayat.” spoke Sarpanch Ramprasad to Shatvari. He addressed the villagers and said, “I now request everyone to stay put as we will now discuss this matter with all the present members. We will reach a decision in a few minutes.”
After discussing all the aspects with present members, Sarpanch Ramprasad stood up and stated, “After hearing all the opinions on the matter concerning Gunjan and Shatvari, we have come to this conclusion that Gunjan should be declared a Brahmin based on his knowledge and abilities. Shatvari is also ordered keeping in mind the culture and traditions of our society to allow Damodar the chance to remorse and amend his mistake. Panchayat also requests Shastri ji and Acharya ji to help Shatvari and Damodar to reunite in their domestic life. With this decision, the Panchayat is dissolved for today.”
Chapter 22
A conglomeration of artists from all over the country was gathered in Sripur's guesthouse. The festival was an ancient tradition of Sripur. Some people believed it to go as far back as the time when Sripur used to be a great centre of cultural activities in the Aryavart. Artists trained in almost all forms of art and magic were there. Best of singers, musicians, poets, writers, actors, magicians, impressionists, illusionists and comedians.
All the guests were accommodated in the best comfortable royal arrangement. Vaishali and other courtesans were asked to look after and entertain the guests. They were to do their best to please them. No complaints expected.
As the dusk fell on the town of Sripur, the gathering of myriad art forms came alive. Vaishali and other damsels started serving wine to the guests. As the wine made its way in, interesting expressions of art started to spurt out.
A poet from Maithil recited a poem on women touching upon the aspects of love and beauty. Round of praises flew in the air. Somebody put up a request to compose the poem into music. A musician from Vidarbha created a quick melody for the poem and a vocalist from Avanti prepared himself to sing it. Amidst all this an artist from North Kosala rose with a suggestion to ar
range for a dance to reflect upon the beauty of women form. They wanted a lady to dance to the newly composed tune.
“What is your name beautiful lady?” asked the poet from Maithil addressing Vaishali.
“It's Vaishali,” she replied.
“Would you give us the pleasure of your dance on my verses?” requested the poet.
“Yes, but…” Vaishali hesitated.
“Leave your 'if and but'. If an angelic beauty like you would dance on my poem the words will come alive,” said the poet.
Vaishali thought for a while about the instructions to please the guests in whatever way they wanted. So, she affirmed to dance for the assembled artists.
The singer from Avanti hit melodious notes of a raga and Vaishali's feet fluttered on the floor matching the rhythm of the music. The poet's verses were coming to life as hoped by him. He knew no limits to his excitement. Wine, music, and the courtesan's spell-binding dance aroused him to the extent that he rose and started to sway with Vaishali. For a moment, his dance amused a few but soon it turned into indecency. Vaishali felt uncomfortable and tried to move away from the poet but he kept following her. He started to pull her with her arms and wrap his arms round her waist.
“With all due respect, you are crossing the limits of decency now!” shouted Vaishali out of sheer desperation.
“Aah, so the limits of decency are set by dancing courtesans in South Kosala now?” blurted out the poet sneering at Vaishali.
Some people didn't like all this. One of the artists who had requested Vaishali to dance, got up and addressed the poet, “My dear respected poet, you are speaking under the effect of alcohol. It would be better if you sat down and not impair any longer the decorum of this house.”
Revenge of the Chandalas Page 13