King Rudrasen looked up after reading the message. He turned around and started to pace his chamber. He found that he was feeling unusually calm after reading the message from the king of an enemy state. He had by now come to realise that Neel had saved the lives of Udayan and Pallavi. It was also true that he was present during the festival that proves that he could not be associated with the attacking party. Now that letter of apology—what could that mean? His large heartedness or weakness! It was also true that if South Kosala rejected the plea to be friendly, Mekal would be exploited by the Raghuvanshis to harm South Kosala in some way. Therefore, there was no harm in meeting Neel.
“Go and inform your king that I would like to meet him to discuss the next course of action,” Rudrasen told the messenger.
Mekal's messenger bowed and walked out.
“What brings you here Seth ji?” asked king Rudrasen to Ambarish.
“Your Highness, yesterday one of my carriages was attacked by the bandits. My son Aniruddha was also injured in the attack. Yesterday it was my son, tomorrow it could be anyone. We are heading towards troubled times,” meekly said Ambarish.
“We are aware of the nuisance of bandits and dacoits. We are doing all that is needed. We have enhanced security on the routes most affected by bandit attacks.”
“But will that stop the root of the problem, your Highness?”
“What are you trying to say? Speak freely.”
“Your Highness, you cannot kill a tree by cutting its branches. We have to unearth its roots.”
“We have been trying to do that by sending our soldiers to find and destroy their bases.”
“Rajan, their roots are not in the jungles of Dandakaranya. They are right here in our kingdom and in the states, that are ruled by us.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you snatch a man's self-esteem and pride, he goes to any limits to regain it. Even if that means taking up arms. Violence, robbery, killing and any other thing he can resort to attain his sense of identity. When slavery is unbearable— whether of body or of soul then a slave turns to become a bandit. To eliminate bandits, we have to abolish slavery.”
“Why have all of you started speaking the same language lately? Yuvraj spoke of the same issues the other day.”
“This is not just a language, your Highness. This is the voice of the conscience. If you delve deeper within yourself, you will find the same voice echoing in there.”
“We are already concerned about this, as I told you earlier. Give us some time and we will find out a solution soon.”
“Time is of the essence your Highness. Peaceful and ethical solutions are always welcome to us, Vaniks but as you know resorting to violence and cunningness is against our philosophy,” said Ambarish and took his leave.
Neel and Dhananjay agreed to visit Sripur on the invitation of king Rudrasen. It was decided that they will meet the king at his palace. Dhananjay was little apprehensive of meeting the king in his own den but Neel asked him to trust the Yaduvanshis this time.
The duo reached the king's palace on time. King Rudrasen came out to welcome the visitors. Neel and Dhananjay bowed with joined hands and the king reciprocated and requested them to be seated.
“We express our agony for the attack on the festival venue. But the truth is that even we didn't know about the attack.”
“Yes, I received your letter and I know when the attack was carried out both of you were hiding in our capital as spies,” replied King Rudrasen.
“Yes, your Highness, that's the truth. We have been attacked by your armies in recent times. We needed to strengthen ourselves by gaining more knowledge about your state.”
“How do you want me to trust those who hid in our capital in disguise to dig out information to use against us? Could this not be a shrewd political conspiracy?”
“Have we not trusted you by accepting your invite and coming unarmed to your palace?”
“We are Kshatriyas and we do not harm our guests. I am sure you are aware of that.”
“And you think that we Nishadas do not have our ideals?”
“It's time you prove it.”
“Have we not proved it already? We have saved the lives of your son and daughter.”
“How can I be sure that it was not your ploy to get the princess kidnapped first and then save her life to reach us?”
“If you do not have any trust on us then what for you invited us here, your Highness? Without a mutual trust, communication is impossible. We will simply be wasting our time arguing.”
“Hmmm...how are your relations with the Raghuvanshis?”
“They are your enemies. If you treat us as foes, then they can possibly become our friends.”
“And if you and we become friends?”
“You know the answer. A friend's enemy will be our enemy. I assure you of our loyalty and friendship.”
On hearing such words from Neel, King Rudrasen got up from his throne and walked up to them. He offered his hand and said, “From this day onwards we will treat you as friends. We will solve our issues by mutual discussions.”
The two kings shook hands and vowed to make Mekal and South Kosala friendly states.
“You had been hiding in Sripur in disguise, now I invite you to stay as our royal guests. Please accept our hospitality. It will be our honour. I am sure Udayan and Pallavi will be equally delighted.”
Chapter 32
It was a Kapalika den. The new moon night had engulfed the whole surrounding like a Kapalika's black garb. Inside, an enormous idol of Kaali with eight arms stood with one foot over Shiva's chest, who was lying on the ground. There was a small furnace for fire rituals in front of the idol. A strong odour and smoke rose from it and it lightened the mood of the whole area. Five Kapalikas sat around the furnace. They were dressed in black from top to toe. Their faces were dense and sombre. All of them had garlands of human bones around their neck. They were silently chanting some mantras with their eyes closed. Intermittently, they would open their eyes and offer servings of wine, ghee, and other ingredients into the fire. As soon as they dropped their offerings with the sounds of Swaha, the flames from the furnace would shoot up as if to accept the servings. The faces of the Kapalikas looked devilishly focused in the light of the fire. Not too far away from the furnace sat about two hundred young men. Their fists were clenched, and they had strong signs of determination on their faces.
Soon a woman entered the den. It was Shatvari. Her arrival eased the facial tension of the young men sitting there. Shatvari picked up a skull lying by the Kapalikas. It contained wine. She gulped it down in one go and put the empty skull down from where she had picked it up. She sat down by the Kapalikas.
The mantra recital was getting near a crescendo when the sound and the expression got more aggressive and forceful. The offerings to the fire increased and the flame continued to rise and crackle. In a matter of moments, the homa ritual was completed. To complete the ceremony Shatvari invoked Kaali in a raised voice. Everybody, including the Kapalikas and the young men also joined in.
“Mahakaali Bhadrakaali, give us strength to eliminate all the sins!”
All the young men chorused along.
“Mahakaali Bhadrakaali, eliminator of sins, give us strength!” After the invocation, they all joined their hands and silently thanked the goddess Kaali for the ritual.
“What do we have to do next?” asked one of the Kapalikas.
“Treatment! We must tend to the poisoned blood in our society that has given birth to the caste system and exploitation of the poor,” replied Shatvari.
“But how?”
“Poison can only be treated with poison.”
“What's the plan?”
“War! A decisive hurricane of war! So, strong and powerful that it will shake the foundations of the system and its weaknesses.”
“Do we have the resources for that?”
“I have created an invincible weapon. A chemical weapon. Just a mere touch of th
e chemical can kill or make a person unconscious. Victory will surely be ours.”
“If we have such an unbeatable weapon, what have we been waiting for? Why don't attack without losing a moment?”
“To be able to handle such a dangerous weapon, we must have its antidote just in case we get affected by its vile. I now have created its chemical antidote as well. Our soldiers will drink it and that will shield us from the effects of the weapon.”
“Are our soldiers trained to use this weapon?”
“Well trained and daring to go,” Shatvari looked back at the young men sitting behind her. She stood up and addressed all, “The time for a decisive battle has finally arrived. We will have to win this even if we have to lay our lives down. The caste system must be destroyed down to the ground. The discrimination based on caste, creed, and race must be eliminated and dumbed faraway from our society. We will build a society where nobody is a Shudra, or, an untouchable. Take a vow!”
“We take a vow that we will not think twice to lay our lives down to attain our cause,” All the young men roared loudly together.
“Tomorrow night, we will attack Sripur from Brahma entrance. Praise Mahakaali! Praise Bhadrakaali!” announced Shatvari.
“Jai Mahakaali! Jai Bhadrakaali!”
The darkness and drowsiness of midnight had enveloped the whole of Sripur. Brahma entrance was quiet and peaceful. Guards were alert and wide awake. A group of Chandalas arrived as usual to clean the capital. They were dressed in black, their brooms resting on their shoulders, and a wooden cart to carry away the scum. The guards let open a small door. There was no question of frisking the untouchable Chandalas. As soon as the guards opened the door, the group of Chandalas attacked the guard. A special machine that sprayed the chemical weapon was hid in every Chandala soldier's clothes. The chemical spread in the air at the push of a wooden lever. The guards started to fall around like amputated tree logs.
Soon, more than five hundred Chandalas, who had been hiding in the nearby forest rushed towards the open door to enter Sripur. They all were equipped with the spraying equipment, swords and daggers. While entering in the town, they slashed and jabbed the unconscious soldiers lying on the ground. Somehow the guards at the other entrance gate of Sripur found out about the onslaught and they blew the siren hoot. Many units of armed soldiers set about on foot and on horseback to control the sudden assault.
To a layman's eyes, the soldier units of South Kosala dwarfed the Chandala soldier's might. But the Chandalas had the invincible weapon that the South Kosala soldiers had no idea about. They were not only taken by surprise but also by a weapon that was unheard of.
Panic set within the ranks of the South Kosala force. Some soldiers could not fathom the situation and escaped at the sight of their fallen peers. Others who tried to use their swords tried that in vain as the mere spray of that liquid rendered all traditional artillery useless. Even the horses found it hard to run around as they too suffered the wrath of the chemical. Consequently, most royal guards and soldiers either fell or escaped, leaving a few brave men who too met the same end after trying to avert the inevitable.
The news reached the royal court faster than expected. King Rudrasen was briefed on the events of past couple of hours and he felt blood rushing to his eyes but kept calm and ordered his ministers to convene right away. Neel and Dhananjay who had been staying as royal guests were also called to the meeting. Udayan and Pallavi joined as well.
Rudrasen's face was pallid and tense. Udayan had warned him about the lurking revolt but it all happened this soon took him by surprise.
“We have been told that the chemical weapon they are using cannot be dealt with our traditional ammunition. We have to find a way soon enough,” said King Rudrasen addressing the court.
“But how, your Highness? We do not have any idea what this chemical is. By the time we will find out enough about it, most of our soldiers will be dead,” said the prime minister of the state.
“Only the Chandalas know about its antidote, I am sure. Only from them we can get it,” added Neel.
“How do you suggest we get it from them? Presently, we are even unable to touch them,” asked Udayan anxiously.
“One man can help us, I think,” said Pallavi.
“Who? Do you know that person? Tell us.”
“The same person who saved you from the sword of Prahlaad. I am sure he can help us against the revolt from Chandalas.”
“But how will we find him now? We don't even know his name.”
“I think if he disagreed with the ways of the Kapalika and saved your life, he will surely come to us to help us,” said Neel.
“How can you be so sure of this? We cannot sit here and wait for him to turn up while the Chandalas are making their way to the royal castle,” said the prime minister.
Just then a guard walked in, bowed to the king and informed him that a young man wanted to meet him. His name was Shatrughna.
“Shatrughna! Yes, that's the name of that young boy I told you about,” exclaimed Pallavi. Her eyes lit up in excitement.
“Bring the young man in right away,” ordered the king.
Shatrughna walked in the court and bowed to everybody and addressed the king, “Your Highness, I have an important information to give to you. The present revolt in your kingdom has been masterminded by my mother.”
“Well, that doesn't change anything. Tell us, if you can help us in anyway?” asked the king.
Even before Shatrughna could speak, Neel added, “We need to know more about the chemical weapon that they are using against the soldiers. Do you know where the antidote can be found?”
“I have no information on that, your Highness. But I do not approve of this bloodbath and violent revolution. It destroys both sides,” said Shatrughna.
“Is that all you have come to tell us young man?” said Neel.
“No, I have come to inform you that maybe I can stop my mother. I am going to do it,” said Shatrughna.
Udayan asked, “You know your mother is so full of hatred and her heart beats with revenge. How can you stop her?”
“The time has come to test a mother's affection and a woman's tenderness. Let me see if the love can win over revenge and hatred,” Shatrughna bowed and walked out soon as he finished his sentence.
Everybody looked at each other with mixed feelings of hope and disbelief. They discussed what could happen if Shatrughna failed. King Rudrasen was still as flushed as before.
Neel sensed the mood of the court and addressed everybody, “I know we have to rely on the young man who is going to win over his mother with love. It's strange and maybe unfortunate that our fate depends on that clash of love and hatred and we don't know what would happen. But I can feel it that it is going to be a love's victory.”
“But Rajan, you always said that the emotion of hatred is much stronger than that of love. How come now you think that it's going to be love's victory? What signs tell you this?” asked Dhananjay.
“You don't need to always look for external signs. Sometimes you should also listen to your heart's voice”
Neel's confident words infused new vigour in the king's eyes and everybody else looked visibly relieved.
Shatvari was intoxicated with the pangs of revenge and a hope for imminent victory. She knew that her soldiers had trapped the South Kosala soldiers just like a hunter traps an unsuspecting wild beast. She had killed thousands of men as young as her son. Nothing could deter her from her plan it seemed.
She was taken down from her trance by a sight that she least expected at this hour. It was Shatrughna standing right in front of her, right amidst the battle zone. That too, completely unarmed.
“Shatrughna, don't be a fool, get out of here, fast,” shouted Shatvari.
“You are doing a foolish thing by engaging in this mass murder, my dear mother,” replied Shatrughna.
“This is not a mass murder. It's a battle, it's a battle for an objective to win back our rights. To demolish this c
aste system that has enslaved us for generations.”
“You are not demolishing a flawed system but the whole civilization out of your madness. System can be improved, changed, but not demolished like this. Look around yourself, what have you achieved. Only piles of dead corpses, getting higher with every passing moment. You are spreading chaos and anarchy.”
“Do not preach me Shatrughna. This system has become a devilish atrocity. The people who groom this system have become heinous sinners and they must be punished. That is the dictate of my dharma.”
“What about these young men you have murdered because they were only performing their dharma of protecting their state? Were they not doing their dharma? Or have you created your own definition of dharma?”
Just then Shatvari shrieked in sheer disbelief as a Chandala soldier attacked Shatrughna with the spray. Shatrughna collapsed on the spot.
“What have you done; you fool! He is my son,” Shatvari ran towards the collapsed Shatrughna picked him up and embraced him in her arms.
“Don't worry my son, nothing will happen to you,” Shatvari embraced Shatrughna tightly and asked the soldier standing to go and get her the antidote quickly.
“But we don't have that here. It is in the Chandala basti, as per your instructions,” replied the soldier.
Shatvari remembered that she herself arranged for the antidote to hide in a specific location to keep it in safe custody.
“Don't delay then, let's take Shatrughna back to the basti,” ordered Shatvari.
Revenge of the Chandalas Page 21