The Rigveda Code

by Rashmi Chendvankar

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  CHAPTER 14

  THE CAPITAL UNDER ATTACK

  “Vaishali has been attacked by the Magadhan army!” a messenger blurted in half breath, as he got down from his horse. He handed over a message roll which had come from Prime Minister Prabhavsen. Rikshavi froze. She stared at the sunset across the lake and then at Vikram. “Calm down, Rikshavi…” Vikram said, as he opened the message roll….

  Vaishali has been attacked by Magadh. King Vrajesh and Prince Amogh are leading the army against the attack of the Magadhans. It was our mistake to assume that it is logistically impossible for Magadh to attack us within such a short time after our attack on Saurashtra. They obviously have a strong intelligence network and knew about our plans in advance. We also suspect that Kosal and Magadh have secretly allied and the Magadhan army also consists of Kosal soldiers. It is likely that the Magadhans have been accompanied by some Kosal army officer, who has guided them through the route to Vaishali from the western banks of the Ganga. This route is difficult to maneuver, unless the army is accompanied by a person who thoroughly knows this terrain. Apart from the Vrijian soldiers, only Kosal army officers can do this. They had access to this terrain earlier, since Kosal and Vrij have been allies for a long time. Things are getting difficult each day, as the Magadhan army is capturing our food supply routes. This again indicates the guidance of an insider, probably a Kosal army officer. Our army may run out of food within a month. Commander Vajrasen has captured Saurashtra. He has now been ordered to provide reinforcements to us”

  Vikram was distraught. He rolled back the message and sat down on a rock.

  “Is there any other message from Prabhavsenji?” Rikshavi asked the messenger. “Yes…” the messenger said, “Prabhavsenji has asked me to tell you that the throne will be protected at all costs……”

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  Days seemed like months….. Each day passed with a heightened apprehension about the happenings in Vaishali….. It was more than a month since the last message had come from Vaishali….. Rikshavi sat by the window of her home, gazing out.

  “We have a message from Prabhavsenji, Rikshavi!” Vikram’s words startled her. Vikram walked towards her with a message roll.

  Queen Bhairavi and King Vrajesh have been taken captive by Kosal soldiers. Prince Amogh has been taken captive by Magadhan soldiers.

  Vikram was shocked to read the message. He sat down in despair. But Rikshavi looked calm. She placed a hand on Vikram’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine…” she told him. “Where is the messenger?” she asked him. “He is at the door!” Vikram replied.

  “Is there any other message from Prabhavsenji?” Rikshavi asked the messenger, as she reached the door, leaving behind a distraught Vikram. “Yes…” the messenger said, “Prabhavsenji has asked me to tell you that the throne is safe..…”

  Rikshavi heaved a sigh of relief….

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  “We need to plan our next course of action, Rikshavi…” Vikram said. “I have told you Vikram! Please wait for some more time…” Rikshavi replied. “We have already waited for more than a week Rikshavi…” Vikram angrily retorted. It was more than a week since the message had come from Vaishali. Vikram found Rikshavi’s behavior strange.

  “May I come in?” they heard Daara’s voice at the door. “Please come in Daara!” Rikshavi replied. “Vaishali has been captured by the Kosal and the Magadh army two days back. My men have just brought this news from Vaishali…” he told them. “Vaishali has been captured more than a week back, Daara!” Vikram exclaimed, “We got a message a week back from the Prime Minister of Vrij!” Daara was puzzled. “How is that possible?” he said, “According to my men, it has been captured only two days back…”

  “Thank you for the information, Daara… We may need your help in near future…. I will come and meet you in a couple of days….” Rikshavi hastily interrupted. Daara took cue from her words and silently left the place. He too was confused at Rikshavi’s response.

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  Vikram was sitting by the wall of the temple of Goddess Durga, when Acharya Birendra approached him. “The Kosal and Magadh armies have been searching across Vrij for the royal family…. Soldiers are searching houses in Kaawar…. The King, Queen and the Prince are missing since the siege of Vaishali… Please go back to Rikshavi, Vikram!” Acharya Birendra urged Vikram in a hushed voice. Vikram was thoroughly baffled… “Certainly, there is some mighty confusion…..” he thought, as he walked briskly towards his home, “The Prime Minister’s message says that the royal family has been captured more than a week back. Then, Daara’s news report says that Vaishali has been captured two days back. And now this news arrives, that the royal family has been missing after the siege of Vaishali….”

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  “Had soldiers come here?” Vikram asked Rikshavi as he hurriedly entered the house. “Yes…. they are gone now…” Rikshavi replied calmly. Rikshavi’s composure perplexed Vikram. “Why are you behaving so strangely, Rikshavi?” he asked with frustration. “Because there is dawn after dusk!” she calmly replied, “And I have new hopes from the next dawn…. It will not be the same…. It will be more beautiful!”

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  “My men have been deployed to Vaishali as per your instructions…” Daara said. Rikshavi apprehensively looked at him. “What news have they sent?” she asked. “The Kosal army which participated in the attack on Vaishali was led by Senapati Taarak. The Magadh army was led by Senapati Vichitraveer… Both the commanders have camped in Vaishali after the siege… Messengers have been frequenting between Vaishali and the Kosal capital, Sravasti as well as the Magadh capital, Rajgriha. Apparently, both the kingdoms have now started negotiating about a governing system for Vrij, which would be beneficial and acceptable to both the victorious kingdoms….” Daara informed. Rikshavi calmly heard Daara. “So General Taarak is not in Sravasti…” she pondered. “Thank you Daara! I will be ever grateful to you for your help!” Rikshavi said, as she got up to leave. Before Daara could respond, she had turned and had started walking back. “She is behaving strangely….” Daara thought as he kept looking at the direction Rikshavi went.

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  It was a cold night towards the end of winter. The evening air had a marked chill. Rikshavi stood at the door of her house, as if waiting for someone. She had been restless since a few days and was often seen at the door of their house. “Come in Rikshavi. It is cold outside!” Vikram said, as he covered his wife in a blanket. He had stopped questioning her about her strange behavior. He knew it was of no avail. “She will reveal everything at the right time…” he had consoled himself. As night fell, Rikshavi struggled to sleep. Suddenly, she heard a distant sound of galloping horses. She immediately got up and dashed to the door. A small caravan was slowly coming towards their home. Rikshavi looked intently at the caravan. “He has arrived!” she murmured under her breath….

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  CHAPTER 15

  THE WISH OF VASUMNA

  The man looked quite young and handsome. But long days of journey seemed to have tired him out. He had a long beard and unkempt hair. He was fast asleep; rather unconscious. Few men held him by his shoulders and dropped him on a couch in Rikshavi’s house, as Rikshavi watched them. They bowed down to Rikshavi and briskly left without a word. Vikram came out with a lamp, after hearing noises in the middle of the night. He saw Rikshavi standing beside a couch near the entrance of their house. He was bewildered to see a strange man on the couch. He held the lamp close to the man’s face to have a good look. “Amogh!” he exclaimed as he recognized the face of his childhood friend…..

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  “How dare you deceive me like this!” Amogh fumed, as Rikshavi calmly sat in front of him, after handing him a bowl of rice porridge for breakfast. Vikram ate silently, sitting besides his friend. “Calm down Amogh… I am really sorry that I had to trick you like this…. But saving your life was more important….” Rikshavi calmly replied. “You have brou
ght disgrace to me, Rikshavi…. The Prince of Vrij went absconding like a coward when his army was amidst a battle… This is what the people of Vrij will say… I will never forgive you and Prime Minister Prabhavsen! And how dare Prabhavsen take orders from you? Did he care to consult me or King Vrajesh? I can’t believe you and Prabhavsen have been upto this conspiracy!” Amogh continued ranting angrily. Vikram chose not to intervene. Rikshavi calmly placed a hand on Amogh’s shoulder. Amogh felt a strange shiver run through his body, as she touched him. He could not meet her eyes… He had hoped to die in the battle so that he could avoid the pain of his love towards her…. And she herself had saved him….

  “Prime Minister Prabhavsen is obligated to act in the best interests of Vrij, Amogh… There was no rationale in allowing the King and the Prince to perish in a losing battle… The kingdom of Vrij can be reclaimed as long as King Vrajesh and you are alive!” Rikshavi was already gone before Amogh could respond. Her touch had moved something in his heart… it had brought back delicate memories. He guiltily stole a glance at Vikram. “She is his wife!” he reminded himself.

  “Where are King Vrajesh and Queen Bhairavi?” Amogh asked Vikram after awhile, “Where has she sent them?” “I have no idea my friend!” Vikram replied, “Believe me, I also didn’t have any idea about your whereabouts. All this seems to be discreetly planned by Rikshavi and the Prime Minister. She had not revealed any of this to me!”

  Amogh gazed intently at his friend. He was not sure if Vikram was speaking the truth. But he also knew that his friend would not lie to him. “Nevertheless, I trust Rikshavi completely, Amogh” Vikram continued, “I am sure she has planned things well. She has assured me that the King and the Queen are safe. But she will not tell us about their whereabouts unless we capture Vrij back…. Believe me, I have tried hard to know about them…” Both the friends sighed. “Let’s discuss everything later…” Vikram added, “Please have your breakfast. You need to recover fast. We have a few battles to win!”

  Though he tried to console Amogh, Vikram himself was upset and puzzled. Rikshavi had apparently hidden a lot of things from him. He remembered…. The Prime Minister’s message mentioned that Amogh had been captured by the Magadhan soldiers. Vikram quickly deciphered that the message actually meant that Amogh had been safely sent towards the direction of Magadh. Indeed, Kaawar was towards the Magadhan border of Vrij, and Amogh had safely made it to Kaawar. Amogh was apparently tricked to believe that he was actually captured by the enemy. Suddenly, Vikram was startled at his own thoughts… The message also mentioned that the Queen and the King of Vrij were captured by the Kosal army. Did this mean that they were in some place near the Kosal border?

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  Few days passed by. Amogh was receiving medical treatment from Vrushasen. He was recovering, but kept sulking. He repeatedly tried to find out the whereabouts of his parents, the King and the Queen. “They are safe…” Rikshavi kept telling him, “I will tell you about them at the right time… I promise!” After that, Amogh purposely avoided speaking to Rikshavi. But Rikshavi was patiently waiting for him to come to terms with her plans. She ignored his hostile attitude for the time being and continued with her routine.

  “Bravo Vasumna!” Rikshavi shouted out as Vasumna hit the bull’s eye in a moving target. Rikshavi was conducting her usual archery classes as a sulking Amogh watched from a distance. “You are the best student of this class!” she said to Vasumna with a beaming smile. “And Daara should be congratulated for this!” she added. “He is good at military science too!” Vikram cheerily added as he entered the courtyard. Vasumna was indeed a skilled archer. He could shoot the bull’s eye at varying distances and heights. He had now learnt new archery techniques from Rikshavi, including shooting moving objects and shooting with blindfolds. “I am grateful to you too, my lady!” Vasumna said, as he humbly bowed before Rikshavi. “I also owe you my archery skills along with Daara!” he added. Rikshavi beamed at him. “But the greatest victory of a teacher is being defeated by his disciple!” Vasumna continued... “Would you give me an opportunity to defeat you, my lady?” he politely asked, bowing before Rikshavi.

  Rikshavi’s expressions changed. Vikram was stunned. Amogh was also astonished at the audacity of this ordinary looking boy. He walked closer to Vikram and Rikshavi. “Sure, my boy!” Rikshavi replied as the entire class came to a standstill. “You are right! The greatest victory of a teacher is being defeated by his disciple! You will certainly get an opportunity to compete with me. We will arrange a competition tomorrow in this courtyard!” Rikshavi’s words resounded in the silent courtyard. “This is Ameya…” Rikshavi pointed out to Amogh. Amogh was startled. Before he could respond, Rikshavi continued, “He is Vikram’s friend. He too, is an accomplished archer. He will adjudge the competition tomorrow!” Amogh was too stunned to protest. Vikram placed a hand over his shoulder. He understood. Both the men followed Rikshavi as she silently walked away from the courtyard….

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  “How can that boy challenge Rikshavi like this? Is this how disciples behave?” Amogh angrily commented, as they entered the house. “Rikshavi had previously promised to grant him a wish if he is successful in defeating her….” Vikram replied. Amogh was disgusted. “Why are you agreeing to the whims of a mere boy, O great lady?” he sarcastically questioned Rikshavi. Rikshavi smiled. “I want to know his wish….” She quietly replied. “O really? So are you going to purposely get defeated?” Amogh asked. “No. I am going to compete fairly!” Rikshavi replied. “And Ameya is the new public name for Amogh, from now…” she smilingly said, turning to Vikram. Amogh rolled his eyes and walked off…..

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  The next day, the entire class gathered for the competition at the courtyard. Vikram was reminded of the event which had been organized by Acharya Upendra, for Amogh. Targets were set at varying distances and heights. Amogh and Vikram entered with Rikshavi. Vasumna was already there. Vrushasen, Daara, Baijaamaa and Acharya Birendra also sat amongst the small audience. Amogh, who had now become known to everyone as Ameya, took the position of the judge. The audience watched with bated breath as Rikshavi and Vasumna entered the arena. Vasumna bowed before Rikshavi and touched her feet. “May you emerge victorious!” Rikshavi blessed him. As the competition proceeded, the audience was thrilled to see spectacular archery feats performed by teacher and disciple duo. They matched each other in each and every feat. They successfully hit targets at varying distances and heights. They hit targets in motion. They performed with blindfolds. The audience was perplexed. Clearly, it was difficult to decide a winner. “I announce that both the competitors are equally good!” Ameya spoke at last. “Wait!” Vasumna shouted, “There is one last feat which is yet to be performed!” He pointed out to a tree at a distance, which stood beyond the expanse of the courtyard. Three clay parrots were hung on three branches of the tree at increasing heights. The archer was expected to pierce the eyes of all the three parrots, which were marked as bright red dots. This was indeed the ultimate challenge for Rikshavi. She instantly knew that the range was beyond her capacity. She looked at Vikram. He knowingly looked back at her – she had not taken her ‘Bhairavi Dhanush’, though Vikram had insisted. “We should compete fairly…” she had said. Amogh too was bewildered. He also knew that the distance was beyond Rikshavi’s capacity. He remembered Acharya Upendra’s words…. “One requires huge muscular strength to propel arrows at longer distances….”

  Indeed, Vasumna was a strong young boy with muscular arms. He pierced the eyes of all the three parrots one by one, as the enthralled audience watched him. The clay parrots were replaced on the tree. It was now Rikshavi’s turn. She took a deep breath and calmly took aim. The arrow was released… But it fell at a distance short of the tree. The audience let out a collective sigh…. The disciple had indeed defeated his teacher! Tears rolled down Rikshavi’s eyes. “Vasumna has won the competition!” Amogh’s voice quivered as he made the announcement.

  Vasumna walked towards Rikshavi
and touched her feet. “Congratulations!” she said in a choked voice. “The greatest victory of a teacher is being defeated by his disciple!” Vasumna said with a smile. Daara walked towards Vasumna. Vasumna touched his feet. Daara embraced him with warmth.

  The audience began to disperse, as Baijaamaa, Amogh and Vikram walked down towards Rikshavi. “Now is the time to redeem your promise!” Vasumna said, as he turned to Rikshavi. “I am eager to know your wish, Vasumna!” Rikshavi smilingly replied. “Give me the kingdom of Kaawar!” Vasumna indignantly said, looking into her eyes. Rikshavi was stunned. Everyone present was astonished. Amogh was furious. “How dare he...?” he muttered under his breath.

  “How is that possible, young man?” Rikshavi finally said, “I do not own the kingdom of Kaawar. How can I give you something that I don’t have?” “I know you don’t own the kingdom, Princess! But you are a Kshatriya, my lady! Kshatriyas keep their promises even at the cost of their lives! Gather your forces, capture the kingdom and give Kaawar to me! If you are a true Kshatriya, keep your promise! I am not asking for the entire Vrij… only Kaawar… only Kaawar, my lady! I want Kaawar to be free from the rule of selfish Kshatriyas!”

  Each word of Vasumna was firm and emphatic. His eyes had brimmed with resilient tears as he unblinkingly looked at Rikshavi. Everyone was dumbstruck at Vasumna’s stance. “Aren’t you being too ambitious for a young sixteen year old, you scoundrel?” Amogh angrily charged at Vasumna. Vikram stopped him. Vasumna gave a sharp glance to Amogh and turned back to Rikshavi. “I do not want to speak to Ameya. Keep your promise, O Kshatriya lady!” he said, and briskly walked away.

  Rikshavi did not know what to say. She turned to Daara. “Why is he behaving so strangely, Daara?” she asked. Daara sighed. “I am not sure, but I think I know the reason…” he said. “Vasumna is the son of Beedar, the man who has been imprisoned for attempting to kill King Vrajesh!”