The Revelation of the Sage
Previously: The blindfold over Princess Suvarna’s eyes has plunged the entire royal palace into deep concern. The King and Queen are distressed, yet they haven't been able to ask the Princess anything openly when suddenly, a summons arrives from the Royal Preceptor, Acharya Saraswatinandan. Is this summons a mere coincidence? Or some divine influence of the Royal Preceptor? Now, further...
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The royal couple reached the guest house and found the chamber in complete solitude. The preceptor was standing near the vatayan (window), looking outside, his facial expression extremely grave.
The King and Queen offered their respectful salutations (pranam). Raising both hands, the preceptor gave his blessings and walked toward his seat with a steady, solemn gait.
The preceptor was an elderly scholar named ‘Shri Saraswatinandan Acharya.’ Acharya-shri had a dusky complexion; he kept a long white beard and always wore white robes. His deep, insightful eyes gave his personality a distinct dignity. Previously, his mentor was the family preceptor of this royal household, but before passing, he had handed over this responsibility to Acharya-shri, inspiring him to fulfill it faithfully. There was a secret reason behind this, of which the royal family was still unaware, but perhaps the time had come for the veil to be lifted from the mystery.
Sitting on the seat, the preceptor gestured for the royal couple to sit as well. Once they were seated, he spoke in a steady, grave voice, "Is all well, Rajan? There seems to be some commotion in the palace!"
The King joined his hands respectfully and said, "It is your grace, Revered One! Today, this commotion is due to a sudden decision by the Princess; we are coming from there."
The preceptor spoke calmly, "The Princess has tied a blindfold over her eyes, and that is why you are worried?"
The King said in astonishment, "The Respected One has received the news already! We haven't been able to find the reason for it yet. The friends told the Maharani that the Princess is telling no one, and when asked, she stopped them by making them swear an oath. If you permit, should we call her here? She has been sharing her heart's feelings with you since childhood. We feel she has more trust and unwavering faith in you than in us, therefore..."
The preceptor raised his hand, stopping the Maharaja mid-sentence, and said, "There is no need for that, Rajan! This is the 'Written Fate' (Vidhi ka Vidhan) for the Princess... neither of you should worry."
The Queen’s eyes filled with tears. With a bit of hesitation, she joined her hands and said, "Gurudev! Your words must be true, but I am a mother. Ever since I saw that blindfold on her eyes, my heart has been sinking. Why has my child chosen such a dark path without any reason? And in such a state, her future...!" The Queen sobbed, and the Maharaja’s eyes also turned moist.
The preceptor remained silent. A few moments passed in wordless silence. When the Queen composed herself slightly, she apologized, saying, "Forgive me, Gurudev! The mind of a Queen holds complete faith and devotion in you, but a mother’s heart cannot rest on mere assurance."
The preceptor said with a slight, sweet smile, "But daughter, I haven't given any assurance yet."
The Maharaja said, "Gurudev, you said, ‘This is the Written Fate for the Princess,’ what does that mean? Did you know that something like this was going to happen?" Hearing this, the Queen also started and looked at the preceptor with wonder and questioning eyes.
The preceptor took a deep breath and began to speak, "Yes, Rajan! I knew, and my Guru knew too. But it was not appropriate to say anything before the time was right. Come, let me tell you an ancient tale; listen to it carefully..."
"Once, in a dense forest, a pair of birds lived on a massive tree. On a freezing winter night, a tired traveler came to stay under that very tree. He was shivering. Those birds living on the tree accepted him as their guest and arranged a bonfire for him with their tiny strength. When they realized that their guest was hungry and they couldn't gather food in the thick darkness of the night, taking a harsh decision, both of them threw themselves into the flames of that bonfire, so that the traveler could use their bodies to satisfy his hunger." (Hearing this, the Queen put her hand over her mouth in shock).
The preceptor continued, "That night, those birds saved the traveler’s life by sacrificing themselves. But that traveler kept thinking all night—why did those birds take such a suicidal step? That question always haunted him. He sought the answer from many sages and ascetics, but found no satisfaction. Finally, he reached the refuge of our worshipful Gurudev, the late Nityanand Maharaj ji. Gurudev explained the essence of those birds to him and told him what had actually happened that night..." (After this, the preceptor narrated the entire story of Gaura and the sparrow in detail).
After finishing the story, the Guru became silent for a few moments and sank into deep reflection with his head bowed. The royal couple was also speechless.
After a few moments, when the preceptor raised his head, tears were floating in his eyes. The King and Queen were stunned to see this. Before they could say anything, Gurudev composed himself. Now his eyes held no tears, but the same familiar gravity.
He spoke in a steady voice, "Do you know, Rajan, that traveler was me! Back then I was not like this... I was an ordinary youth who cared for nothing, but the selfless sacrifice of those birds changed my entire philosophy of life. When I heard that saga from Gurudev's lips, it felt as if he were present there himself. At that very moment, all my worldly attachments were destroyed, and I became detached."
The preceptor took another deep breath and said with a faint smile, "You will be greatly astonished to know that the same virtuous sparrow has been born as your daughter. You might remember, I had previously hinted regarding her fear of fire, that it has a deep connection with her past life." While saying this, the preceptor’s smile deepened. The King and Queen were dumbfounded, looking sometimes at Gurudev and sometimes at each other.
'To be continued....'
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In the next part: "That traveler was me!"—this confession by the preceptor has pulled the ground from beneath the King and Queen’s feet. The self-sacrifice of a sparrow and the renunciation of a traveler—how is Suvarna’s destiny linked to the preceptor’s past? Will the parents be able to accept this 'divine' truth of their daughter? The layers of the mystery are yet to unfold further... Don't forget to read the next exciting episode of Suvarna!
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New to Suvarna's journey?
If you haven't started this epic saga yet, begin here to experience the mystery from the very first episode:
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✍️ From the pen of ‘Nishabd’
🖌️ Images created with the assistance of Gemini, ChatGPT, & Copilot
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