The Revelation of Truth and Silent Acceptance
In the Previous Episode:
After learning about Princess Suvarna's wish, the Maharaja summoned the main singer of the theater troupe, the 'Dholi', for a private conversation in the Kulaguru's chamber. The entire palace was waiting for the outcome of this mysterious meeting.
🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀
Ordering the guard to bring the dholi of the theater troupe, the King and Queen reached the Kulaguru's chamber, bowed to him, and sat down. The Maharaja briefly narrated the conversation that took place between the Queen and Princess Suvarna.
The Maharaja said, "What surprises me is that if, as a result of that night's sacrifice, the female sparrow was born as a princess, how did Gaura take birth in an ordinary family? What do you say, Gurudev!"
The Kulaguru replied, "Your surprise is justified, Rajan! But until creation itself reveals its secrets, one should accept its resolves as they are and let the farce of life go on. You should not worry; Shiv Shambhu has already orchestrated everything in advance."
The King said, "There is no worry at all, Gurudev. With your blessings and Mahadev's grace, everything will be fine. And if that youth is of high character, then wealth is not an issue because the Princess is our only daughter, so why even think twice? If you are reassured, then so am I."
At the Maharaja's words, the Queen also bowed to Gurudev and gave her consent, and Gurudev raised his hand to bless them both.
Meanwhile, along with the guard, Kumar entered the chamber, where divine fragrance and peace resided. As soon as the guard introduced Kumar to the King, Queen, and Kulaguru, Kumar bowed with utmost humility to greet them and stood to one side without any fear.
The King and Queen were observing him very closely with the eye of a connoisseur. Not only was the youth physically healthy, handsome, and robust, but more than that, a wonderful brilliance shone in his eyes and an innate royal nobility was reflected in his demeanor, which could not be hidden behind the ordinary clothes of a dholi.
Maintaining his royal dignity, the Maharaja initiated the conversation, "Youth! What is your name? Where have you come from, and how did you become a part of this theater troupe? We want you to tell us about yourself in detail and truthfully."
Without any hesitation, in a very measured and clear voice, Kumar replied, "As the Maharaja commands! Rajan, my name is Vikramkumar. I am a resident of Sauvirnagar. Apart from this, I have no other special introduction; that is why I keep wandering with this theater troupe. I neither have a permanent abode nor do I know anyone else here."
Fixing his sharp gaze upon Kumar, the Maharaja asked, "Youth! The play you performed today, does that story really keep coming into your dreams?"
Vikramkumar replied with complete sincerity, "May Shiv Shankar not let me speak a lie, Rajan! Since childhood, I have been seeing this story in my dreams, but it has been staged for the very first time today." Saying this, the prince, disguised in the attire of a dholi, respectfully bowed his head.
Curiosity grew in the Maharaja's voice, "Then why did you never stage it before?"
Coming straight to the point, the Maharaja said, "Presumably, by now you must have understood that your wife from the past life is now born as our daughter."
With his head still bowed, Kumar folded his hands with utmost humility and said, "Yes Maharaja! I am making a guess, but how can an ordinary person like me have the audacity to accept such a great thing?"
Just then the Kulaguru, who had been silent till now, spoke with a mysterious and meaningful smile, "The Princess had a firm resolve that she would marry only the one who could tell the secret of the blindfold on her eyes. But youth, you are merely an ordinary dholi!"
Vikramkumar immediately replied, "Forgive me Maharaja! I am an ordinary youth and cannot even dare to dream of marrying a princess. If it is the permission of both of you, I will go far away from here this very moment with my poor troupe and will never speak a word about this matter to anyone throughout my life."
The Maharaja's voice was mixed with a bit of anger and surprise, "Have you still not understood that the Princess has tied this blindfold only in anticipation of your arrival?"
Kumar remained unanswered; he had nothing left to say.
Ringing the golden bell kept nearby, the Maharaja called the servant Bhimak and ordered, "Bhimak! Go and bring the Princess here. Tell her that she will come alone; her companions will drop her off at the door and wait outside."
For a few moments, a heavy silence prevailed in the chamber, which was broken by the sweet tinkling of the Princess's ornaments and anklets. Stepping forward with maternal affection, the Queen held her blindfolded daughter's hand and lovingly made her stand close to her.
The Queen said in a voice full of maternal affection, "Daughter! Present here are Kulaguru Maharaj, your father Maharaja, and that youth who staged his dream today. He has told his name as Vikramkumar and he says that this play is based on those dreams which have been coming to him since childhood. He has also taken an oath of Mahadev for his truthfulness. It is our request that if you find it appropriate, you may now remove this blindfold from your eyes and take your decision after seeing and understanding everything yourself. We do not want to take any decision of your life against your wish at all."
The Princess folded her hands to bow to the Kulaguru and stood with her mother.
Then the Maharaja said to the youth Vikramkumar, "If both of you are telling the same story, how should it be decided who is speaking the truth? Daughter, if you want to prove him a liar, ask him some such question whose answer can be given only by the one who was a witness to that wonderful event with you."
The Princess remained lost in thought for a few moments, then she whispered something into the Maharani's ear and turning towards that person, she said, "If you are speaking the truth, then tell me, for how many years were we together before the arrival of that traveler?"
That person smiled gently and said, "We were together for seven years. In the previous seasons, we had three fledglings (children), out of whom one died, and the remaining two had established their separate worlds. That is why only the two of us were left in the nest at that time."
The Princess was stunned with bashfulness and the Maharani was astonished; she confirmed the correctness of Achalkumar's answer to the Maharaja and the Kulaguru through a gesture. The Princess had just told her the 'seven years' detail. Now everyone started looking at the Princess with curiosity. That person had answered in much greater detail than the question asked.
'To be continued'
🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀°°°°🥀
In the Next Episode:
When Suvarna's first gaze falls on 'Vikramkumar' after the blindfold is opened, will she be able to recognize him? Will she be able to accept an ordinary dholi as the master of her past life? And how long will the prince continue this game of hiding his identity?
✍️ From the pen of ‘Nishabd’..🥀
🖌️ Images created with the assistance of Gemini, ChatGPT, & Copilot..🌷
No comments:
Post a Comment