"Today's Spring Festival is going to turn out dull," thought Bappadev. Bappadev was the son of the chief commander Vapradev, who served under the aged King Vrudharaaj. He and Kharavela had been educated together. They were like two bodies with one soul, almost always seen together. But today, surprisingly, Bappadev was at the Spring Festival, and Kharavela was not. Kharavela was Bappadev’s life, and in his absence, Bappadev felt like he was wandering through the festival like a lifeless body. He had left all his hopes, dreams, enthusiasm, and aspirations behind in the royal training grounds. Yes, ever since Kharavela had returned from Magadha, he had spent day and night in the vast military training ground in the northeast corner of the royal palace. The Emperor’s sword had not only wounded his neck but also his soul.
"Have you gone mad, Kharavela? The wound on your neck has opened up again You don’t take even a moment of rest. What’s wrong with you, brother?" Bappadev said as he applied a medicated bandage to the sword wound on the right side of Kharavela’s neck. The wound was still fresh, bleeding bright red as soon as he pressed it.
"If you keep this up, the wound will never heal, Kharavela!"
"I don’t want it to heal..." Kharavela replied. Bappadev was stunned. The sharpness in Kharavela’s voice sent a shiver down his spine.Sometimes, profound words come out of a person's mouth. What Bappadev had once heard, he was experiencing today."
"Why?" Bappadev asked, slightly hesitating.
"This wound is not just any injury; it is the blow the Mauryas dealt to Kalinga. This wound constantly reminds me that I still have my goal to achieve."
"Kharavela!" Bappadev placed his hand on Kharavela’s tense, bare shoulder. "Save your rage and passion for your enemies, my brother! Why punish your own body?"
"The one deserving punishment must be punished, Bappadev! My body is at fault. Why did it not react as swiftly as the Emperor’s sword when it struck so swiftly? It would have been better if this body had been separated from its head and fallen to the ground right then and there. The Emperor spared me, Bappadev! He gave me the gift of life."
"I must continue burning with this fire. Until we conquer Pataliputra, I will keep burning. I am not worthy of standing before the Emperor. He defeated me. At seventy-eight, the Emperor has more agility than I do at sixteen, Bappadev! I was like a mere child before him in the grand assembly. Kalinga was shown to be a small child, while Magadha was the mighty crocodile. It was proven that Kalinga lives under Magadha’s debt, and the reason for all this is—this weak body! This body deserves punishment, Bappadev!"
"Calm down, my friend! Don't punish yourself like this... Remember! While the entire assembly was unaware, you spotted Magadha’s arrow. You know this, right? You pierced that arrow with Kalinga’s dagger. That was the swiftness of your body, the mastery of your mind..."
"Prince Kharavela! The Emperor wounded you, but you wounded him with your dagger. I can say with confidence, my friend, that right now, the Emperor is sitting in his palace, examining your dagger and reading the words on it: 'May Kalinga always be victorious.'
"My Emperor! You did not achieve a small feat. You accomplished something that no one else in Kalinga today is capable of. To go to Magadha and return safely is like entering a hungry lion’s den and coming out alive. Remember that. Forget this wound, and instead, dream of the wound you are going to inflict on Magadha, my friend!"
"You speak the truth, my friend," Kharavela had softened a bit.The blood boiling in his veins like a volcano had now calmed down.”I must indeed think about the future. I am not a soldier to harbour such futile thoughts of revenge and keep cursing myself. I am not a general for whom this defeat is equivalent to death. I am a king. Kalinga’s policy states that a king should not look only to his own interests. A king has no personal joy or sorrow. The king is the representative of the people. The people's honour is the king’s honour. The king lives and dies for the people’s happiness and sorrows."
"But my training still feels incomplete. My body took too long to react to the Emperor’s strike. Such slowness and carelessness in battle only lead to one outcome—death! To become an Emperor, one needs extraordinary qualities, which I saw in the present King of Magadha. I still have much to learn and gain before I can become an Emperor. That’s why it is essential to complete my unfinished preparation, Bappadev."
"Alright. For now, let’s go to the Kaumudi Festival. After that, you can do whatever you need to."
"No, I will only go to the Kaumudi Festival when this defeated Kalinga conquers a country. When we achieve victory and are triumphant, only then will we celebrate the Kaumudi Festival. Not before that."
"If you’re not going, then I won’t go either. I need to train myself as well. When Utkala runs like a storm, I will need to keep my horse running alongside him, won’t I?" Bappadev laughed as he spoke.
In response to his laughter, Kharavel laughed and said - "Go to Kaumudi, my friend! For some reason, I feel this time Kaumudi will be celebrated differently. Kalinga has shaken Magadh's pride. This is the talk on every street corner of Tosali. Everyone is amazed by the valour of the Kalinga prince. Among the people, there are now two groups. Some say that the current situation is fine as it is. There is peace in Kalinga now. The past defeats have been endured, so what does it matter now? We like peace. We don't need trouble and unrest."
"Then, there's another group that believes until our lost honour is restored, sitting peacefully is foolishness. Those who insulted Kalinga and continue to do so must be put in their place, and it is the king's duty to do that. If not the king, then at least the prince has understood this responsibility and has begun to act on it. This is a moment of pride for the people of Kalinga."
"In short, one side is content, living under the mercy of the conquerors, defeated and dependent, surviving only on their goodwill. The other side, the revolutionary, has never accepted subjugation nor has any intention to. They cherish freedom. They desire independence.For them, freedom is more valuable than any pleasure, and they would trade all comforts for liberty. That's why you should go to Kaumudi and see what is happening there."
Respecting Kharavel's advice, Bappadev set off for Kaumudi. He thought to himself `Emperor Kharavela is as thoughtful as he is passionate.
As Bappadev reflected on all of this, he thought, "Kaumudi is nearing its end, and Manavak will say the same old things... what we've heard every year. Every word has been memorized by heart. But nothing new has happened. I'm not even enjoying it because Kharavel isn't here. Let's see what happens," he thought as he listened to Manavak's tale.
(To be Contiuned...)
Opmerkingen