( In the royal court of Pataliputra, the capital of Magadha, Emperor Samprati proclaimed, “Say, Hail to Lord Arhant..." and the entire assembly echoed his cheer. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning. No one noticed it, but Prince Kharavela of Kalinga understood. With remarkable speed, he drew his dagger and aimed it at the emperor's chest.
Read on to discover what happened next. )
Before a blink of an eye, the arrow that was about to pierce the emperor's chest was deflected by Kharavela's dagger and landed right next to Brihadratha. A metallic clang was heard.
Brihadratha barely understood what had happened when a man was suddenly thrown from the upper gallery with a thud. The crowd panicked and started to scatter. Kharavela noted that from the same gallery, another man had fled and disappeared somewhere. Amidst the chaos, no one could reach him, and no one had any clue about his presence.
The state's soldiers quickly arrived at both locations. Within moments, General Pushyamitra picked up the dagger. He understood the situation and bowed to the emperor, saying, "The arrow is from Magadha, and the dagger is from Kalinga. Who has come here directly from Kalinga?"
The mention of "Kalinga" brought the assembly to a standstill. People stopped in curiosity. The man was now surrounded by soldiers with drawn swords. The emperor's bodyguards immediately formed a protective circle around him, and the emperor stood up from his throne. Despite his old age, he roared like a lion, "Whose dagger is this?"
"It's mine, Emperor," Kharavela stepped forward. Two soldiers seized him. He folded his hands before the emperor. "Is this how a protector is treated here?"
The emperor gestured with his eyes, and the soldiers stepped back. The bodyguards moved aside, and now the emperor and Kharavela were face to face.
"Kalingan! You here? And despite being so young, you have such courage?" Pushyamitra shouted.
"Calm down, Magadha's general!" Kharavela roared.
"Speak respectfully to a prince."
Pushyamitra was taken aback. Brihadratha was completely stunned, slumping down on his throne. Now, it was just the emperor and this young prince facing each other. The entire assembly watched this scene with immense curiosity.
The emperor walked up to this youth. "The Kalinga dynasty follows Jainism, right?"
"Yes, Emperor. My respects to you." The emperor greeted him with a respectful salutation. Kharavela, standing in front, also folded his hands. "Accept my respects as well, Emperor."
"Speak, friend! Who are you? And for what purpose have you come?" The emperor spoke while continuously staring at the prince with piercing eyes that seemed to look right through him. But the prince was unperturbed. It was as if a mature lion and a young lion were standing face to face.
"I am from the Kalinga dynasty, an enemy of the Mauryas."
"An enemy of the Mauryas? Then why did you save me?"
"Because you are a Jain, a fellow follower, and my guru sent me here for your protection."
"Who is your guru?"
"Arya Balissaha, the disciple of Arya Mahagiriji, who resides on Kumaragiri Hill."
"Wow! Very well! Kumaragiri Hill, its esteemed monk, and..."
"And I have visited the Khandera Jain temple," Kharavela completed the sentence. "Kalinga has always been an enemy of Pataliputra because the life of Kalinga, the Kalingajin, is imprisoned in Pataliputra."
"I am about to..." The emperor was about to speak, but Kharavela interrupted him,
"Let it be, Emperor! This is Pataliputra, where gods are plundered and emperors are killed?"
"Control your tongue, boy! Or your head will be separated from your body right now!" Pushyamitra shouted.
"Speaking ill of Magadha? In front of the Magadha dynasty? In front of the emperor?"
"General! When two emperors are conversing, you should not interrupt and disgrace yourself," Kharavela said assertively.
Emperor Samprati was impressed. Wow! Such brilliance is not seen in the entire Maurya dynasty.
"Young prince! You are a Jain and so am I. If there is such a simple way to forget the enmity between Kalinga and Magadha, why are you refusing? You seem to be very wise! Should I gift you the Kalingajin as a token of my protection?"
"I do not want the gift. I do not want any favors or charity from Magadha or the Mauryas," Kharavela's demeanor became as fierce as the stormy sea along the shores of Kalinga. He was no longer in control of himself.
"When the plunderer, the eighth Nanda, broke the temples on Kumaragiri and took the idols, what did the people of Magadha do? Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryas killed 100,000 people and left 150,000 people crippled. Where were the people of Magadha then? The residents of Kalinga do not wish to receive any gifts from such Mauryas. We will claim our rights by force, not by charity. Let it be known to every Magadhan that a storm from Kalinga is coming. It will submerge all of Pataliputra. We will reclaim our honor by force. And Emperor, I bear a grudge against you as well, because you are a Maurya. You built 125,000 Jain temples across India, renovated 36,000 of them, and installed 12.5 million Jain idols. But did you not remember Kalinga? Truly, do you have any control in Pataliputra? The Maurya empire is now in decline, Emperor!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the emperor's sword, drawn with the speed of lightning, left a thin cut on his neck. Blood began to trickle from the wound. Kharavela touched it with his finger and saw that blood was indeed coming out—it was burning.
"Anyone who dares to challenge the Maurya dynasty faces dire consequences. Young prince, you are spared because you protected me. But if you are proud of your lineage, then know that I, Emperor Samprati, am proud of the Maurya dynasty."
"As long as Emperor Samprati is alive, do not set foot in Pataliputra. When the emperor is no more... seeing a bright young boy like you killed by the Mauryas would not please Emperor Samprati."
Saying this, the emperor sat back on his throne.
"Pushyamitra! Assign special guards to escort this boy to the borders of Kalinga. Let him live. We do not need to do anything to him. He will come to Pataliputra to bring about his own demise when he attacks. Until then, let him stay alive."
"Emperor Samprati!" Kharavela's shout echoed through the assembly hall. "In this royal court of Pataliputra, one oath was taken by the great Chanakya, and another oath is now taken by me, the grandson of Maharaja Kshema's descendant Maharaja Chetak, and the heir of Maharaja Vriddharaj, the sworn Bhikkuray: when Kharavela's army comes to Magadha, it will not be to commit suicide but to crush the ruler of Magadha underfoot and free Kalinga. Remember this, Emperor! I hope you live to see that day..."
"Enough, boy!" The emperor was trembling with anger.
"Go, go quickly. Give my regards to Arya Balissaha. Go, leave before my patience breaks, just go, run!"
And Kharavela walked with the stride of a lion, leapt onto his horse, and galloped away towards Kalinga with the force of a torrent. The archers and horses of Magadha and the Magadhis were left behind...
"Victory to Kalingajin," muttered Kharavela.
( To be Continued... )
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