Chapter 15 - A Brother’s Betrayal

Gangapur

Life sometimes presents us with opportunities we never dreamed of. We have a choice then - make the best of the opportunity or treat the good fortune carelessly. If we are foolish enough to take such opportunities for granted, then life invariably finds a way to humble us.

When Maya was presented with the opportunity to go to Vatsa, it felt both like a blessing and a test. Ever since she had turned twenty there had always been tests, and so, she couldn’t claim that leaving Gangapur would mean leaving her comfort zone. Truly, it was just exchanging one challenge for another. It wasn’t even clear if life in Gangapur would be less volatile and dangerous than living at Kaushambi, the capital of Vatsa.These were truly trying times - there were no guarantees , no safe zones, and no people or relationships that could be considered constant fixtures in one’s life. Everyone’s life was in a state of flux and it was as though the scenery was changing daily. The people you knew today could be gone tomorrow , the relationships you depended on today might prove unreliable tomorrow, the life you built and nurtured yesterday might need to be abandoned today. The thought that every wall you ever leaned on will eventually crumble is sobering, but to see the transition before your eyes is devastating. It is said that each soul’s journey is solitary and in the current upheaval this truth was becoming increasingly evident. Decisions whose repercussions could last a lifetime had to be made in an instant, and that was frightening.

Aunt Malti had passed away. The war clouds and the uncertainty of the times were more than her heart could take. With her passing, Maya’s association with Lata and her family grew lesser.

Just like the rise and ebb of waves of the sea, our life too is bound to consist of good and tough times , whether we like it or not. Lata was never considered the most resilient of people, but to watch her go to pieces after her mother’s death was distasteful. Distasteful because the distress that Lata was experiencing seemed to stem from a loss of comfort rather than an emotional loss.

Lata had depended on her mother for managing every aspect of the household, especially the cooking. The family had become habituated to timely, delicious, and elaborate meals. Lata’s own skills were basic at best, and they didn’t have the means to hire a good cook. For the family to now descend to functional meals was painful, and the once amicable household had become bitter. Parenting, which earlier was a joy, had now become a chore. Even their social life had come to a halt once the guests discovered that the quality of refreshments and treats on offer had undergone a drastic change.

Whether we like them or not, it is only the tough times that reveal our mettle and character. We know that poverty can drive people to do things that they may be ashamed of in ordinary circumstances, but, apparently, so can sloth. The habit of laziness was so ingrained in Lata that she kept looking for shortcuts instead of rising to the occasion. And when her lapses became too glaring, her honeyed words failed to satisfy her family. Lata and Maya had never been close, so she couldn’t ask Maya to take care of Meera. Instead Lata took advantage of Maya’s affection for Meera and her inability to turn away the helpless child. Consequently, Meera was left at the boutique for hours on end, especially during meal times. What would happen to Meera in her absence?, Maya wondered. And so, she sought Kailashnathji’s advice.

‘It is romantic to glorify relationships, especially the bond between a parent and their child. It is said to be a bond of unconditional love, and when properly nurtured, it is so. However, just like every other relationship, parenting differs from family to family. ‘, Kailashnath replied.

‘Ideally, parents are supposed to raise children such that their soul can flourish and reach its zenith. But in the real world, there are a broad range of reasons why people become parents. Some treat their children like toys who provide the parents with amusement once the initial excitement of marriage begins to fade, for others children are a form of investment that will provide for them in their later years, and for still others, it is for passing on their knowledge, power, and wealth, and then, there is the obvious reason of social conformity. The list of reasons may be numerous, but whatever the motivation, we cannot deny that there is a certain amount of effort and expense involved in raising a child. And so, it is understandable that even uncaring parents are possessive about their children.’, he continued.

‘In the same spirit that we don’t steal another person’s spouse or possessions, we may find that turning the affection of someone else’s child to yourself is also frowned upon. Even spiritual teachers are castigated by some parents for stealing their child. Whether they themselves have been worthy parents or not, is not open for discussion. There just cannot be another father figure for their child, and the child certainly cannot receive a mother’s love elsewhere. It is not easy for a parent to let go of their child , even if it would benefit the child. And so Maya, the real question is - Should you worry about Meera when you are not entitled to make any decisions for her?”, Kailashnath asked.

With thoughts of Meera out of the way, now Maya was closer to making a decision. In the end, Kailashnathji had asked her to decide whether to go to Vatsa or not, based on her own best interest. She knew that Kailashnathji had suppressed the urge to seek his peace of mind at her expense. Afterall, having Maya accompany Bhola, when Bhola was still learning to navigate the world, would definitely be a source of comfort to Kailashnathji. But sometimes, the pressure of unuttered hopes is greater than expressed desires and expectations, and Maya wondered if there, indeed, was any choice left for her. Whichever way you sliced it , the opportunity to work in Vatsa wasn’t worth letting go of. Luckily, she had no new sewing orders at the boutique due to the post war chaos, and so, she could easily lock the boutique for a while and leave. Appearances mattered, and so she pretended that she was off to Chunar for a month to live with her parents. Bahu had suggested that she and Bhola travel with the withdrawing troops and head to Kaushambi.

As she touched his feet in farewell, Kailashnathji gave her a blessing.

‘May God grant you the peace you seek, and the strength you need.’

It was a blessing that stayed with her and one that she treasured.

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Early next morning

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The negotiation tent had been pitched on the pasture lands that lay on the outskirts of Gangapur. Some distance from the negotiation tent, on either side were the tents of the negotiators. On one side was the tent of Magadha, and on the other side was the tent of Vatsa. Since the negotiations would begin in a few hours, there was a flurry of activity on both sides.

In Magadha’s tent

Purohita Atri stole a glance at the man sitting opposite him. King PriamRaja had specially summoned Jayatsena from Kalinga to handle the prisoner swap negotiations. Atri knew very little about Jayatsena, but by all accounts he was a very shrewd man. The problem was that Jayatsena was a very reticent person; he carefully listened to the entire strategy, asked detailed questions and then withdrew. He neither approved nor disapproved of the strategy. In terms of hierarchy, King PriamRaja had made it very clear that the final decision would be made by Jayatsena who had now been appointed the chief political advisor of the combined kingdom of Magadha and Kalinga, now referred to as Magadha. With this appointment, officers of equal rank would be at the negotiating table - Sumedh as the chief political advisor of Vatsa, and Jayatsena as the chief political advisor of Magadha.

Will Jayatsena give Sumedh a tough time during the negotiations?, Atri mused.

But he immediately put the notion aside; it would be foolish to underestimate Sumedh. Given Sumedh’s unassuming and sincere personality, one was often unaware of the depth of his discernment and astute analysis of people and situations. Sumedh was certainly a formidable opponent.

In Vatsa’s tent

Sumedh was alone in the tent. The arrival of Jayatsena had been a surprise, but Sumedh had long been conditioned to expect the unexpected. Afterall, such was the nature of politics and war. He pulled apart the flap of the tent a little and noticed that the hour of dawn was fast approaching. Just as he was wondering if all the pieces were in place, a carriage drew up. It was Vikarna, Vatsa’s chief of defense. Sumedh stepped out to receive him.

‘Is Crown Prince Vishvajit here now?’, Sumedh asked.

Vikarna nodded as both he and Sumedh seated themselves within the tent.

‘How is he?’

‘Physically, he is fine, but mentally, he has taken a hit. The attempt on his life seems to have left him traumatized. As usual, men who are brash and arrogant when they have the upper hand, turn into a frightened mess when they are at the receiving end.

During the attack , it took a little while for the guards to get to him. Meanwhile, first he threatened the attacker , then he tried to negotiate with him, and finally he was shaking with fear and crying.’, Vikarna said with a sardonic smile.

‘The Crown Prince is a soldier. Aren’t soldiers trained for such eventualities?’, Sumedh asked in surprise.

‘In training, however dangerous the circumstance, perhaps subconsciously we know that we are safe and everything will be okay one way or the other. But when the possibility of death becomes real , as Prince Vishvajit felt in that moment, the confidence of a soldier begins to wane. In such situations, brave men fight till the end, or face the inevitable with dignity, but our hero was able to do neither!’, Vikarna said.

‘I guess, just like people don’t become noble because they are doctors, similarly people don’t automatically become brave because they are soldiers.’, Sumedh said with a smile.

There was a murmur of voices outside and Sumedh looked at the tent entrance. A messenger walked in with a note. Sumedh scanned it, it was from Atriji.

‘The brothers must be face to face during the negotiations.’, the note said.

To a casual reader, it might seem like a suggestion to follow due process, but not to Sumedh. He had immediately caught on with Atriji’s line of thinking. In the geopolitical arena, such a suggestion took a different meaning altogether, this was psychological warfare. Atriji had chosen the leader for the revolution and was throwing him into the fire to mold him.

Since they had the same level of security clearance, Vikarna too had scanned the note.

‘What does Atriji mean?’, he asked.

‘A revolution needs a leader, a capable but more importantly, a legitimate one - someone whose credentials brook no doubt. It must be a face that can lead the unthinking masses and the thinking few, and Atriji says Prince Prajanya is the person for the job.’, Sumedh replied.

Wasn’t Prince Prajanya just a convenient choice? Then again, can we ever be sure that we have chosen the right leader? Isn’t right and wrong only revealed to us in hindsight? , Sumedh thought to himself.

Some people claim that power corrupts, others say that whatever tendencies a person has are magnified when they are given power and wealth, still others say that the environment a person is raised in and their personal dispassion determine their ability to keep a level head. Sumedh felt that all these perspectives held an element of truth. No doubt, the speakers perhaps had evidence of such behavior before sharing these nuggets of wisdom, but in the end it all boiled down to taking a chance. Some people didn’t pass any of the filters that are set for a leader and yet, they proved to be worthy leaders. Others passed all filters and yet, failed in the hour of need.One could argue that the probability of success was greater when the evaluation was based on a set process, but here, they didn’t exactly have a long line of candidates to lead the revolution. It was either Prince Prajanya, a legitimate heir, or any random candidate. The patriotic fervor that would engulf the military, the administration and the common folk of Magadha, should they believe that their ruler was being overthrown by external forces, would be hard to contain and overcome. Other neighboring kingdoms too wouldn’t look at external meddling by Vatsa in a favorable light. With Prince Prajanya in the lead, however, the revolution in Magadha would only be described as an internal power struggle.

Later in the day, In the negotiation tent

The two sides sat facing each other. On one side was Magadha’s team with the chief political advisor, Jayatsena, in the lead, and Prince Prajanya and Purohita Atri seated next to him. On the other side were Vatsa’s team consisting only of its chief political advisor, Sumedh, and the chief of defense, Vikarna.

‘Shall we begin?’, Jayatsena asked in a neutral voice.

Sumedh signaled to the guard at the entrance and he opened the flap. Crown Prince Vishvajit entered, his hands and feet bound in chains.

Vishvajit looked around and saw Prajanya and Atri. In spite of his humiliating circumstances, his mind was immediately alert and surfed through all the possibilities as he assessed the situation.

‘Brother… ‘, Prajanya exclaimed as he instinctively moved forward to greet and hug Vishvajit, but the guards prevented him.

Vishvajit didn’t notice Prajanya’s approach, instead his eyes had a gleam and they were fixed on Sumedh and Vikarna.

‘I am the Crown Prince of Magadha’, he stated with authority.

‘Look, Vatsa will be destroyed if something happens to me. Do you want a security guarantee ? Take him !’, Vishvajit pointed to Prajanya.

‘He is my younger brother, a prince too. My father and I would never plan an attack on Vatsa as long as Prajanya is in your custody.’

As he made this suggestion, Vishvajit looked sideways at Prajanya giving what he imagined was a cunning and conspiratorial look that said - Trust me.

Prince Prajanya stood still as the truth finally hit home. Vishvajit would happily send Prajanya to the gallows if it meant that he himself could live one day longer. Vishvajit was no daring hero who would rescue Prajanya come what may, he was just a coward trying to save his skin, whatever the cost.

Jayatsena muttered under his breath. With that one statement from Vishvajit, the game was over. As it was, Magadha had no leverage. All that Jayatsena had been counting on was the element of surprise when they put forward the suggestion of swapping the princes. And if this negative outcome wasn’t enough, Crown Prince Vishvajit had just left his brother, Prince Prajanya, with the memory of a lifetime. Afterall, it is during a pinch that the true strength of relationships gets revealed. The bond between the two brothers was now officially broken.

The subsequent negotiations were unremarkable. Everything went to plan, the Princes were exchanged, Gangapur and Divyasthal were returned to Magadha while Chunar was retained by Vatsa. Finally Purohit Atri, was handed over to Vatsa to prevent any further security leaks. The only surprise was Jayatsena’s insistence that Prajanya be allowed to send and receive letters from his mother.

The death of Somadatta, former chief of defense of Magadha, was mentioned in passing, but everyone merely nodded and moved on. When the death of an official is treated as only a piece of news, a statistic , or perhaps, as a minor inconvenience, then what, indeed, was his life worth?, Sumedh mused.