Chapter 12 - The Price of Ambition

10 days later, Patliputra

SMASH… SMASH….

Prince Prajanya watched his father, King PriamRaja, vent his anger. The public hall was littered with broken artifacts. The news of the humiliating defeat, and capture of his son and heir, Crown Prince Vishvajit, had shaken the King. The council of ministers, the attendants, all retreated into the corners of the hall. Prince Prajanya alone stood by his father’s side.

‘The FOOL… The FOOL…

Couldn’t he have retreated’, King PriamRaja exclaimed.

‘You did say to him - Failure is not an option’, Prajanya said, his voice almost a whisper.

King PriamRaja stared at his son, he had heard the whispered response. He collected himself and sat down on the throne. The attendants came forward and began to clean the mess.

‘I … I was only trying to encourage him. When we feel we have no option, we discover hidden resources in ourselves and it brings out the best in us’, King PriamRaja said, his manner petulant.

But at what cost? Do we have the right to drive someone to the edge, if we can’t catch them when they fall? , Prajanya wondered.

‘Atriji has escaped from enemy territory. He should be here within the week’, Prajanya said, offering the only good news they had.

King PriamRaja looked up and smiled. Now, here was a man who could help him understand the workings of King Mahendra’s mind. He didn’t care about the lost territory, after all how much would the treasury be impacted by the loss of revenue from a few villages and towns. But he wanted to know if his son, Vishvajit, was alive. And there was only one reason why they would keep him alive - To broker a deal!

The question was what could Magadha offer in return?

Would Gold be enough? Lowering of custom duties, would that interest them? Iron ore mines?...

King PriamRaja’s mind raced through the possible options, but none seemed a worthy exchange. King Mahendra was no fool and PriamRaja had heard of Mahendra’s astute Chief Political advisor. They knew that the moment they released Crown Prince Vishvajit, Magadha would be ready for another attack.

So what did King Mahendra want? PriamRaja knew that Vatsa wasn’t looking to extend its borders. After they had decimated Magadha’s army and occupied Gangapur, Vatsa could easily have marched forward and occupied more territory. After all, the battalions from the Kalinga- Magadha border had arrived only several days later. But Vatsa hadn’t done that , they had just created a line of defense at Gangapur. So, what remained? What could they be interested in?

Surely, not PEACE?

Even the thought sounded ridiculous to him and he laughed out loud.

Everyone present in the Public Hall eyed the King warily.

The ancient texts state that -

Service under a King is comparable to living in a fire, but is, in fact, worse.

A fire may burn a part of one’s body and, at its worst, all of it; but a King goes from one extreme to another. He may either confer prosperity or may have the whole family, including wives and children, killed. Therefore a wise man makes self-protection his first and constant concern.

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Atri stared at the passing scenery from his carriage window. They had just crossed another village. His thoughts went over the events of the past few weeks. Even if for a short time, it had felt good to be back in Vatsa’s fold. He had even developed a fondness for Gangapur and its warm people. He realized anew that people were the same everywhere. As humans, our needs and aspirations are the same, and the longing for goodness is universal. A non-virtuous ruler or a corrupt administration is not a reflection of the humanity of the people living under it. And if indeed the malice pervades the populace, it can only be because they were coerced, subdued and had no other way to survive. Present to them the opportunity of a better way of life, and the seeds of goodness shall burst forth again.

After several discussions with Sumedh, Atri had decided to return to Magadha. The contours of a treaty with King PriamRaja remained vague.

‘It is hard to read the enemy’s mind and much of it will be decided at the negotiating table.

Atriji, it is therefore essential that you be present as part of PriamRaja’s camp during the negotiations.’, Sumedh had said.

They had again discussed the possibility of retaining Gangapur within Vatsa, but the hurdles were too many. They needed Gyanadoot to be in Magadha for future missions. Sumedh was usually firm and unemotional when it came to political strategy, but even he seemed to have developed a fondness for Gangapur and looked reluctant to let go. It was just a fleeting emotion that passed Sumedh’s face, and a less keen gaze might have missed it. In the end, it was Kailashnath’s firm resolve that had decided the matter.

‘What peace can we have in Gangapur under Vatsa’s rule when we know that our brothers and sisters in Magadha are suffering’, he had said.

Kailashnath’s heart and love surpassed boundaries of kingdoms and Atri had felt humbled, yet again, to be in his presence.

The ‘escape’ from Vatsa itself had not been a complicated affair. The chaos that ensues after war usually provides a good backstory and Atri had approached the commander of the Magadha’s border army for refuge. Once he had presented his identification, the commander had made arrangements for his transport back to the Capital.

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Prince Prajanya watched his father’s solemn face as King PriamRaja emerged after a dip in the holy Ganges. There are so many facets to a person, Prajanya thought and his heart warmed over. His father came forward and stood next to him.

‘Do you believe in the power of prayer?’, Prajanya asked.

King PriamRaja’s eyes narrowed as he wondered at this strange question.

‘These are the duties of a King. My father didn’t question it, I don’t either. You should follow suit, don’t think too much’, he replied.

‘And keep a solemn face during prayer. That is the right pose’, he added the warning.

All these futile musings about prayer was the result of reading too much! It was all Prajanya’s mother’s doing, she had insisted that he attend Nalanda University!, King PriamRaja thought with irritation.

The warmth left Prajanya’s heart and was replaced with the familiar heaviness. His father’s volatile personality always affected him thus. The feelings his mother, Queen Madhavi, evoked in him were just the opposite. Prajanya’s face lit up at the thought of his mother. He had always wondered how she had fallen in love with a man like his father. They were complete opposites. One day he had asked her this question and she narrated her story.

‘My father had been the Purohita at Kalinga’, she began.

‘I had come to the Palace to help father with some texts. That was when your father, then Crown Prince PriamRaja, saw me. An aggressive man himself, he had been attracted to my soft mannerisms and peaceful nature. I found his attention intimidating. He was the Crown Prince and it would have been hard to reject a marriage proposal, so I began to avoid him. He could have pressured my father to agree to a marriage alliance, but he chose not to. Instead, he patiently pursued me till I was comfortable with him and consented. When we got married, he told me that he wanted to change. He wanted to be more spiritual and needed my help in this journey.’

His mother had stopped narrating at this point. Her eyes had turned thoughtful. After a while, she continued.

‘It is only now that I realize that good intentions are hardly enough. The patience and self-control that such a change demands is not present in everyone. People imagine that they can give up their habits easily, but it rarely happens. Usually, after a few half-hearted attempts they conclude that - This is the person I am , I can’t change.

A few months after we were married I overheard him say -

Madhavi is too good a person. It really is hard to deal with good people. They do the right thing all the time and make us feel guilty. On the other hand, when we deal with crafty and selfish people, each of us are trying to get the best deal out of the situation and so we don’t feel bad about ourselves.

And with that ended all your father’s aspirations for change and my hopes for the future’, Queen Madhavi had concluded.

Over the years, Prajanya had watched the relationship between his parents deteriorate and now, his mother was a nervous wreck whenever she was around her husband. She had become a shadow of her former self, while his father had moved on to younger and more attractive prospects.

‘This way your highness’, Prajanya came out of his reverie. His father’s attendant was pointing toward the carriage.

‘You go ahead Father. I will stay here for some more time’, he said to his father.

King PriamRaja gave a slight nod and left with his entourage.

Prajanya looked around him. The bank of the river Ganges was considered one of the holiest places, but he was not a believer. He had studied the scriptures and the ancient texts. He understood that the scriptures were written by those who had studied the essence of virtue and the epics were an illustration of these virtues in stories. He didn’t question customs and traditions. For him, they were a constructive way to divert the mind. This was as far as his logical mind could go. Sure, there were a lot of mysteries in this world, but believing in God didn’t automatically solve these mysteries.

One advantage of being a non-believer was that he didn’t believe in miracles. It was always a matter of give and take. Prajanya’s mind turned to the matter at hand. The question was -

If his brother, Crown Prince Vishvajit, was in Vatsa’s custody, what could be offered in exchange?

‘Ohhh… ‘, Prajanya exclaimed, as a thought struck him.

Perhaps it wasn’t ‘what’ but ‘who’ they could offer in exchange. A life for a life. And when it is a royal life, it would have to be a royal life in exchange. It will have to be me. I must offer myself in return for my brother. No one else will do. What Vatsa needed was a guarantee that Magadha would keep its word even after Crown Prince Vishvajit was released.

Fear engulfed him at the thought and Prajanya’s hands began to sweat. Maybe it was a meaningless thought.

‘Surely, surely, Father wouldn’t expect this, wouldn’t allow this…’, his mind raced.

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A week later

‘We have definite news. Brother Vishvajit and Defence Chief Somadatta are in Vatsa’s custody.’, Prajanya said.

Prince Prajanya and Purohita Atri were seated in King PriamRaja’s private chamber. ‘

‘Let us plan a rescue then…’, King PriamRaja began eagerly.

‘But they have now been moved away from the Central Prison at Kaushambi. Our secret agents are not able to locate them anymore.’ , Prajanya added.

‘Ugghhh.. What does that King Mahendra of Vatsa want??? They haven’t been in touch. They are not placing any demands. What kind of game are they playing?’, King PriamRaja stopped pacing the room and looked at Atri.

‘It is a power game. Who will blink first!!!’, Atri said dryly.

‘What??? I will show them who is more powerful !!! I have already asked the two divisions of troops to be ready for battle. We can always get more…’, King PriamRaja said in a heated tone.

‘But what about brother? Do you think he will be kept alive until… ‘, Prajanya said.

Atri realized that they were getting nowhere. He interrupted the Father- Son exchange.

‘Your highness, your highness. We need to calm down.. Please, please have a seat.’

A tense silence followed.

At last Atri spoke.

‘From what I know of King Mahendra, I doubt he is seeking to expand Vatsa’s territory. But with this attack, we have alerted them about our ambition. Both the armies of Vatsa and Avanti are on high alert, and they will not yield an inch of their territory. What we need to do now is to assure them that we too want peace and will not attempt to conquer their land anymore. A Crown Prince can’t be held in captivity, and we can negotiate his return. But we must offer some guarantee in return. ’

‘So, let’s go ahead and sign one of those peace treaties. Once my son returns, we will plan the next attack’, King PriamRaja replied with a smirk.

Prince Prajanya colored. He was part of the political circles and was no stranger to deviousness, but such blatant disregard for integrity was hard to digest.

‘I doubt that signing a peace treaty will convince Vatsa. They are aware of your ambitions, Your highness’, Atri said in a neutral tone.

‘Purohitji, What if I offered to be their captive in place of brother Vishvajit?’, Prajanya asked in a subdued, but resolute tone.

A life for a life ! Atri was stunned. He hadn’t anticipated this. In his discussions with Sumedh, they had considered stationing inspectors to check troop build up and several trade sanctions. But this was beyond his wildest imagination.

‘Brilliant, brilliant .. Let us do that. Once Vishvajit is back, we will attack Vatsa and rescue you in no time.’, King PriamRaja jumped up in enthusiasm.

Prince Prajanya’s heart sank. As a spare Prince, he was no more than a pawn for his father.

‘Okay then, I will leave you to work out the details’, King PriamRaja added , rubbing his palms in delight. Atri and Prajanya rose as he exited the room.

This man would rather give up his son than his greed. What hope could his subjects have of exciting his sympathy?, Atri thought. He was disgusted and it showed on his face.

Prince Prajanya caught that look and was enraged.

‘You are critical of the King because he wants to expand his Kingdom. Why? You consider it greed to want more land, more gold , more power?

Would you say the same about a farmer who wants more land for farming?

Who can say where ambition ends and greed begins?’, Prajanya’s voice was almost a shout.

Atri remained silent.

‘Tell me, …. Tell me’, Prajanya challenged.

‘There can be no outer rule because our ambition is limited only by our imagination, but there is an inner rule.’, Atri spoke after a while.

‘An inner rule? To distinguish ambition from greed?’, Prajanya eyed him warily.

‘Yes. When we place ambition above humanity, then it is no longer ambition, it has turned into greed.’, Atri replied, his voice sombre.

A tear slid down Prajanya’s cheek. It was painful to accept that his father was evil.