Scion Of Ikshvaku Part 20

Thankfully, this will all end as soon as we disembark at Ayodhya,' said Lakshman.

Uhh,' said Arishtanemi. There may be a little delay, prince.'

What do you mean?' asked Ram.

Guru Vishwamitra intends to visit Mithila en route to Ayodhya. He has an important mission there as well.'

When were you planning to tell us about this?' asked Lakshman, irritated.

I'm telling you now,' said Arishtanemi.

Signalling Lakshman to be patient, Ram said, It's all right, Arishtanemiji. Our father commanded us to remain with Guru Vishwamitra till he sees fit. A delay of a few months will not harm us in any way.'

Mithila...' groaned Lakshman. It's the back of beyond!'

Unlike most big cities of the Sapt Sindhu, Mithila, the city for the sons of the soil or the city founded by King Mithi, was not a river-town; at least not after the Gandaki River had changed course westwards a few decades ago. This altered the fate of Mithila dramatically. From being counted among the great cities of the Sapt Sindhu, it speedily declined. Most trade in India was conducted through riverine ports. With Gandaki turning its face away, Mithila's fortunes collapsed overnight. Raavan's nifty traders withdrew the appointed sub-traders from Mithila; the miniscule volume of trade simply didn't justify their presence anymore.

The city was ruled by King Janak, a devout, decent and spiritual man. He was a cla.s.sic example of a good man, albeit not for the job at hand. Had Janak chosen to be a spiritual guru, he would have been among the finest in the world. However, fate had decreed that he would be king. Even as a monarch, he a.s.siduously guided the spiritual growth of his people through his dharma sabhas, or spiritual gatherings. Material growth and security, though, had been severely neglected.

To add to Mithila's woes, power within the royal family had decidedly s.h.i.+fted to Janak's younger brother, Kushadhwaj. The Gandaki River's new course skirted the border of Sankashya, whose ruler was Kushadhwaj. Mithila's loss was Sankashya's gain. Easy availability of water led to a boom in trade as well as a dramatic increase in the population of Sankashya. Armed with the heft of both money and numbers, Kushadhwaj made moves to establish himself as the representative of his royal family within the Sapt Sindhu. Careful to maintain appearances, he remained outwardly deferential towards his saintly elder brother. Despite this, rumours abounded that this was just a charade; that Kushadhwaj plotted to absorb Mithila and bring it under his own rule.

That's where we're headed, Lakshman, if that is what Guruji wants,' said Ram. We will need an escort from Sankashya, right? I have heard that there are no proper roads that lead to Mithila from Sankashya.'

There used to be one,' said Arishtanemi. It was washed away when the river changed course. There were no efforts made to rebuild it. Mithila is ... short of funds. But their prime minister has been informed and she has arranged for an escort party.'

Is it true that King Janak's daughter is his prime minister?' asked Lakshman. We found that hard to believe. Is her name Urmila?'

Why is it hard to believe that a woman could be prime minister, Lakshman?' Ram asked, before Arishtanemi could reply. Women are equal to men in mental abilities.'

I know, Dada,' said Lakshman. It's unusual, that's all.'

Lady Mohini was a woman,' continued Ram. And she was a Vishnu. Remember that.'

Lakshman fell silent.

Arishtanemi touched Lakshman's shoulder in a kindly way as he said, You are right, Prince Lakshman. King Janak's daughter is his prime minister. But it's not Princess Urmila, who incidentally is his biological daughter. It's his adopted daughter who is the prime minister.'

Adopted daughter?' asked Ram, surprised. Adopted children were rarely given equal rights in India these days. He had it in mind to set this right by changing the law.

Yes,' said Arishtanemi.

I wasn't aware of that. What's her name?'

Her name is Sita.'

Are we not going to meet the king of Sankashya?' asked Ram.

Vishwamitra's s.h.i.+ps had docked at the port of Sankashya, a few kilometres from the city. They were met by officials from Mithila, led by Samichi, the police and protocol chief of the city. Samichi and her team would lead a small band of one hundred Malayaputras to Mithila. The others would remain aboard the anch.o.r.ed s.h.i.+ps.

No,' said Arishtanemi, as he mounted his horse. Guru Vishwamitra would prefer to pa.s.s this town incognito. In any case, King Kushadhwaj is travelling right now.'

Lakshman surveyed the simple white garments that Ram and he had been asked to wear. Clearly, the princes were supposed to pa.s.s off as commoners.

Incognito?' asked Lakshman, his suspicions immediately aroused as he sceptically gazed upon the Malayaputra party. You could have fooled me.'

Arishtanemi smiled and squeezed his knees; his horse began to move. Ram and Lakshman mounted their horses and followed him. Vishwamitra had already left, at the head of the convoy, accompanied by Samichi.

The pathway through the jungle was so narrow that only three horses could ride abreast. At some spots glimpses of an old cobble-stoned road would emerge where the pathway suddenly got broader. For the most part though, the jungle had aggressively reclaimed the land. Often, the convoy rode single file for long stretches.

You have not visited Mithila, have you?' asked Arishtanemi.

There was never any need to go there,' answered Ram.

Your brother Bharat did visit Sankashya a few months ago.'

He is in charge of diplomatic relations for Ayodhya. It's natural that he would meet with kings from across the Sapt Sindhu.'

Oh? I thought he may have visited King Kushadhwaj for a marriage alliance.'

Lakshman frowned. Marriage alliance? If Ayodhya wanted a marriage alliance, it would be with one of the more powerful kingdoms. Why ally with Sankashya?'

Nothing prevents you from forming multiple marriage alliances. After all, some say marriages are a way to build political alliances by strengthening personal ties.'

Lakshman cast a furtive glance at Ram.

What is it?' asked Arishtanemi, following Lakshman's gaze. You disagree?'

Lakshman b.u.t.ted in. Ram Dada believes marriage is sacred. It should not be treated as a political alliance.'

Arishtanemi raised his eyebrows. That was the way it was in the ancient world, yes. n.o.body really believes in those values anymore.'

I'm not a fan of everything that our ancestors did,' said Ram. But some practices are worth reviving. One of them is looking upon marriage as a sacred partners.h.i.+p between two souls; not as a political alliance between two power centres.'

You are, perhaps, among the very few people who think this way.'

That doesn't mean that I am wrong.'

Lakshman interrupted the conversation again. Dada also believes that a man must marry only one woman. He believes that polygamy is unfair to women and must be banned.'

That's not exactly what I believe, Lakshman,' said Ram. I say that the law must be equal for all. If you allow a man to marry many women, then you should also allow a woman to marry many men if she so chooses. What is wrong is that the current law favours men. Polygamy is allowed but polyandry is not. That is simply wrong. Having said that, my personal preference is for a man to find one woman, and remain loyal to her for the rest of his life.'

I thank Lord Brahma that your preference doesn't extend to a man being loyal to the same woman for many lifetimes!' Arishtanemi chuckled.

Ram smiled.

But Prince Ram,' said Arishtanemi, I'm sure you must be aware that polygamy as a practice rose a few centuries ago with good reason. We had survived the fifty-year war between the Suryavans.h.i.+s and the Chandravans.h.i.+s. Millions of men died. There were simply not enough bridegrooms left, which is why men were encouraged to marry more than one woman. Quite frankly, we also needed to repopulate our country. Thereafter, more and more people began to practice polygamy.'

Yes, but we don't have that problem now, do we?' asked Ram. So why should men continue to be allowed this privilege?'

Arishtanemi fell silent. After a few moments, he asked Ram, Do you intend to marry only one woman?'

Yes. And I will remain loyal to her for the rest of my life. I will not look at another woman.'

Dada,' said Lakshman, grinning slyly, how can you avoid looking at other women? They're everywhere! Are you going to shut your eyes every time a woman pa.s.ses by?'

Ram laughed. You know what I mean. I will not look at other women the way I would look at my wife.'

So, what are you looking for in a woman?' asked Arishtanemi, intrigued.

Ram was about to start speaking when Lakshman promptly jumped in. No. No. No. I have to answer this.'

Arishtanemi looked at Lakshman with an amused grin.

Dada had once said,' continued Lakshman, that he wants a woman who can make him bow his head in admiration.'

Lakshman smiled proudly as he said this. Proud that he knew something so personal about his elder brother.

Arishtanemi cast a bemused look at Ram and smiled. Bow your head in admiration?'

Ram had nothing to say.

Arishtanemi looked ahead. He knew a woman who Ram would almost certainly admire.

Chapter 20.

Vishwamitra and his entourage reached Mithila a week later. Being a fertile, marshy plain that received plentiful monsoonal rain, the land around Mithila was productive beyond measure. It was said that all a Mithila farmer needed to do was fling some seeds and return a few months later to harvest the crop. The land of Mithila would do the rest. But since the farmers of Mithila had not cleared too much land or flung too many seeds, the forest had used the bounty of nature and created a dense barrier all around the city. The absence of a major river added to its isolation. Mithila was cut off from most other Indian cities, which were usually accessed by river.

Why are we so dependent on rivers?' Ram asked. Why don't we build roads? A city like Mithila need not be cut off.'

We did have good roads once upon a time,' said Arishtanemi. Maybe you can rebuild them.'

As the convoy broke through the forest line, they came upon what must have served as a defensive moat once, but had now been converted into a lake to draw water from. The lake circ.u.mscribed the entire city within itself so effectively that Mithila was like an island. There were no animals, like crocodiles, in the lake, for it no longer served a military purpose. Steps had been built on the banks for easy access to water. Giant wheels drew water from the lake, which was carried into the city through pipes.

It is incredibly dim-witted to use the moat as your main water supply,' said Lakshman. The first thing a besieging army would do is to cut it off. Or worse; they may even poison the water.'

You are right,' said Arishtanemi. The prime minister of Mithila realised this. That is why she had a small, but very deep lake constructed, within the city walls.'

Ram, Lakshman and Arishtanemi dismounted at the outer banks of the lake. They had to cross a pontoon bridge to enter the city. Because a pontoon bridge is essentially a floating platform supported by parallel lines of barges or boats, making the structure shaky and unstable, it was wiser to walk across on foot, leading your horse.

Arishtanemi explained enthusiastically, Not only is it cheaper than a conventional bridge, it can also be destroyed easily if the city is attacked. And, of course, be rebuilt just as easily.'

Ram nodded politely, wondering why Arishtanemi felt the need to talk up Mithila. In any case, the city was obviously not wealthy enough to convert the temporary bridge into a more permanent structure.

But then, which kingdom in India, besides Lanka, is wealthy today? The Lankans have taken away all our wealth.

After they crossed over, they came upon the gates of Mithila's fort walls. Interestingly, there were no slogans or military symbols of royal pride emblazoned across the gate. Instead, there was a large image of Lady Saraswati, the G.o.ddess of Knowledge, which had been carved into the top half of the gate. Below it was a simple couplet: Swagruhe Pujyate Murkhaha; Swagraame Pujyate Prabhuhu Swadeshe Pujyate Raja; Vidvaansarvatra Pujyate.

A fool is wors.h.i.+pped in his home.

A chief is wors.h.i.+pped in his village.

A king is wors.h.i.+pped in his kingdom.

A knowledgeable person is wors.h.i.+pped everywhere.

Ram smiled. A city dedicated to knowledge.

Shall we enter?' asked Arishtanemi, pulling his horse's lead rope and clicking as he stepped forward.

Ram nodded to Lakshman, and they led their horses behind Arishtanemi as he entered the city. Behind the gates, a simple road led to another fort wall, at a distance of a kilometre from the outer wall. The rest of the area between the two walls was neatly part.i.tioned into plots of agricultural land. Food crops were ready for harvest.

Smart,' said Ram.

Yes Dada, growing crops within the fort walls secures their food supply,' said Lakshman.

More importantly, there's no human habitation here. This area would be a killing field for an enemy who manages to breach the outer fort wall. An attacking force will lose too many men in the effort to reach the second wall, without any hope of a quick retreat. It's militarily brilliant - two fort walls with uninhabited land in between. We should replicate this in Ayodhya as well.'

Arishtanemi quickened his footsteps as they approached the inner fort wall.

Are those windows I see?' asked Lakshman, pointing towards the top section of the inner fort wall.

Yes,' said Arishtanemi.

Do people use the fort wall as a part of their accommodation?' asked Lakshman, surprised.

Yes, they do,' said Arishtanemi.

Oh,' said Lakshman, shrugging.

Arishtanemi smiled as he looked ahead again.

What the h.e.l.l!' said Lakshman, stopping short as soon as he pa.s.sed the gates of the inner city walls of Mithila. He reached for his sword, instinctively. We've been led into a trap!'

Calm down, prince,' said Arishtanemi, with a broad smile. This is not a trap. This is just the way Mithila is.'

They had walked into a large, single-walled structure that lay on the other side of the gate; it was a continuous line of homes that shared a huge wall. All the houses were built against each other, like a honeycomb, with absolutely no divisions or s.p.a.ce in between. There was a window high on the wall for each individual home, but no doors existed at the street level. It was no surprise that Lakshman thought they had been led into a dead end, a perfect trap or ambush. The fact that most of Vishwamitra's convoy was missing only added to his suspicions.

Where are the streets?' asked Ram.

Since all the houses were packed against each other in one continuous line, there was no room for streets or even small paths.