For Love

Morning dews were still fresh on the rose petals when a rider speeded out from the King’s palace in the eastern Himalayan kingdom of Barakham. Determination and a sense of urgency were the paramount facial expression he had. He rushed his horse through the hilly terrain and then crossed the plains to reach another magnificent palace in the valley of Barak. The messenger was recognized, and his urgency was acknowledged by the wise commander who took the messenger straight to the hall where the two princes were enjoying an extended late-night party. 

The messenger carried a summoned issued by ‘Crown Prince – Abhiyaza’ for his two younger brothers, prince Sanay and prince Puru. The two princes did not waste any time in reporting to the royal palace of Barakham where a tensed elder brother was eagerly waiting for his two arms, arms that Crown Prince Abhiyaza trusted more than anyone else in the kingdom, his younger brother prince Sanay and prince Puru.

Abhiyaza “Father King is aging and wants himself to be freed from his Royal duties. He wants to serve in the Monastery of Buddha, celebrating the last years of his life as a monk. He has asked royals of the court to arrange for my coronation so that a young and more up to date king takes on his place and serve the kingdom better”

Sanay “That’s great. Father has served for a long and now he deserves to rest and time for himself. Who better than the crown prince himself can take on this responsibility?”

Puru “That’s right brother. You have all our support, and we are incredibly happy for you.”

A visibly delighted Crown Prince hugged his brothers tight and then took a deep breath to share the difficult part of the situation. He knew it was going to be tough and his brothers may find this subtle, Afterall royal stories have never been so straightforward.

Abhiyaza “My dear brothers, last evening after the king announced his decision to retire, I had a long meeting with the Nobles of the court, they all congratulated me and wants me to lead the kingdom. However, their support is not unconditional. They have put me in a very tough spot, and I am finding it impossible to comply to their condition and this is the reason why I sent out summons to you two.”

While Sanay was still trying to understand the context, the youngest brother, prince Puru was already up in his arms. “Who are they to put any conditions to the royal family? It is their duty to unconditionally support you and the royal family”

Abhiyaza “They have a valid point my dear brother and I could barely find a workaround to their objection. I have evaluated all options and looks like the customs, rituals, beliefs are all against me.”

Sanay interrupted this time “and what is it which they have an objection about?”

Abhiyaza was silent, he had answers but not words to express the dilemma. His life had reached its zenith and then to nadir on the same day. He was unsure if his younger brothers would appreciate the situation but then he was running out of options. Crown prince Abhiyaza was also running out of time, soon royals would return to the palace and the royal family must get ready to bring them in confidence.

Abhiyaza “My brothers, noble’s objection is very personal to my life and I cannot let my personal matters destroy the long and tall standing fame of this kingdom.”

“What personal matter, what is it?” asked Sanay.

Abhiyaza “Mater is not it, but it is she.”

Sanay “She! Who she?”

Abhiyaza “Sanjukta. The matter is about Sanjukta, my brothers.”

The name Sanjukta stun the brothers of Crown Prince. Abhiyaza’s had a soft corner for Sanjukta and this was known to all. After all crown prince never kept this a secret. However, this name could become such a major point of contention was something that prince Sanay and prince Puru had never anticipated.

“What business she has to do with your coronation?” asked Sanay, while he crafted his words wisely he too was not able to control his emotions that were now as promptly visible on his face as it was on Puru’s face.

Abhiyaza “none, at least I thought so. However, Nobles believe it the other way.”

Sanay “please help us to understand this better.”

Abhiyaza “I always looked up to Sanjukta, she is matured, a good friend, and someone I admire and love. Nobles fear and I agree that this might happen someday that I marry Sanjukta, this is something that is not acceptable to the nobles of the court and to the priests of the temple. They, the nobles or the priests will never accept here as the royal queen. This is something not that I am not willing to compromise. For me either it is Sanjukta or none.” 

Prince Sanay and prince Puru now understood the dilemma that their brother and the crown prince had. It is not so difficult not to understand how a majestically powerful man fully armed feels when he is asked to surrender. It was this feeling that Crown prince Abhiyaaz felt when nobles expressed their views to him.

Crown prince Abhiyaza continued in his heavy but saddened voice “I request you two to take a walk in open, discuss the matter among you and let me know your views. Meanwhile, I shall freshen up and prepare myself to face the nobles as they return.”

There are two rules of the Game that life plays with us, first, the playing field will never be level, and second, that life will keep on introducing new rules as the game progress. Just a year back life was such a beautiful experience for all the three brothers and now here they are with the toughest situation of their life and this situation was Sanjukta. Sanjukta is not just a name but a story in herself, a story that every citizen of the kingdom of Barakham admires. Story of young, beautiful, and extremely passionate women Sanjukta.

Sanjukta was a well-learned female in what otherwise was a male-dominated society. Widowed twice, the first time after her first husband a senior rank army officer died fighting insurgents. She then married a wealthy businessman who too died a few years after battling a rare sickness that none understood in that era. Sanjukta was largely acclaimed for business acumen and political wisdom something that got her entry to the royal palace and a seat closure to the king. This is when she started interacting with the Crown prince who was then impressed by her abilities and thought process.

So, what was that nobles and temple priests were against? It appeared that as per the norms, a royal family member, particularly a King, Prince, Crown Prince, or a Princess cannot marry a widow or a widower. This was dead against the rule of royals and such royal must abdicate. If Crown Prince decides to marry Sanjukta, a widow then he must renounce the throne, wealth, royal duties, the titles, and all benefits.

For crown prince Abhiyaza his love for Sanjukta was sacrosanct, it would have been an easier choice if the other option was not duty. A thorough gentleman like Abhiyaza would never compromise on duty, that too national duty, however, how could one let go love? Love that empowers you to be good and to be better. The Dilemma of love versus duty has for ages challenged the wisdom of greatest minds and yet we find no formula to get the right answer to this puzzle.

Little later that morning, prince Sanay and Prince Puru returned to the crown prince’s chamber where Abhiyaza was eagerly waiting for his beloved brothers. The two brothers had a well-thought plan which they believed would entrap Abhiyaza.

Sanay starts “Dear brother, me and Puru believe that the matter is not so complex as it looked initially. We know you and have learned this during our days at Gurukul, that for a king his kingdom is not just something he owns but is something he is responsible for. A man is known by his deeds, how he takes on his responsibilities and that is what makes him. For you, we have a simple answer, duty first while love shall wait.”

It appears that the strategy was to do downplay the situation and compel the crown prince to continue with his royal duties.

Abhiyaza “what about my love? Married life?”

Puru “you can choose to marry anyone and if you still wish to marry Sanjukta, well wait for few years, we will fix the customs, priests, and royals. Opinion and laws can be changed with time.”

A guard interrupted the discussion to inform princes that nobles have returned and are waiting for them in the great hall and would like the crown prince to be there as early as possible.

In a great hall, senior-most noble Biren Ji welcomes the crown prince and his younger brothers.

Biren Ji “highness, nobles are excited to see you like our new King. We are confident that your decision will be to honor the values of this great family and the customs of this kingdom. You are a man of words, you take duty above rest and, there are great comfort and pleasure in this royal palace. We hope to serve you as our king.”

Abhiyaza “Biren Ji, please ask all to be at the court. We (he and his two brothers) shall meet the King and Queen-mother and then will meet you at the court. We need to update King with our decision. We shall have coronation shortly.”

Excited nobles and priests were thrilled, they wasted no time in making the arrangements for the coronation ceremony at the court. Time was short so only selected citizens from nearby areas could reach the courtroom. In presence of the King, the Queen, the chief priests, nobles and a few common men coronation ceremony starts with prayers and bells. Soon trumpet is sounded, and the door opened, there walked in the crown prince Abhiyaza, escorted by his two younger brothers, Sanay and Puru. All three took the blessings of the Queen's mother and the King. They then took steps towards the royal throne.

Head priests start chanting slokas and welcome all three princes on the grandstand next to the throne. He takes on a garland made of rare Himalayan flowers, the red Primula, and blue anemone, these are the finest flowers seen in the Himalayan range. Just as he was about to put the garland to Abhiyaza he takes a step back saying,

“This is for King Sanay not for me”

The crowd was stunned by his action. They were numbed by the words of Abhiyaza.

Biren Ji “How can this be? You are our crown prince, and you will be the king. Prince Sanay is younger than you. How can he be crowned? Dharma does not permit this.”

Prince Abhiyaza “Dharma also does not allow to abandon love. It is the essence of humankind.”

Biren Ji “What are you saying. This has never happened, how could you……

And before Biren Ji could complete, the King roared. “Do as he says. He has all our blessings and permissions. Prince Abhiyaza has given up his royal benefits and claims. He now onwards will join the nobles of the court and serve this kingdom to the best of his abilities. He will always remain loyal to King Sanay and Prince Puru. Nobody today or ever in the future shall have a problem with this decision of the royal family. We honor and respect customs but would also follow the path of happiness.”

Biren Ji “As says the king. If it is in fate so be it.”

King roars again “No not fait or destiny but decision. It is his decision.”

Silence prevailed for some time and then priests resumed their slokas and bells starting ringing. This time for soon to be King Sanay. This had never happened in the history of the kingdom of Barakham, the coronation of the younger prince while the eldest was still hale and hearty. Valley of Barak had never bloomed the way it did that faithful day. Two senior members of the royal family giving away way to younger ones to take on the royal duties. One for spirituality and the second for love.

King turned monk and Abhiyaza, once a crown prince was now a commoner. This indeed was an unforgettable day in the history of the Kingdom of Barakham.

Once all rituals were done and the new King had taken the throne, people started congratulating King Sanay, one after another they walked up to the throne to wish him. Soon the news spread like a wildfire and people from across the valley rushed towards to witness the grand ceremony and congratulate the new king. While all this was happening, Biren Ji walked close to Abhiyaza and whispered.

Biren Ji “Highness, I will soon learn to address you as Abhiyaza Ji. However, will you ever feel comfortable after letting all your royal pleasures and powers go?”

Abhiyaza “Agree, it will be tough, but life would have been a lot tougher had I let my love go instead of royal pleasures and power”

Biren Ji “You gave away your throne, your power, all your wealth and pleasures. You no longer will be addressed as high or enjoy any rights that are bestowed upon members of the royal family. What was it that made it so easy for you to let go all? What for?

With smile and affection, hugging Biren Ji, Abhiyaza said “For Love”

Abhiyaza married Sanjukta a few days later. His marriage was attended by who’s who of the valley of Barak. Guests were not just from the Kingdom but also from the neighboring kingdoms as well, it was a rare marriage that could happen after great sacrifice. King Sanay and his brother Puru also attended the wedding. It was the greatest affair under the sun that year which was to be remembered by the generation to come.

Abhiyaza and Sanjukta lived happily thereafter. For years, Abhiyaza and Sanjukta served as nobles in the King’s court. Abhiyaza lived healthy and happy that brought an end to all the rumors about Sanjukta. Their story to date remains a testimony of love in the valley of Barak.