your bed in Ashokavan ...’
That day when the Prime Minister had sent Mandar through the underground passage, at that time Mukulika was standing by my bed and I had not had the presence of mind to send her away before opening the secret door.
My head was spinning. Is Mandar so wicked? What had he gained by telling Mother?
I wished to tell Mother of all that had happened at Ashokavan without concealing a thing, but shame kept me back. However passionately I might reiterate the truth, it was unlikely that in her present mood, Mother would believe it.
As ruthlessly as one cuts through dry wood, she tore at me with reprehensive words, ‘You are not at fault. It is my fate which is to blame. It is in your blood. As a wife I suffered a lot. I was hoping that suffering would not be my lot at least as a mother. But ...’
Her words suddenly stopped. She beckoned to me and I followed. I thought there was another underground passage here. I descended behind her but I did not dare to ask where we were going. It was not far to go. At the far end, there was a cellar. There was a tall, fierce-looking sentry at the door who saluted us.
Mother turned to me. ‘Go in but you can stay there for only ten minutes. It is said that one should fulfil the last wish of a dying person. Therefore I have shown Alaka this mercy ...’ She stopped for a while and said, ‘Listen, Prince. You will be king soon. If he so wills a king can command a new beauty everyday ...’
She turned away. The sentry opened the door. I stepped inside dumbfounded. There was a low light in that small narrow room and I could not discern anything there for a few moments. I then saw Alaka squatting on the floor with her head between her knees. I went near with a heavy heart. She could not have heard me coming! I was very close to her and put my hand on her shoulder. It was only then that she slowly looked up. She simply stared at me with watery eyes. Her face had gone black. She peered at me again and again and asked, ‘Who is it?’
She could neither hear nor see. Terror struck at my heart. I shook her violently by the shoulders and screamed, ‘Alaka!’
She recognised my voice, a smile slowly spread over her face and with a heavy but caressing voice, she said, ‘Who? Prince?’
I sat close to her and putting her head on my shoulder, said, ‘What is the matter, Alaka?’
Nearby was an empty wine glass. With great difficulty she pointed to it and said, ‘Ask that cup. That ... that ... cup contained love, I ... I ... drank it.’
She could speak no more. Once she said with a heartache ‘... That ... that ... Mandar ... him ... him ... I ...’
She was getting convulsions. Suddenly in a low voice from somewhere deep down: ‘D ... d ... do ... do not forget me. M ... m ... my one ... golden hair ... keep ... Oh! Oh!’
I gently plucked a golden hair. She was now in her last few moments and all because of me! Should I not have given her as a memento, something imperishable to keep up her courage on that journey?
But in the presence of death, even a king turns a beggar. There was nothing I could give her.
Unconsciously I bent down and put my lips to her. She was probably a little conscious and struggled to turn her head away. She muttered, ‘N ... no ... p ... poison!’
But she had not the strength to draw away. I was madly kissing her.
That first kiss and this last kiss tonight! What a tragic episode life is! In trying to draw away from me, she toppled to the ground. I tried to shake her into wakefulness. The bird had flown away.
Her lifeless body was in front of me. Her soul — I wondered where her soul was —
Mother shouted for me and I returned to my room. The Prime Minister was waiting for me. He explained that he had come at that hour of the night with good tidings.
He said, ‘The war between the gods and demons has ceased. Kacha acquired the power of Sanjeevani and could revive the dead on the side of the gods. So the demons ceased fire. It
That day when the Prime Minister had sent Mandar through the underground passage, at that time Mukulika was standing by my bed and I had not had the presence of mind to send her away before opening the secret door.
My head was spinning. Is Mandar so wicked? What had he gained by telling Mother?
I wished to tell Mother of all that had happened at Ashokavan without concealing a thing, but shame kept me back. However passionately I might reiterate the truth, it was unlikely that in her present mood, Mother would believe it.
As ruthlessly as one cuts through dry wood, she tore at me with reprehensive words, ‘You are not at fault. It is my fate which is to blame. It is in your blood. As a wife I suffered a lot. I was hoping that suffering would not be my lot at least as a mother. But ...’
Her words suddenly stopped. She beckoned to me and I followed. I thought there was another underground passage here. I descended behind her but I did not dare to ask where we were going. It was not far to go. At the far end, there was a cellar. There was a tall, fierce-looking sentry at the door who saluted us.
Mother turned to me. ‘Go in but you can stay there for only ten minutes. It is said that one should fulfil the last wish of a dying person. Therefore I have shown Alaka this mercy ...’ She stopped for a while and said, ‘Listen, Prince. You will be king soon. If he so wills a king can command a new beauty everyday ...’
She turned away. The sentry opened the door. I stepped inside dumbfounded. There was a low light in that small narrow room and I could not discern anything there for a few moments. I then saw Alaka squatting on the floor with her head between her knees. I went near with a heavy heart. She could not have heard me coming! I was very close to her and put my hand on her shoulder. It was only then that she slowly looked up. She simply stared at me with watery eyes. Her face had gone black. She peered at me again and again and asked, ‘Who is it?’
She could neither hear nor see. Terror struck at my heart. I shook her violently by the shoulders and screamed, ‘Alaka!’
She recognised my voice, a smile slowly spread over her face and with a heavy but caressing voice, she said, ‘Who? Prince?’
I sat close to her and putting her head on my shoulder, said, ‘What is the matter, Alaka?’
Nearby was an empty wine glass. With great difficulty she pointed to it and said, ‘Ask that cup. That ... that ... cup contained love, I ... I ... drank it.’
She could speak no more. Once she said with a heartache ‘... That ... that ... Mandar ... him ... him ... I ...’
She was getting convulsions. Suddenly in a low voice from somewhere deep down: ‘D ... d ... do ... do not forget me. M ... m ... my one ... golden hair ... keep ... Oh! Oh!’
I gently plucked a golden hair. She was now in her last few moments and all because of me! Should I not have given her as a memento, something imperishable to keep up her courage on that journey?
But in the presence of death, even a king turns a beggar. There was nothing I could give her.
Unconsciously I bent down and put my lips to her. She was probably a little conscious and struggled to turn her head away. She muttered, ‘N ... no ... p ... poison!’
But she had not the strength to draw away. I was madly kissing her.
That first kiss and this last kiss tonight! What a tragic episode life is! In trying to draw away from me, she toppled to the ground. I tried to shake her into wakefulness. The bird had flown away.
Her lifeless body was in front of me. Her soul — I wondered where her soul was —
Mother shouted for me and I returned to my room. The Prime Minister was waiting for me. He explained that he had come at that hour of the night with good tidings.
He said, ‘The war between the gods and demons has ceased. Kacha acquired the power of Sanjeevani and could revive the dead on the side of the gods. So the demons ceased fire. It
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