cavalry man will not attack an inferior armed person like a spear wielding foot-soldier. A
swordsman will never attack a person below his waist because that is unethical. The
Chandravanshis don’t care for such niceties. They will attack whomsoever and however they
find expedient to ensure victory’
‘Begging your pardon, your Highness,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘But that difference is what
makes us who we are. like Lord Ram said, a person’s ethics and character are not tested in
good times. It is only in bad times that a person shows how steadfast he is to his dharma.’
‘But Parvateshwar,’ sighed Daksha. ‘We are not under attack by people who are as ethical
and decent as us. Our way of life is under assault. If we don’t fight back in any which way we
can, we will lose.’
‘My apologies once again, your Highness,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘I have never said that we
should not fight back. I am eager to attack. I have been asking repeatedly for permission to
declare war on the Chandravanshis. But if we fight without our rules, our codes, our ethics, then
“our way of life” is as good as destroyed. And the Chandravanshis would have won without
even fighting us!’
At the ringing of the prahar town bell, the conversation was halted, as everyone said a quick
prayer. Shiva turned towards the window, wondering if Sati would be dancing today.
Daksha turned to Shiva expectantly. ‘Do you need to leave my Lord?’
‘No, your Highness,’ said Shiva, hiding the pain and confusion he felt inside. ‘I don’t believe I
am expected anywhere at this point of time.’
At this, the smile on Daksha’s face disappeared with his hopes. Shiva continued, ‘If it is
alright with you, your Highness, may we continue our conversation? Perhaps we can have our
lunch a little later.’
‘Of course we may, my Lord,’ smiled Daksha, pulling himself together.
‘I have got the story so far, your Highness. While I can understand your reasons for not
wanting to attack right now, you clearly have a plan, in which my blue throat has some strange
role to play’
‘Yes, we do have a plan, my Lord. I feel that as an emperor, my giving in unthinkingly to the
righteous anger of some of our people will not solve our problem. I believe that the people of
Swadweep themselves are not evil. It is their Chandravanshi rulers and their way of life that has
made them evil. The only way forward for us is to save the Swadweepans themselves.’
‘Save the Swadweepans?’ asked Shiva, genuinely surprised.
‘Yes, my Lord. Save them from the evil philosophy that infects their soul. Save them from
their treacherous rulers. Save them from their sorry, meaningless existence. And we can do this
by giving them the benefits of the superior Suryavanshi way of life. Once they become like us,
there will be no reason to fight. We will live like brothers. This is the unfinished task of my
father, King Brahmanayak. In fact, it is the unfinished task of Lord Ram.’
‘That is a big task to take on, your Highness,’ said Shiva. ‘It is sweeping in its kindness and
reason. But it is a very big task. You will need soldiers to defeat their army and missionaries to
bring them to your side. It is not going to be easy.’
‘I agree. There are many in my empire who have concerns about even attacking Swadweep,
and I am putting forth a much bigger challenge to them, of reforming Swadweep. That is why I
did not want to launch this without the Neelkanth, my Lord.’
Shiva remembered his uncle’s words, spoken many years back, in what was almost another
life. Your destiny lies beyond the mountains. Whether you fulfil it or run away once again, is
singke
(singke)
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