Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The King's Command
- Talketu's Vow of Vengeance
- The Trap is Set
- Ritadhvaja Meets the False Sage
- The Deceptive Ritual
- The Illusion and Talketu's Escape
- Devastating News
- The Aftermath
- Talketu's Departure
- Reflection on the Tale
- Relevance in Today's World
- Questions for the Reader
- Concluding Thoughts
Introduction
Susharma and Devsharma said to their father, that were now coming to the reason why their friend was unhappy.
The King's Command
Some time had passed since the prince had come back from Patala, having rescued Madalasa and married her. King Shatrujit noticed something. His son, though brave and wise, was ignoring his duties towards the kingdom. He was busy in the inner chambers with Madalasa. One morning, King Shatrujit summoned Ritadhvaja.
“My son,” he said, “it is your duty to protect the sages who live in our kingdom. Mount Kuvalaya every day and ride across our kingdom. Ensure that no harm comes to the sages. There are many Danavas and Daityas who come and attack the sages. You must protect the sages.”
Ritadhvaja accepted his father’s command. At dawn each day he would ascend Kuvalaya and begin his patrol. He rode alone. No entourage followed him. He would go to areas where the sages lived. At each hermitage, he would ask if their penance was undisturbed and if there was anything he could help them with.
He did this during the day. When the sun was about to set, he would return to his palace and spend the remaining part of the day with Madalasa.
One morning he decided to travel eastwards. He travelled along the banks of river Karnavati till he reached river Yamuna.
Talketu's Vow of Vengeance
When Ritadhvaja had killed Patalketu, the Daitya’s brother had hidden himself and had watched the death of his elder brother. He had been too young to fight so had not joined the battle. He had seen the prince use divine weapons to destroy the Daityas in Patala. He knew that to face the prince in battle would be foolish. Patalketu had died because of Madalasa. She was now the love of Ritadhvaja.
Talketu watched over Ritadhvaja, invisible, thinking of a way to get rid of Madalasa. If Madalasa was not alive, the prince would die of heartbreak or kill himself.
The Trap is Set
When Talketu realised Ritadhvaja was travelling towards Yamuna, he set up a hut near the banks of the river, in a spot which the prince would not miss. He conjured it out of thin air. It was such that anyone passing would be fooled into thinking this was a hut of a great sage. Talketu disguised himself as a sage and sat in meditation. His appearance was perfect: matted hair, ash smeared on his body and a slow, steady breathing. The trap was set. Now all he had to do was wait for Ritadhvaja to arrive.
Ritadhvaja Meets the False Sage
Ritadhvaja was riding his horse. As he rounded a bend, he paused. In front of him was a hut. Just a hut near the banks of the river. A few trees nearby, and nothing else. The prince did not stop to think that this was off. He just knew that he needed to check with all sages and brahmins. He dismounted and walked forward. Before a well-lit fire was seated an ascetic. He went and bowed down in front of the sage. He said, “I am so glad that you are living in this kingdom which is ruled by King Shatrujit. I am his son Ritadhvaja. What can I do for you, to ensure your safety and comfort? Any way I can serve you?”
The sage, who was none other than Talketu in disguise, opened his eyes. He said, "Noble prince. I know who you are. I have heard about you. Please, be seated. I wished for someone like you to pass this way. The gods are kind."
The prince sat before him.
The Deceptive Ritual
The false sage said, “I am about to perform a ritual for Dharma. For that, one must first invoke Varuna, the lord of the waters. It is said that only when Varuna is pleased can Dharma emerge. Most of the material I need for the ritual I have been able to collect. I have grass, fruits, water, flowers and mantras to invoke Varuna. I do not have any money for Dakshina. Without it, the ritual will be incomplete.”
He stopped for a moment. He then pointed at a necklace around the prince's neck and spoke. "That ornament. I recognise the make. It is Gandharva style, isn't it?"
The prince nodded.
“Yes. It was a gift from Madalasa, my wife.”
“Then that is the best offering to Dharma, a symbol of love. Give me that necklace. I will use that to please Varuna.”
He held out his hands.
Ritadhvaja unfastened it. "Accept this humble gift." Saying that, he placed the ornament in the sage's hands.
The sage accepted it, bowed his head and walked towards the waters of Yamuna.
Ritadhvaja said to him, "Do not worry about your hut. Complete your ritual in the waters of Yamuna. I will stay here and guard your hut, until you return."
Uttering some mantras, the sage turned towards the prince. "Look at me, dear prince. I will tie a talisman around your wrist. This will protect you from any danger." Having tied a black thread around the prince's wrist, the sage slowly stepped into the waters.
The prince stood there watching till the sage uttered a mantra and submerged himself completely.
The Illusion and Talketu's Escape
As soon as the sage was under the water, his illusion also ended. The hut vanished. The talisman that was on the prince's wrist ensured that the prince thought he was guarding a hut. In reality, he stood there, guarding a portion of empty sandbank, his sword in hand.
The mantra that Talketu had uttered just before he had submerged himself underwater was to deceive the sight of the prince. So, when the prince thought the sage was under the water, Talketu came out, the necklace in his hand, and left the place to travel towards the city. Using magic, he quickly arrived near the palace of the king.
Devastating News
The king was told that a sage had come to meet him. The sage was invited to the court.
The sage was old, weary and dusty. He was offered a place to sit but he refused. He said, "I have come to meet you and your family. I came across your son. He had come to my hut which I had built on the banks of river Yamuna. He asked me if there was anything he could do that would help me in my austerities. I told him that place was frequently attacked by Daityas and Danavas. I even told him to escape. He refused to do so and stood guard. When the sun had set, the Daityas attacked. They came in a group and before the prince could realise, he was under their spell. They used their weapons and while the prince tried, he could not remember the mantras to invoke weapons. He fought bravely till one of the Daityas took a spear and attacked him from behind. Before he knew, Ritadhvaja's heart had been pierced by the spear. I was helpless. I could do nothing to save the prince. As much as I wanted to, under the spell of the Daityas I stood frozen. Kuvalaya also put up a fight but he was captured by the Daityas, who left with the horse. With the Daityas leaving, the spell was broken. I went to the prince. He was breathing his last. He took a necklace from his neck and asked me to show this to Madalasa, in the palace. I asked the ascetics who lived in the forest, to help with the cremation of the prince. While they completed the process, I came here to the palace to inform you and also to hand over this ornament to Madalasa."
The Aftermath
As Talketu spoke, he let the ornament fall from his palm and said, "What is the use of gold for one who has renounced everything?"
His task completed, Talketu turned and walked out of the court, not looking back.
All were silent. They could not believe their ears. What had they heard? Their prince was no more. How could that be possible?
The king sat down on his throne. His wife who had come to the court fell down in a faint.
A great hush swept over the court. And then—grief struck like a thunderclap.
Madalasa had come with the queen to the court. She had heard what the sage had said. She just stood there. Silent. Frozen.
She then stepped forward and reaching down, lifted the necklace from the ground.
She closed her eyes and collapsed.
Madalasa was no more.
Slowly the king got up from the throne. Maids had revived the queen. While trying to revive Madalasa they, they realized out that she was no more. People were shocked. Before the sage had arrived, it had been a day like any other. Now the court was a hall of despair. Some had covered their faces, while some sat still, shocked. A few had collapsed to the floor, weeping.
The king looked around the hall. He then said, "You have lost a prince. I have lost my dear son. I speak today as a father. My son died a brave man, fighting Daityas, trying to save sages. Life is a journey of borrowed time. Relationships are temporary bonds that we form. I will not grieve. Not for my son. Not for my daughter-in-law. A body has to be discarded one day. It is like a garment. And by giving his life away for helping sages, he gave that body away protecting sages. My daughter-in-law did not die in vain. She went where her husband went. If she had been here, her life would have been full of grief and pity. She has brought honour to the name of our lineage."
The queen slowly said, "I will not weep. I am lucky. My son did not die of illness. He died saving sages."
The king announced that he would be performing funeral rites for his son and daughter-in-law that very day.
Madalasa's body was draped in a cloth and taken to the banks of the river Karnavati. The king lit the pyre. He then stepped into the water and offered libations for his son.
Talketu's Departure
Talketu, still in the guise of a sage, had made himself invisible. He saw what he had to. His work here was done. He flew, still invisible, till he reached the banks of Yamuna.
There he entered the waters.
Ritadhvaja had been standing guard when he saw the sage emerge from the waters. With the emergence of the sage, the hut also appeared there. The sage came out and greeted the prince. He said, "Your duty here is done, O prince. I wanted to achieve something and could not have done that without your help. My goal is achieved. Please leave this place and go back to your palace, your family. And before you leave, I will untie the thread, I had tied around your wrist. You will not need it anymore."
The prince took leave and mounted Kuvalaya and set forth for his palace, eager to see Madalasa.
Talketu, his objective achieved, vanished from there and went back to Patala. As soon as he left, the hut also vanished.
Reflection on the Tale
This tale is an exposition on duty and illusion. Ritadhvaja’s commitment is exploited through Talketu’s illusion. Dharma can be manipulated when discernment is clouded.
Madalasa’s death is her vow of loyalty to her husband.
Relevance in today's world
Talketu’s disguise as a sage shows how dangerous fake authority can be. In today’s world, many are misled by impostors. This story can be considered as a warning against blind trust.
The “death” of Ritadhvaja reflects today’s cancel culture or miscommunication and shows how truth is manipulated.
Blind trust, even when offered in good faith, can lead to ruin.
In today’s world, one needs to be vigilant to distinguish between the truly wise and those who pretend.
Questions for the reader
Do you truly know who you trust?
Are your duties in life performed with clarity and balance?
How do you respond to sudden loss?
Concluding Thoughts
This tale from the Markandeya Purana is about duty and deception.
In Talketu’s illusion, the prince loses everything. In the court, falsehood brings real grief.
Be like King Shatrujit and find the strength amidst sorrow. Honour the roles people play in our lives, not with sorrow but gratitude.
Be cautious. We could become victims of illusion instead of protectors.
No comments:
Post a Comment