SAMRADITYA SAGA Part 2 - TANGLES OF HATRED

The desire got intense

The coronation of Sinhkumar took place. An announcement was made in the city that ‘King Purushdutt and Queen Shrikanta will leave home and accept monkhood. They will renounce the world and become saints.’
The coronation ceremony was completed and the forest guard came and said, “Acharya Amittej and his disciples have come to the park outside the city.”
King Purushdutt got elated. He removed his gemstone necklace and gifted it to the forest guard.
The Gurudev in whose feet they had thought of dedicating their life, had arrived spontaneously. The king was very happy about this.
***
Sinhkumar organised a grand ceremony of renunciation. Sinhkumar himself did the job of adorning the king for the last time. Kusumavali herself adorned Queen Shrikanta.
Since the last eight days, the celebrations of renunciation were going on in Jaipur. The citizens of Jaipur had become impatient to see today’s procession. Everyone had decorated their houses, localities, markets and streets with colourful flags. Beautiful entrance gates decorated with flowers were made at various places.
It was early morning. The procession began from Neelpadma Prasad. The gem-studded chariot in which the king and queen were seated, was decorated with flowers of different colours.
Musical instruments were being played at the forefront of the procession. Rows of elephants decorated with ornaments followed them.
Behind them walked maids, dressed in beautiful clothes carrying baskets of various clothes and other materials.
Then followed the king and queen's chariot. Just behind their chariot of Sinhkumar and Kusumavali was moving slowly.
Citizens were showering flowers and sprinkling fragrant water from the windows of the mansions.
Armed soldiers were walking behind them. Colourful flags were waving all around.
The procession reached Nagdev Park. Today, the entire garden was crowded with humans. Their beloved king and queen were about to accept monkhood and move ahead on the path of spiritual upliftment. All the citizens were dancing while wishing the best for the king and queen.
The ceremonial bath of the king and queen was carried out in the beautiful lake of the garden. After this, the king and queen reached the place where Acharya Shri Amittej was present. Circumambulating Gurudev thrice, they worshipped him devotedly and requested, “Lord, save us from the ocean of life cycles by granting us monkhood.”
Gurudev granted monkhood to the king and queen. Queen Shrikanta joined the group of nuns.
Sinhkumar and Kusumavali adopted the twelve vows of householders. They worshipped Gurudev with a devotional heart and moist eyes and returned walking slowly towards the palace.
Kusumavali’s face became dull with gloom. Her heart was throbbing. She went to her bedroom, covered her face with both palms, fell over and started crying bitterly. Sinhkumar came behind her and stood in the room, but he did not sit near Kusumavali. The dark shadows of deep sadness had descended on Neelpadma Prasad. There was silence all around. Everything seemed empty. Even the heart had gotten empty although he had a great wife like Kusumavali sitting near him. Shrikanta’s separation was troubling Kusumavali and making her restless. She was crying helplessly. She kept crying for an hour.
Caressing her head, Sinhkumar said, “Devi, stop crying now. try to control yourself. It is better to forget what has already happened and become the past.”
“But how will it be forgotten? Can you father and mother be forgotten? The more I try to forget, the clouds of memories get more dense in the sky of the mind. The mind gets drawn towards them.”
There was attraction in Queen Shrikanta. That pull was beautiful in itself. Whoever would sit near her could feel her purity and himself become pure. Although she didn’t have poetic speech, her clear and transparent conversation would attract everyone towards her. She used to pour more affection on Kusumavali than Sinhkumar himself.
Such Shrikanta had become an idol for Kusumavali. Establishing Shrikanta in the temple of her mind, she would worship her. Anyway, Shrikanta was the embodiment of Dharm. Peace and calmness could always be seen flowing in her eyes. A daughter-in-law might’ve rarely seen something and so much like this in her mother-in-law.
Today that mother-in-law became a nun, left home and beloved ones. She had gotten rid of attachments but those who were attached to her weren’t free from it. Their attachment was making them upset.
The warm blood of youth flowing in Sinhkumar’s veins was slowly calming down. Now, the responsibility of a vast state had fallen on his shoulders. His coronation had taken place. He had become a king in the eyes of the subjects. He had to realize his duties and fulfill them well. Till now he was free and independent. He had not taken any responsibility of fulfilling duties. 
A huge change had come. Change is the rule of nature. Life is volatile. The man who courageously accepts change, his journey of life is saved from the thorny paths of despair and controversy. Otherwise, precious moments of life get wasted in resolving problems.
Strengthening his heart, Kumar decided to bear the grief of the separation of his parents. He also asked Kusumavali to pick herself up and perform her duties as a queen.
Kusumavali asked, “Sir, tomorrow mother and father will leave from Jaipur. Will we be able to visit them sometimes?”
“Definitely. We will celebrate the joy of visiting them.”
“Great then!”
“But in such a way that there is no disturbance in their spiritual practices.”
“You are right. We’ll visit them sometimes in a way that they aren’t disturbed.”
Both of them were fasting that day.
Both were tired too. They fell asleep while talking. When their eyes opened, the sun was slowly slipping over the sky!
***
The motion of time is unstoppable. Whether the wilderness of indifference springs up or the sky of affection descends down, who can stop the motion of time? Its motion is infinite, ceaseless. Its past was also infinite and its future is also infinite and endless! The effect of time is seen on every living and non-living object.
The married life of Sinhkumar and Kusumavali had crossed thousands of years. Anyway, the age of human beings in the Mahavideh Kshetra is of lakhs and crores of years. However, due to the abundance of happiness there, the feeling of the passage of time is often not felt! Sorrowful days seem doubled and nights seem quadrupled. While even years of happiness fly away as if they have wings.
Till the time the king and queen renounced, Sinhkumar and Kusumavali did not have a child. They desire to have a child was not intense either. Sometimes Kusumavali would bring up this topic but Sinhkumar would avoid it without paying much attention to it.
Now when they themselves became king and queen, the desire for a child started taking shape! The expectation of a child had started shaking Kusumavali’s mind. Sinhkumar’s mind was never intensely eager for it.
One day, the king and queen were  sitting in the balcony of the palace overlooking the royal highway. It was evening. After the daylight had reduced, chariots of zamindars started gathering on the highway of Jaipur. The gardener was preparing flower garlands and making them wear it. Young men and women were laughing and having sips of sherbet.
There was an atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm all around. The entire highway had become a center of celebration.
Sinhkumar looked at Kusumavali. Kusumavali’s eyes were on the highway but she was in her own thoughts. The reflection of her thoughts was clearly visible in the mirror of her face. Her intense face was looking quite pale. Strings of silent sadness had been pulled in her bright eyes.
“Devi,” said the king, breaking the silence.
“Yes, king!”
“Is there any sadness? Any health issues?”
“No, health is fine but the restlessness of the mind is causing restlessness.”
“So much restlessness that even your beauty gets affected?”
“Swami, neither do I like anything nor do I feel peaceful.”
“What such issues, which wish has not been fulfilled that has made the mind a victim of trouble?”
“There is only one such wish left. I don’t know when will that wish be fulfilled.”
Kusumavali’s voice started getting heavy.
“Won’t you tell me that desire? Which desire is consuming you so much?
“Of a son, an heir!”
“Oh! now I understood. But Devi, just think. It is natural to wish, to have a desire. But its fulfillment is not in our hands.”
“You are right. Divine power can fulfill this wish, can’t it? Let’s worship the divine.”
“Definitely, but if the fortunate karmas of receiving a son are not present in our soul, then even the divine cannot give us a son! Yes, if the fortunate karmas are present, then worship will surely be able to give results of those karmas.
Devi, you see happiness in the attainment of a son, right?”
“Yes, Swami!”
“Son only gives happiness, do you believe that?”
“No, he may or may not!”
“Then?”
“I know, Swami, that this is attachment. This is false attachment. Yet this mind which is engulfed by desires in all lives, gets pulled in that direction. Just like a thirsty deer running wildly towards water! Swami, since the day parents have renounced home, every moment this desire of a son is bothering me. I want a heir to the throne. I don’t understand what has happened to me!”
“Devi, no matter how intelligent or powerful man is. Still he is a slave of the karmas of previous life. The entire life of a man is subject to the good and bad karmas acquired by him. Arising and fulfillment of desires — both are the result of karmas. If the desire is fulfilled, it is due to Karma. Even if the desire is not fulfilled, the reason will be karma only.”
“Then, are man’s efforts meaningless?”
“It acts as a driving force!”
“Even the driving force becomes a reason for the accomplishment of work, doesn’t it?”
“It does but it is often secondary! Yes, the supremacy of efforts is significant in the path of spiritual upliftment.”
“My wish is not inappropriate, is it?”
Kusumavali felt a bit awkward after hearing the king.
‘Is my wish not appropriate for which the king is explaining this philosophy to me!’
“There is no question of appropriate or inappropriate. The point is the intense feeling of fulfilling the desire. Desire which are dependent, should never be intense! Desires will certainly arise, but they should not disrupt our pure flow of life! Look at the condition of your body due to this intense desire, Devi!
Sadness in eyes,
Nostalgia on face,
Pain in the heart.
Why?
All this shouldn’t happen!
The hustle and bustle on the royal highway was increasing.
The king and queen stood up and went inside the room!
King Sinh realised that Kusumavali’s mind had not been resolved. Her mind was still burdened. Strong desires cannot be pacified by plain philosophies. For this, it is necessary to have sympathy towards the person and an understanding to contribute in their desire!
On entering the bedroom, the king scattered petals of laughter and said, “Devi, sometimes the tide of desire for a son rises in my mind too. I have told you about this twice or thrice, several years ago! Although I did not have such intense desire for a child.
Let’s do one thing, we’ll call the Rajpurohit tomorrow itself and ask him what can be done about this and which rituals should be performed. Rituals carried out properly are certainly fruitful.”
“Swami!”
“Say Devi!”
“Will our wish come true? What do you think?”
“I feel your wish will surely get fulfilled! Which wish of yours hasn’t been accomplished?”
“And if our wish comes true, then we will first make our beloved son visit Tirthankar Bhagwant! Wherever he will be present, we will take him there!”
“Sure Devi! After going to Tirthankar Bhagwant, we will also pay a visit to mother and father monks!”
“Oh yes! Will definitely go! Mother nun will be very happy to see our son.”
“No. They won’t be happy.”
“Why?”
“Since they are detached, they will neither be happy nor be angry! They will remain neutral in all such worldly affairs!”
“But they’ll give blessings, won’t they?”
“They will, but ‘Son, to grow up to be a monk!’ - such blessings.” King Sinh laughed.
Kusumavali also blushed. These words of Sinhraja vanished the dullness on Kusumavali’s face. Her face glowed like red flowers! The dark shadows of sadness drawn in the eyes got scattered. They were replaced by a new gleam of happiness! Even the body began to feel fresh leaving the despair!
Kusumavali felt, ‘The King also has the same wish as me and also believes that the wish will be certainly fulfilled.’
This gaiety, this zeal and enthusiasm returned in her body like before. Sinhraja was noticing all this.
All matters of the mind!
All desires of the mind!
Life is connected to these things. These things cannot be ignored.
Kusumavali fell asleep. There was peace on her face. A sweet smile was playing there. Maybe she was talking to her unborn baby in her dream world!