HARIHARESHWARI 12 : ℝ𝔸𝕄𝔸 𝕌𝕋𝕊𝔸ℍ𝕊ℍ𝔸𝕂𝕋𝕀 ℝ𝔸𝕄

CHAPTER 39

"Ravan toh Sita ko apne vamang par bitha Lanka le gaya tha."

"Na jaane kitne mahino tak Sita, Ashok vatika mei rahi. Woh sthaan toh Ravan ke kaam ke bhog hetu tha."

"Sita ko sparsh karte samaye kya Ram ki ghrina nahi aati ?"

"Kyuki Ram ne Sita ke acharan ko andekha kiya hai, hume bhi apni patniyo ke durachar ko sahan karna padta hai."

"Kya kar sakte hai hum ? Hume toh Raja ke dwara stith udaharan ka hi anusaran karna hoga."

This is what Bhadra had heard the citizens say, this is exactly what he told Shri Ram and became uncomfortable due to inability to hide his embarassment.

Shri Ram was shocked, he couldn't believe his ears, he inquired other men who were present in the court and they too attested to this with downcast eyes.

Something must be done. Something had to be done immediately. This cannot continue. It was bad both for the sake of Devi Sita and also the praja.

She was the queen, she was the mother figure for the praja, but because praja didn't have faith in her character, they soon will start to feel insecure and lose their trust on governance as well.

In the empty courtroom, he kept staring at the statue of Akhand Maharani, pondering the possible solutions.

He cannot ignore the talks of his citizens, because if the king himself ignores the needs and wishes of the people, to whom will they go ? This option was dismissed even before it came to his mind.

Should he just give up his kingdom to his brothers and go to the forest ? But the problem is that neither Bharat nor Lakshman nor Shatrughan shall accept the kingdom or allow him to go.

So should he give up the throne but still live in the kingdom ? In this way, his brothers shall probably agree to it after persuation, ofcourse. But what fruit will this yield ? The questions of Devi character will still persist.

Neither by ignoring, nor by leaving the kingdom, nor by giving up the throne, there was no way the questions on her character is going to go away.

This was unbearable to Shri Ram, Devi Sita was his wife, she was the love of his life, he cannot take it lying down that people were questioning the pious character of wife.

"Yeh kaisi vidambana hai... Yadi prashn uthne the toh mujh par uthte, Sita pe kyu ?" He said with tears welling in his eyes.

But then he stopped suddenly. That's it. This was it. The only way to eliminate the questions on Devi Sita's pati-vrata character was to take those questions on his patni-vrata character.

But how ?

How will he do that ?

He kept thinking hard and hard when he finally got the cruel solution which finally made the tears that he was holding back, roll down his eyes. It was harsh but it was the only solution.

"Yadi Sita yaha na ho, toh uske charitra par koi prashn nahi uthayega. Aur bhavishya mei bhi, yadi prashn uthenge toh mujh par uthenge, uss par nahi." He said.

But he was unsure. Devi Sita was pregnant, she needed him the most. As a husband he should be there for her at such a crucial moment of their life. Letting her go now would be a sin.

But he was not just her husband, he was a king. The conflict in his mind was great, and so was this Dharm-sankat in which he was caught.

What should he follow ? His duty as a husband ? Or his duty as a king ? Who should he keep above ? His wife ? Or his citizens ?

And just when he was pondering over the dharm of a husband and that of a king, he got reminded of the very first crucial lesson of his life, that was given to him by Vishwamitra.

"Apne praja ke liye, Raja ko koi bhi karya karne hetu tatpar rehna chahiye, bhale woh karya kathor ho ya nirmal, punya ho ya paap. Yeh hai Raj Dharm, jiska palan unn sabko karna padta hai jinke paas Rajya par Raj karne ka uttardayitva ho."

He took a deep breath and sighed, his lips quivered slightly at the realisation of what he was about to do.

"Pratihaari !" He called and a maid entered with bowed head and joined hands.

"Aagya Ayodhya-pati." She said.

"Yuvraj Bharat, Rajkumar Lakshman aur Rajkumar Shatrughan ko Raj-darbar mei upasthit hone ka aadesh do." Shri Ram told.

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A/N

As a husband it was Shri Ram's duty to ensure that his wife remains above all questions and as a king it was his duty to make his subjects feel secure.

And if you look at the bigger picture, he did both.

Was this unfair to Devi Sita ? A hundred times yes.

Was this unfair behaviour done by Shri Ram ? Again, yes.

But was he at fault ? Not at all.

He was in a Dharm-sankat where no matter what way he opted the outcome would inevitably be unfavorable.

So instead of judging or blaming him, let's learn from him instead that Greater good is above personal happiness.