PRATIKOP (Wrath)

Chapter 4

"Jagadeesan." Maharani Mridulata addressed him coming inside the mantrana kaksh (meeting room).

"Your wife has birthed another girl." She informed him. Though her voice remained calm, her eyes conveyed her disappointment clearly.

"And this is surprising to you?" He asked with a smile, not removing his eyes from the makeshift map of Amvasthapuram.
"You didn't doubt that it was my child, did you?"

"Nivedita is a lost case! I shouldn't have waited so long. I should have searched for another girl sooner!" Maharani Mridulata ranted out in frustration.

Yuvraj Jagadeesan paused for a moment and then turned to his mother. He guided her to the seater and gestured her to take a seat while he sat on the floor facing her. He gently held her hands before saying,

"Mata, stop blaming Nivedita. You know she has no fault in this." Maharani Mridulata was going to say something, but he didn't let her.
"No matter how many times you get me married or to whom. I will never, ever have a son. Accept this."

Maharani Mridulata stared at him with wide eyes that reflected frustration and helplessness. What was happening? Why was Gods so cruel to her sons? She knew she was being stubborn. She knew Jagadeesan could never sire a son. It was not on Nivedita. It was her son whose fate deprived him.

Jagadeesan had made a mistake. Mistake of killing Rishi Garga's one and only son. It was an accident of course. A young Jagadeesan while practicing archery had accidentally served the lethal blow that killed the pious sage's beloved son. But it was fated only. The unfortunate boy had born only to die young. His horoscope predicted that.
However, Rishi Garga had refused to listen to any reasoning and the grief striken father had cursed him to never obtain a son who could pay homage to his departed soul after his death.

"Jis prakar, mere Putra ki hatya karke tumne mere moksh ka marg band kar diya hai,

Ussi prakar tumhare aatma ko bhi kabhi moksh ki prapti nehi hogi!

Jeevhanvar putra prem se banchit rahoge tum!

Tum kabhi kisi putra santan ko janm nehi de payoge, Kumar.

Yeh shrap hai mera!"

("The way you shut the door to my salvation by killing my son,

Just like that your soul will never attain salvation either.

You'll remain deprived from the love of a son for your whole life!

You'll never be able to sire any male child, young man!

This is my curse to you!"

The words of Rishi Garga still rang in Jagadeesan's ears. He had been served his punishment for killing an innocent boy and now he was repenting for the crime. No one knew about his curse except for his mother. Jagadeesan had known beforehand that there would be no heir born to him. But unaware of the fact, Maharani Mridulata had made a fuss about it and wanted to get him married again. It was when her distaste for Nivedita had crossed it's limit that Jagadeesan had opened his mouth and told her the truth. Maharani Mridulata had been in denial since then. She could not accept that her carefully constricted plan was on the verge of collapsing.

"Why? Why did you hid this from me?" She had asked in shock. "Why did you not say anything?"

Jagadeesan had not answered her that day, but she saw the answer clearly in his eyes. If she had known, she would have moved on to Somesh and made him the crown prince of Amvasthapuram instead of Jagadeesan. And his eldest, in his way, had taken retribution for stopping Jayaditya's coronation!