The Compensation

Parajay

PARAJAY

(Defeat)

Tarini stared with wide eyes towards Arnav, was his mindset really so narrow? Did he not respect the pious relation between them? Was it so that only he had all rights on her and not she on him?

“Yes, you are right. You have all rights on your wife.”

Her heart clenched hearing those words.

“But those rights were provided to you in return of certain responsibilities that you needed to fulfil  as her husband.” a
Arnav stood up in his royal aura and spoke with confidence.

“The responsibility to take care of her and your children, if not that, then at least fulfil their basic needs of food and cloth and be responsible for their safety and protect them. Isn't that what the man who is the head of a family supposed to do? You seemed to have failed to do so.

Then by what right are you exercising your so called rights on your wife ?

I would request the court to let charges of adultery and harassment be charged on this man!”

The man stared dumbfounded at Arnav. The crowd cheered for him yet Tarini sat indifferent to the situation. She suddenly was feeling very uncomfortable, irrespective of how logical his justification was.

“I agree with the Yuvraj. Lady, if you wish to leave this man you can do so. The court and  the priest shall not object your decision.”said Guru Devikrupa. “You may tell the court your decision later.” The couple left the court.

The sage turned to Arnav, “ I would like to ask you something. By what you said before did you mean to say that if the man would have fulfilled all his responsibilities as that woman’s husband he would have had the right to enforce his ego on her, making her helpless?”

“Sir, she could never have been helpless, she was Shakti (the main female goddess in Indian mythology)  incarnate like all the other women here. Moreover, how ever good or responsible anyone might be, no one has the right to exercise his will on somebody, may that be a lady or a man.”

The court cheered again while Shyam frowned and Tarini remained stuck to her seat.

“About adultery, Yuvraj Shyam, your father married two women. Can that also be considered a case of adultery?” The sage turned towards Shyam.

Mayuri sat uncomfortable on hearing that. All her life she had blamed her husband for marrying another woman. In fact she had killed him as a culmination of the hatred she had piled up in her mind and today, when he was blamed of adultery, she was feeling uncomfortable? Had she been wrong to have thought that Aryaman never treated her well?

“We are kings. We  belong to the highest caste and by this attribute we are allowed to do whatever we wish. It is wrong of you to blame my father. The common man has no right to do anything like this because he is common.”

Mayuri frowned even more at this. Was this what her son thought?

That moment was when she realised that she had failed as a parent while trying to justify her vengeance. The thought process of a child is affected more by the parents than other factors. It was that moment when she realised that may whoever win in this competition, it shall only be her defeat. If Shyam loses, it shall be her defeat as a mother - she failed to make him worthy enough. If Arnav loses, it shall be her defeat as an Empress- she failed to   provide the throne what it deserved. Mayuri saw her life flashing in front of her and sobbed.

The saint sighed and turned towards Arnav.

“Sir, I too don't think my father was wrong in any way. Firstly, adultery means cheating on your spouse. My father was legally and religiously married to both his queens i.e both my mothers. He hadn't cheated on any of them with a woman who was not his wife.