Satataharitam - Short Stories On Narayana

Ekantam

The moment the Pride of the Raghus realised that the reason for his pride was at the jaws of death, he felt a deafening silence take over his senses.

He'd had his brother's head on his lap for the past ten minutes, as the doctor was trying all the ways in which he could perhaps save Lakshmana. But the diagnosis was quick. And it was just as harsh.

Ramachandra had been told that his brother would die. There was an attempt at mincing words, but there wasn't much success. The son of Kaushalya could see the fear in the doctor's eyes as he spoke with uncertainty. Nothing, in all these years, had stolen Rama's unbelievable ability of reading minds.

Rama's mind was initially revolting. It couldn't be possible. He knew what a strong man his brother was. He had seen him live through pain and basically torture for the last fourteen years. How could some Astra do something to him?

But it eventually caught up with reality. Rama eventually had no choice but to come to terms with the truth. He didn't have the time to fight himself. He didn't have the strength either. The whole world was against him, wasn't it? He didn't have anyone by his side. The vanaras were there. Anjaneya was there. Of course. But Rama still only heard the silence despite the maddening sounds that the panicked vanaras were making.

The silence was too much. A little too much. The void was too big.

For some reason, everything that had ever happened to him, making that void larger every time, came back at him. It crashed like a mammoth wave against a numbed soul, all that made sense were memories of the past.

"You'll be the next king of this beautiful land called Kosala, my love. Rama. Raja Rama." Dasharatha cooed, as his doted-upon six year old smiled widely.

"But why can't you be the king forever? From what I've heard, Pa, you're one of the BEST rulers ever!"

"Forever doesn't exist, sweetheart." he said, and a sort of melancholy got into the earlier innocent atmosphere. "You'll need to be the king after me, like I was after my Pa." Dasharatha lovingly placed his crown atop his son's small head, as if trying it on him just for fun, and to satisfy his heart. If he could, he'd make Rama the king right then. He knew, even at six, he had the maturity many adults didn't have.

"But this crown is too big."

"Don't worry, I'll make you an even better looking crown. Something that you want. It'll be with the best of gemstones, all of that..."

"But I just want a simple crown. Just like yours. I love it. I don't want any gemstones. I just want you to guide me for all of this..." Rama grinned brightly, and Dasharatha nearly choked up at what a heart of gold his son had. He wanted that heart to be intact throughout his life, and apart from being a great ruler, he knew his son would be a fantastic person.

"I'll guide you, of course I will. And even without it, you'd make an emperor who will be remembered for eons to come. An emperor who'll be an ideal." He chuckled lovingly. "You'll not even need me."

Rama could feel a tremor in his heart at the memory. His father thought he wouldn't need him? Was that why he left as soon as Rama did? Did he leave because he didn't trust that his son would be back after fourteen years to rule the Kosala he had looked after like it was his child? Didn't Dasharatha want to see that simple, plain crown, similar to Dasharatha's, being placed on his head?