Time is the great healer. A great many tragedies befall on the lives of the people, time heals the wounds and life goes on. There is no looking back for time. It may leave behind tragedy struck people or the ones crushed by its ever moving wheels.
The illustrious king of Pippalivana, Raja Suryagupta was now languishing in a blind dungeon. His queen was now scrubbing the floors of the palace of Nanda. A number of other kings and queens were living in the similar misery created by a greedy emperor.
Muradevi was serving as a maid but she was getting energy from a future hope growing in her womb. She had focussed her mind on it and the harsh realities of the outside now mattered little to her. She was courageously soldiering on.
The time kept ticking on and her pregnancy had become mature. In due course of time she gave birth to a child. It was a son as prayed for by her. The baby changed her world. All the shut windows of her inner world opened up to let in the squeals of the baby. Muradevi felt she was floating in a sea of joy. She kissed the baby and recalled the parting words of her husband, “My dear Murray, that source of hope is seeded in your womb. That is our secret common treasure. He will light up our dark dungeon and the dark hole of helplessness.”
Had she still been the queen of Pippalivana the entire kingdom and the palace would have been celebrating the arrival of her son as a royal festival. But now she was merely a palace maid. A maid could not indulge in any kind of private celebration or festivity by royal order.
With the newborn in her lap Muradevi got lost in old memories about her life of splendour as the queen of Pippalivana. All the secret things that happened between her and her royal husband came to mind. She could recall all the small details of her intimate life with Suryagupta who was ironically now in blind dungeon. Every word spoken by him at their last meeting was etched in her mind.
Muradevi cried a lot and madly kissed her new born, who was supposed to be the moon of her dark life. He had said that the darkest night was the harbinger of the ascending moon phase.
She put her newborn to her bosom and spoke, “You are not moon, my child! You are the sunshine of the life of Queen Muradevi.”
Her maid friend laughed. Muradevi was too lost in her daydreaming to notice the arrival of the fellow maid. Sumati was her name.
She mocked, “You are no more a queen, my dear but a maid like me. Come out of your dream world. Face the realities.”
“I know, Sumati. The arrival of my prince baby got me carried away. Will you help me?”
“My pleasure, dear.”
“You see my newborn?”
“Of course I do. I am not blind. I helped you in its delivery, remember?” Sumati mocked.
“You were very helpful, my friend. My baby’s name is Chandra. When King Suryagupta was taking leave of me last time we met he had christened the baby, then in my womb as Chandragupta. According to his wishes I want to perform his birth rites according to the customs and traditions of Pippalivana royal family.”
“Oh dear!” Sumati moaned and added,” How can you perform Pippalivana rites and customs in the palace of Magadha emperor? I don’t understand you.”
“Sumati, you are my best friend. Please try to understand my point. It is very important for me as an emotional matter. All the rites of Chandra must be performed according to Pippalivana’s traditions by any means possible.”
Sumati shook her head sadly. “Mura! We will be in a big trouble if the Emperor got wind of it. But I think if we do it as I suggest your wish will be fulfilled and no harm will come.”
“What do you mean?”
“The rites and customs shall be performed according to my idea and no one will ever learn anything about it.”
“What is that idea? Let me hear it, dear friend.”
“Don’t laugh at me. Promise.”
“I promise. I won’t laugh even if you tickled me.”
“Then listen, you will be my client and I will perform the role of your family priest. With Surya as witness we will perform all the rituals in Pippalivana tradition. We can’t distribute the sweets as prasadam. It is beyond our means and power. We two will distribute our own share of palace food as prasadam amongst other maids and servants. That will complete all the rituals and formalities.”
“Alright, my friend. That is a safe idea.” Muradevi sighed and added, “What can we do if my little Chandra is fated to such misery welcome.”
According to the suggestion of Sumati, the two maids conducted the birth rites and customs of Chandra.
The maids of the palace were allowed to keep their children with them in the sanctum as their dependents in limited numbers. It was not the generosity of the royals but a policy that proved profitable in the long run. Most of the children so raised eventually ended up as maids and servants of the palace. They proved loyal to the royals and knew well the traditions of palaces and their culture having grown in them. The youngsters also proved useful in running errands for the royals.
Then there was the open secret that many of the offsprings of the maids were illegitimate children of the royals themselves.
Thus, the son of ex-king of Pippalivana began to grow up in the palace of Mahapadmananda. Muradevi, always reminded her son that he was a prince and their being in the palace as the servants was just a bad dream.
The very sight of Chandra delighted Muradevi, filled her with hope for future. She no more complained about anything. For her Chandra was the only truth of her life and the rest was just maya (illusion) of the fate which did not matter. Now she did maid’s works with great application and sense of duty.
It indirectly benefited her Chandra. The queens of the palace treated Chandra kindly. Some of them even pampered him. Chandra grew up to be a five year old lad. He was a healthy boy due to the rich food of the palace.
He was an intelligent boy. At night Muradevi would tell her son inspiring stories of the brave princes, great heroes and conquerors. She would try her best to inculcate noble values, in her son. Muradevi, would encourage her Chandra to engage in question answers and little debates. That was to make him a thinking person with a decisive mind. Due to the efforts of Muradevi her son now had an old head on his young shoulders.
Sumati had also grown very fond of Chandra. He was a pretty kid and his intelligent talk could endear him to anyone. One of the queens of Nanda had also developed special liking for Chandra. She would often talk to him and engage in long conversation.
One day, Muradevi was helping the favourite queen of Mahapadmananda in her beautification when Chandra came running into the Chamber and began calling out “Maa! O…Maa!”
Muradevi’s hands froze in beautification work and she asked, “What is it, my darling?”
“I must talk to you at once,” the kid announced in an agitated voice.
“You can tell me here what is it.”
The kid looked around. There were other maids around. He said, “Here…in front of so many people? I must talk to you in the privacy of our room, Maa.”
“Alright son,” Muradevi gave up. “Go to our room and wait for me. I will come as soon as my job here is finished. I am engaged, you see.”
“Wait!?” screamed the youngman. “I can’t wait. You must come with me right now.”
A maid laughed and taunted, “Kid, you are talking as if you were a prince of some state!”
“I am a prince. Don’t you know?” Chandra retorted.
“Really! I thought you were son of a palace maid.”
Chandra raised his finger and warned, “Beware of what you say maid! You are talking to Chandragupta Maurya of Pippalivana. King Suryagupta is my father.”
All the maids laughed except Muradevi.
The same maid taunted, “Your Highness, Prince Chandragupta, you can see that your mother is serving here as a maid. I hope you are not blind.”
“Wrong! My mother is no maid.”
“Silly boy!” This time the queen spoke, “One who serves others is called a maid. Isn’t she?”
“The service only does not decide a class or rank of a person, hourable queen,” Chandra disagreed and argued, ‘‘Serving some purpose is done by every creature of the world. Take your own example. You are always ready to serve and the emperor and he, too rules which is serving the empire. I have heard even God is ready to serve the wishes of his devotees and faithfuls. Thus service can be rendered by anyone to anyone as and when needed. A person serving some one’s purpose or need is not always a maid or servant.”
“Well said, dear boy. Very clever,” the queen spoke truly impressed. “I liked your theory, Prince Chandragupta. You indeed have a princely mind.”
“Thank you, honourable queen,” Chandra said and requested, “I appeal to you to address me as Chandra like my mother does. If you wish to call me prince then I must get a princely respect.”
“Well done! Well done, my prince,” responded the queen and assured, “I will order that no one will call you son of a maid now on. All will call you Prince Chandragupta. Does that satisfy you?”
“It does, respected queen. Thank you very much. You are very generous.”
“Thanks for the compliment, Prince Chandragupta.”
Then, she spoke to his mother, “Muradevi, it won’t be good to keep the prince in wait. Better go to your room and attend to what he wants to say.”
After thanking the queen Muradevi walked to her room led by her son. Today she was really feeling that indeed in her son the moon was shining bright in her life. She was feeling elated by the fine performance of her son before the queen. The things were beginning to work in her way by the grace of God. Her faith in creator was carrying forward her life.
In the privacy of her room Muradevi hugged her son endearingly and cried. She kissed the forehead of Chandra repeatedly in emotionally charged state. Muradevi had found a fortune in her Chandra.
