Emperor Bindusara was resting in his sleeping chamber reclined on the royal bed. His face was wisened and the lines of worry were piled upon his forehead. Outside, two doorman guarded the entrance. They saw the chief minister (Mahamatya) striding towards them flanked by two body guards.
The doormen paid obeisance to the chief minister. The visitor nodded his head and spoke, ‘‘Please inform the Emperor that I want to see him on an urgent matter.’’
‘‘But sir,’’ the senior doorman said hesitatingly and added, ‘‘His Majesty is not feeling well. And he is very tired. He has ordered us not to disturb him.’’
The chief minister smiled. ‘‘Doorman! The order may be for the commoners and for the normal situations.’’
‘‘I beg your pardon, sir. He did not mention of any abnormal situation or the category of the visitor.’’ The doorman respectfully bowed.
‘‘Alright my dear man,’’ the chief minister said and added after a thought, ‘‘Go in and see if the Emperor is sleeping or is just reclining with his eyes open. If he is sleeping withdraw on tip-toes but if he is awake then tell him that I wish to meet him to discuss a very urgent matter. Is that fair?’’
The doorman nodded his head.
This elaborate arrangement was devised since during that period the assassination of the kings through tricky methods was common. That was the easiest way of eliminating a ruler. There had been instances of food poisoning, murders, death kisses, girls killing kings with poisoned hair pins etc. The palaces were full of intrigues and conspiracies. As a precaution even royal priests and the royal persons were not allowed in without the express wish of the Emperor. These measures were recommended after a lot of deliberations by the council of the ministers.
The doorman knew the importance of the chief minister but they dared not break the rules and the order of the Emperor. A doorman tiptoed into the Emperor’s chamber and looked at the Emperor who was lying with half closed eyes. The doorman could not understand whether the Emperor was asleep or awake. He drew nearer for closer inspection.
The Emperor had sensed the presence of someone in his chamber.
He asked, ‘‘Who…who is it in my chamber?’’
The doorman froze where he was. He stammered in a frightened voice, ‘‘It is I…Your Honour…your doorman.’’
‘‘Doorman!’’ the Emperor exclaimed and asked in a bit irritated tone, ‘‘What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the door on guard?’’
‘‘Yes sir,’’ he admitted and informed, ‘‘The chief minister is here who wants to see you on some urgent matter.’’
‘‘Didn’t you tell him that I wished to see no one?’’
‘‘I told him, Your Majesty.’’
‘‘Still you and the chief minister ignored my wish?’’
‘‘I beg you pardon, sir,’’ the doorman apologised explaining, ‘‘He says that he has some very important thing to discuss which can not be put off.’’
Emperor Bindusara sat up. He had grown very old and frail. But the hunger for power was still keeping him going as the sovereign. And he had no faith in his eldest son. The Emperor doubted his capability to take charge of the empire.
The eldest prince, Susheem was not so brave, valiant or politically intelligent. Ruling the empire was beyond his scope. The other princes were also easy going and merry making idlers except one named Ashoka who was different. He was just the opposite of his brothers. Emperor Bindusara trusted him. He had full faith in Ashoka that he would not allow the empire to disintegrate or go to dogs. But the Emperor feared that Ashoka might wage a battle with his brothers for the throne.
He was ruthless in many ways. That was the cause of worry for the Emperor. It had make him sick. His sons faced a troubled future.
Emperor Bindusara gave a thought to the present dilemma and muttered, ‘‘The chief minister met me only this evening. Then, he did not reveal any urgent development to warrant another meeting so soon. Why is he anxious to meet me?’’
‘‘He didn’t give any hint to me, Your Majesty. Some secret matter it may be,’’ the doorman politely said. ‘‘What shall I tell him, sir?’’
‘‘Alright send him in. Let us see what has he to reveal so urgent!’’ the Emperor relented.
The doorman bowed his head. ‘‘I will give him your message, sir.’’
The Emperor nodded his head and the doorman departed leaving the old man to his brooding.
‘‘So doorman?’’ the chief minister asked. ‘‘What is the situation in there?’’
‘‘Very favourable, sir’’ the doorman smiled and revealed, ‘‘You can meet the Emperor with no more waiting although he is very tired and feeling the weight of age.’’
‘‘Very good,’’ the chief minister said appreciatively. ‘‘You are a clever man who knows what words to use and when. You deserve a higher posting. We will think about it. For the present I must see the Emperor.’’
The chief minister walked to the door and announced, ‘‘You Majesty, the chief minister here. May I come in?’’
‘‘Come in, chief minister,’’ Bindusara’s old voice squeaked.
The chief minister entered the chamber saying, ‘‘Hail the Emperor.’’
‘‘Dear chief minister! What brings you so soon again? Didn’t we meet only a few hours ago?’’
‘‘We did, Your Majesty. Something very urgent came up. A messenger has arrived from Taxila.’’
‘‘From Taxila!’’ Emperor Bindusara exclaimed. He rubbed his misty eyes. ‘‘Something wrong there?’’
‘‘Very wrong sir. The rebels are on the rampage. The peace has been shattered.’’
‘‘Oh!’’ Bindusara moaned, ‘‘The rebels no more fear our law. Is that it? How dare they challenge the Maurya rule? They used to hide in corners even at hearing our name.’’
The chief minister spoke, ‘‘They can’t raise their heads on their own. There is some one behind their mischief who is supporting and guiding them.’’
The Emperor queried, ‘‘Are the rebels openly throwing a challenge to our forces?’’
‘‘They are at hit and run stage only. The people are being harassed. But the evil needs to be nipped in the bud. If we fail to do that the rebels would gain enough strength to pose a real threat.’’
Emperor Bindusara nodded his head and wondered, ‘‘Who shall we send to deal with the problem? A competent person who can crush the rebels effectively.’’
‘‘Not only should he crush the rebels but restore the rule of law and win back people’s confidence as well.’’
Emperor Bindusara looked into the eyes of his chief minister and posed the question, ‘‘Who are you hinting at? Some particular person in mind? Who have we got such a man of sword and authority?’’
The chief minister replied, ‘‘I have no one in mind. Prince Susheem is in the nearby province inspecting the administration there. Can’t we ask him to deal with the Taxila problem?’’
‘‘Dear man! He is our eldest son. I like him but he lacks patience and courage. I don’t think he will be able to control the situation.’’ Bindusara spoke sadly, ‘‘Other princes too are no better to deserve our…’’ His voice trailed into silence.
‘‘Your Majesty,’’ the chief minister said a bit loudly to retrieve the Emperor from his sleepy silence. ‘‘Have you got the same opinion about Prince Ashoka? I think he is different.’’
‘‘Prince Ashoka!’’ Emperor Bindusara muttered. His eyes brightened up while muttering that name as if he had found a treasure in the trash. He spoke in alert voice, ‘‘How good of you to remind me about my Ashoka! He can effectively deal with the Taxila problem. Perhaps I did not think of him to avoid creating jealousy among the princes. You know how things are…’’
‘‘I know sir. We can think of something to put the minds of the other princes at ease.’’
The Emperor smiled, ‘‘Then, send Ashoka to me.’’
