Delhi ruler, Raja Anangapala sat as a picture of serenity in his splendid royal chamber. A meeting was on. The minister and the principal advisor on the political matters Chandrasena was there sitting closeby. The mood was grim, After long pauses only monosyllables were being uttered. “Chandra!” at last the king decided to articulate his feeling, “It looks that the throne of Delhi is not going to get a heir apparent. What will happen to the state? It would go to the dogs.”
“O King! Desparing is not going to help. Some miracle may happen. An able heir may show up. God is merciful. Lord works in strange ways,” the minister said little believing in his own words.
“When there is no natural heir the people begin to lose faith in crown and uncertain future stalks them. They become restless and unhappy. The rogue elements starts conspiring to grab power by hook and crook. The people facing confused future situation get easily misled by them,” the king Anangapala expressed his concern grimly.
The minister scratched his neck.
“My King! Our people have enjoyed a long period of the benevolent rule of your blood line. They won’t easily fall in any trap set by rogue elements of our kingdom. There is no sigh of restiveness in entire state of Delhi yet. God will solve our problem somehow.”
“I hope your hope is not misplaced. We got only a female child, Princess Karpoori Devi. She had to be married to Raja Someshwara of Ajmer as per tradition since girls are not permament members of the parental family. Her departure has left void in my palace that can not be filled. The palace to me now feels a desolate place. Tragic is the life of a father of a daughter who has no son to find solace in, my faithful Chandra. In her absense having no son to succeed me has started to haunt me more than ever before.”
Chandrasena said, “Maharaj! I can understand your pain as a father and a ruler. I know how lonely you must be feeling in the palace.” There was genuine sympathy in his voice.
Raja Anangapala rubbed his hands ruefully.
He spoke, “Chandra! The subjects are simple folks. They don’t delve in philosophy or rational thinking. The most of the common folk think a king must have a prince or princes to take charge after him. If a king does not produce a son, the natural heir to the throne, it is his fault or shortcoming. By simple logic the king becomes an imperfect person, a man lacking power to sire a son. In that thought the king loses their respect and all his other achievements become meaningless due to that one fatcor.”
Chandrasena knew the king was absolutely correct. The secret reports revealed that the people were thinking exactly on those terms but he had not confided to anyone for the benefit of the king and the state. There was an option of the king adopting a son but such heir not coming from the blood line of the ruling dynasty were not respected by the people and the courtiers. He would be subject to conspiracies and open defiance by the high officails and ministers.
“O king sublime! I pray to you not to worry yourself over this matter to much. We shall think of some good solution with the cooperation of all the ministers, courtiers and the commander acceptable to all. We have enough time to work it out. Presently the things are in control and we can hope for some solution to show itself in a natural way,” the minister pleaded.
King Anangapala appreciated the sympathetic feelings of his minister.
Then, the minister took leave of the king to attend to his other duties. As he was departing soldier from the gate duty walked in. The soldier bowed to Chandrasena. He looked excited about something.
Chandrasena asked, “Soldier Jeeva! What are you so flustered about?”
“Honourable sir! A messenger has just arrived from Ajmer! He brings some exciting news.”
“Exciting news! Soldier, it better be a good one because it is the resting hour of our king. He loves his siesta, you know. We should not disturb him for any trivial reason sighting of a mirage in the desert or some camel producing three eared calf.”
“It is not trivial, sir! The king would like to hear it. Queen Karpoori Devi had given birth to a male baby,” the soldier revealed.
“Aha!” exclaimed Chandrasena. “Bring that man from Ajmer in at once. That is a great news which will banish the despondency of our dear king! I will go back and prepare the king for the great news.”
The reappearance of the minister in his chamber surprised the king. He asked, “Forgot something, my minister?”
“A great thing happens to us, my king!” Chandrasena announced excitedly. “A messenger comes from Ajmer with the news that Queen Karpoori Devi has become a proud mother of a male child.”
“O My God! May your tongue turn into gold studded with world’s rearest gems! Live for a million years, my dear Chandrasena,” Raja Anangapala was blabbering like a child. He was bursting with joy. It was the first time he had embraced a minister without felling ashamed. The minister endured the tight hold of the king. Out of respect for the king and in consideration of proper conduct he could not free himself from the crushing hold of his king. He understood the feelings of the king. Anangapala continued to babble, “So my Karpoori has become a mother! How great! She is Rajmata in true sense, my Chandrasena, the mother of the heir to the throne of Ajmer. Is the true, my Chandresena?”
“Totally true, my Lord! No doubt about it. You will soon hear it from the very mouth of the messenger who had rode through the long route from Ajmer to Delhi just to deliver that good news.”
“But where is the messenger?” squealed the king.
Some one coughed at the door.
The king and the minister suddenly broke apart realising the presence of someone else there. They were a bit embarrassed.
At the door stood the messenger and the soldier. The soldier bowed and said, “Your Majesty! Here is the messenger from the Ajmer palace.”
The messenger bowed to the king and the minster.
The king waved away the soldier and then asked, “Messenger! Is what I hear is true that my Karpoori Devi has given birth to a male child and the both are in good health?”
“Absolutely true, My Lord!” the messenger said and added, “The royal mother is in great health and the boy she has born is the cutest thing in the world. No defect of any kind, sir. He is like incarnation of Bhagwan Krishna, My Lord. May he live for many ages.” He bowed.
King Anangapala took off is presicous pearl necklace and tossed it to the messenger generously saying, “My good messenger! That is your reward for bringing in the good news. And that is not all. We shall order the treasure to give you a healthy cash amout. Keep bringing in good news.”
The messenger happily plucked the necklace from the air and bowed almost tocuhing the floor in ture gratitude. The royal necklace was a treasure in itself.
“My King!” Chandrasena squealed happily, “If Queen Karpoori Devi is blessed with more sons she would not mind one offering you for adoption. That will solove all our problms. There would be no blood line problem as well. She carries your blood.” The minister thought he had a brilliant idea there.
The king sighed and shook his head. “My Chandra! You forget that our daughters carry a curse or a boon whatever you may say that they breed only one child. In seven generations none of our daughters produced more than one child. I know our Karpoori will not become mother again. So this boy she had given birth to is the only one we shall see.”
The minister would not give up. He said, “My king! You can’t rule out the possiblility of our Queen Karpoori Devi being an exception.”
“All right, if it makes you feel better. But I am a firm believer in traditional truths. At present all I want is see with my own eyes my Karpoori and her baby.”
The messenger coughed to remind others his presence and some more information he could offer.
“Yes messenger!” the king asked excitedly.
“My Lord King! Our king Someshwaraji realises how anxious you would be to see your only child, our Queen Karporri Devi in motherhood with her baby. He said he would send his queen to you with the baby as soon as she recovers from post delivery weakness and is able to undertake the long travel from Ajmer to Delhi.”
“How kind of my Raja Someshwara!” King Anangapala exclaimed feeling truly grateful to his royal son-in-law. It will take some months. There also are a lot of post birth rites and customs to be gone through as demanded by royal traditions. I know that.”
After a pause king Anangapala spoke, “My minister Chandrasena! We must celebrate it. Make all the necessary arrangements. And remember be rady to celebrate again when queen Karpoori Devi comes home with her baby. It should be a grand affair… a memorable one. Prepare to calebrate it like Diwali.”
The minister, Chandrasena bowed his head obediently and knew he had to make arrangements for a very long celebrations in two phases which would test the skill and the patience of all the state officials and courtiers.
The king took the messenger to the inner sanctum of the palace to let the womefolk hear the news from the mouth of the news carrier. They ask question of their own of the feminine interest.
Delhi celebrated the birth of the prince of Ajmer as he was born from the daughter of the state.
