The Story of a Princess-10- The War Meeting

Laxman: Do you think father will allow it?

Ram: He’ll have to. She has as much right to be there as you and I have.

L: You can’t seriously say that to father! He’ll throw both of us out!

R: I can still reason with him.

L: Ask nicely. If you ask, he might allow.

R: Yeah, I will.

I don’t know how Ram got King Dasrath to allow me to attend the war meeting, but he managed somehow. I had a feeling that he had a lot of help from Mother Sumitra.

The meeting turned out to be a farce.

Ram formally opened the meeting by greeting everyone and introducing us to one another. He then proceeded to explain to them why the meeting had been called. He talked at length about Jansthan and about Ravan and his Rakshasas. He stressed the need for military action to stop the rakshasas from killing innocent people.

He might as well have been talking to stone walls. The Council did not want to open hostilities with Lanka. Ayodhya could not afford to anger Ravan. It was better for everyone if they just sat tight and let the wind blow over.

Ram: I cannot believe this! I found more courage among the simple tribals of Jansthan, who did not even know how to use a bow, than I find in this Council today.

Counselor 1: Those tribals did not have the responsibility of an entire kingdom on their hands, Ram. If we fight and if we lose, Ravan won’t leave a single citizen of Ayodhya alive.

R: But we don’t have to lose!

C2: With Ravan as strong as he is, it is highly likely that we will, Ram.

I: What do you think will happen if we don’t fight, Counselor? Ravan is spreading his tentacles. Before we realize it, he will be storming our doors.

C3: Well, we could have a peace treaty with Lanka…

L: What? A peace treaty with someone like Ravan?! After his rakshasas so brutally murdered our innocent citizens?

R: I agree with Laxman. A peace treaty is out of the question with those cannibals. We have to fight him.

C2: Ram, Jansthan might have been a freak accident. Why make an opinion….?

R: An accident? Hundreds of people killed, even children, their insides ripped out, their flesh roasted in the kitchens of Ravan’s generals, the women raped, tortured and killed to satisfy the lust of the rakshasas, and you still think it was an accident?

His skin was glowing again. I think it was the adrenaline that did this. 

C2: We have to assume it was. Or do you want that what happened in Jansthan should happen to the entire Aryavarta? We cannot afford to irk Ravan. I am sure the council agrees with me on this.

There was a collective assent and Ram could say no more. The meeting was concluded.

The Story of a Princess-9

Even after the wedding celebrations got over, we continued our evening excursions. The courtiers, who had initially thought this to be a passing phase, now started raising objections. They started with the issue of security. As the crown prince, it was Ram’s duty to take his personal safety seriously. And was it right to risk the life of his wife and his younger brother this way? Ram could have said that he could very well protect his wife and his younger brother against any enemy, and he would not have been making an overstatement. But he was not given to making such proud remarks, even if he knew them to be true. As usual, Laxman came to his rescue, “I can protect my bhaiya and bhabhi without any help. No harm can come to them while I am alive. Bhaiya won’t even need to string his bow. I can single-handedly destroy all his enemies”. (Later, when the three of us were alone, he said, “I just said all that to shut those people up. So you two, don’t go about getting into trouble, all right?” It had been a really long time since the all of us had laughed so hard.)

Their second objection was me. Was it appropriate for a lady of the royal family to walk among the commoners so? Was it right for the future Queen to appear before men not her kin, without a veil? Was it appropriate for her to interact with male strangers at all? I could feel my ears burning. What were these people implying? Suddenly Ram spoke up. Why should Sita, or any other woman, have to cover her face? Why should she feel shame in talking to men? Why can’t she hold her head up high and feel proud to be a woman? She is a daughter of the same Mother as we are, Mother Earth, for whom all her children are equally precious.

Ram’s skin has a natural blue glow about it, but now it had turned a beautiful, dark blue. This took my mind completely off everything else. I looked around, but it seemed like no one else had noticed anything. The council-men were muttering. While it was all right for Ram to talk about respecting women and treating them as equals, we should not forget the threat posed by Ravan and his rakshasas , who given half a chance, will destroy everything we hold dear. We ask women, and particularly Princess Sita, to stay indoors for their own protection.

“Princess Sita can protect herself!”

Who said that? And why is everyone looking at me like that? Did I say that? Shut up, you fool! You’re only making a bad situation worse. But I couldn’t stop. “Princess Sita can protect herself. She has been trained in the art of war. She will not be confined indoors.” With that I walked out. Behind me, I could hear the meeting getting concluded.

“Well spoken,” that was Ram. “Yeah, but the council wasn’t happy”. Laxman. “I don’t care”. Me.

Later.

Ram: Sita…

I: Yes?

R: Will you do something for me?

I: Why is that even a question? You know I will if I can.

R: I know, but this is somewhat different….

I: Say it, Ram.

Sita, I know you were trained by the best teachers in Mithila. You were given all the arms training that is only imparted to princes these days.

I: Yes….

R: And I know that if you were to take up a bow, there are very few warriors in Aryavarta who can stand up against you….

I: I am nowhere as good as that….

R: Shut up! I saw a couple of you practice sessions in Mithila..

I(taken aback): How? When?

R(smiling now): Let’s just say that you are not the only expert at disguises around here. The point is, you are among the best warriors I have ever seen, and believe me, I have seen my fair share.

I: Okkk….so?

R: Well, Sita, I want you to promise me that you won’t take up arms in the war that I am foreseeing, unless I specifically ask you to….

I: What? But why? If I can…

R: I can’t explain. It’s just that….wars with rakshasas get very ugly and….well thay don’t always fight fair…and they don’t always kill quickly. They don’t have any humanity. Just….just do it for me, will you?

I: Ok Ram. I promise. But you’ll also have to promise me two things.

R: What?

I: If there is the need, you wont think twice before asking me to fight.

R: I won’t. I promise.

I: And Ram…

R: Yes?

I: Promise me you’ll protect my honor before my life?

R: I’ll….I’ll always protect you.

The Story of a Princess-8

They were right. Life does get very formal after marriage, especially if you marry the crown prince of Ayodhya. But you will never know, because you won’t ever get to marry him really; not because you and he are so distant in time and space, but because he swore by the holy fire of the yajna and by his own honor as a man, that he will not have a second wife as long as he lived. And I know Ram. He’ll keep his word.

Funny thing is, I never asked to be the only woman in his life. Later when I asked him why he took that oath, he gave a sad smile and said, “You are now in the royal house of Ayodhya. You’ll find out soon enough.”

The next few days were very hectic. With the first rays of the sun, prayers and chants would start, seeking God’s blessings for the ‘newly married couple’. These prayers always made me want to laugh-they asked that Ram may have the strength to protect me and kingdom, that he may have the courage in battle, that he may rule his people justly, that he may have a long life, and on and on and on. And me? Well they prayed that I may give birth to strong sons. Wow! So much for my ‘future role as the Queen of Ayodhya’!

The prayers got over about mid-day. After a brief period of rest, we would meet the courtiers and generals of Ayodhya who were coming from different parts of the kingdom to congratulate their future king (and queen). On the first day, Ram and Laxman gave their account of the situation in Jansthan, and then it was decided to have a full-fledged war-meeting on the issue as soon as everyone had assembled at Ayodhya.

Ram refused to have anything scheduled for our evenings. I can only imagine the knowing smiles and the winks and the silent laughter of the courtiers and the priests when he expressed his disinclination. But this was our decision. We wanted to spend the evenings out in the streets of Ayodhya, getting to know the people. And Ram stubbornly refused to have any guard accompany us either. “I don’t want to intimidate the people. I don’t want them to fear me. I want them to see me as one of their own,” he said. Laxman, being Laxman, insisted on accompanying us. Well, we would have asked him to come along anyway.

These evenings were delightful. The people seemed to love these two brothers genuinely. To my relief, they accepted me instantly. They would meet us, greet us with love, bless us, ask us the news from Jansthan, about Mithila, whether it is really as beautiful a city as people say it is and how I liked Ayodhya. They would tell us of their own lives. Ram made it a point to ask them about their problems, offered solutions where he thought they could deal with it themselves. Otherwise the first thing he did after we got back to the palace was to give orders that the problem be dealt with immediately. I couldn’t help thinking that he would make an amazing ruler.

We were growing in popularity. Everyday we found more and more people coming for us for help. We tried not to disappoint anyone. Whoever came to us with a request was satisfied. I did not care anymore that the priests and the royal family only considered me useful enough to produce heirs to the throne. Because of the love of my people and the respect and love that Ram gave me, I was already the uncrowned queen of Ayodhya’s people.