"Respected sage, what is this sound?" "Son of Lord Brahma, you are always roaming amidst... the three kingdoms." "I feel that you want to desperately say something." "Sage Brahaspati, nothing in the three Kingdoms... remains hidden from you." "Brahaspati no doubt is aware about everything." "But you speak in a very interesting way." "Your manner of talking is very alluring and meaningful." "So Narad, its better, if you yourself speak and tell us." "Where should I begin from?" " From the beginning." "Definitely." "Creator of the Universe Brahma, appointed... his son Kushabrahma to rule over the Earth." "Kusha ruled over the Earth for countless years." "Kusha got four sons." "Kushastambh, Kushanaad..." "Aturdarajas, and Basun." "Kushanaad had hundred daughters." "He got them... married to Brahmadutt." "He conducted a religious sacrifice to get a son." "This resulted in the birth of a son, called Gadhi." "Gadhi had a daughter called Satyawati." "Gadhi, too did a religious sacrifice to get a son." "He too got a son, whose name is Vishwrath." "The aged Gadhi then decided to crown his son as the King." "Chief Minister." " Highness." "Please send someone to call the Prince, and tell him that... the auspicious time for the coronation is getting over." "As you say." "Son of the Aryas." "Son of the Aryas." "Father has again sent a message that the... auspicious time for the coronation is getting over." "Tell all to learn to wait for me." "Or does he have the courage to refuse... to wait for the future King." "If I wish so, a single arrow of mine can stop... the Chariot of the Sun." "One must never stop the Chariot of the Sun." "In order to please you, I'll listen to Muhurrth." "I pay my respects to Mahodaya, and his throne." "I am very fortunate that God gave me the throne... and an opportunity to serve the people of Mahodaya." "I hope that as a King I have performed my duties." "Today I ask for permission to be allowed to leave..." "Mahodaya, and give up the throne." "Since I've become old now." "I do not have the... strength to carry the burden of the crown... and this throne." "I hope my son Vishwarath will be able to do justice... to your love, your co-operation and faith... which you'll bestow on him." "Son Vishwarath, making you the heir to this... kingdom, doesn't only mean that you are the... ruler of these people." "A cowherd is a servant of the cow." "Milk is found in the udder of the cow." "It is not there because the King wishes it to be there." "A gardener looks after the flowers and plants." "He is not the master." "Fruit and fragrance is the property of the... trees and plants, not of the gardener." "Fragrance, doesn't wait for the gardener's commands." "The crown and throne are like a big bag, full of... responsibilities my son, which a King has to carry... throughout his life." "Son, remember this always, that a King is not a ruler... but he has to serve his subjects." "It is his foremost duty and aim to keep his... subjects happy and satisfied." "Son, the sword which a King holds, is for the... happiness and security of his subjects." "He is a foolish King who looks upon this sword... as his own, and misuses this sword to quench... the thirst for his ambitions and aspirations." "In a Kingdom, its the King, who has no rights." "He only has duties." "Duties." "That is why his ring is not a symbol of his rights, but... a reflection of his duties." "Son Vishwarath, with this expectation, I invite you... to sit on the throne that belonged to my forefathers." "That you shall, maintain the respect and traditions... of your forefathers." "That you will not consider... yourself to be the ruler but a King who serves... his subjects." "Son, never forget this, that pride is not an... ornament of King, but is like a termite that... destroys the King and his subjects." "Come..." "Come son." "Son pay your respects to the History that lies... on this throne." "Go and take your place." "Salutations to King Vishwarath." "Salutations to King Vishwrath." "I have defeated the King." "I have defeated the King." "What's the matter?" "I don't like to hear the word defeat, being referred... to me my dear." "Whether it is in a game or in war." "So I will give the dices a death sentence, for... having insulted me." "What are you thinking about?" "By defeating me in the game of chess, you've... made me realize, that after all what have I won till now." "This is not an issue to worry about." "It is an issue to worry about." "What kind of a Priest is he who remains satisfied by... acquiring the knowledge given to him by his forefathers." "What kind of a soldier must he be, who remains... satisfied by the boundaries given by his forefathers... accepting all that is just and unjust." "What kind of a... trader is he who doesn't try to build his trade." "A person who doesn't see dreams, what greater insult... than this, can it be for the eyes, my dear." "Dreams are seen with closed eyes." "But if one's eyes are closed, then, both life... and the eyes have to face indignity." "That means I should become a servant to those insects... who according to my father are the common people." "That means my life is under their control." "That my ambitions are of no consequences." "Should I give up the river, and spend my... life feeling satisfied by holding a small bowl of water." "I am King, my dear." "The boundaries of my Kingdom should expand... and I move forward with my army." "But what is the fault of the boundaries you want to erase." "Their fault is this queen, they are an obstruction... to the path of my ambitions." "Salutations to King Vishwarath." "Salutations to Vishwarath." "Stop calling out these salutations in my name." "What have I done, that salutations are now... echoing in this court." "The throne which my father has given me..." "I am merely sitting on it." "The Kingdom that is given to me, I am merely ruling over it." "Have I expanded this Kingdom?" "Have I tried to expand the boundaries of... this kingdom." "No." "I haven't done so." "Today I take this decision that I declare a war, in... order to expand the boundaries of this Kingdom." "Why do say this Highness?" "Your subjects are happy and the kingdom is thriving." "Your kingdom is prosperous." "Relations with our neighbouring kingdoms are friendly." "They are proud of us." "If you declare a war, terror..." "will spread all around." "The peace of the subjects will be threatened." "Highness, don't declare a war, declare schemes for... the welfare of the subjects." "The ministers themselves can look into the welfare... schemes of the subjects." "A king should not waste his time on such matters." "What kind of a King is he who doesn't use... his bravery and expand his kingdom." "The foremost duty of a King is to expand his territories." "Let the forces get ready to leave for war." "King, do not give this command." "Welcome to you Sage Gautam." "You have arrived at a very auspicious moment." "I am leaving for war." "Bless me that I may... be victorious, sage." "This is not the proper season for a war, King." "This is the season when the earth needs strength... for agriculture." "Hence the blessings of a sage cannot harm the... welfare of mother earth." "I asked for your blessings since you have come here." "I am not a sage, who asks for alms, even if... those alms come as a blessing." "I am a Kshatriya, and it is on the basis of our... strength, that we had always won wars." "Pride does not have ears, that can hear the... truth, nor eyes which can see the path of truth." "Pride is a disease King." "As your teacher, I will... pray that God should free you from this disease." "Besides this I have no other blessings for you." "I swear on God, that if if you weren't a sage... the place where you sit now would have your dead body." "Let anyone say anything." "I will definitely go to war." "I will return only after I am victorious." "Listen everyone." "It is to inform all the subjects... our King Vishwarath is going on a journey of war." "It is the order of our King that all men from the ages... of 18 to 50, even if they are agriculturists should... accompany him as soldiers to this war." "Come on." " No." "Stop it." "Leave us." "Come on with us." "Don't take me." "Don't take me." "Come with me." "Leave us for the sake of God." "Leave us alone." " Come on." "Take all of them." "Don't take us." "Come on." "Come on." "Leave us." "For the sake of God." "Take all of them." "Come on." "Move." "Come on." "Leave us." "For the sake of God leave us." " Come on." "Commander-in Chief." " Yes your highness." "Whose abode is this?" "This is the abode of sage Vashist, devotee of Brahma." "Tonight I will camp here." " As you say your Highness." "Mother." "Is their a problem, son." "I have some news." "Only father can explain, whether... its just a piece of news, or whether its a problem." "Don't talk in riddles." "Tell me what the news is?" "News is, that the King of Mahodaya, has camped nearby." "This is not any problem." "Being the eldest son, you... go to the King, and on behalf of your father... invite him to our home." "As you say." "I would like to meet the King." " Please wait here." "Greetings Highness." "The eldest son of... sage Vashist has come to meet you." "Bring him in." "Salutations." "I am Shakti, the eldest son of sage Vashist." "Welcome, son of Vashist." "How is the respected sage and his wife?" "All's well with the grace of God." "Mother has invited you to the abode of the sage." "Tell her, I will definitely come... tomorrow morning." "So your victory journey has been successful, King." "There's no place for the word 'unsuccessful' in... my dictionary respected sage." "Just like a farmer cuts his fields, so also I... have cut through the flags of the kingdoms." "Just like a farmer takes fruits of his labour, home... so also I am now returning home laden with countless... jewels, and gold coins." "I am fortunate and feel blessed meeting you." "I would now like to take your leave." "Respected King..." "This is the time for lunch." "Please accept... our invitation and stay." "It is not so easy a matter to invite a King, mother." "Its definitely not easy King." "But we will make it easy." "You may have the capability." "But with me, is my... victorious army too?" "God has always been very kind to us, King." "All your soldiers are our respected guests." "Arundati make all the arrangements." "O mother, I have invited King Vishwarath to my abode." "With him is his massive army." "Please do the needful." "Feed the King with such sumptuous food, so that... he forgets the food of his palace." "Where did you get such tasty food from?" "Nandini gave us all." "She gives, what one asks." " Yes." "I want more sweets." "Round and big ones." "Definitely!" "Great..." "Is this a real sweet?" " Yes." "I too want this sweet and this big." "You too will get it." "Bring it." "Give it to me." "Respected sage, I must tell you that I have... never had such tasty food to eat, as I had today." "This is all because of Nandini." "Nandini." "Who is Nandini?" "The name of the cow of of this abode is Nandini." "But she must be only giving milk." "I am praising the food." "If I can get your cook..." "I can give half this ashram half of the state's treasury." "Nandini will be very happy when she hears this, King." "But why will Nandini feel happy?" "This sage doesn't have the strength to feed the..." "King of Mahodaya and his army with food." "This is all due to Nandini." "She gives the type of food we eat, and gives... food to the guest according to his status." "But where is the cow?" "King, this is our Nandini." "Salutations to King Vishwarath." "I am extremely happy hearing the salutations." "With my strength I have won over many territories... and added them to the kingdom." "To celebrate my victory, let everyone celebrate... throughout the kingdom." "King, we are not in a situation to celebrate." "The whole kingdom is under the throes of a great famine." "Countless people have died." "The earth has become... a cremation ground." "Food products are not easily available." "But why did this all happen, Chief Minister?" "According to your orders all the men between the... ages of 18 and 50 were sent to the war with you." "Who could farm and irrigate the land?" "So this famine... took place." "Now we have to solve the problem of this... dreadful famine, king." "Nandini!" "Chief minister, Nandini, who belongs to... the sage Vashist." "The solution to our problem is Nandini." "You go to the abode of sage Vashist, and bring the cow." "But that cow is the property of that abode." "That abode is within the boundary of our kingdom." "Whatever is in this kingdom belongs to me." "That abode is ours and so is that cow." "One should not use the word 'but' in front of... one's King." "My command should be obeyed." "Greetings respected sage." "Welcome, Chief minister." "You seem to be in some kind of a doubt." "I am confused sage." "What is the reason?" "A tussle is going on between my position, as... a chief minister and the duties of a subject." "How can a small man confront a big man?" "Chief minister is only a status." "The day you... give this up, it will be handed over to someone else." "But being a citizen has a lot of responsibility." "To be a good citizen is of great pride." "But these days good citizens are hardly to... be seen in." "This is not good news for this kingdom." "Pride does not do any good for anyone." "Even God, after creating the Universe never... showed any pride." "So a human being has no cause... to do so, even if he is the powerful King of Mahodaya." "If he is commanding you to break any rules, then... do not obey his command." "But if you've come in the capacity of the King's... representative, then you must carry out your duty." "Tell me why has the King sent you to me." "Respected sage, you know that the kingdom is... in the throes of a dreadful famine." "The people are dying of hunger." "That is why he has given me a command to bring..." "Nandini with me." "Why is this so?" "Does Nandini belong to the King." "The King has no right to ask for Nandini." "There is no other means to save the people from... hunger, respected sage." "It is not the duty of a sage to protect... the people." "This is the duty of a King." "As the head of this place I have the responsibility... of ten thousand students and workers on me." "If I hand over Nandini to the King, how will..." "I feed all these people." "I do not want that this abode be insulted, sage." "Insult!" "This abode is the temple of Goddess Saraswati." "How can anyone insult it?" "Sages like Gautam, Kapil Agst come to teach here." "The pious environment of this place always echoes... with the chantings of the holy scriptures." "Economics, planning, philosophy, music is... taught here." "There is no question of insulting this holy abode." "The eyes that pay their reverence to this holy... place, how can anyone raise their eyes to..." "look at it insultingly." "The Kshatriya pride, Of the King, sage." "The King will look at this abode with his pride." "Pride has no caste or creed Chief minister." "Pride can just suck the blood of one's soul like a creeper." "Go and tell your king, that the condition of... this Kingdom is all due to his pride." "Now, he should not show his pride, but... instead he should repent." "That sage has the courage to lecture my representative... and disobey my order." "I had great respect for sage Vashist in my heart." "But by his action, he has insulted me and my kingdom." "Let me see, how he doesn't hand over the cow." "Commander-in Chief, go to sage Vashist's abode and... bring the cow, Nandini." "Mother..." "The King's army is coming to attack our holy place." "As a son of a sage, you mustn't get so perturbed." "The King is like a river that is crossing the... limits of its shores." "Don't forget this, that the King is not the master... of rules and regulations." "He is only a representative." "Only God is the master of all regulations." "This place is the temple of the Almighty Father Brahma." "If the King's army is coming here, its not an... attack on this holy place, but on the..." "Almighty father Brahma." "Do you think that God cannot protect himself." "Respected Mother." "Greetings respected mother." "Why did you take the trouble of coming with the army." "I beg your forgiveness respected mother." "I am helpless, and have to follow the command of the King." "I have come to take the cow Nandini with me." "Brahmrishi Vashist is not here right now." "Only his orders are followed here." "Forgive me mother." "I can't wait for the sage's return." "Will you take away my Nandini forcefully?" "If force has to be used I will have to use it." "Go and catch Nandini." "Mother Nandini, I am a helpless woman and I... cannot protect you." "Mother only you can protect the dignity... of this holy abode." "Mother..." "Are you trying to tell me that the army which helped... me hoist my victory flag in all the four directions... was defeated by the students and hermits of the sage." "By your defeat you have humiliated the army of... the King of Mahodyaya, son of King Gadhi." "Now I will myself and teach a lesson to that old sage." "It has become imperative to tell him, that he is my... subject, and he has to obey my orders." "Is it right to attack the abode of the sage Vashist... the son of Brahma." "That also for the sake of a cow." "She is not a cow for me." "She is a symbol for... my self respect." "She's the flag of rebellion, which... sage Vashist has used against me." "It's become important to make this clear to the sage, that... its the foremost duty of all to obey the command of the King." "That sage has insulted me." "The size of your pride has grown even taller, than... your own physical height." "This is not called pride Queen." "This is called self confidence." "This is the most valuable gem of my crown." "If he had requested me not to take away his cow, I... would have listened to him." "But he refused, and this is a mutiny against the King." "He should be punished for it." "He should be definitely punished for it." "Commander-in-Chief, go and bring that Nandini." "Let me see what is her greatness." "Stop there." "Your anger is not right King." "Your interference too is not right, sage." "Since this is a part of my kingdom." "You are a representative of God, and your show of... pride is not good King." "Pride is the ornament of a Kingdom, sage." "You are a citizen of Mahodaya, and so I... order you to gift this Nandini cow to me." "Since Mahodaya is under the grip of a famine, and... there's no other way to save the people from hunger." "You are responsible for this famine, King." "You are so proud of your army, so why don't you... take the help of the army and attack the famine." "Wife of sage Vashist, don't test my patience." "I know this King, that you have no patience at... whatsoever." "So how can one test it." "If you had patience, you should have realized what... your subjects were going through, instead of... capturing other kingdoms to fulfill your ambitions." "If you had ears to listen to the truth, you would... have definitely heard this, that the earth had stopped... yielding grains within the boundaries of your Kingdom." "This famine, is a reflection of your image, King." "Will you give me Nandini or not?" "If I do not get Nandini I will burn this holy... abode to ashes." "Even after you burn this place to ashes, if you... still do not get Nandini what will you do then?" "Let me see how I will not get Nandini." "She is not your property." "But the property of the..." "Kingdom." "You can only serve her." "Only serve her." "You are right." "I am not her master, but her servant." "Its true that she is not my property, but belongs... to the whole kingdom." "This is the reason I cannot give Nandini to you." "You are not the Kingdom." "You are a greedy and... self centered person." "You don't serve the kingdom You serve selfishness." "I have not come to listen to a lecture from... you about my character." "I am not giving a lecture, King." "As a citizen I am reminding you about... the duties of a King." "It is unfortunate for this kingdom, that it... has a king who cannot tell his own pride... to leave his heart and go away." "Sage of Brahma!" "King, do not ask for Nandini as a King would... but ask for her as an ordinary citizen, and... then take her away." "I have not come here to argue." "Give me a straight... answer for a straight question." "Will you hand over Nandini to me, or... should I take her away myself?" "If it is possible for you to do so, then take her away." "Nothing is impossible for me." "I will take away..." "Nandini right in front of your own eyes." "King." "Do not waste your time." "You can never get Nandini." "The reason being, that if a cow like Nandini, is... given to a selfish and a self centered King... like you, then he will not make her a means to... serve the people." "Such divine creatures are not meant for you." "Get rid of your arrogance first." "Become humble... and then come back here." "You can get such a cow not by show of strength... but by penance, and that too when the penance is... done without being desirous of any fruit." "She is not the fruit of any penance by me... but its a boon of the Almighty father Brahma." "Then I too will do penance." "King..." "Arrogance is the disease you suffer from." "This arrogance is your ego." "If you want to do penance then leave your ego behind." "The rocky path of egoism will not let you do... your penance and earn your rightful fruit." "Sage, I will show you that I can do penance... and also I will earn its fruit, and take... away Nandini too with me." "Salutations to King Rastak." "The decision that I have taken to crown my son... as the King, must have surprised all of you." "Since this decision is a sudden one." "All of you listen to my decision carefully." "I am giving up the crown and throne to do penance." "What are you saying King?" "Don't you know that sage Vashist has insulted me." "He has forgotten this truth, that I am the King." "I can grant him life and also a sentence of death." "But no one can insult the Kshyatriya's right." "I am a King." "I have strength and power." "A sage only has blessings to give, and nothing else." "The ground on which his abode is, belongs to me." "The water he draws from the river, is mine too." "The trees which give him shade, belong to me too." "He is also one of my subjects." "He has the courage to refuse, when I asked... him for something." "He is proud of his place of his abode." "He is proud of being a sage." "I will prove to him that I too can become a sage." "I too can do penance." "And have my own abode." "Lord Indra, everyone is getting scared by... the penance of Vishawrath." "I must immediately go to the creator of the..." "Universe, Lord Brahma." "Almighty Father, O Lord Brahma, O creator of... the Universe, Vishawrath is chanting only your name." "No son." "Vishwarath is not chanting my name." "His... arrogance is chanting my name." "But Lord, if you do not listen to his prayers... and Lord Shiv reaches there, who can then stop..." "Lord Shankar, from bestowing his boon." "Lord Shankar can never say 'no' to anyone." "Vishwarath will keep asking and Lord Shankar... will keep granting him boons." "After he is granted a boon by Lord Shankar... then, who will be able to stop Vishwarath's... arrogance from growing." "Vishwarath will then destroy the universe... with his arrogance and pride." "Almighty father I have come to you with a request... not to delay from going to him any further." "Son Vishwarath." "My salutations to you Lord Brahma." "Ask me what you want, son." "Creator of the Universe I want strength from you." "What is the definition of power in your view." "Respected father, where can one find more strength... except in weapons." "Grant me all those weapons which the Gods, celestial... beings, heavenly guards, and divine beings have." "O Lord, I want the weapons Narayanast..." "Pashupathast and Brahmasth too." "I thought you were going to ask me to grant a boon... by which you can win over your arrogance and pride." "Arrogance is a symbol of a Kshaytriya, and anger... is the flag of its identity." "Respected father, how can I give up my identity and... the flag which heralds my identity." "If you are pleased with my penance, then grant me... all that I am asking of you." "If you are still not pleased, I will do... penance for you again." "My penance will make you so helpless, that you... will have to grant me all that I am asking of you." "Do you want knowledge or success?" "Respected father, success is the result of wisdom." "Then ask what you have to." "I want to have all the divine weapons and the... knowledge of how to use these weapons." "Vashist..." "I apologise for the trouble you suffered due to this tumult." "You will have to do something about this foolish, haughty man." "And now, he is coming with divine weapons." "This is not a war, Kapil." "But then, iron cannot be melted without the help of fire." "The bigger the wick of the lamp, the faster it will blow out." "Likewise, his big ego will soon blow out his identity." "Consider his every divine weapon to be the wick." "Divine weapons are needed to pierce the armour of his ego." "Welcome, King." "First get up and greet your King O'sage." "And offer me Nandini, the holy cow." "Then maybe I may forgive you your past wrongs." "Respect cannot be demanded, King." "It has to be commanded." "If you prove yourself to be worthy of respect then why only me water, air, fire, sky, earth everyone will respect you." "You are not a King now, you are the King of Kings." "Stop being proud now." "A sensible man is humble." "I have not come to learn how to behave from you, Vashist." "I've come to let you know that it is the prime duty of every subject to respect his King." "Also don't forget that I am no more the Vishwa who had tasted defeat at your hands." "I am that Vishwa who forced even Lord Brahma to appear before him." "I have returned with all divine weapons of Brahma." "All divine weapons, sage!" "But yet you did not know what to ask." "When the Lord himself appeared before you you were happy to get just the divine weapons from him." "You should've asked for humility along with the divine weapons." "Don't waste time, Vashist!" "I told you I have not come to hear your advise." "I have come to take Nandini, the holy cow." "Your meditation has only made you more proud, King." "When the fire burns, it doesn't take long for the wood to perish" "Kapil, I have all the divine weapons." "So you two better stay quiet." "The fight is between me and Vashist." "Sage Gautam and Kapil are right, King." "Your meditation has only made you more proud." "You have returned more self-centered than before." "It is the duty of the King to protect the property of his subjects." "You are not a King, you are a looter." "And opposing you is the duty of every subject." "You cannot cheat the people just because you have become the Emperor." "You are just a river, King." "Whose only aim is to join the sea and lose its identity." "Without losing its identity, no river can become the sea." "And the river which does not recognise this the cruel oasis sucks it up." "Even I am a river which has merged with the sea." "Even you are a river, but you are fighting the sea." "A man can fight his family, a family can fight its village a village can fight its district and a district can fight its kingdom but cannot win." "Likewise, if any river fights its sea it can only be destined to be sucked up by the oasis." "Use your powers to serve your sea that is, to serve mankind." "Your subjects are not for you, King you exist for your subjects." "Have you finished?" "Don't test my patience, sage!" "If you love your life, surrender Nandini to me." "When my life does not belong to me, why should it be dear to me?" "It belongs to God." "Neither do I have a right to give it to anyone and neither does anyone have the right to snatch it from me." "And when I have God to love why should I love life and disgrace love?" "I am asking for Nandini!" "How can I give you Nandini when it does not belong to me?" "Then I will take it by force." "You have made that attempt before, King." "No!" "No!" "I will not let you take her." "Defeat me before you take her." "You will fight me?" "You?" "I am not a warrior but it is my duty to advise a warrior like you that what you are about to do is not right." "Right, wrong, incorrect such words don't exist in my vocabulary." "Whatever I do is right!" "I will not let you take her, King." "Then fight me." "Beware!" "The weapons you were so proud of, King those weapons have ditched you." "No doubt you have meditated incessantly." "The proof of it is the divine weapons you have." "Which proved useless when used by your proud hands." "The error lies not with the weapons." "However good the quality of the seed if the land in which it is being sowed is not fertile it will never produce anything." "It is not the Guru's fault." "He always gives." "But even the disciple has to be worthy of his Guru's gift." "Nothing good can come out of pride." "You have misused your power, King." "And misusing power is a sin." "A sage's home are centres of knowledge and culture." "The centre of one's existence." "If you try to break this centre the circle will become meaningless." "It will break." "The basis of existence is this centre." "So don't fight this centre." "If the centre is weak, the entire kingdom will be weak." "Try to overcome your pride." "That alone is beneficial to your kingdom and bring you salvation." "Don't assume that war between us is over, Vashist." "This is not the end of war, it is the beginning." "Until now, this war was for Nandini." "Now this war will be between you and me." "Today, I am the King and you are the sage." "But I will become the holy Sage!" "And when I return as the holy Sage I will deal with your magic baton." "The first step towards becoming the holy sage is humility, King." "First kill the ego in you." "Until your identity is the shadow of your ego you can never become a true Sage." "Do only Brahmins have the right to become true  great sages?" "No, King." "Every man is the child of Lord Brahma." "Then how can there be any discrimination?" "Birth does not determine one's creed, his deeds do." "Every child who is born is a shudra (lower caste)." "Because he has yet to commit deeds." "A Brahmin's son can become a Shudra and a Shudra's son can become a Brahmin." "So don't be proud of being a warrior." "Scan your deeds honestly and see if you are truly a warrior." "Which means that every man is born a Shudra." "His deeds can make him a warrior or a Brahmin." "As his knowledge increases and he attains the wisdom of Brahmins he becomes a Brahmin." "Even I have learnt that in school." "But that is only the half truth." "The truth is that I am a warrior will always be a warrior and I will become a holy warrior Brahmin and show you." "This war will be only between you and me, Vashist." "And I will win this war!" "I will shatter your pride of being the divine sage." "I will shatter your pride!" " He will come again, Vashist." " He surely will." "And whenever he does, there will be some change in him." "Arundhati, I think you want to say something." "The King may only be aware of his powers." "I think the stubborn child in him is not getting an opportunity to grow." "That child is unable to differentiate between the cool of the moon and the heat of the sun." "When he burns his hand in the heat he will automatically learn to differentiate between the two" "But he won't be hurt too much, will he?" "Pray that he does not." "Greetings from the minister of Ayodhya, sage." "The minister is welcome in sage Vashist's home." "Is everything fine in Ayodhya?" "By God's and your grace both, the kingdom of Ayodhya and its people, are fine." " And the King himself?" " Even he is fine." "They wish to coronate Prince Harishchandra." "And this auspicious activity cannot be performed without your presence." "Therefore King Satyavirt has requested that your presence is necessary on this occasion since you are their family priest." "Minister, please don't speak in official language with this Brahmin." "What do I tell the King?" "Tell him I will surely come." "First of all, I greet the holy sage Vashist." "And I welcome all the sages, gurus, Kings and my subjects to this assembly." "I have been the King and worn the crown long enough." "I am tired of politics now." "I have reached where there is no distinction between religion and duty." "I therefore want to begin my journey towards salvation." "I desire your good wishes to begin this journey of mine." "Allow me to leave for the jungle." "And accept my son Harishchandra as your future King." "I welcome this proposal because no one has the right to stop the one taking the path to salvation." "O King, Ayodhya is fortunate to have a King like you." "Hail King Harishchandra!" "I greet our family priest Vashist, the invited Kings and other invited guests." "Great Kings like Ambresh have ruled Ayodhya and established fair rule." "It is the result of good deeds of my previous birth that I'm getting to take over this royal throne from my father" "I assure you all that the religion and truth my ancestors have protected I will do the same with deeds and action." "I vow that I will follow the path of truth and religion and religiously follow the rules laid down by my ancestors and serve you whole heartedly." "My entire life is at your service." "Hail King Harishchandra!" "Greetings, King!" "Greetings." "King, you look very tired, worried, and disappointed." "Even after coming to the jungle, you look restless." "You are right." "I am still surrounded by worries." "I gave up my throne only to be rid of these worries." "I gave up luxuries, good food." "My body has become like the wick of that lamp whose oil is over." "But what I want is not happening." "The door to heaven is not opening to me." "It is said that the doors to heaven open when one performs a 100 yagnas." "I even performed a 100 yagnas but the doors to heaven didn't open." "Is it true that the king will first have to go to hell?" "Will I have to go to heaven through hell?" "After going to hell, who knows if I will ever be able to go to heaven." "If I enter heaven in human form, everybody will be astonished." "And then, the soul serves the body." "Who knows whether it will find peace or not in heaven." "But how do I enter heaven with my body?" "Who will help me achieve salvation?" "You are a great man." "You will achieve salvation." "Your desire to go to heaven with your body is justified." "It is, that is why I insist that my desire be fulfilled." "Only your family priest Vashist can fulfill your desire." "Vashist!" " Greetings, sage." " Bless you, King." "Sit down." "Sage, I have come with a question to you." "What is that question, King?" "You had said that if I perform a 100 yagnas I will find my way to heaven." "I performed a 100 yagnas, but I did not find the way to heaven." "You have not given up everything, King." "You still crave to go to heaven." "Desire is dependent on deed." "I desire to go to heaven along with my body." "Please tell me how I can do that." "Along with your body?" "That's not possible, King." "It should be possible." "Because the body is an equal partner of the soul in one's good and bad deeds." "Then why should it also not partake with the soul in the rewards or punishment for our deeds?" "That's very unfair on the body, sage." "This problem is not so simple, King." "What is the body?" "A combination of five elements." "Sky, earth, water, air, and fire." "When the soul leaves the body all the five elements take back their share." "When the body no longer exists, how can it go anywhere with the soul?" "That is why I want to go to heaven before dying." "Please help me, sage." "That is beyond me, King." "If the body begins to go to heaven or hell then slowly, earth, sky, water, air, fire these five elements will perish." "And the Lord will be left alone again." "Would you like that?" "I am not God, sage." "I am only human and want to go to heaven with my body." "Please help me, sage." "Please!" "Satyavirt, I am saying this because I am your Guru." "If you want to go to heaven try to rid your slavery to this desire." "The sage has been very cruel to you." "It was not right of him to disappoint you." "Yes, I had gone with great hopes to him." "That he will show me the way to go to heaven with my body." "But he said that is not possible." "Will my desire never be fulfilled?" "Is there no one who can help me achieve salvation?" "King, why do you lose hope?" "Sage Vashist's elder son Shakti is a powerful sage." "You pray to him and find a solution to your desire." "King, are you alright?" "You must be at peace now that you live in the jungle." "What better way to achieve salvation?" "Your blessings mean everything to me." "Give me an opportunity to serve you." "Please accept it." "What is this, King?" "There has to be a reason to give gifts." "It is a sin to give gifts without reason." "To make a sage return empty handed is also a sin." "I cannot accept your gift." "I am sorry." "Just tell me what I can do for you." "I want to perform some yagnas with your help." "But you have already performed a 100 yagnas." "What yagna remains?" "Why do you want to perform a yagna?" "I want to go to heaven with my body." "You must have discussed this with my father." "He must have showed you some way." "There are many hurdles in his showing me the way." "For one, he is old." "His brain did not accept this idea." "He feared going out of the normal path." "Father and fear?" "That's impossible!" "Your suspicion is baseless." "I think he is afraid of King Indra, that's why he refused me." "I have reached the conclusion that only you can help me now." "Because you are young." "And only the young can accept new and challenging ideas." "Only your attempts can help me fulfill my desire." "After successfully sending me to heaven with my body you will become famous as an innovative youth." "If sage Vashist has refused you you have committed a sin in asking me." "I am not talking of sin or good deed." "I have finished with all my good and bad deeds." "And my body is equally responsible for them." "Then what right does the sky, earth, water, air, fire, have to share my body among themselves?" "And not allow it to take it's share of heaven or hell." "That's very unfair on my body." "It's like getting work done from the worker but not rewarding it." "You will have to help me!" "Your insistence is unjustified, King." "Your comments about my father has hurt me." "You have cheated yourself for the fulfillment of your impossible desire." "You have tried to distract me from the path of truth by offering me these jewels and precious stones." "You have tried to make me compete with my father." "Your sins are unpardonable!" "I curse you!" "May you turn into a Trishanku!" "(vagrant)" "O Mother of the World!" "Dear son, you are Lord Brahma's descendant." "Your ancestor was Brahma's son." "That makes you Brahma's descendant." "Recognise your worth and respect it." "You are not aware, but you have a lot to give to the world." "Share your knowledge with mankind, son." "And that will be possible only if you forget your ego." "What will you gain by extending your kingdom's boundaries?" "Extend the boundaries of your heart." "You are not Shree, but you look like Shree." "You are not Mother Saraswati." "But you look like her." "You are not Goddess Parvati, but you look like her." "You look like the consolidated form of all three." "I can see the divine light of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh in you." "How fortunate I am that I am seeing all the divine powers before me." "Son, the sun is busy doing his duty as Brahma in the morning as Mahesh in the afternoon and as Vishnu during twilight." "You have penetrated the heat of the dutiful Sun reached his heart and brought me out." "And have adorned me with vedic chants." "You have not created me, but you have surely made me appear." "You have blessed the world with peace, happiness, prosperity today" "I am that blessing." "Until you were a warrior, you were called Vishwarath." "But now you have become a Brahmin." "Your chanting Gayatri Mantra, made me take the form of Gayatri." "Chanting this mantra can make everyone achieve salvation." "They can achieve peace and happiness." "This is your blessing to creation." "This has made you the friend of the world." "From now on, you will be called Vishwamitra (world's friend)." "Gather the wealth of your new identity and protect it." "Only time will remember the name Vishwarath." "But the entire creation will remember Vishwamitra with reverence." "May you do good deeds, may you be at peace." "May you be respected." "Also bless me that I become the holy sage!" "Even Lord Brahma cannot give you that blessing." "You cannot attain that position by being blessed." "Besides, you are not fit to become the holy sage yet." "Because you want to be rewarded for your meditation." "Try to free yourself from the web of greed." "Just follow the path of duty." "Why did I think of going to heaven with my body?" "And even if I did why didn't I just throw the thought out of my mind?" "And if this desire was so strong that I could not dismiss it why didn't I just keep it there in my mind?" "Why did I go to Vashist's ashram to seek his help?" "And when he said that this is impossible why didn't I listen to him?" "Why did I try to persuade Shakti to fulfil my desire?" "And even if I did, the moment I saw him angry why didn't I seek pardon by falling at his feet?" "I committed three sins for which he turned me into Trishanku." "Why did I commit these sins?" "Am I the same Satyavirt who Ayodhya prided over?" "The one who'd received a tearful farewell from his subjects?" "Will they recognise their Satyavirt in this form?" "I am not Satyavirt, I am Trishanku!" "Who is my saviour?" "O sage Vishwamitra!" "Save me!" "Take me into your fold." "Please save me!" "O King of Ayodhya, get up." "What have you done to yourself?" "O sage, my story is long." "First promise me you will help me." "Promise that you'll show me the way." "No sage refuses a request to help." "Tell me what you desire." "What do you want?" "I am asking something which even the holy sage Vashist could not give me." "Vashist refused you?" "But Vishwamitra will not refuse you." "The sun and the moon can change their paths." "But Vishwamitra can never break his promise." "Without knowing what it is, I promise to fulfill the desire which your family priest Vashist has refused to fulfill." "First tell me who did this to you." " A curse." " Whose curse?" "Vashist's son, Shakti's curse." "Why did he curse you?" "Because I did not follow Vashist's orders." "And what had Vashist asked you to do?" "He said what I desire is impossible." "That my desire is sinful." "So I must try to get over this desire of mine." "And what do you desire?" "I say that this body is not the cloak of the soul that it can shed one cloak and wear another." "The soul cannot do anything without the body." "If I gave charity, it is with these hands." "If I went on a pilgrimage, it was with these legs." "If I helped my subjects I did it when these ears heard their plea." "These eyes saw the sun and worshipped it." "This body is a part of me." "I am nothing without this body." "When I say I, even my body is a part of that ' I'." "I want to go to heaven with this body!" "Your argument does not seem baseless." "I will surely fulfill your desire." "O King, there is nothing greater than compassion." "And no deed is greater than helping the needy." "I will make you perform a yagna." "And that yagna will become the vehicle that will take you to heaven with your body." "O sage, accept the greetings of the elder son of Vishwamitra." "They are my younger brothers." "Sit down, son." "What brings you here?" "Sage Vishwamitra is going to perform a special yagna." "He has invited you for the yagna." "What special yagna is he performing?" "The yagna to take one to heaven." "I have never heard of such a yagna." "Even he is performing this yagna for the first time." "You'd surely have heard of it if it had been performed earlier." "Who is he performing this yagna for?" " For Trishanku." " Trishanku?" "Who is he?" "The previous king of Ayodhya." "King Satyavirt?" "How did he become a Trishanku?" "That was due to Shakti's curse." "Satyavirt who has turned into a vagrant with Vashist's curse and Vishwamitra is planning to perform a yagna for such a man?" "Your father, Vishwamitra has lost his intelligence to his ego" "A yagna to go to heaven for a cursed man?" "It is very surprising." "Find a way to make your father change his views." "A yagna to go to heaven indeed!" "The soul can go to heaven only on the basis of one's good deeds" "Not with the help of some yagna." "Only a foolish person who is against religion can think of doing such a thing." "Such language does not suit a sage like you." "You have conquered anger, lust, greed and love." "The yagna whose foundation itself is against religion I cannot participate in it." "A yagna to go to heaven!" "A yagna to go to heaven?" "I will surely come." "But what yagna is this?" "Vishwamitra is performing a yagna to send Trishanku to heaven with his body." "We cannot accept his prayers." "Because it is against all rules of creation." "After performing a 100 yagnas until a man does not sacrifice his life his wealth, and his desires, for the welfare of the people he cannot enter heaven." "It is necessary we ensure that Vishwamitra's does not succeed in performing the yagna" "Or every human being will try to enter heaven." "If that happens there will be no difference left between heaven and earth." "There will be nothing special about heaven." "God of Fire!" "You are the source that takes our prayers to heaven." "How could you refuse to accept my offerings?" "It is your duty to take my offerings to heaven." "Sage Vishwamitra, please don't be angry." "Where do I take your offerings?" "No God or Goddess is ready to accept them." "O Sage, I think I will not be able to go to heaven." "My misfortune will force me to live the life of a vagrant on earth." "And then take me to hell." "Don't be disappointed, King." "Do you think I am dependent on this fire to take my prayers to heaven?" "The fire cannot disregard my prayers." "I can send my prayers to heaven even without the help of fire." "I will change this rule of the scriptures that fire is necessary to perform a yagna." "Begin!" "No, we will not accept these offerings." "Lord Indra!" "You have cheated me!" "You are the only reason why the Gods have refused to accept my offerings." "But you do not know me yet!" "I have even made Mother Gayatri appear with the power of my meditation." "I will pray and request her that she take Trishanku with his body to heaven." "You have stopped the Gods." "The cause of your humiliation." "Oh Sage, please stop this stubbornness." "I will... compromise with my misfortune." "I will... compromise with my misfortune." "Please stop this stubbornness." "I did not wish to insult the sages." "That is why I wanted to send you to heaven from earth... through the path of prayers and holy rituals." "But those gods who insulted me by spurning my offerings... have to be told that now I don't need their consent." "I have the power to send you to heaven without their consent." "Let me see how the gods can prevent you from going... to the Kingdom of Heaven." "I will now call out to Mother Gayatri, and she... she will send you to heaven on the wings of her blessings." "Vishwamitra." " Mother Gayatri!" "Rise my son." "O you kind and merciful mother please help this disciple... this son of yours." "Protect my honour mother." "What is your wish my son?" "It is not a question of my wish, but of my honour... to keep my promise." "I have promised to send Trishnaku to heaven with... his body." "That is why I am doing this sacrifice and ritual." "But Lord Indra and the other Gods are not... responding to my offerings." "O merciful Goddess, please send this Trishanku to..." "Heaven with his body so that my oath honoured." "This is not possible son." "The Kingdom of earth has the right over the body... and the elements of Nature too have a right over the body." "I cannot do injustice to Earth, sky, water, wind... and fire." "It is the duty of the soul that when it leaves the body... it should remove these five elements which it wears... and give back the segment to the earth." "Mother look at this as a son's stubbornness." "Stubbornness has to be within limits." "This sinner has no right to enter Heaven." "But your touch of mercy, will remove the line that demarcates... his good and evil deeds." "The penance of this son of yours cannot remove the... stigma that has been put on him because of the curse." "But it can wash the scar of sin, mother." "I'll wash his sins, and you send him to Heaven, Mother." "If this was possible son, I would have definitely... fulfilled this wish of yours." "But this is not possible." "Mother for your son make the impossible into... a reality." "Please make it happen." "As a sage I chant your holy words, and divine verse." "O Mother Gayatri, an insult to me, is an insult to you." "Please absolve Trishanku of his curse and send... him to Heaven, Mother." "This is not possible." "It is just not possible." "I cannot overlook ethics." "Nor should you do so." "Inspite of doing so much penance, your arrogance... has not lessened." "Your ego has gone to such a limit, that you have... started to think yourself to be the Creator of the world." "Whatever you desire you want to make it into reality." "You think you are the final authority." "While others appear to you of no use, without any strength." "Everything you do is based on selfishness." "Your penance and prayers are also based on this... selfishness." "Change your self son." "Change yourself." "That means my penance, my prayers, and my promise... have no value at all." "What does one get by doing penance and prayers." "Why should I worship you?" "If you cannot grant me a boon, why should I... demean my worship, my prayers." "If my penance and prayers are of no use, then, even... you are of no use Mother." "I Vishwamitra, who is responsible for you... being here, curses you, that you may never ever get the... strength to grant anyone a boon." "What kind of a curse have you given me son." "You are a son and I am a mother." "A mother has... nothing to offer but her blessings." "I only worry that you should not suffer." "When the fire of anger cools down within you... then think, who all you have harmed with your curse." "This curse of yours has laid down arrows in the... path of those devotees of mine, who pray day and... night to me." "They have done no harm." "Why have you punished them." "Your name means that you are a 'Friend of the World." "What you've done, even an enemy won't do that." "Son, anger and aggression brings suffering and... always takes one on the path of destruction." "O Mother, you are kind, you are merciful... your love overflows for your children." "Please forgive me for this spark of anger." "I cannot take back this curse, but I can... keep it within limits." "If your devotees, pray and chant your name in the... morning, afternoon and evening, their wishes... will definitely be fulfilled." "But if they do not chant your divine verse, then... their prayers will not bear fruit." "O Lords of the Kingdom of heaven, Vishwamitra... once again requests you to accept his offerings... and make this sacrifice of fire which he is doing... successful." "I Vishwamitra can make the impossible... into a reality." "That same Vishwamitra has been humiliated and insulted." "This conspiracy of Indra and the other gods... cannot be tolerated." "I have done a special sacrifice, a ritual... of fire, according to the Scriptures, even then my... offerings have been..." "returned." "But why?" "If the Gods think they are the greatest, let them do... so." "But why do they object to give me the fruits of... my sacrifice, my yagya." "My promise to send Trishanku to Heaven with his body... will be unfulfilled." "No!" "An oath given by Vishwamitra can never go waste." "I will defeat the gods in this tussle." "I will defeat them." "But how?" "How?" "Sage, I cannot see you so worried." "You have done your very best to send Trishanku to Heaven." "The Gods must be thinking that Trishanku's wish... is against the rules made my the Creator." "Maybe this could be the reason of your sacrifice... and Yagya being unsuccessful." "How can it be against the rules." "Doesn't Vashist go with his body to Heaven?" "Didn't my elder sister Satyawati and her... husband sage Rishik go to heaven with their body." "If Trishanku wants to go with his body to heaven... then what is wrong in that." "The others were not cursed so it was possible for them." "Trishanku is under a curse." "This could be the reason... of the offerings not being accepted." "You did your very best." "Please stop worrying since you left no stone unturned." "I have lapsed Madhavi." "I have not done enough." "I have not been able to fulfill the promise I... had given to Trishanku." "Trishanku's wish is not so mean and unpious that... the Gods do not accept it." "Indra's arrogance has made him feel that he's invincible." "Should I go and fall at his feet." "Should my life be depend on the wishes of those Gods... and Goddesses." "Impossible..." "It can never be." "I will see that I get the fruit of my sacrifice Madhavi." "Even If I have to sacrifice my life for it." "I will see that I get it." "Father, Trishanku has left the Ashram and gone." "I tried to stop him but he didn't stop." "He said the only thing for him was to die now." "Trishanku has gone..." "My hopes have not come true." "My wish to go to Heaven with this body, now... will not be fulfilled." "The reason for all this suffering is my body." "As long as this body remains wishes will haunt it." "I do not want this body." "I will destroy this body." "I will burn it to ashes and will be free of all... my worries." "O Vishwamitra." "O respected Sage, please forgive me." "Please forgive me." "Trishanku what are you doing?" "Please do not stop me." "Let me die." "My wish will not be fulfilled in this life." "To get me sent to Heaven you conducted holy sacrifices." "But your efforts were of no use." "My foremost duty now is to die." "My foremost duty is to die." "Do not be foolish Trishanku." "To commit suicide is a sin." "It is a sin." "If you do this you won't be allowed to enter... even hell and will become a ghost and spirit." "Your sins will increase." "To die with half of one's wishes fulfilled, is not... good." "In such a case each moment of death will feel... like eternity." "All the good deeds which you've done in your life... time will be converted into sins." "Its not too late even now." "Have faith in Vishwamitra." "Don't you have faith in me?" " I do have faith." "I do not doubt your faith at all." "Vishwamitra let me go into the fire." "What are you doing Trishanku?" "I want to ask you what are planning to do." "You want to give yourself up to that fire which refused... to accept your offerings." "You want to go those Gods who did not allow you... to go to Heaven." "Selfish Indra will never let you enter Heaven." "Have you not thought about the humiliation, I... will have to suffer because of you." "Won't History write this that Vishwamitra who... had assured Trishanku that he will go to Heaven, could... not send him to Heaven, and instead made him into a ghost." "Won't history blame me and say that I sacrificed... you for the sake of my arrogance." "Won't History blame Vishwamitra and say... that by giving Trishanku false hopes of sending... him to heaven, left him in the lurch." "Neither did Trishanku go to heaven, nor to hell." "If you want to humiliate me, then jump into... this fire." "Jump in it." "Don't make me ashamed." "Don't make me ashamed." "Have faith in my promise." "Trust my commitment..." "Trust in the power of my penance." "I will do penance and see that you go to Heaven." "Come with me." "Don't doubt me Trishanku." "Whether the Gods accept the offerings or not... whether you get the fruits of the sacrifice or not... but you will definitely go to Heaven." "You will definitely go." "Since sage Vishwamitra... has given this oath to you." "My blessings will never miss its target just like..." "Lord Shiv's divine Pashupatastra weapon." "I will see that I take you to heaven with your body." "I will then see how do the Gods stop you from... entering the Kingdom of Heaven." "Your Holiness, Vishwamitra please accept my greetings... from the Kingdom of heaven." "I have come into the Kingdom of Heaven, with my body." "Vashist had said that I cannot enter the Kingdom... with my cursed and dead body." "What Mother Gayatri could not do, you have done." "O respected sage, I can never repay this debt." "A human!" "A human!" "Who are you?" "Tell me who you are." "You uncouth person, you don't even know how to... welcome a guest." "These celestial beauties have insulted me." "I am a part of Sage Vishwamitra's act of penance." "I am going to bathe in the river Mandakini." "You cannot bathe without Indra's permission." "Who is Indra to stop me?" "I haven't come here... with his permission." "Why should I take his permission?" "But..." "I have the blessings of The great sage Vishwamitra." "Anyway, take me to Lord Indra." "Agni, Varun, Vayu, Kuber and Sage Bhraspati." "What is this foul smell?" "Lord Of Heaven an unpious soul wearing dirty... clothes has entered heaven." "Who is he?" "It's I, a part of sage Vishwamitra's sacrifice... and penance, Trishanku." "Penance" "I am not a soul but a human being." "You are neither a soul nor a human being." "You are nothing more but the arrogance of Vishwamitra." "Throw him out of the Kingdom of Heaven." "As you command." "No!" " Come along." "Sage..." "Vishwamitra." "O sage save me." "Vishwamitra!" "Save me..." "Save me..." "Stop Trishanku." "Indra has thrown me out of Heaven." "Become erect." "Don't worry Trishanku, if Indra has thrown you out... of Heaven, I will destroy this pride of his." "I will create a new Kingdom of Heaven for you." "Vishwamitra will create a new Kingdom of Heaven." "This will be Vishwamitra's creation." "This will be known as Trishanku's Heaven." "Can you see King, promises are fulfilled like this." "I had promised to send you to the Kingdom of Heaven... with your body." "Look, I have created a new Kingdom of Heaven for you." "Now you are the ruler of this Kingdom." "Sit on the throne." "Greetings Holy Sage." "What is this Mahendra, the king of thirty-three crore... gods, are there are no dancers or singers in your assembly!" "This throne is tottering." "To save a little milk, you have to now part with a cow." "Why did you, Indra, come in between the struggle of..." "Vashist and Vishwamitra?" "At Brahmarish's Ashram, he was humiliated." "He is... very stubborn." "He didn't give up his stubbornness." "The sage told him that Trishanku could never... enter Heaven." "Then it became essential for Vishwamitra, that..." "Trishanku will definitely go to Heaven." "To lower Vashist's esteem he performed the Yagya to... ascend to Heaven." "You didn't let him succeed so he gave away part of his... meditative strength." "Indra you have no weapon to stop his power of... meditation." "Before throwing out Trishanku from Heaven... you should have thought about the consequences." "Wounded ego is more poisonous than a even a scorpion." "Only Lord Brahma can now handle the situation." "If Vishwamitra, had not stopped the falling..." "Trishanku in space itself, the fire of his ego... would have burnt him to ashes." "Indra, Vishwamitra is going to create a new heaven... for Trishanku." "But what should we now do Narad." "How can I give you an answer to this." "It is Sage Brahaspati's privilege to do so." "He has a treasure of intelligence." "Only he can find a solution." "Respected sage, this danger is not only for the Kingdom... of Heaven, but a problem for all the Three Kingdoms." "Balance of the Universe will be spoilt." "Respected sage, help us." "Protect us." "If Vishwamitra makes his own Kingdom of Heaven." "Then... this heaven will finish." "Vishwamitra's commitment to the cause is a... challenge for Lord Brahma." "We have to find a way to stop him." "Since the time Vishwamitra started this penance..." "I have been thinking about it." "I just do not know how to stop him." "There's only one way out." "Since Brahma, Vishnu... and Mahesh too cannot interfere in this." "Tell us the solution then." "If no one interferes', then..." "To interfere in some one's penance..." "Only you can do that Indra." "You go to Vishwamitra and request him to stop this." "If I go, there it will indicate that all of us... have bowed down and have accepted defeat." "Then who should go." " Agni..." "Fire God..." "I have already tried, but it was of no avail." "One of us has to go." "You are right." "To do this work some eminent personality... has to be sent." "Respected sage, in order to save the Three Kingdoms... you'll have to do this work." "With your wisdom you can explain and make him agree." "Greetings sage Narad." "May you live long." "Your presence has made my place of mediation... even more pious." "Please accept my greetings." "Even we are very happy to see you sage." "The wise sage Brahaspati's visit must have brought... peace to your heart." "How can I get peace." "The Gods created so many obstacles after I sent" "Trishanku to Heaven." "How much of pain they had caused me, you know this... very well." "Even then you want to think that I am at peace." "I am not that kind of a man who doesn't keep his oath." "So Devrishi Narad, I am now in the midst of creating... another Heaven, for Trishanku so that I can keep my oath." "Sage Vishwamitra, by creating this Heaven, do not spoil... the balance in the Universe." "Do not insult the principles of the Universe." "This is unethical on the part of a sage." "By sending back my offerings wasn't it unethical too... on the part of the Gods." "Vishwamitra has definitely been humiliated." "But only sage Brahaspati can give this answer... whether the Gods behaved in an unethical manner or not." "According to me they did not break any rules." "Because Viswamitra you are misusing your divine powers." "To misuse one's divine powers is a sin." "Your meditative powers are a part of the strength of..." "Brahma Himself." "Heaven has been created by Lord Brahma." "By creating... your own Kingdom of Heaven you are challenging... the Almighty Father Brahma." "Sage do not do this." "Then tell Indra, to let Trishanku enter Heaven... with his body." "Is this possible sage Brahaspati?" "If this is possible then the tussle between the..." "Gods and human beings will end." "This is not possible." "This is against the... rules of Creation." "I cannot oppose the Almighty Father Brahma." "Sage you too don't do this." "But, now I have already started the creation." "If it is destroyed now then there will be such... chaos in the Universe that great harm will emerge." "This Heaven will remain where it is now." "This will be Trishanku's Heaven." "So how can this problem end?" "This problem will definitely end Narad, when Vishwamitra... leaves his arrogance." "Vishwamitra, Mother Gayatri made you into Vishwamitra." "Mother Gayatri called you the friend of the..." "Universe, by creating a new heaven, you have... become an enemy of the Universe." "By making Mother Gayatri descend here what did I get." "She too didn't help me in keeping my promise, which..." "I had given to Trishanku." "What is then the meaning of this great penance?" "If my penance and my meditative powers are... not successful then why should I not do what I... doing now." "I will stop the creation of my heaven when Trishanku... is given a place in Heaven." "Sage he must be given his place under any... circumstances." "He should, yes he should definitely get it, but... then this problem can never be solved." "Think of diffusing the situation." "Do not confuse... it any further." "The only way to overcome this problem, is that Trishanku... will live in Heaven." "This is my final decision." "If both of you are firm on your belief's, then how... can one find a solution." "You have come here as a representative of the Gods." "Find some way out, sage." "Yes, there is one way out." "This will only be possible if Vishwamitra, helps us." "Vishwamitra, we've come from so far away." "Will you send... us back empty handed." "Alright." "I agree to your proposal." "Atleast you accepted it." "But it has to be seen what does future hold." "Greetings Sage Narad." " May you have a long life." "I have come back again." " Please sit." "There must be a deep meaning to this." "You hardly went... from here and you are back so soon." "There must be something important to reveal." "How can I not come to you." "You are my very own." "I am the son of Brahma, and you are the grandson of Brahma." "Naturally we belong to the same family." "I like you more than I should." "You are a little naive." "You are impatient." "But are not given to think too much." "What do you want to say." "By your creating another heaven, the Gods are in... trouble, and in order to protect themselves... they sent their sage Brahaspati to you." "Brahaspati had hardly asked you, that you... immediately agreed to stop the creation of... the new heaven for Trishanku." "You were impatient enough to agree, but you took... a quick decision too." "You forgot about him?" "Forgot about whom?" " About Trishanku." "By creating a Heaven for him you have definitely... done a very important thing." "But..." " But what?" "Trishanku has ascended on the throne in Heaven." "But did this strike you that, who will he rule over?" "When Brashaspati asked you to stop the creation of..." "Heaven you agreed to do so." "But why didn't tell him, to make Trishanku into Indra." "Yes Devrishi." "Trishanku has to be given Indra's throne." "You must definitely do this." "But its not all that easy." "I think you should now have have the right in the... creation of the Universe." "But how..." "Being a sage, did you forget the challenge... you gave Vashist, that one day you will become a... sage of Lord Brahma." "Do not delay this any further." "Make Trishanku into Indra and fulfill your promise." "Then not only will you be able to enter Heaven... but even the other Kingdoms." "I have to become Braham's sage." "How can I forget this." "This is cause of the tussle between Vashist and myself." "Because of this we have become opponents." "After becoming a sage of Brahma, I will, like the... other sages, go in and out of the Kingdom of Heaven." "So start your penance as soon as you can." "I have begun to get scared by the resolute and infinite... penance which Vishwamitra is doing." "The warmth of his penance is coming right here." "The calmness that prevails in the Heaven is being effected." "As if his penance is a hard hitting storm and..." "Heaven a tender bud." "I feel that the fear within me is longing to come out." "If this fear emerges from within me, what will... become of this Kingdom of Heaven." "Nectar is beginning to taste bitter to me." "Respected God Yama only you can help us at this moment." "I hope days of suffering for us are near now." "Since who can predict that Vishwamitra's infinite... penance is being done with what purpose in mind." "If this dream of his comes true then what will... become of us Gods." "Listen Yama, Indra, Varun and Kuber, what is the... need for you to be so scared." "Vishwamitra is not eying this Kingdom, he just... wants to become a sage of Lord Brahma." "So Indra, your throne is safe." "What you say is right." "But even then, one has... to think about this issue." "While meditating one's ego should be calmed down by a... cool shower of water." "But his penance is provoking the ego of fire within him... to great heights." "One can't say, but the fire within him may force him." "Sage, one must make arrangements for a... some cold water, to put it off." "What kind of cold water are you talking about, King." "I was talking about creating an obstacle... in his penance." "I see no other alternative to this." "There is no other alternative, so how can you see anything." "What is your opinion about this, respected sage." "Indra when you fight with your spear there are... innumerable spikes in it, and it cuts through the enemy... like the speed of lightning." "While this Wind uproots any thing that comes in its way." "Fire can turn anything in its way into ashes." "Varun can drown one, while Yama when taking away life... doesn't bother whether life belongs to a friend or a foe." "No one can stay put in front of anyone of you." "When all your divine powers are with you, who can... then stand in front of you." "Sage Brahaspati, Narad is worried about the penance... being done by Vishwamitra, which might tilt the... balance of the Universe." "I have told you that all of you are invincible." "If all 8 of you get together then there's no question... of you all being defeated." "I did not understand sage." "Its not your work to understand." "You are a... child and can only learn." "So do what I am telling you to do." "Bring together all your powers and create a new... divine power." "How can we do that?" "Wind should be the wings of that new divine power." "Then..." "Then those wings will blow with such a strong force... that Vishwamitra will have to open his eyes... and look at him." "You want to make him lose his concentration, isn't it." "Yes, respected sage." "Respects to the sage." "Respects to all here." "Give me permission." "O most powerful One." "O Mighty One." "O symbol of... great strength." "Go to the Earth." "Your command will be followed." "But master what should I do when I reach there." "Vishwamitra is doing severe penance there." "See that you... make him lose his concentration." "If you cannot do this, then destroy him." "That sage from the Kingdom of Earth has challenged... the Kingdom of Heaven." "He wants to become a ruler and rule over the Universe." "He wants to keep the gods under him." "Its not a difficult task to destroy his ego." "I will send that sage, who opposes Lord Brahma, to hell." "He will keep on taking re-birth again and again, till... the blemish on his soul is not removed." "Give me your blessings." "O symbol of the strength of the Gods." "Power and... soul both are infinite." "Like the soul, strength too does not die." "Only the direction of one's strength can be changed." "The Almighty father Brahma will protect you." "Go to the Kingdom of Earth." "Indra protect me." "Give me shelter." "What's the matter?" "Why are you so scared." "Did Vishwamitra put a curse on you." "He would have put a curse on me, if he had opened... his eyes, and I had have succeeded in... bringing obstruction to his penance." "But the weapon which he is being guarded by didn't... allow me to go near him." "Fire could not burn him." "Water could not drown him." "Even wind could not uproot him." "Then what did you do?" "After trying repeatedly I threw my divine weapon at him." "He returned that too." "He returned that..." "See, my weapon is coming back at me." "Help me..." "Please protect me..." "O Lord, did you send for me." "Yes Rambha." "Today we all are in great danger." "I have heard everything." "But please do not worry." "Since you all gods cannot save heaven with all... your divine powers, we the celestial beauties... of Heaven will save it." "If Vishwamitra doesn't get tempted by you... celestial beauties." "Devendera, Rambha is the greatest and her... beauty is exquisite." "Ask the History of the Kingdom of heaven, how..." "Rambha has tempted the greatest of hermits and..." "Kings by her exquisite beauty and made them... become slaves of her beauty." "Who can keep their eyes shut when I dance." "When I touch them who can sit quietly." "Vishwamitra's name too will be added in the... list of the names who I have conquered." "You are very alluring and and exciting." "You are... irrestible, and your dance is bewitching." "I have full faith in you, but..." "So when you have full faith in me, how come you are... still not certain about my capabilities." "Give me permission to go." "Before sunset, I will... bring that stubborn sage as a captive in front of you." "Alright, take Rati and Manorath also with you." "But Rambha does not need anyone's help." "I will go there all alone." "Alright go there alone." "But see that you... annihilate his meditation." "Go..." "Rambha!" "Sage you were my goal." "I have achieved it." "Get up and take me in your arms." "Give me an award for destroying your penance." "Melt in the fire of my exquisite beauty." "Why are you getting angry?" "Put out the fire of lust that is within you." "Fulfill the needs of your body." "Come to me." "Why do you hesitate?" "Arrogant woman!" "I am not just a woman." "I am a beautiful woman." "I am beauty." "I am a symbol of beauty." "I am the fruit of your penance." "Come and take me." "My penance is as firm as a rock." "You may be anyone." "But even I am not a mere girl." "I am the essence of the King of nature." "You are not a woman." "You are not a girl." "You are a symbol of lust." "But my penance is as firm as a rock." "You have tried to melt this rock." "I give you a curse that you become a stone." "O respected sage, please forgive this foolish beauty." "Be merciful to me." "Please take your curse back." "Repentance is good, and in the near future... a sage will free you of this curse." "Sage what is happening." "Rambha got defeated." "That sage turned our Rambha into a stone." "She was my strong weapon." "I feel lost without her." "That means Vishwamitra's penance will not end." "Now I will have to do something." "Sage Vishwamitra, open your eyes." "Look at the fruit of your penance." "Give me some alms." "O sage, this priest is very hungry." "I haven't eaten for 3 days." "Give me food and help me." "O sage, the best kind of charity is to give... charity as food." "May you live long." "What kind of blessing have you given, priest." "Instead of blessing me that my penance has been... successfully completed, why did you bless me with... a long life." "Mahendra, I had recognized you." "I also knew what made you come here." "You are a god." "To obstruct the penance being done by... a sage, you shouldn't use devious means." "You are Gods." "You drink nectar." "What connection... do you have with sages like us." "You came here to take away the fruit of... my penance." "You have come to take away this offering... over which I have a right." "Indra your battle against me was unsuccessful, and... your ploy to tempt me through Rambha too was unsuccessful." "So now you've come yourself." "This could also mean that I was doing penance in... the right way." "If you had recognized me, then why did you give me the fruit." "It is more satisfying to give than receive, Indra." "The one who takes is small." "Didn't you notice this that your hand was spread out... and my hand was giving you the fruit." "I gave you the fruit of your labour." "I have done a favour on you by giving you the fruit... of my penance." "Indra, you should be grateful." "Go." "The person who I have given the fruit of my... penance, I do not want to put a curse on him." "So Devendra go." "Please go." "If you haven't learnt one principle, then learn... about it today." "To honour and respect the sages and hermits is the... duty of the Gods." "We go to heaven on the basis of our past deeds, while... the Gods are in heaven, on the basis of their birth." "The right of one's deeds is much more respectful... than the right one gets because of one's birth." "Its more respectful." "This Vishwamitra has created a problem for us." "All our attempts have failed." "All the divine powers we derived from the Supreme..." "Power have become defenseless in front of this sage." "How will we protect ourselves from this danger." "We will have to find a way out." "By doing severe penance he achieved divine strength... to perform acts of divinity." "If he had accepted this their would have been... chaos in the whole Universe." "A serious situation would have arisen in the Universe." "So when I begged him for food he gave it immediately." "He takes his penance very easily and is indeed a... very remarkable person." "Rambha could tempt anyone with her beauty and dance." "But he made her too into a stone." "We have to see that he doesn't achieve his goal." "What can we do." "I see no solution to this." "Devendra now there's only one way out." "There is only one woman who can charm and tingle the... hearts of her admirers." "She can tempt them with her exquisite beauty, and... she is no other than Menaka." "She can do this deed for us." "What Rambha couldn't do, do you think that..." "Rambha's arrogance did not work, but Menaka's... humility, gentleness and love can melt Vishwamitra's... hard heart." "Is anyone here." "Bring Menaka here." "She is the celestial beauty, Menaka." "She is a symbol of exquisite beauty." "She's an important chapter in Vishwamitra's story... of life." "She is the celestial beauty Menaka." "Friend why is colour of your face so pale." "Its so strange." "Keep your mischievousness to yourself." "Should I tell you the reason for her pale looks." "Go ahead." "This is not mere tiredness but embers of love which... had melted her." "But you didn't recognize that fire and, called it... tiredness, and she felt irritated." "Stop talking in such a tease manner." "Your name... should've been 'The Teaser!" "But friends atleast tell me who could have had... such an effect on her heart." "Ofcourse tell them." "Why don't you tell them?" "This is not a riddle, my friend." "You will not give your heart to any God, or a... demi-god like a Yaksh or Gandharv." " Why?" "Because they all are always round, and some... of them make occasional visits." "To tell you the truth, no one in this Universe, is... capable of being loved except a human being." "People in our kingdom only give their blessings." "So friend, tell me who is the one in your heart." "I'll just let you know." "How did you have the courage to come here?" "Don't you know here live the celestial beauties." "I think we will have to complain to King Mahendra... that you disturb our privacy, and keep on... coming to our place." "I ask for your forgiveness." "But I haven't come my self." "I have been sent by Mahendra with a message." "The message should have been more handsome than you." "Stop troubling him, friend." "What is the message?" "King Mahendra has asked you to come immediately." "Why has he asked her to be immediately there." "You know that a celestial beauty needs time." "Friends, Mahendra is our ruler." "One must not take... his message lightly." "Why would Mahendra have sent for Menaka." "Is there some sort of a crisis there." "It couldn't be that." "Some King or Emperor must... have come and to entertain him Mahendra must... have sent for you." "Or else some sage or great saint must have come... and must be wanting to meet you." "Or else some brave soldier must have been killed and..." "Mahendra must have sent for you for some ritual." "Isn't that so?" "Am I only needed to entertain the dead?" "Whether he is a King, an emperor, a sage or saint... after death they come to heaven." "They come for entertainment, have nectar, and see the... pretty girls dancing." "Whatever it is, it is Mahendra's command." "I have to go." "Come on." "Devi Menaka" " Now what happened?" "Mahendra has sent for you." "I have got the message." "I am on my way to meet him." "What was the need to make you come running here." "To call you, one of the messenger's went to... the abode of the fairies, another went to Kalpvriksh." "After that the King thought that maybe you are picking..." "Parijat flowers." "That's why I was sent her." "The fourth messenger must be searching for you on... the shore of the river Mandakini, thinking that... maybe you are bathing there." "Its surprising." "To call one Menaka, 4 messengers... have been sent." "Earlier this had never happened." "Please do not delay." " I am already on the way." "Devi..." "Devi." "I have got Mahendra's message." "But I don't the reason for so much impatience." "Has any emperor come from earth, to see me... dance and hear me sing and to get rid of his... arrogance, I am being" "Come on lets go." "Welcome Menaka." "You are the most valuable gem... of my Heaven." "You are the glory of my Heaven." "I welcome you." "O Mahendra, O demi-gods O Gods, please accept... the salutations of Menaka." "May you be victorious." "Respected sage what kind of a blessing is this." "Am I going to some kind of a war?" "May Mahendra be successful." "God of Fire, why are you all talking in... riddles in The kingdom of heaven today." "The respected sage blessed me to be victorious, and... the answer to my question to you, is blessings... for Mahendra." "Today your Mahendra needs all such blessings." "The Kingdom of Heaven has to face a crisis." "To win over the crisis, your beauty will be used... as a weapon." "Since no other path is available now." "Take your musical instruments and leave for the battle field." "Where is the battlefield." "On Earth..." " On Earth." "Lord this is an insult to my beauty and talent." "O Menaka, just like iron cuts iron and poison... is removed by poison, so also sometimes arrogance... is needed to break arrogance." "You are very proud of your talent and beauty." "While he is proud of his personality." "So don't think that by sending you to earth..." "Mahendra has insulted you." "You are the glory of the Kingdom of heaven." "No one can dare to insult you." "After your creation the Almighty father Brahma... must have paused a while to see you, and I am sure... must have felt proud for having created you." "Respected sage, who then is my opponent?" "Your opponent is one, who has finished the... power which we had derived from the Supreme power." "Your opponent is he who cursed Rambha and turned into a stone." "He defeated your power and and Rambha too." " Yes." "O beautiful eyed one, he is a human being, who is... challenging our kingdom." "He is a human being." " A human being!" "Yes he is a sage who is arrogant, he is old and... jealous too." "He's smitten by the splendour of the Kingdom of heaven... and dreams about talking over the kingdom as a ruler." "So lord, do I experiment my beauty on an old sage who's... body is old and wrinkled." "His personality must have already gone dead and... must be lying somewhere in his wrinkled body." "Don't think it to be an easy task Menaka." "The example of Rambha is right in front of you." "He has a bad temper." "By his penance he even... got Mother Gayatri to appear." "He gave the Universe, the gift of the divine... chanting of Goddess Gayatri." "He is an extraordinary man." "Mahendra did not permit Trishanku sent by him to... enter Heaven, so he created a new Heaven for Trishanku." "And I cannot take on the power of penance." "But its a fact that if the Almighty Father has made... someone into a human being he should remain a human being." "And this becomes the duty of the people of Heaven, that... if a human being crosses all limits and tries to... prove that he is not a human being but something... else, we should stop him to protect the balance... in the Universe." "Do not hesitate." "The Kingdom of heaven has a right over... you, and that sage is insulting by interfering in our lives." "It is necessary to stop him." "Would you like the Kingdom of Heaven to be under him?" "O Fire God, you know how to burn, but you do not... know the pain of burning." "Where is Rambha?" "Did Mahendra protect her." "The Kingdom of Heaven is your motherland Menaka." "Your existence is not so relevant." "To save the Kingdom of heaven, if you have to... be turned into a stone then become a stone." "The Kingdom of heaven will be forever indebted to you." "But if Mahendra couldn't harm him, how will I be... able to harm him." "I think you don't know your worth." "O Lotus eyed, do not talk like this." "One flame can destroy a whole forest." "Music can melt not only stones but sages who... have hearts of stones." "Go like a cloud full of rain and destroy his penance." "Respected Mahendra, I am feeling scared." "I don't know what curse he puts on me." "I give you an order that go and destroy his penance." "He is a dry piece of wood." "As soon as the flame of... your beauty effects him he'll begin to burn." "What if he doesn't burn." "He will burn." "He is not infinite that he won't burn." "He's the father of 100 sons." "As soon as he sees you... his lust will emerge and he'll be destroyed by it." "If you still do not agree to go, I'll curse you." "Mercy." "I beg for mercy." "Mercy, why do you need mercy." "Were you taught dancing so that you could enjoy yourself." "Were you taught singing so that you could bring peace... to your lonely heart." "I will try to do my very best to follow your order." "May you be successful." "What did you say?" "Lts not just a command that I am obeying, but..." "Madhuri I feel within me that I must go." "This is a problem for the Kingdom of heaven." "Infact the very existence of the Kingdom of heaven... depends on my going." "I am committed to the Kingdom, so what do I do?" "So I'll have to go." "That's why I didn't even attempt to refuse." "O Menaka, the greatest of the celestial beauties..." "Almighty Father Brahma did not create this beautiful... fair complexion with lotus eyes to spend her life crying." "Lightning lives in these eyes." "My eyes are not crying for me Madhuri." "They are crying for the Kingdom of Heaven." "An arrogant sage is trying to create imbalance in... the Universe." "But this time, I am not going to destroy someone's penance." "I am going for a war." "I don't know whether its written in my destiny... that I will come back alive or not." "I feel that i will not return to this kingdom." "Vishwamitra is wearing two shields on himself." "One is his arrogance and the other is his temper." "I don't know what he'll turn me into." "A tree, a stone." "His holy vessel is full of curses." "Through his divine power he turned Rambha into a stone." "Maybe you get this news soon that Menaka has been... turned into a tree." "Then Sun god won't even think that this tree is our Menaka... and he should turn down the heat of his rays a little." "He will turn me into a deer and leave me there." "While I'll forget even the path that goes to... the Kingdom of heaven." "You are laughing at my unhappiness." "You both... are my dearest friends." "I was not laughing at your unhappiness." "Then why were you laughing." "I felt that whatever you were saying had a hidden... meaning to it." "It could be of a desire, or of a dream." "What kind of desire?" "What kind of a dream?" "Do not tell lies friend." "Do not tell lies." "A fire of kindness has already lit in your heart for that... ill-tempered and arrogant sage." " A fire..." "Remember when Vishwamitra had given half of his... power to Trishanku, then what had you said." "Try and remember..." "Look what a strange scene." "A human being is giving... a challenge to the Gods." "What kind of a human being is he?" "These Gods are so hard hearted, they do... not respect the feelings of human beings." "Menaka, I've heard that the Almighty father, didn't... give a heart to celestial beauties like us." "Can't you hear the beating of Menaka's heart." "Keep quiet!" "Celestial beauties don't have a heart, but they have eyes." "That arrogant sage is worth a look." "When my beauty and his self confidence clash... there'll be a special kind of happiness in it." "Remember Menaka that day you were talking about... a clash with that Vishwamitra." "Indra has given his command and now your wish will... come true also." "If you win, we'll be very happy." "Even I'll be very happy." "But his very name makes... me tremble." "How will I create love in that hermit's heart." "How will I melt that stone." "How will I change his arrogance into love?" "Don't get scared." "If you can get this work done... you'll be praised in all the Kingdoms." "You will get fame in Heaven and even on Earth." "Will I be able to do this?" "For this you put Rati and Kaamdev, in the... fore front, and you stay behind them." "Those two will make your work much easier." "Oh Kaamdev, Oh Rati, the Kingdom of Heaven is... in trouble." "Please help me." "Without your help Kingdom of Heaven will not be safe." "O admirer of flowers and charioteer that heralds..." "Spring, O Kaamdev help me." "Today helping me, is helping the gods too." "Speak Menaka." "Oh Kaamdev, Oh Rati, the arrows of others destroy, but your... arrow brings people together." "You and Rati please become my shield." "Certainly." "We will certainly become your shield." "Tell us whom do you wish to pierce with your arrow." "The sage Vishwamitra." "A sage whose shield of arrogance..." "Mahendra's strength could not overcome." "Don't worry, I will create such turmoil in his ashram... that he will forget his empty pride and come running... to you barefoot." "Oh Menaka, I also hear your daughter's laughter." "Oh Kaamdev, I beseech you to come to my help when... the need arises." "We'll certainly come." "O respected sage, I am here to do my duty." "It is said that doing one's duty is the greatest religion." "In performing that duty if I do a wrong please forgive me." "Please do not vent your anger by destroying me." "But protect me." "Greetings respected sage." "May you be blessed." "Wait maiden." "I walked away because it is time for your evening prayer." "Who are you?" " I'm Menaka respected sage." "Which Menaka?" "The daughter of the sage Kashyap, and Kapila?" "Yes respected sage, I'm the same Menaka." "My home is near the river Mandakini the Kingdom of Heaven." "I see..." "You didn't go for your morning bath, respected sage." "I was worried that the Holy One may be unwell." "Holy One, the time for morning prayer's getting over." "But you seem unwell to me." "Menaka, we don't even look at those women who do not... reach our heart through worship and prayers." "We are very firm in our commitment." "We are not seduced by beauty." "I had firmly shut the doors of my heart against desire." "But it seems that you have merged into my heart like water." "That is why, O Menaka, I wish to marry you... as per Manu's traditions." "The very first day I did wrong by making you wait." "But my pretty lotus eyed one, I didn't do this... on purpose." "Having practiced meditation for years, I had forgotten... that now I am not alone." "Its my duty to give you my affection too." "Master, if prayers make one wait, their is a very... satisfying feeling in it." "You too have been waiting for the Almighty Father, Brahma." "Waiting is an ornament of worship." "You've changed this hut into a home." "When you made me your wife from a celestial being... it was my duty to make this hut into a home." "Devendra today you are overwhelmed with happiness." "The army fights a war but the victory or defeat... is always of the King." "Tillotamma I am bathing in the sea of victory." "Each Apsara of mine is my army." "And its the duty of the soldier to give their lives... for their King in a war." "But he doesn't get to be a part of victory." "This has become a principle." "In a kingdom, Devendra." "If the soldier has a right on his ruler, then the... ruler too should have some right over his soldier." "Even if the fruit of the victory goes to the King... its the army that is victorious." "Isn't it the duty of the King that should keep... his army and his soldiers always in his thoughts." "So say this Tilotamma, that I am that King whose drought... filled kingdom has been blessed by a deluge of rain." "Don't talk in riddles Devendra." "Don't you know the war Menaka has won for me." "Menaka made a heart of stone fill with love." "The same heart that had turned my Rambha into stone." "She has trapped that Vishwamitra in her exquisite beauty." "That arrogant Vishwamitra who had challenged my... strength is now caught like a helpless fish in that trap." "Menaka is the most valuable gem of my crown." "What are you doing here?" "I was picking flowers for worship." "I have also chosen a flower like you for my worship." "What does God need these flowers for?" "He has not created anything for himself." "His creativity emerges in the process of His creation." "These flowers are for your adornment." "These flowers are meant to be showered on you." "Keep watching this rain." "Congratulations Menaka." "What have I done to earn this congratulation." "Whatever happened was due to Kaamdev and Rati's kindness." "They should be congratulated." "I am so happy with you that I am ready to... believe what you say." "But the truth is that victory is not of the... weapon, but the warrior who uses it." "It could be the best of arrows In fact it could even be..." "Lord Brahma's Brahmshastra, but it cannot reach its... target on its own." "Kaamdev's arrows never miss their target." "But it was you who decided on the target." "Tell me when are you returning to the..." "Kingdom of Heaven." "How can I tell you this Devendra." " Why?" "As long as I was under your rule I was your weapon." "After having achieved the target, your arrow has... now got entangled in the target itself." "I had sent you to solve a problem." "Now don't... become a problem yourself." "Just like a human being cannot live with his... physical body in the Kingdom of Heaven, so also its... not possible for someone from Heaven to live... forever in another Kingdom." "Devendra, if I ask this as a reward for your victory." "Even Ganga is from the Kingdom of Heaven." "If she can stay here, then why can't I stay here." "Now, I am not only the celestial Menaka, but..." "I'm also the wife of the respected sage Vishwamitra." "Kaamdev's arrows have been converted by vedic rites... into a marriage between us." "You cannot live forever on Earth." "This is the... law of Nature." "The Sun cannot stay here." "You are the sun of heaven." "You are the fragrance of Heaven." "You will have to return." "You are a divine celestial being, and you cannot live... amongst those who have to undergo the cycle of birth... and death." "If I am ready to accept this state then." "This is not possible." "But I have achieved a victory for you." "I cannot cheat on him." "Its not a question of cheating and fraud." "You were sent to lead this arrogant sage, astray." "You were sent to destroy his penance." "You were not sent to become his wife." "He is an ordinary human." "Let him burn in this... hell of defeat." "Don't delay in breaking your relation with him." "Come back to Heaven." "This is not a request but my command." "Menaka, why do you look worried?" "Why are you so unhappy?" "You must be knowing the meaning of love." "The meaning of love is different for different... people." "Sometimes love means coming together... and sometimes it means separation." "It could refer to a person who enjoys a worldly life... and also refer to a hermit." "He could be detached and yet a devotee too." "Tell us your problem." "O God, when you left your arrows of love on the..." "King sage, the arrows touched my heart." "But Devendra has given me an order that I should... return to Heaven immediately." "How can I go back." "I am a helpless bird." "Lord please help me." "I obeyed Devendera's order." "The sage who destroyed all the powers of the Supreme..." "I gave up my identity and filled his heart with... mercy and love." "But instead of giving me an award for it, I am... punished, and told to leave my lover and husband." "Is this justice." "O Lord grant me a boon so that..." "I can stay on this earth." "I can understand your pain." "But rules and principles of Kingdoms cannot be... overlooked for one's desires." "So you must obey Devendra." "I don't know what should I do." "What should I do?" "Just keep waiting." "Let your experience touch... its highest peak." "Congratulations Menaka." "While doing my meditation Goddess Lakshmi appeared to me." "Its auspicious to see Mother Lakshmi." "I think we will very soon get some wealth... which will be very good for us." "Are you not happy to hear this?" "Is my happiness different from your happiness?" "No." "You are my joy." "You are my Universe." "I cannot live away from you for even a moment." "When you are not around It makes me unhappy." "When you are not around this life looks like... a vacuum, a mirage." "You have become my identity." "Lord..." "Greetings to Devrishi." " May you be happy." "I feel sorry for you." "You are feeling sorry for me but why?" "Where has that splendour of yours disappeared." "Where are the dances and melodious music?" "Which used to echo in this kingdom of yours?" "Where have all those sweet melodies gone?" "Which would indicate the merry making and mirth... for which your kingdom was so famous." "Today your Indralok is looking so dark." "It looks so dull." "Devrishi I think you are mistaken." "My kingdom is... what it used to be earlier." "You are right." "It is as it was before." "But your Indralok used to look so grand when Rambha..." "Menaka, Urvashi and Tilotamma would adorn it." "Rambha has become a stone." "Menaka is living life in... another Kingdom, while Urvashi and Tilotamma..." "Though they live in this kingdom, but are hardly... involved in it." "Now tell me Devendra, if I don't pity you, what... else should I do." "Devrishi, Menaka will come back very soon, and Rambha... will be freed of her curse and come back too." "Rambha may come back after being freed of her curse." "Menaka is not going to return." "Why won't she come." "I have given her an order... to come back." "You did do so." "But that was a year ago." "Its a year now but she hasn't still come." "How can she return She too is helpless." "She has to look after her child." "A child!" " What!" "Didn't you know Devendra." "She has a daughter." "You had ordered her to trap Vishwamitra in... her love, but she herself got trapped in his love." "She is now married, has become a mother and is... leading a happy life." "Now it won't be possible for you to bring her here." "Don't think I am so weak." "Weak." "This is not a thing to be said." "Have you forgotten that in order to acquire the... art of Sanjivini from the demons, you sent your... daughter Jayanti to them." "In order to find out the secret of this art, didn't... she get trapped in sage Shukracharay'a love." "What could you do?" "Your were defeated, and so was your selfishness." "You had to come back depressed and hurt." "It would be better if Indralok forgets Menaka." "Devrishi its impossible that I forget her." "I will bring back Menaka." "I will definitely bring... back Menaka to this kingdom." "Even If I have to use force." "I will hand over that... girl to Jattadhari." "Why did you stop singing?" "Heaven too lacks this sweet melody!" "This sweetness is of motherly love, this wasn't your Apsara." "Menka, but mother Menka singing!" "You made the Royal Hermit a family man," "You have fulfilled your task." "You need not live in this hut subsisting on roots  herbs now." "The heavenly Swargalok awaits you!" "Tell that human Vishwamitra to look after his child himself!" ""Create a heaven!" "Cause a Cosmic imbalance!"" "Leave his celestial world to himself!" "You return to heaven." "I cannot abandon my child!" "Heaven can survive without me, but not my child!" "Will you disobey me then?" "Until now as an Apasara, I was dependent on you, but now as a mother, I am my child's guardian." "Don't invite the ire of the king of the three worlds!" "Remember, like him, I too can turn an Apsara into a stone." "You can either return to Swarg, or be turned into a stone!" "Come, my daughter, come!" "How are you?" "Do you know me?" "I am your father!" "Our daughter has the beauty of the river Mandakini!" "Her gentle, soft beauty is a gift from Divine Father Bramha." "She is our own personal Ganga!" "She is an honour to my fatherhood!" "She is the symbol of good fortune on my forehead!" "Your sorrow deprives you of the pride and honour of motherhood!" "When a seed become a sprout, earth's duty to nurture it ends." "The duty of the gardener is limited to the sprout." "She belongs to you now." "It is a tree's duty to bear fruit, but neither the tree, nor the earth has any right over fruit." "Fruit still belongs to the tree and the earth." "Not miracle, but a result of law of procreation, impossible without the earth." "Perhaps, but I happen to be just a puppet" "controlled by Indra." "I am required to return there now, as he has ordered me to." "I had come only to disrupt your penance," "that was my assignment which is now complete," "I cannot stay on Earth now, Love has no meaning in Swarg." "The world of the Devas is utterly selfish." "Please curse and turn me too into a stone like Rambha." "I deserve that punishment." "You have honored me by making me your wife and a mother." "Let go!" "Go away!" "But remember, ...this is not the end, but the middle part of our love story." "Which will come to an end in some other era." "Go!" "Do not prolong the moment and increase my pain of parting." "Go!" "Why follow me now, my penance and your assignment are over!" "I have nothing left now." "I gave you my love." "You have taken away my penance, what else can I gift you now?" "Do not call me that!" "It is said from the heart, not from lips." "And you do not have a heart!" "Please accept our child as my last gift!" "Never!" "She is a symbol of your wily insincerity." "A reminder of your treachery that I'd rather forget." " I cannot take her to Swarg." " Why not?" "Obey Indra!" "Leave her body and take her Soul!" " Don't be so heartless!" " To nurture is a mother's duty." "My duty as father is only to provide." "Mother has to nurture." "It is impossible for me, this property of the earth, ...will therefore, have to be returned to it." "Though father cannot nurture, he can surely bless!" "Do not think that I am weak for you." "I was weakened by desire." "I was a victim of my own passion and not your beautiful eyes!" "So I cannot curse you, else you too would meet Rambha's fate!" "Do not lure me with the child!" "For I have remembered my Goal." "I want to be a Supreme Acetic." "So remove this obstacle!" "Have mercy on this helpless child!" "With Lord Vishnu as a protector, no body is ever helpless!" "He will surely find a Great Man to take her responsibility!" "Whose child could be crying in this forest, O Supreme Saint?" "It is not crying but calling out!" "She is calling me." " O Lord!" "Your ways are unique!" " Where did she come from?" "Same place as this sunlight, breeze and this fragrance!" "From where this Nature has come." "There is only one Source!" "But who knows her caste and the defect why her parents left her!" "Being with me, haven't you still learnt that a Soul is castles?" " Pardon me!" " The first stanza of Rig Ved is not" ""Be a Brahmin." Nor is it "Be a Kshtriya"" "But the first stanza of Rig Ved is, "Be a Human"!" "It is the Source of Knowledge!" "O Lord of Time!" "Your property will remain safe with me!" "Nurture this property of the Future!" "You are her mother now." "Give a space in your lap to this sprout of another lap." "So that she may grow and blossom!" "Take her Gautami!" "I am honored that you think me worthy of it, but it would be easier to tend to her if her family was known." "Each Soul is the property of God." "She is the symbol of God's grace to this Hermitage!" "Welcome to my lap and my heart, child!" "May you have a sweet tongue!" "Be like my musical instrument!" "May your name be as auspicious as every word spoken here." "The heart of anyone who comes in your contact may touch the Soul," " and bless you!" " This lovely flower deserves a royal garden!" "Where ever it may blossom, a flower is always a flower, the same colour, fragrance and gentle delicacy!" " It has no classification." " What name will you give her?" " Shakunt birds have tended her so far." " Shakuntala will be apt." "Heard that?" "You are Shakuntala!" "My dear Shakuntala!" "Beautiful creeper of my garden!" "The fragrance of my Hermitage!" "O lovely faced, lotus eyed light of my eyes!" "Sit down!" "Write." " Throw it to me!" " No, to me!" "Throw it to me!" "Throw it to me!" " What is it?" " Must you ignore family duties just to meditate?" "Only defective meditation takes one away from family duties!" "Tell me which family duty have I missed?" "You have forgotten that your Shakuntala is five years old!" "Her training in cosmic knowledge of Brahma should now begin." " Where is Shakuntala?" " May be talking to the plants," " Saw Shakuntala?" " Watering the Parijat may be." " Let's go then." " Where can our dear friend be?" " She disappears in a trice!" "Bambi, only you can find your friend Shakuntala!" "Go find her." "We will feed you whatever you like!" "Go!" " She is coming!" " We will not talk to her!" "Your name is Priyamvada because to talk so sweetly!" "Why so quiet suddenly?" "Have you taken a vow of silence?" "No such thing!" "It is you who keeps away from us!" "Surrounded all the time by deer plants, creepers and peacocks." "Your love for them makes you forget us!" "See how jealous she is!" "Don't worry, I will not leave you!" "Will you leave us then?" "We will die if you did that!" "We will suffer like the fish out of water without you!" "I was just joking!" "Can I too survive without you?" "What was that?" "What is happening?" "Where are the animals fleeing?" "From whom?" " This is hermitage area." " They are all running this way." " From whom are they fleeing?" " A king may have come to hunt, or may be some other family member of the royalty." "Fear not!" "He should not scare you just because he is a king!" "Let him come!" "Then watch how I scold him!" "Halt!" " Salutations!" " May you live long!" " Why did you stop me?" "This hermitage of Rishi Kamvar is protected area." "No hunting!" " Wild life here is protected by him." " I didn't realize I was in ...it's limits, pardon me!" " Be blessed with a son!" "Since you spared a life, God will give you a victorious son." "I have been craving for a son!" "I am grateful for your blessing!" " We have not blessed but informed you." " As we are here, ...let us meet Maharishi." " He has gone on pilgrimage." " I will bow to his cottage then." " Certainly!" " Shakuntala will welcome you." " Who is she?" "His daughter." "He has gone there to set her horoscope in order." " I will take your leave then." " Bless you." "Wait here." "I will go and meet Mother Gautami." "Look who is here." "O Forest Nymph, I am Dushyant." "Not a king, I am just Dushyant here,  jealous of these plants as even though I am thirsty, you are watering them!" "These are not plants, but my friends." "Quench my thirst too along with theirs!" " Where may Mother Gautami be?" " Go straight ahead." "Come Shakuntala!" "My blouse is tied too tightly, please loosen it a little." "Blame your developing body rather than me!" "Dear Kadamb!" "Do tell Priyamvada not to tease me all the time!" "A few days from now your tree friends will not be with you!" "Why?" "Are they leaving this hermitage to go elsewhere?" "Not them, my friend!" "You will be going away!" " And where am I to be going?" " Only Rishivar knows that!" "But Mother Gautami and he are planning you wedding soon now!" " Thank you." " What for?" "It was my duty to protect you from it." " Will you now tell your real identity?" " Dushyant, as I said!" "But still incomplete." "That is the name of our king too!" "Quite true!" "But what is in a name!" "Lord Shivji is the real Mahadev, but many others use that name!" "That name does not make me the Puru king!" "I am his employee." "Some employee you are!" "You are wearing the King's royal ring!" "True, but it is not mine, I and the ring are decoys." "But Mr. Decoy, you are stuck here instead of seeing Ma Gautami!" " You talk too much!" " You are right Priyamvada." "I did come to meet her, but now I will wait to meet Maharishi." " Who knows when he will come." " Can't say when I may go then!" " Something special?" " Ask for something!" " What?" " Your hand!" "How can Rushivar give her hand?" "You have to ask her for it!" "Take Rishivar's blessings later!" " Any problem?" " Yes and no!" "First the problem then." "Later tell me what is not a problem." "My shoulders are aching due to shooting arrows so if you are agreeable, we may return to the town." "Not good for the king to remain away from the Capital for long." "King cannot be continuously in Capital, it goes where he goes!" "I want to take in the atmosphere here for a few days more." " We will take it with us then!" " I think so too!" "But it will not be able to adjust in the royal garden." "Do not be so sure!" "This is culture and that civilization." "Civilization is within culture." "You have seen Shakuntala." "She is not an ordinary girl, but has the genes of an Apsara." "She is a fresh bud, a sapling." "She is like a sip of wine," "A blessing from Divine Father Brahma." "And do not forget." "I met her after the Ascetics blessed me the boon of a son." "Better hurry in that case, lest while you dream on." "The Maharishi weds her off to another ascetic!" "That is the problem!" "Maharishi has gone to Somtirth." "Hail, Your Majesty!" "Ascetics from the Hermitage to see you." "Show them in respectfully." "This seems to be a good omen!" " Please have a seat." " That is fine." " What can I do for you?" "We are planning Yagya sacrifice, please guard it." "I will certainly avail of this honor." " Royal Mother's messenger for you." " Bring him in immediately." " Are all well at Hastin?" " Yes, by the grace of the Moon God." " Why has she sent you?" " She is performing penance for the son." "She wants you back in four days." "Tell her it is not possible for me to do so, as Mahrishi's hermitage requests me to protect their Yagya." "But as she knows, Madhav is like a brother to me." "So he will attend her worship in my place." "Do not disobey her for our sake, go  make her prayers fruitful." "She too will be very happy if I stay here to protect your Yagya." "She will feel elated by my this meritous act." "You do not worry." "I will remain present personally in the Yagya." "You know, it was King Dushyant who proposed to you that day!" " His friend Madhav told me!" " Why pose as a servant then?" "For fear that you will stay away if you came to know he was King." "No question of that when he has already come so close to me!" "Have you decided to marry him?" "This fever just doesn't subside." "Even holy water given by Mother Gautami is in effective." " What can I do now?" " You cannot do anything this fever will subside only when my body turns to ashes." " Speak only positive words." " How to describe my condition?" "I cannot understand what is happening to me." "I feel no pain anywhere, and yet there is pain." "There is a kind of sweetness in this unknown pain." "I feel like sleeping, but cannot get sleep." "Seems as if someone is walking down my breathing system." "I think you are a victim of witchcraft." "I will go tell Ma Gautami." "She will find a cure." "If this is witchcraft, I will fight it myself." "Not witchcraft this is something else." "It must have a name!" "But neither of us know the name." "But do not worry!" "Some day." "I will definitely identify the one who walks in my breath... and ask him the cure for this gentle fire and sweet pain." "I think you know what ails you and are hiding it from us." "Tell us, do tell us!" " The King is my illness and also it's cure!" " What?" "He is my ailment and it's cure." "If I cannot belong to him." "I cannot survive." "The arrow of the Love God has pierced my heart." "On one side of the scale is life and death on the other." " But who can tell the King?" "Find a way, she will go crazy otherwise!" "How do you feel about writing a love letter?" "You cannot tell, but you can surely write!" "Write a letter on a lotus leaf with you fingernails!" "You will not be shy as he is not in front of you." " But what can I write?" " Do we have to tell you that too!" "Your heart is your confidant." "Write what it says!" "Not me." "Make the breeze, rain or weather your messenger..." " but don't put me in problems." " I can't give it myself either." "But I can come and take it myself!" " Welcome to the Hermitage." " Just plain welcome?" "Shakuntala will welcome you from the heart!" " May I say something if you permit?" " Certainly!" "You both share the same ailment, and it's remedy is the same too." " But," " Continue!" " It is not possible." "I know how to make the impossible possible!" "Marriage is the only remedy." "It will be my honor to marry you." "Do you have any objection?" "I have no right to answer that." "I obey the Hermitage decipline." "Questions may be asked." "But only Rishivar has the answers." "Only the bride has the right to accept or reject." "We can have a Gandharva wedding right now!" " So you are tending Shakuntala!" " Shakuntala is well now!" "Why are you shouting?" "Am I deaf?" " Where is she?" " In the grotto." " Mother is calling, hide!" " Asking a Kshatriya to hide?" "Manners of courtship are different!" "I will meet Mother and return." " Fever has subsided now." " The effect of holy water!" "Come inside, should not stay outdoors when fever is abating." "I am tired of telling her that, but who listens!" "You all do not know how to coax." "Come child!" "Daughter!" "What thoughts are you lost in?" "Come and sleep!" "Do not stay awake, shut your eyes and sleep!" "How can I shut my eyes and sleep, Mother?" "When my eyes seek the grotto!" "I am your lover, but also a king, would you want." "History to blame us and our love that." "Dushyant forsook his duties as Kshatriya for the sake of love?" "But I will not be able to survive the pain of separation." " I cannot survive it!" " Neither can I survive this separation." "Just a few days longer!" " Why this sign?" " Per day, read one letter of my name... engraved on it." "Last letter will be the last day of separation!" "I will reach Hastin in three days, and return in three more." "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" " Don't leave me and go!" " Don't you trust me?" "I will definitely return, do not worry!" "Something is certainly the matter!" "What are you hiding?" "Has King extended his Kingdom's boundaries to your body also?" " Do not say that!" " Why not?" "What else can I say?" " He is my husband!" " What?" " We married by Gandharva ceremony." "And he gave me his royal ring at the time of parting." "This separation is not from a lover, but from a husband." "You cannot understand this pain as you are a virgin still." " What is the matter, child?" " Nothing!" "Lass!" "Lass!" "I am Rishi Durvasa!" "What are you dreaming about?" "Is it more important than your manners in welcoming a guest?" "Are guests visiting Kanmvar Hermitage treated thus?" "Am I to be insulted thus?" "I curse you that lost in whose thoughts you forgot the courtesy due to guest he will forget you!" "What a crisis has taken place." "This Durwasa is always cursing, just like some... one's drooling." " Quiet..." "I wonder what will become of Shakuntala now." "Lets go." "Sage Durwasa." "Please listen to us." "Sage, please stop." "O great sage, please stop." "Please wait, great sage." "Why are you following me." "O great Sage you can turn us into ashes, but till you... forgive our friend Shakuntala from your... curse, we will not let go of your feet." "We will never leave your feet." "An arrow left by the best of warriors may... come back, but a curse given by a sage can... never be redeemed." "Your friend has insulted a sage and she will have... to suffer for it." "She has never insulted an animal or a bird... so how will she insult a great sage." "She is not herself sage." "She is burning in a... state of depression." "She is always immersed in the memory of her husband." "Please forgive her respected sage." "Forgiveness is a part of worship." "A sage's curse cannot be taken back my dear, but I... can certainly make it easy." "When her husband sees something which he had... given Shakuntala, he will recall everything." "Why should we tell Shakuntala how she fell under the spell... of the curse for a few moments and came out of it again." "Bless you." "Shakuntala baba is coming." "Father is coming." " Why did you stop?" " I'm afraid." "You are feeling of the respected sage, of your father?" "Yes, when he comes to know about my state." "Though I... have seen gentleness in his eyes, yet I am sure... his temper will explode when he knows the truth." "Why do you think that?" "Because I have betrayed the dignity which a... daughter should have." "Because I have betrayed his his love, his kindness... and his generosity." "Because I did not wait for his consent to marry." "I can bear everything but not the brightness in... his eyes fading." "I cannot be the cause of his pain and keep living." "How can your happiness make him sad?" "Greetings Holy One." " Bless you." "Is your pilgrimage over so soon?" "My mission is my Shakuntala and my pilgrimage will be... over when I see her." "Remember one thing disciple." "Responsibility is a form of God." "She is my responsibility." "As long as I am not free... of that responsibility..." "I can never be truly free." "I can never be free." "Shakuntala is the soul of my ashram." "Can't you see that every tree, every branch, every flower... every deer, even before the sun rises, awaits for the... tender touch of her love." "Shakuntala is the Earth." "She is a complete woman." "She is gentle but not weak." "She is the reward of deep and selfless penance." "She is the fruit of selfless penance." "She is all these things sage, but she's something more too." "She is your strength and also your humility." "Greetings sage." " May you have long lives." "May be blessed with a long life." "My dear, do not worry." "I am very happy." "I am very happy." "I would have never found such an able and great King for you." "Shakuntala I thought you were a part of us." "But I didn't know that you had a great destiny." "Sorrow and happiness is all in the hands of God." "But all the blessings of your father are for... your future." "Mother please forgive me." "I didn't tell you about my marriage." "Only out of fear." "What is there to be scared." "Your decision is very good." "You have chosen a husband who's of your caliber." "May you have a happy married life." "This is my wish." "Atleast eat something now." "Now you've got your father's blessings also." "You look worried since the King hasn't still come." "The King must have got caught up in the work of his kingdom." "He will definitely come." "Eat food my dear." "You like dates a lot." "Come on eat them." "I don't feel like having anything sweet." "If only..." "I could get a sour mango." "Ofcourse you'll get it." "Did you hear Kalyani." "This wish of yours has a great significance." "You are carrying the future dynasty of the Kuru's." "God has blessed you by making you into a mother." "I have good news." "You are going to become a grandfather." "Respected sage, why are you quiet?" "Are you not happy to hear this news." "Who'll feel more happy than me, Gautami." "But this happiness should not make us forget our duty." "You have rightly reminded me of this sage that... happiness is not our only goal." "Our foremost duty is to send Shakuntala to her husband." "But its six months now." "Their's no news of the King... nor did he come himself." "But now its my duty to see that Shakuntala goes to... her husband." "Make arrangements for Shakuntala's departure." "It seems that the King has forgotten our Shakuntala." "But even if Shakuntala wants to forget him, she... can't do so." "If this happens and if God wants, she'll give birth... to such a son that the King will repent for... having forgotten her." "But right now Shakuntala is worried, isn't it friend." "You all will always be in my memory." "The question of forgetting you all doesn't arise." "I can never forget this ashram and all that is in it." "Your Shakuntala is asking your permission to go." "My dear one, I am leaving you and going away." "I can never forget the love you've given me." "I am taking your memory with me, in my heart." "You are my life." "I don't want to go, but I have no other alternative." "Father don't..." "This is the right of every father when he bids good... bye to his daughter." "You are leaving this pleasing environment... and going to a life which is unknown to you." "Where only your husband will know you." "May God always bless you with happiness." "Mother Gautami and your brother will go with you." "Go my daughter." "Go." "Won't you too come till the shore sage." "Its not so easy to see anyone off." "I didn't want to test my tolerance anymore." "But if its necessary, then I must do my duty." "Come along daughter." "Greetings to the King." "Two priests from the... ashram of sage Kanu..." "want to meet the King." "Bring the priests in." " As you say your Highness." "I offer you my hearty welcome." " May you have a long life." "With your coming here this palace has been blessed." "Please sit..." "Please tell me what message has the Maharishi sent for me." "O Dushyant the Maharishi has asked us to tell you... that he is very happy that you and Shakuntala had married." "He's sent his blessings and his daughter Shakuntala to you." "Once a daughter is married its not proper for her to... live in her father's home." "Especially when she is pregnant." "Do not worry King." "Its right that you didn't... think about the dignity of the Ashram." "You should... have waited for the sage and taken his permission." "But neither did you think it to be necessary... and nor did Shakuntala." "But mother Gautami." "I understand King." "Everyone knows how people at young... age are." "But Mother Gautami, according to me I see... no need of this sermon." "King, mother Gautami usually never says anything, and if... she's said it, then without doubt it must be important." "Are you trying to say that whatever you did was right... and decent..." "Don't get angry son." "Anger is uncouth and shows... wrong upbringing." "King, try and carry out your duty." "Duty is the... name for the awakening of one's conscience." "If a married daughter stays for a long time in her... father's house, then people begin to hurl taunts." "Whether you want it or not this is Shakuntala's home... and she should stay here." "But atleast give me a chance to speak." "Are you accusing me that after having married your... daughter Shakuntala, I left her." "If someone else had put this accusation on me..." "I would have punished them Forgive me for speaking... in this manner to you." "The ashram of the Maharishi is a symbol of righteousness." "So forgive me but I did not marry your daughter... and I have not sinned by leaving my wife." "I do not even know your daughter." "Be careful of the curse of a sage's daughter." "Remove your veil my dear." "Maybe after he sees you... he'll come to know how much he knows you." "So what do you say King." "Find some other father for her would be child." "Have you forgotten the garland which you put... around me, when we got married?" "Have you forgotten the promises you made to me." "Have your eyes washed away all the dreams... which they'd seen about me." "The same eyes lose their sleep at night." "It took you 3 days to go to ashram, and 3 days... to return from there." "Don't you remember all this at all." "Daughter of sage, why are you trying to humiliate me." "What is your aim?" "What do you want?" "She doesn't want anything but her husband." "She doesn't want anything except the rights of a wife." "What proof do you have that I married this girl Mother." "Do you have any proof." "Do not talk to my mother in that manner, King." "I have proof..." " What proof do you have?" "The ring which you gave me." "I can see no ring here." "Come on tell me what proof do you have?" "Where's the proof, daughter?" "The proof is lost mother." "The proof is lost." "Mother Gautami take your daughter away." "O King, I hadn't come to ask for help." "I had come... to ask for my right." "Today you have proved that you are not a fair King." "I do not want to insult you But if I do not know you... how can I be your husband?" "Do not play this game of fraud, King." "Please tell me why will I cheat the daughter of a sage." "The answer to this question will be given by hell." "Come on mother." "Why stay any further and get insulted." "Come on my dear..." "Shakuntala will not go from here." "If she has sinned then there is no place for her in... the ashram, and if she is the wife of this king... then she has a right to stay here." "Royal priest, I don't want to punish the daughter of a sage." "She cannot go back to the ashram, and here she has no one." "You give her shelter." "Since she is pregnant... and why should the innocent child in her womb suffer... because of her sin." "O King, O Kshytriya, O symbol of justice, I am... not so helpless and nor is my unborn child." "I will look after my own child." "Since my father's blessings are with me." "But O king, I thought you to be a complete and... man, and that's why I put that garland around your neck." "But the garland proved to be wrong." "But if my morals and ethics had given me the permission..." "I would have removed that garland from your neck." "But one flower of that garland which is witness to my..." "Ioyalty to you, will keep on pricking your conscience." "Because you all are slaves of lust." "So King, and the symbol of Justice, I am going away... without paying respects to your so called ethics and justice." "You are all alone." "You are like an orphan." "You have the heir to Arya throne in your womb." "You have to protect the child, daughter." "Don't think that you are a helpless woman, and... what can you do?" "Besides Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh there's no one... else stronger than a woman." "Instill your strength your self-confidence... and your noble character, in this child, my dear." "Since you will be always remembered as the great... mother who gave birth to this child." "Salutations to father Kashyap rishi." "May god bless you." "She's my daughter Shakuntala." "The daughter of Rajrishi Vishwamitra." "May you live long." "My daughter Shakuntala got married to King Dushyant." "But he has refused to accept Shakuntala." "But why?" "He says that he never married Shakuntala and... he doesn't even know her." "You are the only one who can give shelter to my... daughter." "I cannot stay here because I have to return to Indralok." "Do not worry." "Do not worry." "Your daughter will stay happy here." "May God make her husband see sense and bring him back." "Come on." "Bring him here." "Leave me." "Leave me." "Take me to the King." "I am not a thief." "As soon as he sees me he'll know that this..." "Kesho fisherman cannot be a thief." "Do not be scared." "As soon as I saw you, I knew you... could never be a thief." "So, did you see." "A King always does justice." "Where did you find the ring?" "In the stomach of a big fish." "I was shocked, how could a ring be swallowed by a fish." "If i had known the ring belonged to you, I would... have brought it to you." "Where is the ring?" "Where is it?" "You've taken it." "Come on give it." "I had given this ring to Shakuntala." "How did it enter the fish's stomach." "It could be that the ring fell in the river... and the fish swallowed it." "Shakuntala..." "Commander-in-chief." "Where could my Shakuntala be." "Go and search for her." "My dear Shakuntala, your son is so loving, and... fortunate." "It seems that, Sun has showered all his radiance on him." "This is all due to your blessings." "My dear little one." "The light of my life!" "You shot an arrow at my friend." "If you shoot... again, I will tie you to that tree." "You will tie me to the tree." "You!" "Should I show you how?" "That person is fortunate who is your father, my dear." "I salute that teacher who has taught you the art of archery." "Who's son are you and who's your teacher?" "I am the son of my mother and also her student." "Mother..." "If you want to know about my mother, then first... talk in a proper manner." "Bharat..." "Son Bharat." "Was that your mother's voice?" "Yes, my mother is coming." "One must not talk to unknown people son, come here." "Don't go without forgiving me Shakuntala." "Don't go." "You look like a Kshatriya, but don't you know even... the rules of ordinary manners." "That one must not call an unknown woman by her name." "How can you be a stranger Shakuntala." "Knowing my name doesn't mean that you know me... and even recognize me." "Shakuntala I accept my mistake." "Please forgive me." "You protect your subjects and are a symbol of justice." "How can you commit a crime?" " I am your husband Shakuntala." "You are King Dushyant?" "Yes, and I had married you in Gandharva style." "You married me." "But I have never seen you King." "Then when and how did you marry me?" "Come on son." " My dear Shakuntala..." "When I have never seen you and you had never seen... me, how did you get the right to address me like this." "I am putting my hand on my son's head and saying." "Don't put your hand on my son's head... which has no respect and dignity..." "Before going listen to me Shakuntala." "At that time..." "I didn't recognize you." "Why this happened I don't know." "But one day a fisherman was brought to me, and... was accused of stealing." "He told me that the ring was found from the stomach... of a fish." "I had given to you that ring at the ashram." "After seeing the ring, I remembered everything." "I remembered my love for you." "I even remembered that I had married you according... to Gandharv traditions." "I remembered all the promises I made to you." "I feel ashamed for behaving with you in that wrong manner." "I remembered the blot which I had put on your character." "My crime is not worth forgiving." "There's only one way out for me." "I will commit... suicide and go to hell." "Since the only punishment for me is death." "But I have no right to do this injustice with you." "Our son Bharat, the heir of Hastin and he'll be with you." "Take this ring and with this give him the symbol which... it has, of the dynasty of Hastin." "It is his right." "Tell the people of Hastin that if it is possible, they... should forgive this unjust and evil king" "Devrishi please throw light on the joint meeting of... the Kingdom of heaven and Kingdom of Earth." "Certainly Devendra." "This assembly has been convened to debate important matters." "That is why all you sages were asked to take the... trouble to come here from Earth." "Will this assembly also debate the problems of earth?" "By all means." "In that case Maharishi Vishwamitra should also... have been invited to this assembly." "Only the Brahma's sages can be invited to this assembly." "In a time of crises there is no room for formalities." "Maharishi Vishwamitra will soon become a Brahm sage." "He has crossed all the hurdles of personal pain and happiness." "In his absence it is neither proper nor possible to take... any decision about problems of the earth." "Hence, please send someone to bring him." "O Brahaspati, you may please advise who should be sent... to invite him." "It seems I will have to go for this." "That is because an invitation is merely a formality." "Besides he's bitter towards you and Devendra." "Suppose he asks you to give the cow Nandini, and then... only will he come, what will happen then?" "That is why it is better for me to go, and convince... him to come." "Otherwise do whatever you and Devendra think is proper." "I endorse this proposal of Narad." "Now I alone will have to go." "Greetings Devrishi." " Bless you." "If it is not considered impertinent to ask, tell... me why you took the trouble to visit me." "Because you don't come or go anywhere without a reason!" "I had already told you that since you are my own how can..." "I not come to you." "But today I have not come on my own, I have been... sent as a messenger." "Whose messenger have you come as?" "As per protocol I should be Devendra's messenger... but in fact I am sage Vashist's messenger." "Brahmarishi Vashist." "It is a matter of surprise." "Devendra convened an... assembly in the Kingdom of Heaven." "All the Brahmrishis from earth were called." "Brahmrishi Vashist then said that soon Vishwamitra... will become a Brahmrishi." "Hence he too should be called to the assembly." "On hearing this Devendra was in a dilemma." "You know how his blood boils on hearing your name." "So Brahmrishi Vashist said that soon I will become a..." "Brahmrishi, that's why I should be called." "It is not that, he said that it is very important... to call you." "Then the question arose as to who should go to call you." "That is why I'm standing before you." "If anyone else had come, I would not have accepted..." "Devendra's or Bramrishi Vashist's invitation." "I would have visited Sage Vashist only after... becoming a Brahmrishi." "I respect you." "So lets go." "O Maharishi Vishwamitra I welcome you to the..." "Kingdom of Heaven." "Heaven is always full of gaiety and merriment." "But it seems that its rather dull and cool here." "If this was not so, you would not have welcomed me so sweetly." "Brahmrishi Vashist, my greetings." "May you become Lord Braham's sage soon." "I do not want your blessings to become Brahma's sage." "I want to achieve that goal by doing penance myself." "Please sit Maharishi." "As you say." "In this gathering sages, Maharishi's and... philosophers are present." "I would like you to solve this problem of mine, that... what is that, that cannot be compared with anything... in this Creation." "That which is most valuable." "Justice," " Knowledge," " Wealth," " Devotion..." "Brahmarishi why are you so quiet?" "The most valuable thing in this creation is Truth." "There is nothing more valuable than truth." "Truth is the greatest." "But what about following this concept." "It is not so easy to do that its like the walking on the... edge of a knife." "Is their anyone who follows this principle of truth." "Yes, why not?" "He's the son of King Satyavrat, The King of..." "Ayodhaya Harishchandra is fully truthful." "Why did you laugh Maharishi?" "If I don't laugh, should I appreciate what he said." "When it is impossible in the world, to follow any... oath fully, how can it be possible for a King... to do so." "Sage Vashist, what do you have to say about this?" "Just because Vishwamitra has said this, it doesn't... become impossible." " This too is right." "But sage its very difficult to follow the oath of truth." "If one loses one's Kingdom, or loses one's wife and... child, or even has to accept the most demeaning and... humiliating situation, then, is it still possible to... follow the principles of truth in these circumstances." "If one does not speak the truth then how will the... oath to speak the truth that one has taken will... be a success." "If his destiny cheats on him and God forces him... to speak the truth, even then Harishchandra will... not speak the truth, and will not tell lies." "Maharishi, Brahmrishi's Vashist has spoken the truth." "No." "This is not at all so." "It is not all difficult to make King Harishchandra... speak untruth." "Can you make him tell lies?" " Yes..." "This is impossible." "If its possible then..." "I will give all my divine power to Vishwamitra." "I will give him all that he needs to become the... sage of Brahma." "No need to do that." "I can become Brahma's sage by my... own prayers and penance." "You can definitely become that." "But tell us sage, what are you putting on challenge." "If I am defeated, I will give away half of my... power of worship to King Harishchandra." "Till the time Vishwamitra doesn't test Harishchandra... this seminar is postponed." "Sage Vishwamitra had made it possible for Trishanku... to be the king." "His son King Harsihschnadra the..." "King of Ayodhaya, is entering the court." "Minister, is all well in the kingdom, is there peace... and comfort for the subjects." "No king." "There's peace in the kingdom." "The subjects... are happy here, and everyone is leading a life of truth... and righteousness." "All this is because of good and experienced people like you." "A king sits on the throne and gives his orders." "Able ministers like you carry them out." "Now tell me is there anything you want me to do, or... solve any kind of problem." "There is one problem which is a little complex." "Dhanbmukth is a cloth merchant of our kingdom." "Kalmukth is also a citizen of Kaunsi kingdom." "Both of them were very good friends once upon a time." "But now they are against each other, and have... become each other's enemies." "Why is this so?" "Dhanmukth said that he lent money to Kalmukth." "Does Kalmukth accept that he took this loan." "No." "He says that a wealthy person like him does not... need to take loan from anyone." "In fact he's accusing Kalmukth that under the garb of... friendship, he's wants to acquire wealth from him." "How much wealth is it?" "One thousand gold coins." "Bring both of them here." "Bring them in." "Greetings O king." "I am your subject." "Please do justice with me." "The foremost religion of this kingdom is truth... and absolute truth." "We don't do injustice with anyone." "With this faith I have come to ask you for justice." "Please get me my money O King." "Is there any witness who saw you giving money to him." "I thought it was my duty to help a friend in his hour... of need." "Kalmukth, do you want to say anything?" "King I have committed a crime." "I will return his money... right away." "For so many days you denied that you had taken a loan..." "You didn't feel the need to take a loan." "Now as soon as you are in front of the King you... changed your stand." "Did you get scared of being punished." "Minister as soon as I looked at the King, I suddenly... felt a change within me." "I could not dare to speak lies in front of him." "Is it true?" "Just like we wait for Brahma's appearance... and start reciting the Veda's, and then by... the blessings of Goddess Saraswati all types... of knowledge is instilled within us, so also, as I... saw King Harishchandra, I spoke out the truth." "I wasted a lot of your time." "Forgive me." "Whatever... punishment you give me I'll accept it." "I will not punish you." "I will forgive you since... this is the first mistake you've committed." "Give back his wealth to him." " As you say my lord." "Greetings." "Please listen to me sage." "I see worry on your face... once again." "It seems you've come back from the Kingdom of heaven... accepting a new challenge." "So what do you have to say in this matter, my... dear disciple." "My request is this that you do not give away... the divine power of your penance." "Your powers are slowly coming back." "I think Devendra has once again played a strategy." "Please protect yourself." "This is not Devendra's strategy." "Its not his... strategy." "His hands have been burnt many times, challenging me." "He can plan, but his hands cannot touch me." "This is a matter between me and Brahmarishi Vashist." "He says that the King of Ayodhaya Harishchandra... can never lie." "I have given him a challenge that even a truthful person... like Harishchandra can be forced to speak the untruth." "Telling lies is not wrong in all situations." "To save one's life a person can tell lies." "He does do that, and he should do so." "This is the only option which no other living... being in this world has." "A deer, in order to protect himself, cannot run away... from the truth, that he is a deer." "He runs away because he knows this truth that he... is a a deer, and then the lion chases and kills him." "A lion can kill the deer." "But a lion can kill a man." "Because not only can... he kill a man but also all those animals which... are necessary for human beings." "But neither can the deer even for a moment forget the truth... that he is a deer and nor can the lion do so." "But a human being has an alternative." "For the safety of his life he can give up any kind... of his truth." "I do not want that the strength of this option... which a man possesses should be taken away from him." "This is a shield for humans and it is necessary for... this shield to be intact." "It is important to find out that is it possible for a... human being to live only on the basis of absolute truth." "Now the question that has arisen, is about my strength." "If knowledge and strength remains unused then it... becomes contaminated, just like standing water." "That's why its important for both of them to keep flowing." "You are a Kshatriya." "Its important to judge the... enemy before one attacks." "Strategy." "War strategy." "Salutations to the King of Ayodhaya, Harishchandra." "Maharishi Vishwamitra is coming to the court." "Greetings Maharishi." " May you have a long life." "May you be prosperous and earn much fame." "By coming here you've made us feel so happy." "Please come this way." "Please sit here respected sage." "Respected sage, I hope your ashram is well protected." "I hope there are no obstacles in your prayers and meditation." "I hope all your needs are being looked after." "Harishchandra, I don't feel the need for anything." "Everything is going on without any disturbance." "A sage like you gets their wish fulfilled on its own." "There's no question of you needing anything." "Even then if I can do anything for you, I'll... feel fortunate to do so." "Harishcandra this kind heart is spreading your... nobility in all the directions." "Actually I do not need anything, but I am wanting... to ask you for something." "Please tell me, I will obey you with all my... heart and soul." "I need a little wealth." "You will get it." "I am so fortunate that you asked... me for something." "If I give it to great sages like you, I will... earn your blessings." "Tell me how much do you want?" "To tell you the truth its not a big amount that... you may not be able to give." "But to give wealth to a person like you who gave... up his kingdom, will never be enough, I feel." "But I wonder that a person like you who's given up... everything, why does he need wealth?" "I have taken a vow to hold a religious yagya." "Then, by asking me for money you've in fact helped me." "Yes I too will be blessed." " Yes ofcourse." "You too... will be blessed." "Please give me your command." "How much should I give." "A person should climb an elephant, and with all... his force, throw a gem as high as possible." "The height that gem goes up to, I want wealth... equal to that height Harishchandra." "Respected sage, what kind of a demand is this." "You should ask for..." " Minister do not worry please." "Its our duty to fulfill his wish." "Please do not worry." "Respected sage you are being kind to me by... asking me for this." "Whatever amount of wealth you want, Kuber will give... have it sent to your ashram immediately." "I feel fortunate that you gave me an opportunity... to serve you." "Minister take out this money at once from the... treasury and have it sent to the ashram." "Harishchandra there's no need for this urgency." "The time for the yagya and sacrifice I haven't decided yet." "When I decide the time I'll accept the money." "Till then let the money be here safely with you." "Respected sage, there's no surety of money." "It is... here today but tomorrow it may not be so." "So kindly take this wealth right away and free us... of our responsibility." "Respected sage the minister is right." "Wealth and property doesn't always remain steady." "It creates differences between a mother and son... between brothers, and even between friends." "Harishchandra, is it possible that... differences will arise..." "between both of us." "This is not all possible." "But if we give your... wealth to you, we'll be free too." "One doesn't know when one needs money for the... work of the kingdom." "For example if there's war or if there's a famine... one might need wealth." "I will immediately make arrangements to send the... money to your ashram." "Harishchandra, you and your minister are so impatient... to send the money to me, that it seems as if its... become a burden for you." "If you cannot help me then I don't need your money." "I'll ask some other King." "Please do not say this respected sage." "Do you think that the son of Trishanku can ever... go back on his word." "You challenged the Gods for the sake of my father." "You had granted his wish." "O great sage you had given up a lot for... the sake of my father" "I cannot ever hurt a great person like you." "Your wealth will lie safely with me." "Whenever you want I'll hand over the wealth to you." "This is what King Harishchandra should say." "I am very pleased." "God bless you." "O King, I feel there's some hidden plan in Vishwamitra's... mind." "I feel uneasy about this." "You love and loyalty for me is making you think this way." "Please do not worry." "My dear..." "You face is always as bright as a lotus." "But its surprising, today its looking so pale." "King Harishchandra wants to see a smile on your face." "Lord, I hope sage Vishwamitra doesn't burn our lives... with the strength of his power and divinity." "Your doubt is baseless." "Maharishi has kept his wealth at our place." "I am sure there's some deep strategy behind this." "As long as that wealth keeps lying with us... we'll always be worried." "The wealth will always hang over us... like a snake with its fangs spread out." "Don't be so disturbed my dear." "When Maharishi asked for the wealth, I gave it... to him, and when he said it should remain safe... here, I agreed to it." "There is no question of refusing to obey him." "Isn't it..." " You have done your duty." "But I don't know why is my heart full of doubts." "Don't have doubt." "Have faith on your deeds." "It is our... duty to follow the path of righteousness." "The rest is God's wish." "May truth always protect you." "What is this, Guru?" "They are my creations." "They will create terror in Ayodhya." "They are destined to die in the jungles of Ayodhya." "Harishchandra's first fight for truth will be with them." "His first test begins." "Glory to our King!" "I seek your pardon." "Don't be afraid, tell me what you want." "People from villages bordering the forest want to meet you." "A king's duty is to protect his subjects." "Present them immediately!" "Glory to our King!" "King, you only are our father, our provider, our protector." "Please protect us, King!" "Don't be afraid." "I can even sacrifice my life for you." "Tell me, what calamity has befallen you?" "Wild animals have suddenly come from the jungle and are mauling villagers." "They have ruined our fertile lands." "The entire village is panic stricken." "I lost my only son, King." "The animals took him away." "Minister!" "..." "Army Chief!" "I will go along with my army and kill those blood thirsty animals." "You all may return without any worry." "You will also be compensated from the royal treasury." "In a war, strategy is very important, Nakshatrak." "I am going to make a new strategy for Harishchandra." "But the success of this strategy depends on your help." "Just order me, Guru." "This strategy involves lust, duty, obligation." "The trident of lust, duty and obligation will not defeat him but will surely help mar his personality." "These illusionary women will woo Harishchandra with their beauty." "He will thus forget his duty and be engulfed in lust." "When a man's character is affected he agrees to do anything." "This will make my task easier." "O illusionary women you have to entice the King of Ayodhya with your beauty." "You have to kindle his desire." "Totally enthrall him and bring him to my feet." "Do I have a role to play in this game?" "You do, but later on." "For now, just stand in one corner of the stage and watch the show." "And wait for your turn." "Execute my orders." "As you wish." "Glory to the King!" "With your permission, can I say something?" "Sure." "Two women are waiting to see you." "Women?" "Waiting for me?" "Why?" "They are expert dancers." "They wish to entertain you with their dance and song." "If I have your permission, I can make arrangements." "Alright." ""We are illusionary women."" ""We are both very beautiful."" ""Whoever we cast our eyes on, his life is made."" ""And who we turn away from, is ruined!"" ""And who we choose to ignore, can neither live nor die."" ""We are illusionary women."" ""We are second to none, King!" "We desire royal treatment."" ""Enjoy our beauty, put your arms around us."" ""You get lucky, along with your kingdom."" ""We are illusionary women."" "O dancers, no doubt you are expert in your art." "But the art that is full of vulgarity is not art, but the slave of lust." "Your art has not pleased me." "You may leave." "Before leaving, take your reward." "O King!" "If the exhibition of our art did not please you we cannot accept this reward." "You two will have to accept something." "If not a reward, then maybe remuneration." " Ask." " Shall I, King?" "Yes." "Then become our husband." "That is not possible." "But you gave your word, King." "Don't forget that I am married." "With the God of Fire as witness I have accepted Taramati as my wife." "I cannot turn away from my duty and cheat her." "Then atleast let us live in close proximity to you." " Enjoy us, King." " Enjoy us, King." "Before I punish you for this insolent behavior get out of here!" "Wait, King!" "What are you doing!" "Do you know who you are rejecting?" "O King, I am Nakshatrak the disciple of the great Sage Vishwamitra." "By humiliating them you are humiliating the great Sage Vishwamitra." "Because they are his creations." "Sage Vishwamitra's creations?" "And creations are like kids." "That makes them his daughters." "I cannot say what punishment the sage will give you for this humiliation." "Minister, I am very distressed right now." "Why do you have to feel distressed?" "Vishwamitra was not in his ashram or I'd myself go to him and tell him I am not at fault." "I did not intend to humiliate the illusionary women." "Those women crossed the limits of decency and misbehaved with you." "That is why you rebuffed them." "You did not humiliate them." "For this rejection, they will surely accuse you of many things" "But the great Sage will not believe them." "Because he is an insightful, endowed man." "You are an honest man, that's why you are hurt over a small matter" "You personally go and meet Sage Vishwamitra and clear his doubts." "Minister, send a messenger and find out if Sage Vishwamitra is present in his ashram or not." "Harishchandra!" "You are so proud on being the king?" "You misuse your powers!" "You dare to humiliate a sage!" "Such fake portrayal of your good character!" "Greetings, great sage." "Stop this show of humility!" "Are my daughters not suitable to marry you?" "You rejected them because they don't belong to your creed?" "Tell me, is virtue more important or one's creed?" "Those who came to surrender themselves to you who came to marry you, you humiliated them?" "Who do you think you are!" "Such daring!" "Such pride!" "You didn't even give a thought to the fact that they are the daughters of the great sage Vishwamitra?" "Calm down sage, and hear what I have to say." "Hear what you have to say!" "Me!" "I am a great sage, a great meditator." "I have created a new universe." "You don't have any regard for that Vishwamitra?" "Don't say that, sage." "I am nothing compared to you." "How can a lamp stand comparison to the sun?" "You are the lord of all the worlds." "And I am a mere king of this kingdom." "How can I even dream of humiliating you." "I cannot even think of doing such a thing." "Then marry my daughters." "Sage, you are all-knowledgeable, a meditator." "The power that made Gayatri appear." "Does it suit you to test me?" "One marries to carry on his family lineage." "And I have already married and discharged that duty." "I also have a son." "How can I marry again at my age?" "Kings always lust for fun and merriment habituated to relaxation and fulfilling their desires." "They can marry several times." "They can marry anyone." "But that is not right." "Doing that will mean becoming enslaved to desires." "It is a sin for a married man like me to do this." "You talk of sin and good deed with me?" "With Vishwamitra?" "Your father's well wisher Vishwamitra permits you to marry." "Doing this will not be wrong." "It won't be unfair, it will be just." "Is a sage like you justified in talking like that?" "Is it right to leave my wife and marry someone else?" "I am loyal to my wife." "I keep my promise to be honest." "Ordering me to do such a thing is against the rules of righteousness." "Don't talk to me about right and wrong." "Take me for example." "I was married." "Yet I have married Maneka." "Is that wrong?" "What is wrong is to reject a woman's love." "You have committed a sin by rejecting my daughters love." "Tell me, is second marriage against norm?" "There are so many Gods who have not one or 2, but even 3 wives." "If you do as I say, I will grant you anything." "Tell me what you want?" "The tree of Paradise?" "Lmmortality?" "Elixir?" "What do you want?" "Lured by your enticements do you want me to disgrace the honour of my royal family?" "Instead of committing this sin, I'd rather give up my kingdom." "I can give up my throne but not my righteousness." " You won't?" " No!" " You will give up your kingdom?" " Yes." "Will you even give up your throne to keep your promise?" "I will." "Then keep your word." "Either marry my daughters or give up your throne." "I will not accept your daughters." "I will give up my throne." "Really, Harishchandra?" "Harishchandra, the scion of the Surya clan is not the kind to change his mind!" "Wonderful!" "Excellent!" "Your allegiance to righteousness is so strong." "But what if your wife and child don't accept this decision?" "Sage, it is my prime duty to keep my husband's promise." "I cannot go against him even in my dreams." "Then you must give up your kingdom, Harishchandra." "It's time for you to leave your kingdom." "King, you will not leave the kingdom!" "Without you, this kingdom is like that body which is lifeless." "If you go away, we will give up our lives." "Don't turn away from your subjects, King." "You will not go, King!" "So what even if I leave you?" "Wherever I may be, I belong to you all." "And my subjects are all very dear to me." "Harishchandra, I smell conspiracy against me in your words." "The kingdom will be mine, then how can its subjects be yours?" "That means they should not follow my orders." "They should not accept me as king." "If you stay here I will not be able to manage the administration." "There won't be peace in my kingdom." "You are right." "I'll go away from here along with my wife  child." "Where will you go?" "I will go to Kashi and spend the rest of my life worshiping Lord Shiva." "Proceed!" "Stop!" "When you are leaving the kingdom what will you do with your jewels?" "They belong to me now." "As you wish." "I made a mistake." "Sage Vishwamitra, you are testing our patience." "Is this the way to behave with such a great King?" "We will not let our King leave!" "Harishchandra, tell your subjects to accept me as their king and follow my orders." "Ministers, and my dear subjects." "I request you all to support Sage Vishwamitra." "Help him run the administration well." "And love him more than you loved me." "King, that is impossible!" "We will not let you leave!" "My dear subjects, if you love me even a little then do as I say." "Allow me to leave." "Stop." "Harishchandra!" "I asked you to leave, and you are leaving?" "You call yourself the symbol of truth." "You claim that whether the sun and moon rise or not but Harishchandra can never break his promise." " Don't you claim that?" " Yes!" " Then what is this?" " What mistake did I make, Sage?" " Did you repay my debt?" " What debt?" "Oh great!" "You forgot that you owe me." "You call yourself truthful yet don't hesitate to lie?" "What are you trying to say?" "Why will you remember?" "The need is mine." "Hadn't you promised me that you will give me whatever money I need to perform a yagna?" "Hadn't you?" "Yes, I had promised." " So won't you fulfill that promise?" " I surely will." "Then fulfil it now." "I have to perform a yagna." "Sage, I have surrendered all that I have to you." "I have nothing more to give you." "Then say clearly that you cannot fulfill your promise." "When I could give up my kingdom, will I not keep my promise?" "You can leave only after you give me money I need." "But what do I have left to give you?" "That's true." "The question now is how you will keep your promise." "Give me some time, I will pay you anyhow." " Is a month enough?" " Yes." "Then alright, I must get my money within a month." "Permit us to leave now." "Wait." "Who knows whether you will be able to pay me or not." "For one, you are leaving your kingdom." "And secondly, no one will heed you in another kingdom." "Don't worry." "I take the sun, moon  the planets as witness and promise that I will pay your debt." "There is no need to take the planets as witness." "Because one of my disciples, Nakshatrak, will go with you." "Give him what you owe me within the time specified." ""The moon may change, the sun may change."" ""Even the world may change."" ""But Harishchandra's promise of truth..."" ""...can never change!"" ""He had given up his kingdom in a dream."" ""He gave it away for real."" ""He gave up his royal luxuries..."" ""...and also his kingdom."" "Harishchandra, save me, or this snake will kill me!" "I cannot walk anymore." "Guru, King, both of you are right." "But it is me who has to suffer between you two." "What happened, Nakshatrak?" "What will happen?" "Death will swallow me soon." "Don't talk inauspicious." "There is nothing auspicious or inauspicious about truth." "The truth is that I will die thirsty here itself." "Even if I shout, it will only echo back." "The wild animals here will eat me alive." "That is the truth." "And you will be responsible for my death." "You stay here, I will arrange for some water." "Your going in search of water is futile." "I will die by the time you return." "I will die thirsty." "Don't worry, he will return soon." "Mother, the King will not return now." "He will come soon." "I can die of hunger and thirst anytime." "Mother, I am hungry." "Oh God, why are you so angry with me?" "What sin did I commit that I am unable to feed my son?" "He is craving for food and I can do nothing." "What can be more pitiable than this for a mother?" "Mother, I am very thirsty." "My throat is parched." "Be a little more patient." "He will get water." "And then he will arrange for some fruits." "There are no fruit bearing trees in this thick jungle." "Give up hope of my survival now." "Oh Shiva, oh Lord!" "What testing times are these?" "We have never feared facing problems nor every will." "But this poor Brahmin is going to die because of us." "Save us from this sin." "Death is certain now, mother." "Oh God, if my husband Harishchandra is a man of word and if I am serving him whole heatedly then please present some fruits that can save this Brahmin's life." "Mother look!" "There are some fruits there." "Fruits?" "Where?" "Mother, there are so many fruits here!" "Brahmin, have these fruits." "Greetings, Sage." "O illusionary sage, the thirsty Harishchandra is looking for water in the forest." "Take him under the banyan tree." "As you wish!" " Greetings, sage." " Bless you." "Sage, I am roaming this jungle with my family." "We have not found any water to drink yet." "Are you aware of any water body here?" "Yes, go straight." "You will get water there." "There is also a banyan tree there." "You can rest there for the night." " Thank you." " Bless you." "Nakshatrak, there is water close by." "Let us go there." "No King, my stomach is full after eating mangoes." "Mangoes?" "Where did you get mangoes?" "By God's grace and Taravati's goodness." "Let's go." "We'll have water on our way." "There is a banyan tree too." "We'll rest there for the night." " Come." " Let's go." "I had a fall!" "Help me, Harishchandra!" "Harishchandra, don't you want to repay us?" "Don't say that." "You have to suffer because of us." "Having walked on stones, the soles of your feet hurt" "Your feet bleed because of thorns having pricked you." " That is why..." " That is why you brought me here?" "So that some ghost eats me up and there is no one left who can ask you to pay up?" "King Harishchandra, how smart you are!" "We will even sacrifice our lives to protect you." "Please don't be afraid." "You all go to sleep, I will protect you." "That's the best thing to do." "I'll go and sleep there." "Devil!" "Greetings, sage." "Go and terrorise the tired Harishchandra and his family." "As you wish!" "I can smell humans!" "Who are these men who sleep fearlessly on my ground?" " Finished!" "We are dead!" " What happened?" "Ghost!" "Devil!" " You must have seen a dream." " No, not a dream." "I heard a terrifying voice." "I will not stay here anymore!" " Ghost!" "Devil!" " Don't be afraid." "I drove away the ghost." "We were saved from a huge calamity." "My life was saved now but I will not live in this thick jungle anymore." "And I don't even want to collect money from you." "I am going!" "Wait!" "Don't worry, we will repay your debt." "We will go to some nearby village tomorrow morning." "Fire!" " Rohit!" " Mother!" "Husband!" " Where is Nakshatrak?" " I am here!" "I am here!" "The fire has extinguished, come down." "Careful!" "O' God, O' Merciful, bless us that I firmly follow the path of truth and never break my promise." "Show us a way to discharge our obligation towards Vishwamitra." "Harishchandra, I notice you are visiting many temples." "You've even bathed in the holy rivers Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati." "But you don't mention anything about repaying your debt." "Only God can show man the path to salvation." "It is our duty to worship God." "Your prime duty is to repay my Guru's debt." "And it is a great sin to forget one's duty." "I will not let you commit this sin." "One who moves from the path of truth commits a sin." "Truth is a part of God." "I will repay my debt and fulfill my promise and also protect truth." "But how will you repay your debt?" "You have tired me making me roam around with you." "Your time to repay your debt will be over today." "I will tell my Guru that Harishchandra will not be able to keep his promise." "Trust me, I will keep my promise." "How?" "You are no more King." "Neither do you have any wealth or property." "And nor any money with which you can start some business." "What do you have except your wife and child?" "Listen carefully." "You have only promised my Guru." "Nothing other than a promise." "Just say you never gave any promise." "Besides, there is no witness nor any evidence that you have given such a promise." "Just say that you gave no such promise." "Then I can leave, and you and me will be free of this suffering." "How can you talk like that!" "You should be asking us to stick to the path of truth." "But you are asking us to deter from the path of truth." "Both husband and wife are alike!" "Both are steadfast!" " We will find some way." " There is a way." "Sell me as someone's slave." " Wife!" " Don't be shocked." "A husband's duties are also his wife's duties." "As your wife, to partake in your deeds is my duty." "But you want me to sell you for that?" "No!" "I cannot commit that wrong!" "Stop talking about right and wrong." "Just say that you cannot keep your promise." "Why do you say that?" "We are trying to keep our promise." "Then what are you waiting for?" "Sell your wife." "If you hesitate even a little in doing this I will leave to go back to my Guru." "Wait!" "My husband will sell me and keep his promise." "Nakshatrak, let's go." "Enough of dressing up!" "There is an age for everything." "Leave immediately!" "By the time you and your students reach there everything will be over." "Who will come in this cold?" "And that too, early in the morning?" "If no one comes, who will give you charity?" "Get this clear!" "If you return empty handed, I'll beat you up!" "Why do you always talk of beating me?" "This Kalkaushik can never return empty handed, you evil woman!" " What did you say!" " Sorry." "Go!" ""The wife and child are with him."" ""And his truth!"" ""They have come to sell themselves."" ""From a King, he has turned a pauper."" "O residents of Kashi, she is my wife." "She is very loyal and honest and a fine woman." "She has selflessly served her husband and in-laws." "Today, my situation is such that I have to sell her." "I have accepted my fate." "She will serve you as a slave." "She is humble, selfless, and hard working." "She is King Harishchandra's wife." "Accept her as your slave and oblige me." "Friends, please do not hesitate because she is a queen." "But she is a fine lady." "She will do her best to serve you." "I have no kingdom, wealth, money or rule." "How things change with time, no one knows." "Until yesterday, she was a queen." "But now, she will serve you selflessly as your slave." "Students, I think some slave is being sold." "Let's go and check." "Am I not even fit to be a slave?" "No one is ready to buy me." "Who is being sold?" "Who is selling?" "I am selling this woman." "I am the seller." "It's alright that you are selling a woman." "But is she your mistress?" "No!" "..." "She is my wife." "What!" "What did you say?" "Your wife?" "!" "You are selling your own wife?" "Yes, he is selling his own wife." "Do you want to buy her?" "If I haven't come to buy, have I come to hear your sob story?" "Then say, how much will you pay for her?" "I will pay, but before buying her it is necessary to know who she is, where she is from." "I will be punished by the king if I buy her without knowing anything about her." "Mister, what kind of a man are you to sell your own wife!" "How much more can a man stoop!" "Tell me, why are you selling your wife?" "To pay my debt." "The woman who you accepted as your wife don't you feel ashamed to do this to her?" "This is not right!" "It is a sin!" "It's only after giving a thought to right/wrong, fair/unfair that I have decided to sell myself." "My husband is doing this at my insistence." "You are an ideal husband and wife." "Anyway, tell me who you are." "I am Harishchandra, and she is my wife Taravati." "He is the Harishchandra who is forced to sell his wife to pay Sage Vishwamitra's debt." "Harishchandra, I have a suggestion." "We don't want your suggestion." "Just tell us whether you will buy her or not." "Who are you to interfere?" "Are you Vishwamitra's pet disciple Nakshatrak?" "Right you are!" "I am Nakshatrak." "My suggestion is not for you but for Harishchandra." "Listen." "It's okay that you have to pay Vishwamitra." "But there is no witness or evidence to this fact." "If that is the case, just to keep your promise why are you putting yourself to so much trouble?" "I will take you to the royal court and prove that you don't owe anyone anything." "It is wrong to lie." "Truth is an image of God." "Rather than deter from truth, it is better I die." "Did you hear Harishchandra's words?" "He is not going to get influenced by your talks." "Then let him suffer his fate!" "Tell me, what is her price?" "A heap of wealth as high as a man can throw up a jewel from atop an elephant" " So much wealth!" "Why are you so dumbstruck?" "Want to buy her indeed!" "Stupid fellow!" "What do you think?" "I am a very rich man." "I buy this slave!" "Come home and take your money." "Allow me to leave." "God willing, we may..." "How do I ask you to go?" "But what do I do?" "I am helpless against my fate." "Slave, come." "Come, child." "What is this!" "I have only sold my wife not my son." "Look, a calf follows a cow." "The son will follow the mother." "I am sending away my wife." "Do I also have to give away my son to die?" "Please don't talk inauspicious." "Father, I will not go." "You should not talk like that." "Go with your mother." "Your staying with your mother is best." "You stay here, I will go and get the money." "Mother, come." "I am going, but with the belief that we will surely meet again." "I will leave only with that hope." ""A queen became a slave."" ""And Prince Rohit too."" ""Harishchandra agreed to sell them to free himself from debt."" "If you praise your Guru, I'll get very angry." "What has your Guru done?" "This prestige, wealth, is all because of my favourable destiny" "But he is taking credit for it." "It was only after marrying me that he got so lucky." "That guy would be nothing in life without me." "That's true, and you never hesitate to speak the truth." "Look, Guru is back." "Where had you gone?" "You act so busy, as if the burden of the whole kingdom is on you." "You don't care for the fact that your wife is waiting home hungry" "Look, stop roaming around for no reason." " My evil..." " What did you say!" "My dear, actually..." "Madam, look there." "Who is this unfortunate woman?" "Where did you pick this idol of poverty from?" "Has she come here to sit on my head?" "Have you gone crazy to bring women home!" "If you delay even a minute...!" "Wait." "You are aware I never give myself a thought." "I always think of your comfort." "You don't get any rest from doing the house chores." "I feel hurt seeing you work all day." "So I thought of bringing you a maid." "So I bought her home." "Don't believe me?" "I am always so thoughtful about you." "Please don't be angry with him over me." "Speaking so rudely with your husband is not right." "For a wife, her husband is the God who exists in real form." "Shut-up!" "Have you come here to serve me or advise me?" "If you dare to utter a word...!" "Listen slave!" "Stay in your limits!" "If you cross your limits she will not only abuse, but also beat you." "Better explain to her, or you know what I can do." "Come." "What going on!" "With whose snapping of fingers, several slaves would appear the one who had all comfort if she just asked for it such a queen is suffering so much?" "O Gurudev, is there no end to their testing times?" "Take the King's coin." "You will get your money on showing this." "Thank you." "I have finished doing the job my Guru had put me on." "I don't have to worry anymore." "I also don't need to eat fruits and nuts now." "Now I will only rest!" "What rest, Nakshatrak?" "Gurudev!" "Gurudev, you?" "And here?" "Why not?" "Do you think I will spare Harishchandra so easily?" "The one who humiliated my daughters?" "Go and ask him if he will pay my debt or not." "What debt?" "Harishchandra sold his wife and paid your debt." "There cannot be a more truthful man than Harishchandra in this world." "All my attempts to make him lie proved futile." "Gurudev, let us return to the ashram now." "We will return to the ashram when I get my wealth." "You already got that, Gurudev." "That wealth doesn't belong to me, it belongs to you." "Me?" "How is that?" "The wealth you got is your remuneration." "Will you refuse your Guru's orders?" "Me and refuse you?" "I cannot even dream of doing that." "That's what I call a true disciple!" "Go and tell Harishchandra that this wealth belongs to you." "That he still has to pay my debt." "Go Nakshatrak, try again." "And again." "And help your Guru succeed by making Harishchandra lie." "As you wish!" "Ayodhya and Kashi are so far away." "What a long way we have come!" "Man is a puppet in the hands of destiny." "I sold my wife who is more dear to me than my life." "I made her a slave." "I even got separated from my son." "All this is God's doing." "What has to happen, has to happen." "Oh God, just give me the strength to keep my promise." "That I don't stoop low." "Just sitting thoughtful will not rid you of your debt." "Debt?" "What debt?" "Me and my Guru were desperate to hear these words." "What debt!" "That's what I wanted!" "My Guru has won, and you have lost." "My Guru succeeded in making you speak lies." "Now I am leaving." "My job is done!" " I take your leave." " What are you saying!" "I sold my wife to Kalkaushik and paid your debt." "That was not enough." "That was just my remuneration." " That's unfair, Nakshatrak!" " It is fair." "If you two just think of yourselves, what about me?" "I stayed with you day and night, roamed the jungles stayed hungry and thirsty." "If I took remuneration for my services, what wrong did I do?" "What remuneration can I pay you in my condition and how?" "That is between you and Gurudev." "You are going to repay his debt, not mine." " I am going." " Wait." "Stay with me until I pay the Sage's debt." "I will even sell myself to pay my debt." ""The cremator is greater than God."" ""Don't act naughty."" ""Oh my dearest."" ""Laxmi is greater than Vishnu."" ""Saraswati is greater than Brahma."" ""Parvati is greater than Shiva."" ""And I, Bhanumati, am greater than my Bhanu."" ""Everyone is afraid of a cremator!"" ""But he is afraid of me!"" ""The cremator is greater..."" ""Whether poor or rich, everyone has to die."" ""He keeps a watch on my every moment."" ""No one can escape him, but he cannot escape me!"" ""The cremator is greater..."" ""Some are proud about their education." ""And some about their riches."" ""But a cremator prides over counting dead bodies."" ""The cremator taxes everyone, I tax the cremator!"" ""The cremator..."" "Come one and all!" "I am selling a strong, hard working slave." "Don't miss this opportunity." "I cannot help but praise your tolerance." "It is me who is trying to fulfill his duty and you have to face all the trouble because of me." "Don't worry about me." "Just repay my Guru's debt." "That is what I am trying to do." "I am ready to sell myself but there is no here to buy me." "You can see my helplessness for yourself." "Look!" "Some people are coming towards us." "I heard someone is being sold." "Who is he?" "I am selling." "Want to buy?" "Why will I not?" "I need a sweeper who can work under me." "Who will represent me at the crematorium and collect tax." "But get this clear!" "I am a hard task master." "I am willing to work as a sweeper." "Whatever work I undertake, I do it diligently." "Please buy me." "Alright, tell me, how much do you cost?" "Ask me, I'll tell you." "A heap of wealth as high as a man can throw up a jewel from atop an elephant" " That much!" " Do you think you are buying a pot of liquor?" "What do you know what liquor is!" "Drinking it makes one feel so good." "Just drink it and see." "You'll see God!" "Neither do I want to go with you, nor drink with you." "Just tell me whether you will buy him or not." "When I have come to buy, I will not leave without buying." "I am not a man who turns back." "Assume I bought him!" "But what is the name of my slave?" "Sri Sri Sri Sri Harishchandra!" "What did you say?" "Sri Sri Sri..." "I don't like such a long name." "My name is Veerbahu." "So I'll name my slave Veerdas." "Like the name, Veerdas?" "Your wish is my command." "And since you have bought me, I cannot have any personal wish." "Veerdas, come here!" "Carry this pot of liquor on your shoulder." "And carry this blanket too." "Come to the crematorium, I'll meet you there." "Brahmin!" "Come with me, I'll pay you." "Allow me to leave." "And please pardon my mistakes." "I will never be able to repay the favours you did me." "What are you doing!" "I hate myself, King." "I am ashamed of my deeds." "Deeds are a means to achieve salvation." "And I have made you suffer many hardships through my deeds." "But you suffered all those hardships with a smile." "You gave up your throne to keep your promise." "You sold your wife, got separated from your son." "There has never been, nor ever will be a truthful, virtuous, and selfless king like you." "History will never forget you." "You are great!" "Come, Brahmin." "You devil, will you stay near the well all day or do some work too" "I'll just come." "Stop acting so humble." "You have to clean the house, wash the vessels and clothes." "When will you do all this?" "Remember, we have paid heaps of money and bought you to do all this work." "The calf drank all the milk!" "No one bothered to stop the calf." "You idiot!" "You just sit here and watch!" "Have you gone blind?" "Please don't beat him." "What else do I do?" "Sing a lullaby for him?" "Kiss him?" "Or play with him?" "The jinxed fellow doesn't even die!" "A crematorium is the last stop of a man's journey." "A lifeless body is cremated here." "So many Kings must have been cremated in this crematorium." "Kings who, sitting on their bejeweled thrones must have assumed themselves to be immortal." "Must have assumed their glory to be eternal." "Wonder how many new brides desires their dreams of a wonderful future must have been buried in the dust of this crematorium." "Wonder how many tears of mothers who lost their sons washed the stones of this place." "So many prominent poets, artists, painters must be resting here." "This crematorium is an eternal truth." "The symbol of man's mortality." "What fate am I destined to which has brought me here before my death." "Veerdas, did you go around the crematorium?" "This is my workplace from where I have made all my money." "And with this money, me and my family are leading a good life." "But you haven't told me anything about you and your family." "Where are your wife and children?" " They are fine." " But where are they?" "Unfortunately, we have been separated." "We are now two banks of a river that never meet." "My helplessness forced me to sell my wife and son." "They are working as slaves to a rich man." "The up and downs in life are strange." "But I am confident now that you will do your job diligently." "Because you don't have any family." "Listen, you are aware, that whatever a man's deeds his death is certain." "The bodies of men cursed with death are brought here." "As tax, you will have to collect a gold coin a new piece of cloth and rice." "You will not cremate anyone without collecting this tax." "As you wish." "Do your duty diligently." "I will not tolerate any inadequacy." "As you wish." "You haven't finished cooking yet?" "You want to keep us hungry and kill us?" "You have snatched your peace." "The meal will be ready soon, madam." "What were you doing until now?" "I have never come across a more base woman than you!" "You burned me." "We are stupid to have paid so much and bought you." "You won't get anything to eat today." "Mother, has the pain subsided?" "Yes, my pain subsides with your sweet talks." "Why is she always so angry?" "It is our misfortune that makes her talk to us like that." "When will we leave this place?" "Your father will come to take us soon." "Go to sleep or she will scold you." "I just went to bed and it's already morning?" "You went to bed early last night." "You kept massaging my legs all night?" "It's my job." "Veerdas, you are a very useful man." "One must have a slave like you." "No amount of praise is enough for you." "People will always say there is no employer like Veerbahu and no employee like Veerdas!" "Damn you!" "Get up!" "Get up, you idiot!" "What are you two talking about?" "What work do you have anyway?" "You drink and then snore away in sleep." "Veerdas, have you gone crazy to sit and talk with him?" "Don't you know I need fresh liquor in the morning?" "Go quickly and get a pot of liquor." " Alright." " Have you ever had liquor?" "A pot of liquor and a woman at your side!" "What fun!" "Don't get carried away by his talks." "Go get me fresh liquor." "Damn you!" "What courage!" "How dare you sit with us!" "I am hungry." "Go and eat grass or dung if you are hungry!" "Shut-up!" "Get out!" "What happened Veerdas, why are you sad?" "The pot fell down and broke." "Damn you!" "How did the pot fall?" "It hit against a tree." "This should not have happened early in the morning." "This is a very bad omen." "Why do you worry so much?" "Only a pot has broken." "A new pot breaking symbolises a wife in trouble." "The liquor falling symbolises a son's life is in danger." "Oh my God!" "What have you done!" "Pardon me." "How can this misfortune be avoided by pardoning you?" "What if anything happens to me or my son?" "He broke the pot, how can calamity befall you?" "Then let it fall on his wife and child!" "May nothing happen to us!" "Let his fate be ruined." "Why do you talk like that?" "Oh God, may this not happen." "Oh God, please protect my wife and son." "How brutally she has beaten you." "But what can we do apart from blaming our own destiny." "I am hungry, mother." "What can be more unfortunate for a mother then the fact that she cannot feed her son." "That she cannot even arrange food for him." "Oh God, what sin am I being punished for?" "Give me something to eat, mother." "Eat..." "What motherly love!" "I've had enough!" "Did we pay so much money for you so that you just eat and sleep?" "I was serving him leftovers." "Don't cry, mother." "Rohit, my dear son!" ""Harishchandra sold himself to a cremator."" ""He began spending his days in a crematorium."" " Catch me." " I am here." "Stop this game!" "Useless fellows!" "You eat to your fill but don't do any work." "Stop playing, and go pick grass for prayers from the jungle." " Go I say!" " We are going." "You also go!" "He is a child, he will not be able to do this work." "Shut-up!" "He will go with you." "Have mercy on him, madam." "He is a small child, he will not be able to do it." "Oh yes!" "He's a prince indeed!" " He will have to go!" " Please don't send him." "I will do his share of work." "If I don't make him work, how will I get my money's worth?" "Don't worry about me, mother." "Let me go." "How can I let you go?" "Stop your act!" "Take him with you!" "What are you waiting for?" "Go inside!" "Go do your work!" " Rohit, you stay here." " Why?" "You are small, you cannot do this." "We will tell madam that you also helped us." "It is a sin to lie." "I don't want to annoy madam." "Even I will work." "Let's go." "Greetings." "Snake God, Harishchandra's son is picking grass in the jungle." "Go and bite him so that he dies." "I'll do just that, sage." "What happened to Rohit?" "A snake bit Rohit." "Gyaneshwar, bring mother." "Let's go and inform his mother." "Mother... mother!" "Rohit has not eaten anything since morning." "All my attempts at not sending him to the jungle proved futile." "Wonder how many hardships the poor child must be suffering." "It is evening and he still hasn't returned." "Has he fallen into some..." "Oh God, protect my son." "Oh Sun God, our family deity, save him from every trouble." "Gyaneshwar, where is my Rohit?" " What do I say?" "How do I say?" " Where is my Rohit?" "A snake bit him." " Madam!" " What happened?" "Has the sky fallen?" "Yes, the sky has fallen on me." "My son has been bitten by a snake in the jungle." "I have to go to the jungle right now." "Can I?" "You always look for excuses to avoid work." "Don't you know how much money we have paid to buy you?" "Please allow me go, madam." "First grind the rice." "Then go and check whether your son is dead or alive." "Madam, I have finished my work." " Can I go now?" " Massage my feet." "You can leave when I fall asleep." "You have left your mother." "How will I live without you?" "What will I tell your father?" "How will I console him?" "What sin did we commit that the light of our lives was snatched away from us and our life was poisoned?" "I wonder how much you must have suffered before dying." "We are so unfortunate not to be with you in your last moments." "What can be more painful to us than this?" "I will myself have to cremate him." "And perform his last rites." "What can be more unfortunate than this for a mother?" "How frightful this dark night is." "I don't see a single star in the sky." "It almost symbolises my life." "I was King Harishchandra of Ayodhya." "And look what I am now!" "A help hand in a crematorium." "Just compare all that grandeur to this barren land!" "Why am I thinking about all this?" "Oh God, please help me keep my resolve." "Help me never to deter from my path of duty." "How unfortunate I am!" "What a fate!" "Despite having a husband and relatives I have to perform my son's last rites." "I am separated from my husband, and have lost my son forever." "Oh God, why such cruelty and heartlessness towards me?" "What sins am I paying for?" "What did You get by pushing me into this sea of misery?" "I can hear a woman crying." "But come what may, I will follow the path of my husband." "I will ignore my feelings and fulfill my duty." "I will cremate my son." "Who is it over there who is trying to cremate a body without paying tax?" "Who is trying to cremate a body when I am here?" "Who are you?" "Being a woman, you have such courage?" "You want to secretly cremate a body in the dark of the night?" "That is not possible until, I, Veerdas am here." " How did your son die?" " I was sold as a slave to a rich man." "Madam send my son to pluck grass from the jungle." "A snake bit him there." "This story seems so similar." "It is like my story." "How foolish I am to think like that about my wife and son." "Woman, your story is very tragic." "But you cannot cremate the body without paying tax." " Tax?" " Yes." "A gold coin, a new piece of cloth and rice." "I don't have anything to give you." "How can I pay you tax?" "Go and ask for money from your master." "My master is very kind, but his wife is very cruel." "She has no pity, compassion, or sympathy for anybody." "That may be true, but even I am bound by my duty." "I am helpless." " You must be having something." " Believe me, I have nothing." " Nothing?" " No." "Why are you lying?" "I am sure the wedding chain you are wearing must be made of gold" "Sell that and perform your son's last rites." "What did you say?" "Sell the wedding chain that is shining around your neck." "How did this man notice the chain given by meditative powers of Vashist the family Sage of the king of Ayodhya when no one can see it?" "Is he my husband, King Harishchandra?" "Yes, I am sure he is." "Husband, don't you recognise me?" "I am your wife, Taramati." "You are the help hand in this crematorium?" "!" "You have come to this state!" "How can destiny be so cruel to us?" "Look, your son is sleeping peacefully in the arms of death." "My dear Rohit." "How could this happen!" "Was I still alive to see you dead?" "Of what use is this meaningless life now?" "It would be better if I also died with you." "Calm down, husband." "Gather yourself." "Don't tarnish your righteous life because of the burden of sorrow." "We have to do our duty of performing our son's last rites." "You are right." "I had deterred from my path for a while." "I was forgetting my duty when you alerted me." "To cremate this body, I will relinquish the rice in my share." "But he can be cremated only after I get my master's share." "That is my final decision." "Protect this body until I try to get money from my master." "This witch only has murdered the prince." "I did not kill him." "Believe me!" "Come, let us take her to the King." "King, she stole the prince's ornaments and killed him." "Behead her!" "Master, you?" "This evil woman killed the prince for his ornaments." "The king has ordered her to be beheaded because she is a murderer." "Bring her here!" "This woman a murderer?" "Lmpossible!" "It is the king who decides what is possible and impossible." "And our duty to follow his orders." "Being my servant, you follow my orders." "Behead this woman." "Take this." "As you wish." "Such calamity on a good woman like you!" "Such heavy punishment!" "This is unfair!" "How did this happen, Taramati?" "I was going to ask for money from my master." "I just hit against the prince's corpse." "I was just staring at it with amazement when the king's soldiers arrived and took me to him." "The king sentenced me to death for having stolen his son's ornaments and killing him." "How could calamity befall us!" "Why are we being assaulted with sufferings like this?" "Why this rain of agony on us?" "But what can we do before God's will?" "I'll have to follow my master's order and fulfill my duty." "I will even commit the sin of killing a woman." "This fate is mine." "You just do your duty." "Accept my last greetings." "Taramati, you mean everything to me." "You have made my life beautiful as a wife and have inspired me." "My life's mission would not be accomplished without your support, devotion and unflinching faith in me." "To fulfill his duty is the prime duty of Harishchandra." "I don't want to defile your life by not fulfilling my duty." "Sit on this rock and offer your last prayers to God." "Oh God, grant me the fortune of being the wife of the righteous King Harishchandra in all his lives." "This is my last prayer to You." "Stop Harishchandra!" "You agreed to kill your own wife?" "This is a great sin!" "What will you gain by it?" "Satisfaction." "How will you gain satisfaction by doing this?" "I have always followed the path of truth under any circumstances" "I sold my wife and son to keep my promise." "I am not even hesitating to kill my wife who has been declared a culprit." "What better opportunity can man get to prove his truthfulness." "What can be more satisfying than the fact that I let my life remain righteous and pure?" "Don't be so heartless, Harishchandra." "Isn't it foolish to be so heartless towards life, so steadfast towards your duty?" "Heed my advise and marry the women I created." "Just say that you don't owe me anything." "I will return you your kingdom." "Sage, this is my final decision." "It will not change!" "I will not commit the sin of not doing my duty." "You are great, Harishchandra!" "You are a man of divine character!" "Great character!" "You are ideal!" "Even Lord Brahma has been blessed for having created you." "Look there." "This is Lord Shiva  Parvati, who bought your wife." "Who came down on earth as Kal Kaushik and his wife." "Look." "The one who made you his slave, was Yamraj, the God of Death." "Who came down on earth as your master, Veerbahu." "It is the result of the argument and discussions that took place in heaven between Gods that you became the Truthful Harishchandra." "Harishchandra, being your family Guru I am really proud of you." "Vishwamitra, do you agree now that it's not impossible to keep the promise of being truthful?" "The word impossible does not exist in my dictionary." "Take my example." "Didn't I become a great sage from a king?" "I will also become the divine sage and show you." "Then why did you throw a challenge the other day?" "You are aware that the Gods always treat themselves most powerful, incomparable and the makers of man's destiny." "They think that man can be influenced by desires." "His steadfastness, faith, character, can be sabotaged." "But Harishchandra has proved Gods thinking to be baseless and their claims hallow." "You tell me, even if you go looking can you find such a truthful and strong character among Gods?" "I already said that." "You were only saying, but I have proved it today." "By putting Harishchandra to test I have presented a living example of truthfulness and righteousness before mankind." "Harishchandra, your name is perseverance!" "With my powers, I return to you your lost glory, your kingdom, your wife and your son." "May you be victorious!" "May you be blessed!" "May you live long!" "With Gayatri's blessings, the Vishwarath of Kaushik family became Vishwamitra." "This illustrious and celebrated warrior became a sage from a king and the divine sage from a sage." "He worked all his life to achieve his goal." "Lord Brahma Himself appeared and declared him the Divine Sage." "But Vishwamitra insisted that only Vashist should declare him the Divine Sage." "The Vashist, from who he got the inspiration to become the Divine Sage that very Vashist, in the presence of all Gods declared Vishwamitra the Divine Sage." "Nature has blessed creation with a lot." "With his powers, Vishwamitra made Gayatri appear." "The King Satyavirt, whose entry into heaven Gods were stalling Vishwamitra created a new heaven for him." "Bharat was the grandson of Vishwamitra after whose name this country came to be called Bharat." "The Gods considered themselves great and mankind to be lowly." "Through Harishchandra's life, Vishwamitra proved that despite being human, Harishchandra is better than the Gods who claim to be great." "He took Ram and Laxman to the jungle and trained them in bravery and weaponry." "He made them kill demons like Tatki." "The cursed Ahilya was relieved of her curse with Ram's touch." "Ram married Sita." "It is Vishwamitra who is the creator of all these incidents." "After Ram and Sita's marriage Vishwamitra became one of the seven sages." "Vishwamitra's life is illustrious, reverent, adorable."