SATYAN3
-5. Marriage Finalized

Bharadwaj was stunned to hear these words of Vasudev. He hugged the minister and exclaimed, “There can be none like you, O Satya! I am honoured to have come across a person like you in my life. I feel blessed!”
Vasudev felt embarrassed like he usually did on occasions when the King showered praises on him. He requested the King to not tell this fact of Manorama to anyone barring his wife to which Bharadwaj agreed. Later when Chitralekha learnt about Vasudev’s act she only began to hold him in greater esteem.
When Vasudev met Sage Amulya in his ashram, his heart was filled with optimism. Vasudev greeted the sage and expressed his desire to meet his daughter in privacy. Amulya immediately made arrangements for this and soon Vasudev and Manorama were left alone in the cottage. For some time, both of them failed to converse with each other. Although Vasudev had rehearsed in his mind as to what he would speak with Manorama, this moment was making him feel nervous that restrained him from speaking with her! On the other hand, Manorama coyly looked at the ground expecting Vasudev to say something! Finally, Vasudev mustered the courage to break the prevailing silence between them. “Your father told me about your desire!” He said softly. Manorama smiled shyly with her eyes still lowered.
“I do not know if you have really given a serious thought to this, Manorama! But then the fact remains that I have a very busy schedule. It is quite possible that tomorrow I may be so much tied up in work that I may not get time for you. In such a case, would you not feel let down and regret marrying me?” Vasudev asked.
  For the first time, Manorama looked at Vasudev who now got an opportunity to look at her face properly.
Manorama was of a medium complexion having flowing hairs and beautiful eyes.
“I will not regret marrying you! In fact, I want my husband to always love his duty first and only then his family. I would be proud that you are dedicating your time for the benefit of the people and the kingdom.” she opined.
Vasudev was very impressed by her response. He continued with his next query, “It is also possible that tomorrow I may be asked to leave Somnapur and look after some other kingdom for the rest of my life. How would you feel if this happened?”
“I would be lying if I say that I would have no regrets to leave my motherland. But then, after marriage my home would be where my husband stays. Thus, I will accept the reality and accompany you ungrudgingly wherever you go.”
This response again impressed Vasudev. Both of them gained in confidence as they spoke with each other which went on for a long time. Finally, Vasudev came outside the cottage and had a private meeting with the sage.
“O Sage, I am ready to marry your daughter. However, there is something I need to tell you.”
Delighted at the positive response of Vasudev, Amulya asked him to speak his mind.
“To the best of my ability I will try to hide the truth of her illness from her. However, should she get suspicious about her health for some reason and seek an explanation from me then I cannot mislead her. I will have to tell her the truth. Please permit me to do so, O Sage!”
Amulya readily agreed and embraced him. He then declared that he was offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to Vasudev. Everyone in the ashram whooped and wished the would-be-couple. Being an adept in astrology Amulya himself decided to choose a holy day for the marriage and told Vasudev that he would soon get back to him.
Vasudev returned to the palace and met both the King and the Queen. He apprised them of all that had happened in the ashram. Delighted, the royal couple complimented him and made this news public in the kingdom. People danced in ecstasy and distributed sweets to mark this occasion. Many even came to meet Vasudev from far-flung areas only to wish him! His friends came and expressed great joy on hearing about this news. A couple of days later, Bharadwaj informed Vasudev that he had met Dyanchand. “He was apparently disappointed at your decision but nevertheless grasped your point of view. He told me that Manorama is indeed lucky to have a husband like you!”
Vasudev felt that he should personally meet the merchant and tender his apology for not catering to his wish.  When he actually did so, Dyanchand spoke with him fervidly, “You do not need to be sorry for anything, Vasudev!     May God bless you!  I wish you all the best for the future!”  Vasudev thanked him and after taking his blessings departed.
Sage Amulya met Vasudev and the King and told them that the marriage could take place seventeen days hence after the month of Shravan had passed. Bharadwaj’s joy knew no bounds after he heard this. At Vasudev’s request, the marriage was decided to be held at the Laxmi-Narayan temple where his idol of Lord Krishna was kept. Bharadwaj decided to make all arrangements for the marriage on a war-footing as there was not much time remaining for the day of reckoning.
That same evening, the messenger which Bharadwaj had sent to Chandrapur returned alongwith King Dharamaraja himself! When Dharmaraja learnt about Vasudev’s marriage, he embraced his would-be-successor gleefully and complimented him. “Actually I had come over to take you with me to Chandrapur. I wanted you to acclimatize yourself to my kingdom activities, say, for a couple of months before becoming the King. However, now I feel that I should wait for some more time, Vasudev. You get married and spend some time here with your wife. Then, I will come here and take you to my kingdom.” Dharmaraja deduced.
Both Bharadwaj and Vasudev consented with the elderly King’s views. They were glad in their hearts that their separation was prolonged by a few days!