CHATURBHUJ-2 -11. Suspicion Destroys Relations

Haridas continued with his confession, “…As I was about to tear the drawing he showed resistance and stopped me.   This resulted in a brief scuffle between us.   I flew off in high dudgeon that he was trying to stop me and gave him a hard push.   As he lost his balance and grip over me I took the opportunity and tore the paper.   He then dashed his head against the wall and slipped down motionless.   It was then that I regained my sanity and realised the gravity of my act. I tried to wake him up and even sensed his breath.   He was no more!   Beads of sweat tricked down my face as I began to panic.   I decided to run away and scurried to the door. As I struggled to open the jammed door I got a feeling of not leaving the torn drawing strewn on the floor.     As I collected the pieces of paper I realised that the nail of my right thumb had almost peeled off.   I surmised that this may have happened during my scuffle with the artist which somehow skipped my attention.   I carefully pulled out the broken nail and searched for a proper place to dispose them.   Finally, I found the waste bin in the kitchen and threw them inside.   I was quite confident that no one would feel like checking the things in a dust bin for they would be psychologically treated as waste.   I came out and shut the door tightly. I had a good look around.   The street wore a deserted look and I also did not find anyone looking outside from the veranda or balcony.   I took a horse cart and, on my way, back calmed my tense and petrified mind that since I was pretty sure that no one saw me come out of the house there was no way that I could ever become a suspect.” Haridas’s reason of not complaining about the theft was precisely like Chaturbhuj had inferred. King Sukhdeva, thereby, revealed some facts to his friend, “It was Chaturbhuj’s plan to make you and your wife come over here for lunch to not raise any suspicion in you regarding the actual motive. He wanted me to make you come to this chamber for he knew that you would be attracted towards that drawing. That would give me an opportunity to shift the focus on Perimal and eventually nail your culpability. Things worked according to the plan.” The King then shrugged his shoulders in disgust, “I fail to comprehend as to why people whom I consider close disappoint me.   First it was Salya whom I considered one of my most trusted ministers. He betrayed me by stealing the divine ring and conspired against me by joining hands with my enemy who I had incidentally considered my bosom friend.   Now it’s you who has proved unworthy of the trust and esteem that I held you in.” Haridas hung his head down as the King spoke these words even as Nirmala’s eyes began to rain tears. All this while she was compelled to lead a life as per her husband’s whims and fancies and now to learn that he had committed a crime like murder was too much for her to bear. Both Sukhdeva and Chaturbhuj felt sad for her. The King came near her and tried to console her grieving heart, “I am so sorry for all this! Fate is sometimes very cruel to us! I want you to be a brave lady who can put all this behind like a bad dream and begin life afresh with the way you want to live it with poise and dignity. There is also your husband’s reputed cloth shop that you will have to manage now in his absence. I and the administration shall provide you with all the help and guidance you may need to not only look after the shop but to address any hardship or difficulty you may face hereafter. You show us the resolve and perseverance to attain whatever goal you want to achieve in your life and we are here to help you in whichever way possible.” Nirmala took some time to regain her composure. Finally, wiping away her tears, she folded her palms before the King and spoke in a broken voice, “I have been deeply hurt and thus it will take time to heal. It is not that I have not been hurt in the past by his over-domineering nature that has leeched my freedom completely, but this is something which he has done that I still cannot come to terms! All along I have been loyal to him. It is a lie that it is my wish to put on this ghooghat! It is in fact his desire so that no one sees my face clearly! After catering to all of his demands it is his mistrust and involvement in a crime that I get in return!” Shrugging her shoulders in disgust, she continued, “I promise to do your bidding, Maharaj.   I thank you for your support.” Chaturbhuj asked her as to why she walked barefoot that day from the temple despite a bad weather. She replied that as that day was an auspicious day of Lord Ganesha, she had decided to go to and come back from his temple on foot, the inclement weather notwithstanding. The King thereby arranged for a palanquin to take Nirmala back home. He ordered his guards to put Haridas behind bars. Sukhdeva turned towards Chaturbhuj, “As much I am ashamed at my friend over his intemperate and domineering temperament, I feel proud and gratified to have someone like you at my service, O Chaturbhuj! Without you, this case would have never reached its logical conclusion. I am certain the soul of Perimal would now rest in peace.” “That is the only solace we can derive from this sordid incident, Maharaj. Perimalji’s exit is irreplaceable. It is not only me but, I am sure, all of us are going to miss him dearly both as a great artist and a noble human being.” Sukhdeva agreed with him glumly and conceived, “That Perimal is a principled man is evident from the fact that he never spoke anything about Nirmala’s drawing with his friend Rajan.   He could have very well done so in his casual conversation with Rajan which he did not do.   It could be that since Nirmala was uncomfortable in making this drawing public he thought it best to not discuss this topic with anyone.” Chaturbhuj agreed.   —————————— Sage Suryananda who was narrating this story concluded, “Haridas was convicted for his crime and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was spared the gallows only because he pushed Perimal in anger and not with the intention to kill him.   The thief Sakaram was jailed for a couple of years. To her credit Nirmala showed remarkable resilience and in due course of time came out of her sorrow.   She began to manage her husband’s shop admirably well with initial support from the administration. No one dared to question her sanctity after learning the truth about the events that led to Perimal’s murder for she had the strong support of the administration. Tell me, O students, what moral does this story convey?” Several hands were raised, and the sage gave preference to the pupil who was the first to do so. “Suspicion destroys relations!” the young student answered with reliance. “Excellent!” the sage complimented and concluded, “This is indeed the premise of this story. It is common for us to suspect as humans.   However, if we allow this to define our character then it would lead to other evil qualities like anger and hatred which has the wherewithal to destroy relations and even lives. Unconditional love, trust and perseverance are the base where any relationship stands.   Lack of any of these traits would shake its very roots thereby depriving a relation of its purity and inviolability. Also, this story yet again highlights the fact that we should always use our intelligence for the benefit of others and to uphold justice. If you simply credit the achievements of Chaturbhuj to his’ above- par’ intelligence, then you are doing a great injustice to the efforts he undertook to nail the culprit.   Everything in life is based on pure logic and common sense which is what he put on ample display here. This is the reason behind his near accurate analysis in this case. This story also brings to the core the essence of a strong administration.   There could have been instances when some ill- minded people still suspected the chastity of Nirmala after learning the truth begins Perimal’s murder.   However, with an able administration backing her no one dared to raise any accusing finger at her.   A ruler’s actions must always be guided by a punctilious and ethical outlook and should never be plagued by a parochial and rigid mindset. “