THE GHOST
-11. Pariketu Makes A Sacrifice

As he made his way back, King Mahirat was overcome by dejection and despondence. The flame of hope that was flickering in his heart all this while had now being blown way so cruelly by his fate. The grey sky above with frequent streaks of lightening only appeared to reflect the dark future that was staring at the unfortunate King. Soon, huge drops of rain fell to the ground which made people around run helter –shelter to take refuge under some shade. The King walked along unaffected by the rain whose drops only managed to drench the ground below him. Wasn’t this an advantage to be in his condition, the King wondered! He desperately needed some thoughts to provide solace to his highly disturbed state of mind and when he got one, which was although a tad bizarre, he clung unto it. Finally, he reached his palace and entered through the huge iron gates at the entrance as if they never existed! Yet again he made attempts to take pride from this fact but no matter how much he tried the feeling of melancholy that had firmly gripped his heart failed to desert him. The sprawling palace with its tidy pink limestone tiles, golden pillars coupled by the architectural walls and ceilings which had always managed to provide him with a great sense of satisfaction failed to instill any happiness in him on this day. He slowly made his way to the Queen’s chamber where he found her looking out of the window at the splashing rain. He stood beside her and looked at his Queen with deep pain in his eyes. He knew that his wish of seeking her pardon would never be fulfilled. He closed his eyes and prayed to God that he give her the strength to bear his permanent absence. Just then, he got a feeling in his legs that he was deprived of all these days! He opened his eyes and looked down. Didn’t he feel the floor? He tapped his foot fingers on the floor and again he could feel the floor! A wind blew across the window and splashed the rain water on the Queen and even the King. Mahirat could now feel the chilliness of the water on his face and hands! What was this supposed to mean, the King wondered? The Queen, who had turned away her face from the window to escape herself from the splashing rain, saw the King and he, too looked at her. The expression of the Queen changed to that of shock which puzzled the King. Was she able to see him? Then, the Queen exclaimed, “Maharaj!” This gave the King the firm belief that the curse had set him free! He moved closer and held the Queen in a tight hug. “Oh Mandira! How I have longed for this moment! Please pardon me for I am your culprit!” “W..What are you saying, Maharaj? Where were you all these days?” The Queen asked him with tears flowing down her cheeks. “I will tell you everything later! Please allow me to hold you like this for some time!” The King replied in a choked voice. For the next few moments, both of them did not converse anything but just held each other in their arms. Then, the Queen looked at the King and observed, “You have become so thin and pale, my Lord! Pray tell me as to what had happened to you!” “Please have patience, my dear Queen! Foremost I have to meet Sage Pariketu! I shall explain everything later!” The Queen asked the King to wait till the rain subsided to which he agreed. In the intervening period, Mahirat quickly filled in the Queen with all that had happened. Although Mandira was hurt to learn that her guruji had cursed her husband, she also felt glad to see the change in the King. Also, she was pleased to learn that the divine force was Mahirat himself. By this time, although it was still dark, the downpour had reduced to only a light drizzle and the King decided to meet the sage. “Please allow me to come along, Maharaj! I, too, want to meet him.” The King consented. Both the royal couple armed themselves and a chariot was arranged. As the King walked along in the palace with his Queen, everyone were shocked to see him! Mahirat greeted them and gave an assurance of explaining everything later. They mounted the chariot and it raced off to the jungle of Champa. Yet again anxiety was brewing in the heart of the King about what the sage had done to release him from the curse. Even the Queen was worried about this aspect. On the way, Mahirat enquired, “Did you want to meet your guru to ask him about the status of your boon?” Agreeing to the King’s supposition, she further added, “Since he was present in the jungle from where you vanished, there was also a hope of getting some lead about your whereabouts from him.” “Was there any particular reason as to why you asked for your boon on that particular day?” The King further asked. “The boon which my guruji gave me was not in my mind all these days, Maharaj. I suddenly remembered it that evening when I was alone in the chamber and you know the rest.” Mandira replied. “Tell me, something, Maharaj…” the Queen queried, “…Why did you always offer your friend, Bhagirat, those messages during meals?” “The interpretation of my actions could be simpler if more than one person witnessed them, O Mandira. Thus I timed them during meals. I expected Sage Atulya to grasp the meaning behind them which he did so beautifully!” Mahirat deduced. Midway through their journey, they were surprised to see Pariketu himself walking along briskly. Quickly asking the charioteer to stop the chariot, they dismounted and hurried to meet him. As they neared the sage, they found a conspicuous change in the face of the sage which was bereft of its divine glow. After taking his blessings, Mahirat conversed with him, “I was worried that somehow you had managed to take my curse upon you even without my consent. I am so relieved that this is not the case. O Sage, I am eager to find out as to what you did to make this happen.” “Maharaj, after you left I could not figure out my next course of action for a long time. Then I thought of something for which I closed my eyes and was about to invoke the Almighty in my mind when my guru yet again communicated with me through the mind. He warned me that should I go ahead with my plans, I may lose all the powers and divinity which I had gained in all these years through my austerity. I still went ahead and prayed to God that if I had done any virtuous act in my life, then the fruits of all that virtue should be directed in liberating you from the curse.   Thereby, I thought of using my powers to see if my prayer has had any positive impact on you. I was unable to do that which made me realize that the admonition of my guru had come true. Still, I had to confirm whether you were indeed freed from this terrible curse which is why I was coming to the palace. And here I meet you and get this marvelous news! Hail the Almighty!” He concluded by looking upwards and closing his eyes. Mahirat instantly fell at his feet and lamented. “O sage! Why did you do make this sacrifice for my sake?” Pariketu helped him to his feet and inferred, “O King! Please do not despair for me! Just like you, I too, had to face a harsh punishment for my mistake. Of what use is all that I achieved if I am not able to control my anger? Sage Atulya is a far greater human being than me who does not lose his composure under any circumstances which is why he enjoys such excellent sense of reasoning. All of us have a lot to learn from him.” Looking at the Queen, he endearingly passed his hand over her head and said, “My child, I am sorry for what you had to undergo owing to my fault. You asked me a boon and I cursed your husband!” The Queen touched the feet of the sage. “Guruji, through your curse you have fulfilled my boon. There is nothing more I could ask for!” “O King!” the sage addressed Mahirat, “Go and enjoy your reunion with your beloved Queen! Do not worry about me! I will continue to do penance and may be some day I may regain what I have lost today!” Before departing, the King queried, “O Sage, why did you come to Champa for meditation?” “I just wanted to move away from the hustle bustle of the ashram activities and meditate for some time in seclusion. The jungle of Champa hardly has any visitors under the fear of coming in the attack of wild animals. I have never faced a threat from any wild inhabitants of that jungle and have meditated there even in the past. This time was also no exception.” Taking the blessings of the sage, the couple entered the chariot and made their way back to the palace. ************ Sage Parmananda who was narrating this story asked his students, “Tell me as to what this story teaches us.” “We must not lose our anger.” “No matter how powerful we become we must be humble and not get arrogant.” “With even the most limited resources at our disposal, we can still attain the maximum!” The sage smiled and acknowledged the varied responses of his pupils.