SYNOPSIS- Satyan 4 - Indignant Brother

Chitralekha and Prince Vasu had also noticed the gloomy look in Vasudev’s face but they had attributed this to exhaustion from the long trip.  Vasudev sighed and looked at Bharadwaj glumly, “You are right, Maharaj.  I am indeed disturbed.”  Thereafter, he told them of all that had happened.  Folding his hands before the royal couple, he concluded, “…Maharaj, please pardon me if I have done anything wrong.  It is because of my admission that this marriage hangs in jeopardy.”

Bharadwaj at once clasped the hands of Vasudev.  “No, Satyan!” he exclaimed.  “Please do not do this!  You have done nothing wrong.  Even if King Somaiya had asked me about it, which I would have appreciated, I too would have had no option but to agree.  In fact, disagreeing could complicate matters.”

Vasudev thanked the King for his support. He now looked at the Queen and the Prince for their response.  Chitralekha’s eyes were fixed on her son whose face had lost its sheen and become disconsolate.  “Come on, Vasu.  Please do not despair.  Any matter involving your uncle Vasudev must end on a positive note.  I can assure you of that!” 

Vasudev was surprised to see the Queen lending him support.   Even Bharadwaj appeared amazed at her positive response.  The Prince, on the other hand, only gave his mother a faint smile and in a few moments excused himself and retired to his chambers.

“We will take care of him!”  The King assured.  “What I suggest is that as it is already night, let us have dinner and then have some proper rest.  Tomorrow we can continue to discuss about this matter.”  He opined to which Vasudev agreed.

The King led him to a chamber that was once Vasudev’s very own when he stayed with him in the palace.  Bharadwaj had maintained it very well even in the absence of his fond minister.  It looked magnificent with its white marble floors, golden pillars, architectural walls and ceilings. 

“Satyan!  Please come directly to the dining hall where we will be waiting for you!”  Vasudev agreed and the King took his leave.

The noble Vasudev was well aware that both the King and the Queen were putting up a brave face only for his sake.  He knew how worried they would be inside their hearts! 

The parents met the Prince who was sitting dejected in his chambers.  They tried to cheer him up but to no avail.  “Vasu, this situation solely rests in your hands.  It is entirely upon you to convince King Somaiya that you are the best choice for his daughter.”  Chitralekha reasoned.

This statement made an impression on the Prince and he looked up at his mother with some resurgence.  Grabbing this opportunity, Bharadwaj chipped in further, “She is right, my child.  Instead of getting despondent think of a way to appease Somaiya’s fears and win his daughter’s hand in marriage.”

As the face of the Prince slowly lit up in anticipation, Bharadwaj asked him to come alongwith them to the dining hall where Vasudev was to join them.  “…Come on!  Let us not keep your uncle waiting!” he inferred.

Soon all of them left the chamber for dinner.  Although they were served scrumptious meal none of them could enjoy it as much owing to the prevailing tense scenario.  As discussions were kept to the minimal, they finished their meal early and then all of them departed to their respective chambers to sleep.

As Vasudev was about to lie down on the bed, the Prince came to meet him.  The King made him sit by his side and asked, “Are you angry at your uncle, O Prince?”

“No!”  Vasu denied vehemently.  “Why should I be angry at you?  My past actions are coming in the way of my marriage and therefore it is only me who is to be blamed for this.”

Vasudev could feel the pain of the Prince and felt sorry for him.  Vasu continued, “My parents tell me to think of something for changing King Somaiya’s mind.  I thought over it but what can I do except giving him an assurance that I will always take care of his daughter?  It is after all he who has to decide.”

“You are right but then it also depends on how well you defend your decision of marrying his daughter.  The earnestness and the intensity with which you express your feelings also matters.”  Vasudev articulated.

The Prince nodded putting his head down and after a few moments of pause looked up at Vasudev.  “Actually, I never felt that my past could ever create an impediment in this matter.  If at all there could be a problem, I considered Pallavi’s brother Dushantha.  I felt that he could create a nuisance even after Pallavi’s consent to my marriage proposal!”

“Why, O Prince?”  Vasudev queried perplexed.

“During my visit to her kingdom at one time I found Dushantha mercilessly shouting at a servant.  On seeing me he barely managed to control himself and moved out of there angrily.  On enquiry I learnt that right from childhood he suffered from a very bad temperament.  Sometimes he even used to thrash people in his uncontrollable anger.  This gave me the feeling that should I fail to impress him for any reason, he would get very wild on learning my intentions to marry his sister and become a real thorn in my path.”

With his interests aroused, Vasudev further asked, “Is he married?”

“During a casual chat Somaiyaji told my father that he was searching for a bride for his son.”  The Prince informed.

The two conversed for a while where Vasudev urged him to be optimistic.  The Prince only grinned with a slight nod and took his leave.  Vasudev, thereby, was lost in a deep thought as he pondered over the piece of information that the Prince had given him.  Soon he arrived at a conclusion and decided to retire for the day.