SATYAN
-11. The Cursed King

“…I made fun of the sage and even referred him as a monkey before my father as Pradayumna moved out of the room we all were in.  My father gave me a stern look and I, at once, realised that I had passed a very bad remark at the sage.  But my timing of that comment was awfully wrong.  Pradayumna had certainly walked out of the inner chamber where all of us were seated.  But he had still not passed the main hall of that chamber and he heard what I said!  Within moments he was back in our chamber fuming with rage!  “This is how you respect your elders!  Is this what you were taught in ‘gurukul’?   You have a very high opinion about your own look that you talk ill of other’s appearance?  Beware!  One day you will become so ugly that everyone would look upon you with abhorrence and you’ll start despising yourself!  This is my curse to you!”  He stormed out leaving us terrified.  Luckily no one except the guards who were on vigil outside the chamber heard about Pradayumna’s curse.  My father rebuked me for being so foolish and later admonished the guards to abstain from telling anyone what they had heard.  Already my father was worried about me as I was negligent and now this curse only augmented his apprehensions against me.  Both of us met the sage and pleaded him to take back the curse.  Initially he was unrelenting but later he was somewhat appeased and asked us to return in a few days to him.  With his spiritual powers, he decided to foresee if there was any chance from where I could be liberated from this curse in the future.  However, he clearly stated that he could not take back a given curse.  When we returned after some days, he informed us a vital aspect he had discovered through his yogic powers.  He said that I would come across such a youth in a few years time who wants to mend his evil ways and lead a reformed life under very strange circumstances.  The sage asked me to keep that youth with me as he will be the cause to obliterate this curse.  How the youth will accomplish it, the sage was not aware.  Sage Pradayumna urged me to wait patiently till I come across such a person!  We thanked the sage and requested him not to mention this curse to anyone.  If my father met with an untimely death, it was due to his apprehension about this curse.  My mother had died in that same year due to prolonged illness and now at his demise, the world came crashing down for me.  I, too, was worried about my future.  Whenever I was invited for any ‘swayaamvar’, I did not feel it appropriate to attend the occasion.  If I tell about this curse to the family of my would-be Queen, either her parents may not allow us to tie the knot or the Princess may herself turn her face away from me.  After all, who would like to marry a cursed King like me?  Which parent would like to marry off their daughter to someone who is going to lose all his charm and elegance and be repelled by everyone under the spell of a curse?  Although, I could marry keeping this a secret, it would be a gross injustice to the bride.  Thinking in these terms, I did not attend any ‘swayamvaar’ but a discerning thought always perturbed me.  If this continues, how will I ever get an heir to the throne?  As I could not get any solution to resolve this imbroglio, my worries only augmented.  It was mainly due to this that I often remained confined to the four walls of the palace in dejection.  Then came a glimmer of a hope in the form of you, Satyan.  When I heard your confession in Dyanchand’s house – the rich merchant -, I recollected what Sage Pradayumna had foretold about the elimination of the curse.  He had perceived that I shall come across a youth who wanted to reform himself under some strange circumstances which had a striking resemblance with the events that occurred in your life.  The realisation of this factor filled me with delight and I decided to keep you with me in the palace as advised by the sage.  Knowing that your friends were thieves, it would not have been appropriate had I not taken any action against them.  As I was in a cheerful mood after finding you, I decided to myself go to your friend’s place and apprehend them.  After we moved out from there, I thought of a reason by which I could keep you in the palace.   When you told me that you liked cooking, I decided to explore your skills in this department so that I could employ you as a cook in the palace.  Your ‘kheer’ made my decision easy, Satyan.  I decided to observe you for some time to see if you are genuinely making an attempt to reform yourself.  Indeed you were and just when I was having plans to tell you about the curse to see as to how you would help me come out of this problem came that fateful day!   When those two ministers stuck to what they had said earlier about the people having an excellent opinion about me, which you had contradicted, I felt that I had misjudged you all along and removed you from service.  I realised my folly only when I myself went in disguise and heard the derogatory remarks the people were passing at me.  Before I found you, Satyan, I lived in this constant fear about my uncertain future and did not care for my subjects.  Even after I found you, I had no time for the people as all my attention was diverted towards you.  I was eager to find out as to how you would enable me to come out of this curse.  After my rounds in the kingdom incognito, I decided that whether I am liberated from the curse or not, henceforth I will dedicate my life for the welfare of my subjects.  This time I did not employ you for my own benefit, Satyan.  I, indeed, wanted to have such trustworthy people like you to work for the people’s cause.  In these days, I got so engrossed serving my people that I completely forgot about my own grievance.  It was only a few days ago that I remembered my curse…..!”

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