The Mandala Stands Strong: An Ancient Timeline.
- Status
I for one don't think that the trade route with China was that vital as you have stated here. Lucrative perhaps, but not by any means vital to the economy. And didn't most foreign trade with China was maritime ? Also there's the internal Indian trade network which is by no means disturbed, and all of the needs of Kosala would be met by this trade.
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It was. Many northern Indian states used Nepali coins and Tibet even used it until 1846. I also didn't say the economy 'crashed', i said the value of their trade went extremely down. And back then trade with China was not maritime between India and China; there was a small trading group from Colchin to the East Indies, but that was it. Also remember that some Indian states are Mandala allies as well, which means a good half of inter-indian trade falls down as well.
The Kosalan economy is intact, but barely.
Ok, makes sense. And yes the maritime trade began to be more of a feature since the later 4th century BC and really started flowing in the mid 3rd century BC. I overlooked the date of the POD for a while there, my bad.
Though, I am most eagerly awaiting the eventual confrontation of the Mandala against Magadha. Most eagerly.
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Chapter 3
Chapter 3
***
BBC History Channel, airing 1987
***
Joseph Eden (JE): Welcome everyone to another episode on BBC History Channel! Today we are going to discuss about the War of Legitimization that is predicted to have happened from around 467 BC to 460 BC between the famed Nepala Mandala and the Kingdom of Kosala. Folks, I am no expert on this topic and today we have a friend coming here, who is an expert on this topic to tell you folks about this historical conflict that left its mark on history. Please welcome the famous historian Emmanuel Hastings!
Emmanuel Hastings (EH): Thank you Joseph for the kind welcome. It’s an honor to be on this channel and to be allowed to educate young avid historians about this peculiar conflict.
JE: Of course. I now yield the floor to you.
EH: Thank you. First of all, to all viewers, a bit of context. The Nepala Mandala was a confederation of multiple Nepali Kingdoms and Tribes much like the Holy Roman Empire of Europe. They were ruled by a high king and all lower kings swore allegiance to him. And unlike the Holy Roman Empire which was fraught with internal problems, the Mandala managed to survive and had no significant internal problems. When High King Galinja died without an heir, Nanda Shakya, the grandnephew of the Lord Buddha was granted the High Kingship. However the problem was that the Nanda Shakya’s personal Kingdom the Shakya Oligarchy was a vassal state of the Kosalan Kingdom. Kosala was angry at having lost a tributary state, and thus, a sphere of influence and war was declared.
JE: The fact also remains that records state he declared war on every state in the Mandala. What is your opinion on this?
EH: Well, it can be said easily by anyone versed properly in psychology and economics, is that the king probably acted irrationally and without reason and followed his emotions than anything else.
JE: Indeed. However many records of the actual happenstance of the war seems to have been lost through the dusts and winds of time. However from what records we do have, can you tell us what happened during the war?
EH: Perhaps the most compelling record of the war can be the Scrolls of Rahula, which the son of Lord Buddha wrote throughout and after the war, allegedly. We cannot confirm if the records were written by Rahula himself, however the scrolls were passed down in the Kasthamandap court and archeological evidence does favor the Scrolls events, so I will be telling the version of the war written in the Scrolls of Rahula.
JE: Indeed Rahula, the legendary son of the Lord Buddha. It is mentioned that he was a close family member to King Nanda. Is this true?
EH: From all points and records, yes. Nanda was after all, Rahula’s cousin nephew. Rahula also wouldn’t have been able to write his version of history if he hadn’t been close to the king. However I digress. We are here to talk about the war, not Rahula. The man requires an episode of his own.
JE: Indeed, please continue on.
EH: Very well. Let us go to the first verse, note that it is translated into English and the rhyming does not match in English as it does in the Newa language.
As the storm of war brew, so did the frustration of the king.
The man was middle aged, and leaving behind a child of two and wife he had lived with for so long and loved for so long.
He bid his goodbyes and the massive armada of men marched across the mountains.
Reports of raiding and looting from the Kosalans grew.
And as the reports piled up, so did the frustration of the king pile up.
However the king was a man of Dharma, and never let frustration or anger grow within him.
He controlled himself and brought himself to be calm.
Great Kings of Sudur, Goourkha, Pyalpa, Makwan and Limbuwan guided the way
As an oligarch learned the ways of the warrior king
Here the first verse is pretty obvious in its meaning, in fact almost all of the verses have literal meanings, but none more so than the first verse. Like any man he seems to have blanched at the prospect of leaving his wife a widow and his son an orphan. However he went on. His frustration also seems to have reached a good amount to be listed so categorically which indicates the man might have flown into angry tantrums, or fits of anger regarding all the stress. However the man seems to have curbed his anger and frustration and taken advices from the 5 greater lower kings of the Mandala, all of whom were reputed warriors from records.
JE: Indeed. The man must have been stressed, having to go to war as soon as he got the crown.
EH: Indeed Joseph. Unlike much kings of the time who lusted for glory on the battlefield, it seems that his granduncle’s teachings took root in Nanda, and the man lusted after the prosperity of his kingdom, and not war. From what Rahula wrote later on, it states “I am a man and it is in the nature of a man to lust. However I am also unlike other men, for I do not lust after women or glory. I lust after the growth of my people and this kingdom.”
This is reportedly according to Rahula a direct quote from King Nanda. And it really goes to show how the man’s psyche worked.
JE: Indeed, the man is a fascinating historical figure. Please continue on, Mr. Hastings.
EH: Let us go onto the second verse then.
The men marched and marched. 30,000 men gathered from all around the Mandala, marching towards a fate unknown to them.
The first time the two enemies met would be on the auspicious fields of Rampurwa.
And the clash of swords, the stabbing of spears and the rainfall of arrows began.
The battle was unclear, at least at the beginning, but the Kosalans had been taken by surprise by the speed at which the Mandalan armies marched.
And their surprise became their undoing.
Kosalans fell by the numbers as blood and steel flashed in the middle of the wet rainy night.
When Dawn came the battle was over, and the blood of 4000 Kosalans lay dripping on the ground.
A sight to behold! A sight to lynch. Nanda could not hold it in, and vomit flew from his mouth.
Yet steadfast he stood and the morale of the Mandala stood firm.
This verse is of course also very literal. The Battle of Rampurwa set a precedent for almost all the battles to come with the Kosalans. This is when people state was the beginning of the myth that when the Shakya Kings rode to battle and led their armies, the armies could not lose. From all descriptions of the battle, it seems the battle took place at night with heavy rainfall which led to a brutal slogging match in the virtual swamps made outside the city of Rampurwa. The city was also occupied by the Mandala Nepalese thereafter. Kosalan records show that many Nepalese troops of the army, distraught about the deaths of so many of their comrades vented their anger and frustration onto the people of Rampurwa. Nanda reportedly ordered the pillaging and murdering to stop and personally punished any officer or general taking part in them. The man clearly showed he would not accept such acts.
JE: Does this stem from Buddhism then?
EH: Of course. The man may have been forced to go to war, but that didn’t mean that he would let his morals and the teachings of his granduncle go to waste.
JE: Of course. Can this also be considered the starting of the Edict of War Morals that Nanda’s grandson made?
EH: In essentiality yes. However that is a story for another time. Shall we continue?
JE: Of course.
EH: Let us move onto the third verse
The men marched and marched. The monsoon rain came hurling down on them yet the iron steel will of the King of Gourkha and his fiery speeches made the men calm and move on.
The men marched and marched. And finally the King of the Mandala and the King of the Kosalans met in battle for the first time. The vast plains of Sohgaura unfortunately became the site of a battle.
The King of Kosala was old and dim. A man past his time, with arrogance in spades to give.
And Nanda…poor Nanda, the man was still angry over the misconduct his troops showed in Rampurwa.
However his faith in his men stood fast and amid the scorching heat of the midday sun the conch shells of war signaled the beginning of the battle.
Nanda had learned martial skills himself, and the man was cunning in battle.
His troops after a few hours fell back on his orders making a wide gap in the Mandalan lines.
The King of Kosala fell to the trap. His troops surged into the gap to find themselves surrounded by Mandalan troops and they were slaughtered like pigs in front of an altar.
The King survived and fled to make a last stand. However the way to the capital of the Kosalans was clear and the Nepalese were coming.
Of course the Battle of Sohguara seems to have been another military disaster for the Kosalans. The Nepalese by all accounts routed the Kosalans in battle by surrounding the best of their troops and picking them apart.
JE: Was the battle as decisive as history paints it to be?
EH: By all accounts, yes. Records show that many of the veteran and experienced troops of the Kosalans fell to the Nepalese and the battle denied the Kosalans from the cream of their troops. Many held the king responsible for this and indeed from all accounts, he was the one responsible for the military disaster. However Nanda’s strategy of feinting to the enemy also showed while the man was a peaceful man by heart, like any capable king of the time, he knew the battlefield.
JE: If I remember carefully there is a last verse.
EH: Yes, let us continue.
The city of Shravasti, the capital of the Kosalans stood tall and mighty. A great city for a great kingdom
However the disaster coming for them would not be able to be predicted by the citizens of the city.
Nanda’s army marched and marched until they reached the city. The remnants of the Kosalan military settled down for a siege.
And the siege lasted for long. The city walls fell down after 14 moons and the siege ended. The city was captured the king of Kosala killed in the absolute carnage of the battle.
Kosala had been defeated. A new amenable king enthroned to the throne of Kosala. And how the tables turned! Nanda made the Kosalans vassals of the Mandala and made the Kosalans pay a yearly tribute to Kasthamandap.
But the men rejoiced, for the war had ended and they were now returning home
And that is the last verse. Pretty self-explanatory there.
JE: Indeed it is ironic the overlord became the vassal is it not?
EH: Indeed it is. However the Kosalan king that was installed on to throne, rumors suggest the new king was the younger cousin brother of the deceased old King of Kosala, was amenable to the Mandala and managed to wiggle out funds to rebuild his wartorn nation. The future Kosalan-Mandala alliance laid the foundations for the war between the Shakyas and the Mauryas after all.
JE: Rapprochement in its finest. Thank you Mr. Hastings for your tremendous help for this episode. It wouldn’t have been successful without you.
EH: Thank you Joseph. Like I said, I am honored.
JE: Thank you. And there you have it folks. The war that cemented the Shakya Dynasty on to the throne of the Mandala, and most arguably, the starting date of perhaps, the most peculiar empire Asia ever saw – The Shakya Empire.
*End of Recording*
***
***
BBC History Channel, airing 1987
***
Joseph Eden (JE): Welcome everyone to another episode on BBC History Channel! Today we are going to discuss about the War of Legitimization that is predicted to have happened from around 467 BC to 460 BC between the famed Nepala Mandala and the Kingdom of Kosala. Folks, I am no expert on this topic and today we have a friend coming here, who is an expert on this topic to tell you folks about this historical conflict that left its mark on history. Please welcome the famous historian Emmanuel Hastings!
Emmanuel Hastings (EH): Thank you Joseph for the kind welcome. It’s an honor to be on this channel and to be allowed to educate young avid historians about this peculiar conflict.
JE: Of course. I now yield the floor to you.
EH: Thank you. First of all, to all viewers, a bit of context. The Nepala Mandala was a confederation of multiple Nepali Kingdoms and Tribes much like the Holy Roman Empire of Europe. They were ruled by a high king and all lower kings swore allegiance to him. And unlike the Holy Roman Empire which was fraught with internal problems, the Mandala managed to survive and had no significant internal problems. When High King Galinja died without an heir, Nanda Shakya, the grandnephew of the Lord Buddha was granted the High Kingship. However the problem was that the Nanda Shakya’s personal Kingdom the Shakya Oligarchy was a vassal state of the Kosalan Kingdom. Kosala was angry at having lost a tributary state, and thus, a sphere of influence and war was declared.
JE: The fact also remains that records state he declared war on every state in the Mandala. What is your opinion on this?
EH: Well, it can be said easily by anyone versed properly in psychology and economics, is that the king probably acted irrationally and without reason and followed his emotions than anything else.
JE: Indeed. However many records of the actual happenstance of the war seems to have been lost through the dusts and winds of time. However from what records we do have, can you tell us what happened during the war?
EH: Perhaps the most compelling record of the war can be the Scrolls of Rahula, which the son of Lord Buddha wrote throughout and after the war, allegedly. We cannot confirm if the records were written by Rahula himself, however the scrolls were passed down in the Kasthamandap court and archeological evidence does favor the Scrolls events, so I will be telling the version of the war written in the Scrolls of Rahula.
JE: Indeed Rahula, the legendary son of the Lord Buddha. It is mentioned that he was a close family member to King Nanda. Is this true?
EH: From all points and records, yes. Nanda was after all, Rahula’s cousin nephew. Rahula also wouldn’t have been able to write his version of history if he hadn’t been close to the king. However I digress. We are here to talk about the war, not Rahula. The man requires an episode of his own.
JE: Indeed, please continue on.
EH: Very well. Let us go to the first verse, note that it is translated into English and the rhyming does not match in English as it does in the Newa language.
As the storm of war brew, so did the frustration of the king.
The man was middle aged, and leaving behind a child of two and wife he had lived with for so long and loved for so long.
He bid his goodbyes and the massive armada of men marched across the mountains.
Reports of raiding and looting from the Kosalans grew.
And as the reports piled up, so did the frustration of the king pile up.
However the king was a man of Dharma, and never let frustration or anger grow within him.
He controlled himself and brought himself to be calm.
Great Kings of Sudur, Goourkha, Pyalpa, Makwan and Limbuwan guided the way
As an oligarch learned the ways of the warrior king
Here the first verse is pretty obvious in its meaning, in fact almost all of the verses have literal meanings, but none more so than the first verse. Like any man he seems to have blanched at the prospect of leaving his wife a widow and his son an orphan. However he went on. His frustration also seems to have reached a good amount to be listed so categorically which indicates the man might have flown into angry tantrums, or fits of anger regarding all the stress. However the man seems to have curbed his anger and frustration and taken advices from the 5 greater lower kings of the Mandala, all of whom were reputed warriors from records.
JE: Indeed. The man must have been stressed, having to go to war as soon as he got the crown.
EH: Indeed Joseph. Unlike much kings of the time who lusted for glory on the battlefield, it seems that his granduncle’s teachings took root in Nanda, and the man lusted after the prosperity of his kingdom, and not war. From what Rahula wrote later on, it states “I am a man and it is in the nature of a man to lust. However I am also unlike other men, for I do not lust after women or glory. I lust after the growth of my people and this kingdom.”
This is reportedly according to Rahula a direct quote from King Nanda. And it really goes to show how the man’s psyche worked.
JE: Indeed, the man is a fascinating historical figure. Please continue on, Mr. Hastings.
EH: Let us go onto the second verse then.
The men marched and marched. 30,000 men gathered from all around the Mandala, marching towards a fate unknown to them.
The first time the two enemies met would be on the auspicious fields of Rampurwa.
And the clash of swords, the stabbing of spears and the rainfall of arrows began.
The battle was unclear, at least at the beginning, but the Kosalans had been taken by surprise by the speed at which the Mandalan armies marched.
And their surprise became their undoing.
Kosalans fell by the numbers as blood and steel flashed in the middle of the wet rainy night.
When Dawn came the battle was over, and the blood of 4000 Kosalans lay dripping on the ground.
A sight to behold! A sight to lynch. Nanda could not hold it in, and vomit flew from his mouth.
Yet steadfast he stood and the morale of the Mandala stood firm.
This verse is of course also very literal. The Battle of Rampurwa set a precedent for almost all the battles to come with the Kosalans. This is when people state was the beginning of the myth that when the Shakya Kings rode to battle and led their armies, the armies could not lose. From all descriptions of the battle, it seems the battle took place at night with heavy rainfall which led to a brutal slogging match in the virtual swamps made outside the city of Rampurwa. The city was also occupied by the Mandala Nepalese thereafter. Kosalan records show that many Nepalese troops of the army, distraught about the deaths of so many of their comrades vented their anger and frustration onto the people of Rampurwa. Nanda reportedly ordered the pillaging and murdering to stop and personally punished any officer or general taking part in them. The man clearly showed he would not accept such acts.
JE: Does this stem from Buddhism then?
EH: Of course. The man may have been forced to go to war, but that didn’t mean that he would let his morals and the teachings of his granduncle go to waste.
JE: Of course. Can this also be considered the starting of the Edict of War Morals that Nanda’s grandson made?
EH: In essentiality yes. However that is a story for another time. Shall we continue?
JE: Of course.
EH: Let us move onto the third verse
The men marched and marched. The monsoon rain came hurling down on them yet the iron steel will of the King of Gourkha and his fiery speeches made the men calm and move on.
The men marched and marched. And finally the King of the Mandala and the King of the Kosalans met in battle for the first time. The vast plains of Sohgaura unfortunately became the site of a battle.
The King of Kosala was old and dim. A man past his time, with arrogance in spades to give.
And Nanda…poor Nanda, the man was still angry over the misconduct his troops showed in Rampurwa.
However his faith in his men stood fast and amid the scorching heat of the midday sun the conch shells of war signaled the beginning of the battle.
Nanda had learned martial skills himself, and the man was cunning in battle.
His troops after a few hours fell back on his orders making a wide gap in the Mandalan lines.
The King of Kosala fell to the trap. His troops surged into the gap to find themselves surrounded by Mandalan troops and they were slaughtered like pigs in front of an altar.
The King survived and fled to make a last stand. However the way to the capital of the Kosalans was clear and the Nepalese were coming.
Of course the Battle of Sohguara seems to have been another military disaster for the Kosalans. The Nepalese by all accounts routed the Kosalans in battle by surrounding the best of their troops and picking them apart.
JE: Was the battle as decisive as history paints it to be?
EH: By all accounts, yes. Records show that many of the veteran and experienced troops of the Kosalans fell to the Nepalese and the battle denied the Kosalans from the cream of their troops. Many held the king responsible for this and indeed from all accounts, he was the one responsible for the military disaster. However Nanda’s strategy of feinting to the enemy also showed while the man was a peaceful man by heart, like any capable king of the time, he knew the battlefield.
JE: If I remember carefully there is a last verse.
EH: Yes, let us continue.
The city of Shravasti, the capital of the Kosalans stood tall and mighty. A great city for a great kingdom
However the disaster coming for them would not be able to be predicted by the citizens of the city.
Nanda’s army marched and marched until they reached the city. The remnants of the Kosalan military settled down for a siege.
And the siege lasted for long. The city walls fell down after 14 moons and the siege ended. The city was captured the king of Kosala killed in the absolute carnage of the battle.
Kosala had been defeated. A new amenable king enthroned to the throne of Kosala. And how the tables turned! Nanda made the Kosalans vassals of the Mandala and made the Kosalans pay a yearly tribute to Kasthamandap.
But the men rejoiced, for the war had ended and they were now returning home
And that is the last verse. Pretty self-explanatory there.
JE: Indeed it is ironic the overlord became the vassal is it not?
EH: Indeed it is. However the Kosalan king that was installed on to throne, rumors suggest the new king was the younger cousin brother of the deceased old King of Kosala, was amenable to the Mandala and managed to wiggle out funds to rebuild his wartorn nation. The future Kosalan-Mandala alliance laid the foundations for the war between the Shakyas and the Mauryas after all.
JE: Rapprochement in its finest. Thank you Mr. Hastings for your tremendous help for this episode. It wouldn’t have been successful without you.
EH: Thank you Joseph. Like I said, I am honored.
JE: Thank you. And there you have it folks. The war that cemented the Shakya Dynasty on to the throne of the Mandala, and most arguably, the starting date of perhaps, the most peculiar empire Asia ever saw – The Shakya Empire.
*End of Recording*
***
I do like the combination of the contemporary and historical viewpoints.
I wonder just how big the Shakya Empire will end up being.
I wonder just how big the Shakya Empire will end up being.
Thanks! It's going to be a mix of First Person, Third Person, Modern and Ancient to give a better vibe for the TL
Slightly, but also because the locations of the places is lost to time so I can't make a coherent battle strategy for 1st POV battlez
it is a more efficient way for both showing yet simultaneously skipping long battle scenes
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
***
461 BCE
***
Nanda had never been as relieved as he melted into the arms of his wife and son. Young Krit had only been one summer and a half when Nanda had gone to war and now the child was almost 7 summers old. Yamuna, his faithful wife and remained almost as a widow for so long.
A night of festivities, and feasting and story sharing continued in the palaces of Kasthamandap that night between the nobles, kings and all of the royalty and nobility of the Mandala.
The Kings laughed and shared masculine jokes whilst the queens chattered with each other giggling away. Nanda smiled as he held a watery smile for all to see. Nanda grimaced as he took a bite out of the cooked chicken as his bones clenched. The Siege of Shravasti had been a deadly one with carnage all around the area.
A pillar had fallen next to Nanda’s war camp and the splinters had wounded Nanda. He had healed mostly, but his bones still hurt from time to time, enough to make Nanda remember all the young and youthful faces of his army, many of whom would never return to their parents.
Nanda clenched through the pain as he watched the people and kings celebrate. Let them celebrate. A 5 summer long war had been won by the Mandala, and winning in a war was a cause to celebrate.
Norgen Sen, the King of Gourkha threw his chalice into the air as his white beard swirled in the air as he shouted “Glory to the Mandala, Glory to High King Nanda!”
“Glory to the Mandala! Glory to High King Nanda!” The other kings cheered as juices, water and sweetened milk flowed freely in the feast. Nanda smiled as he let the kings have their fun.
It would be at around the middle of the night when the grand feast ended and the kings and queens slinked off to their guest chambers.
Nanda stood up and decided it was a good night to reflect on the war. He went up to the balcony and looked at the full moon. Purnima. The Great night of the full moon, when the Chandra Ma (Mother Moon) reigned supreme.
Nanda looked on quietly at the slumbering city, his city as he felt a tug on his robes. Nanda blinked down to see his son, Krit looking at him. Nanda smiled as he knelt down.
“Krit, why are you not in bed?”
“I was excited to see you father.” Krit replied as he pinched his robes in nervousness.
Ah….that was to be expected after all, the boy had very little memory of Nanda before Nanda had gone to war. “Where is your mother?”
“she fell asleep.” Krit, the little rascal chuckled.
Nanda chuckled alongside him before pulling him close.
“I am sorry.” Nanda murmured.
“Why father?”
“I am sorry I was not there for you or your mother.” Nanda specified as he stroked the curly hair of his son.
Krit shifted slightly. “Mother….told me a lot about you. Said you were the best man in the entire world, fighting for our future.”
“Your mother is the kindest woman in the world. You would be extremely lucky to marry a woman like her in the future.” Nanda laughed. Krit’s face scrounged up at the word marriage and Nanda laughed even more. “Ah, I forgot, you are in the ‘I hate girls’ phase, no matter, no matter, you will see maybe when you are twice your age in the future.”
“Never!” Krit grumbled.
Nanda laughed before quieting down. His bones were hurting again.
“Father?” Krit tugged his robes with a questioning tone.
Nanda shook his head. “No, it’s fine son.”
“Tell me father. I want to know.”
“Know…..want….reality, son……” Nanda murmured. “Son, remember, Knowledge and awareness are vague in this world of ours, and a more apt word would be illusions to define them.”
“Illusions?” Krit asked with wonder. “I don’t understand.”
Nanda’s eyes took a haunted look as he remembered the screams of the women, the clenching of a sword passing through the gut of a man, the head of a soldier being decapitated, entire buildings crashing down with fire alight in them.
Nanda shook his head as he looked at his son. “Tell me son, how is your training going on?”
Krit pouted. “I am….well frankly father, aside from maths and languages I am horrible is everything else. My level with the sword and spear is horrible and my hand to hand fighting is absolutely weak!”
Krit let out a small sobbing snarl as he said “I’m pathetic father, I am sorry if I disappointed you.”
Nanda smiled sardonically as his son apologized. “There, there, my son, self-depreciation is no way forward. Come sit down on my lap.”
Krit wiped some of the tears building up in his eyes and sat down on Nanda’s lap as both of them looked at the slumbering city below them.
“There are many things I must teach you it seems, things that you should pass on to your children as well.” Nanda murmured.
“what are they father?” Krit asked curiously.
“Tell me, why do you think you are bad at your physical and weapons training?”
“Because…Because….” Krit stuttered. “Father….I think I am a loser.”
Nanda chuckled slightly. “Let none of what the other kings tell you make you filled with illusion. When I was a young child, I as you said ‘sucked’ in tactical warfare as well.”
“But..I heard about the Battle of Sohgaura. You outthought the enemy there!” Krit replied with surprise evident in his voice.
“Yes, I thought you may raise that point.” Nanda stated. “Let me tell you about the Battle of Rampurwa. There the battle was gruesome. Blood spurted out of men like how water falls from the great waterfalls of the north. And I only won due to sheer numbers. Nothing else nothing more, there was no tactics or strategy involved.”
“What are you trying to say father?”
“The Kosalan armies and generals, they called me the Warrior King of Death.” Nanda continued. “Yet, I did not win with tactics, only sheer numbers in the first engagements of the war. I even lost many of the early engagements. Do you know what I am trying to tell you son?”
“I….don’t understand father.”
“I am trying to tell you three things son, three basic tenets that you should keep on your chest, heart and mind forever, you got me?”
“Yes father, tell me!”
“Even the strongest of enemies have a weakness son, you simply have to search for it. If anyone tells you they do not have a weakness, they are either lying or that person is a god, and it is very likely that it is the former than the latter.” Nanda said gently as Krit nodded with his brows in obvious thought.
“Never depreciate yourself child. Those who cannot forgive themselves, and are able to accept themselves for who they are…..they are truly the strongest people on this planet. Remember, those who cannot acknowledge themselves are doomed to fail.” Nanda stated as his son shifted uncomfortably before nodding slowly.
“And finally, you are one day to succeed me as High King. Tell me son, what do you wish to do once the crown goes to you?”
Krit looked up and said “Do good things for the people as King and become acknowledged by everyone for it!”
“No.” Nanda stated as Krit looked at him confusedly. “Kingship has never been about ‘being acknowledged by everyone as king’ but Kingship has always been ‘the one who has been acknowledged by everyone, is the king’”
Krit’s eyes widened. Nanda smiled. “Do you understand me son?”
“Not all father…..but I think I will in time.” Krit murmured.
Nanda’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He patted the chest of his son where his heart was located. “I have no doubt you will. Keep this tenets firmly in your heart when you become High King. Be acknowledged by the people, accept yourself for who you are.”
“Of course father!”
“No go to sleep. Your maids must beset with worry.” Nanda ordered. Krit blushed in embarrassment and mumbled a ‘yes’ before scurrying away. Nanda smiled as he saw his son go. He turned to the city before his smile melted away and tears gathered in his eyes.
He only saw the blood. The rivers filled with blood, as if the glaciers themselves wept from the high mountains. Blood and gore all over the fields. Heads, body parts, clothes smattered in red all deposited all over the fields. The entire city up in flames. Tears fell freely from Nanda’s eyes. He clenched his face as he murmured “What have I done?”
The faces of the countless soldiers under his command who had died flashed in front of him. The countless civilians trying to survive in their homes, destroyed by him. The cold empty sockets of the King of Kosala as Nanda looked at his body. Tears quickly overcame the middle aged king of the Mandala.
“What have I done? What have I done?!” Nanda grieved.
“The right thing.” Came a soft feminine voice as hands snaked themselves over the back of the king.
Nanda relaxed slightly as he felt the embrace of his wife. “Yamuna……”
“War has changed you.” Yamuna stated with sadness evident in her voice.
“It has changed everybody I should think.” Nanda replied with regret clear in his voice.
“Perhaps. But those who bear the greatest responsibilities and accept them, are the greatest people on this planet.” Yamuna murmured.
“What do I do dear Yamuna? Every single time I see a city, I can only see the burning ruins of Shravasti, the people crying out in pain with death at every corner.” Nanda wept. Yamuna embraced the king and put his head on her shoulder, her silky black hair draping the king.
“It shows you are still human. You fight for your people, yet you grieve for your enemy. You are still human, my beloved.”
Nanda smiled slightly as he wiped the tears out of his eyes.
“Sit with me.” Nanda murmured in a small voice. Yamuna nodded. And the two sat in the balcony until dusk. Forgetting they were High King and High Queen, forgetting all of their responsibilities and forgetting the entire world, they simply sat in comfortable silence, as husband and wife.
***
***
461 BCE
***
Nanda had never been as relieved as he melted into the arms of his wife and son. Young Krit had only been one summer and a half when Nanda had gone to war and now the child was almost 7 summers old. Yamuna, his faithful wife and remained almost as a widow for so long.
A night of festivities, and feasting and story sharing continued in the palaces of Kasthamandap that night between the nobles, kings and all of the royalty and nobility of the Mandala.
The Kings laughed and shared masculine jokes whilst the queens chattered with each other giggling away. Nanda smiled as he held a watery smile for all to see. Nanda grimaced as he took a bite out of the cooked chicken as his bones clenched. The Siege of Shravasti had been a deadly one with carnage all around the area.
A pillar had fallen next to Nanda’s war camp and the splinters had wounded Nanda. He had healed mostly, but his bones still hurt from time to time, enough to make Nanda remember all the young and youthful faces of his army, many of whom would never return to their parents.
Nanda clenched through the pain as he watched the people and kings celebrate. Let them celebrate. A 5 summer long war had been won by the Mandala, and winning in a war was a cause to celebrate.
Norgen Sen, the King of Gourkha threw his chalice into the air as his white beard swirled in the air as he shouted “Glory to the Mandala, Glory to High King Nanda!”
“Glory to the Mandala! Glory to High King Nanda!” The other kings cheered as juices, water and sweetened milk flowed freely in the feast. Nanda smiled as he let the kings have their fun.
It would be at around the middle of the night when the grand feast ended and the kings and queens slinked off to their guest chambers.
Nanda stood up and decided it was a good night to reflect on the war. He went up to the balcony and looked at the full moon. Purnima. The Great night of the full moon, when the Chandra Ma (Mother Moon) reigned supreme.
Nanda looked on quietly at the slumbering city, his city as he felt a tug on his robes. Nanda blinked down to see his son, Krit looking at him. Nanda smiled as he knelt down.
“Krit, why are you not in bed?”
“I was excited to see you father.” Krit replied as he pinched his robes in nervousness.
Ah….that was to be expected after all, the boy had very little memory of Nanda before Nanda had gone to war. “Where is your mother?”
“she fell asleep.” Krit, the little rascal chuckled.
Nanda chuckled alongside him before pulling him close.
“I am sorry.” Nanda murmured.
“Why father?”
“I am sorry I was not there for you or your mother.” Nanda specified as he stroked the curly hair of his son.
Krit shifted slightly. “Mother….told me a lot about you. Said you were the best man in the entire world, fighting for our future.”
“Your mother is the kindest woman in the world. You would be extremely lucky to marry a woman like her in the future.” Nanda laughed. Krit’s face scrounged up at the word marriage and Nanda laughed even more. “Ah, I forgot, you are in the ‘I hate girls’ phase, no matter, no matter, you will see maybe when you are twice your age in the future.”
“Never!” Krit grumbled.
Nanda laughed before quieting down. His bones were hurting again.
“Father?” Krit tugged his robes with a questioning tone.
Nanda shook his head. “No, it’s fine son.”
“Tell me father. I want to know.”
“Know…..want….reality, son……” Nanda murmured. “Son, remember, Knowledge and awareness are vague in this world of ours, and a more apt word would be illusions to define them.”
“Illusions?” Krit asked with wonder. “I don’t understand.”
Nanda’s eyes took a haunted look as he remembered the screams of the women, the clenching of a sword passing through the gut of a man, the head of a soldier being decapitated, entire buildings crashing down with fire alight in them.
Nanda shook his head as he looked at his son. “Tell me son, how is your training going on?”
Krit pouted. “I am….well frankly father, aside from maths and languages I am horrible is everything else. My level with the sword and spear is horrible and my hand to hand fighting is absolutely weak!”
Krit let out a small sobbing snarl as he said “I’m pathetic father, I am sorry if I disappointed you.”
Nanda smiled sardonically as his son apologized. “There, there, my son, self-depreciation is no way forward. Come sit down on my lap.”
Krit wiped some of the tears building up in his eyes and sat down on Nanda’s lap as both of them looked at the slumbering city below them.
“There are many things I must teach you it seems, things that you should pass on to your children as well.” Nanda murmured.
“what are they father?” Krit asked curiously.
“Tell me, why do you think you are bad at your physical and weapons training?”
“Because…Because….” Krit stuttered. “Father….I think I am a loser.”
Nanda chuckled slightly. “Let none of what the other kings tell you make you filled with illusion. When I was a young child, I as you said ‘sucked’ in tactical warfare as well.”
“But..I heard about the Battle of Sohgaura. You outthought the enemy there!” Krit replied with surprise evident in his voice.
“Yes, I thought you may raise that point.” Nanda stated. “Let me tell you about the Battle of Rampurwa. There the battle was gruesome. Blood spurted out of men like how water falls from the great waterfalls of the north. And I only won due to sheer numbers. Nothing else nothing more, there was no tactics or strategy involved.”
“What are you trying to say father?”
“The Kosalan armies and generals, they called me the Warrior King of Death.” Nanda continued. “Yet, I did not win with tactics, only sheer numbers in the first engagements of the war. I even lost many of the early engagements. Do you know what I am trying to tell you son?”
“I….don’t understand father.”
“I am trying to tell you three things son, three basic tenets that you should keep on your chest, heart and mind forever, you got me?”
“Yes father, tell me!”
“Even the strongest of enemies have a weakness son, you simply have to search for it. If anyone tells you they do not have a weakness, they are either lying or that person is a god, and it is very likely that it is the former than the latter.” Nanda said gently as Krit nodded with his brows in obvious thought.
“Never depreciate yourself child. Those who cannot forgive themselves, and are able to accept themselves for who they are…..they are truly the strongest people on this planet. Remember, those who cannot acknowledge themselves are doomed to fail.” Nanda stated as his son shifted uncomfortably before nodding slowly.
“And finally, you are one day to succeed me as High King. Tell me son, what do you wish to do once the crown goes to you?”
Krit looked up and said “Do good things for the people as King and become acknowledged by everyone for it!”
“No.” Nanda stated as Krit looked at him confusedly. “Kingship has never been about ‘being acknowledged by everyone as king’ but Kingship has always been ‘the one who has been acknowledged by everyone, is the king’”
Krit’s eyes widened. Nanda smiled. “Do you understand me son?”
“Not all father…..but I think I will in time.” Krit murmured.
Nanda’s eyes crinkled into a smile. He patted the chest of his son where his heart was located. “I have no doubt you will. Keep this tenets firmly in your heart when you become High King. Be acknowledged by the people, accept yourself for who you are.”
“Of course father!”
“No go to sleep. Your maids must beset with worry.” Nanda ordered. Krit blushed in embarrassment and mumbled a ‘yes’ before scurrying away. Nanda smiled as he saw his son go. He turned to the city before his smile melted away and tears gathered in his eyes.
He only saw the blood. The rivers filled with blood, as if the glaciers themselves wept from the high mountains. Blood and gore all over the fields. Heads, body parts, clothes smattered in red all deposited all over the fields. The entire city up in flames. Tears fell freely from Nanda’s eyes. He clenched his face as he murmured “What have I done?”
The faces of the countless soldiers under his command who had died flashed in front of him. The countless civilians trying to survive in their homes, destroyed by him. The cold empty sockets of the King of Kosala as Nanda looked at his body. Tears quickly overcame the middle aged king of the Mandala.
“What have I done? What have I done?!” Nanda grieved.
“The right thing.” Came a soft feminine voice as hands snaked themselves over the back of the king.
Nanda relaxed slightly as he felt the embrace of his wife. “Yamuna……”
“War has changed you.” Yamuna stated with sadness evident in her voice.
“It has changed everybody I should think.” Nanda replied with regret clear in his voice.
“Perhaps. But those who bear the greatest responsibilities and accept them, are the greatest people on this planet.” Yamuna murmured.
“What do I do dear Yamuna? Every single time I see a city, I can only see the burning ruins of Shravasti, the people crying out in pain with death at every corner.” Nanda wept. Yamuna embraced the king and put his head on her shoulder, her silky black hair draping the king.
“It shows you are still human. You fight for your people, yet you grieve for your enemy. You are still human, my beloved.”
Nanda smiled slightly as he wiped the tears out of his eyes.
“Sit with me.” Nanda murmured in a small voice. Yamuna nodded. And the two sat in the balcony until dusk. Forgetting they were High King and High Queen, forgetting all of their responsibilities and forgetting the entire world, they simply sat in comfortable silence, as husband and wife.
***
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