The Rebellion of the Twins.
Of Love, Duty, and Sacrifice
Please be sure to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3, first.
Back at the ashram, as the twins grew up, the sage instructed them in special military training and celestial warfare, training befitting the sons of a great warrior King.
By now, the sage had also ascertained the truth about the rumors and had gladly shared the news with the Queen.
Elated at hearing that the King had commissioned a golden statue of her to accompany him in worship, the Queen was immediately overcome with shame at her earlier doubts and thoughts.
She was the one who, for a moment, doubted him and his love for her.
Oh, what a careless mistake she had made, even if it was only in thought. The years apart had taken their toll on her faith, and doubt had crept in, if only for a moment.
How could she have imagined the honorable and truthful man she had married to be capable of betrayal?
Feeling sorrowful for her weakness, she approached the sage and sought his counsel.
He suggested it was not an issue that deserved her attention as it was natural for anyone in her position to feel a sense of doubt.
But she was adamant; she had to undertake a ritual to atone for her thoughts.
The sage, wise to her emotional need to see her husband too, suggested that she should immediately begin a special ritual. When completed successfully, it would also allow her to see the King and be reunited with him.
Her joy knew no bounds. Immediately, she received the instructions and began a tough ritual in parallel to the King’s conducting the Ashwamedha Yagna.
Setting her on this path of worship, and instructing her twin children to aid her in every way, the sage went away from his ashram on some errand. The Queen also chose to reinforce with her sons the need to ensure her rituals were not interrupted in any way.
Thus, finding themselves alone and bored with free time to explore, the twins ventured further into the forest.
Deep into the woods, they stumbled upon an open land at the other edge of the forest, still close to the ashram. To their surprise, they found a beautiful horse grazing without any owner nearby.
Approaching the horse and seeing its royal markings, they managed to hold its reins and read the proclamation. Just reading the proclamation incensed them. It appeared to them that the signatory of such a proclamation must be an arrogant ruler indeed to assume that there were no warriors around.
The proclamation was provoking, in their view, and no brave warrior, having read the challenge, could resist it answering the call.
So, they did what children, especially teens do best - rebel against the ask.
They walked the horse to a nearby tree, tethered it, and waited peacefully for the owners to show up.
Soon, the army, led by the youngest brother, arrived in search of the horse they believed had wandered off.
They had traversed vast lands unchallenged and were now on the final stretch homeward.
Nearing their kingdom, the soldiers had slowed their pace, allowing the horse to lead the way as usual.
Uncertain of its whereabouts now, they searched the area and soon found themselves face to face with two teenagers munching on apples, sitting under the shade of a tree near the tethered horse.
The soldiers were taken aback when they realized that the individuals before them were just children.
Presumably, the teenaged children were ignorant of the significance of the horse, leading the soldiers to request authoritatively that the twins release the horse.
However, the twins stood up defiantly and refused to comply with the soldiers' request.
In response, the soldiers issued a firm warning to them, questioning whether they even knew whose horse it was that they had unknowingly captured.
The teens denied having this knowledge and boldly asserted that it did not matter, as they considered themselves to have accepted the challenge presented by capturing the horse.
The soldiers, taking pity on these children and noticing their attire from the ashram, informed them that the horse belonged to King Rama.
Immediately, the children's attention was caught.
"What luck," they thought, "to have captured the King’s horse, the King they wished to meet to challenge his decision on the Queen. Well, now they could finally come face to face with the ruler who had unjustly exiled his innocent wife."
So they became even more determined to keep the horse.
They then suggested that the soldiers fight them to recover the horse, as was proclaimed in the notice.
The soldiers at first laughed at the puny kids threatening them, but when they couldn't budge them, they sought to disarm them.
However, these were the twin brothers, heirs of a warrior dynasty, taught secrets of special warfare for years by the sage, a training befitting warriors, especially one befitting the children of a great warrior.
The soldiers were disarmed easily and ran to inform the youngest brother of this unnatural happening.
The army had put up a tent, and the youngest brother was resting, awaiting the news and looking forward to going home.
The soldiers granted entry brought an unsettling message: Two young kids had captured the horse, and were refusing to let go, and instead, asked to see the King.
The youngest brother asked them to repeat their message.
Anger and ego fueled his steps, as the thought that some ashram children asked to see the King so cavalierly, was more than he could bear. Not while he led the army and was in charge of protecting the horse. So he armed himself and went in search of the horse with a few soldiers. After all, these were just kids.
The twins, gleeful at their first victory over the soldiers, returned to relaxing under the tree and were hailed by the soldiers to come to meet the brother of King Rama.
They rose and approached closer, paying their respects to the youngest brother. When the brother saw them, he was struck by their innocent beauty and somewhat troubled.
He couldn't believe they had sent such a message or had overcome his soldiers.
So, in the sweetest tone he could muster, he spoke to them and reasoned with them to let the horse go, emphasizing that they might not fully understand the consequences of their actions.
But the twins remained steadfast, asserting that such a challenge as one issued by the King was not something warriors could overlook, and they were prepared to fight him and the army if necessary.
When asked what they desired, they reiterated their request, "We wish to meet the King."
The youngest brother was shocked that children could entertain the notion of summoning the King on a whim. Despite his lengthy sermons and advice, the twin brothers remained unmoved.
Left with no other recourse, the youngest brother picked up his arms to warn them to step aside.
Thus began a battle where the twins proved victorious, rendering the youngest brother unconscious through the adept use of specially invoked mantras for their arrows. They had mastered the bow and arrow as their primary weapons of choice.
The worried soldiers returned to camp with the youngest brother to render him aid. They dispatched their fastest rider to the capital city to inform the King’s advisors of what had transpired.
The King, per the instructions governing the rituals, was to be undisturbed during the sacrificial worship when he was invoking the Gods.
Consequently, the rider sought out the inner circle of advisors, which included the monkey God, Hanuman, and the younger brothers of the King.
At first, they were puzzled and somewhat annoyed at the news. Their youngest brother must be joking, to send such a message - kids disarming their brave warrior of a brother who had returned from a yearlong sojourn of the lands unchallenged?
Hanuman advised them not to bestir themselves for such a small task when he was around. He assured them that he would take care of the mischief, if any, and bring back the brother, the horse, and the army home safely.
So Hanuman went to the army camp, ensuring the accuracy of the news on the ground and checking on the youngest brother's health. He then proceeded to locate the mischievous kids who had dared such an act.
The twins were engrossed in a game with each other, practicing target shooting against the hapless fruits of the nearby trees.
Suddenly, they spotted Hanuman in the trees.
At first surprised, they drew nearer to each other to examine the scene.
Hanuman, who had hoped to surprise and scare them, dropped to the ground in his full adult form, a half-human, half-monkey form.
The moment he stood up and his eyes fell upon the twins, he was stunned. These twins did not look like any ordinary kids from the ashram, despite their attire. Their manner was regal.
He approached them to inquire about their parents' names. The twins refused to entertain any dialogue about their parents and instead challenged Hanuman to fight them warrior to warrior.
Hanuman, devoted to the King and Queen and blessed with great spiritual powers as a result of his devotion, became suspicious when confronted by two teens, regal in bearing, holding a bow and arrow, and challenging him to fight them for the horse.
Invoking his inner sight and spiritual powers, he sought to know their parents’ names. His spiritual eye showed him the King and Queen’s visual.
At peace, he realized that the Queen must be nearby, and rather than fight the children, he surrendered to them.
The twins were not impressed with this action, however, and felt cheated of a good fight.
But upon learning that he was the monkey-God, they rejoiced at meeting him and congratulated him for his victorious role in the ten-day war.
However, they did win themselves a prisoner, so they sought his word that he would not fight them behind their back. Upon his assurance, they asked him to seat himself against a tree and tied his hands and feet loosely.
Hanuman was joyous at seeing the children’s confidence and mastery of celestial warfare, and wondered who had taught them so well.
The twins now awaited the next entrant to the fight. The soldiers, seeing the brave Hanuman so easily conquered and unable to comprehend this reality, ran back to the kingdom.
The second youngest brother was enraged at this news, his pride injured. He assured his older brother, Prince Lakshmana, that he would take care of this by himself, suggesting that his older brother stay with the King while he sorted out the situation with the kids. Out he went riding to the army camp.
Upon arriving at the horse’s captured site, the same scene unfolded as before.
When he confronted with the kids and saw Hanuman bound, his anger flared.
Hanuman refused to respond to the brother’s questions as he was now a prisoner of the children.
This only served to further provoke the brother.
Forgetting that they were just children, he immediately drew his bow and arrow.
But the teenagers had been meticulously trained by the wise sage, not only in weaponry but also in mystical arts, and celestial warfare. They were well-versed in the use of special mantras that could be invoked with their arrows to disarm, render unconscious, or defeat their enemies. Thus, when the brother attacked, he quickly fell unconscious, and his comrades carried him away from the site.
News quickly reached Prince Lakshmana, the valiant warrior who had famously slain the mighty warrior son of Ravana.
Upon hearing the news, the Prince was consumed by rage.
Who were these audacious children, he wondered, who dared to halt the progress of the brave King Rama's horse, overpower his own brothers, and even capture Hanuman, the mighty monkey god?
It was an unprecedented occurrence, and such an event was entirely unexpected, especially during the conclusion of the sacrifice, and so close to the kingdom's borders.
Who dared to challenge the authority of the King from the very borders of his land, Prince Lakshmana wondered?
Despite the gravity of the situation, he readied himself for battle, though he approached the twins with a sense of disbelief.
The idea of being threatened by two youths barely out of their infant years seemed almost laughable to him.
However, his initial disbelief turned to fury as he saw Hanuman, the brave and revered, sitting near a tree, seemingly content with being held captive by the twins.
The twins were initially excited to meet Prince Lakshmana, as they had heard tales of his bravery and his unwavering devotion to his brother, which inspired them deeply.
They greeted the prince with reverence and admiration, bowing respectfully before him.
Prince Lakshmana was taken aback by meeting these seemingly innocent children. He was reluctant to engage in combat with them.
But they kept challenging him to fight them as he was a brave warrior and could not hide from battle.
Despite his attempts to reason with them, the twins remained steadfast in their refusal to release the horse.
Instead, they boldly demanded that the Prince fetch the King to confront them directly.
At this, the Prince's anger erupted, and he warned the twins to prepare for battle.
Though young, they faced him fearlessly. The ensuing combat was intense, with each side showcasing their skills.
Regardless of the vast difference in experience between the seasoned warrior prince and the youthful twins, a mysterious force seemed to guide the children, and even the mighty Prince Lakshmana succumbed to their celestial arrows, fell unconscious and was defeated.
The twins instructed the soldiers to carefully escort the unconscious Prince Lakshmana back to camp, assuring them that their intention was not to cause harm.
The twins, pleased with their victory, made their way back to the shade of their tree, ready for their next adversary but also hopeful for the chance to finally meet the King.
Meanwhile, Hanuman observed the events unfold in silence, his heart filled with hope that this unexpected turn of events would ultimately lead him to reunite with Mother Sita.
The soldiers were afraid like never before, shaking in fear as they wondered who would be chosen to bear the task of informing the King that not only his youngest brothers but also his bravest brother, Prince Lakshmana, had fallen to a pair of teenage kids.
With no choice in the matter, the selected soldier rode like the wind back to the Palace.
The advisors were deeply troubled by this news. They realized there was no avoiding it—the King had to be informed.
After conferring among themselves, they decided to utilize the customary lull in the day’s rituals to deliver the grave tidings to the King.
The news was given to him bit by bit, to mitigate the impact to them.
Initially, they spoke of Shatrughna, the youngest, who was defeated.
The King listened at first without being alarmed. Battle losses were not uncommon.
"Surely," he asked, "Bharata (the second youngest step-brother) has sorted the matter?"
Ahem, the advisors cleared their throats.
They assured him that Bharata was a brave warrior and needn’t have bothered, especially with Hanuman, the undefeated monkey-warrior, around.
"Okay then," said the King. "Am I to understand that Hanuman has returned then with the horse and my youngest brother is recovering in the Palace?"
Well, not quite, the advisors informed him. Hanuman was captured, and Bharata went to rescue him.
The King grew still at this news.
"Well?" he asked, just a one-word question, his eyebrow raised in a manner that sent shivers down the advisors' spines.
For the first time, they understood the gravity of what warriors must have faced in battles far away from the Kingdom, so many years ago when confronted with that piercing gaze of the King.
Gulping, they said, "Unfortunately, Prince Lakshmana was needed to go after Bharata to rescue him, as he was defeated as well."
The King repeated their words, "Prince Lakshmana too?"
They nodded vigorously.
"And?" he queried, his piercing stare once again fixing upon them.
Someone had advised them to "make light over heavy ground," but in the face of the warrior King's piercing stare, none could recall the saying.
His demeanor had shifted in the last few moments of their news, his posture alert, as if mentally preparing for battle.
The advisors thrust the poor soldier who had ridden like the wind in front of the King, saving themselves from the brunt of his unnerving stare.
The soldier stammered quickly, “Prince Lakshmana has fallen unconscious and is being tended to at the army camp.”
The King straightened in his seat. “How many of the enemy are there?”
The soldier swallowed. “Two, my King.”
The King asked him to repeat his information.
“My King, what can I say? These are but two children, and they have wreaked havoc over our soldiers and the Princes. Even Hanuman sits there passively, bound hand and foot. Their celestial warfare cannot be withstood, my King. I am sorry that we have failed you.”
The King rose slowly, his annoyance converting to anger as he processed the news that his three brave brothers, especially the bravest of them, Prince Lakshmana, had been defeated by two children and Hanuman was captured. It made no sense, and he imagined the worst - that some demon-trickery was at play.
He motioned to his aide and informed the advisors. He would ride out with the larger army to retrieve the horse.
The advisors withdrew, even as the aide hurried to ready the King’s attire for battle.
The story writes itself, folks, and continues as it develops further. I hope you are enjoying this original retelling of an ancient tale. Detailed notes and context to follow. Read Part 5 below:
Jayshree, again you held me captive with story of honour and valour, both beautiful and sad. Thank you 💙🙏💫
Jayshree, Spellbound. D