This is a work of fiction. All characters are inspired by the reverie of the author and thus bear no resemblance to an actual historical figure.
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It is the Iron Age (c. 1200—c. 900 BCE). Society as we know today was just born. Tribes throughout the world had finally settled down and small principalities had emerged every where. These chieftains were in constant mutual wars and internal troubles. But life was existing.
While the world was still understanding the benefits of farming and governance, in India doctors had performed the world's first brain surgery. The small kingdom of Puruvardhana was going to be the most powerful the world had ever seen at that point of time. The Indian society was governed by Hinduism. A dense but awe inspiring web of values. It projected a way of life. It gave life a purpose. It asked fundamental and spiritual questions about human existence and happiness. In the kingdom of Puruvardhana lay the future. If it thrives it can alter the course of history and scientific discovery. But not everything goes the right way.
King Paru rules Hastinapura, the capital of Puruvardhana. A dignified general in the erstwhile Bhārātā dynasty's army, Paru had made his name as a fierce warrior. He was an ambitious man, known among his compatriots as Sher Paru after he saved a woman from a Leopard by using his bare hands. That day changed his destiny. The woman he saved was the daughter of the King of the Bhārātā empire. The king asked, "Ask what you want and I'll make sure its yours!"
Paru asked the hand of his daughter Radha. The king was angry but inspired by his confidence. He saw ambition in his eyes. He allowed him to marry his daughter.
They were wed pompously in a grand wedding ceremony. He became the general in the army. And within years was promoted to the post of Pradhan Mantri, the Prime Minister. After the king died Puru succeeded him and coronated the clan of Puruvardhana. Under Puru this small principality of Hastinapura grew into a massive empire stretching from the Himalayas to the Deccan plains and from Karakoram to the eastern Garo hills known for its rainfall.
The empire was stable and functioned as a republic. Although the King was the highest position but the ministers as a body kept a check on his powers. No law could be passed without the approval of a majority of the ministers. Further down these ministers were elected by local bodies of Sabha and Samiti which were two independent houses. Within decades the empire grew prosperous and people had a successful life, of sorts. There was poverty at some areas and corruption among the ministers but all in all society wasn't rotting away, rather it was progressing.
King Paru fought four wars, and won all of them. At last, reaching 50 he knew his time was up. He had 2 sons. Either of them could be successful by themselves. They were trained and well educated. They were the most desirable princes in all of the subcontinent. Paru nominated his elder son Manu as his heir. The Councils and the ministers supported him in this venture. So it was decided, Manu was to be the new king of Puruvardhana.
Manu was well renowned for his bravery and intellect. He was a shy kid, didn't talk much but whenever he did everyone listened. He carried a heavy aura of dignity wherever he went. Once a neighboring warrior tribe threatened the borders of the empire. King Puru sent Manu to deal with them. Manu made sure that his enemies got the right message. When the enemy informer arrived he proclaimed in front of the whole Sabha, "If our great lord, the king of kings, Xinyou breaks the barriers of this palace, he will kill everyone of you. If he manages to hold on to any women they will be taken as slaves and their houses will be burnt to the ground. Your society and polity will vanish from the face of history."
When the messenger finally concluded and asked Manu for a reply he received only a single word, "If." Neither Xinyou nor any other enemy ever managed to breach through the borders of Puruvardhana again. The war with Xinyou ended with so much humiliation for the enemy that he and his clan vowed to protect Manu whenever he asked for it.
So it was pretty logical to nominate him as King.
Manu became king after his father's death in 1150 BCE. He continued in his father's footsteps. He wanted his people to prosper and to help them he built roads and schools. Although he was kind to all he showed no mercy for those who looted and murdered. One day he was reported of the rising number of dacoities in major highways. He blinded all of the dacoits to set an example to those who wanted to become one in the future.
But the King was a bachelor. His mother Radha had been looking for a bride. She selected 14 from India and abroad. There was one from the Fjords of the West. "Her hair was bright as gold and her eyes shone bright like a gemstone", the people used to describe her as heavenly. But the King did not like any of them. He even told his mother that he did not need a wife. When she failed to persuade him for months, she ordered the audience of the Pandits. These Pandits who had mastered the Vedas and were all knowing creatures, with every word they uttered was regarded as holy. They together looked at the Hindu calendar and tried to explain the cause of Manu's denial to marry. They were shocked to know the cause. The King was born on an inauspicious day. To break the curse someone related by blood will have to marry him otherwise he will remain heirless. Radha was in deep confusion. Manu had no sisters related to him by blood. He asked his advisors for answers but no one had any. The Pandits were recalled to solve the anomaly. This time they had come with a solution. "You'll have to marry Manu, my Queen." This was their reply. Radha was angry and confused at the same time, "But I'm his mother. The Gods would be angry if I committed this sin."
"But this is the only way out. The Gods wouldn't mind if it was consensual. Many of the Gods themselves have married their maithers and even have children with them. So the Gods might even be happy and bless this communion."
The Queen needed time. This didn't make any sense to her. How could a mother marry his own son? There must be another choice. She locked herself up in her room for a week, thinking. Finally she decided the more important choice was to marry his son. He wouldn't have an heir without a wife. She didn't want the kingdom to be taken over by some bigot. As it is the empire had started to face a lot of external aggression. "I shall do it!" Said the Queen.
But this was just the beginning. Incest marriages between blood relatives was illegal in the empire. The Queen Mother Radha had to get a consensus for a new law to be framed which would legalize incestous relationship between blood members. But the King wouldn't accept it any case, it had to look like as if the people want this and the only way to prove that would be to convince either of the two chambers, i.e. Sabha or Samiti.
The Queen summoned 18 of the most charismatic and influential men and women of the chambers. She warned them that a huge bad omen was about to fall on the empire. The Pandits, her allies, supported this claim stating that if incest stayed illegal then it would upset the Gods, chiefly the eldest of all the Gods who himself had married his daughter. It's fascinating what fear can do in the face of danger. All 18 of the individuals accepted to convince the Chambers to pass a law which would legalize incest.
With this sorted there was only a single hurdle left; the King himself. If he refuses to give his royal signature, the law is killed. Radha had plans for this too. 'It is getting dark', she said to herself as she watched the sinking sun, her eyes glistening with passion.
Night fell upon the earth dwellers soon enough. The Queen Mother Radha had asked for an audience with the King. "It is urgent", she said to his chief courtier. She was nervous her mind was drifting towards and away to many topics and outcomes that this proposal might bring. She had never talked to her son about any topic even remotly connected to the one she was going to now.
The doors swung open and she saw her son sitting on a chair beside his bed. It was after all his private time.
" You asked to see me mother."
"Ahh yes. There has been a report which has come to me related to a new trend which has emerged in society. Marriage among blood relatives." Manu was uneasy and he was about to dismiss the whole idea as nonsense but Radha hadn't finished, " I know, it sounds ridiculous. It did to me as well in the beginning but there is a huge cause behind it. Yesterday I summoned the Pandits and they pointed out that the position of the planets had aligned in such a way that if we failed to help this cause our rule will come to a catastrophic halt. A situation like this is very rare, it comes every 4000 years. The last time it had come was when the Gods walked this earth.
The Vedas talk about Gods being compelled to marry their blood relatives in order to survive and defeat the Rakshas(Demons). And such a time has befallen us as well. The proof is their in the society itself. If we fail now we lose this position we hold and take for granted. There is a reason why you didn't accept any of the brides I chose for you. This is a message Manu, from the Gods. We must act and we must act now." She thought she had put her case very elegantly. She was now a little more confident but she did not see an answer in the King's face. He had an unpredictable personality which separated him from everyone else. It made him difficult to tackle and defeat. But why would this act save him and humanity and what relation did it have with his marriage?
"Mother I understand all what you said but there has to be another option. Also there is another problem. Which blood relative would I marry to save my throne. All my sisters and aunts are married." Radha saw that her son had understood the underlying cause; his marriage.