Chandragupta

Chanakya still remembered that freezing wintry night when he had foreseen this moment. He was sitting under a tree, while young Chandragupta was sleeping, laying his head on his mentor’s lap. The wintry night became crueller as the cold breezes of North became frequent. The night was so quiet that Chanakya could even hear the flowing water of Ganga. And he could see the hazy silhouette of Patliputra across the river. Capital of Magadh. Young Chandragupta shivered in his lap, battling against the cold. Chanakya knew how much that young boy had worked today. He deserved a good sleep at least. For what he was going to achieve one day, he would give sleepless nights to his enemies. But at this moment, he needed a quiet and restful sleep. Without thinking for a moment, he took off his own shawl and lay it on Chandragupta to keep him warm enough. Shivabhatta, who was sleeping a little far from them, was watching all these. He had always wondered why his lord, Chanakya, was so careful for this young boy. What does he see in him that made him so close to that boy? Why does he care for him as if he is his own child? He wondered.

Chanakya caressed his fingers through the young boy’s hair and gently raised the latter’s head and himself moved away, letting the boy rest alone. Chanakya quietly stood up to his feet and walked toward the bank of Ganga. Shivabhatta also followed him quietly. Chanakya stood near the bank, gazing across the river and took deep breaths.

“Come here, Shivabhatta!” Chanakya said. “I know you’re awake.”

Shivabhatta joined Chanakya in no time. Even though he didn’t utter a single word, Chanakya could sense the questions emerging in his mind. “What is bugging you?” Chanakya himself asked.

“The boy, my lord,” Shivabhatta said. “What is in him that made you so sure that he is the one? Why do you care for him as if he is your own child?”

Chanakya smiled softly and glanced at Shivabhatta. “The boy you’re talking about, Shivabhatta, is no ordinary boy. I’ve seen many princes during my life at Takshshila. Some of them were able to become the great monarchs. I could see that in their eyes. But this boy… he has a different spark in his eyes. Something that I have never seen in any prince before. Mark my words, Shivabhatta! One day this boy is going to become the greatest emperor the history has ever seen. And there will never be as great monarch as him till the eternity. His roar will echo through the eternity. His glory would spread infinitely. And why am I so sure about it? Because I’ve seen that spark in only one man’s eyes other than this boy. Alexander. And if we’re to protect our motherland, our faith, our culture from foreign invaders, we need a monarch who could make them kneel. And Chandragupta is destined to be the greatest ruler of all time. The establisher of one of the greatest empires on earth. Yes, I see him as my own child. Because he needs someone to lean upon. And if I’m the only one to become his backbone, I’ll give my every breath to this boy.”