Sluttish Time : How Many Men Do You Need?

"What a slut time is. She screws everybody.”
― John Green

CHALUKYA DYNASTY: (PULKASEIN II)

Dear Time

Hello

I am really sad that people are adorning you with such ornaments! Really tragic!

But as I introspect myself and go deep into the phases of my life I stand by Shakespeare.. 

Three thousand years ago Arundhati too  thought that she can play with hearts. She thought her beauty as her most valuable tool in seeking the love and partnership of that man who she admired. But she forgot one thing that in all this she was snatching an already married man. She forgot that her love was tainted with lust and not sacrifice...

You know time..Yes I know, you know.. Pratima, wife of Surya cried and begged Arundhati to leave her husband. She showed her, their six years old son but Arundhati was blinded with Time's flowers showered on her  by Surya. Arundhati's parents were great poet and asked their daughter to stay away from a Sin like life but she was soaked in pride of her beauty.... Only if she had known then that she'll have to pay for this sin of hers. in all her births... If only she had known then that she would pine for true love but it will always deceive her..If only she had known then, her Karma would cling to her soul like a leech in all her births....

There was a continuous raging war of the Chalukya dynasty to establish their supremacy. When Pulkasein II had defeated Harshvardhana, near Narmada river, there was almost a yearlong celebration in Vatapi, later known as Badami, capital of the hero Pulkaein II, and Arundhati, the most enchanting virgin dancer of the period, danced her heart out amongst her chosen Admirers. As I told you Time, Arundhati’s parents were great poets of the period and had always objected to her dancing this way. But she was defiant- her beauty was defiant!

The story of her beauty had reached Pulakasein II, too and he  requested one of his trusted noble Surya Kant to stage her dance show in the courtyard of the Chalukya Palace fort....She had attracted the interest and attention of the all the heroes and noblest of the nobles!

Pulkasein was married to the ‘Ganga’ King Durvinita’s daughter Shailvinita, known for her immense beauty and profound knowledge of religious scriptures, principles, techniques of war, Laws of Manu or Manava Dharama Shastra and the most poisonous weapons made for the kings, extremely beautiful women dancers! 

In this period women dancers were used as tools to subjugate and captivate mightiest of the mighty rulers and prince. It was believed ‘they’ were trained to trap the nobles and kings and bite them with their teeth or nails, laced with venom. Shailvinita, hence feared beautiful ladies, who were always trying to force themselves on her handsome husband.................................

 

Pulkasein’s physique, charm royal blood and stories of his conquests were enough to make any beautiful girl go weak in her knees! And this made Shailvinita also to be on her toes to guard her husband from all various types of onslaughts. But history had something else stored for Shailvinita and Arundhati…..  Arundhati did dance for Pulakasein but that was her last dance… 

AFTER TWO YEARS...

Every evening ,when the sun went down in the huge ocean and its golden rays frisked on the dancing waves, Arundhati danced for her lover. The entire Chalukya Dynasty knew of her dancing talent and she was every bachelor's dream! But this beauty craved only for Surya. Her passion saw her uncontrolled lover wild with want and she fell in his arms as a leaf of an intoxicated Jasmine with heaving breasts and hot breath fanning his body. She was the most beautiful and skilled dancer of the Era.

 

Pratima dejected with life,  and her husband Surya, left for the jungle along with her son...She became a 'Sanyasin' Arundhati oblivious of all this went on dancing and spending passionate nights with her lover but a day came when her lover lost all his wealth and Arundhati was eventually disillusioned! She retrieved her senses and remembered Pratima's 'shrap' that she will never get 'True Love' in all her births....

Time dear, the story has not come to an end. Vatapi was seeing its doom. Narasimhavarman also known as Mamallan (great wrestler) and a great warrior after whom Mammallapuram, (Mahabalipuram) was named, had avenged his father’s defeat at the hands of the Chalukya king, PulkaseinII and had captured Vatapi. And who was responsible for this? Arundhati? Or someone else?

ONE DAY:

 “विद्वत्त्वं च नृपत्वं च नैव तुल्यं कदाचन ।
स्वदेशे पूज्यते राजा विद्वान् सर्वत्र पूज्यते” ॥ she went on reeling in her glory. “You know this sloka Baba? She queried smiling. “You only have taught me”. She said fixing her heavy silver anklets.

“Yes I know, I only have taught you this but I did not know you would interpret these lines in a deformed and distorted form. Her father’s anger was by now rising. “I did not know that your skill would make you so proud that you would close your eyes to the practical realities of this Universe. This Universe is not only yours Arunnshri. You are crossing your boundaries…..

“No Baba, I am not crossing any boundary. I only want to beg you that let me dance on every stream of life. Let me swim with fishes…flutter with the butterflies… skim the waves. Let me live Baba…. Let me live!” she exclaimed getting up from the bed moving towards the window overlooking the majestic sunset scene.

A VIOLENT SHADE OF PULKASEIN:

In Vatapi, Pulkasein raised a victory column claiming his victory against the Pallavas. Sivagami refused to dance in front of the Persian emissaries in Pulakesein's court.  But Pulakasein’s cruelty saw the extreme when he devised a devious way of making her dance by beating the captured Pallava citizens and stopping only when Sivagami danced. This continued every day. In fact, the more tortured Sivagami was- the more pleasure he drew and took out his frustration of not able to bed Arundhati by then.

............

But you know you really played havoc with Arundhati. ...



She cried, begged and lamented but you very cruelly left her lamenting- you showed your sluttish nature to her... She is still crying but you just laugh at her.... Here is peep to her story..

“She looks like a victim of war… and unmarried….and also a Kannada” the young Sanyasi spoke looking at the old priest. The young Sanyasi had very cleverly taken off her dress, heavy anklets and other jewelry from her body. He had clad her in the saree discarded by some woman near the river. Very deftly, he had also buried the woman’s possessions near a Peepal tree of the place. He did not want the priest to speculate on her profession. The kind of jewelry and dress he had taken off from the woman’s body at that time were only worn by professional dancers and he was not sure if the old priest would welcome and take in refuge an ailing dancer. All dancers at that time were suddenly being hated after the Ajanta Episode…. 

 

It's getting really late. I'll come back to you to remind you what you did with her...YES. YOU DID REALLY SCREW HER UP AND HER LIFE. Till then..bye. Go and show your true colors to someone else!

"Yawn"

Yours

Rashmi.

Copyright@ Author
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