King Harshvardhan and the Mysterious Journey to Aravali ! (Part-5)
King Harshvardhan sat in his chambers, lost in deep thought, when Prince Aryabhata entered and addressed him, "Maharaj!" Harshvardhan smiled and said, "Here, I am not your Maharaj; I am your elder brother."
Sobbing, Aryabhata said, "Brother, if you leave, how will I manage this vast empire?" Harshvardhan interrupted him gently, "Little brother, I believe you are more capable, brave, and intelligent than I am. In my absence, you are the one who will lead this empire of Aryavarta. If I am no longer here, you shall be the King."
Aryabhata replied, "Brother, I have no desire to be King. I am fine as a Prince; I do not wish to be troubled by state affairs, and I cannot manage such a massive responsibility alone." Just then, Queen Vasundhara entered. The King beckoned her, "Queen Vasundhara, come before me." Placing a hand on the Queen's cheek, the King said, "Tomorrow I leave for the Aravali mountains. Do you know that I may never return? That is why I was telling Aryabhata to manage the kingdom in my stead, and you must support him. I shall depart tomorrow only after offering prayers at 'Vishnueshwar', the new temple of Lord Vishnu. Now, go to sleep; we must leave early tomorrow morning."
The Departure and the Temple Mystery:-
The next morning, birds were chirping, the sun's rays were piercing through the hills, and a cool morning breeze was blowing. The King prepared for his journey. The Queen approached him and said, "My Lord, may you return victorious." The Prince added, "Brother, come back only after your triumph."
King Harshvardhan set out toward Aravali with 1,000 soldiers. On the way, seeing the Vishnueshwar temple, he halted his army and said, "Let us stop for a moment to pray before we proceed." When the priest, Ramakrishna Acharya, saw the King, he greeted him. The King explained that he was heading to Aravali and wanted to worship Lord Vishnu before leaving.
The priest bowed his head and said, "Rajan, you cannot perform the puja." Startled, the King asked, "Why?" The priest explained, "Maharaj, the finest sculptor in the land carves the idol, but every next day, that idol shatters." The King felt this was an ominous sign and, lost in thought, he proceeded further.
Hospitality in Raigarh:-
Eventually, they reached Raigarh. King Raichand of Raigarh was sitting in his assembly when a scout rushed in with news, "Maharaj, an army is approaching!" Raichand was shocked and said, "Who is it? We have no enemies; who would attack us?"
When the messenger entered the court and announced that "Maharaj Harshvardhan has arrived," Raichand realized it was the King of Aryavarta. He laughed and said, "Harshvardhan is a noble king; he would never wage war like this."
The messenger then said, "King Raichand, Maharaj Harshvardhan requests your permission to stay in your kingdom tonight." Raichand replied joyfully, "It is our honor! Bring him here with full respect."
The messenger added, "Maharaj Harshvardhan has sent word that he will not stay in the palace. Instead, he will stay in a simple hut and eat ordinary food." Raichand agreed and went to meet him in the evening. When Raichand bowed to greet him, Harshvardhan lifted him up, embraced him, and said, "Rajan, you are the king of a nation; you do not need to bow. I too am a king, which makes us friends."
Nag Kund and the Warning of Acharya YogmayaRaichand asked, "Maharaj, what brings you this way?" Harshvardhan replied, "I am going to the Aravali mountains to meet Acharya Yogmaya."
Raichand said hesitantly, "Maharaj, whoever has gone there has never returned. Do you still wish to go?" Harshvardhan replied, "It is absolutely essential for me to go, otherwise my empire will be destroyed."
Raichand warned him, "Rajan, to the west from here lies a river named 'Nag Kund', which marks the beginning of the Aravali hills. Beyond that river lies the abode of Aravali and Acharya Yogmaya. I have heard that Acharya Yogmaya is extremely learned, beautiful, and a great warrior, but to this day, whoever has seen her has not survived. Furthermore, a seven-headed serpent guards that river."
Harshvardhan expressed his gratitude and declined the offer to stay in the palace. That night, while the King was in a deep sleep, Lord Vishnu appeared in his dream. The Lord said, "Rajan, the temple in which you wish to install me will remain incomplete because I cannot reside in that particular idol."
The King asked anxiously, "Lord, what mistake have I made?" Lord Vishnu smiled and said, "Rajan, as you move forward, you will find a river named 'Nag Kund'. I am present there. You will find an idol of mine deep beneath the waters of the river. Take that idol and install it in the temple. And remember, where I am, Shiva resides; and where Shiva is, I am. You must go to the sacred Kailash Parvat, where there is a Shiva Lingam in a lake called 'Amrit Kund'. Only when you install my magnificent idol from Nag Kund and the Shiva Lingam from Amrit Kund in the temple will I reside there..."
With these words, Lord Vishnu vanished. King Harshvardhan woke up and thought, "Is this the truth? The Lord Himself has appeared to show me the path of righteousness."
Saying "Jai Shri Hari," the King went back to sleep peacefully.
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To Be Continues.....