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Crimson Drakon

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Tale Of Hindustan Retold: Gupta Twice-Born
guptack2_intro_1.jpg
Palace Guard with Two Leopards

As evening falls, the fat merchant sits by the fire and regales you and the rest of the court with stories of his travels. His appetite seems insatiable, but as you do not wish to prove a poor host, you order your servants to bring in a second serving.

“Great goodness, what marvelous food have you brought today?! Are all your honored guests welcomed with such a magnificent display?” said the peculiar trader. He could not stop licking his fingers from the honey sauce that had remained after devouring the offered delicacy

“Only to those who offer a significant exchange in return… as a merchant, I am sure you understand”

The fat merchant nodded with an absent mind as he gazed the interior of the palace. It was a welcome change from the dust ridden roads and the flea infested hostels he would usually spend his night…

…but what if each night was like the one he was experiencing? What if servants brought food and drink and he would sleep in a fine, comfortable bed with a warm fire to soften the cold? Or he could indulge in a hot bath and enjoy the luxuries of royalty, without being one himself?

“Perhaps Your Grace we can strike a bargain… for each night of hospitality, I shall orate you a tale from the mystical realm of Hindustan.”

“In fact I shall tell you the fable of the House of Gupta, of a family as noble as that of the Karlings of Europe which rose from obscurity back to the seat of kings.. When in the time they ruled it was a Golden Age undreamed of, even in these parts of the Earth..”

Very well then….

Tell us more of this mythical realm of Hindustan…

guptack2_intro_2.jpg

//​

A. Songs of the Bengali Gupta Maharajas
I. Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Usurper’

II. Maharaja Ranasura 'the Wise'


III. Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Unfortunate’ – Maharaja Ranasura II ‘the Dull’

B. Hymns of the Universal Rulers – Samrats Chakravatins

II. Samrat Parikshitnayaran ‘the Fat’
III. The Universal Ruler of all India: Samrat Chakravartin Raghudev Gupta

C. The Golden Age of Gupta Hindustani Islam I
From Iranshahr to the Gates of Anatolia

C. The Golden Age of Gupta Hindustani Islam II
The Conquest of Greece / The Time of Kalki and the Fall of Rome/ An Age of Declared Peace and Immortality


 
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Songs of the Bengali Gupta Maharajas

I. Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Usurper’


guptack2_songbeng_I_1.jpg


You focus your eyes upon the merchant, as he makes a sign towards two of his assistants to bring in some peculiar musical instruments: a sitar and a tabla. He coughed nervously, then closed his eyes and began to chant an ominous tune. You can already tell that the bishop has fixated his eyes upon the foreigners as if they were representatives of the Devil himself.

Fortunately it did not take long for the merchant to break his trance and announced the topic of tonight’s tale : Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Usurper’

Blessed be Maharaja Ramagupta, he who on the eight of December 788 of the year of Christ went to find the Supreme. Those few who envied him and had bad words to say about him, called him a Usurper, for he wrestled his birthright from the Pala invaders and broke his social caste, rising like Ganga from the bottoms of being a Thakur to a Maharaja!

Here my friends and listeners, see with your eyes where our stories begun, so you can envisage the whereabouts of the Gupta and their people.

With the clapping of hands, the candles blow out which caused commotion on the table. The guards readied their swords but in an instant, upon the wall of the castle, a mirage appeared of a large river by the name of Ganges and the land with its local name. A grand mountain as high as the Alps stood as a barrier between the mundane cities and the realm of gods unknown to the West.

guptack2_songbeng_I_2.jpg


Soon enough light returned and the merchant continued his tale

Thakur Ramagupta was a loyal servant to the Pala Maharajas and in his kindness of heart did not press his claim as King of Bihar, as he was rightfully so. Instead he was named the Steward of the Pala Kingdom and assisted the Buddhist Maharaja without complaint on all of his assigned tasks.

Yet cruel time passed and he was without heir nor a loved one, ever consumed with providing for the welfare of the Kingdom. Would he die, his name would be lost forever and those who were once Samrat Chakravatins’ would now be only a memory.

Then Lord Kama, Lord Love, came and shot his arrow one day as he double checked the ledgers of his estate and that of the Kingdom. Her name was Yajnavati and for her Ramagupta became another man: he became a poet, a devotee of Shakti, the feminine divine and a warm lover. However the caste system dictated that she could not be his wife but rather his paramour. Even though she bore him sons and daughters, until the day Ramagupta died, she was one of the many Ramagupta chose to spend his night with. She was still his favorite on all aspects, giving birth to many offspring and ensuring the Gupta lineage.

guptack2_songbeng_I_3.jpg


But then he had an epiphany as he saw the goats sacrificed to Kali, the Agent of Time, his patron goddess. What would he inherit to his children? They were khsatriyas, of the warrior caste, but one day they would find themselves as vaishyas, merchants and traders should they continue only to be servants and stewards of the Palas. Who would know if one day the Guptas too would be served as sacrifice for the good of the realm?

He had made up his mind: he hoarded gold from his service and named himself a Raja. Then he would collect even more gold and wait for the opportune moment to see himself reinstalled as a proper khsatriya and not a vaishya in all but name. He would pray by the Ganges to Kali and Shiva and chant the sacred mantras to summon them and help him in his quest.

guptack2_songbeng_I_4.jpg


Just as he was about to abandon hope and his meditation to have been done for naught, he saw the Lord Shiva and commented on his devotion. He shared him the news that Dharmapala Pali would die by his divine hands, as he would arm the hands of a militant priest by the name of Ayus. It was then his bidding to bring Bihar to the Hindu faith primarily and be done with the Buddhist overlords.

So it was written, so it was done. Dharmapala perished and his brother Vakapala succeeded the throne, though he was no near in military skill as his brother. Ramagupta rose the banner of rebellion and together with the Followers of Arjuna, his troops and his promised soldiers from his son-in- law the child Maharaja of Ayudha, victory was complete.

guptack2_songbeng_I_5.jpg


They named him a ‘Usurper’, mainly the vile Buddhist tongues in Bihar, agents of the Palas. But he was a man who owed everything and was benefited by the Gods.

The moment he had grown his favored son Ranasura into a mastermind theologian, the moment he had excelled in the studies of religion and had become a maharishi, thus he was called by Khali and Shiva to stand by the Supreme. We all sing to the greatness of Maharaja Ramagupta, the father of Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’!
 
Interesting method of storytelling.
 
An intriguing tale, here. India is sadly often overlooked here in AARland, though I have known of a few interesting and memorable AARs set there before. Hopefully this one will soon join them :)

(As an aside: In your framing story with the nobleman and the merchant, the narrative occasionally seems to switch between past and present tense at random, which is a little jarring.)
 
Nice, subbed

Interesting method of storytelling.


Subscribed.

Thank you everyone for your interest, even from these nascent beginnings! By tomorrow the next chapter will be ready and we will retell the tale of Hindustan :) ( I am trying to make the chapters compact so they will be easy to follow as well)

An intriguing tale, here. India is sadly often overlooked here in AARland, though I have known of a few interesting and memorable AARs set there before. Hopefully this one will soon join them :)

(As an aside: In your framing story with the nobleman and the merchant, the narrative occasionally seems to switch between past and present tense at random, which is a little jarring.)

I have a soft spot in Ck II to make AARs of areas that may be overlooked (two years ago in my first AAR I begun with the Hafsids of Crete! ). Thank you for the grammar/ syntax slights spotted, English is not my mother tongue and that is the reason potentially some phrasing may look 'weird'. But I will keep it in mind in the future!
 
Songs of the Bengali Gupta Maharajas

II. Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’

a. The Dharma Of A King – The Boon Of Ganesha

As the verses of the merchant came to a halt, the sitar player gave a final string of notes with his musical instrument and took a deep bow. How exotic and different this world seemed! Gods appearing before men, intervening with the cosmos and rewarding the devotion of their devotees. It seemed that the audience was won for this night except for the bishop who contemplated upon the future of these tales. Would the merchant lead astray his audience with the marvels and intricacies of a place where man and divine walked, spoke and even fought together? Or so this trader claimed… perhaps with a dozen of salt and poetic liberty

Came the next day, with a court attending larger than the previous night. After food was served, it was time for yet another tale of Hindustan and this time, the son of Maharaja Ramagupta, he who was named Ranasura ‘the Wise’.

Ohm

When Maharaja Ranasura became crowned as Supreme Lord of Bihar with the proper rites, he was merely a young man of sixteen years old. Studying besides the great guru Shashanka, he had gained great knowledge on all the Vedic texts and had completed the first path of his Dharma with success. But Maharaja Ramagupta was concerned that his Rajkumar often preferred to delve with the company of men and spurned the wiles of the women, rejecting their siren call and masked court flirt. So it was that he betrothed his son to the second born daughter of the Mleccha – Barbarian Maharaja , to cement a strategic alliance against the rival Palas.

The betrothal was a source of great pain for Ranasura. He knew that the following step of his dharma was to establish his family and sire new heirs, not to continue his life of ascetism with the wise sages. He gradually began to feel angst for something that stirred in himself , his adoration of bodies similar to his own, though he dared not express his desires. Eventually he would spiral to depression for the impending day that he and his betrothed would be joined together.

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_1.jpg


But till that day would come, his new teacher, Hemant Sen ushered him step by step to fulfill his dharma as a maharaja: the conquest of neighbors and presenting khsatriya excellence.

So it was that Maharaja Ranasura made a tributary of Bhaumakara Raj and orchestrated the pinnacle of warrior custom. His ambition flowed to the other side of the Ganges and the boy king of Pala and his kinsmen would taste the submission to the Guptas. The Hindus of Bengal hailed Ranasura now as Maharaja of Bihar and Bengal while the children Palas cowered behind seclusion and delivered the crown with a herald. There was no more greater glory of Ranasura, the eminence of Gupta rising anew.

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_2.jpg


In the year 3898–3899 of Kali Yuga, 798 of the year of Christ, the bride expected by all but the Maharaja arrived. What astral coincidence that she too was named Yajnavati, leading further to the resentment of Ranasura.

But with wine and excessive celebration, Ramagupta II ‘the Handsome’, the second brother of the Maharaja, persuaded him to let go and let nature take its course. Shrewd Yajnavati seduced the young Maharaja and from their union (perhaps their only unquestioned union) came to life a son who was too named Ranasura. He was a strong boy and the apple of the eye of the Maharaja. The succession was secure.

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_3.jpg


Maharaja Ranasura exhaled in relief of his second stage of dharma complete. He secluded himself and meditated on sacred mantras, his depression becoming ablaze as when Lord Shiva burned Kama for interrupting his meditation. He was now a man alive again, a man who with the help of guru Hemant Sen would become a great King, a great Maharaja.

“My Maharaja” said Hemant Sen. “You are above all an undisputed lord, your son being the proof that the Gupta will live on. However while the Gods will provide with our prayer and restrictions, we mere men too must strive for security.”

“Already clouds are gathering. One of your brothers who was exclusively trained as a khsatriya lord, now gathers troops to dethrone you, saying you are weak as the Pala children. But they too, the snakes that they are, await to hatch from their eggs and bite your neck while you sleep. They hold the majority of the Bengal lands and when they are adults, it is certain they would not stand idle while the Gupta supervise them.”

“What do you suggest, oh wise guru? Consult me and I shall implement”

“Mighty Ranasura. Only one place houses the wisdom and minds of clear thought, even perhaps more supreme than myself. Go to the Nalanda University. Exercise, Pray, Contemplate. Your problems will be solved”

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_4.jpg


And thus Maharaja Ranasura did as his teacher thought best and travelled to Nalanda for advice. He enrolled with the University and studied further, enriching his knowledge and foresight. It was there that he discovered that the study of the stars could enlighten him and show him the path to the future and the answer to his problems.

Indeed, he constructed an observatory and began to draw astrological charts, with the help of Hemant Sen. Meanwhile Maharani Yajnavati brought him a second son, whom he named Rudranarayan- Roaring Vishnu. However he was struck with worry: with two male offsprings, one would have to inherit the Kingdom of Bihar and the other the Kingdom of Bengal. He worried that as his brother Jagaddipendranarayan schemed to usurp him, so too his sons would commit fratricide in order for one Maharaja to exist.

“Oh Ganesha, remover of obstacles, aid me in my problems” he cried. For days and nights he meditated on the mantra of the half-elephant, half-human god to appear and reward him for his dedication. Already his reputation as a devout and wise man was beginning to be spread and the numerous pleas reached his ears upon the faraway mountain of Kailash.

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_5.jpg


«Your call has been heard and your prayers answered. Speak then your problems” proclaimed the elephant god

The Maharaja discussed at length with his patron of the Pala contenders and his brother who coveted his throne. He then told him of his concern that his sons would also fight amongst themselves and commit the ultimate sin of kinslaying.

“Know this great Maharaja. In the ancient time, the old maharajas inducted the religious control mandate: no man should believe another thing than his master. With this you shall bring to order the Pala upstarts. As of your brother, it is your dharma as a khastriya to defend your throne. Arms and valor shall carry the day”

Lord Ganesha then turned into a dark sight.

“But of your concern about your sons, there is a price you must pay for the knowledge to be revealed to you…continue to study the stars and chant my mantras… when you are ready to know, I will reveal myself again”

Truly, the obstacles were removed: the Palas were stripped off their land being Buddhists and it did not make it any better that they rebelled against the Guptas. Each and everyone of them languished in prison, traitors to the great house and scorned by everyone. And Jagaddipendranarayan failed in his coup to oust Maharaja Ranasura, imprisoned for life in his dungeons.

guptack2_songbeng_II_a_6.jpg


Maharaja Ranasura now controlled the vast Pala estates and his power had increased threefold. All of his vassals swore by Hinduism and only the lower castes continued to cling on the creeds of Buddha.

But each tract of land he gained, the more the decree of gavelkind made his mind to wander. Would Ganesha grant him the boon of knowledge for his creation to remain intact? Would he deem righteous for there to be only one Maharaja for Bihar and Bengal? Or would his sons murder one another to become the rightful heir to the kingdoms?
 
Wonderful AAR so far! Count me in. Great work. Nice to see a Subcontinent game too. Sometimes it's too easy to forget about them with all the concentration in "The Old World."

Cheers!
 
I like the subcontinental take on "a thousand and one nights".

I suppose the mythical realm of Hindustan beckons its tale to be told in such fashion :)

Wonderful AAR so far! Count me in. Great work. Nice to see a Subcontinent game too. Sometimes it's too easy to forget about them with all the concentration in "The Old World."

Cheers!

Thank you and welcome! The names and culture may be daunting to our common concept but I try to keep with the essential and not document each and every detail, to keep the flow of the tale

Ranasura is certainly living up to his nickname "the Wise." Hopefully his sons will follow in his footsteps and not squander their kingdoms with fratricidal enmity.

But is it the purpose of life of a king to be too wise for his own good? :)

Gavelkind has royally f*****d the hopes and dreams of many rulers, and I pray that Ranasura will not share the same fate

And I took the necessary measures to prevent the kingdoms torn apart like all the previous rulers before our king :)
 
Songs of the Bengali Gupta Maharajas

II. Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’

b. Adharma of a King- The Curse of Ganesha

Many months did Maharaja Ranasura invoke the holy mantras of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Many months did he observe the sky, waiting for the time for the eminent deity to appear with his chariot and grant him the solution to his problems

“Oh ye mighty Lord, son of Shiva and Parvati! Guide me from the spiritual darkness that has shrouded my sight! Reveal to me your knowledge to your humble devotee!”

It was then that the night howled and Indra, King of Heaven, whispered in the sky

“Lord Ganesha has heard your calls. Go to the forsaken Arabian Desert and find the mad mleccha guru. Secrets will be revealed, ancient knowledge unearthed”

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_1.jpg


The boon was granted, the wisdom was shared. The mad Arab guru taught Ranasura of this world and the next, of how the mleccha Arabs prevented fratricide by granting all titles to the strongest heir. It was a journey of insight and verily with this knowledge which all rajas and maharajas ignored, that the Gupta Dynasty would remain intact and the story of Mahabharata, the epic battle of the kinsmen, would not unfold once again in the Maharaj of Gupta. The law of the first child to inherit all possessions was enacted and the stability of the kingdom ensured

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_2.jpg


While the boon of Lord Ganesha granted the future of the kingdom secured, Maharaja Ranasura became too wise for his caste and with the knowledge of good also came the knowledge of evil, as the mad mleccha guru poisoned his mind. Evil thoughts plagued him , ambitions to become a Samrat not by the honor of the sword but with the use of shadow and intrigue.

As his sages advised him, the Mleccha Kingdom to the north was ruled by Maharani Yajnavati’s sister, with the next in line to inherit being her. How Maharaja Ranasura aspired : his beloved firstborn son would receive as inheritance both his kingdoms and that of his mother, should of course she would be crowned queen of the barbarians to the north.

The plot was hatched, the scheme executed. Maharani Syamadevi, the sister of the wife of Ranasura, fell to the ground and to her demise from a fault in the maintenance of the balcony. The Assamese hailed Yajnavati as their new queen, yet spurned the adharma- unvirtuous act of Maharaja Ranasura Gupta. She was glad to return to her homeland as the Maharaja was not keen to his duties as a husband and her constant advances to increase the bloodline were met with resistance.

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_3.jpg


In a moment of clairvoyance, the Maharaja questioned his everlasting ambitions. To his sword the Pala children met their demise, to his dagger his sister in-law perished before her time. Was it worth to stain his dharma such and deny his release from the circle of pain? The Buddhist mantras and pleas of the Palas rung in his ears and in a moment similar as when the wheel of law turned, the Maharaja renounced Hinduism and accepted the Vajrayana as his new creed. The first lesson of the four noble truths was realized.

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_4.jpg


When the news spread in the celestial plane as of how Lord Buddha conquered the mind and heart of the wise Maharaja, the keeper of elder secrets, Lord Ganesha became furious.

“Oh unto you, unwise Maharaja, that you may find obstacles in your quest to be Samrat! Oh that you lose the apple of your eye and your family slays one another! How could you so foolishly renounce your patron lord as such?! My curse unto you and to the Guptas till I deem the adharma complete!”

The earth shook with Lord Ganesha’s word, the creation became dark and hostile to the Gupta domain. Consumption broke in the kingdom and many of the royal family became afflicted, not even the healing treatise of Ayurveda could save their lives.

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_5.jpg


The Maharaja secluded himself in his castle, praying to Lord Buddha to help him cope with his previous patron’s curse. He made efforts to cleanse his karma and his worldly desires but the cries of the peasants who languished from consumption broke his trance. Then news of family betrayal and dread broke his spirit: his firstborn son murdered by his cousin – the shadow and trusted spymaster- and his second son, Raja Rurdanarayan ‘One Eyed’ died by accident.

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_6.jpg


For each life he had taken, each life of his progeny was lost. There was no other solution to halt the curse than to proceed immediately to the last stage of dharma: the withdrawal from life by renunciation. He named duly his third son Ramagupta ‘the Unfortunate’ as heir and performed the necessary rites. He drank a brew that only he knew to concoct and went to meet the Perfected Ones.

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_7.jpg


How could a man so wise become unwise? How could a man in his unwisdom find the wisdom to admit his faults? Only Maharaja Ranasura knew as an admitted keeper of elder secrets of where true wisdom and true folly started and ended.

May his example shine when and where to draw the boundaries to truth and false

guptack2_songbeng_II_b_8.jpg
 
It's an omen! The end is nigh! :p
 
It's an omen! The end is nigh! :p

Ah,the end is not nigh until we see the game over screen ;)

A sad end to a ruler who started out with such promise. Hopefully his sufferings in this life will expiate some of his bad karma when his turn in the great cycle of reincarnation comes again.

It was perhaps his sentiment that clouded his thought when he renounced his god patron for another, even a wise man such as he could have predicted the ill results of his choice.

Many contradictions in his life and rule.

His paths to virtue was overall a contradiction: as a man from the caste of nobles , he should have had a rudimentary knowledge of the things that were, focusing instead to active procreation and the conquest of his neighbors by honor. On the contrary, he aspired to become a brahman without being one and was lead astray by the unvirtue of his further interaction with the barbarian Arab (who in turn corrupted his reason)

Or in game-play terms: that is what you get for being a mastermind theologian, who strives for primogeniture and gets greedy by trying shenanigans with the nearby kingdom with plots of dubious success :D
 
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Songs of the Bengali Gupta Maharajas

III. Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Unfortunate’ – Maharaja Ranasura II ‘the Dull’

The Bishop looked exasperated with the ending of the tale of Ranasura. ‘Serves him right for Devil worshiping’. Some nodded , others would tut in disagreement.

You ask then the merchant

‘Why was Ramagupta the Unfortunate? Did Ganesha’s curse afflict to such a degree the Guptas? Or I daresay, this is poetic fashion?’

The merchant let a wry smile and replied

“Oh no dear lord, I am afraid when one angers the remover of obstacles, it is only natural for him to raise barriers to the khsatriya ambitions of glory. Without further delay, let me sing the life of Maharaja Ramagupta ‘the Unfortunate’ and Maharaja Ranasura II ‘the Dull’ ”

Son of the Wise Maharaja but alas a pawn to ill destiny, Maharaja Ramagupta had excluded the possibility to rule the illustrious Gupta Kingdom. The death of strong Ranasura and mighty Rurdanarayan made him eligible for the throne, a position he was not at all prepared to attain. His hunched body had excluded him from the formal training of royalty, which both Ranasura and Rurdanarayan had received and practiced as governors in the Gupta domain. Instead, like his father before him, he studied the Buddhacavana and performed all religious practices, being chaste and frowned upon the advances of women.

His father Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’ sensed his tendency and had arranged his betrothal to Kalyanavati of Bhaumakara, the fellow Buddhist Kingdom of Orissa, who was also alleged to prefer the spiritual pursuits with fellow maidens. In his goal to reject envy, that which ultimately led to his father’s demise, he meditated for hours but with no answer. He began to feel depressed when ,despite his zeal, there was no voice from Lord Buddha. The angst created by Lord Ganesha was evident.

guptack2_songbeng_III_1.jpg


It was scandalous for the kingdom that both husband and wife would prefer the company of the same gender in religious contemplation than perform their duties and continue directly the line of Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’. Thus , by the curse of Ganesha, intricacies between the Gupta kinsmen were born and plots of assassination of near relatives conspired. The crown law of Ramagupta ‘the Unfortunate’ was not enough to detain this high treason, leading to open rebellions against their rightful liege.

guptack2_songbeng_III_2.jpg


On his way to inspect the royal army which would depart for the quelling of the rebellion, the terrible fate that granted his name ‘the Unfortunate’ would unfold: by accident the carriage of the Maharaja ended with speed at a nearby ravine, leading to his untimely demise. Maharaja Ramagupta let his final breath, with no offspring of his own to succeed him.

Was it an accident? Did the measures against the Gupta kinsmen infuriate the family and actions were taken? Was his religious sentiment a cover up for a more nefarious choice of life?

We shall never know for sure

guptack2_songbeng_III_3.jpg


By the laws enacted by Maharaja Ranasura ‘the Wise’ the crowns of Bengal and Bihar were placed upon the head of a child, the son of Ranasura ‘the Strong’ - apple of his father’s eye. He was duly named Ranasura II, as he was the second Maharaja of Bengal of his name.

History was not kind to this Maharaja, for he was granted the name ‘the Dull’. As the story would go, when Maharaja Ranasura II, at age fourteen, descended into the waters of the Ganges for spiritual cleanse, he rushed into the river with haste, without following the religious protocol dictated. Goddess Ganga, she who purifies, felt dislike for the young Maharaja and as he furiously ran into its waters, he almost drowned and was brought to life by the court physician, Haridvenarayan. The cost was his intellect, forever known as not the brightest person and his evasion of opportunities, partly due to Lord Ganesha’s meddling.

guptack2_songbeng_III_4.jpg


Indeed, they say that due to his ambitious and cruel nature, he was behind the sudden accidents that befell the Gupta line, each branch of the tree being cut until only he was eligible to inherit the Mleccha Kingdom from his grandmother.

Yet Lord Ganesha laughed at his adharma and when Ranasura II was about to strike like a cobra against his uncle, the only branch between him and his grandmother, he called for her spirit with the Supreme and the new Maharaja of the Mleccha Kingdom became his intended victim. It would seem ages until the Mleccha Kingdom united with the royal domain of the Guptas, a tale fit for another night.

guptack2_songbeng_III_5.jpg


Maharaja Ranasura II fumed with rage for the sins of his fathers. Would he be named Maharaja of the Mlechcha Kingdom, his ambition to become the Samrat Chakravatin of Bengal would be only stone throws away. Now his ambition was foiled and he would face more obstacles in the future.

His beloved teacher and savior, Haridvenarayan, was accused of pocketing the donations to the temples. By the books of the sages, a wise man would have removed a man to stain his karma by greed. Yet Ranasura II as a naive appeaser, only looked the other way.

Bandits sprawled into the Kingdom, threatening the trade of the merchant caste- the vaishya. Yet he let them be, saying that while they raid his own lands, they also raid the lands belonging to his uncle, thus weakening him as well. Decisions would be made by the tossing of a coin, with the world order being at stake.

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While Lord Vishnu was tasked with preserving the world order and preventing it to descend into chaos, for some reason our common minds cannot fathom, it was Lord Brahma who decided to put sense into the dull Ranasura II. He appeared under the guise of Dhairjendranarayan and proclaimed while Lord Ganesha removes obstacles, Lord Brahma as the creator can permit their appearance. With time, the wise guru persuaded Ranasura II to perform good deeds under the name of Lord Brahma and karma was beginning to trickle slowly into the reservoir of Ranasura’s II soul.

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By sage advice, kinslaying was averted and the firstborn son of Maharaja Ranasura II was betrothed with the second daughter of his uncle, sealing an alliance and a bonding of interests. All suspicion was erased , when in order to ease the negotiation, Ranasura II brought a gift equaling almost to a five hundred gold coins, winning the favor of his uncle.

His piety began to be known in the realms. As a man favored by Lord Brahma, Maharaja Ranasura II was justified when he invaded the Kingdom of Gondwana which was plunged into civil war between the Ayudha brothers. The Guptas would technically reign supreme through all of Bengal, with only the Mlechcha Kingdom and the Kingdom of Orissa outside their immediate grasp.

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With such great success, Maharaja Ranasura II believed in hubris that all of these achievements belonged to him and him alone, with Dhairjendranarayan only performing the role of the wise counselor. He was ever stressed how he would maintain his achievements and if Lord Ganesha would strike and bring down all of what he conquered. He became increasingly cruel and punished severely all naysayers.

To aid his mind and soul, guru Dhairjendranarayan advised him to cease his cruelty, for a man reduces his karma by harming others without just cause.

Maharaja Ranasura II did not listen.

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Guru Dhairjendranarayan sighed with sadness.

Foolish, vain humanity

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