Yayati 5- Sharmishta Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

(31)

Finally, I had my revenge!

Today I am the queen-mother
Mother of Puru, King Emperor
The youngest emperor ever
Adorned the throne of Hastinapura.

(32)

I was borne the princess
Daughter of the asura king.
Life was a bed of roses
Until we attacked devas
Father wanting to conquer
All the fourteen worlds.

Defeat did not deter him
Attacked again; repelled again.

Hope returned with Aacharya
Who had with him daughter Devayani
And mantra Mrutasanjeevani
That gave life back to the dead.

(33)

Father bowed before Aacharya
And I, before the proud Devayani.
Why name her Devayani?
She wanted to be called Deva
I refused, for Devas were
Our sworn enemies.
When we played, she always
Was the queen and I the dasi.

..........But, said father, I could not weep
..........For princesses keep their nose up.

(34)

We started winning the wars
With Aacharaya and his mantra
Awaited the final kill
So father crowns himself
The King of Devalok. First step
To the crown of the universe.

(35)

Then came Kacha, the handsome
Son of the aacharya of Devas
And enrolled with Aacharya.
He made friends with Devayani
And she needed me no longer;
They were in love!

Rumours had it that Kacha came
To steal Mrutasanjeevani.
Father wanted him ousted;
Refused, he had him killed
But Aacharya gave him life
Back, again and again.

Finally his ashes were fed
To Aacharya with wine.
So he was advised the mantra
So, both could live.
And, the mantra in his bag
Kacha left us for good.

(36)

Devayani grieving for his lover
Fell from grace, subdued.
My pleasure knew no bounds.


Next battle we fought sans mantra
We were defeated. Dreams shattered.
Everybody grieved with father.

(37)

One weak moment, overwhelmed by anger
I pushed Devayani into a ditch and fled.
When I was called to her presence
Emperor Yayati had her hands in his
And she ordered me to go with her
As her maid. I cried in vain.

(38)

Yayati's palace in Hastinapura,
I had noticed lust in his eyes
Whenever I crossed his path.
His longing eyes followed me
Everywhere. I had my vengeance
When I had him in my quarters.

I concealed Puru from Devayani
Until he was fourteen, when her
Probing eyes found his truth.
My son, grandson of Asura King
Son of King Emperor.But destined
To be borne in a dasi's quarters.

.........I wanted him the next King Emperor
.........In vain, I knew. Still...

(39)

Irate, Aacharya cursed the emperor
To be a thousand years old.Devoid
of his youth, right before my eyes.
Aacharya yielded finally to his
beseeches: he could trade his wrinkles
For youth, with anybody willing.

Eerie silence followed.
Barely able to stand erect
The emperor looked longingly
At every young face in the court.
Before he could wink his eyes
Everybody fled. Left alone
In the court, he quivered
And Devayani laughed aloud.

(40)

Into the deadly silence
Entered Yadu, the first born,
The Crown Prince, Son of Devayani.
Said Yayati, 'Give me your youth
And the throne is yours'.
Taken aback, the youth said
'I want to enjoy my life;
The throne is anyway mine.'

'No, it's mine. It is his
Who gives me his youth and accepts
my wrinkles', Cried the emperor.

(41)

Puru lead me into this melee.
Before his failing eyes could
Recognize us, emperor heard
'Father, my youth is yours
And I don't want the throne.'
There stood the emperor
In all his youth; my fourteen
Year-old child gray and wrinkled.

.........I felt proud of my son!

Yayati relinquished the throne
And made him accept it.

.........Suddenly it dawned on me,
.........I was the Queen-Mother.

I had the last laugh,
Or did I?

(42)

Still, whenever I set my eyes
On my little son,
Just fourteen years old,
Now as old as the seas, my heart
Broke. An ocean of tears
Welled up in my mind.
But queen-mother should not weep.

And I have to run the empire
For my son was a novice.


(43)

Still,
When I was alone in my anthapura
I wept my heart out, for my son.
Yayati's searching hands on me,
That I wanted all over my body
still youthful, made me now quiver
in disgust. For my heart filled
With the images of my son gray to his
Eye-lids; wrinkled as Aashadh skies.

It broke my heart to see him
Shunned by the sweet little damsels
His erstwhile playmates.

..........Still, I should not weep
..........For I was the Queen-Mother!