ऐकलेले प्रवचनThe Sermon Mangu Heard

Sunday morning, as usual (roughly 11:45). Champak shook off his sleep and got up. Brushing his teeth, he noticed Bandya. Bandopant was clearing out the cupboard and arranging books.

Champak asked a modest question. “What's this, Bandya? Shall we look into some breakfast?”

Bandya replied in his usual politician's register. “Champak-rao, look beyond eating and drinking once in a while. I am locating this semester's books and arranging them, which is to say, for the exams… it's important… so kindly ask your stomach to wait.”

Ganu had woken up by then. He took in the question and the answer, drew the bedsheet over his face, and concluded that breakfast was at least two hours away, so he might as well sleep. Two weeks earlier, Shri Bandopant's programme of beating the mattresses and putting them back had run for three hours. Today the books were being read while being arranged. Three to four hours, minimum.

Raja borrowed Ganu's wisdom and pulled up his own sheet.

Then Shri Mangu woke up, known to the group as the one who bites. He had heard the whole exchange, and the tube light flickered on. “Quite right, Bandya. The books always get mixed up at exam time. Good that you're sorting them. Meanwhile, let me tell you a story. I heard it at a pravachan.”

Champak: “Poha, peanuts… never mind. Tell.”

Bandya: “Wah! So you attend sermons! Never would have guessed. Go on.”

Mangu began.

“There was a king called Dharmaveer. Clever, brave, and above all ambitious. Like our Bandya.” (Bandya visibly grew two inches.)

“His ambition was to conquer the five kingdoms around him and make them his own. He raised a great army and, one glorious campaign after another, took four of them. Now his eyes were on the fifth, Ritnagar. Ritnagar's army was weak; Dharmaveer had saved it for last on purpose, because a sage had once told him: do the hard things first, then the easy ones.”

“Correct. Very good teaching,” Bandya interrupted.

Mangu ignored him and continued.

“Since it was the easy one, the king set out with a modest army. He left behind most of the horses and chariots. He wanted to get there fast and finish the job; less baggage, quicker march. By his reckoning Ritnagar was a three-day campaign, and he packed for three days. But on the way the river Piru was in flood, and two days went in waiting for the water to go down. When it did, he crossed and resumed the campaign. At the Ritnagar border his general reported that the provisions were finished. The extra two days had eaten them. It was evening; no one fights at night. But tomorrow the army would march into battle on empty stomachs!”

By now everyone who had been asleep was sitting up, hooked on the suspense, listening properly.

Mangu was in form.

“That night the army entered a village on the border, just outside Ritnagar. The king was very hungry. He sent his soldiers: ‘Go to any house in the village and bring me a meal. In return, tell them the house will be spared in the battle. Give them my word.’

The soldiers found a small house and made the offer to the woman there. ‘Mavshi, your house will come through the war untouched. Promise.’

She said, ‘Wait. I'll go in and fill a plate. Call your king.’ The soldiers fetched the king, and he got down from his horse. At the sound of his voice she came out with a thali. But there was no food on it. On it she had laid out the household's gold, some pearls, her own bangles, and silver coins.

‘What is this?’ the king roared.

‘King Dharmaveer, why did you leave your kingdom and come all this way? For gold, isn't it? Why will you fight tomorrow? For more pearls, more wealth. So I am giving you today exactly what you hunger for.’

The king was stunned. For the first time he asked himself what he was fighting for. The next morning he took his army and went home.”

“So the moral is: don't be greedy. Greed is not good,” said Bandya.

“No,” said Mangu. “Why did the king turn back after coming all that way? Because he couldn't take the hunger any more. He understood that he needs food! So I say to you, Bandopant: let our stomachs have a little food too. Dharmaveer understood. Now you understand. Look after our stomachs!”

The whole room burst out laughing. Khi khi khi khi khi.

Bandu put the books aside and said, “Come on. Today's poha is on me.”