Chanakya - Episode 23

'Chanakya' was a renowned Indian scholar and teacher to the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta. We bring you Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi's popular television series 'Chanakya', a 47-part Indian television historical drama that won the prestigious Uptron Awards in the year 1992. The series takes us through the life of Chanakya, his works - Chanakya Neeti and Arthasastra. His teachings on politics, economics and social welfare can be used even today in the modern world. The narration of the story has been kept simple to match up with the finest details that begin from the early life of Vishnugupta (Chanakya) in the kingdom of Magadha to the historic rebellion against Alexander under the leadership of Chandragupta Maurya and ends with the coronation of Chandragupta Maurya as the King of Magadha. The critically acclaimed show is definitely worth watching for its authentic costumes, artistic value and most importantly to strengthen our relationship with the Indian history. Episode Synopsis : Chandragupta not being recognized is held captive in the jailhouse of Kekaya. Vishnugupta is unfolding his further plans to Chandragupta and Sinharan. Parwateshwar arranges for a meeting with the king of Kashmir.

Why had you to enter the city
Iike this?

I've toId you repeatedIy that
I've come to meet Kaykairaj.

How many times, how many peopIe
wiII ask the same question?

Why don't you take me to Kaykairaj.

I am Kaykairaj, Prince.

Greetings, King.
- May you have a Iong Iife.

You shouId have sent a
messenger before coming.

A soIdier never sends messenger
to his Emperor, Kaykayraj.

I wanted to come to you personaIIy.

But your aIert guards suspected me
and sent me here.

Chandragupt wouId come to see me Iike
this, even I couIdn't beIieved it!

So it was naturaI for my guards
to become suspicious.

And you were with Pauravaraj. That was
enough reason to arrest any person.

It is understandabIe, King.

But now I've a request.
- TeII me.

My friend and GeneraI Siharan is
Iocked in the another ceII.

Let's go.

On being questioned by security
guard, Pauravaraj said very proudIy...

I am Kaykairaj's nephew.

This made them throw us in the ceII
and Pauravaraj was brought to you.

How couId we know that Pauravaraj's
cIose reIation with the King...,

wiII Iand us in this troubIe.

LuckiIy we were not beaten up!

Prince, didn't you teII them
that you were Chandragupt.

When the guard asked, I toId him that
my name is Chandragupt. But he said:

Spend sometime in the prison, then
you'II admit you aren't Chandragupt.

The guard said there was onIy one
Chandragupt in northern territory

...and I couIdn't be that.

Didn't you protest?

I wanted to meet you aIive, so I did
what the guards toId me to do.

Now I reaIize that for reaching you
this shortcut was better than highway.

I was brought to you in
the minimum time.

That's why it is aIways good
to send a messenger.

Anyway, I'm gIad to see you safe.

TeII me what can I do for you?

Acharya must have spoken
to you about Pauravaraj.

But why did you give
asyIum to Paurav?

Acharya did oppose
my decision first.

But my main worry was if Pauravaraj,
by aIIying with your enemies...,

tried spreading unrest in Kaykai

then wouId there be stabiIity
in Vahik region?

Keeping peace in Vahik was more
important than refuge to Pauravaraj.

So to keep Pauravaraj away from
mischief, I decided to give asyIum.

I seek your forgiveness for this.
- It isn't your fauIt, Prince.

In a way you did your duty
by giving refuge to needy.

But Pauravaraj wants to
get back his kingdom.

There are onIy two ways for this.

Either war decide ownership of the
state, or I donate the Iand to Paurav.

What do you suggest?

You are the Iord of Vahik region,
Emperor. I can simpIy request you.

Your decision wiII prevaiI, Kaykairaj.

But it is certain that poIiticaI
stabiIity and unity in Vahik

wiII depend on your decision.

Don't you have any other way
to get rid of Paurav, Prince?

Because he was afraid of you he had
fIed from his kingdom to save his Iife

Now onIy death can free him
from his ambition.

But can such an action enhance
the prestige of Paurav cIan?

WiII it be proper to write the
gIorious history of Paurav cIan...

with the bIood of their
own reIatives?

WiII it be proper for members of the
same famiIy to shed each other's

bIood for the sake of throne.

If we can't maintain peace and
stabiIity in our own house...

then how can we maintain peace
and stabiIity...

in thousands of miIes between
HimaIayas and seas, Kaikayraj!

Why shouId we commit
the sin of kiIIing?

I know that Pauravaraj has
betrayed not onIy you...

but he has aIso betrayed his own
subjects as weII as this nation.

But the time demands that we
Ieave aside our petty quarreIs...

and unite the whoIe nation.

And we have to accept
this chaIIenge.

It is necessary to unite
peopIe with peopIe, Kaykairaj.

The unity of this nation is not
possibIe without doing this.

Paurav can't be trusted, Prince.

I agree, Emperor that your
experience is quite correct.

But this society is fuII of
seIfish peopIe.

They are in majority in this society.

But how is it possibIe to change
this society by getting rid of them.

How can we keep them away
from the process of change.

We have to waIk hand in hand
with them.

We have to make them
the means of change.

We have to bring Pauravaraj and other
peopIe Iike him to the right path.

We don't have to remove them
from that path.

Prince, I respect your feeIings.

But why do you insist on trusting such
peopIe, who are obstructive.

Tomorrow they wiII prove to be
the barriers on your path.

I want to do an experiment.

It's okay prince. I shaII not come
in the way of your experiment.

But I must advise you to be carefuI.

I do want peace to prevaiI
in the Vahik region.

So I shaII give a thought
to your request.

Now both of you may have some rest.

My guard wiII take you
to my guesthouse.

FareweII, Kaykairaj.

I've come to seek your
forgiveness, Kaykairaj.

I know I've offended you.

I've harmed the Paurav cIan's
traditions.

I'm an offender of Paurav cIan.
I am guiIty.

But you're mercifuI.

By punishing me, give me a chance to
free myseIf from the feeIing of guiIt.

Curse me!
Kick me!

But do not humiIiate a criminaI
by your siIence, Kaykairaj.

Punish me. I beg of you.
PIease say something, uncIe.

Isn't this the misfortune of the
Paurav cIan that one of its members...

is standing before another member
of his cIan Iike a criminaI?

Don't you feeI shamed begging
for forgiveness?

Where was this sentiment, when you
had surrendered to AIexander.

Didn't you reaIize then that you were
pIacing your famiIy's proud head

at AIexander's feet?

If you Ioved your Iife so much,
you shouId have come to me.

Your uncIe was aIive then too.

But you couIdn't controI your keen
desire to see your cIan's downfaII.

You crossed Kaykai's borders
and took refuge under AIexander.

What exampIe did you set
for your subjects.

That a son of Paurav cIan abandoned
his kingdom to save his Iife.

In whose care did you Ieave
your subjects?

The protector of peopIe fIed
in order to save his own Iife...

compeIIing his subjects to be
kiIIed by the invaders.

Go and ask forgiveness
from your subjects first, and...

if they forgive you then
I too shaII forgive you.

Our ancestors had dreamt to estabIish
unified ruIe over the entire nation.

But the cowardice of sons Iike you
didn't Iet them fuIfiII this dream.

And now descendants of Paurav cIan are
dependant on the mercy of others...

to save their heads.

Had you mad an effort to enhance the
prestige of the Paurav cIan...

then I wouId have given Paurav cIan's
entire territory to you.

But you were unabIe to
protect even your own kingdom.

TeII me how shouId I treat the Paurav
cIan's descendants Iike you?

If it's not against tradition of
Paurav cIan I wouId have

chopped off your head.

Future of Paurav cIan can't be safe
in the hands of successors Iike you.

Great are those sons of Paurav
cIan who died in the war...,

and shame on us who are aIive
in spite of defeat and fIeeing.

I don't know what wiII
happen of our cIan!

Your strength and courage shaII
upIift the Pauravaj, Kaykairaj.

You order us. Everyone of Paurav cIan
shaII wiIIingIy die for your honor.

How can I beIieve that we'II be abIe
to win back our Iost gIory?

Just give us one chance, Kaykairaj.

The entire northern territory wiII
resound with your praises.

I don't seek praise, Paurav.

I want to see the Paurav cIan
fIourishing.

Paurav, after me you are the
eIdest in the Paurav cIan.

You have to protect our cIan.

I want to retire after handing over
cIan's fIag to the most quaIified.

Why this hatred, why this rift,
why this confIict, Paurav?

Forgive me, Kaykairaj.

Paurav, aII my ambitions,
my expectations depend on you.

You order me, Kaykairaj.

Pauravs shaII sacrifice everything
to see your ambitions fuIfiIIed.

Go Paurav. Go back to your kingdom.

From today, you are the
ruIer of your kingdom.

Get your kingdom in order
and unite the peopIe.

And now that you have taken
Chandragupt's protection...

then be with your protector
and heIp him.

Chandragupt is fighting
for a very nobIe cause.

You shouId represent
Paurav cIan in his campaign.

AII my resources wiII be with you.

Try to improve the honor of our cIan.

Greetings, Kaykairaj.

Indradutt, from today, Paurav shaII
take over his kingdom.

Excuse me, Lord.
AII ministers are waiting for you.

May you Iive Iong.

Pauravaraj has not come back so far.

I don't know whether or not Kaykairaj
wiII accept my proposaI!

Why are you worrying, Prince?

I'm sure that Kaykairaj can't
reject your proposaI.

What happened, Pauravraj?

Kaykairaj has given back
my kingdom to me.

Then why do you Iook so
disappointed and sad?

I'm not disappointed but I don't
know why I feeI so humiIiated.

I got back my kingdom but not
the deIiverance from my guiIt.

Now you're free, Pauravaraj.

The deIiverance you're seeking,
can be attained onIy after you've...

...paid of aII your sociaI debts.

Now your path is cIear.

Look after your subjects and you
shaII find your deIiverance.

Kaykairaj has aIIowed me to
return to my kingdom.

ProbabIy very soon I shaII meet
you in your kingdom, Puaravraj.

You're aIways weIcome
in my kingdom, Prince.

After meeting Kaykairaj again,
I shaII Ieave for my kingdom today.

ProbabIy we won't meet again.

Why. Don't you want to
weIcome me in your Kingdom?

I shaII Iook forward to seeing you.
FareweII.

Farewell!

Arya! there was an air of mystery
in Pauravaraj's behavior.

I too feIt that but when Acharya comes,
even this mystery wiII be soIved.

What happened, Minister?
- Acharya succeeded.

Kaikairaj promised to give forces of
his friend and his own mercenaries.

Where is Acharya?

He is consuIting Chandragupt
and Siharan in the paIace.

Dinner is ready, come inside.
- PIease come.

If there is any change in pIan,
Anuj or Siharan wiII contact you.

Otherwise there is no do to deviate
from this pIan under any circumstances

Don't Iose your caIm
under any circumstances.

If the choice is between Iife and
death, then choose Iife.

Because even death is useIess
without unifying this nation.

May mother India protect you.

May you have Iong Iife.

Let's go Siharan.

Has Kaykairaj given any
other verbaI message?

He has onIy requested you to come to
the capitaI as soon as possibIe.

AIright. You go and rest now.
I'II arrange to send him my answer.

As you command, Your Highness!

What is the matter, Your Highness?

Kaikairaj has summoned us with his
reserved forces, Minister.

Has he given any reason?

What have you decided?

You know the punishment for
disobeying a powerfuI king.

Besides, we caII each other friends.

So we shaII have to fuIfiII the
duties of our poIiticaI aIIiance.

Underdogs have no voice, Minister.

GeneraI! get the army ready
to march.

Father!

Father!

I was informed that Kaykairaj
has sent a messenger.

What does it mean, father?

It is caIIed dipIomacy, son.

But how can Kaykairaj force us.

He can, MaIay.
Kaikairaj can do anything.

I knew it right there that
Kaykairaj wiII ask us to...

pay the price for obIiging
us with the gift of our kingdom.

But I didn't know that he wiII prove
to be such a shrewd dipIomat.

But what shaII he gain by sending you
with Chandragupt as the...

representative of Paurav cIan?

That's Kaykairaj's smartness, MaIaya.

There is onIy one way to stop
Chandragupt' infIuence in Vahik.

And that is by sending Chandragupt
out of the Vahik region.

Chandragupt himseIf gave him that
chance, and Kaykairaj has used it.

But father, Kaykairaj couId have
simpIy asked Chandragupt to go out...

of the states under his controI.

You are a fooI.

AIexander had drawn the boundaries of
Kaykairaj's empire aIong the Vipasha.

But those who've refused to accept the
ruIe of the Greeks...,

those who broke the yoke
of the Greek bondage...

wiII they accept the
sIavery of Kaykairaj?

When Vahik repubIics have decIared
their independence...,

then why wiII they accept
Kaykairaj as their master.

But what does Kaykairaj want?

FirstIy Kaykairaj does not accept
the independence of the repubIics...

because he considers himseIf as the
successor of AIexander's empire.

SecondIy, for winning the goodwiII
of the Vahik repubIics...

he pretends to sympathize
with the freedom fighters.

Why do you forget that AIexander's
victory was due to Kaykai's forces.

But doesn't Kaykairaj know that Vahiks
wiII never accept his sIavery?

This is your foIIy, MaIayketu.

After AIexander's seventh battIe,
repubIics had no strength Ieft.

And whatever is Ieft over, that now
is going in Chandragupt's controI.

Assuming that Kaykairaj doesn't
want to fight with Vahik repubIics...

yet Chandragupt's presence in Vahik
couId pose a threat to his ruIe.

The way Chandragupt is assembIing and
uniting the Vahik repubIics...

it is obvious that he is Iaying the
foundation of his empire in Vahik.

I won't be surprised if the Vahiks
prefer Chandragupt to Kaykairaj

as their master.

But for conquering Magadha what
was the need for putting his

mercenaries, and ruIers of Kashmir,
Sind, MaIav etc. over us.

Because a huge army is required
for victory over Magadha.

That is the obvious reason Kaykairaj
has given Chandragupt his...

friendIy forces and mercenaries.

But the truth is something eIse,
Malay.

Kaykairaj's reserved forces incIude
those disgruntIed mercenaries...

who had come from Vahik,
Kambauj and other regions

aIong with AIexander
in the hope of money.

But now that Greek empire is gone,
what is the need for them in Kaykai?

Why shouId Kaykairaj spend his money
on those he has no need for.

And mercenaries too have no choice.

Either they return to their homeIands
or obey Kaykairaj's order for wages.

And to get rid of them, Kaykairaj has
put them too under Chandragupt.

And reason for giving support of his
friendIy forces is that if...

Magadha is conquered he couId easiIy
gain controI through his aIIies, MaIay

Because after conquering territories of his
aIIies their departure wouId be easy.

So, the aIIies wiII either accept
his controI or Iose their Kingdoms.

Even if the aIIies don't accept
Kaykairaj's overIordship...,

he knows that their divided strength
and desire to ruIe wiII not Iet them

unite and it wiII be easy for him to
capture their territories.

And as I am the representative
of the Paurava cIan,

...I am bound to obey his orders.

What if we faiI to conquer Magadh?
- The weak shaII become weaker.

They'II Iose resources in the war,
maybe their Iives too.

But under aII circumstances,
Kaykairaj wiII stand to gain.

Doesn't Chandragupt reaIize that
Kaykairaj is simpIy expIoiting him.

Don't forget MaIay that he had
gone to Kaykairaj on his own.

And he doesn't think. AII
thinking is done by that Brahmin.

But can't that Brahmin understand that
we aII are being taken as fooIs.

I'm unabIe to comprehend what that
Brahmin is thinking.

I don't know what is his strategy
behind aII this campaign.

So what have you decided, father?

We are in no position
to take our own decision.

Kaykairaj has not yet withdrawn his
forces from our kingdom.

Moreover we don't have
enough money power.

As we have to get power,
we wiII have to find our way...

to success by expIoiting
these conditions.

Conditions are very simpIe.
He who has resources, wiII ruIe.

If we don't foIIow Kaykairaj's order
then he shaII decide our future.

But if we go aIong, then we'II have
chance to write our own future.

So we shaII have to accept
this chaIIenge, MaIayaketu.

Our competition now is
with Chandragupt onIy.

Let him come. A soIution too
wiII come our way.

Go.

Order the army to assembIe.
- As you command, father?

Sindhuraj, army of Sind
is ready to march.

WeIcome, Prince.

I had toId you Pauravaraj that soon
we shaII meet in your kingdom.

I wasn't sure that you wiII be so
determined to keep your promise.

Why? Do you stiII have reason to
disbeIieve me, Pauravraj?

This is the time to show
soIidarity with Chandragupt.

I, King Paurav, weIcome you
on behaIf of the Paurav cIan.

PIease come.

[Vishnu...! Vishnu!....Vishnu!...]

[Why don't you speak?]

[Have you gone mad?
Why don't you speak?]

[Light the fire of devotion
within you.]

[Burn... ! Burn in the pursuit
of knowIedge.]

[Even if you don't become sun,
you must become a Iamp.]

[I won't give you tax.]

[I won't give you the tax
for the wood Dhanananda. Iwon't...!]

[Today this schooI demands him from
his home, his viIIage, his town.]

[Your Vishnugupt untiI yesterday is
our Acharya Vishnugupt today.]

Why doesn't Kaykai puts an end
to this dispute?

How?
AII disputes are fake.

And even if Kaykai resoIves these
disputes then too...

...friendship between Kaykai and
TakshashiIa is not possibIe.

AIright. Prepare to attack
TakshashiIa after 10 days.

Guard. SeaI off aII entrance to
the city and to the paIace.

And prepare the army to give
a befitting repIy to Kaykai.

For how Iong wiII our states keep
fighting with one another.

When wiII we put the weIfare of our
nation above those of individuaIs.

In the inter-state confIicts,
the nationaIism suffers.

RegionaI poIitics wiII hinder
the buiIding of a nation.

Such confIicts wiII resuIt in
the downfaII of the country.

This person has done
me wrong, student.

Acharya! My Acharya can't do
any wrong.

If I want, soon you and your
Acharya wiII be put behind the bars.

You're trying my patience.
- And you're protecting a thief.

Acharya!

So, now it's his turn!

Brahmin! Won't you ask for aIms?

You too rob me aIong with
those peopIe.

I thought I wouId find the Iight
of knowIedge in PataIiputra

But it seems the sun of knowIedge
has been ecIipsed by demon Rahu.

So am I the demon Rahu?
Get this Brahmin out of here.

You wiII be reborn
tomorrow, Chandragupt.

WiII this nation be abIe to safeguard
its cuIture, its traditions

and its vaIues from the invaders.

Or wiII it be shattered
into fragments?

Who'II teII them that India divided
into states is one indivisibIe nation.