‘What a bizarre judgment the Chief Justice has given,’ said the merchant, Dharmajit, leaning back against his cushion. ‘The incident of the Festival of Spring has almost been forgotten.’

‘This is exactly what I was saying,’ said Kartavir, bending forward.

Another feudatory chief, Lakshman, took up the thread of conversation and said, ‘This is not the result of what happened at the Festival of Spring; this is wartime diplomacy. At its root lies the Chief Justice’s faith in the system of government that prevailed in the time of Milinda and his faith in the Greek President of the Republic. Moreover, it is a form of punishment to preserve discipline. Friends, this proclamation of the President, that all the citizens of Madra are equal in the eyes of the law and the Republic is a proof of this. It is a way of winning over the people …’ He glanced at Vishnu Sharma and stopped.

Vishnu Sharma was not embarrassed. ‘No,’ he said, ‘my father himself holds in great regard the Buddhist tenet that “It is by one’s actions that one becomes a Brahmin.” But I believe little can be done about his views at his age …’

‘The Acharya’s suggestion that Rudradhir should go away to Magadh is a good one,’ said Balbhadra, the transport contractor, putting his hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. ‘I have contacts in every town on his route. He will have no difficulty. It is only when he is in Magadh that he can take the necessary steps for the liberation of Madra. Our hope lies in Pushya Mitra, who has been installed in his office by the proper rites of mantras.’

Noticing that the Acharya was again shaking his head, everyone became quiet and turned to look at him. ‘We have not been able to get help from the ruler of Magadh at this juncture because of the shortage of time,’ he said. ‘It was not right to keep on waiting, pinning our hopes on the Brahmin commander. Valuable time has been lost. Instead of getting help from him, we got entangled in the intrigues of the low-born people. Commander Pushya Mitra could easily have given instructions to Ravi Sharma to send forces from Shursen. He himself is perhaps pre-occupied with the struggle for power in the south. He does seem to regard Shursen as the limit to which Jambu Dweep extends. This policy of our President for the defence of Madra will result in the subjugation of the nobility, and the unrestricted tyranny of the low-born people. A country without a proper government is like a cornfield without a watchman.’

The Acharya took a deep breath, and without looking at anyone in particular, thanked all the guests for their kind consideration and urged them to go home since it was getting very late. He himself got up from his mattress and the guests followed suit. Unable to speak any further because of the tears choking his throat, he merely folded his hands in salutation to the guests, and headed towards the interior of the palace.