[Veet-Bharat 1:1]

Thoughts before leaving for the Land of Maharajadhiraj

विक्रम संवत 457 | चैत्र माह | शुक्ल पक्ष | तृतीया (3 March 400 CE)

- गोस्वामी रमा कृष्ण (Goswami Ramaa Krishna)

They say the Land of Maharajadhiraj is truly made of gold. Despite this being such an esteemed university, it is only my Guru who could have secured this opportunity for me to travel across the golden land, and bring back my memoirs. As I plan and pack my things, I am left wondering what I will be writing about and what are the things that are unique to their land.

Of course, numerous tales about Maharajadhiraj have come to my ear, but only few I am inclined to believe. Everyone - from my classmates to the cart-driver - has their favorite tale of Maharajdhiraj that they believe to be true. My Guru says that He is truly an enlightened individual, that the Gods have blessed him with unmatched knowledge and valour. As much as I respect Guruji, I do not believe this to be true, don't they say that about every King that comes along? I am in conversation with many people - noblemen, and otherwise - and have exchanged letters as suggested by my Guru. While I don't expect the commoners to prove useful, perhaps one of the noblemen will be successful in arranging a meeting for me with Maharajadhiraj.

If I prove so lucky, I hope to be the one to separate the rumours from the truth.

The Land of Maharajadhiraj begins North from the Nar Maada River. To reach there it will take me about one month from here. My first contact is a farmer in Vadapadrakam, who has known my Guru in his youth. He will give me a place to stay, and there I will plan my travels further.

Although I must say, as I'm carrying this tablet emblem of Maharajadhiraj, I can't wait to see this golden land everyone says so much about. They say everything is well organised there, if your farm has not given harvest, the kingdom provides seeds for the next year free of cost. Apparently, the cows are cleanly kept in cowsheds, which protects them from the rains and also keeps the paths of the city clean. So many good things, that I find it hard to contain my excitement.

I should still keep a little bit of skepticism, because the Kings of the Old Magadh were widely known to be led by riches and basic pleasures, leaving the kingdom in neglect. In Neeti-Shastra class, they said it's been at least 80 years since Maharajadhiraj's family liberated the throne, so things might well have changed. Honestly, given his reputation, I would be very surprised if Maharajadhiraj is as pompous or indulgent as the Samrat of Vakataka or others.

I yearn for the day I can get him into a moral debate, to really test him and see if his enlightenment is truly as they say it is.