Dr. Ganesh Prasad Baral
Is it an interesting lyrical trilogy following Bhatrihari’s Trisatak tradition? Or is it conversations of Rahul and Yasodhara about enlightened Buddha? Rahul-Yashodhara Sambad by Lalgopal Subedi is, in my opinion, an exceptional and mesmerizing genres revealing a new blend of simple and typical Nepali language. Written in 2022 (2079), it is in a lyrical drama, a family saga, full of love, happiness, separation, apathy and reunion. There are 30 scenes in lyric focus on the five main characters: Siddhartha, Rahul, Yosodhara, Suddhon and Gautami. The atmospheric setting of historic king, Suddhon’s Kapilvastu palace depicts these heartfelt emotions. Second, Angulimal has 15 scenes where to transform him earthly ego has been contented by Buddha. Third, Yogamaya and Dharmasabha (Yogamaya’s Holy Assembly) is practice of Yoga which is used as two edged sword to fulfil earthly desires and to revolt against the brutality of the government prudently.
Siddhartha, in his monologue, finds the royal luxury entrapment after seeing death of a neighbour. Yasodhara, in the garden, wants love affair, shares that she is expecting a future emperor whereas Siddhartha is dismayed due to painful suffering among the mortal men and wants to redeem them from such grief forever. Soon Rahul is born and whole Kapilvastu is delightful but Siddharta is apathetic about son’s birth and named him Rahu (i.e. Sahu, past-life money lander) thinking that life is a whirl of agony. What a contrast! Mother, grandparents are enjoying in the growth of Rahul but father, Siddhartha, is tormented. Instead, there is his departure by deserting his wife, infant, parents and luxurious palace at night. King and queen are in grief in his parting even blaming them that they are cause to make him desert the palace. They come to Yasodhara and even ask to pardon their mistakes which forced Siddhartha to abandon the palace, but she believes not so; her parents also visit her and request to go to maternal house, but she denies to do so. Meanwhile, Rahul has regal nurture from his grandparents making him forget the absent of his father. Still sometimes Rahul demands paternal love with his mother but she inculcates him that grandparents are looking after him better than his father. Finally, Siddhartha, being enlightened, comes, on his and his wife’s birthday, full moon of Baisakh. He is there to ask alms in the palace that amplifies king Suddhodhan’s agony because he sees the prince asking alms in his own palace. Meanwhile, Yesodhara teaches Rahul to ask heirloom from Buddha, Buddha provides him an alms-pot, which, according to Sariputra, the precious gift for his life. Thus, the first book among the trilogy is over in here.
Now, the second lyrical drama Angulimal begins under the banner of Takshyashila University. The main characters are Buddha and Angulimal (Garland of thumbs after executing persons), where wise Buddha and egoistic Angulimal are in conversation. Some unemployed young characters glorify enlightened Buddha of Nepal, and reversely they are fool headed or narrow-minded instead. They talk about the postmodern themes of exciting different drinks and flashy fashions standing against the traditional creeds and cultures. Closely in the jungle, Angulimal, a ruthless brigand, is proud of his thumb necklace and frightened people everywhere. Buddha is heading toward the jungle but passer-by stops him travelling through the jungle. Despite of warning about the heinous man, Buddha is determined to meet him to convert into kindness. Buddha an Angulimal encountered, surprisingly, even walking Buddha cannot be followed by running Angulimal. He is stunned about Buddha’s supernatural power, and he is transformed by Buddha as his disciple; he accepts a begging bawl, starts asking pardon for his heinous deeds with every ones. He further vows to be a Buddha’s follower forever helping to the needy people in the world. Later, king Prasenajit wants to shoot Angulimal, Buddha stops him and the king also is enchanted and is converted into the Buddh’s disciple as Angulimal. In conclusion, both of them are found happy due to their clean hearts or souls from Lord Buddha’s love and compassions.
The third lyrical drama of the trilogy is Yogamaya and Dharmasabha (Yogamaya’s Holy Assembly). Yogamaya, a widow since her childhood, or women’s rights activists, is the main character appears in a hut along with other deprived widows and marginal groups in the holy assembly in this book. She asks water to quench her thirst with an untouchable woman who denies providing it and Yogamaya starts delivering her speech against the untouchable impression in the society. She states that everyone is equal due to similar chemicals in the human body, only culture means privileged class has nurtured the culture among the disadvantaged ones. In the meantime many marginal persons who were suppressed and punished by the higher castes, suffered young widows, marginal women beaten badly, come to her religious assembly for the support. She persuaded them that classes are formed according to the skills in ones’ vocations. After that even the so called untouchable lady is ready to serve water to Yogamaya, but many other women starts backbiting against her, who, being a Brahmani, superior caste accepts water and drinks which is against the Brahmin’s principles. The then Rana regime is informed about her movement of minority rights for everyone’s equality so the authority banned her mission. Yogamaya along with her members are even captivated or imprisoned in different places there. Still the brave lady is not frightened at all and revolts against suppression of the government; instead, she convenes all the assembled people there and makes them demand for equal rights to all human beings regardless of castes and creeds in Nepal.
However, Rahul-Yashodhara Sambad, is not only a lyrical drama about Rahul and Yashodhara, but a practice of spirituality to transform everyone from simple to supreme life. It is also a means of overthrowing the irreligious system by conquering even internal forces and external domination for being super human beings of having earthly prosperity, external peace and internal pleasure in that order as in Geeta, “Yoga is art of performing works skilfully.” Thus I highly recommend it because there is impossibility to remain unmoved after reading this outstanding book.
