Shatru Sesham: Sequel of Baahubali ✔️

Chapter Thirty-One

That night at the Gurukul,
As everyone was preparing to retire to bed, Guha, one of the senior students at the Gurukul informed Narasimha, "You will be spending two consecutive nights with Guru Dharmagupta. Our Guru will be personally monitoring that you do not evade your punishment."

Narasimha hung down his face. Bhavani was highly outraged, "I just want to know why our friend is being punished for such a small thing? He just needed a little bit more sleep and now you are denying him even that by not allowing him to sleep for two full nights? Why don't you say anything Narsimha?"

Narasimha said, "Your anger is misplaced, Bhavani. Guha was just passing on information. You don't shoot a messenger for doing his duty."

"Whatever!" Bhavani as she backed down from her offensive stance rather irritatedly.

Dilipa casually remarked, "God knows what runs in our Guru's mind! The way he expects such high standards from Narasimha, one would think he was going to be a King or a General of a mighty army at the very least while my friend here is just going to take over his father's business in Vaishali Nagar after his education."

Guha replied curtly, "If you guys are done with your small talk, I'll get going. I was asked to inform and I did that."

"Thanks Guha. I'll leave immediately", Narasimha hastily replied putting an end to this discussion which was threatening to again blow out of proportions.

Bhavani continued, "But Narasimha...listen..."

Dilipa remarked in a highly sardonic tone, "Oh...Kshathrani...stop.....Narasimha isn't listening. He has already left."

Bhavani literally punching into the air with frustration, "God....I hate him for this!....And by the way.....what were you calling me?"

"KSHATHRANI!"

"What?"

"One would think you were one looking at the admirable fighting spirit you possess."

"Now I'll teach you......Are you aware what Kshathranis actually do?"

"What?"

"This!" In a lightening-quick manouver,  Bhavani pulled the rug on which Dilipa was standing from beneath his feet until he landed on his bum. A bit surprised but unfazed by this, he wagged his finger at her, "That's why I call you KSHATHRANI....KSHATHRANI..."

Bhavani, highly infuriated, ran after Dilipa with a pillow in hand, punching him hard while he defended this in an equally adept manner with his pillow.
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In Dharmagupta's chamber,
Dharmagupta was at his desk writing something with his quill. There was also a sand-dial at the edge of the same desk to indicate the passage of time. He paused for a moment when he heard Narasimha's footstep at the entrance, "Lock the door behind you. You may sleep on that mattress there. I have to complete whatever I have started."

Narasimha stood unsure for a moment about how to react. Was he imagining or conjuring up things? Was his mind playing tricks? Or had he heard correctly?

"Yes, you heard it right", Dharmagupta continued. "Yours was a genuine case. But it is not often so. Once I start making exceptions for a particular student, I will have to relax rules and discipline for all. It will lead to anarchy and lawlessness which I don't want to happen in my Gurukul. So in the morning, when I caught you breaking the rules, you had to be punished so that other students don't take your case as an example and start breaking rules. But now in privacy, I can afford to relax the punishment this once. But remember, it is just this once. And you will not talk about this outside this chamber."

Narasimha thanked, "I knew my Guru could never be wrong. I knew you would never punish a student who wasn't truly guilty. My faith in you was right."