A Life for a Life

“A Life for a Life!” he said in a commanding tone, “Nothing less and nothing more” he added. The pleading and crying face of the accused fell into a state of complete shock. The audience though weren’t as surprised. Justice was harsh in this town. No one was above the law and justice for all were the two main commandments. Neelkanth, the Nitipati of the town held it as his personal responsibility that everyone else follows this.

Once the order was given, he stood up and marched out of the large courtroom without even looking at the guilty party. His family already mourning on the decision and pleading for some respite. While the victim’s kin praising the judgment. Two huge men came forward and took the man who was on his knees to the small room behind the court.

As he settled in his couch, Neelkanth thought to himself, “What is with people asking for forgiveness after committing such a heinous crime? Do they really think I would ever forgive anyone who kills someone else for any reason? Law and Justice must always prevail! No matter what…” just then reality got him back. He found himself sitting on the same sofa, it was a previous case he was thinking about, the current one, was making it hard to think. He was sitting with his hands on his head. He could hear his wife weeping in the bedroom. She was probably more confident in her husband than Neelkanth himself was.

He tried to concentrate his thoughts. But he could not. He was just a spectator in the current case and not the judge. He was infact the key eye witness in this one. He was sworn by his morals to hold up the law. The two main pillars of his existence, law and justice were at stake and he wasn’t sure if he held them dear anymore! “How could I testify against my own son!” he shrieked at the thought. But there was no doubt that it was him who killed the merchant that afternoon. The stand-in Nitipati had said in the previous hearing that the final judgment shall be passed based on Neelkanth’s testimony. Tomorrow was that fateful day. He hadn’t spoken to his wife from the day his son was arrested for the murder. She never even tried coaxing her husband to not testify. Neelkanth on the other hand wasn’t sure on what to do. The thought of eloping the village in the silence of the night was an option he was ready to consider.

After a good three hours of wandering around in his living room, he sat down on his couch in padmasana, closed his eyes and started meditating. The chants of his mantras were broken with a loud knock on his door. He opened his eyes walked towards the door and opened. He saw four heavily built guards waiting for him. “Time to go my lord” one of them spoke. He was still considered the lord of the town. He looked at his wife who was standing just outside the bedroom door with and anguished look and teary eyes. His heart ached like never before as he walked out of the house.

Walking towards the courtroom his mind was blank. He felt like it was him who was a prisoner and not his son as he stood before an audience of over 200 and the new judge. As his son was brought out from the little door back of the court, Neelkanth’s paternal urges were hard to stop. He wanted to rush forward and embrace his son and tell him everything will be all right and that his father would take care of everything. But he could not even bring himself to look at him. Finally as he managed to, he saw his son in a fearful and grief struck gaze. Tears started flowing out of his eyes looking at the condition of his only son.

The stand-in judge intervened, as he asked the guards to take the prisoner back to the cell. He knew his friend of forty years loved his son the most and looking at him like this would break his soul apart. Nellkanth looked at Ram with misery. He hoped that his friend would let him go without asking for his statement. But Ram held the commandments of the town to his heart just as much as Neelkanth. He asked Neelkanth to testify what he saw that afternoon. Neelknth for a moment though he would die of a heart attack. As he opened his mouth, he was finding it difficult to speak, words just were not ready to come out of his mouth.

“I..I..I saw ..the murder…my so..son….Sh…Sh..Shiv, killed …the merchant!” the entire crowd was silenced as Neelkanth burst out crying falling down to his knees. Even though everyone knew Neelkanth as a supremely just person, no on had thought he would actually testify against his only son.

Ram was guilt stricken as well for a moment. His eyes watery as he watched his best friend weep uncontrollably. With a lot of effort he calmed himself as he moved to give the order. “A life for a life. Nothing less and nothing more. Let this be an inspiration to each and everyone in this world! How a father testified against the wrong doing of his own son. For the greater good of humanity he is ready to sacrifice his own family! Let everyone of you draw an example out of him and vow to uphold the sacred code of dharma and the oath that you take to serve humanity!” he exclaimed with his voice trembling. The entire crowd in one voice acknowledged with shouts of “Har Har Mahadev”.

Just then, Neelkanth got up and looked at Ram. He said, “If my lord would permit, I as the Nitipati of this town like to carry out the orders myself this time!” Ram and everyone else in the court stood shocked! “I..I cannot allow this!” Ram exclaimed. “Ram…I mean my lord, I know that, if the Nitipati chooses, he can ask anyone to carry out this order” Ram looked at Neelkanth in dismay. He knew that every code of the book is by heart to Neelkanth. He was the Nitipati of the town for over three decades now.

Ram sighed, “okay, I the current Nitipati of this town, allow Neelkanth to carry out the order passed by this court before the sunset today” he got up and walked off the room as tears rolled off his eyes.

Neelkanth looked to the heavens as he kneeled down in the now empty courtroom. He slowly walked out of the small door towards the cell in which his son was being prepared for his final moments. He sat there totally blank. His mind was wondering at a distant place. Away from all this mess.

The guillotine was brought forward by some ten hunky guards. Neelkanth touched it gently - the weapon to kill his son!

Soon he saw his son, being positioned into place, with a black cotton cloth covering his face. The guards gave Neelkanth the signal – It was Time! Neelkanth slowly bent over, and said into the ears of his son, “I love you Shiva, forgive me” as tears rolled off his eyes. His son chose not to speak anything as he prepared for his fate. Neelkanth going towards the lever, held it with his hands, looking away from his son, he pulled it in one shot and without looking or waiting a moment charged out of the grounds.

Neelkanth walked past the town boundaries. It was almost dusk. He finally stopped at a temple and sat there for some time. When the priest of the temple went home for his meal, Neelkanth got up and went towards the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He looked at the Shivling there, folded his hands in a pranaam offered his prayers. As he came out of the temple premises, a small smile came on his face. He could finally put into action his plan – the reason why he asked for killing his own son. He looked at the heavens and said, “A life for a life. Nothing more nothing less” as he drew out a small dagger he always used to carry for security reasons, from his coat and slit open both his wrists. “I killed my son, so, I must die as well” he spoke looking towards the heaven, talking to the gods. “I could never live with him dying because of my testimony.”

“I thank you for giving me this idea and helping me uphold my morals as well”.

“I’m coming to you my son!”