Walk With Me

Author(s): Chandanaji Acharya, Vastupal Parikh
Publisher: Veerayatan

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Ch. 3: Ajja Chandana · Women's Liberation
and pleasant poise. Hiding her royal past was not easy; she could have easily spilled her story and been sent to the palace in Kaushambi. Even though King Shatanik had attacked her father's kingdom, his Queen was none other than Chandanbala's aunt, Mrigavati."
Sudharma could not resist reacting. He said, "To say that one should forget the past and live in the present, or gracefully accept what fate has ordained for them, is easy; but to put that into practice is not. A princess, once used to royal banquets, was now surviving on meager leftovers. One who was once served by the entire palace staff was now herself a servant. She could once command any luxury in the world, but now waiting for some one else's command was her luxury. What a life! Yet, she never uttered a word of protest! Ajja Chandana's behavior, at such tender age, shows how self-disciplined she must be. Even a seasoned sadhak would find it difficult to show such discipline. Ganadhar Gautam, please do continue and tell me more about her. I am beginning to understand her capabilities."
I continued, "By now, Chandanbala had grown into a beautiful young lady. Her radiant skin, royal poise, and beautifully flowing long, black hair made Dhanvah's wife, Mula, envious of her. Mula was afraid that, 'Some day this girl would trap my husband and snatch him away from me. So, when Dhanvah had to leave town for business, Mula decided to get rid of Chandanbala. She dressed Chandanbala in rags and had her beautiful long black hair shaved to strip her of her beauty. Mula ordered Chandanbala to be handcuffed and locked up in the dark, cold dungeon in her house. Innocent Chandanbala could not understand the reasons for her punishment. She had seen men being cruel to helpless
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