Khatvanga ka Ek Muhurta

Ayodhya ke pracheen Suryavansh mein, Ram ke janm se bahut pehle, Khatvanga naamak ek raja rajya karte the, jinka naam vijayon ke liye nahin, balki unke jeevan ke ek ghante ke liye yaad kiya jaata hai. Ve paraakrami yoddha the, dharm ke rakshak the, aur unki khyaati swarg tak pahunchi thi. Jab devtaon aur asuron ke beech bhayankar yuddh chhida, to devta prithvi par aaye aur apni senaon ka netritva karne wale senapati ki khoj ki, aur unhone Khatvanga ko chuna.

Raja ne kshan bhar bhi sankoch na kiya. Apna rajya vishvast haathon mein saunpkar ve divya yuddhbhoomi mein gaye aur devtaon ki sena ke aage ladne lage. Yuddh lamba aur bhayaanak tha, par Khatvanga ka saahas kabhi na dagmagaaya. Prahaar dar prahaar unhone asuron ko khadeda jab tak ve tootkar bhaag na gaye, aur devta vijayi hue. Aseem kritagyata se devta unke chaaron or ekatra hue aur bole, "Jo var chaaho maango. Swarg ya prithvi mein aisa kuchh nahin jo hum tumhein na denge."

Khatvanga vaise hi jiye the jaise rajaon ko jeena chaahiye. Unhone nirbalon ki raksha ki thi, vidvaanon ka sammaan kiya tha, apne dwaar par bhookhon ko bhojan diya tha, aur kabhi kisi yaachak ko khaali haath nahin lautaaya tha. Unka khazaana brahmanon ke liye khula tha, unki talwaar dushton ke liye aatank thi, aur unke rajya ke har gaanv mein unka naam prem se liya jaata tha. Phir bhi apne samast punya ke baavjood ve us kathor satya ko jaante the jo har buddhimaan ant mein seekhta hai: punyon ka koi dher ek bhi vyarth gaya kshan vaapas nahin khareed sakta, aur koi bhi rajya, chaahe kitne hi nyaay se shaasit ho, mrityu ke paar apne raja ka anusaran nahin karta. Jab devtaon ne unhein swargeeya sukhon ki samast chamakdaar soochi arpit ki, to unhone unhein apne hriday mein taula aur unhein bhoose ki tarah halka paaya, us ek vastu ke saamne jo ve sachmuch chaahte the.

Khatvanga ne kshan bhar socha aur phir aise shabd kahe jinhone sabhi ko aashcharyachakit kar diya. "Main keval is janm-maran ke chakra se mukti chahta hoon, aur param prabhu ki sada seva ka avsar chahta hoon." Devta ek-doosre ko dekhne lage, kyunki yahi ek vardaan tha jo ve nahin de sakte the. Moksh koi devta nahin de sakta; vah kripa keval Paramatma ki hai. "Kuchh aur maango," unhone vinati ki — dhan, lambi aayu, rajya, sukh. Par raja ne sir hila diya. "To keval yah batao," unhone kaha, "mere jeevan mein kitna samay shesh hai?"

Devtaon ne aapas mein vichaar kiya, aur unke mukh gambheer ho gaye. "He raajan," unhone ant mein kaha, "jab tak yah yuddh samaapt hua, tumhaari nirdhaarit aayu lagbhag samaapt ho chuki thi. Tumhaare jeene ke liye keval ek muhurta shesh hai — samay ka ek chhota-sa maap, ek ghante se bhi kam."

Aisi khabar sunkar adhikaansh manushya rote, krodh karte ya sansaar se buri tarah chipat jaate. Khatvanga ne inmein se kuchh na kiya. Unhone devtaon se turant prithvi par vaapas le jaane ko kaha, aur vahaan khule aakaash ke neeche unhone apna mukut, apne astra aur apne raajsi vastra utaar diye. Ve rishi ki mudra mein baith gaye, aankhein band keen, aur apne mann ko har us vastu se hata liya jise unhone kabhi apnaaya ya prem kiya tha — apna rajya, apna khazaana, apni patniyaan, apni santaanein, apna shareer tak. Apne antim amoolya kshanon mein unhone apne sampoorn astitva ko Bhagwan Vishnu ke charankamlon par sthir kiya, poornatah samarpit hokar, kuchh bhi peechhe na rakhkar.

Aur usi ek muhurta mein chamatkaar ghata. Karm ke ve bandhan jinhone unhein anginat janmon se jakda tha, sookhe dhaagon ki tarah toot gaye. Yoddha ke roop mein jeene wala raja sant ke roop mein mara, aur unki aatma mukt hokar uthi, us mukti ko praapt karke jo aajeevan karmakaand se bhi shaayad hi milti hai. Shaastra ghoshit karte hain ki unhone poorn samarpan ke us ek ekaagra kshan mein param dhaam praapt kiya.

Shataabdiyon baad, jab raja Parikshit Ganga ke tat par keval saat din ki aayu shesh lekar baithe the, to rishi Shukdev ne unki niraasha door karne ke liye Khatvanga ki katha sunaai. Rishi bole, "Yadi Khatvanga ek hi muhurta mein mukt ho sake, to tum saat poore dinon mein kya nahin praapt kar sakte, yadi tum apna hriday poornatah prabhu ko de do?" Yah shiksha aaj bhi jeevit hai: hamaare bhaagya ka nirnay hamaare samay ki lambaai se nahin, balki jo samay hamaare paas hai usmein hamaare samarpan ki gaharaai se hota hai. Vikshep mein bitaaya gaya aajeevan samay prabhu ke ek kshan ke poorn smaran se kam moolya ka hai.