चित्तौड़-उद्धार -जयशंकर प्रसाद

dipamalaean apas mean kuchh hil-hilakar iangit kar rahi haian, kintu maun haian. sajjit mandir mean lage hue chitr ekatak ek-doosare ko dekh rahe haian, shabd nahian haian. shital samir ata hai, kintu dhire-se vatayan-path ke par ho jata hai, do sajiv chitroan ko dekhakar vah kuchh nahian kah sakata hai. paryank par bhagyashali mastak unnat kiye hue chupachap baitha hua yuvak, svarn-putali ki or dekh raha hai, jo kone mean nirvat dipashikha ki tarah prakoshth ko alokit kiye hue hai. niravata ka sundar drishy, bhav-vibhor hone ka pratyaksh praman, spasht us grih mean alokit ho raha hai.
akasmat gambhir kanth se yuvak udveg mean bhar bol utha - sundari! aj se tum meri dharm-patni ho, phir mujhase sankoch kyoan?
yuvati kokil-svar se bol - maharajakumar! yah apaki daya hai, jo dasi ko apanana chahate haian, kintu vastav mean dasi apake yogy nahian hai.
yuvak - meri dharmaparinita vadhoo, maladev ki kanya avashy mere yogy hai. yah chatookti mujhe pasand nahian. tumhare pita ne, yadyapi vah mere chir-shatru haian, tumhare byah ke lie nariyal bheja, aur maianne rajapoot dharmanusar use svikar kiya, phir bhi tumhari-aisi sundari ko pakar ham pravanchit nahian hue aur isi avasar par apane poorv-purushoan ki janmabhoomi ka bhi darshan mila.
‘udar hriday rajakumar! mujhe kshama kijiye. devata se chhalana manushy nahian kar sakata. maian is samman ke yogy nahian ki paryank par baithooan, kintu charan-prant mean baithakar ek bar nari-jivan ka svarg bhog kar lene mean apake-aise devata badha n deange.’

itana kahakar yuvati ne paryank se latakate hue rajakumar ke charanoan ko pak d liya.
vir kumar hammir avak hokar dekhane lage. phir usaka hath pak dakar pas mean baitha liya. rajakumari shighrata se utarakar palang ke niche baith gayi.
dampaty-sukh se aparichit kumar ki bhanve kuchh chadh gayian, kintu usi kshan yauvan ke navin ullas ne unhean utar diya. hammir ne kaha - phir kyoan tum itana utkanthit kar rahi ho? sundari! kaho, kya bat hai?
rajakumari - maian vidhava hooan. sat varsh ki avastha mean, suna hai ki mera byah hua aur athavean varsh vidhava huee. yah bhi suna hai ki vidhava ka sharir apavitr hota hai. tab, jagatpavitr shishaudiya-kul ke kumar ko chhoone ka kaise sahas kar sakati hooan?
hammir - haian! tum kya vidhava ho? phir tumhara byah pita ne kyoan kiya?
rajakumari - keval devata ko apamanit karane ke liye.
hammir ki talavar mean svayan ek jhankar utpann huee. phir bhi unhoanne shant hokar kaha - apaman isase nahian hota, kintu parinita vadhoo ko chho d dene mean avashy apaman hai.
rajakumari - prabho! patita ko lekar ap kyoan kalankit hote haian?
hammir ne muskurakar kaha - aise nirdosh aur sachche ratn ko lekar kaun kalankit ho sakata hai?
rajakumari sankuchit ho gayi. hammir ne hath pak dakar uthakar palang par baithaya, aur kaha - ao, tumhean mujhase samaj, sansar, koee bhi nahian alag kar sakata.
rajakumari ne vashparuddh kanth se kaha - is anathini ko sanath karake apane chir-rrini banaya, aur vihval hokar hammir ke aank mean sir rakh diya.

bhag 2

kailava da pradesh ke chhote-se durg ke ek prakoshth mean rajakumar hammir baithe hue chinta mean nimagn haian. soch rahe the - jis din muanj ka sir maianne kata, usi din ek bhari bojh mere sir diya gaya, vah pitrivy ka diya hua maharana - vansh ka rajatilak hai, usaka poora nirvah jivan bhar karana kartavy hai. chittaur ka uddhar karana hi mera pradhan lakshy hai. par dekhooan, eeshvar kaise ise poora karata hai. is chhoti-si sena se, yathochit dhan ka abhav rahate, vah kyoankar ho sakata hai? rani mujhe chintagrast dekhakar yahi samajhati hai ki vivah hi mere chintit hone ka karan hai. maian usaki or dekhakar maladev par koee atyachar karane par sankuchit hota hooan. eeshvar ki kripa se ek putr bhi hua, kintu mujhe nity chintit dekhakar rani pita ke yahaan chali gayi hai. yadyapi devata-poojan karane ke liye hi vahaan unaka jana hua hai, kintu meri udasinata bhi karan hai. bhagavan ekaliangeshvar kaise is du:sadhy kary ko poorn karate haian, yah vahi janean.

isi tarah ki anek vichar-tarangean manas mean uth rahi thian. sandhya ki shobha samane ki giri-shreni par apani lila dikha rakhi hai, kintu chintit hammir ko usaka anand nahian. dekhate-dekhate andhakar ne giripradesh ko dhank liya. hammir uthe, vaise hi dvarapal ne akar kaha - maharaj vijayi hoan. chittaur se ek sainik, maharani ka bheja hua, aya hai.
tho di hi der mean sainik laya gaya aur abhivadan karane ke bad usane ek patr hammir ke hath mean diya. hammir ne use lekar sainik ko vida kiya, aur patr padhऩe lage-
prananath, jivanasarvasv ke charanoan mean
kotish: pranam.
dev! apaki kripa hi mere liye kushal hai. mujhe yahaan aye itane din hue, kintu ek bar bhi apane poochha nahian. itani udasinata kyoan? kya, sahas mean bharakar jo mujhe apane svikar kiya, usaka pratikar kar rahe haian? devata! aisa n chahiye. mera aparadh hi kya? maian apaka chintit mukh nahian dekh sakati, isilie kuchh dinoan ke lie yahaan chali ayi hooan, kintu bina us mukh ke dekhe bhi shanti nahian. ab kahiye, kya karooan? dev! jis bhoomi ki darshanabhilasha ne hi apako mujhase byah karane ke liye badhy kiya, usi bhoomi mean ane se mera hriday ab kahata hai ki ap byah karake nahian pashchattap kar rahe haian, kintu apaki udasinata keval chittaur-uddhar ke liye hai. maian isamean badha-svaroop apako dikhaee p dati hooan. mere hi sneh se ap pita ke oopar chadhaee nahian kar sakate, aur pitaroan ke rrin se uddhar nahian pa rahe haian. is janm mean to apase uddhar nahian ho sakati aur hone ki ichchha bhi nahian - kabhi, kisi bhi janm mean. chittaur-adhishthatri devi ne mujhe svapn mean jo ajna di hai, maian usi kary ke liye ruki hooan. pita is samay chittaur mean nahian haian, isase yah n samajhiye ki maian apako kayar samajhati hooan, kintu isaliye ki yuddh mean unake n rahane se unaki koee sharirik kshati nahian hogi. mere karan jise ap bachate haian, vah bat bach jayegi. saradaroan se rakshit chittaur - durg ke vir sainikoan ke sath sammukh yuddh mean is samay vijay prapt kar sakate haian. mujhe nishchay hai, bhavani apaki raksha karegi. aur, mujhe chittaur se apane sath liva n jakar yahian sianhasan par baithiye. dasi charan-seva karake kritarth hogi.

bhag 3

chittaur-durg ke sianhadvar par ek sahasr rajapoot-savar aur utane hi bhil-dhanurdhar padatik unmukt shastr liye hue maharana hammir ki jay ka bhim-nad kar rahe haian.
durg-rakshak sachesht hokar burjiyoan par se agni-varsha kara raha hai, kintu in dridh pratijn viroan ko hatane mean asamarth hai. durgadvar band hai. akramanakariyoan ke pas durgadvar to dane ka koee sadhan nahian hai, to bhi ve adamy utsah se akraman kar rahe haian. vir hammir katipay utsahi viroan ke sath agrasar hokar prachir par chadhऩe ka udyog karane lage, kintu vyarth, koee phal nahian hua. bhiloan ki ban-varsha se hammir ka shatrupaksh nirbal hota tha, par ve surakshit the. charoan or bhishan hatyakand ho raha hai. akasmat durg ka sianhadvar sashabd khula.

hammir ki sena ne samajha ki shatru maidan mean, yuddh karane ke liye a gaye, b de ullas se akraman kiya gaya. kintu dekhate haian to samane ek sau kshatraniyaan hath mean talavar liye hue durg ke bhitar kh di haian! hammir pahale to sankuchit hue, phir jab dekha ki svayan rajakumari hi un kshatraniyoan ki netri haian aur unake hath mean bhi talavar hai, to vah age badhe. rajakumari ne pranam karake talavar maharana ke hathoan mean de di, rajapootoan ne bhim-nad ke sath ‘ekaliang ki jay’ ghoshit kiya.

vir hammir agrasar nahian ho rahe haian. durg se rakshak sasainy usi sthan par a gaya, kintu vahaan ka drishy dekhakar vah bhi avak ho gaya. hammir ne kaha - senapate! maian is tarah durg-adhikar pa tumhean bandi nahian karana chahata, tum sasainy svatantr ho. yadi ichchha ho, to yuddh karo. chittaur-durg rana-vansh ka hai. yadi hamara hoga, to ekaliang-bhagavan ki kripa se use ham hastagat kareange hi.

durg-rakshak ne kuchh sochakar kaha - bhagavan ki ichchha hai ki apako apaka paitrik durg mile, use kaun rok sakata hai? sambhav hai ki isamean rajapootoan ki bhalaee ho. isase bandhuoan ka raktapat ham nahian karana chahate. apako chittaur ka sianhasan sukhad ho, desh ki shri-vriddhi ho, hinduoan ka soory meva d-gagan mean ek bar phir udit ho. bhil, rajapoot, shatruoan ne milakar maharana ka jayanad kiya, dundubhi baj uthi. mangal-gan ke sath sapatnik hammir paitrik sianhasan par asin hue. abhivadan grahan kar lene par maharana ne mahishi se kaha - kya ab bhi tum kahogi ki tum hamare yogy nahian ho?