रमला -जयशंकर प्रसाद

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is lekh ka punarikshan evan sampadan hona avashyak hai. ap isamean sahayata kar sakate haian. "sujhav"

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sajan ke man mean nity vasant tha. vahi vasant jo utsah aur udasi ka samajhauta karata, vah jivan ke utsah se kabhi virat nahian, n-jane kaun-si asha ki lata usake man mean kali leti rahati. tis par bhi udasin sajan us b di-si jhil ke tat par, pray: nishchesht ajagar ki tarah p da rahata. use smaran nahian, kab se vahaan rahata tha. usaka sundar sugathit sharir bina dekh-rekh ke apani ichchhanusar malinata mean bhi chamakata rahata. us jhil ka vah ekamatr svami tha, rakshak tha, sakha tha.

shailamala ki god mean vah samudr ka shishu kalol karata, us par se arun ki kiranean nachati hueean, apane ko shital karati chali jatian. madhyanh mean divas thahar jata-usaki laghu vichiyoan ka kampan dekhane ke lie. sandhya hote, usake charoan or ke vriksh apani chhaya ke anchal mean chhipa lena chahate; parantu usaka hriday udar tha, mukt tha, virat tha. chaandani usamean apana muanh dekhane lagati aur hans p dati.

aur sajan! vah bhi apane nirjan sahachar ka usake shant saundary mean abhinandan karata. hulas kar usamean kood p data, yahi usaka snehatirek tha.

sajan ki saanse usaki lahariyoan se svar-samanjasy banaye rahatian. yah jhil use khane ke lie kamalagatte deti, siangha de deti, koaneeberra, aur bhi kitani vastu bikherati. vahi sajan ki grihini thi, snehamayi, kabhi-kabhi vah use pukar uthata, b de ullas se bulata-‘rani!’ pratidhvani hoti, ee-ee-ee. vah khilakhila uthata, aankhean vikas jatian, roean-roean hansane lagate. phir sahasa vah apani udasi mean doob jata, tab tara chhaee rat us par apana shyam anchal dal deti. kabhi-kabhi vriksh ki j d se hi sir lagakar so rahata.

ais hi kitane baras bit gaye.

udhar pashu charane ke lie gop-balak n jate. door-door ke gaanv mean yah vishvas tha ki ramala jhil par koee jaladevata rahata hai. udhar koee jhaankata bhi nahian. vah sansarg se vanchit desh apani vibhooti mean apane hi mast tha.

ramala bhi b di dhith thi. vah gaanv-bhar mean sabase chanchal ladaqi thi. ladaqi kyoan, vah yuvati ho chali thi. usaka byah nahian hua tha; vah apani jati bhar mean sabase adhik gori thi, tis par bhi usaka nam p d gaya tha ramala! vah aisi badha thi ki byah hona asambhav ho gaya. usamean sabase b da dosh yah tha ki vah b de-b de ladaqoan ko bhi unaki dhithaee par chapat lagakar hans deti thi. jhil ke dakshin ki paha di se kosoan door par usaka gaanv tha.

manjal bhi kam dusht n tha, vah pray: ramala ko chidhaya karata. usane sab ladaqoan se salah ki-‘‘ramala ki paha di par chala jay.’’

balak ikatthe hue. ramala bhi aj paha di par pashu charane ko thahari. sab chadhऩe lage; parantu ramala sabake pahale thi. sabase ooanchi choti par kh di hokar usane kaha-‘‘lo, maian sabake age hi pahuanchi,’’-kahakar pas ke l dake ko chapat laga di.

manjal ne kaha-‘‘udhar to dekho! vah kya hai?’’

ramala ne dekha sundar jhil! vah use dekhane mean tanmay ho gee thi. pratihiansa se bhare hue l dake ne ek halka-sa dhakka diya, yadyapi vah usake parinam se poori tarah parichit nahian tha; phir bhi ramala ko to kasht bhogane ke lie koee rukavat n thi. vah ludhaq chali, jab tak ek jha d ko pak dati aur vah ukh dakar girata, tab tak doosare patthar ka kona use chot pahuanchane par avalamb de hi deta; kintu patan rukana asambhav tha. vah chot khate-khate niche a hi p di. balak gaanv ki or bhage. ramala ke gharavaloan ne bhi santosh kar liya.

sajan kabhi-kabhi ramala jhil ki pheri lagata. vah jhil kee kos mean thi. jahaan sthal-path ka paha di ki bih d shilaoan se ant ho jata, vahaan vah tairane lagata. bich-bich mean usane do-ek sthan vishram ke lie bana liye the; vah sthan aur kuchh nahian; prakritik guhayean thian. usane dakshin ki paha di ke niche pahuanchakar dekha, ek kishori jal mean pair latakaye baithi hai.

vah ashchary aur krodh se apane hoanth chabane laga; kyoanki ek gupha vahian par thi. ab sajan kya kare! usane pusht bhuja uthakar door se poochha-‘‘tum kaun? bhago.’’

ramala ek manushy ki akriti dekhate hi prasann ho gee, hans p di. boli-

‘‘maian hooan, ramala!’’

‘‘ramala! ramala rani.’’

‘‘rani nahian, ramala.’’

‘‘ramala nahian, rani kaho, nahian pitooanga, meri rani!’’-kahakar sajan jhil ki or dekhane laga.

‘‘achchha, achchha, rani! tum kaun ho?’’

‘‘maian sajan, rani ka sahachar.’’

‘‘tum sahachar ho? aur maian yahaan aee hooan, tum mera kuchh satkar nahian karate?’’-hanso d ramala ne kaha.

‘‘ao tum!’’-kahakar vismay se sajan us kishori ki or dekhane laga.

‘‘haan maian, tum b de dusht ho sajan! kuchh khilao, kahaan rahate ho? vahian chalooan.’’

sajan ghabaraya, usane dekha ki ramala uth kh di huee. usane kaha-tairakar chalana hoga, age path nahian hai.

vah kood p di aur rajahansi ke saman tairane lagi. sajan kshanabhar tak us sundar santaran ko dekhata raha. usaki drishti ka yah pahala mahotsav tha. use bhi to tairane ka vinod tha n. man ka virodh un laharoan ke andolan se ghulane laga, anichchha hone par bhi vah sath dene ke lie kood p da. donoan sath-sath tair chale.

bahut din bit gaye. ramala aur sajan ekatr rahane par bhi alag the. ramala ka sab utsah us ekant niravata mean dhire-dhire vilin ho chala.

vah oob chali. usaki gupha mean dher-ke-dher kamalagatte phal p de rahate, use un sab padarthoan se vitrishna ho chali. sajan palatoo pashu ke saman apani svamini se ajna ki apeksha karata; parantu ramala ka utsah to us bandigrih se bhag jane ke lie utsuk tha.

sajan ne ek din poochha-

‘‘kya le aooan?’’

‘‘kuchh nahian.’’

‘‘kuchh nahian? kyoan?’’

‘‘maian ab jaooangi?’’

‘‘kahaan?’’

‘‘jidhar ja sakooangi.’’

‘‘tab yahian kyoan nahian rahati ho?’’-achanak sajan ne kaha.

ramala kuchh n boli. us jhil par rat aee, apana jagamagata chandava tanakar vishram karane lagi. ramala apani gupha mean sone chali gee aur sajan apani gupha ke pas baitha ekatak rajani ka saundary dekhane laga. aj jaise use smriti huee- ramala ke a jane se vah jis bat ko bhool gaya tha, usake antar ki vahi bhavana jag uthi. sajan pukar utha-‘rani!’ bahut din ke bad us jhil ki pahadiy़aan pratidhvani se mukharit ho uthian- ee-ee-ee.

ramala chauank kar jag p di. bahar chali aee. usane dekha, sajan jhil ki or muanh kiye pukar raha hai-‘rani!’ rani!’-usaka kanth gadgad hai. chaandani aj nikhar p di thi. ramala ne suna. sajan ke svar mean rudan tha. vyakulata thi; ramala ne usake kandhe par hath rakh diya-sajan sihar utha. usane kaha-‘‘kaun, ramala!’’

‘‘ramala nahian-rani.’’

sajan vismay se dekhane laga. usane poochha-‘‘tum rani ho?’’

‘‘haan, mujhi ko to tum pukarate the n?’’

‘‘tumhian ... tumhian ... haan, tumhian ko to, meri pyari rani!’’

dono ne dekha, akash ke nakshatr ramala-jhil mean dubakiyaan le rahe the, aur khilakhila rahe the.

kitana samay bit gaya-

sajan ki sab soee vasanayean jag uthian-bhoole hue path ki tarah achchhe guru ke samane smaran hone lagi thian!

use ab shit lagane laga-ramala ke kap doan ki avashyakata vah svayan anubhav karane laga.

akasmath ek din ramala ne kaha-‘‘chalo, kahian ghoom avean.’’

sajan ne bhi kah diya-‘‘chalo.’’

vahi giripath, jisane bahut dinoan se munashy ka pad-chihn bhi nahian dekha tha-sajan aur ramala ke pair choomane laga. donoan use rauandate chale gaye.

ramala apani phati sa di mean lipati thi aur sajan valkal baandhe tha. ve daridr the par unake mukh par ek tej tha. ve jaise prachin devakathaoan ke koee patr hoan. sandhya ho gayi thi-gaanv ka zamiandar ka praangan abhi soona n tha. zamiandar bhi bilkul yuvak tha. use is jo de ko dekhakar kutoohal hua. usane vastr aur bhojan ki vyavastha karake unhean tikane ki ajna de di.

prat: aankhean khol raha tha. kisan apane khetoan mean jane ki taiyari mean the. ramala uth baithi thi, pas hi sajan p da so raha tha. kap doan ki garami use sukh mean lapete thi. use kabhi yah anand n mila tha. kitane hi prabhat ramala jhil ke tat us nari ne dekhe. kintu yah gaanv ka drishy usake man mean sandeh, kutoohal, asha bhar raha tha. yuvak zamiandar apane gho de par chadhऩa hi chahata tha ki usaki drishti malin, vastr mean jhaankati huee do aankhoan par p di. vah pas a gaya, poochhane laga-‘‘tum logoan ko koee kasht to nahian hua?’’

‘‘nahian’-kahate hue ramala ne apane sir ka kap da hata diya aur yuvak ko ashchary se dekhane lagi. yuvak ghab dakar bola-‘‘kaun? ramala?’’

‘‘haan, manjal!’’

yuvak ki saans bhari ho chali.

usane kaha-‘‘ramala, mujhe kshama karo, maianne tumhean...’’

‘‘haan, dhakka dekar gira diya tha. tab bhi maian bach gee.’’

yuvak ne soye hue manushy ki or dekhakar poochha-‘‘vah tumhara kaun hai?’’

ramala ne rukate hue uttar diya-‘‘mera-koee nahian.’’

‘‘tab bhi, yah hai kaun?’’

‘‘ramala jhil ka jal-devata.’’

yuvak ek bar jhanajhana gaya.

usane poochha-‘‘tum kya phir chali jaogi, ramala?’’-usake kanth mean b di komalata thi.

‘‘tum jaisa kaho’’-ramala jaise bebasi se boli.

yuvak-‘‘achchha, jao pahale naha-dho lo’’-kahata hua gho de par chadhaqar chala gaya. ramala salajj uthi-gaanv ki pokhari ki or chali.

usake jate hi sajan jaise jag p da. ek bar aang daee li aur uth kh da hua. jis path se aya tha, usase lautane laga.

godhooli thi aur vahi udas ramala jhil! sajan thaka hua baitha tha. aj usake man mean, n-jane kahaan ka sneh um da tha. prashant ramala mean ek chamakila phool hilane laga; sajan ne aankh uthakar dekha-paha di ki choti par ek tarika ramala ke udas bhal par saubhagyachihn-si chamak uthi. dekhate-dekhate ramala ka vaksh nakshatroan ke har se sushobhit ho utha.

sajan ne ullas se pukara-‘‘rani!’’

sanbandhit lekh

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