Dharma

As the day ended he stripped his armour and went out unarmed, in his robes.
In battle he was a furious warrior, bravest emperor of Magadha, but when the fighting ceased, he ventured to the battlefield with water to quench the thirst of dying. For him both the act of slaying and act of mercy were consistent. He waged war, because to him it was his duty as King to expand his domain, to become Chakravarti by making other rules accept his superiority, and he was compassionate because that was demanded by Dharma too. He did not particularly enjoy mayhem, fighting was a last resort as in this case because Lichhavi republic was not ready to accept the suzerainty of Magadha.

He walked on the battlefield, among the dead and injured, giving water, comforting the maimed and mutilated. In his ministrations he chanced upon a soldier in death throes, a lichhavi youth of tender age. He was moved by the soldier's heart rending cries. He went to that boy to soothe him. As he bent to comfort, the soldier recognized him.


Even as he was lying on the field, his death imminent, he could understand, even praise the soldier who even while he was dying, plunged the dagger in his breast. For just as it was his Dharma to be a victor, same way the Dharma of boy was to defend republic.