Confessions Of Urmila 14 - Sumantra Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

The name ‘Sumantra' meant a person capable of offering flawless advice. And the Prime Minister lived upto his name.

Sumantra, the Prime Minister was a very knowledgeable man, as he was aged. In spite of his age, he had no hesitation to discuss the Puranas, Vedas and scriptures with me. Whenever time permitted from his taxing schedule as the Prime Minister, he would come to the palace for discussions wiith me. I respected his wisdom more than his age and at no point he hinted at my young age or that I was a woman or the princess, but spoke with the respect for an equal. I enjoyed every moment with him.

One day, I found him specifically disturbed. He answered my questions with a story, with much hesitation. A woman had drawn her husband to the Kings Court for not providing for her and their children and for beating her up when she questioned him. She openly argued in the Court that her husband had no rights over her person, but on the other hand she had the right to demand him to provide for her and their children. The husband argued that no scriptures mandated that he provides for his wife or children and the Court cannot deviate from Manusmriti, which was the guiding principle. The king was unable to give a verdict.

I had no doubt that the rights of every human being to live a decent respectable life is inviolable and stands above anything said in Manusmriti or elsewhere. This is the basic principle of good governance. The rights of the husband over his wife, if any, is subordinate to this right and subject to proper discharge of the responsibility of the husband to provide for his wife and children to live decently. I said this, albeit hesitantly, in so many words to the Prime Minister. His face lit up as Pournami moon rising over the eastern sky. He had found a remarkable solution to a difficult problem.

The same evening the King came to our palace with Sumantra and the entire council of ministers. Sumantra congratulated me for offering the simple solution for the complex problem, which was appreciated by the entire Court. Even the accused husband had accepted the verdict with a bowed head.

The King did not mince his words, "we have come to invite you to join the Council of Ministers, my dear daughter."