Hail Vardhaman – Act I

Summary

Act I opens with a richly detailed stage direction: a spring garden on the banks of the Gandak in the republic of Vaishali, where two young princes, Vijaya and Sumitra, dressed as hunters with open hair, saffron garments and sandals, practise target‑shooting before dawn. They marvel at the flight of their arrows and compare them to rays of sunlight dispelling morning clouds, but they are puzzled because their friend Prince Vardhaman has recently banned all shooting. They recount that Vardhaman believes trees and flowers have souls and that harming them causes injury; only inanimate objects like stones should ever be shot. They laugh when they remember that he expects them to aim at five invisible targets—non‑violence, truth, non‑stealth, non‑acquisition and celibacy—and to use different arrows of self‑control, renunciation, forgiveness, penitence and austerity drawn from a spiritual armoury. When Vardhaman arrives he asks his friends what targets they have achieved; when they fall silent he notes that even silence can be an arrow because remaining serene when insulted can destroy ill‑spoken words. He reminds them that the true meaning of ‘Kshatriya’ is one who protects others from injury, not one who inflicts harm, and he explains that he practises archery only on earth mounds because living trees are sacred. Their discussion is interrupted by panicked cries announcing that the king’s elephant has broken its chains and is trampling people. While Vijaya and Sumitra ready their bows, Vardhaman forbids them to shoot a living creature and insists on confronting the beast alone. He races ahead unarmed to the lonely path where the elephant is raging. The next scenes are narrated by astonished citizens who witnessed him fearlessly stand in front of the charging animal with his arms spread wide; when the elephant trumpeted and threw its trunk at him he laughed, leapt onto its brow, took hold of its neck with both feet and tickled its ears. The wild elephant instantly became docile, raised its trunk in respectful obeisance and allowed the prince to ride it back to the stable. Vardhaman then commanded the mayor to help the injured rather than garland him. Later, as the group departs, a cobra emerges from the base of a banyan tree; Sumitra prepares to kill it but Vardhaman stops him, saying one is safe even without weapons. He catches the snake by the tail, throws it away unharmed and explains that he bears no ill‑will towards it. The princes recognise his fearlessness as true bravery and, bowing deeply, hail him as ‘Mahavira Vardhaman’—the very Brave—ending the act on a note of awe and reverence.