Hail Vardhaman – Act II
By Unexhibited
Summary
Act II shifts the scene to King Siddhartha’s richly decorated assembly hall in Vaishali, where the monarch, resplendent in his crown and jewels, paces angrily while questioning his Commander‑in‑Chief Girisen about the chaos caused by the escaped elephant. Siddhartha’s interrogation reveals the palace hierarchy: a head‑keeper had been bathing the elephant when an unknown arrow struck and enraged the beast; the mayor was guarding the prince’s playground rather than the town mall; and the guards cleverly diverted the elephant toward a lonely path to reduce casualties. As the king fumes over lax security, triumphant shouts of “Victory unto Vardhaman!” rise from outside. Girisen exits and returns to report that Prince Vardhaman has single‑handedly brought the rampaging animal under control. The bewildered king asks how such a feat is possible, and Girisen can only repeat what people say—that the prince tamed the elephant, returned it to the mahout and directed it back to the stable. A guard announces that Princes Vijaya and Sumitra seek audience; Siddhartha, knowing they were with Vardhaman during target practice, summons them to provide the true account. The young princes describe in detail how Vardhaman stood unarmed before the charging elephant, laughed at its fury, mounted its brow using its trunk as a springboard, tickled its ears and subdued the beast. They add that he later caught a king cobra by the tail and flung it away, and that he did not accept any praise. The king rewards the princes with pearl necklaces but they protest, saying their greatest reward is serving the illustrious prince. When Queen Trishala arrives, Siddhartha proudly recounts their son’s deeds and she expresses both joy and maternal concern: she has longed to find a bride for him but knows he avoids conversation about marriage. They reminisce about auspicious dreams that foretold his piety and about the royal astrologer’s prediction that the child would bring universal prosperity, which led Siddhartha to name him “Vardhaman”. The couple discuss the prince’s reluctance to marry and note that he never looks at maidens despite receiving portraits of many princesses. Prince Vardhaman enters humbly, bows to his parents and attributes his success to their blessings. Siddhartha praises him as “Vardhaman the Brave” but the prince remains modest. The parents decide to offer thanks to Lord Parshvanath for their good fortune. The act concludes with their plan to worship together, underscoring the family’s piety and hinting at future tension between royal duties and the prince’s spiritual aspirations.
Conclusion
The second act deepens the characters’ relationships by contrasting the court’s admiration for Vardhaman’s bravery with his own humility and hinting at the personal conflict ahead. King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala are proud yet anxious, as their son’s heroic deeds earn him the title “Vardhaman the Brave” but his indifference to praise and apparent disinterest in marriage trouble them. Through courtly dialogue and vivid retellings of the elephant episode, the act shows how the prince’s non‑violent courage wins public acclaim while planting seeds of discord between worldly expectations and his growing spiritual detachment. The curtain falls on the family preparing to worship Lord Parshvanath, foreshadowing the drama’s exploration of duty versus renunciation.