Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable
Chapter 86 - 84: Disagreement With Sages...
(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
Guys I hope you put more comments and power stones... Which will encourage me...
I was thinking about adding local deities too to the story. Any thought about This idea.
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Trivenivrata...
Royal Palace...
By the time Devara and Vidura returned to the royal palace, the evening sun had begun to soften across the marble corridors of Royal Palace.
Servants and guards moved quietly through the halls, preparing for the growing number of guests and scholars arriving daily.
The kingdom was still young, but knowledge itself already seemed to be gathering within its walls.
When the two entered the main meeting chamber, they found the invited sages already assembled.
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Meeting Chamber...
The atmosphere inside was markedly different from the earlier political discussions.
This room carried age. Experience.
The scent of herbs and medicinal oils lingered faintly among the robes and travel satchels many sages carried with them.
Among those present sat one figure whose reputation alone commanded respect—
Sage Sushruta.
The disciple of Divodasa, inheritor of profound knowledge in medicine, surgery, herbs, and healing sciences.
Even among learned men, his presence stood out.
Devara paused briefly upon entering.
"...."
Then folded his hands respectfully.
"Welcome to Trivenivrata. Respectful Sages."
His tone carried neither superiority nor forced humility.
Only sincerity.
The sages returned the greeting in kind, many nodding respectfully toward the young prince who would soon become king.
-Nods!
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Despite his age, none present could completely dismiss the stories surrounding him anymore.
Some had doubted the tales before arriving.
Very few still doubted them now.
After ensuring the guests were comfortably seated,
Devara remained standing before them and calmly began explaining why they had been invited.
"I wish to establish a foundation for medicine within this kingdom,"
He said in a confidence voice. That alone drew attention from the sages.
But he continued further.
"Not a single healing hall.... But Many."
Several sages exchanged glances confused.
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Devara walked toward the large map table placed nearby.
"There are too many illnesses,"
He explained, tracing points thoughtfully.
"And no single healer can master every branch of knowledge equally."
He began listing examples.
"Head injuries."
"Eye diseases."
"Skin conditions."
"Nerve disorders."
"Problems of the stomach, spine, joints, childbirth..."
The room grew quieter as he spoke of how many problems there were and how where still not founded.
"In every field,"
He continued looking at the listening sages seriously,
"there are those naturally more skilled than others. If people are treated by specialists who devote themselves deeply to one branch, the quality of care will rise."
Now even those who had initially seemed indifferent were paying closer attention.
This was not the thinking of someone casually interested in medicine.
It had structure and had putted deep thought into it.
Which has Purpose. Vision.
Devara then spoke of his second intention.
"A medical gurukul."
That stirred the room further.
"Those who wish to study healing sciences may train there under proper guidance."
Again, several sages nodded slowly.
-Nod!
But then came the part that changed the atmosphere entirely.
"No one,"
Devara said firmly looking at the sages,
"will practice medicine independently without passing the gurukul’s examinations first."
A few brows furrowed immediately.
-Frown!
The older traditions relied heavily on lineage and direct inheritance.
Formalized testing on this scale was uncommon.
Yet before anyone could fully respond, one sage interrupted directly.
"And who,"
He asked sharply as if he could tell he don’t like that answer,
"will be allowed to receive this knowledge?"
The chamber fell silent.
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The meaning behind the question was obvious.
This question is Not for skill. Not for discipline.
Birth. Community. Caste. Lineage.
Of those who would learn at that Gurukul.
That was what he truly meant.
Several sages avoided eye contact.
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Others watched carefully waiting for Devara’s answer.
And Devara—Did not hesitate even slightly.
He met the sage’s gaze directly.
"Those who prove their worth."
His voice remained calm as he further spoke.
"And their talent."
A pause to sink his words into their mind.
"Not their community."
Silence spread heavily across the chamber.
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This time, it was no ordinary disagreement. It was ideological he was challenging.
Devara could see it clearly now.
Some sages looked thoughtful. Some surprised by his honest reply.
And many were—Displeased.
One elderly sage frowned openly.
-Frown!
Another leaned back with visible discomfort.
A few whispered quietly among themselves.
Because what Devara proposed threatened something older than medicine itself—Control over who was allowed to possess knowledge.
Yet Devara did not retreat from their reactions.
Instead, he spoke again.
"If healing knowledge exists to save lives,"
He said evenly believing him the words he uttered just now,
"then refusing a capable student solely because of birth weakens the very purpose of that knowledge."
The room remained tense.
But this time—Not everyone opposed him.
Slowly, Sushruta spoke for the first time.
"And how,"
He asked calmly,
"will you judge worth?"
The question carried no hostility. Only genuine inquiry.
Devara looked toward him respectfully.
"Discipline."
"Compassion."
"Steady hands."
"The ability to learn."
"And the resolve to carry responsibility without arrogance. The mind for an healer..."
Sushruta studied him for several moments.
"...."
Then slowly nodded once.
-Nod!
Not agreement. Not yet. But interest in the way Devara think.
And that alone shifted the atmosphere more than any argument could have.
Because if even Sushruta was willing to listen—Then the conversation was far from over.
The silence following Devara’s words did not last long.
Several sages rose almost immediately.
Not gradually. Not hesitantly.
As though remaining seated any longer itself would imply agreement.
The atmosphere inside the chamber sharpened at once.
One after another, the elder scholars folded their hands toward Devara—not respectfully, but formally, with clear distance in their posture.
"King of Trivenivrata,"
One of them began sternly,
"we request permission to leave."
Another stepped forward before Devara could answer.
"What you propose,"
He declared in anger,
"is adharma1 toward the sacred knowledge entrusted to us."
Murmurs of agreement followed.
A third sage spoke more harshly still.
"Knowledge passed without proper lineage loses purity."
"You speak of talent," another added, "but talent without ordained birth invites chaos."
One by one, their objections came—not emotional, but deeply rooted in centuries of inherited belief.
"You seek to break order."
"You seek to equalize what was never meant to be equal. If you continue down this path,"
An elderly sage warned coldly,
"this kingdom will be cursed before it truly rises. The gods will not bless such a land. They will turn away from it."
The chamber grew heavy with their disapproval.
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Beside Devara, Vidura instinctively stepped forward, prepared to calm the situation before it worsened further.
But Devara quietly lifted a hand. Stop.
Vidura paused immediately.
"...."
Devara did not argue.
Did not command them to stay. Did not threaten authority.
He simply watched as the sages departed one after another, their robes disappearing beyond the carved stone doors of the chamber.
The silence left behind afterwards felt strangely larger than the noise itself.
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Only a handful of sages remained seated now.
Among them—Sage Sushruta.
Along with a few others whose expressions were thoughtful rather than offended.
Devara looked at those who had stayed.
Then calmly continued as though the interruption had merely been part of the discussion.
"The reason I insist on examinations,"
He explained calmly to those who were listening,
"is because trust itself becomes dangerous in the hands of the unfit."
His voice remained composed.
"When a healer lacks proper understanding, the patient suffers first."
He glanced across the remaining scholars.
"A title alone cannot heal someone. Skill can."
That made several of the younger sages quietly lower their eyes in thought.
Devara then moved toward another table where scrolls and writing materials had already been prepared.
"There is another thing I wish to establish."
This time, even those uncertain listened carefully.
"A grand library of knowledge."
That immediately drew attention.
Not just a storage hall. Not merely a royal archive.
Something larger which will share the knowledge for those who deserves it.
Devara explained further.
"All fields of knowledge—medicine, herbs, metallurgy, astronomy, architecture, governance, warfare—should be preserved through properly recorded pustakas1."
The word itself carried weight.
Books. Texts. Accumulated learning which will be recorded.
But what truly caught their attention was the structure he described afterwards.
"The knowledge will not simply be thrown open carelessly,"
Devara clarified to make sure his intention were not misunderstood.
"It will be organized."
He began outlining the system carefully which he build for the library.
"There are Four sections. Basic. Amateur. Advanced. And forbidden."
Now the chamber had become completely silent again—but for a different reason.
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Taking in his idea with deep thought.
This was not reckless idealism. It was controlled access.
Structured preservation of knowledge.
A proper system where one could look for the knowledge they want to verify.
Devara continued to explain.
"To add a pustaka1 into the library, the knowledge within it must first be verified."
His finger tapped lightly against the table.
"A committee of experts from the relevant field will examine it. Only after approval will it become part of the library."
Several sages exchanged surprised glances at that.
Because this solved one of the greatest fears among scholars—False knowledge spreading freely.
Then Devara explained the access restrictions.
"The advanced section requires recommendation. A student or scholar must obtain a request letter from a committee member specializing in that subject."
Then his tone became firmer.
"The forbidden section requires two approvals. One from the expert committee. And one directly from the king."
Now even the skeptical sages remaining in the chamber were visibly thinking deeply.
Because suddenly—This no longer sounded like a king trying to recklessly distribute knowledge to everyone.
It sounded like someone trying to preserve knowledge while preventing its misuse.
Sage Sushruta finally leaned slightly forward.
"And who," he asked calmly,
"decides what belongs in the forbidden section?"
Devara answered without hesitation.
"Knowledge capable of causing mass harm if abused. Poisons. Certain surgical methods. Dangerous astras tied to body manipulation. Methods that can destroy minds, cripple bodies, or spread suffering."
The chamber quieted again.
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Because every sage present understood immediately—Such knowledge did exist.
And in the wrong hands—It truly could devastate kingdoms. If one intends to...
Devara looked around at the remaining scholars.
"I do not want knowledge destroyed,"
He said quietly and firmer.
"I want it protected."
A different silence followed this time.
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Not rejection. Not acceptance either. But contemplation.
Because whether they agreed with him fully or not—The young king before them was not speaking carelessly.
He had thought this through.
Far more deeply than many of them had initially assumed.
For several moments after Devara finished speaking, the remaining sages sat in thoughtful silence.
The earlier tension had not fully disappeared, but it had changed shape.
What unsettled them now was no longer outrage.
It was possibility.
One of the elder sages finally broke the silence.
"Are you saying,"
He asked carefully,
"that we would be required to surrender our knowledge to this library?"
The question carried genuine concern this time rather than accusation.
******************************* 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
(Author note:)
I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.
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