NOVEL NEXT Chapter 987: Building Tibet (1/2)
It has been several months since Tibet became part of the Bharatiya Empire, and in these several months, not a lot has changed. This, in fact, is quite uncharacteristic of the Bharatiya Empire, considering the history of integration and rapid development of states.
But unfortunately, developing such a big region like Tibet is a burden even the Bharatiya Empire cannot bear in a short period of time.
This led to further discontent among the Tibetans, who were unwilling to accept that they were no longer living under their own free rein.
Thankfully, though, with the mediation of the Dalai Lama, the people still kept quiet,
However, despite succeeding in suppressing the restlessness among the people, the Dalai Lama was sitting in the monastery alone, gazing at the distant mountains, worried.
" You don't look too happy, your holiness," Jigme Namgyal, who had come back from the border, asked with a little worry etched on his brows, thinking that something bad might have happened when he was away.
The Dalai Lama did not turn his head; he already knew who it was from the voice alone. " It's nothing, son, I just came to a realisation that I won't be able to convince the tribal leaders in the north any longer, as they are growing increasingly wary of the decision I made, and this will only continue to increase after they saw with their own eyes the Bharatiyas digging those precious metals from the soil."
Jigme Namgyal, knowing that no one else had invaded, let out a sigh of relief, but understanding what the Dalai Lama was worried about, he was caught by surprise.
" How can that be, your holiness? It was you who was responsible for leading us through the war, and you were the one who brought them peace. Now, how could they go against your decision?"
The Dalai Lama sighed, " Human heart is fickle, my son; there is no end to desire. When they were invaded, the thing they most wanted was to save their lives. When we rescued them from the clutches of the Mongol hordes, they wanted to keep their land, and when the Bharatiya Empire provided support and helped get rid of Mongol tribes, they now want freedom."
" This is a never-ending path of samsara and karma." " Also, it was you who brought them freedom, not me; I was at most a humble guide."
" The respect they have for me might last a few more months or until the end of the year at most, nothing more than that. I will once again be reduced to an old man under their eyes."
Jigme Namgyal couldn't believe what he was hearing, but looking at the side view of the Dalai Lama, he didn't look like he was bothered by it one bit. This caught him by surprise.
" Then your holiness, aren't you worried? "
The Dalai Lama finally turned back with his face containing no strong emotions except a look of kindness and pity. " Of course I'm worried, my son, but what's the point. The emperor of the Bharatiya Empire has already given an ultimatum, a promise and a vow that he will never interfere in the spiritual and cultural life of Tibetans, while in exchange, I am not allowed to get myself involved in the mundane aspects of it."
" So you see, the most I can do is actually suggest that these tribal leaders calm themselves down. Above this, if they do something drastic, this old man can't do anything about it."
Jigme Namgyal felt like his whole worldview had suddenly come crashing down.
On paper, he was now a lieutenant general of the Bharatiya Empire—a rank second only to the commanders. But in his heart, he still saw himself as the resistance leader of Tibet. That changed when the Dalai Lama, for the first time, revealed a helplessness he had never shown before and stated bluntly that he could no longer be involved in Tibet's governance. The bitter truth struck him like a heavy rock.
He realised he now has to consider everything from the perspective of the Bharatiya Empire, and if the empire chooses to wipe out the dissidents in Tibet, then he has no choice but to lead his army and follow the commands.
Suddenly, he felt powerless. He agreed with the Dalai Lama's choice to integrate Tibet into the Bharatiya Empire, but he did not agree with the people who raised their voices to be suppressed.
But the powerlessness he felt came from the brutal truth that even if he disagreed, there was nothing he could do to change it, especially not now after seeing everything the Bharatiya Empire was capable of.
The Dalai Lama seemed to realise the delicate emotions in Jigme Namgyal.
"कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन ।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥"
" You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction."
"Tañca kammaṃ kataṃ sādhu, yaṃ katvā nānutappati;
Yassa patīto sumano, vipākaṃ paṭisevati."
" Well done is that action which, having been done, one does not repent, and the fruit of which one receives with delight."
Jigme Namgyal was lost in thought, hearing the two quotes.
"Both Śrī Krishna and the Buddha teach the same truth, that one should fulfil one's duty without clinging to reward or regret. So, my son, do not let yourself be ensnared in the tangled threads of doubt and faith. Walk your path, and do your work with a steady heart."
It was as if the words opened a whole new window in his heart when he had been struggling with his own identity; now he became clear.
' Why trouble yourself? I am Tibetan, Bharatiya, and Bhutanese. All three are one, and one is all three.'
His eyes looked much clearer now, leaving the Dalai Lama nodding with satisfaction.
" So tell me, why have you come to meet an old man like me?"
" It's not to listen to my nagging, is it?"
Jigme Namgyal immediately came back to his senses and suddenly remembered the whole reason he ran back to the monastery at such a fast speed.
" Ah, no, it's actually due to the instructions of the empire. They said that they have started the development projects in one of the cities near the border. They have asked me to bring with me a group of representatives from all over Tibet to witness the city that is undergoing development."
The Dalai Lama immediately understood what was happening. " This is good, since the Bharatiyas have personally come forward to invite our people. Then that means they are not deliberately trying to arouse dissatisfaction among the people in order to wipe out a few people in the form of a deterrence."
" Well, at least they're not following the Chinese principle of killing the chickens to scare the monkey."
" Alright, I will put a word out; those troublemakers should still give this old man some face."
---
A group of over 25 people set off a month after Jigme Namgyal met with the Dalai Lama.
The journey was filled with constant bickering about why the Bharatiya Empire had called them. Some speculated that they were being covertly assassinated, while others believed the claim that they were going to witness the development of one of their own cities in the hands of the Bharatiya Empire. Overall, listening to all the quarrels, Jigme Namgyal passed his time without feeling any boredom.
" We are here," he said, getting down from the yak.
The tribal leaders and some of the important figures in Tibetan tribes got down right behind him and walked forward with expressions of surprise on their faces.
" Wha, what is this? "
" Where is this place? "
A few people asked cluelessly as they had never been to this part of Tibet, while the tribal leaders in the south immediately recognised some of the geographic features like the mountains and plains and came to a realisation.
" It should be Zhangmu? " a person responded, but his response was filled with doubt, as if even he couldn't believe what he was saying.
" Zhangmu, are you joking? How could that trading town turn out like this? " another chieftain in the south who had heard about the name exclaimed, not willing to believe what was in front of his eyes.
However, another person who lived not too far away said this time with more confidence in his tone, " This should be Zhangmu. I had been here last year, but at that time it was nothing like this."
All the heads turned, and all the eyes were focused on Jigme Namgyal.
Looking at their expressions, Jigme Namgyal couldn't help but feel a little comfortable. He remembered how dumbfounded he was when he saw the progress of the Bharatiyas after not paying attention to the city for only a few weeks.
" This is indeed Zhangmu, the same Zhangmu most of you are familiar with, but as I said, the central government has informed me to bring you tribe leaders to inspect the city as proof of what the government is willing to do to the rest of the state with time."