Shapit Rajkumar aur Do Bahne

Ek samay ki baat hai, ek chhoti si gaon ke kone mein ek budhi maa rehti thi jiska dil sona tha. Uska naam tha Maa Ganga. Uski do betiyan thi — Meera aur Tara. Meera ek komal aur dayalu ladki thi, hamesha doosron ki madad karti thi, jabki Tara thodi gusse waali aur apne aap mein rahne waali thi. Dono behne ek dusre se alag thi, par unki maa unhe pyaar karti thi aur unhe sikhati thi ki asli khushi aur samriddhi bahar se nahi, balki ander se aati hai.

Ek din, gaon ke logon ne suna ki jungle mein ek bhoot rehta hai jo raat ko roar karta hai. Log dar ke maare jungle ke paas nahi jaate the, par Meera ne socha, “Shaayad wo bhoot bhi kisi ka intezaar kar raha hoga.” Tara ne is baat ko mazak mein le liya aur kaha, “Tum bahut akeli ho, Meera! Tumhe bhoot se nahi darna chahiye.”

Magar Meera ko dar nahi lagta tha. Usne tay kiya ki wo ek din jungle me jaayegi, kuch lakdiyaan lene. Us din ko usne apni behan ko nahi bataya, kyunki usse laga ki Tara usse rok deti.

Meera jungle ki gehraiyon mein chali gayi, lekin raat hone lagi aur wo bhatak gayi. Phir usne dekhha ek bada sa mahal, jisme deepak jal rahe the. Uske dil mein ek ajeeb si khushi thi, par ek gham bhi tha. Jab wo mahal mein ghusi, tab zaroori tha ki usne ek awaaz suni, “Kya tum bhay nahi karti, chhoti ladki?”

Meera ne dekha — ek sher jaisa bhoot uske saamne tha, lekin usne is bande ko sirf bhoot nahi, balki ek aise insaan ki tarah dekha jisne dukh bhara jeevan jeeya hai. Usne dar se door hote hue kaha, “Tumhe akela lagta hai na? Main tumse nahi darti.” Uski dayalu aankhon ko dekh kar, rajkumar Arin, jo asal mein ek shapit rajkumar tha, uske dil mein ek ujala sa jag gaya.

“Tumhari himmat achhi hai,” usne kaha, “Tum mere liye sabse pehli ladki ho jo mujhe akela mehsoos nahi karwati.” Usne Meera ko andar bulaya, khana khilaya, aur kuch din rukhne ko kaha.

Kuch din baad, Meera ko samajh aaya ki ye sher asal mein ek insaan hai jo dukh bhari aankhon se sapne dekhta hai. Usne Arin ki kahani suni, kaisi jaadugarni ne ise shapit kiya tha, aur kyun ye bhoot mehsoos kar raha tha. Meera ne kaha, “Main tumhe akela nahi chhodungi. Tum insaan banoge, main vishwas karti hoon.”

Tab raat ki rani ki tarah, ek jaadu ki chamak hui, aur Arin ka shraap toot gaya — wo phir se rajkumar ban gaya! Uski aankhen chamak rahi thi, par tabhi uss raat unki khushiyaan adhoori thi, kyunki Tara ko lag raha tha ki Meera ne kuch jaadu kar liya hai.

Tara ko jalan hui aur wo mahal pahunch gayi, gusse se bhari hui. “Tumhari behan ne kuch karke tumhe waqt se pehle insaan banaya hai!” Tara ne gussa se kaha.

Rajkumar Arin ne muskurate hue kaha, “Tumhari behan ka dil hi sachcha tha, aur tum dono meri parivar jaise ho.” Usne Tara ko samjhane ki koshish ki, aur kaha, “Tumhe bhi samajhna hoga ki mujhe kis tarah se jeena hai. Jab tak hum pyaar se ek dusre ka samarthan nahi karte, tab tak hum mai akele honge.”

Budhi maa bhi wahan aa gayi, usne kaha, “Pyaar hi sabse bada jaadu hai. Hum sab ek saath milkar is mahal mein ek nayi zindagi shuru kar sakte hain.”

Sabne milkar ek naye parivaar ki tarah zindagi shuru ki. Rajkumar ne Meera se vivaah kiya, Tara ko mahal ki pustakalaya sambhalne ka kaam diya, aur budhi maa ko “Rajmata” jaisi izzat di.

Jungle ki kahani yaad rakhte hue, Meera aur Tara har raat jungle ke paas jaakar Rani se pyaar bhari kahaniyan sunati thi. Kushaal raaton mein unke dilon mein khushi, umang aur ek dusre ke liye pyaar tha, jisne unki parivar ko aur mazboot banaya.

Aur is tarah, ek chhoti si gaon mein, pyaar aur samajh ke bal par ek shuruaat hui, jahan sabne ek nayi zindagi shuru ki. Rajkumar Arin, Meera aur Tara ne milkar ek naya ghar banaya, jahan sirf pyaar, khushi aur ek dusre ke saath jeene ka jazba tha.

Aur yeh sab sunte hue, babul aur raat ke sitare chhupte hue bhi muskurate rahe, kyuki unhe pata tha ki kahaniyan kabhi khatam nahi hoti, woh bas naye roop mein jeet hakti hain.

Aur aise hi sab kuch khushiyaan aur khushiyon ki kahaniyaan sunate hue, sabne jeevan ki sundarta ko samjha, yeh samajhkar ki asli magic sirf pyaar se hi hoti hai.

Sabne milkar chand aur sitaron ke neeche apna sapno ka mahal banaya, jahan kabhi koi akela nahi hota.

Aur is prakar, Shapit Rajkumar, Meera, aur Tara ki kahani ek anokhe safar ka hissa ban gayi, jise kabhi bhoolna mushkil tha.