No sooner had he established himself in the city of Gauda than Bakhtiyar Khilji sent an envoy to the Dharmadhikari. He expressed his desire to meet with the Dharmadhikari. A treaty had already been concluded with the Yavana; now was the time to reap its fruits!

Having offered obeisance to Pashupati and his chosen goddess, and bidding farewell to the indignant Manoroma, the Dharmadhikari, sometimes elated, sometimes anxious at heart, set out to meet the Yavana. Bakhtiyar Khilji rose from his seat and received him with honor. He offered his salutations and inquired after his well-being. Pashupati had just returned from washing his feet in the river of blood shed by the royal servants, and for a moment, he could not utter a word. Bakhtiyar Khilji, perceiving the turmoil in his mind, said, “Learned one! The path to the royal throne is not strewn with flowers. As one treads this path, the bones and skulls of friends are ever pierced beneath one’s feet.”

Pashupati replied, “True. But only those who are adversaries must be slain. These were not adversaries.”

Bakhtiyar said, “Are you distressed by the sight of the bloodshed, recalling your own pledges?”

Pashupati answered, “What I have pledged, I shall surely fulfill. Nor do I doubt, sir, that you will do likewise.”

Bakhtiyar: “There is not the slightest doubt. Only, we have one command for you.”

Pashupati: “Please command me.”

Bakhtiyar: “Qutb-ud-din has entrusted you with the governance of Gauda. From this day forth, you are the royal representative in Bengal. But the Sultan’s decree is this: none but a follower of Islam may participate in his administration. You must embrace the faith of Islam.”

Pashupati’s face grew pale. He said, “No such condition was mentioned at the time of the treaty.”

Bakhtiyar: “If it was not, then it was but an oversight. Even if the matter was not raised, a man of your intelligence would easily have inferred it. For it is never possible that, having conquered Bengal, the Muslims would hand the kingdom back to the Hindus.”

Pashupati: “If I am known to you as a man of intelligence, I have failed to prove it.”

Bakhtiyar: “If you have not understood, now you do; you must accept the faith of the Yavanas—” Resolve to remain steadfast.

Pashupati (proudly): I have resolved that not even for the empire of the Yavana emperor will I abandon the Sanatan Dharma and consign myself to hell.

Bakhtiyar: That is your delusion. What you call Sanatan Dharma is nothing but the worship of ghosts. The religion spoken of in the Quran alone is the true faith. Worship Muhammad and secure your welfare in this world and the next.

Pashupati understood the deceit of the Yavana. His intention was simply to accomplish his purpose and then, under the pretext of a treaty, break it by cunning. He also realized that if cunning failed, force would be used. Therefore, he had not done well to confront deceit with pride instead of matching cunning with cunning. After a moment’s thought, he said, “As you command. I shall obey.”

Bakhtiyar too understood Pashupati’s state of mind. Had Bakhtiyar not been more cunning than Pashupati, he could never have conquered Gauda so easily. Such is the fate inscribed for the land of Bengal—that it shall not be won by war, but by guile. The clever Clive Sahib is its second proof.

Bakhtiyar said, “Good, good. Today is an auspicious day for us. There is no need for delay in such matters. Our priest is present; you shall be initiated into the faith of Islam at once.”

Pashupati saw that utter ruin was upon him! He said, “Grant me but a moment’s respite, that I may bring my family, and together we shall all be initiated.”

Bakhtiyar replied, “I am sending men to fetch them. For now, go with this guard and rest.”

A guard came and seized Pashupati. Pashupati, enraged, said, “What is this? Am I a prisoner?”

Bakhtiyar answered, “For the present, so it is!”

Pashupati was confined within the royal palace. The spider’s web was torn—but in that web, he alone was ensnared.

We, dear reader, have come to know Pashupati as a man of wisdom. I have done so. The reader may say, “What cunning is there in a man who trusted his enemy to such an extent, who, being without support, entered the city under their control?” But what else could he do but trust? If he had not trusted, he would have had to fight. The spider spins its web; it does not fight.

That night, from the great forest, twenty thousand Yavanas came and flooded Nabadwip. The conquest of Nabadwip was accomplished. The sun that set that day never rose again. Will it never rise again? Both rising and setting are but the natural order!