Malla Mahabhavan or the Political Observatory of Ratnanagari and the Discourse on Mahabharata The speech of ordinary sages follows sense; while sense attaches itself to the utterances of the primeval sages.²⁰⁹ The assembly organised for the reception of Rana Khachar had generated a lively debate. It had also raised many issues for which Maniraj sought resolution. He felt enthused when he thought of his father’s foresight, restraint and his statecraft. But the decline of other native states filled him with despondency. The preponderance of depraved officers in the English bureaucracy enraged him. Their stupidity and inebriation filled him with native pride. But similar depravity among native rulers made him sad; their idiocy, unaccountability and disorderly rule made him weep. He had experienced the noble aspects of British officials, which for him offered a ray of hope. British statecraft perturbed him, and yet it was also the source of hope. Maniraj spent four–five days debating with himself. One day at noon, swaying between hope and despondency, this young ruler paced restlessly inside Kurukshetra Bhavan, one of the many halls of the Malla Mahabhavan. It was the late Maharaj Mallaraj who had conceived of the Malla Mahabhavan. These days many native states have departments like ‘building’ and ‘public works’ which are created after the English pattern. These departments are created for the beautification of the state and the city and to use funds for public works. At one time Vidya Chatura held the opinion that the English followed these twin goals and that they gave primacy to the utility of these facilities while beauty and aesthetics were secondary to them. The native states, on the other hand, favoured beautification over utility; they either lavished funds for beautification or tended to neglect both these functions. Vidya Chatura had discussed these ideas with the late king. Mallaraj told him that in majority of the native states the treasury was used to create and beautify palaces for the pleasure of the king or his family. The state’s funds were used for the upkeep of many queens and for holding marriage ceremonies of the princes. He also predicted that those expenses would increase manyfold in the times to come because of three English influences—the need for false grandeur, the lure of flimsy objects and the primacy of appearance over substance. Mallaraj had painted a scenario of degeneration and depravity before Vidya Chatura. He had felt that future rulers might remain thoughtlessly steadfast to the old ways while the new generations of princes might remain bereft of any thought whatsoever. He feared that debauched and pleasure-seeking queens and princesses might suck the princes dry of their nobility and humanity, rendering them incapable of working for the welfare of their people. Just as Bhishma in the Shanti Parva counselled the new rulers about their duty and statecraft from his bed of arrows, the old king shared his experiences and predictions with his heir and his minister. Jarashankar remained Mallaraj’s advisor in this task as well. The two younger