Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (48 page)

The Devas had taken care of their dead and wounded, but none among them had deemed it fit to release the dark warrior from his agonising existence. Ugra bore them no malice; he had been privileged to fight shoulder to shoulder with such brave warriors. Unlike him they were not driven by any sense of duty or attachment towards this land; they had fought and died for their king and for glory.

Through his hazy vision, Ugra saw the figure of a man approach. Ugra's sight began to clear and he saw the man's face. His dark eyes shone as he smiled at him and Ugra felt all the pain and exhaustion in his ravaged body vanish. Although he had never seen him before, the dark warrior knew he was looking into the eyes of his god, the Parama Purusha. The Master knelt beside him and cradled the dark warrior in his arms. Ugra smiled and tears ran down his cheeks as his soul finally left his body.

The Master picked up the dead warrior like one would a sleeping child and started to walk away. He stopped for a moment and looked down to where the blood of Ugra and Vrtra had formed a puddle at his feet. The Master allowed himself a sigh; the blood of two great warriors, the last of their respective kind, had merged to stain the earth red.

In a cave on the southern slopes of Mount Kailash, the Master worked tirelessly as he prepared Ugra for his final rest. He cleaned the body and removed the viscera. He then filled the cavity with a mixture of herbs and rock salt. Every care was taken to ensure that the funeral was befitting that of a Gond chief. He then placed the body in a squatting position with its head facing south. After a prayer, the Master sealed the entrance of the cave.

As he left the tomb of Ugra, the Master had a smile on his face. He looked out to the south and saw the Gond warrior's soul make its way across the plains of Terai where Ugra's forefathers had roamed, over the vast expanse of the dark forests of the Dandaka, past the Vaitarnya, the river of the dead, till it finally came to rest on a giant tree that stood alone on a knoll. This was the tree of souls. This was where it would lie in wait until the land was in need of another great warrior.

***

Manu watched as the six Rishis began preparations for the yajna. Each of them had gone separately into the forest and gathered wood that they energised with their mantras. The six then proceeded to arrange the wood in a pre-determined symmetrical order, all the while continuing to chant their mantras. Once the wood had been arranged in the fire pit, Manu lit the fire. The chanting continued as the Rishis took turns to pour ghee into the fire, causing it to burn brightly and emit a thick white smoke.

Meanwhile, Vashishta led the Devas into the valley that housed the settlement of Manu and his Brahmanas. They reached a stream and Vashishta was dismayed to see that Brahmana women had gathered on the other side to bathe. The Devas began to gawk at the beautiful women, their eyes filled with desire.

Indra saw a woman emerge out of the water. Her amber skin shone through wet white robes that left no part of her stunning body to the imagination. Her face was lovely, with perfect features framed by a thick mane of raven hair, and big dark eyes that were now firmly fixed on Indra. His throat went dry as he drank in her beauty; he tried to speak but could only manage a hoarse whisper to Vashishta.

'Who is she?'

The young Rishi made no attempt to hide his displeasure at the Deva king's behaviour.

'Look away, my lord. That is Ahalya; she is betrothed to the Rishi Gautama.'

Indra had no desire to antagonise Vashishta. He held Ahalya's gaze for a moment longer and then turned away. The Rishi pointed to a thick plume of white smoke in the clear blue sky.

'That is where we must go.'

Manu was pleased as he watched Vashishta arrive with Indra and his Devas. As always the Rishi's timing was perfect. The smoke from the yajna had created a halo in the sky above them. Manu scooped up some ghee and threw it into the flames as he began the final rites of the ritual. He began to chant the last of the mantras in a deep voice. The other six voices accompanied him. Every face was turned to the sky in rapt attention.

In the middle of the halo of smoke, the skies seemed to part, creating a portal into another dimension. A beam of light that threatened to dwarf the sun with its brilliance emerged from it. The beam started to make its way towards Vashishta and the group of Devas who stood still, hypnotised by the spectacle. The intonation of the mantras made the air around them vibrate like a drum.

Manu and his Brahmanas watched with bated breath. As the beam fell on the Devas and Vashishta, they were lifted up into the sky through the halo of smoke and then disappeared from view.

The watching men were astounded; they could not believe what they had just witnessed. A young boy who had assisted Manu with the ritual voiced the thought that was going through every member of the audience.

'Where did they go?'

Manu spoke without taking his eyes off the sky.

'They are in Swarga. It is from there that Indra will rule the world of men.'

The Rishis, who had never attempted a yajna of this magnitude before, were amazed with its results. They sang Manu's praises, admiring their Master's wisdom and resourcefulness. Only Pulastya still remained sceptical. He bowed to Manu and requested that he be permitted to leave the settlement to continue his tapas.

It was with mixed feelings that Manu gave the young Rishi permission. Pulastya had been his favourite pupil. Unlike some of his colleagues, he had shown no interest in marriage and children after becoming a Rishi. He was single-minded in his devotion to the pursuit of knowledge. But lately, it had come to the Master's notice that his pupil had been voicing some radical thoughts. Vashishta had informed him that Pulastya, during his penance, had come under the influence of a dark sorcerer who roamed these mountains. This being was worshipped as a god by some of the tribes of the Dandaka and some of his teachings were in direct conflict with the Laws of Manu.

The Lawgiver was sad to see him go, but he was in the process of building the greatest civilisation in the world. The Rishis and the Devas were an integral part of that plan, and he would tolerate no dissent from either.

He glanced up and saw that the sky was clear again; the portal that they had opened to Swarga had now shut. His thoughts went to Vashishta. The Rishi had an important part to play in his plans. He said a quick prayer for his success and dismissed the rest of the gathering.

***

As the Devas emerged from the bright tunnel of light through which they seemed to have journeyed, they looked at each other in awe. Their weapons had disappeared. Their bodies had healed completely, scars vanished and severed limbs regenerated. In their minds, they felt nothing but complete bliss.

Indra looked at the land around them. It was not at all unlike the valley they had just left behind. Yet he felt so completely different. He felt no hunger or thirst. Not even the yearning for soma, something that had been his constant companion ever since he had tasted the brew for the first time.

'What have they done to us?' He looked around at his men, reading their thoughts.

'Embrace the change in yourselves, for you'll are men no more. This is Swarga, the land of the gods. Your land now, oh Devas.'

It was Vashishta's voice they heard in their heads.

'You will find that it is not necessary to speak here. You can communicate with thought. Now come, let me escort you to your palace.'

The Devas set off behind Vashishta. As they moved forward, the Devas realised that their feet did not touch the ground-- they seemed to glide through the air a few inches above it. They passed groups of people running across the grasslands of green and gold, indulging in playful banter and childhood games. They paid no attention to the passersby. Vashishta explained.

'These are the righteous souls who have completed their karmic obligations and attained moksha.'

They moved on and reached a city unlike any they had ever seen before. There were no high walls or gates for protection. Even the exquisitely built homes did not have any doors on them, only open entrances and windows. Beautiful music could be heard everywhere.

They passed all manner of strange creatures: the Yakshas, short, stocky beings who wore hooded robes that covered them from head to toe. They were the builders and craftsmen of Swarga. There were also Gandharvas, musicians and artistes who were half-men half-goat; and the Kinnaras, warriors who were half-men half-horse. They all acknowledged the Devas by raising their tools, harps and weapons in salute.

Vashishta continued with his narration.

'This is Amravathi, the most beautiful city in all the worlds, and these are demi-gods, the inhabitants of this land and now your loyal subjects. They are the only beings other than Rishis that can travel between earth and Swarga at will.'

As Indra studied them carefully, he noticed something.

'Their weapons--their swords have no edge to them, their arrows are blunt.'

'Their weapons are ceremonial, my king. There is no place here for emotions like anger, jealousy and hatred, hence no need for weapons or wars.'

Indra was stunned when he heard Vashishta's words.

'No wars! Then what are we doing here? We are warriors; the way of the sword is the only way we know. All these powers I and my companions acquired--how will they serve us here?'

Vashishta tried to pacify the king.

'You will have little use for them here, I'm afraid.'

Indra could not believe what he was hearing.

'My men are the greatest warriors to walk the face of this earth. Are you telling me that they must while away the rest of their lives in idle pursuits of pleasure?'

Vashishta looked towards Indra's companions. Enthralled by Amravathi's ethereal beauty, they were paying no attention to the conversation.

'No, my lord! In time your services as warriors will be called upon to aid the Arya kings in battle, but for now we need you and your Devas for a delicate and far more important task.'

The Rishi paused for a moment and chose his words carefully.

'You and your men will be called upon to lie with the brightest and most beautiful Brahmana women to breed the Arya nobility. You will be the progenitors of the Kshatriyas, the absolute warriors. It is with the help of these Kshatriyas that we will spread the Aryan civilisation across the far reaches of the earth.'

Indra voice was lowered to a gasp at the outrageousness of Manu's plans.

'Are you trying to tell me that Manu will decide when Indra and his Devas will walk on earth again?'

Vashishta tactfully evaded the question.

'Once you have tasted the pleasures of Swarga, it is unlikely any of you will ever want to visit earth again. Look, my lord, we have arrived at our destination, your palace.'

Indra and his companions found themselves in front of the most magnificent building they had ever seen. It was made of white marble with domes of glittering gold; its walls were inlaid with precious gemstones of various sizes and hues unlike any they had ever seen before. The temples and palaces of Susa and Harappa paled in comparison to this marvellous edifice.

At the entrance to the great palace of Amravathi, a gigantic white elephant greeted the Devas. It was twice the size of the biggest war elephant they had encountered in their battle against the Harappans. Its tusks were bigger than the length of a man. The creature got down on its front knees and raised its trunk high in the air in a gesture of submission. Vashishta made the introduction.

'This, my lord, is Airavat, the guardian of Amravathi, and your personal vehicle.'

The mammoth beast stepped aside and let them pass. As they made their way through the grand doors of the palace, Indra was glad to see a familiar face greet them.

'Travistr! It is good to see you again, old friend.'

Travistr bowed, his manner was stiff and a bit formal.

'I no longer use that name, my lord. I gave it up along with my earlier profession.'

Indra was not sure he understood. The man he knew as Travistr explained.

'The Vajra was the last weapon I ever made. I no longer manufacture any instruments of war. I am now called Vishwakarma. I am an architect and a builder and this palace is my gift to you. Now come, let me introduce you to your court.'

***

As Indra and his Devas followed Vishwakarma into the magnificent courtroom of the palace, Vashishta deliberately hung back and allowed the master builder to take the lead. Music began to echo through the hall as they entered. At the far end was a magnificent gold and jade throne. But before they could get there, they had to walk the gauntlet through a throng of dancing Apsaras.