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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love. - Extract from the novel The Brothers Karamazov (1879) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
A Tree-Climbing Fish
"It’s all a lie", Vettiayan spoke loud and clear, "Read it aloud, or hear it spoken."
The Emperor varied his pitch, raising or lowering his voice occasionally, to create emphasis :
This world, contrary to what was told and what is understood is not the manifestation of a dream. It is a creation to dispose a threat - a mere depot to dump the dirt.
Just like how interested the Humans were to grab the Light, well before them, the Asuras, the dwellers of the Second World, sought the eternal energy. The darkness had brought illness to their homelands. Babies were born blind, and sometime they were born without a nose to breath. The teats started to disappear and there was no means to feed the new born.
The leader of Asuras, Rakshas, climbed the sacred stairs to meet the Owners of the Light. He pleaded with them to share the energy with his people. His objective was to rebuild from a deformed society.
But they laughed at him. They mocked him by calling him a curse. They rejected him stating that the Light belongs to where the gifted ones shall reside. They described his world as dirt in the universe.
Standing at the foot of the sacred stairs, raising his head and his voice, Rakshas argued. He stated the facts about the existence of the two worlds since the beginning. He pointed out being discriminated. He highlighted the law that stated that the Light was to be shared. He spoke about how he and his people were cheated by the ones posing as the Supreme. He concluded that his ancestor's ignorance had made them thrust their faith in the Devine.
Thus, Rakshas opposed the Devine. He talked about fairness. He sought justice. He got nothing, but could only gain their anger.
After Rakshas left issuing a warning, his arrogance pushed the Devine Ones to eliminate the second world. The Asuras were massacred. They had nowhere to go and the Wariors of Light chased them in the darkness and hunted them considering it as a sport. To save his world, Rakshas challenged the Devine Ones to a duel. He reached the sacred stairs and stood before the Three Supreme and spoke, "We have been in existence since the beginning. We have seen both, our rise and our fall. We have fought shoulder in shoulder to bring balance in this universe."
"You needed us to decorate your palaces. We worked. You needed us to bring the rivers to your feet. We obeyed. You needed us to guard the Light. We did. You needed us to dwell in the darkness. We accepted."
"Now, when you need us no more, you refuse to share, which rightly belongs to us. I come before you as their savior. Leave my World and fight me instead."
The Three Supreme laughed and then, one of them replied, "Run. Hide. You are just a hare. Leave before I turn you to ashes."
Rakshasa smiled in a spirit of disenchantment. With tears of disillusionment floating in his eyes, he addressed the Devine:
"O! The One who posses a third eye : You can burn me, but my ashes will fall as a blanket and blind the World of yours."
"O! The One with the ocean as the skin : You can watch myself burn, but from the ashes I will be reborn and dry the seas."
"O! The five faced One : You can see me perish, but I will come to drag you into the pits of darkness."
"O! The Mighty Trinity : I will eradicate faith. I will establish hopelessness. I will bury you so deep, you shall never rise again."
"Enough", called out the One sitting on the lotus.
"We heard enough", shouted the Blue One.
Furious, the Third Eye burnt Rakshas into ashes.
The particles started to fly in the air, each one circling around the Mighty Trinity as a tiny menacing face of Rakshas himself.
The Blue One blew his conch hard. The vibration from the heavy blow carried the ashes across the universe further away from the two worlds.
They knew he will return. They needed container to contain the dispersed ashes from which Rakshas cannot escape and come to destroy their Devine World.
The Creator created this world and made the ashes of Rakshas to settle down here. The ashes tried to climb back to the Devine World, but the passage doors between the worlds were shut down permanently.
"What so I can't reach them", spoke Rakshasa from the darkness in a threatening voice, "I will make them come down here and fight me. I will not rest until I have my revenge."
Vettaiyan stopped his narration abruptly and looked at Sena, and then at Kanakavalli who still had her single arrow aimed at him. He continued :
But they knew the ashes will fly again and find its way to their Devine Kingdom. Thus, Yasha is put to wait. She will strike when the dirt takes over this world completely by destroying faith and murdering hope.
He paused again and looked at Rana. "And in between all this, there is You and There is Me. Born from the same ashes", Vettaiyan declared.
Vettaiyan pointed his finger backwards and the ocean of soldiers paved away, making a path that led to the staircase of the Vettaiyan Palace. "There", he challenged, "I will meet you there, at the foot of my sacred staircase", Vettaiyan pinned Vajratra to the ground with immense anger. He removed his sword from the scabaggard and admired it in front of his face.
"The Sword of Destruction”, he called out, "gifted to me by Kochadaiiyaan", he announced. He watched everyone's eyes widening. "The Father of the Devine Twins. And a double agent."
Vettaiyan turned towards the west and cherished the last rays of the setting sun and said, "That's a different story, for a different time. I believe the sun has set."
Instantly the battlefield turned grey. The trumpets and conches announced the end of the fifth day of battle of Karmegha.
Vettaiyan pocketed the Sword of Destruction. He pulled his right leg behind his left leg and made it stand on its toes. The action drew a curved line on the battlefield.
"Indru Poi Nalai Porukku Vaa", Vettaiayan said to Rana with a pleasant smile on his face. He quickly rotated his body, his right foot playing as an axel, and made majestic strides to his chariot.
... to be continued ...
Footnote
1/ "Indru Poi Nalai Porukku Vaa" from Ramayana by Kamban / Valmiki.
Sitting on his chariot, Ravana was emerging victorious. Lakshmana was unconscious on the battlefield and Hanuman, who was carrying Rama on his shoulders, was shot by Ravana. Seeing Hunuman (a tiger among monkeys describes Valmiki) wounded, Rama was struck with rage. He charged at Ravana's chariot and tore it into pieces (Valmiki Ramayana, Yudhha Kandam, Slogam 136/137).
Rama wiped the entire army of Ravana and for the very first time Ravana sets his foot on the battlefield (describes Kamban) - Ravana always fought from his chariot. Ravana stood alone before Rama. He had his head bowed down and in shyness (blackened with shame describes Kamban) Ravana drew lines on the ground with his toe (Niram Karindhida, Nilam Viral Kilarandhida Nindraan writes Kamban).
Why Rama decides not to kill Ravana is an entirely different theory, nevertheless, Rama seeing Ravana weaponless and tired before him, excuses him from the battle saying :
Aal Ayyaa,
Unakku Amaindha Ellaam Marudham Araindha Pulai Aayina Kandanai,
Indru Poi Porukku Naalai Vaa.
[O! Worthy One,
All those who followed you and all that you had carried with you
Have flown off like a dust blown away in a cyclone
And that you have witnessed yourself,
Go back now, and come after duly rested and properly equipped tomorrow.]
Kamban describes how Ravana left the battlefield:
Varanam Porutha Maarbum, Varayinai Edutha Tholum,
Naratha Munikku Erpanayam Pada Uraitha Naavum,
Tharani Mouli Pathum Sankaran kodutha vaalum,
Veeramum Kalathe Kottu, Verungaye Meendu Ponan
[The Jeweled (Airavata) Chested,
(Airavata - During the battle with Indra, the tusk of Indra's elephant broke while it dashed on Ravana's strong chest. The tip of the tusk embedded itself in Ravana's chest and he did not remove it, rather converted it into a permanent jewelry decorating his chest.)
The jeweled chested,
The strong shoulders with power to bore the weight of Mount Kailash,
The singing tongue that thought music to Naradha,
The Shankara's Sword,
And finally his valor;
Ravana lost everything in the battle field
And left empty handed.]
There are also events describing how Ravana felt about Rama excusing him from the battle. Ravana was in love with Sita. After the defeat, he walked over the battlefield with his head hung down. He was not ashamed of how his men will look at him. He felt nothing over the defeat in the hands of Rama. He was not distressed that the Devas, whom he had chased away, would mock at him. But the thought of Sita laughing at him - "Mithilai Vandha Janaki Naguval Endre Naanathal Sambugindran" - killed Ravana instantly.
* The errors in transliterations and translations are entirely mine.
A soundtrack from the Tamil language film Sampoorna Ramayanam (1958) has a song written by A. Maruthakasi titled Indru Poi Naalai Vaaraai sung by C. S. Jayaraman to the music of K. V. Mahadevan. The song follows after the defeated walk of Ravana on the battlefield and sees T. K. Bhagavathi (playing Ravana) sitting before Lingam and complaining about severe pain to his Idol.
2/ A Tree-Climbing Fish - extracted from Albert Einstein's cite.
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Fifth Moon part (1/3)
Your pretty empire took so long to build, now, with a snap of history's fingers, down it goes. - From V for Vendetta by Alan Moore.
... At Vettaiyan Palace
"I doubt your commitment to this war", The General, controlling his fury behind his mask, addressed his Emperor.
Vettaiyan had his back turned on The General. He was empting Myil from a tiny vial and pouring it into a glass.
"You are being judgmental", the Emperor swung back and said, "My General." He walked lazily towards the chief of his army churning Myil in his left hand and nonchalantly circled around The General.
"You should have eliminated Rana when you had him knelt before you", The General raised his voice.
"Just because you are older, it doesn't mean you are right", Vettaiyan completed a full round and exhibited his charming smile at The General, "It might mean that you have been wrong for longer."
Vettaiyan searched for something inexistent with his fingers in the space between their faces. "She", he exclaimed, "The brunet belle of Karimedai. She would not have missed." Resting his head on his left shoulder, Vettaiyan asked, "You wish me dead, My General." He laughed hysterically pointing at the widened eyes of The General.
"Victory is a crown and a crown shall never retire with the ruler. It passes from one head to another. But history, My General, is a boon of eternity that keeps the ruler immortal long after he is buried."
"And", Vettaiyan winked at The General, "History is what that is told and not what had happened."
"Always leave a wound to remember, the scar will take care of the rest. The Empires United was ripped apart when their commander was pushing himself pathetically under my foot. I have written the chronicle of events for the future to read it out loud. It shall address me as the Emperor who rewarded his enemy with life. Beggars will be them, Generous shall be me", Vettaiyan laughed his roaring laugh.
Suddenly he stopped his amusement and took a serious tone, "Everyone I knew wants me dead. Before his head hit the floor, I would be lifeless on the ground; my dead eyes staring at the cradling face ... tick-tok ... tick-tok". He moved to his princely armchair which was sitting over a raised platform inside his chamber.
"But ...", The General tried to argue but The Emperor turned his head and stopped him with his stare.
"Why I rescued the Queen ?", Vettaiyan stooped before his chair and spoke looking at the glittering Myil inside his glass. "Victory by death of a leader, reads the Declaration of War."
"This war shall abide my wish. I could snap my fingers and the kingdoms shall topple. Do you think it is easy to enter into a King's Palace and murder him? Or burning a fortress where the wounded queen was resting? My roots crawl everywhere. Corruption, my General, corruption. It is the future. Nepotism is a welcome crime too, that served as a pathway to invade my own palace", Vettaiyan smiled coldly.
"I will drown this world in dishonesty and then lend my hands to lift the victims exploited by frauds, thus, becoming their savior."
"So, My General, this war is not about victory; it's the end for them. We have kept them separated, yet they are standing together before us. They are opposite forces born together and they will attract each other irrespective to how far being parted."
"How are we going to eliminate them? By arresting them and executing them?," Vettaiyan giggled fiercely, "Nobles will rise to teach us how to treat our prisoners. Study the past if you would define the future ... now who said that!", The Emperor wondered to himself.
"The twins must die at this war, until then the battle will rage. Annihilation shall commence soon after", Vettaiyan declared furiously.
Vettaiyan drank Myil and threw away the glass. Holding the arms of his chair as support he looked towards Fort Ayan outside his window. The stronghold was glowing like a fiery eye, lit by the bright lights of wooden torches. He turned his neck to face The General and he asked him calmly, " Curious, isn't It? They were particular in gaining a piece of Karmegha, and took much effort to construct barricades around it? "
"Maybe they consider themselves weaker, and take solace in their fortification", The General chuckled.
"They were short of military power ... yet fought to keep control over the area ... center of the battlefield ... But stayed behind the sight range of the fortress", Vettaiyan pondered while Myil was taking full control of him. His eyes became tiny and started to close without his permission.
"The morons will try to storm the stronghold and capture it from the exterior, which is unworkable", The General said.
"Unless ...", Vettaiyan exclaimed.
"Unless ...", repeated The General
"They have already infiltrated the fort and are going to capture it from the inside ...", Vettaiyan sank and blacked out on his chair; The General looked out of the window at the glowing tower of Fort Ayan with his eyes wide open.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Fifth Moon part (2/3)
Never say more than is necessary - Richard Brinsley Sheridan
... At Fort Ayan
The sharp eyes of the guard at Fort Ayan followed a dark and muscular man carrying two cannon solid shots on each shoulder. After dropping the huge iron balls, the skivvy walked back into the storage room. The guard moved his eye down the long shaft - the Tongue of the cannon, and surveilled the dungeon floor where several chained captives were cleaning the oil spills.
"Nine", Maveeran whispered to Shamu, "Three monitoring from the platform and six are patrolling around the Tongue."
Shamu, the Prince of Shambala, disguised as a slave nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Fifth moon has risen", Shamu said in a serious tone under the single burning torch light, "We prepare at once. The attack must occur simultaneously - at dawn between the first and second fire." Shamu made eye contact with the three associates with whom he was holding the meeting inside the storage room - Sampada and Videha on either side and Maveeran in front of him.
Shamu rechecked the tiny pieces that served as the models of specific points inside Fort Ayan – platforms, staircase and guard towers - arranged over a barrel around which the the discussion was happening.
"Let us go through what we've been planning for several moons one more time", Shamu spoke with a new intensity:
"Sampada will clear the way - the platforms and the stairways. Discretion is the key and his men will replace the downed guards until the break of the dawn."
"Once the path across two floors is clear, Maveeran and his armed men will move to the top of the fort and hide in the shadows. Kill only if necessary"
"Videha will lead his team with handmade explosives and set charges on the wall separating the dungeon and the palace. Make no noise."
"We strike at the same time - between the second and third fire of cannon Vettai. Maveeran will be supported by Sampada. I will join Videha and set off the charges. We will advance through the tunnel clearing it from any patrolling palace gaurds. After the large gun is brought under our control, Sampada will handle the tower and Maveeran will get down to the dungeons and liberate the enslaved. Securing the children and aged members, the rebellious men and women will march towards Palace Vettaiyan through the hole on the wall. We will regroup at the stairway leading to the interiors of the palace and jointly launch an attack."
Shamu made eye contact once again and declared, "No rules, but one - make no mistake"
The trio nodded their head in agreement with the Prince, when a fragile man entered the storage room.
"For generations I have lived here", he spoke weakly to Shamu, "Have seen both birth and death, but never tasted life. I am glad that you have come to liberate us, but I doubt how sure you are about doing it. I fear you are leading us into our own doom. Behind this closed walls, you cannot see the battle from inside. I wonder what makes you feel confident and be sure that your army can control the entrance of the fort? You don’t even have the assurance whether they have reached this far?"
"Faith and Hope, respected Slave King", assured Shamu, "I have set my belief on them, as they are the mantle of the light source and the protective globe of the Lamp of Life allowing the Flames of Freedom to burn unhindered."
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Fifth Moon part (3/3)
The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts - Marcus Aurelius (The Wise).
... At Empires United Camp
Sultan walked into the empty pavilion. He took a deep look at Arha and placed it on the sand table below the model of Vettaiyan Palace. He walked out of the tent and he was met by a guard who informed him that his presence was demanded by the council at the camp's hospital tent. Sultan followed the informant reluctantly.
The day's unfriendly events danced inside his mind. Sultan wondered what his role was during the short trip between the tents. He was under the assumption that he was enveloped by friendship, but the kick he took on his chest inferred with the proof of the fact that he was indeed a stranger caught in a battle. He had fancied about unearthing invaluable treasure when he had met Rana and Sena, but everything was looted in front of his eyes when an aggressive blade revealed reality before his face. He walked with his head pulled down, gnashing his teeth and his hands balled into fists at the end of stiff arms wanting to beat down his foes.
Rana stood up as soon as he saw Sultan entering the nursing tupik. He walked directly to Sultan and placed his hand apologetically on his right shoulder. Sultan's nose wrinkled is distaste. His nostrils flared in anger. But the cot at the corner of the room distracted him. He saw Nobleman laid on it. Clothes soaked in blood were scattered around the bed. He noticed Kanakavalli, who was sitting by Nobleman's head, looking up sorely at him. Sultan pushed Rana out of his way and walked briskly towards the group assembled around Nobleman. When he saw the fragile man, he fell down on his knees beside the cot.
Nobleman's body was completely punctured with holes. There were several broken arrows sticking out of his naked torso. The wounds were left open and blood was lethargically oozing out. A military nurse was wiping the blood flowing down his body with a clean white cloth which turned red instantly.
"The arrows", Yesodha Putran, standing behind Sultan, informed him, "We entered Karmegha when we noticed a dispute amoung our commanders happening right in the middle of the battle. I escaped the rain of arrows. He had taken twenty seven direct hits. Nineteen were removed. The rest are left stuck in his body. Drawing them out may lead to heavy exsanguination."
Sultan rotated his head and looked up at Yesodha Putran. The glimmer in his eyes questioned Yesodha Putran about the condition of Vadhana. "The Queen is recovering", Yesodha Putran replied to Sultan's unasked inquiry, "She is under constant monitoring inside the adjacent tent."
Sultan noticed that an eye and an ear missing on wounded man's face and the other eye that stayed in its place was blinded by a blood clot. Nobleman was breathing slowly. With his single left eye, he blinked signaling Sultan to come closer. He whispered in his ears, and the blood came gushing out of the tiny hole near his throat. Sultan softly noded in agreement with what he heard. He straightened himself and got to his feet. He turned and walked towards Rana. Yesodha Putran followed him. Kacha, who was seated by the feet of Nobleman, saw rage in Sultan's eyes when he walked past him. Kali occupied a silent corner further from the cot and Kalai stood folded arms beside him.
"Where is Sena ?" Sultan spoke between his teeth by the side of Rana without looking at him.
"None have seen him since he had deposed the wounded Queen in the infirmary", Kalai spoke softly while walking towards Sultan.
The four men exited the tent and walked towards the pavilion. Kalai asked Sultan mid way, "What did you hear ?"
Sultan looked at Rana and replied, "He asked me to be his eyes and let him see the end of this war."
None spoke with each until they reached the entrance of the Pavillion.
"He suffers enormous pain. It’s up to him to stay alive", Yesodha Putran informed them and cleared his throat before entering inside the pavilion. They looked around the empty space and Sultan slowly walked to the sand table.
"It’s gone", he exclaimed, "Arha."
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Inner Dialogue (part 1/4)
To a greater or lesser extent, every novel is a dialogized system made up of the images of languages, styles and consciousnesses that are concrete and inseparable from language. Language in the novel not only represents, but itself serves as the object of representation. - The Dialogic Imagination: Four Essays by Mikhail Bakhtin (1975)
Travelers from afar
Kalai walked fast past the military camp looking for Sena. He fixed his ears to the faint sound of rejoice that rose from the enemy camp. His fear became real when he reached the prison site. The three maximum security penitentiaries were empty. It looked as though the guards and the prisoners vanished into the bright moonlight.
Sultan decided to search for Sena around the barracks. Leaving the pavilion, he went around the tents peeping inside each as he gradually walked through the dense trees on the edge of the dark mountains.
Rana stormed into the battlefield. He wondered about the reason to rejoice at Palace Vettaiyan. As he approached the battlefield, the celebrations at the enemy camp trumped. Rana quickly walked on the floor of dead. He tried hard to keep his balance. His mind was playing tricks on him by forcing him to sense terror. It was constantly hammering the nail of thought inside him that Sena had been captured by the enemies. Rana looked around him without caring where he was heading. He reached a piece of land surrounded by the ocean of dead. Streams of dry blood decorated the ground. Rana's head began to spin. He closed his eyes which increased the dizziness. His visions from the Lake of Ghosts ran in spiral before him. He reopened his eyes and stared at the dry blood on the floor of Karmegha - the moment when his dream at the Pit of Bhairavi collided with reality. Rana fell unconscious and drowned in the sea of dead.
Yesodha Putran watched Sultan move into the residential area and his eyes followed Kalai disappearing behind the sentries. He looked straight ahead of him and found Rana awkwardly walking on the battlefield. Yesodha Putran advanced towards the silent war zone and calmly limped over Karmegha. He saw Rana stumbling and a few distance away from the fallen twin, he witnessed Sena kneeling on the floor of Karmegha facing him with his head loosely fallen towards the ground.
Sena was exactly at the spot where Rana had knelt down before the Emperor. Yesodha Putran reached Sena and stood before him under the dark lined grey clouds. He surveyed the surrounding. He slowly turned to his left and observed unconscious Rana lying among the dead. He waited patiently before Sena, noticing silently the quietness before him. He admired the inversed mirror image - at dusk Rana sat in silence facing the Palace and now under the moonlight, Sena had occupied the same place facing the other side.
Sena lifted his head and stared pathetically at Yesodha Putran. He looked small and shrunken. He tilted his head and set his sight behind Yesodha Putran. He beheld the image of his life in the flesh eater feeding on a dead soldier. His lips shrunk when he saw the vulture plucking the flesh. The dead soldier was staring back at Sena with his dead eyes. The flesh eater rotated its grey eyes and wilderness beckoned to him. The eyes of the vulture were cold and without emotion and Sena breathed deeply, closed his eyes and rotated his head.
An anonymous soldier was weeping over a pool of blood. Drowned inside was someone he had known.
Behind Sena, two warriors were carrying someone who was missing an arm. The neck of the wounded man was completely fallen and his eyes were wide open watching and blinking occasionally at Sena.
At several places men stood around in groups and prayed. The whispered chants echoed in Sena's ears and reminded him of loneliness. Smell of dry blood circled under his nose. The foul odor was coupled with distant cries. The injured warriors from both sides who were left unattended made sad sounds of pain. It’s a mystery how much pain the body could take before surrendering to death. The patience of death was cruel.
Unable to take anymore, Sena closed his eyes and hung his head down.
Yesodha Putran saw numerous black serpents and scorpions crawling out of the ground. They moved around Sena and few battled with each other while climbing all over him. Several raced behind Sena and fought their way to get inside his back. As and when the serpents and scorpions entered Sena back, his red tunic bulged making it look like he was thrusted up with something heavy on his back. A giant black serpent with yellow stripes moved up his head while sticking out his split red tongue. It licked Sena's face and settled itself on top of Sena's crown head. Its dark purple eyes stared at Yesodha Putran and the snake raised its head and hissed violently at him showing its sharp canine teeth.
Sena nodded his head once and said, "I have travelled this far carrying misery. I lost the one I loved. I sacrificed the one I cared. I am tormented by monstrous demonic absence."
"I have only witnessed people around me fall and they fail to get up. The fallen were burnt to ashes by my own shadow. I am a danger to anyone close."
"I need answers, but I am out of questions as I am caught in between the brother with whom I shared the inside and the brother with whom I discovered the outside. By challenging them, I am blinded. I search for words to convince myself to see with only one eye for the rest of my life, but can't find any!"
"Carrying the weight for this long, I have befriended misery. These hallow voices inside my mind preach to tread with the serpents and scorpions. The constant chattering pound my head shattering it into pieces."
"How am I going to deliver freedom, when I am a prisoner within myself? I share the cage with a lamb, the monster wants all of it. I am dying from inside, living deadman’s life from outside."
Sena raised his head and declared softly, "I shall fight no more."
Gripping Arha with both his hands, Sena planted his Father's sword into the ground before him. The force cracked the mud floor, inserting half of the blade firmly into the ground. Fine mud particles raised in the air hitting Sena's face with dirt.
The yellow striped serpent sitting on the head of Sena hissed violently at Yesodha Putran while coiling its tail around Sena's neck.
Sena could not control the irritation when some of the dirt entered his eyes dimming his sight by turning his watery eyes blood red. It looked like the serpent was choking him, making his eyes redder.
Sena's vision was interrupted by crisis of faith. He sat back on tip of his feet and fell silent. With his shoulders hung down in despair, Sena closed his eyes seeking shelter at the castle of lost hope.
Silence took over Karmegha. It seemed as though nature had halted. No swinging winds or chillness in the air. Sena felt being enveloped by a fog of stillness.
"You may wonder who am I ?" Sena heard a voice coming from in front of him.
"Believe that I was here before you, I am here with you and I will be here after you", assured the Voice, "I have roamed this world as a Prince. Welcomed by grace and with happiness everywhere I went. Greed made me a Pauper. No one cared for me anymore. I became their valuable object of sacrifice. In time I became crippled, just like how you are now before me, but at least I still stand on my single leg."
"I am truth", announced the Voice "And we are fighting this war to avoid myself crawl into the future."
Sena heard a distant thunder.
"It’s difficult to find out who you were, or to alter what you are. You are who you are. But you can certainly decide what you shall be", Truth started its conversation with Sena.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Inner Dialogue (part 2/4)
One is never afraid of the unknown; one is afraid of the known coming to an end. - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Freedom from the Known
"Tat Tvam Asi", Sena listened to Truth attentively :
You are neither body nor life. You are Pathfinder. Tat Tvam Asi, That you are.
In the beginning there was Being Alone, one only, without a second and from that Non-Being, Being was born. As the bees gathering nectars from the flowering trees in every direction and those nectars, who do not know from which tree they belong become one single honey, Being is born from Non-Being.
That which is the finest essence, the whole universe has That as its soul. That is Reality, That is Self, and That you are. Tat Tvam Asi.
One might lead a blindfolded man from his Motherland and abandon him in an uninhabited place. He would travel to the east, the west, the north or the south, but he would never know where he is heading, since he had been blindfolded and abandoned. And just as someone has removed the blindfold would tell him the right direction, That resourceful man will start asking the learned in every village and would arrive at his Motherland from where his journey had started.
That is the Master who teaches him that he shall not be released until he has broken the bonds of ignorance. Then, he will arrive home.
By whose wish did That first thought alight upon the mind ?
Of That first breath to ensue, which cause is behind ?
By whose desire That one utter the words ?
Who was the agent of the eye That saw, the ear That heard ?
Tat Tvam Asi.
That which is not thought, becomes thought.
That which is not heard, becomes heard.
That which is not known, becomes known.
That you are.
Identity is a mere verbal distinction. With a single lump of clay one would know about everything made from clay, the difference being a mere verbal distinction, just a name, the reality is only 'clay'. Similarly, identity comes from the Motherland, comes from the language spoken, and comes from the way of life itself. But all these are mere verbal distinction. The absoluteness is Tat Tvam Asi.
The Self is beyond identity but is prisoned inside the cobweb of ignorance. Fell to free the Self from the Known. Feelings and Known are two wings that carry the body with the Self trapped inside. Fail to fly; the Self will set up the way. Unite with the Self to eliminate confusion and thus, the course shall be cleared. When the blindfold is removed, the path will be seen through the Self and not by the eyes that project what the conscious mind instructs it to see.
The creation is the root and desire is the cause. The Creator desired and creation happened. He desired more. He wanted his creation to think of Him and Him only. He brought His war to this world and won them all to give his creations a reason to think of Him. He went a step ahead and became partial to certain of His own creations allowing him to be blinded from the fact that all were His own. He fought the war that was not rightly His to fight.
This desire of His, caused the Birth of Evil. His desire to desire more produced a weed that had the ability to grow and reproduce itself just like an unwanted plant between the crops.
A being was in conflict with his brother. The Creator shot him dead to gain the respect of the being, not knowing that He was watering the weed all the while. He, later, realized being a slave to the King Ego. A Devine Enlightenment occurred – The Creator desired not to desire.
By that time, the weed had already established its own Kingdom. The Evil wished to throw down the Creator and take his place. It fed the minds with lies and falsehoods, all the while building his own army against the Creator. When the Evil came to know that Light was the prime source of Universe and processing Light is power, it tricked a Human to steal it from the Creator. Thus, the Creator hid the Light inside his creation and made them forget about Him, so that they shall not be influenced by the Evil anymore.
That you are - a chariot carrying the Light back to its Source.
"O! Prime Mover", the Creator listened, "What shall become the poor souls ? Will they realise been abandoned ?"
"None shall be abandoned, none shall be guided neither. It is up to them to realise that they are none other than Me. Lost they will roam, but just like the stream reaching the ocean, they will blossom again in my Garden", assured the Architect of the Universe.
O! Lord of Creation, The Creator observed keenly, "In this maze of life, allow them to at least see the Light."
Bharatavarsham, this land is named, where the Creator grouped his creation that carried His Light, a land between Sagarmatha, the Mother Source and Mahasagar, the Great Ocean. Bha, the Light; Rathavarsham, the chariot carrying the illumination. To allow the forgotten souls to remember, the Creator visited Bharatavarsham taking the forms of the nature.
The woodcutter saw a man on flames. The sheepherders witnessed a naked woman seated on snow. The sailors noticed a man walking on the sea. The sentries witnessed a woman flowing with the wind. The villagers registered the presence of a form that could not be seen.
Thus, The Holy Spirit reached to the lost souls. It taught them realization and methods to eradicate the dirt that covered the Light. These five forms portraying the Nature gifted the lost souls the verses of the Creator : Santhana Dharma - You have the Light, it’s up to you to enlighten.
Sanathana Dharma is like a free flowing river, it has no custodian, and anybody can quench their thirst from it.
An intelligent man who wrote poetries at the snap of his fingers used to sit outside his house. He cherished every moment when the passerby greeted him and praised him. Every day he saw a washer man carrying dirty clothes on his head, but he never looked at the Poet or praised him.
One day the Poet sang a song on the washer man to amuse the crowd gathered in front of the house :
My dog is so special among,
Cleans my feet with its tongue.
Every day it walks with new sorrow wrung,
Just like a washer man not so young.
The crowd laughed, but the washer man kept walking away. The next day the washer man carried twice the pile of dirty clothes on his head and started to run in circles in front of the Poet's house. People ran to all corners thinking that the washer man had become mad. The Poet stormed out of his house and yelled at the washer man :
Fool, stop running carrying that heap of dirt on your head !
The washer man stopped running and replied :
I can halt anywhere. I can discharge the dirt anytime.
But you moron, how will you, all that dirt in your mind.
The blindfold around the Poet’s eyes was removed. The Poet’s eyes brightened. In the Lightness he sang :
Wish I were a Washer man of Conscience,
And clean all the dirt in my mind.
From then, the Poet sung songs about enlightenment addressing his Self, sometimes as his Kid, at times as his Sight, and often as the one he loved the most.
The Kingdom of the Creator on this world flourished under the Devine verses of Sanathana Dharma, until the resting Evil found its way to creep back again. Similar to the roots of the weed that does not perish; the Evil crawled into the Varna and entered the three Gunas of man's mind:
नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् । अफलप्रेप्सुना कर्म यत्तत्सात्त्विकमुच्यते ॥
यत्तु कामेप्सुना कर्म साहंकारेण वा पुनः । क्रियते बहुलायासं तद्राजसमुदाहृतम् ॥
अनुबन्धं क्षयं हिंसामनपेक्ष्य च पौरुषम् । मोहादारभ्यते कर्म यत्तत्तामसमुच्यते ॥
niyatam sanga rahitam araga dveshatah kritam | aphala prepsuna karma yat tat sattvikam uchyate||
yat tu kamepsuna karma sahankarena va punan | kriyate bahulayasam tad rajasam udahritam ||
anubandham kshayam hinsam anapekshya cha paurusham |mohad arabhyate karma yat tat tamasam uchyate ||
The Evil took complete procession of the lost souls. It twisted the Creator's words and planted a false message inside the wandering minds.
Thus, the first disturbance among the creations happened. Dispute within Motherland and quarrel over spoken language led to the question of identity. Alas, Bharatavarsham is no more addressed the same way. It is called by another name that is not even the proto-language that these ignorant are striving to safeguard.
The language of the universe is silence. The language of the ignorant is the tongue.
Remember, O! Muddled One, all are the sprouts from the same seed. Neither the mountains are dead as they don't breath nor the humans are alive because they breathe. The landscapes - hills, plains, plateaus, deserts, oceans - and the vegetation - grass, shrubs, climbers, and trees are just like the various qualities of a human.
All belong to a single system and I, My and Self are all one and the same. Tat Tvam Asi.
... to be continued ...
Footnote :
1/ Tat Tvam Asi - Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7
2/ नियतं सङ्गरहितमरागद्वेषतः कृतम् । ... mohad arabhyate karma yat tat tamasam uchyate ||
- Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, verses 23–25
That action which is devoid of fruitive desires, free from attachment and repulsion, which is performed as duty, is the nature of goodness.
That action which one with desires for fruitive results or egotistical performs with great endeavor, is the nature of passion.
That action which begun out of illusion, without considering the consequence, destruction, violence and one's own ability to fulfill it, is the nature of nescience.
3/ Varna - Kind (order)
4/ Guna - Virtue
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Inner Dialogue (part 3/4)
The conscious mind determines the actions, the unconscious mind determines the reactions; and the reactions are just as important as the actions. - Eli Stanley Jones.
[Author of The Christ of the Indian Road (1925); Mahatma Gandhi: An Interpretation (1948, 1st edition) aka Gandhi - Portrayal of a Friend (1993, 2nd edition)].
Conscious of the Unconscious
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: | तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ||
chatur varnyam maya srishtam guna karma vibhagashah | tasya kartaram api mam viddhyakartaram avyayam ||
The verses recited by Truth slipped like honey inside Sena's ears :
The four classifications of Varna are based on Guna and Karma - Prarabdha Karma, Agama Karma, Sanchita Karma - and not by birth or nature of occupation.
This is where the Evil played its biggest trick. After dodging the wandering mind with Gunas, the Evil was unable to fully conquer the lost souls. Dharmas - Sadharana Dharma, Svadharma, Ashrama Dharma and Sanyasa - were still guiding them. Thus, The Evil produced a new meaning to Varna. It poisoned the mind by twisting the Creator's instructions - The four categories is based on birth and activities and Varna is not the nature of Comic Order but belongs to the Social Order.
By doing so, it brought hell and lightened it in this world. The ignorant easily fell into the pit dug for them by the Evil. Humans fought with each other for no reason on the Tree of Life, where each Being hung as a fruit.
ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां शूद्राणां च परन्तप | कर्माणि प्रविभक्तानि स्वभावप्रभवैर्गुणै: ||
brahmana kshatriya visham shudranam cha parantapa | karmami pravibhaktani svabhava prabhavair gunaih ||
Varnas - Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra - depend upon what a child become in his life and his class is not determined by his birth but by Guna – his right, his duty and his nature.
कारुरहं ततो भिषगुपलप्रक्षिणी नना |
karuraham tato bhisaghupalapraksisi nana |
I am a bard, my father is a physician, and my mother's job is to grind the corn.
According to which everyone is born a Shudra, an ignorant but should become a Brahman, the enlightened, through his own effort.
तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया | उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिन: ||
tad viddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya | upadekshyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darshinah ||
The Transcendental Knowledge inquired highlights two implications in Varnas, the first sense that describes the body that holds the Light :
Vasti Guha with its skills and services are referred to as Shudra.
Udar Guha which supports and sustains to body is referred to as Vaishya.
Uro Guha which forms the part of armor on the chest is referred to as Kshatriya.
Siro Guha which constitutes the organ of perception of Gyan as Brahman.
The second sense gives the physical mode - the legs, the laps, the chest and the mouth. As a new born uttering incomprehensible sounds and trying to standup on its feet and starting to walk after falling several times, the wisdom must be acquired from everywhere the legs takes the body, supported by strong laps, pushing forward the flat chest, guided by the information collected and spoken by the mouth. The Shudra, The Vashya, The Kshtriya and The Brahman must be put to work together to reunite the Self with the Supreme - Aham Brahmasmi.
O! Navie One, The doctrine of Varnas in the Cosmic Being of the Vedas does not make it hereditary. So what are those instances in the Vedas where Varnas has been made a matter of hereditary transmission ?
Varna points singly to a soul alone - Being One.
The four Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva; the four Yugas - Krita, Treta, Dwapara, Kali - and the four Varnas - Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Sudhra; jointly maintain ordinance in the system. This is exactly where the Evil wishes to strengthen its root - right at the center of the system.
Destruction is the shadow of Creation and an equal part in the system. The destruction of morning is the creation of noon and the destruction of noon is the creation of night. As this chain of continuous destruction and construction maintains the day, the destruction of childhood is the creation of youth and the destruction of youth is the creation of old age. In this process of birth and death the individual is maintained, who must apply Varna in each stage to gain realisation.
A Man of Realisation, then, will be able to face the brightness, and his actions, thoughts and desires are in perfect accordance with his Self.
Where else the Evil would like to lay its hands upon? Destruction in the hands of the Evil, murders realisation and influences identity. Such a weapon wins over the King Soul and thus, the body is reigned by King Ego.
A conscious mind dreams seated upon the unconscious mind. It is played to be a fool of the present and made to strive to see its dream come true. A dream made out of untruth that shrinks it under the weight of cupidity. The dream state pushes closer ones further, and pulls further ones closer, creating a constant tide of psychic turbulence.
An unconscious mind is powerful. It is vast like the universe with unlimited information - wisdom. But it is often considered as an enemy poisoning the conscious mind. The low lying mind specifies the duties to perform. It is more attached to the body and always guides to the right path, as it knows the existence of Light within and preserves its carrier.
But the conscious mind always rejects the unconscious mind by carrying the body away with false caring bundled with unwanted thoughts. It introduces momentary pain making the body feel like carrying a burden heavier than the body itself. Misery, an infliction of confused actions, is fabricated by the conscious mind.
Ugram Viram Maha Vishnum
Jvalantam Sarvato Mukham
Nrisimham Bhishanam Bhadram
Mrityur Mrityum Namamy Aham
O! Troubled One, Be Conscious of the Unconscious. For with such wisdom, misery is inexistent.
Illusion of hearing is a ploy planted by the Evil. Certain words are overlaid tampering the process of decoding the message of the inner voice. Thus, it turns into a behavior led by a false thought.
O! Earless One, listen conscientiously. The whispers are chants of action directly associated with duty. Those hallow voices sounding from the unconscious mind do not preach to tread WITH the serpents and scorpions. Listen thoroughly. They are saying :
Behold, I give unto you power to tread ON serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
... to be continued ...
Footnote :
1/ chatur ... avyayam - Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 13.
2/ brahmana ... gunaih - Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18, verse 41.
3/ karuraham ... nana - Rig Veda 9.112.5
4/ tad ... darshinah - Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 34.
5/ Swami Vivekananda's letter, 7th day of August, year 1889 :
The doctrine of caste in the Purusha-Sukta of the Vedas does not make it hereditary — so what are those instances in the Vedas where caste has been made a matter of hereditary transmission ?
6/ Ugram ... Aham - Sri Nrsimha Maha Mantra
[May my head be protected by the moon colored one, who is the greatest among humans. My obeisances unto the ferocious and powerful, the great Visnu, the fiery one, who's faces are on all sides, the fearful one, Nrsimha, who causes the death of even death personified.]
7/ Gyan - Knowledge
8/ Behold ... you - Luke 10:19
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
The Inner Dialogue (part 4/4)
The rich will make temples for Siva. What shall I, a poor man, do?
My legs are pillars, the body the shrine, the head the cupola of gold.
- The lord of the meeting rivers: Devotional poems of Basavanna (12th century Philosopher)
[Translated from Kanada to English by K.V. Zvelebil] (1984)
Creation of God
Sena felt light as the fiery black serpents and scorpions descending from him at a slow speed while Truth continued delivering its monologue :
The good and the right co-exist with the bad and the wrong - The Cycle of Nature. That which interrupts the fluidity of this cycle is belief. Belief is visionless. It does not have the capability to distinguish between what is good for you and what is right for you. It often overlooks truth, but quickly turns itself into a rigid standpoint. The believers and the non-believers have one thing in common - God, without which, they do not have a side to pick.
O! The Scarlet One, Who knows the Self, Knows All. He never chooses sides. He is beyond boundaries. He drinks from the river of wisdom and is always warm under the heat of enlightenment.
The Messengers taught Sanathana Dharma, the direct Speech of the Creator. As they were complex, the enlightened ones simplified the preaching and certain scholars converted the instructions into stories. And a story is narrated with characters. And the characters should speak the essence of the tutorial. Down the lane of time, several of its meaning was diluted. The stories started to get adapted accordingly, crushing the important details using two weapons of destruction - translation and interpretation.
In time, man ignored that teachings were always universal, and are neither balanced by time nor guarded by any creed. Thus, the stories to explain a theory, diminished the theory itself, slowly making a character called God roam on this land.
Religion and politics were created by man. Thus, God is manmade, from where fear sparks out from the flames of guilt feeding on the woods of confusion. Godlike men emerged promoting the God that they had created and in the process, they reaped wealth instead of providing knowledge. They destroyed the Garden of the Creator, The Nature. They erected huge idols and temples to pray and plead, practicing a kind of psychic torture by assuring the dejected souls that God hears them all.
Why would God ask to destroy that which is part of Himself ? What is the need of a huge building to talk to God, when He is a part of One Self ? Just like how the nose finds the food without the need of an eye, similarly, one does not need a place to converse with the Creator. God should be realized within. The human body is the Temple; the Self is the adobe, where God resides. There is no need for an idol or a place to find or rest God. Worship Self, that is the real God.
Understand that you are not in a state of confusion, but at an intersection leading to hesitation and uncertainty trying to decide what is good and what is right, completely eliminating the existence of the bad and the wrong.
O! Great Traveler, you have come this far. The moment has arrived to stop believing and see reality of That You Are. Behind you is the cause. Before you is the reason - a travel point that divides acceptance and questioning. Let the Light guide you, that which shall dim all your needs, that which erases all your questions, that which strikes away the reasoning and that which fades away confusion with its uninterrupted brightness. And under the Light you will gain an indefinite joy - The greatest joy of Kri when releasing for what you are put on this earth to do.
A Prince obtained everything he wished for in his life. Some landed on his palms; the rest just invited itself to him. He was rich. He was famous. He took things that he wanted by force, and the things he needed with negotiations. The world saw him as a leader and garlanded him with success. Unhappiness closely rooted itself under his feet watered by immense glory and victory.
His elder brother struggled from his birth. He led a life of toil. Success was always a step ahead of him. He did not halt, but continued to chase the unknown. On the path, he accumulated misery. The dirt coated itself all over him; there is no more difference between his body and his shadow. He saw pain as love, and love as unfair.
The two paths of Kri - Kriya : to do, to act and react; and Karma : the natural principle of cause and effect.
As years passed, the younger Prince found that his elder brother was getting more attention than himself. Out of grief he broke down before his uncle Kri-sna who was a flutist. He requested his uncle to play his flute and pipe away his confusions: "I am Him. Our actions are the same. Yet how are we different ?"
Kri-sna, combing a peacock feather, smiled at his depressed nephew.
The two brothers were given a mountain of wealth and Kri-sna ordered, "Dusk. This wealth should not belong to you."
The younger brother assembled a huge team of warriors, workers and miners to cut the rocks of wealth from the mountain. His messengers ran to all corners of the kingdom spreading the generosity of the Prince. People crowded around the mountain and rushed back to their homes with huge deposits of wealth. Dusk knocked the doors of the evening sky and half mountain full of wealth still remained.
"I may have failed", he announced to Kri-sna, "but I am still the People's Prince."
Kri-sna walked away, silently followed by the Prince.
When they reached the other mountain, the Prince laughed and said, "Just look around you before you pronounce your judgement, Uncle".
Kri-sna stared at the tall mountain of wealth. Not a drop of gold was missing. He, also, saw a fragile man sitting in the path gazing at the huge mountain.
"Who shall you be ?", asked Kri-sna.
"Nobody. One who owns this Mountain", replied the stranger. Kri-sna smiled.
"I am a passerby and a man in princely armor said to me that the mountain belongs to him no more, but to me from dusk. I waited and his words seem to be richer than all the wealth put together. I regret. I regret that he never heard my gratitude. He was already gone even before my lips were closed."
"Kri", Kri-sna preached to the Prince, "Offering inhaling breath into the outgoing breath, and offering the outgoing breath into the inhaling breath, the yogi neutralizes both these breaths; he thus releases the life force from the heart and brings it under his control. Thus by quieting the heart and its desires, the yogi learns life control."
Unfortunately the two brothers crossed swords and fought a war against each other that was not rightly for them to fight. But the wrong must be corrected; the bad must be beheaded. Unwilling to fight his own brother, The Prince laid his bow down on the battlefield and said, "I shall fight no more."
A union occurred. Kriya Yoga preached by Kri-sna liberated the brothers from Karma, when they realized the bright pedaled flowers of Kri and understood their duty. The misery burned them no more. The dirt no more masked their vision. They were strengthened like an unbreakable chord. Together they were garlanded with wisdom. Thus, an upward outcome happened aided by acceptance of Kri - the Prince who sided the good, killed his own brother who supported the bad.
There are always two paths, which are not a choice, but eventually one will be walking on either. Some realize the path they had taken, some won't even after the travel.
O! The Blessed One, Self is the Light that emits true wisdom and the one who receives understanding irradiates the dirt. A journey is not a failure if the destination is not yet reached. It’s a failure if the journey was never started.
Suganthi ...
As soon as Sena heard Truth uttering the name of his beloved, the vision projected before his closed eyes lightened up.
... the green eyed angel. The Nature and her Child were murdered. The one who pulled the strings is guilty, and not the murderer. You were allowed to experience such an agony, so that you can understand how ignorant you were about the bad happenings around you. You were merely dreaming with eyes open while the Evil was strengthening its Kingdom over your motherland.
O! The Devine Disciple, As Knowledge has closed the shutters of your eyes, you dream no more.
All this sufferings my Child are not lessons, but a map to your path. Travel until the End. Enlighten Your Self. Become that strong chariot. In the end, even a tiny detail that was long forgotten will be the major weapon to dismiss the Evil beside by just lying down along with it.
O! The Warrior of Light, by slaying them, you are liberating the trapped souls from the clutches of the Evil. By uprooting the Evil, you find how much deep it has strongly buried itself. In this eternal war between the Good and the Evil, someone else will replace you to finish what you have started. Get back on your feet. Stay on the path of Truth. Make the first step to wash away the dirt and cleanse your land with righteousness. Don't think who is with you ? Dont count who is following you ? You and your Self is absolute.
O! The Enlightened One, His Kingdom must come down.
... to be continued ...
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Chaturmukha Part 3 - mRdayopaliptaM
Chapter Six - The Master, The Monkey and The Monster
"We rise by lifting others." - Robert G. Ingersoll
Lightning Rises
Sena discovered silence. Steadily, the soft blowing winds whispered in his ears. He felt the wings of the blue butterfly brushing his forehead. Sena reclaimed calmness. Sena smiled.
He slowly opened both his eyes simultaneously. Thousands of tiny lightning bolts partied over the dark sky above his head. The white dancing lights reflected the placid white color of Sena's eye. The burning sensation vanished and his his eyes sparkled like two stone crystals. His smiling scarlet lips represented the color of silence. His tranquil face exhibited the acceptance of the sea rock on which the waves hit constantly.
"You cannot part with your duties, just like, you can never part with it, the Devine sword that chose you", Sena heard the voice of a man who was walking away from him. Sena sat knelt watching the limping form that was cutting through the grey mist over the battleflied in front of him.
Sena stood up by pulling both his knees together. Arha, the Devine Sword of His Father, which was planted on the ground before him shivered. The tiny stones particles around Arha trembled. Sena pulled his left nostrils towards his left eye parting the corner of his lips and showing his canine tooth in anger. He yelled wide mouthed, at the same time lifted and stamped his right foot hard on the floor of dried blood.
Thunder roared around Karmegha. As soon as Sena imprinted his foot, the force made the dust and dirt covering his face and clothes detach themselves away from him, making the serpents and scorpions crawling over him go flying in the air around him. The impact of Sena's foot sent shock waves over the floor and entered into the area around Arha and uprooted the Devine Sword which spun its way across in the air towards its Master. Before settling itself in the right hand of Sena, Arha chopped the head of the giant black serpent with yellow stripes that was circling itself around Sena's neck. The slaying of the giant serpent burnt the tiny serpents and scorpions suspended in the air around Sena. Red and yellow sparks busted in the darkness when the reptiles and arthropods turned into ashes. The beheaded black snake powdered to black dust before hitting the floor.
All of a sudden, a cool breeze washed away all the filth and stain around Sena, who stood cleansed holding Arha. Normalcy returned back on Karmegha, and the sadness of death ringed around the battlefield amidst the cries of joy from Vettaiyan Palace.
Sena took his first step and walked towards the direction where his brother Rana was laying unconscious.
Kalai and Sultan waited impatiently at the camp's gate. As the night slipped past, they worried about their failure to find Sena and delay in Rana's return, who had entered the battlefield to look for his brother. Fear of them both being captured by the enemies enveloped the warriors of Battalion from Heaven. Cool breeze wiped their faces without their permission and they both saw a limping man walking out of the grey towards them.
"Did you find him", Kalai asked hurriedly.
"Where is Rana ?", Sultan questioned looking the emptiness beyond Yesodha Putran.
Yesodha Putran looked at both of them. He walked past them into the campsite in silence. They both watched his back and heard him say, "The Brothers of Right shall find their path on their own. Come and rest. The night is mortal."
The cloth doors of the pavilion opened and Sena, carrying Rana on his left shoulder and holding Arha in his right hand, entered unannounced. He slowly walked towards the sand table. Kanakavalli saw a distinct tranquility in Sena's eye. Kali stood up and his face buried itself into a huge grin. Kacha admired Sena's composure while Kalai and Sultan pushed the objects over the sand table away. Sena carefully placed Rana over the table. He, then, lifted his head and made eye contact with everyone present inside the pavilion. They exchanged mild nods at each other. Sena, then, fixed his eyes on Kanakavalli. Her eyes locked on to Sena.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ||
karmany evadhikaras te ma phaleshu kadachana | ma karma phala hetur bhur ma te sango stvakarmani ||
Rana woke up reciting something in a language unknown to anyone present inside the pavilion. He quickly regained himself and stared at everyone present around him. He looked at Sena and asked, "Did I say something ?"
Sena smiled. The others joined him and shared their laughter with each other.
Rana and Sena entered the nursing room. Yesodha Putran stood by the feet of Nobleman. Sena sat over the corner of the bed and spent the night beside the wounded man. Rana excused himself and paid his wife a visit, who was still recovering from her shoulder wound. Sultan and Kali stood at either side of Sena and Kalai along with Kanakavalli and Kacha left the room to prepare for the war that awaited them at dawn.
... to be continued ...
Footnote:
karmany ... stvakarmani - Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 47.
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