‘I will be back soon,’ said Shiva as he hugged Bhadra’s mother. He was amazed that the old lady’s limp was a little less noticeable.
Their medicines are truly magical.
As a morose Bhadra looked at him, Shiva whispered, ‘Take care of the tribe. You are in charge till I come back.’
Bhadra stepped back, starded. ‘Shiva you don’t have to that just because I am your friend.’
‘I have to do it, you fool. And the reason I have to do i that you are more capable than me.’
Bhadra stepped up and embraced Shiva, lest his frie notice the tears in his eyes. ‘No Shiva, I am not. Not even my dreams.’
‘Shut up! Listen to me carefully,’ said Shiva as Bhai smiled sadly. ‘I don’t think the Gunas are at any risk out here. At least not as much as we were at Mount Kailash. But e then, if you feel you need help, ask Ayurvati. I saw her wl the tribe was ill. She showed tremendous commitment save us all. She is worth trusting.’
Bhadra nodded, hugged Shiva again and left the room.
Ayurvati knocked politely on the door. ‘May I come in, my Lord?’
This was the first time she had come into his presence since that fateful moment seven days back. It seemed like a lifetime to her. Though she appeared to be her confident self again, there was a slightiy different look about her. She had the appearance of someone who had been touched by the divine.
‘Come in Ayurvati. And please, none of this “Lord” business. I am still the same uncouth immigrant you met a few days ago.’
‘I am sorry about that comment, my Lord. It was wrong of me to say that and I am willing to accept any punishment that you may deem fit.’
‘What’s wrong with you? Why should I punish you for speaking the truth? Why should this bloody blue throat change anything?’
‘You will discover the reason, my Lord,’ whispered Ayurvati with her head bowed. We have waited for centuries for you.’
‘Centuries?! In the name of the holy lake, why? What can I do that any of you smart people can’t?’
‘The emperor will tell you, my Lord. Suffice it to say that from all that I have heard from your tribe, if there is one person worthy of being the Neelkanth, it is you.’
‘Speaking of my tribe, I have told them that if they need any help, they can request you. I hope that is all right.’
‘It would be my honour to provide any assistance to them, my Lord.’
Saying this, she bent down to touch Shiva’s feet in the traditional Indian form of showing respect. Shiva had resigned himself to accepting this gesture from most Meluhans but immediately stepped back as Ayurvati bent down.
‘What the hell are you doing, Ayurvati?’ asked a horrified Shiva. You are a doctor, a giver of life. Don’t embarrass me by touching my feet.’
Ayurvati looked up at Shiva, her eyes shining with admiration and devotion. This was certainly a man worthy of being the Neelkanth.
Nandi entered Shiva’s room carrying a saffron cloth with the word ‘Ram’ stamped across every inch of it. He requested Shiva to wrap it around his shoulders. As Shiva complied, Nandi muttered a quick short prayer for a safe journey to Devagiri.
‘Our horses wait outside, my Lord. We can leave when you are ready,’ said Nandi.
‘Nandi,’ said an exasperated Shiva. ‘How many times must I tell you? My name is Shiva. I am your friend, not your Lord’
‘Oh no, my Lord,’ gasped Nandi. ‘You are the Neelkanth. You are the Lord. How can I take your name?’
Shiva rolled his eyes, shook his head slightiy and turned towards the door. ‘I give up! Can we leave now?’
‘Of course, my Lord.’
They stepped outside to see three mounted soldiers waiting patiently, while tethered close to them were three more horses. One each for Shiva and Nandi, while the third was assigned for carrying their provisions. The well-organised Meluhan Empire had rest houses and provision stores spread across all major travel routes. As long as there were enough provisions for just one day, a traveller carrying Meluhan coins could comfortably keep buying fresh provisions to last a journey of months.
Nandi’s horse had been tethered next to a small platform. The platform had steps leading up to it from the other side. Clearly, this was convenient infrastructure for obese riders who found it a little cumbersome to climb onto a horse. Shiva looked at Nandi’s enormous form, then at his unfortunate horse and then back at Nandi.
‘Aren’t there any laws in Meluha against cruelty to animals?’ asked Shiva with the most sincere of expressions.
‘Oh yes, my Lord. Very strict laws. In Meluha ALL life is precious. In fact there are strict guidelines as to when and how animals can be slaughtered and...’
Suddenly Nandi stopped speaking. Shiva’s joke had finally breached Nandi’s slow wit. They both burst out laughing as Shiva slapped Nandi hard on his back.
Shiva’s entourage followed the course of the Jhelum which had resumed its thunderous roar as it crashed down the lower Himalayas. Once on the magnificent flat plains, the turbulent river calmed down once again and flowed smoothly on. Smooth enough for the group to get on one of the many public transport barges to sail quickly down to the town of Brihateshpuram.
From there on, they went east by a well laid and marked road through Punjab, the heart of the empire’s northern reaches. Punjab literally meant the land of the five rivers. The land of the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Beas. The four eastern rivers aspired to grasp the grand Indus, which flowed farthest to the west. They succeeded spectacularly, after convoluted journeys on the rich plains of Punjab. The Indus itself found comfort and succour in the enormous, all embracing ocean. The mystery of the ocean’s final destination though was yet to be unravelled.
‘What is Ram?’ enquired Shiva as he looked down at the word covering every inch of his saffron cloth.
The three accompanying soldiers rode at a polite distance behind Shiva and Nandi. Far enough not to overhear any conversation but close enough to move in quickly at the first sign of trouble. It was a part of their standard Meluhan service rules.
‘Lord Ram was the emperor who established our way of life, my Lord,’ replied Nandi. ‘He lived around one thousand two hundred years ago. He created our systems, our rules, our ideologies, everything. His reign is known simply as ‘Ram Rajya’ or ‘the rule of Ram. The term ‘Ram Rajya’ is considered to be the gold standard of how an empire must be administered, to create a perfect life for all its citizens. Meluha is still run according to his principles. Jai Shri Ram.’
‘He must have been quite a man! For he truly created a paradise right here on earth.’
Shiva did not lie when he said this. He truly believed that if there was a paradise somewhere, it couldn’t have been very different from Meluha. This was a land of abundance, of almost ethereal perfection! It was an empire ruled by clearly codified and just laws, to which every Meluhan was subordinated, including the emperor. The country supported a population of nearly eight million, which without exception seemed well fed, healthy and wealthy. The average intellect was exceptionally high. They were a slightiy serious people, but unfailingly polite and civil. It seemed to be a flawless society where everyone knew his role and played it perfectly. They were conscious, nay obsessive, about their duties. The simple truth hit Shiva: if the entire society was conscious of its duties, nobody would need to fight for their individual rights. Since everybody’s rights would be automatically taken care of through someone else’s duties. Lord Ram was a genius!
Shiva too repeated Nandi’s cry, signifying Glory to Lord Ram. ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
Having left their horses at the government authorised crossing-house, they crossed the river Ravi, close to Hariyupa, or the City of Hari. Shiva lingered there admiring Hariyupa at a slight distance, while his soldiers waited just beyond his shadow, having mounted their freshly allocated horses from the crossing-house on the other side of the Ravi. Hariyupa was a much larger city than Srinagar and seemed grand from the outside. Shiva tho
ught seriously about exploring the magnificent city but that would have meant a delay in the trip to Devagiri. Next to Hariyupa, Shiva saw a construction project being executed. A new platform was being erected as Hariyupa had grown too populous to accommodate everyone on its existing platform.
How the hell do they raise these magnificent platforms?
Shiva made a mental note to visit the construction site on his return journey. At a distance, Jattaa, the captain of the river crossing house, was talking to Nandi while he was about to climb the platform to mount his fresh horse.
‘Avoid the road via Jratakgiri,’ advised Jattaa. ‘There was a terrorist attack there last night. All the Brahmins were killed and the village temple was destroyed. The terrorists escaped as usual before any backup soldiers could arrive.’
‘When in Lord Agni’s name will we fight back? We should attack their country!’ snarled a visibly angry Nandi.
‘I swear by Lord Indra, if I ever find one of these Chandravanshi terrorists, I will cut his body into minute pieces and feed it to the dogs,’ growled Jattaa, clenching his fists tight.
‘Jattaa! We are followers of the Suryavanshis. We cannot even think of barbaric warfare such as that!’ said Nandi.
‘Do the terrorists follow the rules of war when they attack us? Don’t they kill unarmed men?’
‘That does not mean that we can act the same way, Captain. We are Meluhans!’ said Nandi shaking his head.
Jattaa did not counter Nandi. He was distracted by Shiva still waiting at a distance. ‘Is he with you?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘He doesn’t wear a caste amulet. Is he a new immigrant?’
‘Yes.’ replied Nandi, getting uncomfortable answering questions about Shiva.
‘And you’re going to Devagiri?’ asked an increasingly suspicious Jattaa, looking harder towards Shiva’s throat. ‘I’ve heard some rumours coming from Srinagar...’
Nandi interrupted Jattaa suddenly. ‘Thank you for your help, Captain Jattaa.’
Before Jattaa could act on his suspicions, Nandi quickly climbed the platform, mounted his horse and rode towards Shiva. Reaching quickly, he said, ‘We should leave, my Lord.’
Shiva wasn’t listening. He was perplexed once again as he saw the proud Captain Jattaa on his knees. Jattaa was looking directly at Shiva with his hands folded in a respectful namaste. He appeared to be mumbling something very quickly. Shiva couldn’t be sure from that distance, but it seemed that the Captain was crying. He shook his head and whispered, ‘Why?’
‘We should go, my Lord,’ repeated Nandi, a litde louder.
Shiva turned to him, nodded and kicked his horse into action.
Shiva looked to his left as he rode on the straight road, observing Nandi goading his valiant horse along. He turned around and was not surprised to see his three bodyguard soldiers riding at exactly the same distance as before. Not too close, and yet, not too far. He glanced back at Nandi, suspicious that the jewellery Nandi wore was not merely ornamental. He wore two amulets on his thick right arm. The first one had some symbolic lines which Shiva could not fathom. The second one appeared to have an animal etching. Probably a bull. One of his gold chains had a pendant shaped like a perfectly circular sun with rays streaming outwards. The other pendant was a brown, elliptical seed-like object with small serrations all over it.
‘Can you tell me the significance of your jewellery or is that also a state secret?’ teased Shiva.
‘Of course I can, my Lord,’ replied Nandi earnestly. He pointed at the first amulet that had been tied around his massive arm with a silky gold thread. This is the amulet which represents my caste. The lines drawn on it are a symbol of the shoulders of the Parmatma, the almighty. This means that I am a Kshatriya.’
‘I am sure there are clearly codified guidelines for representing the other castes as well.’
‘Right you are, my Lord. You are exceptionally intelligent.’
‘No, I am not. You people are just exceptionally predictable.’
Nandi smiled as Shiva continued. ‘So what are they?’
‘What are what, my Lord?’
‘The symbols for the Brahmins, Vaishyas and Shudras.’
Well, if the lines are drawn to represent the head of the Parmatma, it would mean the wearer is a Brahmin. The symbol for a Vaishya would be the lines forming a symbol of the thighs of the Parmatma. And the feet of the Parmatma on the amulet would make the wearer a Shudra.’
‘Interesting,’ said Shiva with a slight frown. ‘I imagine most Shudras are not too pleased about their placement.’
Nandi was quite surprised at Shiva’s comments. He couldn’t understand why a Shudra would have a problem with this long ordained symbol. But he kept quiet for fear of disagreeing with his Lord.
‘And the other amulet?’ asked Shiva.
‘This second amulet depicts my chosen-tribe. Each chosen-tribe takes on jobs which fit its profile. Every Meluhan, under the advice of their parents, applies for a chosen-tribe when they turn twenty—five years old. Brahmins choose from birds, while Kshatriyas apply for animals. Flowers are allocated to Vaishyas while Shudras must choose amongst fishes. The Allocation Board allocates the chosen-tribe on the basis of a rigorous examination process. You must qualify for a chosen-tribe that represents both your ambitions and skills. Choose a tribe that is too mighty and you will embarrass yourself throughout your life if your achievements don’t measure up to the standards of that tribe. Choose a tribe too lowly and you will not be doing justice to your own talents. My chosen-tribe is a bull. That is the animal that this amulet represents.’
‘And if I am not being rude, what does a bull mean in your rank of Kshatriya chosen-tribes?’
‘Well, it’s not as high as a lion, tiger or an elephant. But it’s not a rat or a pig either!’
‘Well, as far as I am concerned, the bull can beat any lion or elephant,’ smiled Shiva. And what about the pendants on your chain?’
‘The brown seed is a representation of the last Mahadev, Lord Rudra. It symbolises the protection and regeneration of life. Even divine weapons cannot destroy the life it protects.’
‘And the Sun?’
‘My Lord, the sun represents the fact that I am a follower of the Suryavanshi kings — the kings who are the descendants of the Sun’
‘What? The Sun came down and some queen...’ teased an incredulous Shiva.
‘Of course not, my Lord,’ laughed Nandi. ‘All it means is that we follow the solar calendar. So you could say that we are the followers of the “path of the sun”. In practical terms it denotes that we are strong and steadfast. We honour our word and keep our promises even at the cost of our lives. We never break the law. We deal honourably even with those who are dishonourable. Like the Sun, we never take from anyone but always give to others. We sear our duties into our consciousness so that we may never forget them. Being a Suryavanshi means that we must always strive to be honest, brave and above all, loyal to the truth.’
‘A tall order! I assume that Lord Ram was a Suryavanshi king?’
‘Yes, of course,’ replied Nandi, his chest puffed up with pride. ‘He was the Suryavanshi king. Jai Shri Ram.’
‘Jai Shri Ram,’ repeated Shiva.
Nandi and Shiva crossed the river Beas on a boat. Their three soldiers waited to cross on the following craft. The Beas was the last river to be crossed after which stretched the straight road towards Devagiri. Unseasonal rain the previous night had made the crossing-house captain consider cancelling the day’s crossings across the river. However the weather had been relatively calm since the morning, allowing the captain to keep the service operational. Shiva and Nandi shared the boat with two other passengers as well as the boatman who rowed them across. They had traded in their existing horses at the crossing-house for fresh horses on the other side.
They were a short distance from the opposite bank when a sudden burst of torrential rain came down from the heavens. The winds took on a sudden ferocity. The boa
tman made a valiant effort to row quickly across, but the boat tossed violently as it surrendered to the elements. Nandi stretched to tell Shiva to stay low for safety. But he did not do it gently enough. His considerable weight caused the boat to list dangerously, and he fell overboard.
The boatman tried to steady the boat with his rows to save the other passengers. Even as he did so, he had the presence of mind to pull out his conch and blow an emergency call to the crossing-house on the other side. The other two passengers should have jumped overboard to save Nandi but his massive build made them hesitate. They knew that if they tried to save him, they would most likely drown.
Shiva felt no such hesitation as he quickly tossed aside his angvastram, pulled off his shoes and dived into the turbulent river. Shiva swam with powerful strokes and quickly reached a rapidly drowning Nandi. He had to use all of his considerable strength to pull Nandi to the surface. In spite of being buoyed by the water, Nandi weighed significantiy more than what any normal man would. It was fortunate that Shiva felt stronger than ever since the first night at the Srinagar immigration camp. Shiva positioned himself behind Nandi and wrapped one arm around his chest. He used his other arm to swim to the bank. Nandi’s weight made it very exhausting work, but Shiva was able to tow the Meluhan captain to the shore soon as the emergency staff from the crossing-house came rapidly towards them.
Shiva helped them drag Nandi’s limp body on to the land. He was unconscious.
The emergency staff then began a strange procedure. One of them started pressing Nandi’s chest in a quick rhythmic motion to the count of five. The moment he would stop, another emergency staff would cover Nandi’s lips with his own and breathe hard into his mouth. Then they would repeat the procedure all over again. Shiva did not understand what was going on but trusted both the knowledge as well as the commitment of the Meluhan medical personnel.
After several anxious moments, Nandi suddenly coughed up a considerable amount of water and woke up with a start. At first he was disoriented but he quickly regained his wits and turned abruptly towards Shiva, screeching, ‘My Lord, why did you jump in after me? Your life is too precious. You must never risk it for me!’