Daksha nodded.
Veerini smiled, bent closer and kissed her husband. ‘I’ll make the arrangements.’
A happy Veerini turned and walked out of the room. She had a lot to do.
As she stepped out, she saw Sati and Parvateshwar sitting outside. She patted Sati on her head. ‘Go in, my child. Tell your father how much you love him. He needs you. I’ll be back soon.’
As Veerini was hurrying away, she saw Brahmanayak walking back towards her husband’s chamber.
The Meluhan Queen was jolted back to the present by some dolphin calls. The more than a century old memory still drew a tear from her eyes. She turned to look at her husband and shook her head. She had never really understood what happened that day. What had Bramhanayak said? All she knew was that when she had gone back to Daksha’s chamber the next day with their escape plans, he had refused to leave. He had decided that he wanted to become Emperor.
Your stupid ego and need for approval from your father destroyed our lives!
‘The secret?’ asked Shiva, recalling his conversation with Parshuram.
Shiva was sitting with Parshuram, Parvateshwar, Veerbhadra and Nandi. Kali had just entered the chamber. Ganesh, still unsure of his position vis-a-vis Shiva, was standing quietly at the back. Shiva had acknowledged Sati’s elder son with a short nod, nothing more.
‘Yes, I think you need to know,’ said Kali. ‘It is India’s need that the Neelkanth know the secret the Nagas have been keeping. Thereafter, you can decide whether what we have done is right or wrong. Determine what must be done now.’
‘Why can’t you tell me here?’
‘I need you to trust me. I can’t.’
Shiva’s eyes bored into Kali’s. He could see no malice or deceit in them. He felt he could trust her. ‘How many days will it take to reach Panchavati?’
‘A little more than a year,’ answered Kali.
‘A year?!’
‘Yes, Lord Neelkanth. We will travel up to Branga by river boats, right down the Madhumati river. Then travel by foot through the Dandakaranya. The journey takes time.’
‘There is no direct route?’
Kali smiled but refused to be drawn in. She didn’t want to reveal the secrets of the forests of Dandak. It was the primary defence for her city.
‘I’m trusting you. But it appears that you don’t trust me.’
‘I trust you completely, Lord Neelkanth.’
Shiva smiled, understanding Kali’s predicament. She could trust him but not everyone with him. ‘All right. Let’s go to Panchavati. It is perhaps the route I have to take in order to discharge my duty.’
Shiva turned to Parvateshwar. ‘Can you make the arrangements, General?’
‘It will be done, My Lord,’ said Parvateshwar.
Kali bowed towards Shiva and turned to leave, stretching her hand out to Ganesh.
‘And, Kali...’ said Shiva.
Kali spun around.
‘I prefer Shiva, not Neelkanth. You are my wife’s sister. You are family.’
Kali smiled and bowed her head. ‘As you wish... Shiva.’
Shiva and Sati were at the Vishwanath temple. They had come to perform a private puja, seeking Lord Rudra’s blessings. Having completed their prayers, they sat against one of the pillars of the temple, looking out towards the idol of Lady Mohini, whose statue was at the back of Lord Rudra’s idol.
Shiva reached out for his wife’s hand and kissed it lightly. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.
‘A very intriguing lady,’ said Shiva.
Sati looked up at her husband. ‘Lady Mohini?’
‘Yes. Why isn’t she universally accepted as a Vishnu? Why has the number of Vishnus stopped at seven?’
‘There may be more Vishnus in the future. But not everyone regards her as a Vishnu.’
‘Do you?’
‘At one point of time, I didn’t. But now, I have come to understand her greatness.’
Shiva frowned.
‘It’s not easy to understand her,’ said Sati. ‘There were many things that she did which can be considered unjust. It does not matter that she did those things to the Asuras. They were still unfair. To Suryavanshis, who follow the absolutes of Lord Ram, she is difficult to understand.’
‘So what’s changed now?’
‘I’ve come to know more of her. About why she did what she did. So I still don’t appreciate some of the things that she did, but perhaps I have more compassion for her actions.’
‘A Vasudev had once told me that they believe Lord Rudra could not have completed his mission without her support.’
Sati looked at Shiva. ‘They may be right. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes, a small sin can lead to a greater good.’
Shiva stared at Sati. He could see where she was going with this.
‘If a man has been good all his life despite the unkindness he has faced, if he has helped others, we should try to understand why he committed what appears to be a sin. We may not be able to forgive him. However, we may be able to understand him.’
Shiva knew Sati was talking about Ganesh. ‘Do you understand why he did what he did?’
Sati took a deep breath. ‘No.’
Shiva turned his gaze towards Lady Mohini’s statue.
Sati pulled Shiva’s face back towards her. ‘Sometimes it’s difficult to understand an event without knowing everything that led up to it.’
Shiva turned his face away. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply. ‘He saved your life. He saved Kartik’s life. For that I must love him. He has done much to make me think that he is a good man.’
Sati remained silent.
‘But...’ Shiva took a deep breath. ‘But it’s not easy for me. Sati... I just can’t...’
Sati sighed. Perhaps going to Panchavati may make everything clear.
‘My Lord, what are you saying? How can I?’ asked a flabbergasted Dilipa.
He was sitting at Maharishi Bhrigu’s feet in his private chambers in his palace at Ayodhya. Prime Minister Siamantak had become a past master at keeping Bhrigu’s frequent visits to Ayodhya a secret. The Maharishi’s medicines were working their magic. Dilipa was looking healthier with every passing day.
‘Are you refusing to help, Your Highness?’ Bhrigu’s voice was menacing, eyes narrowed.
‘No, My Lord. Of course not. But this is impossible.’
‘I will show you the way.’
‘But how can I do it all by myself?’
‘You will have allies. I’ll guarantee that.’
‘But an attack such as this? What if someone finds out? My own people will turn against me.’
‘Nobody will find out.’
Dilipa looked disturbed. What have I got myself into?
‘Why? Why is this needed, Maharishi ji?’
‘For the good of India.’
Dilipa remained silent, worry lines on his face.
Bhrigu knew the self-obsessed Dilipa would not particularly care about the larger cause. So he decided to make it very personal. ‘You also need to do this, Your Highness, if you want to prevent disease from eating up your body.’
Dilipa stared at Bhrigu. The threat was clear and overt. He bowed his head. ‘Tell me how, Maharishi ji.’
Within two months of the Naga Queen’s request to Shiva, Parvateshwar had made arrangements for travelling to Panchavati.
Shiva’s entourage had grown considerably since the time he had sailed into the city where the supreme light shines. Accompanying Shiva on the voyage was his entire family, as the Mahadev refused to leave Sati and Kartik behind. Kali and Ganesh obviously had to be there. Veerbhadra and Nandi were fixtures of the Neelkanth’s retinue. And Veerbhadra had insisted on his wife Krittika accompanying him this time, not just because they missed each other, but also as he knew she would not be able to bear parting company from Kartik for so long. Ayurvati was the obvious choice for the physician on board. Shiva also wanted Bhagirath and Parshuram with him. And Parvateshwar, his General and sec
urity head, could not leave without Anandmayi.
Parvateshwar had arranged for two brigades to travel with them. So two thousand soldiers, both Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi, travelled in a fleet of nine ships along with the royal vessel carrying the Neelkanth and his close aides. Vishwadyumna, the loyal Branga follower of Ganesh, and his platoon, were also commissioned into the Chandravanshi Brigade.
They sailed slowly so they could keep all the ships together. Two months had passed since they had left Kashi when they neared Vaishali.
Remembering his conversation with Gopal, the Chief of the Vasudevs, Shiva turned towards Veerbhadra, Nandi and Parshuram. All of them, except Nandi, were smoking pot on the deck, contemplating the river.
‘Apparently Lord Manu had said that Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin,’ said Shiva, breaking the silence of the moment, taking the chillum from Parshuram.
Parshuram frowned. ‘I have heard this too. But I could never make sense of it.’
Shiva took a deep drag of the marijuana, exhaled and passed the chillum to Veerbhadra. ‘What do you make of it, Bhadra?’
‘Frankly, a lot of what your Vasudev friends say is mumbo-jumbo!’
Shiva burst out laughing. So did his friends.
‘I wouldn’t quite say that, brave Veerbhadra.’
A surprised Shiva turned around to find Ganesh behind them. Shiva fell silent, all traces of humour dropping from him. Parshuram immediately bowed his head to Ganesh, but did not say anything out of fear of angering the Neelkanth.
Veerbhadra, who was growing increasingly fond of the Lord of the People and believed him to be a man of integrity, asked, ‘So what would you make of it, Ganesh?’
‘I would think it’s a clue,’ said Ganesh, smiling at Veerbhadra.
‘Clue?’ asked Shiva, intrigued.
‘Maybe for the Neelkanth to understand what he should be searching for?’
‘Carry on.’
‘Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin. So the Neelkanth has to find one side of a coin, right?’
Shiva frowned.
‘Is it possible to find one side of a coin?’ asked Ganesh.
Shiva slapped his forehead. ‘Of course, search for the whole coin instead!’
Ganesh nodded, smiling.
Shiva stared at Ganesh. A germ of an idea was forming in the Neelkanth’s mind.
Search for Good. And you shall find Evil as well. The greater the Good, the greater the Evil.
Veerbhadra held out the chillum to Ganesh. ‘Would you like to try some?’
Ganesh had never smoked in his life. He looked at his father and couldn’t read what was written in those deep, mysterious eyes. ‘I would love to.’
He sat down and took the chillum from Veerbhadra.
‘Place it in your mouth like so,’ said Veerbhadra, demonstrating by cupping his hands, ‘and breathe in deeply.’
Ganesh did as he was told, collapsing in a severe bout of coughing.
Everyone burst out laughing. Except Shiva, who continued to stare at Ganesh, straight-faced.
Veerbhadra stretched out to pat Ganesh on his back and took the chillum away from him. ‘Ganesh, you have never been touched by this evil.’
‘No. But I’m sure I’ll grow to like it,’ smiled an embarrassed Ganesh, glancing for a moment at Shiva as he reached out for the chillum again.
Veerbhadra drew it out of reach. ‘No, Ganesh. You should remain innocent.’
The fleet was at the gates of Branga. Parvateshwar, Anandmayi and Bhagirath had transferred into the lead ship to supervise operations.
‘I’ve seen it before, I know,’ said Anandmayi, staring at the gates, ‘but I still get amazed at their sheer ingenuity!’
Parvateshwar smiled and put his arm around Anandmayi. And almost immediately, much to Anandmayi’s annoyance, he turned back to the task at hand. ‘Uttanka, the second ship is not high enough. Tell the Brangas to fill more water into the pool.’
Unnoticed by Parvateshwar, Anandmayi raised her eyebrows and shook her head slightly. Then she turned her husband’s face and kissed him lightly. Parvateshwar smiled.
‘All right, you lovebirds,’ said Bhagirath. ‘Keep a lid on it.’
Anandmayi laughed and slapped her brother on his wrist.
Parvateshwar smiled and turned towards the gates, to supervise the crossing.
‘This crossing will go well, General,’ said Bhagirath. ‘Relax. We know what the Brangas are doing. There are no surprises here.’
Parvateshwar turned to Bhagirath with a frown. He was surprised the Ayodhyan Prince had used the term ‘General’. He could tell his brother-in-law was trying to say something but was being cautious. ‘Out with it, Bhagirath. What are you trying to say?’
‘We know the path here,’ said Bhagirath. ‘We know what the Brangas are doing. There will be no surprises. But we have no idea what route the Nagas will lead us on. Only the Almighty knows what surprises they may have in store. Is it wise to trust them so blindly?’
‘We’re not trusting the Nagas, Bhagirath,’ interrupted Anandmayi. ‘We are trusting the Neelkanth.’
Parvateshwar remained silent.
‘I’m not saying we shouldn’t trust the Mahadev,’ said Bhagirath. ‘How can I? But how much do we know of the Nagas? We’re going through the dreaded Dandak forests with the Nagas as our guides. Am I the only one concerned here?’
‘Listen,’ said an irritated Anandmayi. ‘Lord Neelkanth trusts Queen Kali. That means I will trust her. And so will you.’
Bhagirath shook his head. ‘What do you say, Parvateshwar?’
‘The Lord is My Lord. I will walk into a wall of flames if he orders me to,’ said Parvateshwar as he looked towards the banks, where accumulator machines had just been released, pulling their ship forward with tremendous force. The Meluhan General turned to Bhagirath. ‘But how can I forget that Ganesh killed Brahaspati, the greatest scientist of Meluha? That he destroyed the heart of our empire, Mount Mandar. How can I trust him after all this?’
Anandmayi looked at Parvateshwar and then at her brother uncomfortably.
‘No, Krittika,’ said Ayurvati. ‘I am not doing it.’
Krittika and Ayurvati were in the Meluhan doctor’s office on the royal ship. The hooks on the sideboards of their ship were being attached onto the machine that would pull it through the gates of Branga. Practically everyone on the vessel was on the deck, to see this marvellous feat of Branga engineering in action. Krittika had used the time to meet Ayurvati without Veerbhadra’s knowledge.
‘Ayurvatiji, please. You know I need it.’
‘No you don’t. And I’m sure if your husband knew, he would say no as well.’
‘He doesn’t need to know.’
‘Krittika, I am not doing anything to put your life in danger. Is that clear?’
Ayurvati turned around to prepare a medicine for Kartik. He had cut himself while practicing with Parvateshwar.
Krittika saw her chance. There was a pouch lying on Ayurvati’s table. She knew this was the medicine she desperately craved. She slipped it quietly into the folds of her angvastram.
‘My apologies for disturbing you,’ said Krittika.
Ayurvati turned around. ‘I’m sorry if I appear rude, Krittika. But it is in your own interests.’
‘Please don’t tell my husband.’
‘Of course not,’ said Ayurvati. ‘But you should tell Veerbhadra yourself. Right?’
Krittika nodded and was about to leave the room when Ayurvati called out to her. Pointing towards Krittika’s angvastram, Ayurvati said, ‘Please leave it behind.’
Embarrassed, Krittika slowly slipped her hand into her angvastram, took the pouch out and left it on the table. She looked up, eyes moist and pleading.
Ayurvati held Krittika’s shoulder gently. ‘Haven’t you learnt anything from the Neelkanth? You are a complete woman exactly the way you are. Your husband loves you for who you are and not for something you can give him.’
Kri
ttika mumbled a soft apology and ran from the room.
Chapter 23
The Secret of All Secrets
The convoy crossed the gates of Branga and sailed into the river’s westernmost distributary, the Madhumati. A few weeks later they passed the spot where Shiva had battled with Parshuram.
‘This is where we fought Parshuram,’ said Shiva, patting the ex-bandit on his back.
Parshuram looked at Shiva and then at Sati. ‘Actually, this is where the Lord saved me.’
Sati smiled at Parshuram. She knew what it felt like. Being saved by Shiva. She looked at her husband with love. A man capable of pulling the poison out of the lives of all those around him. And yet, he couldn’t pull the poison out of his own memories, still being tortured by his own demons. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get him to forget his past. Perhaps that was his fate.
Sati’s musings were interrupted by Parshuram. ‘This is where we turn, My Lord.’
Sati looked in the direction the exiled Vasudev pointed. There was nothing there. The river seemed to skirt a large grove of Sundari trees and carry on towards the Eastern Sea.
‘Where?’ asked Shiva.
‘See those Sundari trees, My Lord,’ said Parshuram, pointing towards a grove with the hook fixed on his amputated left hand. ‘They lend their name to this area. The Sundarban.’
‘Beautiful forest?’ asked Sati.
‘Yes, My lady,’ said Parshuram. ‘They also hide a beautiful secret.’
On the orders of Kali, the lead ship turned into the grove that Parshuram had pointed towards. From the distance of her own ship, Sati could see the figure of Parvateshwar, also on the deck, looking at Kali and trying to argue with the Naga Queen.
Kali simply ignored him. And the ship continued on a course that appeared to be its doom.
‘What are they doing?’ asked Sati, panic-stricken. ‘They’ll run aground.’
To their shock, the lead ship simply pushed the trees aside and sailed through.
‘By the holy lake,’ whispered an awe-struck Shiva. ‘Rootless trees.’