That evening, Hari,’ replied Sir Khancois Saini and Radhika Singh had taken his pretty wife to a movie and they had eaten a hybrid Indo-Chinese meal from a small restaurant near the cinema. They had walked back to their house hand-in-hand, enjoying the intimacy of the moment. As they reached the garden gate to their government-allotted quarters, Hari had been hit by a barrage of bullets. The two masked gunmen who had been hiding behind the bushes had continued firing until Hari’s body was riddled with holes.
At first, Radhika’s reaction had been that of intense despair as she fell to her husband’s side, pleading with God to keep him alive. It was followed almost instantaneously by intense rage directed at the men who were running towards the gate. The gardener had been trimming the hedges that day and his
Arjuna looked at the massive Kaurava army, which had been organised in vyuha formation by Bhishma. Arjuna asked me to dr,’ replied Sir Khansterme Rive the chariot to a midway point between the two armies so that he could have a better view of both sides. Once I had done so, Arjuna carefully observed his grandfathers, uncles, teachers, brothers, sons, friends and relatives. He was overwhelmed. The Gandiva fell from his hands and Arjuna sat down. ‘Of what use will be a kingdom or wealth when it is to be obtained by spilling my own family’s blood?’ he asked me. ‘I would rather be killed by my cousins than wage war against them. I do not want to fight!’
‘Hari-Hari, Hari-Hari, Hari-Hari,’ the Rishikesh guru was saying to Radhika. ‘Keep chanting Hari-Hari, Hari-Hari, Hari-Hari.’ With each repetition of the word, his voice seemed to get louder. It was almost as though he were reciting the name to the background rhythm of a percussion band. In her delirious state, Radhika did not realise that what she was hearing was actually the sound of helicopter rotor blades. She had been tied to a rope that had been brought up to the Saptarishi Cave by a rescue team led by Sherpa Dorji who had gone trekking several miles to seek emergency help after his standoff with Taarak.
Radhika had been lowered down to the base of the mountain from where she had been carried by sherpas and Saini to a small helicopter. Saini and Radhika were now headed to Darchen where a small but functional first-aid centre funded by the Swiss Ngari Korsum Foundation would provide emergency medical help. As they flew towards Darchen, Saini had a breath-taking view of Mount Kailash in the distance, nestled within six mountain ranges and the all-embracing Mansarovar lake. Saini was able to see in reality that the six-pointed star symbolism of Mount Kailash was very much true. As he gazed at the mountain, he thought of the Sri Yantra, a symbol of energy used by Hindus around the world in their homes.
The more he looked at Mount Kailash, an upright pyramid—almost phallic—resting in the yoni of the surrounding valleys, the greater was his realisation that whether it was the six-pointed star, or the Sri Yantra, both were representations of creation—the intersection of Shiv and Shakti. Ironic indeed, thought Saini to himself, that Shiv—a force of destruction—was mostly depicted via a symbol of creation. Shiv and Vish were indeed two sides of the same coin.
‘Is this really about duty or is this your fear speaking?’ I asked Arjuna. He looked up at me. Ignoring my rebuke he asked, ‘How can I be expected to shoot arrows at Bhishma or Drona? They are the elders that I have looked up to all my life. Why should I be responsible for such a heinous crime?’ I smiled at Arjuna and placed my hand on his shoulder. ‘Arjuna, the truly wise do not grieve—either for the living or the dead. As clothes are changed, similarly the soul adopts and discards bodies. The soul cannot be pierced by your arrows nor can it be burnt by fire. It cannot be wet by water nor can it be dried by air. It is permanent and universal. Knowing that the soul cannot be destroyed—it is never born and never dies—how can you possibly kill?’ I asked the troubled warrior.
Sanjay Ratnani and Sir Khan sat inside the don’s Rolls-Royce. It was a Silver Phantom that had been specially customised for Sir Khan. The vehicle had been provided with armour reinforcement, which allowed the car to withstand rifle attacks, automatic gunfire, sniper assaults, and ev a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles per second ais Saini and Radhikaen explosions from hand grenades.
Sir Khan loved bling, and his car took the concept of bling to an entirely different planet. Many of the trimmings that would usually feature walnut or cherry wood panels had been replaced by eighteen-carat gold plating. The process of customising the car had taken over a year.
Sir Khan’s phone began ringing. It was his lieutenant who had been given the assignment of providing the getaway vehicle for Priya. He had also been given the added task of killing Radhika Singh. As Sir Khan heard the voice at the other end, his face turned red in anger. He let loose a stream of the filthiest expletives at the man, describing in detail the manner in which he would deprive the man of vital body parts on account of his failure to eliminate Radhika.
‘Has Priya contacted you?’ he asked, turning to Sanjay Ratnani as he hung up.
‘Just once, when she was on her way to Mount Kailash. After that there has been no communication,’ replied the lawyer. ‘If she had found what interests you, she would have called.’
Sir Khan reluctantly nodded. ‘You’re probably right, but I still cannot shake off the feeling that Mount Kailash is indeed the place where we should be looking.’
‘Why?’ asked Ratnani.
‘Mount Kailash is often called the Axis Mundi—the centre of the universe,’ replied Sir Khan. ‘In different religions and cultures it is called by various alternative names such as the Navel of the World, the World Pillar, Kang Tisé, Kang Rinpoche, the Precious Jewel of Snow, Meru, Sumeru, Swastika Mountain, Nine-Storeyed Mountain, Mount Astapada, and Mount Kangrinboge. The importance attached to Mount Kailash can be discerned from simply the number of names that people have attached to it!’
‘But what makes Mount Kailash so important? So sacred?’ persisted Ratnani.
‘Various factors—including geography and myth—have contributed to the spiritual importance of Mount Kailash,’ said Sir Khan. ‘The mountain only reaches 6,714 metres. There are several peaks within the Himalayan range that are significantly higher. The beauty and majesty of Kailash, however, do not lie in its height but in its unique shape. Kailash has four flat faces—and each face corresponds with the cardinal points of the compass. This is one of the reasons that many believe that Kailash is a manmade pyramid instead of a mountain.’
‘Manmade pyramid?’ asked Ratnani incredulously as he looked at the picture handed him by Sir Khan.
‘Possibly,’ replied Sir Khan. ‘Although Mount Kailash has been bestowed with nature’s bounty, it sits in isolated splendour—which ensures that Kailash is not dominated by a neighbouring mountain. It is Sumeru—the spiritual core of the world. The land surrounding Mount Kailash is the origin of four life-giving rivers, the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej and Karnali—a tributary of the revered Ganges. Two lakes lie at the foothills of the mountain. Mansarovar Lake, probably one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world, is round in shape, like the sun. The lower lake, Rakshastal, is a saltwater lake and is shaped like a crescent moon. The two lakes thus symbolise solar and lunar energy. It is perfectly plausible that humans may have fashioned a pyramid at this sacred spot.’
‘If it were manmade,’ replied Sir Khanim. b, who built it? Buddhist lamas? Vedic sages? Or powerful druids like the ones who built Stonehenge?’ asked Ratnani.
‘Kailash is seen differently by various world religions,’ explained Sir Khan. ‘To Tibetans and Buddhists, the mountain is the home of Demchog. For Hindus, Kailash is the abode of Shiv. The Jain tradition reveres Kailash as the site where Sage Rishabhadeva attained enlightenment. Even prior to the advent of Buddhism, the Bön religion of Tibet worshipped the nine-storeyed mountain. It could have been any of them that built it.’
‘What is it about Kailash that fascinates you?’ asked Ratnani, baffled by the extent of knowledge that the don had accumulated about the subject.
‘Not just me, my friend,’ smiled Sir Khan. ‘Mount Kail
ash has fascinated everyone. Sometimes, due to the contrast between snow and rock and the play of light and shadow, one can discern a swastika symbol on the south face of Kailash. It is truly a magical place. The mountain and the paradise-like land that surround it have been even called Shambhala and Shangri-La by the Russians!’
‘The Russians? What did they have to do with Mount Kailash?’ asked Ratnani.
‘Tsar Nikolai Romanov of Russia had significant ties with the tutor of the thirteenth Dalai Lama,’ replied Sir Khan. ‘It was this rather close friendship that facilitated the opening of St Petersburg’s very first Buddhist temple. Nicholas Roerich was one of the artists who provided artwork for this Buddhist temple. He spent several years in Tibet. His painting The Path to Kailas can be appreciated even today. Why were the Russians so interested in Mount Kailash? I began to ask myself whether their interest was in the mysticism of a lost paradise or whether it was the quest for a hidden power.’
‘Hidden power? Like a weapon?’ asked Ratnani.
‘Possibly,’ replied Sir Khan. ‘Just before World War II started, the Buddhist lamas had new visitors. This time not from Russia, but from Nazi Germany. Leaders like Heinrich Himmler seemed to believe that this region was the home to the original Aryan race and that wonderfully potent powers could be acquired from here that would help the Nazis rule the world.’
‘Was Himmler able to gain anything from Tibet?’ asked Ratnani.
‘The fact of the matter is that this continued fascination for Kailash resulted in a study,’ said Sir Khan. ‘It was one of the most dramatic and profound propositions ever made. The Russians declared that they believed that Kailash was a massive, manmade pyramid. Their study also revealed that it was the nucleus of a much larger network of smaller pyramids. This is a photo of the layout of Kailash as sketched by the Russians.’
Ratnani looked at the photo held out by Sir Khan but couldn’t understand the significance. Sir Khan sighed. It was so painful to educate the uninitiated.
‘The shape and layout of Kailash is far too scientific to be considered an absolutely natural creation. If you see the curvature of the west face, it measures 108 degrees—exactly the divine Vedic number. The north face is much less concave—just 30 degrees, but when we add this to the curve of the ridge that adjoins Mount Kailash, we once again get 108 degrees—another instance of the Vedic sacred number. This could not be an entirely natural occurrence!’
a hundred and eighty-six thousand miles per second . bRatnani screwed his eyes to view the picture more carefully.
‘Mount Kailash is almost the equivalent of a massive human-built pyramid,’ continued Sir Khan. ‘The four faces are perfectly aligned with the cardinal points of the compass. The curvatures of the faces add up to 108 degrees. The sides are almost perpendicular to the ground and the drop is breath-taking. One can observe horizontal strata of stone layers with clear divisions between the strata. I don’t know what lies at Mount Kailash but I know that whatever lies there had to be of supreme importance for Kailash to exist!’
Arjuna was still looking dazed. I tried a slightly different approach. ‘Even if you are unable to
comprehend the eternal nature of the soul, the fact is that you are a Kshatriya and it is your dharma to fight,’ I said. ‘War is the greatest opportunity for a Kshatriya. If you win, you shall enjoy the pleasures of a kingdom. If you die, you shall attain heaven because you died while performing your duty. If you turn your back on this war, generations will label you a coward. You must learn to treat victory and defeat equally. When you do your work with a sense of duty, without worrying about the possibility of reward, your actions become selfless and you become a true yogi!’ I paused, hoping that my words would have some effect on the shattered warrior who stood in the chariot that I was steering.
Priya looked across the table at Taarak. They were back at base camp in Darchen. In front of them were two cups of hot tea and buttered toast.
‘There is no way that the Chinese authorities will let us climb to the summit, Mataji,’ said Taarak, biting into his toast. ‘Mount Kailash is revered as a sacred entity, hence one cannot climb it. Mountain-climbing expeditions are strictly forbidden. One can only climb up to the Saptarishi Cave—where we’ve succeeded in trapping Saini and that pesky policewoman—but no further. The only person who ever climbed to the very top was an eleventh-century Buddhist monk—Milarepa.’
‘There was absolutely nothing of significance inside the Saptarishi Cave,’ said Priya, sipping her tea. ‘I examined all the stupas inside the cave carefully before Saini and the policewoman arrived. Absolutely nothing! If there is anything at all, it will lie at the summit. What if we attempted the climb surreptitiously?’
‘We would need sherpas and supplies. The risk of being discovered by the Chinese authorities would be tremendous,’ said Taarak. ‘Moreover, if we go by the Russian study on Kailash that you were given—the one that seems to suggest that Kailash could be a human-engineered marvel—then the secret could very well lie at the core of the pyramid instead of the peak,’ argued Taarak. Priya nodded silently in agreement. Her thoughts wandered back to the initial meeting with Sir Khan initiated by her father.
‘I am given to understand that a recent diving expedition off the Dwarka coast has revealed an ancient city. It could very well be the fabled Dwarka of Krishna,’ Sir Khan had said to her.
‘Isn’t that good news?’ she asked.
‘Not necessarily. I have been personally investing my own resources into finding the secrets of Krishna,’ replied Sir Khan. ‘I spent hard cash to acquire this lead plating from the Somnath temple. I even sent my own expedition to Mount Kailash, but alas, I could not find explorationto on the Kaliyuga anything. Only an abundance of theories, no practical evidence.’
‘But the discovery off the Dwarka coast may offer some tantalising clues, couldn’t it? I’m told that they’ve discovered hundreds of ancient ship anchors, showing that the city would have had a flourishing maritime trade. They’ve even discovered a statue of Vishnu under the sea,’ said Priya, recalling the report that she had read in a newspaper.
‘I need you to get inside Krishna’s mind,’ said Sir Khan. ‘If he were to leave something momentous and significant here on earth, what would it be? And where would he leave it?’
‘How can I get into the mind of a god?’ asked Priya. ‘That, too, an avatar that lived five thousand years ago?’
‘The most knowledgeable person in the field of Krishna research is a fellow called Ravi Mohan Saini. He’s a professor at St Stephen’s College in New Delhi. If you became his student, you would have the inside scoop on cutting-edge finds,’ explained Sir Khan.
‘Why not befriend the explorers who are diving in Dwarka instead?’ asked Priya.
‘Because they are specialists,’ said Sir Khan, using the word with scorn. ‘They only look at one set of finds in isolation. They do not have the ability to connect the dots across multiple finds. Moreover, I have done some digging into Saini’s background. He has deep th virtually all the scientists and archaeologists who are involved in related research areas. With your masters’ degree in history, you could easily gain access to Saini by convincing him to enrol you as a doctoral student.’
Priya thought about it for a moment. ‘I returned from Kings College hoping that I would be able to teach history to children,’ she said at length.
‘And so you shall,’ replied Sir Khan smiling. ‘There’s one child in particular that I specifically want you to teach.’
‘Who is he?’ asked Priya.
‘His name is Sampat Sharma. He’s the son of a wealthy horse breeder—Mr V. Y. Sharma. I have already arranged a part-time teaching job for you at the school
that he attends,’ said Sir Khan. ‘You shall keep the teaching assignment until Saini accepts you as his doctoral student.’
‘But why this particular school and this specific boy?’ asked Priya, a little hesitantly.
Sir Khan looked at Ratnani and laughed.
‘I knew there was a reason that your daughter would be perfect for this assignment, Sanjay. She has spunk! I like that.’
Turning to Priya he said, ‘I have commissioned a research study to discover the next Kalki avatar!’
‘Kalki avatar?’ asked Priya. ‘You mean the tenth incarnation of Vishnu who is prophesised to appear towards the end of Kaliyug?’
‘Yes. I’ve decided that I shall not wait for the real Kalki avatar to appear. I shall create my own,’ chuckled Sir Khan. ‘For that I need someone who has all the right markers. This boy fits the role perfectly.’
‘What purpose will he serve?’ asked Priya.
‘He shall be your student, Mataji,’ said Sir Khan solemnly. ‘He shall help us clear obstacles that stand in the way of reaching Krishna’s secret. Are you ready to serve,’ replied Sir KhanSh sai?’
‘To become a true yogi, a person must cast off all his desires. He should treat pleasure and pain as equals. He should be free of attachment—as also from anger, fear, desire, jealousy or craving. This state is not easy to attain because the mind is like a wild animal. If you concentrate and meditate upon me, you too can attain this state,’ I explained to Arjuna. The confused warrior asked me, ‘If the purpose of one’s life is to attain this state of bliss, then why make me fight this war?’ I then had to explain to him the fact that there were two independent paths available to the state of bliss. The first path was through knowledge and the other was through action. Arjuna’s salvation lay in his actions and in performing his duty.
Chhedi and Rathore were at the steps of the Somnath temple. They had arrived the previous day and had scheduled to spend the following day with Mrs Desai, a professor of architecture from Gujarat Vidyapith. Mrs Desai’s husband was a friend of Rathore’s and Mr Desai had suggested that his wife would be able to give them an in-depth tour of Somnath like no one else could.