He walked quickly towards Sati and touched her elbow to move it to the correct angle. Sati immediately recoiled in horror as there was a gasp from the Guruji as well as Krittika. Shiva instantly realised that something terrible had happened.
‘I am sorry,’ said Shiva, with a look of sincere regret. ‘I was just trying to show you where your elbow should be.’
Sati continued to stare at Shiva, stunned into immobility.
The Guruji was the first to recover his wits and realised that Shiva must undergo the purification ceremony. ‘Go to your Pandit, Shiva. Tell him you need a shudhikaran. Go before the day is over.’
‘What? What is a shudhikaran? Why would I need it?’
‘Please go for a shudhikaran, Shiva,’ said Sati, as tears broke through her proud eyes. ‘If something happened to you, I would never be able to forgive myself.’
‘Nothing will happen to me! Look, I am really sorry if I have broken some rule in touching you. I will not do it again. Let’s not make a big deal out of this.’
‘IT IS A BIG DEAL!’ shouted Sati.
The violence of Sati’s reaction threw Shiva off balance.
Why the hell is this simple thing being blown completely out of proportion?
Krittika came close to Sati, careful not to touch her and whispered, ‘We should go back home, my lady’
‘No. No. Please stay,’ pleaded Shiva. ‘I won’t touch you. I promise.’
With a look of hopeless despair, Sati turned to leave, followed by Krittika and Guruji. At the edge of the hedge, she turned around and beseeched Shiva once again, ‘Please go for your shudhikaran before nightfall. Please.’
At the look of uncomprehending mutiny on Shiva’s face, the Guruji advised, ‘Listen to her, Shiva. She speaks for your own good.’
‘What bloody nonsense!’ yelled Shiva as his disturbed thoughts finally broke through his desperate efforts at silent acceptance. He was lying in his bedroom at the royal guest house. He had not undergone the shudhikaran. He had not even bothered to find out what the ceremony was.
Why would I need to be purified for touching Sati? I want to spend all my remainingyears touching her in every possible way. Am I going to keep on undergoing a shudhikaran every day? Ridiculous!
Just then a troubling thought entered Shiva’s mind.
Is it because of me? Am I not allowed to touch her because I am caste-unmarked? An inferior barbarian?
‘No. That can’t be true,’ whispered Shiva to himself. ‘Sati doesn’t think like that. She is a good woman.’
But what if it’s true? Maybe if she knows I am the Neelkanth...
CHAPTER 7
Lord Ram’s Unfinished Task
‘You seem to be a little distracted this morning, my Lord. Are you alright?’ asked a concerned Daksha.
‘Hmm?’ said Shiva as he looked up. ‘I’m sorry your Highness. I was a litde distracted.’
Daksha looked with a concerned expression at Kanakhala. He had seen a similar look of despair on Sati’s face at dinner the previous night. But she had refused to say anything.
‘Do you want to meet later?’ asked Daksha.
‘Of course not, your Highness. It’s alright. My apologies. Please continue,’ said Shiva.
‘Well,’ continued a concerned Daksha, ‘we were talking about the changes that Lord Ram brought about in society’
‘Yes,’ said Shiva, shaking his head slightly to get the disturbing image of Sati’s last plea out of his mind.
‘The Maika system worked fantastically well. Our society boomed. Ours was always one of the wealthiest lands on earth. But in the last one thousand two hundred years we have shot dramatically ahead of everyone else. Meluha has become the richest and most powerful country in the world by far. Our citizens lead ideal lives. There is no crime. People do what they are suited for and not what an unfair social order would compel them to do. We don’t force or fight unprovoked wars with any other country. In fact, ours has become a perfect society.’
‘Yes, your Highness,’ agreed Shiva, slowly getting into the conversation. ‘I don’t believe that perfection can ever be achieved. It is more of a journey than a destination. But your society is certainly a near perfect society.’
‘Why do you think we are not perfect?’ argued Parvateshwar aggressively.
‘Do you think it is perfect Parvateshwar?’ asked Shiva politely. ‘Does everything in Meluha go exactly as Lord Ram would have mandated?’
Parvateshwar fell silent. He knew the obvious, even if he didn’t like the answer.
‘The Lord is right Parvateshwar,’ said Daksha. ‘There are always things to improve.’
‘Having said that, your Highness,’ spoke Shiva, ‘your society is wonderful. Things do seem very well ordered. What doesn’t make sense to me then, is why you and your people are so concerned about the future. What is the problem? Why is a Neelkanth required? I don’t see anything that is so obviously wrong that disaster would be just a breath away. This is not like my homeland where there are so many problems that you wouldn’t know where to begin!’
‘My Lord, a Neelkanth is needed because we are faced with challenges that we cannot confront. We keep to ourselves and let other countries lead their lives. We trade with other societies but we never interfere with them. We don’t allow uninvited foreigners into Meluha beyond the frontier towns. So we think it’s only fair that other societies leave us alone to lead our lives the way we want to.’
‘And presumably they don’t, your Highness?’
‘No they don’t.’
‘Why?’
‘One simple word, my Lord,’ replied Daksha. ‘Jealousy. They hate our superior ways. Our efficient family system is an eyesore to them. The fact that we take care of everyone in our country makes them unhappy because they can’t take care of themselves. They lead sorry lives. And rather than improving themselves, they want to pull us down to their level.’
‘I can understand. My tribe used to face a lot of jealousy in Mount Kailash since we had control over the shore of the Mansarovar Lake and hence the best land in the region. But sometimes I wonder if we could have avoided bloodshed if we had shared our good fortune more willingly.’
‘But we do share our good fortune with those who wish it, my Lord. And yet, jealousy blinds our enemies. The Chandravanshis realised that it was the Somras that guaranteed our superiority. Funnily enough, even they have the knowledge of the Somras. But they have not learnt to mass produce it like we do and hence haven’t reaped all the benefits of it.’
‘Sorry to interrupt, your Highness, but where is the Somras produced?’
‘It is produced at a secret location called Mount Mandar. The Somras powder is manufactured there and then distributed throughout the empire. At designated temples across Meluha, trained Brahmins mix it with water and other ingredients to administer it to the population.’
‘Alright,’ said Shiva.
The Chandravanshis could not become as powerful as us since they never had enough Somras. Eaten up by their jealousy, they devised a devious way to destroy the Somras and hence us. One of the key ingredients in the Somras is the waters of the Saraswati. Water from any other source does not work’ ‘Really? Why?’
We don’t know my Lord. The scientists can’t explain it. But only the waters of the Saraswati will do. That is why, the Chandravanshis tried to kill the Saraswati to harm us.’
‘Kill the river?’ asked Shiva incredulously.
‘Yes my Lord!’ said Daksha, as his childlike eyes flared up at the Chandravanshi perfidy. ‘The Saraswati comes from the confluence of two mighty rivers up north — the Sutlej and the Yamuna. In the olden days, the course of the Sutlej and Yamuna used to be neutral territory. Both the Chandravanshis and we visited the land to draw waters for the Somras.’
‘But how did they try to kill the Saraswati your Highness?’
‘They diverted the course of the Yamuna so that instead of flowing south, it started flowing east to meet their main river, Ganga.?
??
‘You can do that?’ asked Shiva in amazement. ‘Change the course of a river!’
‘Yes, of course you can,’ answered Parvateshwar.
‘We were livid,’ interjected Daksha. ‘But we still gave them a chance to make amends for their duplicity’
‘And?’
‘What can you expect from the Chandravanshis, my Lord?’ said Daksha in disgust. They denied any knowledge of this. They claimed that the river made such a dramatic change in its course all by itself, due to some minor earthquake. And even worse, they claimed that since the river had changed course of its own accord, we Meluhans would simply have to accept what was essentially God’s will!’
‘We of course refused to do that,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘Under the leadership of King Brahmanayak, his Highness’ father, we attacked Swadweep.’
‘The land of the Chandravanshis?’ asked Shiva.
‘Yes Shiva,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘And it was a resounding victory. The Chandravanshi army was routed. King Brahmanayak kindly let them keep their lands and even their system of governance. We didn’t even ask for any war reparations or yearly tribute either. The only term of the surrender treaty was the return of the Yamuna. We restored the Yamuna to her original course to meet with the Saraswati.’
‘You fought in that war, Parvateshwar?’
‘Yes,’ said Parvateshwar, his chest swollen with pride. ‘I was a mere soldier then. But I did fight in that war.’
Turning to Daksha, Shiva asked, ‘Then what is the problem now, your Highness? Your enemy was comprehensively defeated. Then why is the Saraswati still dying?’
We believe that the Chandravanshis are up to something again. We don’t understand it as yet. After their defeat, the area between our two countries was made into a no-man’s land and the jungle has reclaimed it. That included the early course of the Yamuna as well. We stuck to our part of the bargain and never disturbed that region. It appears that they didn’t honour their end of the promise.’
‘Are you sure of that your Highness? Has the area been checked? Has this been discussed with the Chandravanshis’ representative in your empire?’
‘Are you trying to say that we are lying?’ countered Parvateshwar. True Suryavanshis don’t lie!’
‘Parvateshwar!’ scolded Daksha angrily. ‘The Lord was not implying anything like that.’
‘Listen to me, Parvateshwar,’ said Shiva politely. ‘If I have learnt something from the poindess batdes of my land, it is that wars should be the last resort. If there is another solution possible, there is no harm in saving some young soldier’s life. A mother somewhere would bless us for it.’
‘Let’s not fight! Wonderful! What a great saviour we have!’ Parvateshwar muttered under his breath.
‘You have something to say Parvateshwar?’ barked Kanakhala. ‘I have told you before. You will not insult the Neelkanth in my presence!’
‘I don’t take orders from you,’ growled Parvateshwar.
‘Enough!’ ordered Daksha. Turning to Shiva, he continued, ‘I am sorry my Lord. You are right. We shouldn’t just declare war without being sure. That is why I have avoided a war till now. But look at the facts of the case. The flow of the Saraswati has been slowly depleting for the last fifty years.’
‘And the last few years have been horrible,’ said Kanakhala as she controlled her tears at the slow death of the river most Meluhans regarded as a mother. ‘The Saraswati doesn’t even reach the sea now and ends in an inland delta just south of Rajasthan.’
‘And the Somras cannot be made without water from the Saraswati,’ continued Daksha. ‘The Chandravanshis know that and that is why they are trying to kill her.’
‘What does the Swadweep representative say about it? Has he been questioned?’
‘We have no diplomatic relations with Swadweep, my Lord,’ said Daksha.
‘Really? I thought having representatives of other countries was one of your innovative systems. It gives you an opportunity to better understand them and maybe avoid jumping into a war. I had heard of a diplomatic mission from Mesopotamia coming in two days ago. Then why not have this with Swadweep as well?’
‘You don’t know them, my Lord. They are untrustworthy people. No follower of the Suryavanshi way will dirty his soul by even speaking to a Chandravanshi willingly’
Shiva frowned but didn’t say anything.
‘You don’t know the levels they have sunk to my Lord. Over the previous few years they have even started using the cursed Nagas in their terrorist attacks on us!’ said Kanakhala, with a disgusted look.
‘Terrorist attacks?’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ said Daksha. Their defeat kept them quiet for many decades. And because of our overwhelming victory in the previous war, they believe that they cannot overpower us in an open confrontation. So they have resorted to a form of assault that only repulsive people like them could turn to. Terrorist attacks.’
‘I didn’t understand. What exactly do they do?’
‘They send small bands of assassins who launch surprise attacks on non-military but public places. Their idea is to attack non-combatants — the Brahmins, Vaishyas or Shudras. They try to devastate places like temples, public baths — areas where there may not be soldiers to fight back — but whose destruction will wreck the empire’s morale and spread terror.’
‘That’s disgusting! Even the Pakratis in my land, a bunch of complete barbarians, would not do that,’ said Shiva.
‘Yes,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘These Chandravanshis don’t fight like men. They fight like cowards!’
‘Then why don’t you attack their country? Finish this once and for all.’
‘We would like to my Lord,’ said Daksha. ‘But I am not sure we can defeat them.’
Shiva observed Parvateshwar seething silendy at the insult to his army, before turning towards Daksha. ‘Why, your Highness? You have a well trained and efficient force. I am sure your army can defeat them.’
‘Two reasons, my Lord. Firsdy, we are outnumbered. We were outnumbered even a hundred years back. But not by a very significant margin. But today, we estimate that they have a population of more than eighty million compared to our eight million. They can throw a much larger army at us — their sheer numbers will cancel out our technological superiority.’
‘But why should your population be less? You have people who live beyond the age of two hundred years! Your population should be higher.’
‘Sociological causes, my Lord,’ said Daksha. ‘Our country is rich. Children are a matter of choice, more than a duty. Parents would adopt children from the Maika system in small numbers, may be one or two, so that they could devote more attention on their upbringing. Fewer and fewer mothers are giving birth at Maika as well. In Swadweep, for the poor, children are bonded labour to supplement a family’s income. The more children they have, the less poor the family. So that country as a whole has a far larger population.’
‘And the second reason for avoiding war?’
The second reason is something that is under our control. We fight with “rules of war”. With norms and ethics. The Chandravanshis do nothing like that. And I fear that this is a weakness in us that our ruthless enemies can exploit.’
‘Rules of war?’ asked Shiva.
‘Yes. For example, we will not attack an unarmed man. A superior armed person like a cavalry man will not attack an inferior armed person like a spear wielding foot-soldier. A swordsman will never attack a person below his waist because that is unethical. The Chandravanshis don’t care for such niceties. They will attack whomsoever and however they find expedient to ensure victory’
‘Begging your pardon, your Highness,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘But that difference is what makes us who we are. like Lord Ram said, a person’s ethics and character are not tested in good times. It is only in bad times that a person shows how steadfast he is to his dharma.’
‘But Parvateshwar,’ sighed Daksha. ‘We are not under attack by people who are as ethical and dec
ent as us. Our way of life is under assault. If we don’t fight back in any which way we can, we will lose.’
‘My apologies once again, your Highness,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘I have never said that we should not fight back. I am eager to attack. I have been asking repeatedly for permission to declare war on the Chandravanshis. But if we fight without our rules, our codes, our ethics, then “our way of life” is as good as destroyed. And the Chandravanshis would have won without even fighting us!’
At the ringing of the prahar town bell, the conversation was halted, as everyone said a quick prayer. Shiva turned towards the window, wondering if Sati would be dancing today.
Daksha turned to Shiva expectantly. ‘Do you need to leave my Lord?’
‘No, your Highness,’ said Shiva, hiding the pain and confusion he felt inside. ‘I don’t believe I am expected anywhere at this point of time.’
At this, the smile on Daksha’s face disappeared with his hopes. Shiva continued, ‘If it is alright with you, your Highness, may we continue our conversation? Perhaps we can have our lunch a little later.’
‘Of course we may, my Lord,’ smiled Daksha, pulling himself together.
‘I have got the story so far, your Highness. While I can understand your reasons for not wanting to attack right now, you clearly have a plan, in which my blue throat has some strange role to play’
‘Yes, we do have a plan, my Lord. I feel that as an emperor, my giving in unthinkingly to the righteous anger of some of our people will not solve our problem. I believe that the people of Swadweep themselves are not evil. It is their Chandravanshi rulers and their way of life that has made them evil. The only way forward for us is to save the Swadweepans themselves.’
‘Save the Swadweepans?’ asked Shiva, genuinely surprised.
‘Yes, my Lord. Save them from the evil philosophy that infects their soul. Save them from their treacherous rulers. Save them from their sorry, meaningless existence. And we can do this by giving them the benefits of the superior Suryavanshi way of life. Once they become like us, there will be no reason to fight. We will live like brothers. This is the unfinished task of my father, King Brahmanayak. In fact, it is the unfinished task of Lord Ram.’