‘For anything that you do, you need energy. You have to source the energy around you. The energy comes from people, from objects, from Mother Earth herself. You have to ask for that energy respectfully.’
‘And your Nataraj pose helps you to access any energy that you want?’ asked the Guruji.
‘It depends on what I want the energy for. The Nataraj pose helps me to ask respectfully for energy for a dance that wants to come to me. If I wanted the energy for a thought to come to me, I would have to sit cross-legged and meditate.’
‘It seems that the energy favours you, young man,’ said the Guruji. ‘You are the Nataraj, the Lord of dance!’
‘Oh no!’ exclaimed Shiva. ‘I am just a medium of the boundless Nataraj energy. Anyone can be the medium.’
‘Well, then you are a particularly efficient medium, young man,’ said the Guruji. Turning to Sati, he said, ‘You don’t need me if you have a friend like him, my child. If you want to be taught by Shiva, it would be my honour to excuse myself.’
Shiva looked at Sati expectantly. This had gone much better than he expected.
Say yes, dammit!
Sati however seemed to withdraw into herself. Shiva was starded to see the first signs of vulnerability in this woman. She bowed her head, an act which did not suit her proud bearing and whispered softly, ‘I mean no disrespect to anyone, but perhaps I do not have the skills to receive training of this level.’
‘But you do have the skill,’ argued Shiva. ‘You have the bearing. You have the heart. You can very easily reach that level.’
Sati looked up at Shiva, her eyes showing just the slightest hint of dampness. The profound sadness they conveyed took Shiva aback.
What the hell is going on?
‘I am very far from any level, Shiva,’ mumbled Sati.
As she said that, Sati found the strength to control herself again. The politely proud manner returned to her face. The mask was back. ‘It is time for my puja. With your permission Guruji, I must leave.’ She turned towards Shiva. ‘It was a pleasure meeting you again Shiva.’
Before Shiva could respond, Sati turned quickly and left, followed by Krittika.
The Guruji continued to stare at a flummoxed Shiva. At length, he bent low with a formal namaste towards Shiva and said, ‘It has been my life’s honour to see you dance.’
Then he too turned and left. Shiva was left wondering at the inscrutable ways of the Meluhans.
It was late in the morning the next day when Shiva and Nandi entered the private royal office to find Daksha, Parvateshwar and Kanakhala waiting for him. A surprised Shiva said, ‘I am sorry your Highness. I thought we were to meet four hours into the second prahar. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting.’
Daksha, who had stood up with a formal namaste, bowed low and said, ‘No, my Lord. You don’t need to apologise. We came in early so that we wouldn’t keep you waiting. It was our honour to wait for you.’
Parvateshwar rolled his eyes at the extreme subservience that his emperor, the ruler of the greatest civilisation ever established, showed towards this barbarian. Shiva, controlling his extreme surprise at being referred to as the ‘Lord’ by the emperor, bowed low towards Daksha with a namaste and sat down.
‘My Lord, before I start off my monologue about the legend of the Neelkanth, do you have any questions that you would like to ask?’ enquired Daksha.
The most obvious question came to Shiva’s mind first.
Why in the holy lake’s name is my blessed blue throat so important?
But his instincts told him that though this appeared to be the most obvious question, it could not be answered unless he understood more about the society of Meluha itself.
‘It may sound like an unusual question your Highness,’ said Shiva. ‘But may I ask what your age is?’
Daksha looked in surprise at Kanakhala. Then turning back towards Shiva with an awed smile, he said, ‘You are exceptionally intelligent my Lord. You have asked the most pertinent question first.’ Crinkling his face into a conspiratorial grin, Daksha continued, ‘Last month I turned one hundred and eighty four.’
Shiva was stunned. Daksha did not look a day older than thirty years. In fact nobody in Meluha looked old. Except for the Pandit that Shiva had met at the Brahma temple.
So Nandi is more than a hundred years old.
‘How can this be, your Highness?’ asked a flabbergasted Shiva. ‘What sorcery makes this possible?’
‘There is no sorcery at all my Lord,’ explained Daksha. ‘What makes this possible is the brilliance of our scientists who make a potion called the Somras, the drink, of the gods. Taking the Somras at defined times not only postpones our death considerably, but it also allows us to live our entire Eves as if we are in the prime of our youth — mentally and physically’
‘But what is the Somras? Where does it come from? Who invented it?’
‘So many questions my Lord,’ smiled Daksha. ‘But I will try my best to answer them one by one. The Somras was invented many thousands of years ago by one of the greatest Indian scientists that ever lived. His name was Lord Brahma.’
‘I think there is a temple dedicated to him that I visited on the way to Devagiri. At a place named Meru?’
‘Yes my Lord. That is where he is said to have lived and worked. Lord Brahma was a prolific inventor. But he never took any of the benefits of his inventions for himself. He was always interested in ensuring that his inventions were used for the good of mankind. He realised early on that a potion as powerful as the Somras could be misused by evil men. So he implemented an elaborate system of controls on its use.’
‘What kind of controls?’
‘He did not give the Somras freely to everyone,’ continued Daksha. After conducting a rigorous country-wide survey, he chose a select group of adolescent boys of impeccable character — one from each of the seven regions of ancient India. He chose young boys so that they would live with him at his gurukul and he could mould their character into selfless helpers of society. The Somras medicine was administered only on these boys. Since these boys were practically given an additional life due to the Somras, they came to be known as the dwija or twice born. With the strength of the Somras, the training of Lord Brahma and the numerous other inventions that they collectively produced, this group became more powerful than anyone in history. They honed their minds to achieve almost superhuman intelligence. The ancient Indian title for men of knowledge was Rishi. Since Lord Brahma’s chosen men were seven in number, they came to be known as the Saptrishi?
‘And these Saptrishis used their skills for the good of society’
‘Yes my Lord. Lord Brahma instituted strict rules of conduct for the Saptrishis. They were not allowed to rule or to practice any trade — essentially anything that would have caused them personal gain. They had to use their skills to do the task of priests, teachers, doctors, amongst other intellectual professions where they could use their powers to help society. They were not allowed to charge anything for their services and had to live on alms and donations from others.’
‘Tough service rules,’ joked Shiva with a slight wink at Parvateshwar.
Parvateshwar did not respond but Daksha, Kanakhala and Nandi guffawed loudly. Shiva took a quick look at the prahar lamp by the window. It was almost the third prahar. The time that Sati would probably come out to dance.
‘But they followed their code of conduct stricdy my Lord,’ continued Daksha. ‘Over time, as their responsibilities grew, the Saptrishis selected many more people to join their tribe. Their followers swore by the same code that the Saptrishis lived by and were also administered the Somras. They devoted their lives to the pursuit of knowledge and for the wellbeing of society without asking for any material gain in return. It is for this reason that society accorded these people almost devotional respect. Over the ages the Saptrishis and their followers came to be known as the Tribe of Brahma or simply, the Brahmins’.
‘But as it usually happens with all good syste
ms over long periods of time, some people stopped following the Brahmin code, right?’
‘Absolutely, my Lord,’ answered Daksha, shaking his head at the all too familiar human frailty. ‘As many millennia went by, some of the Brahmins forgot the strict code that Lord Brahma had enforced and the Saptrishis propagated. They started misusing the awesome powers that the Somras gave them for their own personal gains. Some Brahmins started using their influence over large number of people to conquer kingdoms and start ruling. Some Brahmins misused other inventions of the Saptrishis and Lord Brahma to accumulate fabulous wealth for themselves.’
‘And some of the Brahmins,’ interjected Kanakhala with a particular sense of horror, ‘even rebelled against the Saptrishi Uttradhikaris’.
‘Saptrishi Uttradhikaris?’ inquired Shiva.
‘They were the successors to the Saptrishis my Lord,’ clarified Kanakhala. ‘When any of the Saptrishis knew that he was coming to the end of his mortal life, he would appoint a man from his gurukul as his successor. This successor was treated for all practical purposes like the Saptrishi himself.’
‘So rebelling against the Saptrishi Uttradhikaris was like rebelling against the Saptrishis themselves?’
‘Yes, my Lord,’ answered Kanakhala. ‘And the most worrying part of this corruption was that it was being led by the higher chosen-tribe Brahmins like the eagles, peacocks and the swans. In fact, due to their higher status, these chosen-tribes were actually not even allowed to work under the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas, lest they get enticed by the lure of the material world. Yet they succumbed to the temptations of evil before anyone else.’
‘And chosen-tribes like yours, the pigeons, remained loyal to the old code despite working for the Kshatriyas?’ asked Shiva.
‘Yes, my Lord,’ replied Kanakhala, her chest puffed up with pride.
The town bell indicating the beginning of the third prahar sounded out loudly. All the people in the room, including Shiva, said a quick short prayer welcoming the new time chapter. Shiva had learnt some of the ways of the Meluhans. A Shudra came in, reset the prahar lamp precisely and left as quiedy as he came. Shiva reminded himself that anytime now Sati would start her dance in the garden.
‘So what revolution caused the change your Highness?’ asked Shiva turning to Daksha. ‘You, Parvateshwar and Nandi are Kshatriyas and yet you clearly have taken the Somras. In fact I have seen people of all four castes in your empire look youthful and healthy. This means that the Somras is now given to everybody. This change must have obviously happened due to a revolution, right?’
‘Yes, my Lord. And the revolution was known as Lord Ram. The greatest emperor that ever lived! Jai Shri Ram!’
‘Jai Shri Ram!’ repeated everyone in the room.
‘His ideas and leadership transformed the society of Meluha dramatically,’ continued Daksha. ‘In fact, the course of history itself was radically altered. But before I continue with Lord Ram’s tale, may I make a suggestion?’
‘Of course, your Highness.’
‘It is into the third prahar now. Should we move to the dining room and partake of some lunch before continuing with this story?’
‘I think it is an excellent idea to have lunch your Highness,’ said Shiva. ‘But may I be excused for some time? There is another pressing engagement that I have. Could we perhaps continue our conversation tomorrow if that is suitable to you?’
Kanakhala’s face fell immediately while Parvateshwar’s was covered with a contemptuous grin. Daksha, however, kept a smiling face. ‘Of course we could meet tomorrow my Lord. Will the beginning of the second hour of the second prahar be all right with you?’
‘Absolutely, your Highness. My apologies for this inconvenience.’
‘Not at all my Lord,’ said an ever smiling Daksha. ‘Can one of my chariots take you to your destination?’
‘That’s very kind of you, your Highness. But I will go there myself. My apologies once again.’
Bidding a namaste to everyone in the room, Shiva and Nandi walked quickly out. Kanakhala looked accusingly at Daksha. The emperor just nodded his head, gesturing with his hands for calm. ‘It’s all right. We are meeting tomorrow, aren’t we?’
‘My Lord, we are running out of time,’ said Kanakhala. The Neelkanth needs to accept his responsibilities immediately!’
‘Give him time, Kanakhala. We have waited for so long. A few days is not going to cause a collapse!’
Parvateshwar got up suddenly, bowed low towards Daksha and said, ‘With your permission your Highness, may I be excused? There are more practical things that need my attention as compared to educating a barbarian.’
‘You will speak of him with respect Parvateshwar,’ growled Kanakhala. ‘He is the Neelkanth!’
‘I will speak of him with respect only when he has earned it through some real achievements,’ snarled Parvateshwar. ‘I respect only achievements, nothing else. That is the fundamental rule of Lord Ram. Only your karma is important. Not your birth. Not your sex. And certainly not the colour of your throat. Our entire society is based on merit. Or have you forgotten that?’
‘Enough!’ exclaimed Daksha. ‘I respect the Neelkanth. That means everybody will respect him!’
CHAPTER 6
Vikarma, the Carriers of Bad Fate
Nandi waited at a distance in the garden as he had been asked to, while Shiva went behind the hedge to the dance area. The silent dance stage had already convinced Nandi that his Lord would not find anybody there. However, Shiva was filled with hope and waited expectandy for Sati. After having waited for the larger part of an hour, Shiva realised that there would be no dance practice today. Deeply disappointed, he walked silendy back to Nandi.
‘Is there somebody I can help you find, my Lord?’ asked an earnest Nandi.
‘No Nandi. Forget it.’
Trying to change the topic, Nandi said, ‘My Lord, you must be hungry. Should we go back to the guest house and eat?’
‘No, I’d like to see a litde more of the city,’ said Shiva, hoping that fate would be kind to him and he would run into Sati in the town. ‘Shall we go to one of the restaurants on the Rajat platform?’
‘That would be wonderful!’ smiled Nandi who hated the simple Brahmin-influenced vegetarian food served at the royal guest house. He missed the spicy meats that were served in rough Kshatriya restaurants.
‘Yes, what is it Parvateshwar?’ asked Daksha.
‘My Lord, I am sorry for the sudden meeting. But I just received some disturbing news and had to tell you this in private.’
‘Well, what is it?’
‘Shiva is already causing trouble.’
‘What have you got against the Neelkanth,’ groaned Daksha, raising his eyes in disapproval. ‘Why can’t you believe that the Neelkanth has come to save us?’
‘This has nothing to do with my views on Shiva, my Lord. If you will please listen to my news. Chenardhwaj saw Shiva in the gardens yesterday’
‘Chenardhwaj is here already?’
‘Yes your Highness. His review with you has been fixed for the day after tomorrow’
‘Anyway, so what did Chenardhwaj see?’
‘He is also sickeningly taken in by the Neelkanth. So I think we can safely assume that he doesn’t have any prejudice.’
‘All right, I believe you. So what did he see the Neelkanth do?’
‘He saw Shiva dancing in the gardens,’ answered Parvateshwar.
‘So? Is there a law banning dance that I am not aware of?’
‘Please let me continue, your Highness. He was dancing while Sati watched in rapt attention.’
His interest suddenly captivated, Daksha leaned forward to ask, ‘And?’
‘Sati behaved correcdy and left the moment Shiva tried to get too familiar. But Chenardhwaj heard Shiva whisper something when Sati left.’
‘Well, what did he whisper?’
‘He whispered — Holy Lake, help me get her. I will not ask for anything else from you ever again!’
> Daksha appeared delighted. ‘You mean the Neelkanth may actually be in love with my daughter?’
‘Your Highness, you cannot forget the laws of the land,’ exclaimed a horrified Parvateshwar. You know that Sati cannot marry’
‘If the Neelkanth decided to marry Sati, no law on earth can stop him.’
‘My Lord, forgive me. But the entire basis of our civilisation is that nobody is above the law. That’s what makes us who we are. Better than the Chandravanshis and the Nagas. Not even Lord Ram was above the law. Then how can this barbarian be considered so important?’
‘Don’t you want Sati to be happy?’ asked Daksha. ‘She’s also called Parvati for a reason — it’s because she is your goddaughter. Don’t you want her to find joy again?’
‘I love Sati like the daughter I never had, your Highness,’ said Parvateshwar, with a rare display of emotion in his eyes. ‘I would do anything for her. Except break the law.’
‘That is the difference between you and me. For Sati’s sake, I would not mind breaking any law. She is my daughter. My flesh and blood. She has suffered enough already. If I can find some way to make her happy, I will do it. No matter what the consequences!’
Shiva and Nandi tied their horses in the designated area next to the main Raj at platform market. Walking forward, Nandi guided Shiva towards one of his favourite restaurants. The inviting aroma of freshly cooked meat brought forth a long-lost hunger in Nandi that had not been satisfied in the past two days at the royal guest house. The owner however stopped Shiva at the entry.
‘What’s the matter, brother?’ asked Nandi.
‘I am deeply sorry brothers. But I too am undergoing religious vows at this time,’ said the restaurant owner politely, pointing to the beads around his throat. ‘And you know that one of the vows is that I cannot serve meat to fellow religious vow keepers.’
Nandi blurted out in surprise, ‘But who has taken religious...’
He was stopped by Shiva who signalled downwards with his eyes at the bead covered cravat around his throat. Nandi nodded and followed Shiva out of the restaurant.