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July 14 - July 17, 2020
‘I have made my decision. We will strive to avoid war and needless bloodshed. But should our efforts prove futile, we shall fight to the last man. We will end the reign of the Somras.’
To all of you who consider yourselves the children of Manu and followers of the Sanatan Dharma, this is a message from me, Shiva, your Neelkanth. I have travelled across our great land, through all the kingdoms we are divided into, met with all the tribes that populate our fair realm. I have done this in search of the ultimate Evil, for that is my task. Father Manu had told us Evil is not a distant demon. It works its destruction close to us, with us, within us. He was right. He told us Evil does not come from down below and devour us. Instead, we help Evil destroy our lives. He was right. He
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It meant that it was better to commit mistakes on the path that one’s soul is meant to walk on, than to live a perfect life on a path that is not meant for one’s soul.
‘Rather than the destination it is the journey that lends meaning to our lives, great Neelkanth. Being faithful to our path will lead to consequences, both good as well as evil. For that is the way of the universe.’
‘By all the fury of Lord Rudra,’ growled Chandraketu, ‘my people have been dying for decades, our children have suffered from horrific diseases and our aged have endured agonising pain, all so that privileged Meluhans can live for two hundred years!’
‘We will not only mobilise our army, but every single Branga who can fight. This is not just a war for us. This is vengeance.’
Chandraketu smiled slightly. ‘The Lord Neelkanth has honoured his word. He is a worthy successor to Lord Rudra.’ ‘That he is.’
‘Satyam vada. Asatyam mavada.’ ‘What?’ asked Shiva. Kali spoke up. ‘It’s old Sanskrit. “Speak the truth, never speak the untruth”.’
‘Lord Bhrigu, this sounds peculiar to you because you haven’t met Lord Shiva. His companions don’t follow him out of fear. They do so because he is the most inspiring presence in their lives. My fate has put me in a position where I am being forced to oppose him. It’s breaking my heart. I need his blessings and his permission to give me the strength to do what I have to do.’
‘Arrest the General.’ Parvateshwar didn’t argue. He stretched out his hands as he looked at the crestfallen face of the man handcuffing him. It was Nandi.
‘People have a tendency to do what they want to do rather than what they should be doing.’
‘Death in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s path, for that is truly dangerous.’
‘A man becomes God when his vision moves beyond the bounds of victors and losers,’ said Sati.
‘Shiva’s message has to live on forever. And that can only happen if both the victors and the losers find validation in him. That he must win is a given. But equally critical is his winning the right way.’
Therefore, I have decided to allow you to leave.’ Parvateshwar couldn’t believe his ears.
Parvateshwar was only half listening. This magnificent gesture from the Neelkanth had brought tears to his eyes.
‘But let me assure you,’ continued Shiva coldly, ‘the next time we meet, it will be on a battlefield. And that will be the day I will kill you.’
‘Did you know that I would be allowed to leave honourably?’ asked a smiling Parvateshwar as soon he reached her.
Let’s go.’ ‘Let’s go?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Where?’ ‘Meluha.’ ‘You’re coming to Meluha?’ ‘Yes.’ Parvateshwar stepped back. ‘Anandmayi, the path ahead is dangerous. I honestly don’t think that Meluha can win.’ ‘So?’ ‘I cannot permit you to put your life in danger.’ ‘Did I seek your permission?’ ‘Anandmayi, you cannot...’
Parvateshwar stopped speaking as Anandmayi held his hand, turned around and started walking up the gangplank. Parvateshwar followed quietly with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.
Kartik turned and touched Shiva’s feet. Shiva embraced his younger son. ‘Give them hell, Kartik!’ Kartik grinned. ‘I will, baba!’
The listeners intrinsically understood that Shiva’s prakriti was closest to fire rather than the other four elements, each of which had Guna war songs dedicated to them.
‘My friends,’ said Kartik. ‘Unlike my father, I’m not good with words. So I will keep this short. The Magadhans will be fighting only for conquest and glory. Those are weak motivations. You are fighting for vengeance and retribution. For your families and for the soul of your nation. You are fighting to stop the Somras that has killed your children and crippled your people. You are fighting to stop the scourge of this Evil. You have to fight to the end; until they are finished. I don’t want prisoners. I want them dead. If anyone takes the side of Evil, they forfeit the right to live. Remember!
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The Magadhan crumpled in midstep and fell silently to the ground, his windpipe severed, a gush of air bursting from his slit throat, splattering blood on those around him. A second soldier charged, and was cut down before he’d taken two steps, a single stroke of Kartik’s blade slicing through his torso, almost to his spine.
The remaining soldiers paused, cautious now of this boy who could kill with such ease.
As the Bhagavad Gita would say, Kartik had become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
‘You have won, My Lord.’ Kartik raised his long sword high and shouted, ‘Har Har Mahadev!’ The Brangas roared after him, ‘Har Har Mahadev!’
Later in the day, when the dead were counted, it would emerge that seventy thousand of the Magadhan army from amongst seventy-five thousand had been slaughtered, burned or drowned. Kartik, on the other hand, had lost only five thousand of his one hundred thousand men. This was not a battle. It had been a massacre.
And on this day, a legend had been born. The legend of Kartik, the Lord of War!
Yaasss!!!
Valour begot respect, whether in life or in the aftermath of death.
‘There is always unity at the end,’ said Ganesh, ‘and it brings a new tranquillity. But the meeting of two worlds causes a lot of temporary chaos.’
“If you have to choose between my people and dharma, choose dharma! If you have to choose between my family and dharma, choose dharma! Even if you have to choose between me and dharma, always choose dharma!”’
‘The Somras gives you a long life and you are grateful for that. But these years that it gifts to you are not for free! It takes away a lot more from you! And its hunger for your soul has no limit!’
‘For these few additional transient years you pay a price that is eternal! It is no coincidence that so many women in Meluha cannot bear children. That is the curse of the Somras!’
‘It is no coincidence that the mother of your country, the mother of Indian civilisation itself, the revered Saraswati is slowly drying to extinction. The thirsty Somras continues to consume her waters. Her death will also be due to the evil of the Somras!’
‘Thousands of children are born in Maika with painful cancers that eat up their bodies. Millions of Swadweepans are dying of a plague brought on by the waste of the Somras. Those people curse the ones who use the Somras. They are cursing you. And your souls will bear this burden for many births. That is the evil of the Somras!’
‘It may appear that the Somras has my throat. But in actual fact, it has all of Meluha by the throat! And it is squeezing the life out of you slowly, so slowly, that you don’t even realise it. And by the time you do, it will be too late. All of Meluha, all of India, will be destroyed!’
‘I did try to stop this peacefully. I sent out a notice to every city, in every kingdom, all across this fair land of our India. But in Meluha, my message was replaced by another put up by your Emperor, stating that it wasn’t I who banned the Somras, but some fraud Neelkanth.’
‘Emperor Daksha occupies the position that was Lord Ram’s more than a thousand years ago. He represents the legacy of the great seventh Vishnu. He is supposed to be your Protector. And he lied to you.’
‘I see gods standing before me. Gods who are willing to fight Evil! Gods who are willing to give up their attachment to Evil!’
‘My Lord,’ said Panini, ‘I also believe that the secret Somras factory is in Devagiri.’
‘That’s true. But I had a friend in the customs department with whom I checked whether the Sanjeevani logs ever left the city. He was unaware of any such movement. If such huge quantities of the Sanjeevani logs are being brought into Devagiri and not being taken out, then the most logical assumption is that this is the city where the Somras is being manufactured.’
Remember, Sati’s tactics under pressure were exceptional. She managed to save most of her army. So it’s not as if we’ll have a huge numerical advantage if we chase them.’
Reports of the devastation of Sati’s army in Devagiri had given the Meluhan prisoners of war in Mrittikavati the courage to challenge their citizen captors.
They had broken out of their prison and taken control of the city. Three thousand citizens, loyal to the Neelkanth, had died in the process.
He admired every perfect warrior move, the sway of her hips as she transferred her weight; the quick thrusts and swings of her sword; the rapid movement of her shield, which she used almost like an independent weapon.
Shiva breathed deeply at yet another reminder of why he loved her so much.
‘I wish you could see through my eyes,’ whispered Shiva, ‘so you could see your own ethereal beauty.’ Sati rolled her eyes and turned away, still struggling within Shiva’s grip. ‘I’m ugly! I know it! Don’t use your love to insult me.’ ‘Love?’ asked Shiva, pretending mock surprise, wiggling his eyebrows. ‘Who said anything about love? It’s lust! Pure and simple!’ Sati stared at Shiva, her eyes wide. Then she burst out laughing.
Shiva kissed her tenderly. ‘I love you.’ ‘You’re mad!’ ‘That I am. But I still love you.’
Shiva smiled slightly. ‘They’re different, but they’re not evil.’
