Dwandv:: The Battle for the Gate

by Dinkar Goswami

  Word spread of a powerful ascetic who needed no food or water, and a following developed. To witness this phenomenon more and more people gathered to get a glimpse of his presence, amazed that he neither moved nor fed. Bubba, though his eyes were closed, remained acutely aware of his surroundings. Realizing that he had a new energy source, Bubba surreptitiously began drawing on the energy of his unsuspecting admirers. Thousands flocked around him, leaving depleted but in awe, only to be replaced by many more unsuspecting vessels of energy that fed Bubba’s insatiable hunger.

  In time word spread that Bubba was a monumental ascetic with great spiritual power.

  Eventually, the masters at the obscure ashram atop the Himalayas heard about this yogi who had been sitting without water or food for many months, just meditating. Observing that Bubba never ate or drank, and that nothing external influenced him, he was chosen to be one of the select beings to receive Vital Knowledge.

  This choice by the masters would trigger the revelation in the ashram left by the ancients. The revelation in the ashram would continue to unravel, further triggering events not just on the Himalayas but also in distant lands and faraway worlds.

  CHAPTER 2

  VOYAGE

  Present day. A nightclub in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

  “Gerua, come with me to India!” Kally shouted impulsively over the blaring music, drawing Gerua close by her arm. “What? I can barely hear you! Where do you want me to go now?” Gerua asked loudly.

  “To India!” Kally screamed in Gerua’s ear. “With me!”

  “Great! Last week, it was South Africa, and now it is India?” Gerua and Kally had been best friends for many years, and Gerua knew how impetuous Kally could be.

  “I know, I know, but I changed my mind. I really want to go to India, learn yoga, and become a yogini.” Kally tugged at Gerua’s forearms, facing her.

  “You, a yogini?” Gerua paused, looking directly into her eyes, raising an eyebrow. “That is the best one yet.” She chuckled.

  “It is not funny. And I am not kidding,” Kally said emphatically. “Okay, okay… but I have to go...” Gerua said, pulling away from

  Kally, moving toward the restroom. Kally followed, quickly catching up with Gerua and they both entered the restroom almost together.

  It was quieter in the restroom. Kally didn’t have to shout. “Gerua, I know you want to go to India, so please don’t fuss.”

  “Kally, be reasonable, will you. I can’t jump on a plane and go to India, just like that. Besides you can get all the yoga you want here in the US. There are classes everywhere.” Gerua tried to reason with Kally.

  “You know it’s not the same, Gerua. Besides who said, India is the home of yoga?” Kally bobbed her head side to side like an Indian dancer. “College is over babe, and it’s time to go on an adventure. India would be so cool. We will be vegetarians, live off the land, eat at the temples, and become pros at real yoga.”

  “Sure, it’s gonna be a great adventure. We will get sick, get dysentery or maybe something worse, and then have the time of our lives in a hospital,” Gerua retorted.

  “What!? You are the one who keeps talking about ‘Incredible India’, home to your father’s ancestors. Once you start, you can’t stop. And now you are scared of going there? Worried that you might fall sick? Come on... it is time to live up to all that chatter.” Kally chuckled, twirling Gerua around. “You talk so much about the paradoxical land, the ten-thousand-year-old culture, the birth place of yoga, blah, blah, blah... I want to see it all, and you are coming with me whether you like it or not,” Kally announced firmly.

  Gerua looked directly into Kally’s eyes. “Kally please, you know that I have to start working. Otherwise, I won’t even be able to pay for a yoga class here, let alone go to India.”

  “Oh, come on! We are going to work all our lives! Let us just take a gap year and learn great yoga from some super guru in India. It will be a wonderful, life-changing experience.”

  Gerua shook her head at Kally’s stubbornness. “You can barely sit in a lotus position, and you want to go looking for great yoga. You want to find some super guru in a completely new country you know nothing about? You think you are going to have some sort of life-changing experience? Ha!? Let me tell you what they say about yoga. Great yoga finds you and not the other way around.”

  “Babe, tell me... How will yoga find us if we won’t even let it know that we are looking for it? You incessantly brag about the superpowers yoga can bestow, and now you are worried about not finding it? Let us just let yoga know we are seeking it...! Believe me, it will find us!”

  “But I don’t even know if the yogic powers are real... and it’s really hot in India right now and...” Gerua’s words trailed off. Kally had put her forefinger on Gerua’s lips, silencing her. “We will go north to Nepal and to the Himalayas, where it won’t be hot at all. We are going to India.” Kally’s eyes sparkled with excitement and determination, and in that moment Gerua knew that Kally had made up her mind.

  Kally lived her life with zeal, always looking for something exciting to do. Charming and gregarious, Kally knew that her personality was magnetic. Though she treasured Gerua’s friendship and deeply cared about her, Kally was an extrovert who made friends easily. Gerua in contrast, kept pretty much to herself and rarely opened up to anyone, except to Kally, whom Gerua considered her dearest and closest friend. Kally was Caucasian American, while Gerua had a Caucasian American mother and a father of Indian origin. Kally and Gerua were both five feet nine inches with well-toned bodies, long legs, and extremely attractive features. Both were mindful and brimmed with confidence. Kally had an angular square jaw, giving her a distinctive resolute look, while Gerua had an enigmatic oval face. Kally’s startling eyes were unusual, bright amber with a reddish tint on the iris around the pupil. They made Kally look devilishly mesmerizing. Gerua’s charismatic large green eyes were compassionate and understanding and they lit up every time she smiled. Both had love for adventure and pursued their zeal together.

  A couple of weeks later, they were on an evening flight bound to London from Dulles Airport. And after a four-hour layover at the Heathrow Airport, they would fly to New Delhi, India. Neither of them knew that this trip to India would dramatically change both of their lives forever.

  While waiting at the gate to board the flight for Delhi at Heathrow Terminal 5, Kally nudged Gerua playfully. “That guy has been checking you out for the last fifteen minutes. He is really hot!” Kally’s eyes pointed towards the handsome young man standing at the opposite corner of the row of seats. He was tall, well built, and wore a fitting yellow T-shirt, Armani belt and jeans, with black suede Bally loafers.

  Gerua followed Kally’s eyes, and she was met with the intense gaze of the deep-set eyes of a striking young man. Gerua instinctively blushed and looked down and then turned her head toward Kally. “Stop it, Kally. He hasn’t been checking me out, has he?” Her cheeks felt hot.

  “He definitely has, babe. And don’t give me that look. He is really, really good looking. Flirt a little and flash him that bedazzling smile of yours. He seems to be just your type.”

  “What’s my type? I’m not interested,” shushed Gerua, trying hard to ignore the guy.

  “Gerua, you are never interested. Even when you are! Get a life, babe. Give him a sign! He will do the rest. He’s still looking at you!” Kally added with a wide grin.

  Surprising herself, Gerua took a deep breath and looked at the guy again. He was looking at her expectantly; she smiled nervously. The young man’s pupils dilated. After a momentary hesitation, he smiled back. Then he picked his bag and moved toward the two attractive young women as casually as he could.

  When he got close enough, the young man extended his hand toward Gerua. “Hello, I’m Tony.” Gerua hesitated a bit, but Kally quickly grabbed the extended hand. Tony had a British accent.

  “Hey, I’m Kally, and this is my friend Gerua. She’s a bit shy.” Gerua winced at Kally’s comment
. Kally released Tony’s hand, and he extended it to Gerua. Gerua shook his hand only for a second and muttered, “Hi.”

  “Hi, Gerua. You guys heading to Delhi?” Tony asked.

  “Unless we are at the wrong gate.” Kally smirked. “Yes, we are,” she added hastily as soon as she saw his smile vanish. “Just for a while though. Then we are heading up north, where it is cooler,” she added with a bright smile.

  “Yeah, Delhi can be hot, but you get used to it. Where are you staying?” Tony’s eyes darted from Kally to Gerua.

  “Our yoga teacher has arranged for us to stay with a family in West End. Where are you staying?” Kally asked, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that Tony only had eyes and ears for Gerua.

  Tony smiled back. “I am staying in Defense Colony, which is about a twenty-five-minute drive from West End,” he said. “So, you guys are into yoga. What a coincidence. I actually teach meditation to kids with anxiety issues.”

  “You do, huh? What else are you into?” Kally showed interest.

  “MMA. Hoping to fight in the UFC.” “MMA?” Kally raised an eyebrow. “Mixed martial arts.”

  “Oooo... you do look dangerous.” Kally looked at Tony and then at Gerua, grinning.

  “Shush, Kally!” Gerua turned, looking directly at Tony. “She is just jet-lagged, and she gets weird like this when she’s tired. She thinks she is being funny.” Gerua took charge of the conversation as she realized that Kally’s next comment might embarrass Tony again. Kally was getting into one of her moods. “MMA sounds really impressive. What kind of meditation do you teach?”

  “Know any super yoga gurus we can meet in Delhi?” Kally interrupted, in spite of Gerua shushing her.

  “I teach Vipasna and some breathing techniques. I don’t personally know any super yoga gurus in Delhi.” Tony laughed defensively. Turning towards Gerua he looked into Gerua’s eyes intently. Unquestionably, these were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

  Gerua looked back into Tony’s eyes, and she saw that his pupils were dilated as he continued to stare at her. “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, yeah... I’m cool,” Tony muttered. He gathered his wits. “Hey, listen, I am having a brunch party this Sunday afternoon at my uncle’s farmhouse. Why don’t you guys come to the party and I can introduce you to some friends, who in turn might be able to introduce you to some yoga gurus?”

  Kally abruptly got up when she heard the boarding announcement. “Sure, we’ll come.” She beamed casually. “But first, let’s make sure we don’t miss our flight to Delhi.”

  “Yeah, let’s board,” Tony said hastily. They grabbed their bags and headed toward the line to board the plane as their rows were called.

  The flight was relatively empty, and Kally asked Tony to sit next to them. By the time they landed at Delhi IGI airport, after the eight-hour long flight, Gerua and Kally had become quite comfortable and friendly with Tony.

  “How are you getting to West End?” Tony inquired as they collected their bags and were getting ready to go through customs.

  “Taking a taxi,” said Gerua. Kally was slightly drunk.

  “You guys don’t have to take a taxi. I have enough room in my car, and West End is on the way to Defense Colony. I can drop you.”

  “Cool,” said Kally with a wide grin.

  Gerua looked at Tony. “Haven’t you had enough of us? We can—”

  “No, no... it would be great if you could drop us, Tony,” Kally interrupted hastily. She looked at Gerua. “We don’t want to wait in line in this heat trying to get a taxi. I’m exhausted. Let’s just go with Tony.”

  Gerua was a little stressed because of Kally’s behavior on the flight. Kally had agreed to go to Tony’s party. During the flight, Kally had been constantly urging Gerua and Tony to get to know each other. Gerua was sure that Tony was attracted to her. Use your head. It is just a little crush. Gerua reasoned with herself. Tony may be the whole package—hot, polite, and trustworthy—but you don’t have to get attached. Don’t stress. Just be logical and friendly. Riding with him to West End is not a bad idea. Kally is tired, and so are you.

  Gerua looked at Tony. “A ride to West End would be nice. Thanks, Tony.”

  “It will be my pleasure.” Tony felt happy; now he could spend some more time in Gerua’s company.

  They went through customs and exited the airport terminal. Tony had called the driver to be in front of the exit gate just as they were picking up their bags. The car was there, waiting.

  “Whew!” Kally fanned her face expressing discomfort due to the heat even this late in the night.

  “Like I said earlier, you will get used to it.” Tony comforted her again.

  He looked at Gerua who nodded smiling. All through the flight, he had been trying really hard to impress them, especially Gerua. Tony found Gerua’s cautious but confident demeanor uniquely appealing. Her stunning looks and mysterious personality had captivated him. During the flight, he had begun to develop a growing attachment to her that he didn’t quite understand. Tony wondered if Gerua liked him.

  “By the way, I believe I can introduce you to a friend who practices tantric yoga. Although many people practice yoga at numerous studios all over the city, this guy claims that he has a super guru in the Himalayas. He will be at my party. Maybe he can introduce you to his guru,” said Tony as they drove toward West End.

  “That would be great,” said Kally.

  “We are at West End. My driver will be here with a ride at noon on Sunday. See you soon. You’re going to have an amazing time here,” Tony said enthusiastically.

  Kally nodded. She was too tired to talk anymore. She and Gerua got out of the car at the address they had provided to the driver. The driver unloaded their luggage while they both bid goodbye to Tony and thanked him for the ride.

  Their hosts Mrs. and Mr. Anaya had been waiting up for them. Both girls introduced themselves to their hosts. After a polite welcome, the girls were shown to a large bedroom with an attached bathroom. The bedroom was simple but elegant and exceptionally clean. As they put their luggage down, a few more pleasantries were exchanged: “Thank you. It is perfect” and “If you need anything else, please let us know.”

  The Anayas then wished them good night, and finally, they were alone in the room. Closing the door of their room, Gerua went for a shower. By the time she came back, Kally had fallen into a deep sleep. Gerua hit the bed, and within minutes, she was asleep too. They woke up to gentle knocking on their door. Mrs. Anaya asked them to come and eat lunch.

  CHAPTER 3

  PRIMER

  Gerua and Kally joined their hosts at the dining table. “Good afternoon,” said Gerua, and Kally followed suit. Mr. Anaya wore a neat white shirt and grey pants. He was a thin man, much taller than an average Indian, about six feet two in height. His dark chiseled face, elegant demeanor, and head full of white hair gave him a distinguished look. At eighty years old, his face glowed with youthful exuberance. He moved gracefully, shoulders pulled back. Mrs. Anaya wore a camel-colored sari, and she too had an elegant disposition. Like her husband, she was tall, thin, soft-spoken, and polite.

  “Good afternoon. Please sit down and have lunch with us. I apologize for any inconvenience, but you will only get vegetarian food at our home. We have ensured that it is not too spicy or hot,” said their host apologetically.

  “We love vegetarian,” said Gerua, looking at their hosts and then at Kally, who nodded in agreement. “I hope we are not imposing too much.”

  “Not at all,” said Mrs. Anaya. “It is very refreshing to have such beautiful young ladies as our guests. Please feel at home and let us know if you need anything. We shall be glad to help.”

  “Thank you so much. We will,” said Gerua. Kally nodded in agreement again, smiling.

  The servant brought lunch, and Mrs. Anaya got up to serve them. Gerua quickly took the bowl of lentils from her hands and said politely, “Please... we can help ourselves. We are very grateful for your hospitality.
We really love Indian vegetarian food. I introduced Kally to it in the US. She loves it too.” Kally nodded again. Kally felt exceptionally awkward in this old Indian couple’s house. She didn’t want to show her awkwardness or be socially incorrect, so she decided to focus on eating and let Gerua do all the talking.

  As they took the first bite, Gerua realized that they were both famished. She looked at her friend, who was eating faster than usual. “So, I understand you are here to explore yog?” asked Mr. Anaya.

  “Yes, Mr. Anaya,” Gerua said to him, smiling, “we are. We have a friend, and he is going to introduce us to someone who has a guru who is a master of tantric yoga.” Their host paused eating at the mention of tantric yoga.

  “Tantric yog?” The words made Mr. Anaya anxious. Mr. and Mrs. Anaya looked at each other uncomfortably. “It is not for us to say, but we would ask you, young ladies, to be cautious. Please be very careful about tantric yog. Personally, I don’t know of anybody in Delhi who really understands tantric yog. There are many so-called tantric with little knowledge, proclaiming to be adepts. But most are just charlatans.”

  Both Gerua and Kally had confused expressions on their faces. Mr. Anaya continued. “Please do not misunderstand me, but I was your yog teacher’s guru. I have been practicing yog all my life. There are many self-proclaimed yogis in cities now because the money is in the cities. Many claim to practice tantric yog. It is mysterious and appears sensually powerful to a non-adept. The practice of tantric yog is powerful because it appeals to a person’s basal instincts. If you expose yourself to such people, they can influence your mind. They can be very beguiling and ritualistic. Their rituals are captivating and seductive but do not lead to an improved quality of life. Sometimes they can be harmful. You really have to find a great, virtuous guru to learn and practice tantric yog correctly. I don’t know of any such guru in Delhi. Please be careful.” “We will. Thank you so much.” Kally had been carefully listening to the old man. “We could learn much from you. Would you be able to teach us some higher yoga techniques?”