Six minutes later, through a camera he had positioned on the Tughlaq road, Muhammed could see six police vehicles and five armoured military vehicles racing towards him. A couple of choppers provided watch from above.
Muhammed looked up at the sky. The sun was just rising. He offered his prayers for the last time. Now, it was his time to act.
Chapter 61
The caves of Ajanta, Maharashtra
Time- 5:52 am
The lid, jammed by dust and particulates accumulated in the corner of the sliding plate, was a little difficult to slide. But after a couple of hard pulls by Sameer, it slid over the compartment and the content of the cube revealed itself. There was nothing stored inside the compartment of the cube indeed. Only a simple Sanskrit text was visible on the base to the opposite side of the lid. It looked ancient and a part of the engraving was not even clear. Shonali flashed a light on it as Sameer tried to read out the script.
तदा त्वं, तव मनसि आगतानां नैकेषां प्रश्नानामुत्तराणि प्राप्यसि। त्वं यस्य सत्यस्यान्वेषणं करोषि, यद् ज्ञानं प्राप्तुमिच्छसि, तद् किमप्यलौकिकं नास्ति । सोऽस्ति एकः मार्गः आत्मज्ञानदिशं गन्ता मार्गः । एतदेव साहित्यं तुभ्यं मार्गं दर्शयिष्यति । अस्माकं उदारेण नृपतिना, चक्रवर्तिना अशोकेन एतदेव दायित्वम् अस्मभ्यं प्रदत्तम् । तेनास्मभ्यं एतद् साहित्यम् अपात्राणां तथा अपवित्र जनानां दृष्टिभ्योऽपि दूरे स्थापयितुमादेशः प्रदत्तः। तथापि तस्य पदचिह्नानि अवशेषयितुं कथितम् । एतादृशः मार्गः यः केवलं ज्ञानप्राप्तये पात्र जनैः एव प्राप्येत । एतानि पदचिह्नानि निर्मातुं विशेषकार्यमस्माकं भिक्षुदलाय तेन समर्पितम् । बहुभ्यः शतकेभ्यः अस्मादृशाः बहवः एतस्य निधेः रक्षणं कृत्वा तम् अग्रिमान्वयस्य सुरक्षितहस्ते समर्पयन्तः सन्ति । अस्माकं पूर्वजाः भगवतः बुद्धस्यः आरम्भशिषेषु अन्यतमाः आसना ते प्रवचनानां लाभग्राहिणः । अस्माभिः बाल्ये याः आख्यायिकाः श्रुताः ताः वदन्ति यत्, आत्मज्ञानप्राप्तेरनन्तरं गौतमबुद्धेन, तेन प्राप्तस्य ज्ञानस्य प्रसादं वितरता, विस्तृतभ्रमणं कृतम् ।
अत्रान्तरे अनुभवानां कृते आत्मज्ञानार्थश्च ध्यानधारणां कुर्वता तेन एतेनैव मार्गेण अन्तिमसत्यम् अन्विष्टम् । ‘अहं प्रबुद्धः कथम् अभवम्’ एतद्विषये ये विचाराः मनसि आगच्छन्ति स्म तान् सः भूर्जपत्रेषु लिखति स्म ।
एतत् सर्वं भूर्जपत्रेषु लिखितं वर्तते । अग्रे बहुवर्षानन्तरं तेन एतद् लेखनं तस्य प्रारम्भिकशिष्येषु वितरितम् । तस्य शिष्यैः भूर्जपत्रोपरि विद्यमानस्य एतस्य निधेः सम्यक्तया रूपान्तरं कृतम् । एतादृशं एतद् ज्ञानम् अग्रिमं - अग्रिमान्व यस्य हस्ते आगतम्। अग्रिमकाले एतस्य लेखनस्य मध्यवर्तिनं सारमबाधितं संस्थाप्य एतद् लेखनं विविध स्वरूपेषु रूपांतरितम् । अन्ते एतद् लेखनं भिक्षुषु वितीर्णम् । एवं बहुकालं यावत् प्रचलितमासीत् । अन्ते एकस्मिन्दिने एतद् साहित्यं कालमयकुहायां विलुप्तप्रायं जातम् । तद् कुत्रापि न प्राक्षम्। अथ बहुकालादनन्तरं एतद् साहित्यं चक्रवर्तिनः सम्राजः सभायां प्रस्तुतीकृतम् । एकः युवा पर्यटकः तस्य भ्रमणकाले कुत्रचित् दूरे स्थाने साहित्यमेतद् प्राप्तवान् । तदेतद् राज्ञः पुरतः उपस्थापयामि इति तेन निश्चितम् । तस्य मूल्यं ज्ञात्वा तथा च तद् पुनः विलुप्तं मा भवेत् इत्यर्थं, सम्राटेन् तद् भयेन सुरक्षितस्थाने स्थापितवान् । एतद्विषये वक्तुम् अनुमतिः न विद्यते । यदि त्वमर्हः तर्हि त्वं एतऽ ज्ञानं प्राप्नुयाः । बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि् ।
Shonali only took four minutes to work on the translation: This may provide answers to many questions which you may have in your mind. The truth you are searching for, the wisdom you are seeking is nothing extra-ordinary. It is just a path- a path to enlightenment. That artefact will guide you towards your path. Our generous Samraat Chakravartin Ashoka entrusted us with that object. He ordered us to hide that artefact and keep it hidden from the eyes of the unworthy and the unholy. But we were also told to leave behind a trail- a road which would lead only the worthy and those who deserved that knowledge towards it. We are the legion of monks specially assigned to make a trail. There were many like us through all these centuries- protecting the artefact, passing it down into the safe hands of the next generation. Our forefathers were few of the first disciples of Lord Buddha. They experienced the privilege of attaining his sermons. The legend we used to hear when we were kids tells us that after attaining enlightenment, Lord Buddha travelled far and wide passing on the true wisdom he had gained. During his travels, he used to write down his experiences, his thoughts when he had been meditating to achieve enlightenment- the way he perceived the ultimate truth, how he became 'The Enlightened One'. It was written down on pieces of dry leaves. Years later, he passed it on to his first disciples who converted the collection of the dry leaves into a better form. And then the knowledge was passed on to the next generation who converted it to some other form keeping the core essence of the writings intact. Eventually, it was converted to a kind of artefact which was circulated amongst the monks .This went on for generations until one day that the artefact was lost in the mists of time! Nowhere to be found. Years later, it appeared in the court of Samraat Chakravartin. A young voyager had found it in one of his travels at a far off place and had decided to present it to our Samraat. Realising i
ts true potential and fearing that it might get lost again, Samraat has decided to keep it safely hidden. We are permitted to say no more. We hope you would find the wisdom if you are worthy. Buddham Sharanam Gachaami.
Everyone gazed intently at the cube as it finally revealed what was it that the perpetrator behind the night’s events was asking them to recover. Shonali reread the document. It was very surprising for her to know that such kind of artefact even existed! It is like the personal diary of Lord Gautama himself- his accounts, his experiences after achieving enlightenment!
''So at least this cube gave us some answers to our questions! Although I still don't know why one would go to such heights to recover this artefact,'' Sameer said. It was hard for him to believe how such an artefact was kept hidden for so many centuries!
The artefact had never found any mention in any of the Buddhist manuscripts; else today's experts would have known about it. It had been passed down by a secret cult of monks - it travelled to faraway places- crossed lands and seas and yet was the best kept secret, Sameer said to himself.
''Yes, it does! But this cube just answered a part of the puzzle we are trying to solve. I have really seen a lot of the undiscovered tonight - the message at the dome of Sariputra's stupa, the hidden painting, this cube and now the artefact. Our priority should be to find that artefact. And this cube doesn't tell us where it is,'' Shonali said, shaking the cube desperately.
''Maybe there's something else hidden!'' Sameer suggested. They searched the cube inside out for any more clues, hidden partitions, but the effort seemed unfruitful after ten minutes. The cube had nothing more to offer.
''Looks like we have to figure it out ourselves from the resources and information we currently have. Let us glance back at all the information we have about the artefact,'' Sameer said, trying to take another approach to get some clue about the location of the artefact.
''From the text below the painting, we know that the artefact rests on a flower and is guarded day and night by some faithful guards of the King Ashoka.'' Shonali took a brief pause before continuing. ''The artefact was hidden during the reign of Ashoka so I would guess that it was probably in some kind of a structure or a stupa he built. The flower may give us some clue here.''
''The flower? I don't think it would be of much help. There are many inscriptions of flowers and paintings of flowers on the structures and monuments built by Samraat Chakravartin,'' Sameer replied.
''Obviously, this would be some kind of special flower because the monks took the pain of mentioning it on the painting. In Buddhism, the lotus has a special importance. Lotus is one of the eight auspicious symbols- also known in Sanskrit as Asthamangala. In brief, it refers to the complete purification of body, speech and mind, and the blossoming of wholesome deeds in a state of liberation. The lotus does not grow in Tibet and so Tibetan art has only stylized versions of it. Nevertheless, it is one of Buddhism's best recognized motifs since every important deity is associated in some manner with the lotus. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the heavily scented flower lies above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment...''
Shonali looked at Raghav's bored face and understood that there was no point in displaying her knowledge presently.
''So, the point I am trying to make is that even though lotus is frequently found in early Buddhist texts, the first appearance of the lotus in Buddhist art can be traced back to the columns built by Ashoka in the 3rd Century B.C.'' Shonali said with a glow in her eyes.
''You mean to say that the artefact is hidden somewhere in one of the columns built by Ashoka?'' asked Raghav who had finally taken an interest in their riddle solving.
''I am just making a wild guess here, but- yes. I think it we should find the important columns and structures around what was the ancient kingdom of Magadha and start searching,'' Shonali replied.
... go find your destiny resting on a flower and guarded day and night by the faithful guards of the King of Magadha...
Sameer was silent. He knew there would be hundreds of columns and structures to be searched and they were running out of time. But something on Raghav's uniform had made a noticeable impression on his mind, suddenly. He did not blink his eyes for a couple of seconds and then with an impulsive realisation, turned towards Shonali.
''What did you say about the four guards?''
''They could be the guards of the four cardinal directions,'' replied Shonali.
''What if these guards which the monks have referred to were not actually guards but a metaphor for guards- a symbolism?'' Sameer asked.
''What do you mean?'' asked Raghav, getting uncomfortable with Sameer staring at his uniform.
''Lions.'' Sameer replied calmly.
He pointed to the National Emblem he had observed on Raghav's uniform!
Chapter 62
''This is mike alpha. Everyone head for Tughlaq road. Report to me immediately if you have a visual on anything suspicious. Our patrol teams did not have enough time to check all the routes so we should be on guard.'' Colonel Rana was giving out orders to other military vehicles which ran ahead. He himself was seated in the rear vehicle.
''This is mike delta to mike alpha. The sector is clear. Traffic is minimal. Should we go ahead and check?'' A soldier responded back.
''No. Stay WITH the convoy and maintain the formation. Whatever happens- let nothing pass. I want no surprises ahead, so everyone be alert. Over and out.''
The pilot of the chopper maintained an eye over the five vehicles moving in a diamond formation with the four outer vehicles protecting the one in the middle. The convoy had just passed Sri Aurobindo Marg and was moving towards Tughlaq road.
Colonel Rana and his team had no idea that Muhammed's cameras were watching them from every corner of the road. Muhammed had observed the formation and noted that he had to strike the vehicle in the centre. He was waiting inside a small alley adjoining Tughlaq road which was just wide enough for his truck. It was the rear end of the truck which Muhammed wanted to bang into the convoy to break their formation. The container attached to the truck was heavy. His camera feed showed him the exact position of the police vehicles and the military armadas as the convoy crossed the Aurangzeb road intersection and continued on Tughlaq road. Muhammed started the truck and put it in reverse gear.
President Ajaysingh looked out through the window pane watching the warm sunrise. He was quite tired from the travel. The ride was smooth, but the run through the night and his earlier trip had drained him of energy. I will probably fall sleep during the press conference. Why do I even need to be here?
He knew it was a complete waste of time. The crooked politicians backing the conference just want to show the world that their country's security is well handled- And they needed to wriggle out those words from my mouth! Ajaysingh sat helplessly in his seat and watched as the vehicles reached midway of Tughlaq road.
David, sitting next to President Ajaysingh, had other thoughts racing through his mind. With every passing second, he tried to step into the shoes of a terrorist and imagine ways to harm the President. Assignment 6.00- There must be something to it! He won't open fire on the vehicles. The vehicles are bulletproof. Maybe he would mingle with the crowd and the press at the hall and assassinate the President there. At some point David thought that he had got it all wrong. Maybe there wasn't anything like Assignment 6.00. Maybe it was just a piece of scrap in the dustbin. Or maybe they are planning to strike somewhere else at this time while I am sitting here waiting for something to happen. Did I interpret it all wrong?
David's question was answered seconds later when a truck came out of nowhere and slammed right into the armoured vehicle on the left breaking the entire convoy formation . The driver of the rear vehicle quickly applied brakes, but couldn't avoid crashing into the vehicle in the cent
re. It took a couple of seconds for the soldiers and the Black Cat commandos to realise what was happening. The vehicle on the left was totally crushed between the truck and the central vehicle. Although taken aback by the ambush, the commandos responded quickly with their reflexes- aimed their weapons on the truck and started firing. They had no clue that this was exactly what Muhammed wanted.
As soon as the firing began, Muhammed pressed a button on the dashboard of the truck allowing the door of the container mounted on the truck to slide open. Sixteen barrels filled with kerosene and explosives, rolled down the container right near the door of the vehicle in the centre. Before David or Colonel Rana could order the soldiers to hold their fire, a few bullets had already done the job. The bullets penetrated into the kerosene containers leading to a colossal blast and setting off a chain of blasts. Muhammed closed his eyes as fire gulped him in along with everyone else near the vehicles.
There were no survivors.
Chapter 63
''The National Emblem?'' Shonali initially was as perplexed as Raghav who could make no sense of what Sameer was trying to say. But slowly, Shonali started to figure it out. It all made complete sense.
''Of course! The Lion Capital of Ashoka would be a perfect match to the location mentioned in the text,'' Shonali cried out.
Shonali's mind began to fit every piece of the puzzle in its place- 'destiny resting on a flower'. The National Emblem adopted by the country was only a part of the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The complete structure consisted of four lions and the Ashoka Chakra resting on an inverted lotus. Guarded day and night by the faithful guards of the King of Magadha- That represented the four lions standing there for centuries!
''So what would be our next step? Should we go and investigate the Lion Capital of Ashoka by ourselves?'' Sameer asked Raghav.
Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller Page 17
