The First Aryan

by Paramu Kurumathur

  After lunch, the Dasyu queen invited Ghoṣā to her inner apartments, perhaps to talk in private, without restraint, about Jabālā’s future in Parśuvarta and to discuss politics, or perhaps, exchange gossip. Women always seemed to assess the true nature of a situation better than men. Kaśyapa now understood why the guru had decided to include the courtesan as part of this important embassy. Dīrghaśravas was invited by some of the business and trade guilds to discuss trade relations between the two kingdoms.

  Then came the time for Kaśyapa to roam about the capital city—he was very impressed and spent a lot of time wandering around with Dīrghaśravas, admiring the splendours it had to offer. Dīrghaśravas himself was quite interested in the smithies where metal was forged. He was ready to spend some time looking at these after he had finished his meetings with the trade guilds and other traders.

  Kaśyapa asked him, ‘Sir, what is this metal they are working with, and why are you so interested in this?’

  ‘What we call “metal” is, in fact, an alloy of two metals. These are bought from faraway kingdoms individually, as ores, and then extracted, melted and combined in a specific ratio to form a metal which is far stronger than the original metals.’

  ‘What is the advantage of this particular metal? What can it be used for?’

  ‘It can be used for making weapons and many other useful items for day-to-day use. Metal weapons and tools are harder and stronger than stone and bone weapons and tools. An army fighting with metal weapons can easily defeat a much larger army fighting with stone and bone weapons. Also, shields and armour made of metal are much more effective than leather armour.’

  ‘Have kingdoms started using metal for warfare?’

  ‘Yes, we have heard that some of the faraway kingdoms are very advanced in metal technologies, though our neighbours, like us, are still in the early stages. We have to upgrade our weapons before these kingdoms realize that we are easy pickings.’

  ‘Is it easy to manufacture or acquire these weapons?’

  ‘As I said before, the two components are not available freely in nature. They come mixed with stone and have to be treated at high temperatures for the underlying metals to be released. These component-metals then have to be taken, combined in the right ratio and again put through hot fires to form metal which is moulded or hammered or otherwise fashioned into the required tools. Working with metal requires skill and knowledge. Right temperature for the fire, skill in handling the metal and fashioning them: all these are critical.’

  ‘Why are we not making metal weapons and tools in our kingdom?’

  ‘We, in our kingdom, are not very adept at the techniques for forging metal to make tools, weapons and wheels for our chariots. The Dasyu kingdom is much more advanced than us in these technologies, but even they have just started making weapons with metal.’

  He continued, ‘Though all our kingdoms have started employing people who specialize in working with metal, none of them have managed to perfect the technology that can help us make such weapons in bulk. So, we all continue to use stone, bone, flint, leather and wood weapons and tools. Whoever starts mass-making these metal weapons first will have immense advantage in battle. This is why there is such a race—an arms race, as it were—to perfect the use of metal. The leather armours we use now, which are very effective against flint, stone and wooden weapons, will not be very effective against metal ones.’

  Kaśyapa liked the term ‘arms race’. He understood why Dīrghaśravas was so interested in metal. He wanted to get a head start in trading and doing business in metal.

  Kaśyapa did not want to waste this opportunity to talk to the merchant and decided to ask him a few questions about the murder. ‘Sir, do you remember the morning that a boy from the priestly class, Atharvan, was found dead in the rivulet outside the south gate?’

  ‘Yes, I do. I think I was bringing in some rare goods that day—frankincense, if I remember correctly—I was importing it from a faraway kingdom to our north-west. A merchant there gets it from the source and some of us buy it from him in bulk to sell here.’

  ‘Is it very expensive?’

  ‘Yes, very.’

  ‘Did you happen to see Atharvan in the morning while you were at the gate?’

  ‘No, I do not remember seeing him.’

  ‘Did you see anyone else that day?’

  Dīrghaśravas seemed to go into a trance before he remembered.

  ‘Well, Veśa was at the gate with some carts. The commander goes out every morning to practise archery in the field outside the city. He was there too.’

  Kaśyapa suddenly remembered about Dīrghaśravas’s wife. ‘Sir, how is your wife doing now? Is she free from the hostile influences that were blighting her?’

  ‘Yes, she is all right now. Thank you for asking. It would have been a great tragedy for me if she had not survived her illness.’

  ‘I understand. Do you have children?’

  ‘No, we do not. My wife and I have performed many sacrifices but the gods have not blessed us with a child yet.’

  ‘Yet.’

  ‘Yes. But we have lost all hope now. We are too old now to have children—we might not live long enough to see them grow up.’

  ‘Will there be anybody to take care of your business interests after you pass on?’

  ‘I have been training my brother’s son to take over my businesses. He is a promising young boy. As his father’s younger son, he stands to inherit only a small portion of my brother’s businesses and properties. So, we have adopted him.’

  ‘If you don’t mind me asking, had you ever asked Atharvan to perform some esoteric practices for you? Where you wanted him to cast a spell on your competitor . . .’

  ‘No, I did not ask him. I had hinted this to your guru, but he nipped my idea in the bud. He was firm that neither he nor his students would use the esoteric sciences for causing harm to anyone.’

  They chatted some more before heading back to their hosts.

  *

  Over the next few days, they met some other important persons in the kingdom with more or less similar messages about the princess and her well-being. The days they spent in their neighbouring kingdom were some of the most pleasant moments of Kaśyapa’s life. They had everything that the Aryans lacked—both essentials and luxuries.

  It took them six days to get back. The journey was fairly uneventful for everyone except Kaśyapa who had one special experience. For one night, he was transported to a world of bliss while the others slept in their tents. His close interaction with Ghoṣā during the course of their stay in the Dasyu city had left him feeling vulnerable to strong temptation.

  One day around lunchtime, he got into a conversation with the courtesan. Sitting near her, he could smell the natural scent of her body mixed with her perfume. It was exhilarating.

  She spoke with an amused expression, ‘I understand that the guru has asked you to look into the death of the boy of the priestly class, Atharvan.’

  ‘How did you know?’

  ‘That is not important. How is your investigation going?’

  ‘Sadly, it is going nowhere. I have talked to a few people including Dīrghaśravas. So far, that’s all. My guru seems to have an exaggerated impression of my powers of induction and deduction. I don’t have the slightest idea about investigations.’

  ‘Well, first of all, you need to assess the character of the boy who was killed. What was he like?’

  ‘Well, he was a very simple and straightforward person. He did not hide anything and always said and did what he felt was right.’

  ‘What else?’

  He was fascinated by her face. Struggling to concentrate, he said, ‘He trusted people implicitly. He took other people to be just as uncomplicated as he was. Often, this caused other people to take advantage of him. That is all I can think of at the moment.’

  ‘A big mistake . . . So now you have some important clues about the possible motive and opportunity for the killing.’
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br />   With great effort, Kaśyapa pulled his mind away from admiring her moving lips to listening to what she was saying. ‘And what are they?’

  ‘He may have caused somebody to feel threatened. And since he trusted people implicitly, when they may have asked him to come to the place where he could be killed, he would’ve gone.’

  ‘What you say makes sense.’

  ‘Also, remember, the motive for the killing could have been a misunderstanding. When you interrogate people, you should keep these things in mind. Also, always assess the personalities of the people you are talking to. Did the person have the strength of character required to hatch a plan, follow it up and murder somebody?’

  Kaśyapa could finally see light. ‘You are right. I need to think in terms of the motive and opportunity for the murder. If either of the two things are there, then it is the character of the person that will help me decide upon the probability.’

  ‘How are you going to keep track of all the information you get? You will be talking to a lot of people and will get a lot of details from them.’

  ‘It is going to be tough. My friend, Agastya, is helping me with the investigation. Two minds can remember better than one.’

  ‘One easy way is to create verses with key information about each person and each incident. You can also create aphorisms as memory joggers for important facts and incidents. You can then memorize these verses and aphorisms in a particular order so that you have the right picture in your mind. That is what I would do.’

  ‘Our guru told us that in some faraway kingdoms, people communicate using signs drawn on the ground or on a leather sheet, or even the bark of a tree. The symbols and signs they draw represent an idea or a sound.’

  ‘Yes, I have heard. Have you tried using this art to remember information before?’

  ‘No, our guru is yet to introduce us to this method of communication; the conservative priestly class opposes it. They say that the act of interpreting sounds and ideas as symbols makes them impure; the correct way to communicate an idea in its original form is through the spoken word. All ancient scriptures were handed down orally. Conservatives think that using symbols to represent sounds or ideas will corrupt them and introduce errors of transmission. Worse yet, this knowledge might be manipulated or stolen by anyone who manages to crack the codes.’

  ‘Naturally, people are opposed to anything new. I feel that the main reason is that people feel newer ways of doing things will allow the disadvantaged to catch up with them and deprive them of their privilege.’

  Ghoṣā’s knowledge, erudition and beauty left a deep impression on Kaśyapa.

  *

  That night, he kept thinking about the things she had said. He had learnt a lot in just one conversation with her; he now had a sound basis for his investigation. Soon, his mind slipped away from what she had said to how she had looked and smelt. The memory was arousing; he slowly fell into a dream—one in which he was with her, inside her house in Parśuvarta. Though Kaśyapa had been to her house before, he had never seen the hall where she entertained her clients. But there it stood in his dream—well-lit and decorated. His thoughts started running wild and his eager anticipation warped his logic. He was inside her house with Agastya during the second part of the night. Many prominent men of the city were there—the commander, the prince and others. He saw his guru telling them to go back and then he saw Jaraduṣṭra, warning them loudly about the wrath of Varuṇa. It was all a blur.

  The courtesan was welcoming him and Agastya into the large hall, where her girls, all modestly dressed, were dancing gracefully to soft music coming from reeds and horns, and other string and percussion instruments. The clients were sitting on woollen cushions and drinking soma and surā. Both Agastya and he too sat on the cushions to watch the dancers when he noticed the courtesan looking at him from one of the inner chambers. She beckoned him to join her. He got up and went after her; her smell was so heady that he almost swooned.

  She looked beautiful as she led him to her bed and handed him a very potent drink. There was a song wafting into the chambers:

  Like as a bull with pointed horn, loud bellowing amid the herds,

  Sweet to thine heart, O Indra, is the brew which she who tends thee pours. Supreme is Indra over all.4

  His mind was whirling because of an all-consuming desire.

  Mother whose love is quickly won, I say what verily will be.

  My breast, O Mother, and my head and both my hips seem quivering. Supreme is Indra over all.5

  As a celibate student, he had been taught to resist temptation always.

  He is not powerful, whose hairy organ becomes erect from hanging down.

  He is indeed powerful, whose penis hangs between his thighs. Indra is superior to all.6

  But no! Today he felt that:

  He is not powerful, whose penis hangs between his thighs.

  He is indeed powerful, whose hairy organ becomes erect from hanging down. Indra is superior to all.7

  The horse would draw an easy car, gay hosts attract the laugh and jest.

  The male desires his mate’s approach, the frog is eager for the flood. Flow Indu, flow for Indra’s sake.8

  She was very good and he enjoyed the intimacy in his imagination:

  No Dame hath ampler charms than I, or greater wealth of love’s delights.

  None with more ardour offers all her beauty to her lord’s embrace. Supreme is Indra over all.9

  11

  Sudās Is Married

  On the twentieth day of Madhu, the embassy arrived in Parśuvarta. Kaśyapa could not help but tell his friends about the wonders of the Dasyu capital. He went on and on till they asked him to shut up, but Vasiṣṭha could see that the trip had been very beneficial for Kaśyapa.

  ‘Okay. I can see that you all are getting bored,’ Kaśyapa observed.

  ‘That is an understatement,’ Agastya said. ‘Anyway, I have something to tell you. The guru has just asked Bhārgava to take lessons from Jaraduṣṭra in order to understand the nuances of the Varuṇa religion.’

  ‘That is strange—why would our guru send him to learn from Jaraduṣṭra? He himself can teach him!’

  ‘It seems Bhārgava went to the guru to ask him for permission to do so. Bhārgava felt that he would learn better if a proponent of the religion taught him.’

  Kaśyapa felt envious of Bhārgava. He should have been the one to learn about Varuṇa worship first, since he was better at debates. But then it struck him that he had got the opportunity to go to the Dasyu capital. He too had been lucky.

  Agastya continued, ‘Bhārgava seems to be aspiring towards becoming the chief proponent of Indra worship, the way Vāyata is for Varuṇa worship. He told the guru that he wants to actively debate and ultimately defeat the Varuṇa thought. The guru has agreed; it looks like he has officially acknowledged Bhārgava to be his chief disciple, like Vāyata is Jaraduṣṭra’s.’

  Kaśyapa was doubtful. He was thinking if Bhārgava had the mental resolve that Vāyata did. Aloud, he said, ‘That is good. The guru needs a person who can actively do Indra’s bidding. He is too busy with all his other duties.’

  ‘I picked up another interesting bit of news yesterday.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Jaraduṣṭra and Vāyata visited Queen Menakā. They wanted her and the king to convert to Varuṇa worship, in return for which Jaraduṣṭra promised to ensure that they would receive the support of the western and north-western Aryan kingdoms in overthrowing the prince. He said they would then install Kutsa as the heir and the queen could seize complete control of the kingdom once again.’

  ‘So, Jaraduṣṭra is openly supporting a counter-revolution?’

  ‘Not openly, but word has got around.’

  Things are getting interesting, Kaśyapa thought to himself.

  *

  Vasiṣṭha pronounced the twelfth day of the month of Mādhava, the one hundred and first day of the year, as the auspicious day for Sudās’s an
d Jabālā’s marriage. The second barley crop had been harvested two or three days before the day fixed for the marriage. Their sacrifices must have been received well—the gods had given them good crops that year. They would store the excess grain in granaries across the kingdom. The grains would be distributed throughout the year to people in need. The prince’s rule was starting to have its effect.

  The wedding was to be performed according to Aryan rites. Normally, Aryan marriages took place in the bride’s house, but Turvaśa insisted that Sudās be married in Parśuvarta itself since he wanted to be there for the wedding but was in no position to travel. A small palace and the houses around it, situated just outside the city, were arranged to serve as a residence for the Dasyu royal family and their retinue of guests. The marriage was to be held there. On the day before the wedding, the bride and the groom had to offer separate sacrifices in their respective houses. The bride, under the guidance of an Aryan priest, offered sacrifices to Indra and Indraṇī, and sang verses addressed to Kāma, the god of love; the groom offered sacrifices to the various gods of food and fertility.

  On the day of the marriage, the prince was led to his bride’s house by the young women of her party. It was the first part of the day. The bridegroom gave the bride a new set of clothes and put in her left hand a porcupine quill, and in her right, a mirror. The ceremonies were held outside the house, where the sacrificial fire, water, roasted grains and a stone were kept ready. The bride’s father, the Dasyu king, ritually adorned the bride by tying a coloured string round her neck, a symbol of her married status, and formally gave her away to the groom.

  The bride and bridegroom sat on a woollen mat by the fire. Oblations of ghee were offered into the fire by the priests performing the ceremonies. A cousin of the bride, as she had no brother, poured grains into her hands. The prince then made his bride stand on a ritual stone and invoked her to be as firm as the stone. Then the bride was led around the fire three times by the prince keeping their right side to the fire.