Pralay- The Great Deluge

by Vineet Bajpai

  This was the most impudent world-view Vidyut had ever heard of. Anyone even attempting something like this had to be either a lunatic or a superhuman.

  Constantine the Great was a bit of both.

  ‘How can anyone think up something so incongruous, Baba? It is a Herculean task to even keep a great nation like India under one unified identity, given the politically motivated separatist forces at play. But even if we take the politics away, how can human beings, richly diverse as they are, be whipped into artificial uniformity? How can free will, liberty, choices, preferences, aspirations and loyalties be permanently compromised? How can people be treated like sheep?’ asked Vidyut irritably. He was finding it almost offending that one emperor could have the audacity to try and control the fate of not just the global populace of his own time, but also those that were to follow generations later!

  Dwarka Shastri smiled wearily, not looking at Vidyut. He was glad his great grandson felt the same angst about this medieval madness that persisted till this day.

  ‘Constantine’s mandate to the first ring of the brotherhood that he commissioned at Nicaea that day was simply worded. To the first twenty ‘brothers’ he handpicked to carry out his determined design he gave a straightforward primary goal -to work incessantly, unstoppably and ruthlessly towards setting up a one-world government.’

  ‘Now what on Earth is that, Baba? One-world government…? What set of madmen can ever imagine to achieve something as absurd as this?’

  The grandmaster turned to look at Vidyut and smiled. But Vidyut could see his eyes were far from any cheer of any kind.

  Dwarka Shastri now asked Vidyut something that was long overdue.

  ‘Have you heard of the Nestorian Christians, Vidyut?

  And of the Knights Templar?’

  East of Harappa, 1700 BCE

  PRALAY

  Your father did not just know about the existence of the Black Temple and its location, Manu. He was one of its principal guardians.’

  Manu was now taking a tour of the grand temple with Matsya. The blue fish-man, who Manu had come to love dearly in such a short span of time, had requested for this walkabout with the son of Vivasvan Pujari. Even as they walked from one high corridor of the magnificent temple to another, catching glimpses of intense mystics and mendicants deep in penance in their intricately sculptured prayer cells, Manu could not get two things off his mind. One, what Matsya had said a while back, in the most uncharacteristic and frightening of tones, about the coming of a great flood. Two, the seven prayer rooms, quarried highest into the steep, black walls of the hollow mountain, glowing with a divine bluish hue.

  ‘He never said anything about this temple, O Matsya,’ replied Manu. ‘Nor did mother.’

  The mention of his father and mother choked Manu for a moment, but he let it go.

  ‘But Uncle Somdutt yelled out something to me when I was riding out of the battlefield with mother, and that stuck in my mind as I rode for hours in a semi-conscious state. He asked me to ride eastwards, till I found the Black Temple’.

  Matsya halted briefly and turned to Manu.

  ‘You know you were destined to find this temple, do you not Manu? Similarly, this temple was preordained to find you! And from now on, you will be its chief priest, master and protector.’

  This was all too overwhelming for Manu. The Black Temple, the overpowering, mammoth idol of Shiva, the minutely carved, titanic cave-temple, the prophecy of a great deluge, the glowing blue caves…and now this declaration from Matsya.

  He sighed deeply, unhooked his waist-belt and pulled away his sword. Keeping it aside he sat down on one of the rock-cut stairways.

  As he settled down and looked up, he saw Matsya staring at him with the naughtiest, most amused eyes! The marvelous leader of the fish-folk burst into a soft yet infectious laughter.

  ‘Whaaat…?’ exclaimed Manu, slightly embarrassed. He was half laughing himself now, but clueless as to what Matsya found so funny.

  ‘You’re so melodramatic…taking away your scimitar, collapsing down on these steps…ha…ha…ha’ guffawed Matsya louder. ‘And…and…I loved the way you sighed…O God!’ Matsya was now laughing so loud that the whole gigantic belly of the mountain was ringing with his joyous hoot.

  Before Manu could utter another word of merry protest, he developed goose bumps at what he witnessed. The echo of Matsya’s laughter was darting across various arches and high walls of the massive temple sanctum and getting amplified. In a matter of moments Manu felt as if the whole mountain was laughing. Nay…not just the whole mountain, but also the entire universe. Every fallen leaf, every pebble, every bird, every animal, every wisp of tendril, every little gust of breeze, every ray of light, every newborn infant… entire creation seemed to be instantly immersed in the bliss emanating from Matsya.

  This was it.

  Manu got up slowly and walked up to Matsya, who was now wiping his eyes, wet with the moisture of his delightful mockery. Manu fell at his feet.

  ‘You are Vishnu, aren’t you? You can be none other than Lord Vishnu Himself, O Matsya…!’ exclaimed Manu.

  Matsya smiled, but he looked ready to break into tears. He bent down and lifted Manu up.

  ‘You are Vishnu…’ whispered Manu, staring into the eyes of Matsya with indescribable devotion. This time it was not a question.

  ‘I am not Vishnu, O great king,’ replied Matsya.

  He wasn’t.

  Just as Rama and Krishna were not exactly Vishnu.

  ‘Vivasvan Pujari, Somdutt and even Pundit Chandradhar were some of the people who were aware of the presence of the Black Temple,’ explained Matsya. ‘All of them knew that this shrine holds a mysterious crypt that is of great importance to the future of the human species. But only your father, the mighty Vivasvan Pujari and his wife Sanjna, were in the know of the real secret.’

  It always bothered Manu how Matsya referred to humanity strangely as your kind or human species. He never sounded haughty or judgmental. He did not even sound distant. But it was something that made him appear to be an otherworldly eremitic.

  ‘What does this temple hold, O great Matsya? Why did Somdutt ji direct me to it? Did he know you were here? Did he know the black-robed guardians of these mountains would rescue me? And what did you mean when you suddenly erupted and announced the onset of a devastating deluge? We all can see that a great downpour engulfs the Harappan settlements. The Saraswati is in spate too. But we have always believed that the divine Saptarishi are her children and she would never do anything to harm them. I am sorry for so many questions Matsya, but bless me with your enlightening words.’ Manu knew he was inundating the blue fish-man with queries, but he had no choice.

  Matsya’s eyes were peering deep into Manu’s. But before he answered, he picked up a bucket made of seashells woven into a container.

  ‘Bring me some water, will you please, Manu?’ said Matsya, pointing at a stream gushing out from a corner of the temple. ‘My people are thirsty.’

  Manu obliged immediately. Even the tiniest opportunity to serve Matsya in some way gave him immense delight.

  They were now strolling in the dusty plains outside the black mountain. The sky was monstrously overcast. The fury that had befallen the Harappan settlements was now spreading its dark loom over far-out lands as well. Manu and Matsya stopped and looked up at the sky as they witnessed what looked like the mass exodus of a million birds, flying in enormous formations against the terrifying clouds and thunder.

  ‘Somdutt does not know the purpose behind this mysterious temple, but he did know that the mountain-guardians are righteous warriors, loyal to both Shiva and to the Surya of Harappa – your great father. He sent you in this direction because he knew this was your only chance of survival,’ spoke Matsya, even as he continued to observe the untimely migration of the birds.

  ‘These people were loyal to my father? His influence across these lands never ceases to amaze me. Yet he died without a single friend there with him to offer
a shoulder for his last journey,’ said Manu bitterly.

  Matsya turned to Manu and put an arm on his shoulder.

  ‘Your father will have an impact greater than you can imagine, Manu. The wheels of fate have only just begun to spin. But for now we have more pressing matters to tend to.’

  ‘And what would those be, O great Matsya?’

  This time it was the fish-man that sighed. He gazed far out into the horizon visible from between the two steep mountains.

  ‘A great flood is indeed coming, Manu. A deluge so destructive that man has never known, heard of or even imagined, will soon be upon us.’

  Manu noticed that Matsya’s eyebrows were curled into wrinkles on his forehead. For the first time since he had known this mystical man, he saw worry and gloom written across his otherwise supremely radiant blue face.

  ‘I did not know you were also a soothsayer, Matsya,’ said Manu.

  Matsya turned to him looking puzzled.

  ‘But I am not a soothsayer, Manu.’

  ‘You are not? How do you know about the impending deluge if you are not an astrologer?’

  ‘That is not important, Manu. What is important is whether you believe me,’ Matsya said. He was looking straight at Manu.

  Manu smiled and said, ‘there is nothing of you that I will not believe, O Matsya. We will gather these men and head for higher ground. We will beat this flood.’

  Matsya shook his head in dismay. He looked miffed at Manu’s naive response.

  ‘Are you not listening, Manu? No mountain on Earth is high enough to escape the torrents of this great flood. This flood cannot be survived!’

  Manu was a little irritated himself now. Even though the forces of nature carried raw, brutal strength, why couldn’t man withstand another flood, even if it was going to be more devastating than ever before? Mankind always found a way!

  ‘But why do you say that, Matsya? Why can’t we survive this flood?’

  It was now that Matsya lost his cool momentarily, and shouted at Manu for him to grasp the grave reality as it was.

  ‘Because this is no ordinary flood, O son of Sanjna. It is going to destroy Prithvi and all its inhabitants - human, animal, plant, insect – nothing is going to live through this onslaught.

  Because what is coming is the ultimate finality written in our ancient scriptures!

  What is coming is nothing but PRALAY itself – the end of the world!’

  Banaras, 2017

  THE DARK BROTHERHOODS

  It was late in the night. The clock had struck 11.30 pm, which was way past the grandmaster’s bedtime. But Dwarka Shastri and Vidyut were in no rush to pack up. What they were discussing was more important than anything else in the world.

  ‘Constantine empowered a secret brotherhood and decided that Christianity was going to be the religion of the New World. I don’t think he cared much about which faith takes over anyway. His concern was to ensure that it was one faith, that’s all. Given that he was entrenched in Christianity by this time and because it was already a rapidly growing religion, he went with it. But the implications were disastrous. He commandeered this new brotherhood to not only support this one religion, but to spread it with every means available to them. If it meant war, he asked them to wage it. If it meant proselytizing, he asked them to build and unleash an army of missionaries. For him religion was the primary façade behind which his unintentionally nefarious vision was supposed to take shape. Politics and economics were to follow closely behind.’

  ‘So was Christianity always a political tool rather than a spiritual ideology, Baba?’ asked Vidyut.

  ‘Of course not, Vidyut. Christianity has always been a profound and giving religion. I have studied the Old and New Testaments, as well as the greatest story every told – the story of Jesus Christ. It propounds nothing but love, equality, forgiveness, devotion and self-sacrifice. Jesus took the suffering of the world upon Himself. How can such a faith be inherently political or imperialistic? Moreover, the magnanimity and compassion of Christianity reflects itself in its innumerable philanthropic organizations and individuals. Why go far? In India alone there are several Christian institutions and people who are working tirelessly towards the uplifting of the poor, towards healthcare, education, sanitation and so much more. So anyone pointing a finger at the religion itself will be making a very big mistake.’

  Vidyut nodded in full agreement. It was deeply satisfying for him to see his seemingly orthodox Brahmin great grandfather so well informed and egalitarian about other faiths and their virtues.

  ‘But then where did it all lose the way, Baba? We all know about the violent military Crusades of the Latin Church between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Inquisition, under the reign of which punishments like burning ‘heretics’ alive at the stake was a common practice, followed the Crusades. Reading about the atrocities and violence meted out during these so-called holy campaigns sends shivers down one’s spine. So why did all this happen, if Christianity preaches only benevolence?’

  ‘Exactly where it all goes wrong, Vidyut. The greed of man. The greed for wealth and the lust for power.’

  Their conversation was interrupted when someone knocked at the door.

  ‘Hmmm…’ responded Dwarka Shastri in his typical style.

  The door opened and Naina entered. Vidyut noticed that even at this hour she looked fresh as a daisy. She smelled like a meadow as she walked past Vidyut to the grandmaster’s bedside.

  Naina kept a tumbler of warm milk mixed with haldi (turmeric) on the side-table of the matthadheesh.

  ‘Thank you, beta,’ said Dwarka Shastri. ‘But why did you trouble yourself?’

  ‘The helpers have all retired for the day, Baba. You have not had anything to eat for hours,’ replied Naina with a smile, speaking to the grand old man like a loving daughter. Dwarka Shastri had raised her.

  Vidyut could not look Naina in the eye. He had accused her of betraying not only him but also the entire Dev-Raakshasa matth…her home. And he had not yet been able to say sorry.

  ‘Shubh raatri, Baba,’ she said. ‘Good night, Baba.’

  Naina left the room and shut the door behind her. Vidyut did not fail to note that she had not even acknowledged his presence in the room.

  I have to meet her and apologize for what I did.

  And God, she looks beautiful!

  ‘His secret brotherhood began to metamorphose into a horrible monster soon after his death on 22nd May, 337 AD. It included some of the richest and most powerful men of that time, and that made the brotherhood grow in influence at a rapid pace. Equally swift was its degeneration in terms of ideology and mission. The vision-statement of a New World Order for the betterment of mankind soon morphed into control over the whole human race based on the doctrines of the brotherhood - a minor difference, when seen from the perspective of the rulers.

  The brotherhood first crushed all the voices of dissent and opposition within the faith itself. In 431 AD the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II called another holy Council at Ephesus (near Selcuk in present-day Turkey), which declared an important sect of the Nestorian Christians to be heretics. Little did anyone at the Council know that Theodosius was a member of the secret brotherhood. He was in fact its supreme commander,’ at that time continued Dwarka Shastri.

  Vidyut was astounded with the historical prowess of his great grandfather. Moreover, his curiosity to discover the truth of the brotherhood was now irrepressible.

  ‘Please go on, Baba. What happened thereafter?’

  Dwarka Shastri took a few gulps of the warm milk, shut his eyes in concentration for a few seconds and began speaking again. He knew he had to cover nearly fifteen hundred years of bloodshed, deception, conspiracy, wars, economic crimes and genocides in a matter of hours. The sequence was critical.

  ‘Like I said, Vidyut, the corrosion of the core values of the brotherhood was rapid. It soon abandoned religion as the primary unification goal, even though it continued to be the mask behind which they co
mmitted the most unpardonable sins in the history of man for several centuries. Then they became more sophisticated, more ambitious and far more ruthless.’

  ‘What was this brotherhood called, Baba? Or please let me correct myself. What is it called, Baba?’

  Vidyut was a fast learner.

  ‘Good question, my dear Vidyut. When it all started, no one knew what the brotherhood was called. Advait Shastri also did not chronicle it in any of the matth records. But soon the secret society started to expand and establish presence across more and more countries and continents. What happened after that is what mostly ensues in cult organizations that lose their Founder and expand beyond a certain scale and size.’

  ‘They split up…’ murmured Vidyut. ‘They split up, didn’t they, Baba?’

  ‘Yes and no,’ replied Dwarka Shastri. ‘It is hard to trace the exact chronology, but first they got heavily militarized. They were so powerful that no one in the world could turn and question them as to how the faith of Christ now commanded massive armies – the Knights Templar to start with!’

  ‘Wow…’ gasped Vidyut in absolute amazement. He knew about the Knights Templar.

  ‘Just like you, most people are aware about the Knights Templar, Vidyut. But very few people know the complete history of this Order, from its origins to its supposed end.’

  ‘I am eager to know everything about them, Baba. Especially because they seem to be deeply connected to this conspiracy spanning millennia.’

  Vidyut had not failed to notice that Dwarka Shastri had just said the supposed end of the Knights Templar.

  Did the Templars still exist in some unknown and dangerous modern incarnation?

  ‘They were known by many names like Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. Also as the Order of Solomon’s Temple. But mostly they were called the Knights Templar or simply - Templars. When it began it was a Catholic military order, which later received the official blessings of the Church in 1139 AD.