Tenth Avatar: A quest for answers

by Kanchan Joshi

  Tenth Avatar: A Quest for Answers

  Copyright © 2017 by Kanchan A. Joshi

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Braveship Books

  www.braveshipbooks.com

  Aura Libertatis Spirat

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Print Edition:

  ISBN 13: 978-1-64062-017-9

  ISBN-10: 1-64062-017-6

  Kindle Edition:

  ISBN 13: 978-1-64062-018-6

  ISBN-10: 1-64062-018-4

  ePub Version:

  ISBN 13: 978-1-64062-019-3

  ISBN-10: 1-64062-019-2

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication:

  Dedicated to my parents, all the brilliant and dedicated scientists, Sadhguru, Shree Swami Samarth, and Lord Hanuman.

  Introduction

  By the time, I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, I thought I knew everything about science. When I finished my Doctorate, I realized I knew nothing.

  Once I completed college, I thought I knew everything about human history and the journey humans have undertaken so far. When I saw research on the amazing things our ancestors have done, which is not taught in the textbooks, I realized I knew nothing about history.

  I thought people worked to take care of themselves and their families. But then, I saw people give their lives for others’ well-being, I realized there was more to life than what met the eye.

  Eye opening experiences such as these inspired me to write this book. The book explores various questions about the true nature of life and the universe from both eastern-spiritual, intuitive and western-logical, scientific perspectives—all wrapped in the package of a fast-paced, fictional adventure. It explores the quintessential human quest for uncovering the true nature of our experiences and aspirations, the mysteries of our history, and the application of the scientific method for answering these questions in the form of a gripping thriller.

  I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing the book!

  Characters and Places

  Hanuman A warrior, yogi, immortal being

  Anjani Hanuman’s human mother

  Kesari Hanuman’s biological father, army General, simian

  Vali Brutal, powerful king of Kishkindha

  Sugriv Vali’s younger brother

  Ravan Powerful demon king of the southern island of Lanka

  Kishkindha Region in ancient southern India

  Vanara Forest dweller

  Mahadev The Great God

  Angad Vali’s son

  Rishi Ascetic, scientist, learned, wise man

  Muni Philosopher, sage

  Jai Vanara, Jai Lanka, Jai Mahadev Battle cries

  Ashtavakra Bent man, great philosopher, visionary scientist

  Agastya Visionary scientist, philosopher, innovative Teacher

  Ram Fearless warrior, noble human and yogic master

  Lakshman Ram’s volatile and brave brother

  Sita Accomplished yogi, Ram’s wife

  Indrajit Ravan’s powerful son

  ~~~~ ~~~~

  Krish Brilliant physicist, mathematician

  Dave Krish’s advisor, professor at Cal Tech

  Kathy Krish’s lab mate, extraordinary scientist from MIT

  Mark Experimentalist, a scientist and a macho man

  Prisha Krish’s love interest

  Brooke Brave federal agent

  Ramanujan Genius, self-taught mathematician, single handedly developed mathematics with applications in number theory, mock theta functions used to understand black holes. Fellow of Royal Society, Fellow of Trinity College

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Characters and Places

  Chapter 1: The Battle

  Chapter 2: The Fog

  Chapter 3: Raw Power

  Chapter 4: Clarity

  Chapter 5: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

  Chapter 6: Quest for Proof

  Chapter 7: An Exemplary Life Shows the Path Forward

  Chapter 8: Distractions Obscure Goals

  Chapter 9: Life After Truth

  Chapter 10: Hurdles in the Quest

  Chapter 11: The Teacher Removes Doubts and Guides

  Chapter 12: Despair: Humans Are Beyond Help

  Chapter 13: The War

  Chapter 14: The Final Assault

  Chapter 15: The Ruler Who Listens

  Chapter 16: The Tenth Avatar

  Chapter 17: Beyond This World

  References and Inspiration

  Chapter 1

  The Battle

  ~~~~~~~

  Ancient India

  ~~~~~~~

  Freedom does not come without a fight, for an individual or a society.

  Father, please tell me the story of that famous battle you talk about,” Hanuman said pleadingly, pulling his father’s hand to make him sit for story time.

  “I would love to, son,” his father said. He set aside his heavy mace and sat down.

  Hanuman’s father, General Kesari, had fought in the battle of Kishkindha. It was an incredible honor. As he described it, his enormously strong chest swelled with pride and his eyes sparked with a special jyoti, light. Kesari took a deep breath and arranged the different pieces of the battle in his mind before describing them to Hanuman in vivid detail.

  Hanuman felt as if he had been there by his father’s side.

  Kesari relished the opportunity to remind his son of the great history and the beautiful geography of their homeland.

  Hanuman’s mother looked at her husband adoringly as he told the story. She was proud to be the wife of the great General Kesari. She enjoyed watching the father-son interaction. Listening intently, she thanked the Great God Mahadev, in her heart, for her beautiful family.

  Hanuman belonged to the Vanara community—the forest dwellers. They had long body hair, some had tails, and some suffered swollen jaws. This was the price they paid for their superior physical build and strength. They were bred this way by the use of special technology by the Rishis, the scientists. Most Vanara, who were not of nobility, lived in the forests. Vanara made political and military alliances with human kings during times of war.

  The bloodbath had taken place in the Kishkindha Mountains in the southwest part of Ancient India.

  Hanuman sat captivated as Kesari narrated the story:

  “The brave King Vali paced rapidly through his battle formation. His golden pendant shone in the sun. The pendant was a gift from his father, Indra—the king of the gods. It increased his strength two times over. The pendant boosted the king’s already sky-high confidence and made him feel invincible.

  ‘It is a yantra, a machine,’ whispered some of the soldiers.

  ‘He grunts like an elephant in musth, clinching his teeth,’ another general said to his captain.

  Vali uprooted small Sal trees and tossed them casually at the enemy to strike fear into their demonic hearts.

  ‘Victory to the king of the Vanara,’
shouted Vali’s army, raising their maces. The army arranged themselves in the eagle formation. The beak of the eagle formation was a wedge-shaped pack of the most elite fighters, led by Vali himself. Vali gave them enormous strength and belief—belief that they would survive and return home, belief that they could win this brutal fight against a great invader. The beak was followed by the head—made up of heavily armed fighters. The beak and the head were designed to crush the five-headed serpent formation of the enemy. The wings of the eagle formation had five columns of soldiers, each with the fastest and most skilled warriors on the outside. The body of the eagle was created by the rest of the army.

  The warriors wore no armor because of the hot weather. Sugriv, who was Vali’s brother, and I were at the head of the eagle formation.

  ‘You strike hard after I hit these Asuras,’ Vali commanded. Sugriv made eye contact with him and nodded obediently.

  Vali’s enemy was Ravan, the king of demons, the Asuras, who had come from across the ocean to the south. He planned to steal the superior human breeding technology of the Vanara and combine it with his own weapons technology to form a super army that would have no equal. He was a great visionary with tremendous power. Some claimed he obtained his powers from the Great God Mahadev in the Himalayas.

  The strong and confident Vali appeared not to be worried about Ravan, especially on his familiar home turf. After all, it was well known that the invading army would lose half of its strength just getting to the battlefield through the difficult Kishkindha Mountains.

  Everyone knew Vali was interested in his brother’s beautiful wife. He had scant respect for his brother. Vali thought Sugriv was timid and soft and did not deserve to have such a beautiful lady as his wife. He didn’t believe that Sugriv deserved to have any power either. Vali believed power, just like the 30kg mace he carried with great skill, should only rest with people like himself, who had the brawn to handle it. And because of their superior strength and fighting power, only a few special people deserved to rule and enjoy the most beautiful things in life.

  Vali glanced contemptuously toward Sugriv. He had just turned his gaze away from his brother when a flying machine was seen rising above the plateau. It started raining mukta—hand launched—and mantramukta—sound launched—weapons at the Vanara army. The Vanara, without helmets or armor, were easy targets. The brave soldiers took the heat without breaking rank.

  ‘I will break their amateur eagle formation with a few strikes of astra- my weapons. And when they literally run with their tails between their legs, my brave Asuras will swallow this little eagle without even a burp,’ Ravan was overheard boasting to his general.

  The general let out the battle cry, ‘Victory to Lanka! By this time tomorrow, we will be on our way home with their beautiful women, wealth, slaves, and secrets of breeding!’ he exclaimed with lustful eyes.

  However, Vali had other plans.

  ‘I will teach this egomaniac such a lesson that his seven generations will not dare even look at Kishkindha with evil intentions,’ Vali said to his captain. Vali decided to take the battle to the enemy.

  ‘No point in waiting! Let us send these barbarians back to the ocean!’ Vali shouted to his men.

  ‘Jai Vanara-raj! Asuras die in the ocean!’ the soldiers roared back. Vali charged forward. He was furious about the sudden attack from the flying machine.

  ‘I cannot wait to crush the skulls of these Asuras,’ Vali said to his captain.

  The Vanara slammed into the Asuras. They used powerful blows from their maces to break helmets, skulls, and rib cages into pieces. In addition to their regular army, as soon as the battle cry was heard, hordes of Vanara appeared from the forest line with uprooted trees and boulders. Ravan’s army was encircled.

  Ravan knew he had to do something. He was playing into the hands of Vali. By attacking Ravan’s army in such a short time, and with everything he had, Vali had negated his opponent’s advantage of superior weaponry. Ravan could not use the weapons when there was no way to selectively target the enemy.

  ‘This disgusting monkey is too smart,’ Ravan roared with contempt toward Vali. ‘Do you not know you are fighting the Great Ravan? You scum of the forest who calls himself a king,’ he said, trying to get under Vali’s skin. Ravan knew he had to act quickly. He attempted to target the Vanara generals, and Vali, by flying low and slow, merely a few feet from the ground.

  Vali noticed his tactic immediately. He asked the bodyguard fighting next to him to fetch Sugriv.

  After only a few moments the bodyguard returned with Sugriv. ‘Put this on,’ Vali said as he handed over his shiny golden pendant to Sugriv. The two brothers looked identical. The Vanara army would not notice the absence of their king. Vali ran toward the forest and quickly climbed a Sal tree. He patiently waited for the right moment, as a skilled hunter would. In a few moments, he heard the flying machine just behind his position, and rapidly approaching. He took a monumental leap from the tree. For a moment, he himself appeared to be flying. He hit the door of the machine and slammed it open as he landed with his mace at the ready.

  Ravan was stunned by this raw display of valor by the king. Before Ravan could adjust to the fact that his enemy was standing right next to him, Vali landed a mighty blow to his face.

  Due to the commotion, the pilot of the aircraft lost control and crash-landed.

  Ravan did not even get a chance to retrieve his mace; Vali caught his neck in a vice grip under his armpit and chocked it with his enormous biceps, cutting off his airway and rendering him defenseless.

  Vali came out onto the battlefield holding the still struggling, great King Ravan in this humiliating position before his men. Ravan’s army was utterly astonished. The flying ape had ended the battle in one daring leap.

  Vali imposed a demeaning treaty on Ravan. As further reminder not to cross his path again, Vali personally cracked open the skulls of five of Ravan’s captains—after challenging them to a duel they knew they could not refuse per the warrior’s code of conduct, the kshatriya dharma.”

  Kesari paused to be sure that he still had his son’s attention. “After the battle, Vali asked a few Rishis to be brought to his palace.

  ‘Write down the full description of the night sky. Note the location of the five visible planets—Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, the sun and the moon. Spread the folklore to all Vanara in a way that is easy to remember. The great Vali, and this day, should be remembered for eons. Exaggerate if you have to, understood?’ Vali said condescendingly to the scientists.

  Yes, he was the king, but the Rishis were higher in the social hierarchy and had to be shown respect… at least outwardly.

  Vali’s female servants helped him put on his short dhoti, gold bracelets, thick anklets, intricately carved arm ornaments, and heavy gold chains with rare jewels.

  Vali celebrated his victory with a big feast.”

  Kesari’s description of the battle filled Hanuman’s heart with excitement. He too dreamed of becoming a great warrior. He urged his father to tell him more stories.

  Kesari looked at his beautiful, ideal, pativrata wife. She smiled approvingly and nodded her head gently. She had finished her chores while listening to the story. It was a starry night with the crescent moon adoring the sky. The family sat around the fire pit outside their home.

  “Why was Sugriv banished from the kingdom? Why does he live in the Rishyamukha hills?” Hanuman asked.

  Hanuman hung on Kesari’s every word as he began a new tale:

  “A demon challenged Vali to a duel. Per our kshatriya dharma, as you know, Vali could not refuse when challenged.”

  “I think the clever Rishis came up with all these rules to protect the weaker sections of society, and more importantly themselves, from the anger, pride, and jealousy of the powerful warrior class,” Hanuman’s mother theorized.

  “Never challenge a warrior to a duel unless you really want to fight, and don’t challenge a lady to a debate unless you really want to argue,�
�� Kesari chuckled.

  “All right, continue your story,” Hanuman’s mother said firmly. “I am sleepy.” She thought she was just stating facts.

  Kesari continued.

  “In the middle of the night, Vali came out of his palace to accept the challenge posed by the demon.

  Sugriv ran after him to prevent him from fighting in the dark with this other worldly creature who possessed strange powers—such as levitating, changing forms, becoming invisible, and other such black magic tricks.

  Vali did not care about all the trickery, especially while wearing Indra’s golden pendant; it had metal arms attached to it, specifically designed for duels.

  At the sight of Vali, the demon started running.

  Sugriv thought it was a trap but Vali did not give two hoots. He was eager to smash the demon’s skull into a thousand pieces. He had not killed an Asura in some time, and his hands were thirsty for blood. Vali charged ahead. Thankfully, there was some moonlight present.

  The demon ran for a while in the darkness. He suddenly disappeared into a hole near what appeared to be a cave.

  Hanuman, I must add here that these Rishis talk some nonsense about different worlds being connected through such holes. Maybe the demon came from another world. I have no idea. As such, a particular sect of these Rishis consumed peculiar drinks; maybe that is why they came up with such strange ideas,” Kesari said. Not knowing if this was truth or fantasy, he felt compelled to mention it because of the strange powers and appearance of the Asuras.

  Kesari continued, “Vali followed the demon into the hole. He instructed Sugriv to stand guard outside, to avoid any possibility of being trapped. Sugriv guarded the entrance of the hole for an entire year. Then, he heard the demon make an awful sound and saw blood gushing out of the hole. He assumed the worst, that Vali had been killed in the battle. He plugged the hole with a huge boulder to seal it, then returned to Kishkindha.

  Now, there is another incredible idea by the Rishis. When the Rishis travel to God Brahma’s world, time passes slowly. They think they have only spent but a few moments, however, here in Kishkindha, one hundred years may have passed. It is strange, but some Rishis say that is exactly what happened to Vali. He thought he was gone only a few moments, but in Sugriv’s time, it had been over a year,” Kesari paused. “I have no idea how all this works. I am a warrior. I kill the enemy in front of me. I heard all these things when the Rishis described them to Vali. Honestly, the king does not believe or understand these talks either. He just humors the Rishis. But hey, it makes for a good story!” Kesari chuckled.