Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

by Anand Neelakantan

  “Anger is the lowest emotion. It clouds the intellect and can make you do foolish things. You become blind to reason and react only with your body, without thinking. This leads to failure in every sphere. Uproot this evil from your system.

  The next base emotion is Pride. Arrogance stems from pride and kills clear thinking and vision. Pride makes you underestimate your foes and overestimate yourself. Jealousy is a vile emotion, and mastering it is one of the most challenging tasks a human being has. Jealousy makes you pine for other man’s kingdom, wealth, wife and fame. This emotion has lead to many wars, bloodshed and tears since time immemorial.

  Happiness and sadness are just two eternal truths like day and night. A man of superior intellect is never affected by these emotions. They are not base emotions at all but a reflection of our thoughts, a reaction to our perspective on things we see, hear and do. Equanimity is not only desirable in a warrior, but a must. Without it, you are as good as dead in the battlefield.

  Fear is not an emotion, it is a disease. It spreads from the leader to his followers and vice–versa. Nothing has killed more men in war than fear. What should a warrior fear? Death? But death is what everyone achieves ultimately. Is it wounds that you fear? What is more important? A pint of your blood or the nectar of victory? Think. Thinking will clear such doubts.

  Nothing is more condemnable than selfishness. A man who thinks of himself alone is the most unlucky person of all. Why is one born? Is it t SborNoto get fed and grow fat? Is to procreate and multiply like pigs? Is to defile this good earth with bodily wastes and then die without creating any ripples in the world? What is his life worth if it does not light at least a small light in the darkness that is crushing our people. Ravana, abhor this vile emotion of selfishness.

  Love is a chain that ties you to the millstone of make-belief. A warrior should focus on victory and victory alone. That should be your only Dharma. Do your duty to your people, parents, wives, sisters, brothers and Gods, but never ever love them. Love makes you weak. Love has unseen bondages that take you into the abyss of failure at that crucial moment when victory and failure get balanced. Beware of love.

  Finally, control your ambition. Ravana, I can see the fiery ambition burning in your eyes. But do not be reckless. Take only what life offers you as your own. Let your life follow its own tide. Aim for things and strive to achieve them, but always keep your feet solidly on the ground. Think, think and think, before you act.

  The only thing worth preserving is your mind. Your mind absorbs the knowledge you gain from your Gurus, your books and your life, and refines it to great wisdom. It is what you have to develop. Every living minute you have to strive to feed your mind with fresh and positive inputs. This will give clarity to your vision and immense power to your action. You will make fewer mistakes and also learn faster from them.

  Ravana, you have a great destiny before you. I have never seen anyone who can mend my broken dreams. Never before have the poor Asuras had someone so suitable to lead them to victory and eternal glory. Ravana, lead them with wisdom and empathy. You can give them back their lost empire and redeem their forgotten civilization, you can colour their aspirations and fire their imagination. I can visualize you flying atop a fiery horse, your sword outstretched, your thick black mane flying in the gusty wind, leading the bravest Asura warriors to charge upon Deva forces. I can see the Deva cities crumbling. Yes, I can hear the distant tremors of a coming storm. They are faint now, but the power they are going to unleash on this holy land of India will be tremendous. They will uproot the current system, demolish a million myths and rewrite history. Ravana, I believe, the world will be yours, unless you forget the ten lessons I have just mentioned. I believe Brahma has done enough for you to shed the nine thinking heads from you. Only the most important one, the mind, remains. The education you received is the ultimate sacrifice, your tapsya. You are now refined intelligence in its purest form. And with clear logic and action, you will lead the Asuras to regain their past glory. Go Ravana, and own the world!”

  Was it the foolishness of youth or an inner urge to speak my heart which prompted me to contradict the great Emperor? I have yet to figure it out. But even now, as I am being eaten alive by rats and jackals, I believe the things I told him then. I can still see the look of astonishment, then anger, then infinite and indescribable sadness, which played upon the old face. It hurts me to even think of it, but my youth gave me the impudence to press on.

  “Your highness, these are noble thoughts, but what you are demanding is impossible. I am sorry to say this, but is the shedding of the nine emotions or nine thinking heads as you call them, which I need to shed for the sake of success, practical? I am a good student and I have learnt my lessons well but I shall always have my own opinion about things. Do not think that I am arrogant. Please hear me out.

  You were talking about anger, your Highness. I agree, that misdirected anger can cause harm. But is it not a basic emotion of life? If I do not get angry at the plight of the Asura tribe, that once-mighty race which Sy rut built the greatest civilization the earth has known till now, how can I claim to be one of its worthy sons? Can’t I be furious when thousands live in inhuman conditions under the yoke of Deva kings and their vassal Asura fiends? If I cannot feel frustration about the forgotten Asura arts, demolished Asura religion, pulverized Asura temples, destroyed Asura kingdoms, and cowering cowards who drag themselves on all fours in front of Deva kings and petty nobles claiming to represent Asura interests, tell me sir, what emotion should I feel? Is it not anger that will electrify my thoughts and push me into positive action? I am sorry sir, but I will never lose this emotional head – the head of anger.

  Why should pride and vanity be held in contempt? I feel proud about my people, our race, our culture, language art and music. I feel proud about myself for having immense energy and the will to succeed. I do not believe that a person should always be meek, beg for food or live in eternal poverty and all the stuff which Brahmins preach but not a single one ever practises.

  If I struggle hard in my life to achieve success, I have every right to be proud of it, I have every right to bask in vanity and luxury. Why did the kings of the past build great temples and cities? Why did the nobles donate towards charity and religion? Is it not to exhibit their vanity and pride? Most humble men are either hypocrites or have much to be humble about. Success breeds pride and vanity. And pride is the only reward of success.

  Jealousy is the biggest force that motivates humankind. Why do empires compete with each other? Why do kings try to outsmart each other in what they do, if not motivated by the jealousy they feel? Jealousy is the driving force of progress, envy is the motivating force of life. The need for importance is the most important of urges after the basic physical urges of food, shelter and sex. Even these basic urges have their root in jealousy. To deny jealousy is to deny the basic instincts of man. Sorry sir, but what you are asking is impractical.

  You talk about equanimity in sadness and happiness. Is this possible ever? When my beloved ones depart from this world, should I remain calm? Should I deny myself the consolation of crying? If I become incapable of feeling happiness, what shall become of me? If I do not find happiness in the beauty of the rising sun, if I cannot feel ecstasy in the smile of a little baby, if I cannot lose myself in the happiness of music, is life worth living? Fear is the greatest instinct of man and beast, and you ask me to ignore it. Sir, I am not afraid to say that I am scared. I am frightened of many things. I am no coward but fear sleeps somewhere in my heart. I am afraid of death and the people who claim they are not afraid of death. They are either foolish and will drag others down with them also, or they are evil men who hate everybody.

  I am afraid of losing many things, worthless though they may be, but I would have gained them through my sweat and blood. I am afraid that my loved ones may fall prey to disease. I am afraid that some battles might claim my faithful brothers. Strong rain can wash away my sister and mother into the waiting ocea
n. I am aware with every breath I take that I take steps towards my death. But I do not fear fear so much as to deny its very existence. It is this fear that helps me remain prepared for dangers that I must face. It is fear that makes me understand that there are things that I cannot control and helps me to understand God and myself.

  You call selfishness a base emotion. But it is this trait which has built great cities around the world and the very foundation of ambition. Without a highly centered ego and the desire to achieve the treasures of this world, would one succeed in life? When I see a lovely girl, a fascinating place, a charming village, a sparkling diamond, a prosperous S a fascina country, ambition flutters in my soul. I want the charms of this world to be mine and mine alone. You may try to kill my base thoughts, but my King, pardon my impudence and tell me in all honesty, was it not from the same selfishness that you built an empire? You did not become a mendicant, but strived to become the Emperor of the whole world. If it was not for this base instinct of selfishness, why did you slay thousands in war? Why did you lead your mighty armies against the Devas? You had one aim only, you wanted glory for yourself, your clan, your tribe – whichever way one looks at it, the word you is prominent. I want to achieve whatever you achieved and much more. I am willing to risk being known as the most selfish man in the world, rather than dying unknown as a selfless non-entity.”

  The old man sat there with fire in his eyes. I felt myself cowering. But, as I had started, I did not want to leave things unsaid. I collected my thoughts and pressed on, “It’s pity that you and Brahma look down on love as a base emotion. Without love, without the king of emotions, nothing exists. There’s nothing more pure than the love of a mother for her baby. If one has not felt the painful need to be with one’s lover, if you do not feel the love for your own brothers, sisters, your father who made you, your mother who carried you in her womb and raised you with her blood and milk, for friends and those little cherished moments of togetherness, your wife for sharing your life with you and for your children for carrying your life forward, then is this life worth living? Is it not love for your country, tribe, language, religion, Gods, and so many other things, which may seem trivial but which are so preciously held in the bosom of men, that has led to so much bloodshed and war? People have died for love in the past and will continue to do so as long as the world exists. I shall always love the things I have told you about. But yes, I shall love myself above them all. Without me, nothing which is lovable has any meaning to me. I love because I exist and I exist because I love – I love myself.

  Ambition is the key to progress. Without ambition, the kings of Egypt would not be so busy building those pyramids right now. Without ambition, men would have remained hunters. There would not have been wheels, horsecarts or chariots, magnificent cities, temples and palaces, nor majestic sailing ships. Without ambition, we would not have had a Mahabali or Indra. Ambition is the horse that pulls our lives forward.

  The amazing speed of progress man has achieved in the past few years would have not been achieved without that small flame of ambition in the minds of a few men, which was fanned to become a huge fire by the other emotions you have urged me to shun. Pride in one’s capability gave men the confidence and ambition to grow; jealousy that someone else would achieve more prodded him to work hard and more efficiently; the quest for happiness resulted in ever-expanding ambition; the fear of sadness kept him awake at night and pushed him further; the fear of failure made him more careful and God-fearing; selfishness glued his family, city, clan, tribe and country together and made him strive even harder. Love for life and the things which made life precious, made him protect his achievements. and I am sure an undying ambition for more will lead mankind to progress. Progress, which we cannot even imagine, can never understand in our short lifetime.

  My beloved Emperor, please do not feel sorrow if I speak my heart. You were talking about intelligence being the only head worth having. I agree it is important. But history teaches us that without any of the other emotions, it is just an empty skeleton. There is no life in it. Sir, it was not the maharishis or sages who built civilizations but extraordinary men, who never controlled their emotions, b Sr eifeut let them flow in the direction which nature intended. No mendicant living in a forest ever conceived a great city, no sage was determined to built the great temples, no Brahmin desired to built great ships for commerce and trade. These were built by men who had pride in their veins, anger in their minds, who cried when they felt sad and laughed when they were happy, who were frightened when confronted by forces or events bigger than themselves, but strove forward with determination and a selfish love for all that they cherished. They constantly kept raising their levels of ambition. Intelligence is just a tool to serve our emotions and I want to live as God intended man to live.

  My aim is neither become God nor achieve moksha. At best I think, those are old wives tales. I do not believe in a heaven where you will be given all that you purposefully denied yourself in this world. I do not believe in rebirth, when I will be born as a Brahmin if I do good deeds in this life – good in the way the Brahmins describe. If being born a Brahmin is the ultimate reward, then I may even refuse to die for fear of being reborn.

  I am sad to disappoint you, but I shall live like a man and die as one. I will never try to be a God. I will live exactly as my emotions tell me to. I do not want to be a model man for future generations to follow. My life begins with me and ends with me. But I will live my life to its full and die as a man should. So borrowing from your words, I shall be a man with ten faces – I am Dasamukha.”

  A thick silence followed. Brahma stood staring at his bare toes and the shrunken Emperor’s fiery eyes bored through me. I found a sudden energy flowing in my veins. Until I delivered my long speech, I was not myself sure of my life’s philosophy. Until then I had wondered if I was betraying the trust the great old man had placed upon me. But suddenly I found I was looking at him with a new pair of eyes. He was shrinking fast in my estimate. He was just a shrunken, beaten, half-dead old man who had a pretentious air about him, as if he was still ruling the country. He was just a mountain rat, hiding from Deva forces and fighting his own puppy war in his backyard.

  The voice I heard then was a weak murmur. He tried to rise himself but crumbled before me. I watched in horror. The pale figure slowly rose to his knees. With glassy eyes, he stared past me and then quite melodramatically raised his head and stared. I had no time for an old man’s ramblings. I turned my back and with a deliberate toss of my head, walked out with my brothers following me. Vibhishana, with faltering steps, turned back many times towards the old man who had now raised both his hands towards the sky and was rambling. But Kumbakarna followed me with steps more determined than my own and a smile on his lips. A motley crowd of Mahabali’s warriors followed me, their swords and shields clattering as they walked.

  I stepped out into the blazing sun with my band of followers. The earth was fresh from a recent shower, as if the Creator had just finished his work and gone to bathe. I inhaled the smell of the forest blooms and wet, red earth. The chirping of birds was music to my ears. The world lay with wide open arms, inviting me to join in this exhilarating journey of life. As I took my first step, I heard a sharp-pitched wail from the cave I had left behind. My spine chilled but I walked on, trying hard to close my ears to the old man’s soul-piercing wail that rose from the depths of that stinking cave. “What have I unleashed?!” the crazy old man kept wailing. I soon shut out the miserable sounds and the world the old man represented, f

  rom my mind. I forgot about it for a long time until it came back to haunt me in my sleep. But that was later, much later. I am now running ahead of myself.

  6 Devil’s raid

  Bhadra

  I had been fighting this fool’s war for the last few years. I fought under Mahabali for six years, then tried to form my own group and failed. Then I fought under Sumali. I was neither a great fighter, nor a great organizer. Short, plump, with so
ft hands, I am just an ordinary man. Just like a vegetable vendor, the bullock cart man, peddler in the market, or even the washerman. I am a nobody. I do not have a steely glare and arching brows. My nose is not hooked and my lips do not draw a determined, straight line. I do not have high cheek bones or a cleft chin. I had another name earlier in my life, but now I am known only as Bhadra.

  I never had large ambitions. I looked after my farm on the banks of the river Poorna. It had some pepper vines, a few coconut palms and two cows. I was happy with my wife and a lively three-year-old daughter. My village was small but it had everything – the sacred grove, a small shrine for Shiva, a toddy shop and a small school, where basic crafts like masonry, farming, mathematics and other necessary subjects were taught. There was also a house of pleasure, a quack who called himself a doctor, a priest to fleece us, and a public bath where we bathed along with our buffaloes. I lived like my father, who had lived like his father. My children would also live like me, growing up in the same street, bathing in the same pond, falling in love with the dusky beauties of the village, marrying, procreating and dying quietly, mourned by a few and not in the least missed by the world.

  My life would have gone on like that, without any punctuations, to end simply with a full stop. But the arrival of the Devas changed everything. We did not know who these creatures were until they came and knocked us down. I remember those days with horror. We heard the rumblings of distant war through the occasional traders who came to collect pepper from our farms. They spoke about how the Deva forces were grouping under Vishnu, the chief Deva, and how Mahabali was bracing for war. We ignored these rumours. These were unimportant things and happened to someone else in far-off places. Kings fought wars and won or lost their kingdoms and their lives. We were the lesser mortals and cared nothing about the dirty world of politics. I believed that Mahabali was invincible. He was thought to be just and tried to rule with his subjects in mind. Atleast that is what the village elders told us and we had no reason to disbelieve them. We continued to live the same way no matter who ruled in the distant capital. So long as they did not bother us, we would always say they were good rulers.