Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

by Anand Neelakantan

  Bhadra was confused. I thought something in my demeanour had set off alarm bells in his subconscious. I had to watch this fe {watemeallow carefully. He could be dangerous, I warned myself. I walked briskly and he followed me with slow, deliberate steps. I could see him pondering his future action. I had my arm on my sword hilt, ready to draw and cut off his head in a clean sweep. I walked into the Council and presented my idea, actually Bhadra’s plan, but by now I had started thinking of it as my own. It could have been due to my inborn leadership qualities that this stealing of a subordinate’s idea and claiming credit for it, came easily to me. Those were still early stages and I could recollect whose ideas they were. Later, much later, I became a real leader, and then I was sure that all good ideas emanated from me and the bad and foolish ideas had some other father. The Council launched into furious debate. I raised my hand and it took a few minutes for them to notice and then they stopped. In those early days I had yet to acquire the quality of silencing people with a glance or by just raising my eyebrows.

  Prahastha immediately raised an objection. “This is too dangerous. What if there is a spy among us? What if the very first batch gets arrested and executed? Moreover, it is a sly method. That is not the Asura method of fighting. We fight as men, prudence dictates that we wait until we gain enough means and men to fight. But when we do, we will fight like warriors. This is a stupid way of doing things, Ravana. I am surprised at you.”

  It was irritating when he took that patronizing tone. Also, he was not using the honorific and was calling me by my name in Council, forgetting that I was the king and he, a mere Prime Minister. Of course, he was my uncle and could call me anything in private. In public, he had to maintain decorum, or else the entire system I was trying to build would collapse like a pack of cards.

  Maricha stood up and said, “No, Prahastha, there is no other way. The plan the boy has shared with us is excellent and we should back that. We Asuras have always lost because we played by the rules, when nobody else bothered about any. But, we have to watch out for spies. That means we have to cut all communication with strangers. Still, I know someone could leave a small palm leaf in a tree hole for a contact to collect it later. But we have to take our chances.”

  I wanted to make sure my uncles did not patronize me by calling me a boy. It was demeaning. But these people were so valuable to me that I could not protest. Even if I had protested, they would only have become confused.

  “Arrest this fellow. I want no execution, but only a detention. Do not let him out of this camp,” I told them and clapped my hands. Two soldiers with long spears came running. My uncles looked perplexed and so did my brothers. The soldiers bowed low before me. One of them had the lace of his kurta tied wrong. Oh God, how am I going to take these fools to fight, these slouchy beggars? He saw my eyes darting down from his face and he crouched lower as if paying me more respect, but really to avoid my eyes seeing the sloppy way he had dressed. “Arrest Bhadra, but do not harm him. Give him the maximum security and watch him. Tell him the King has ordered this for his protection. Now go.” I barked out the orders and they rushed out.

  I had the vague feeling that I had done something wrong but pushed it away into a recess of my mind and tried to concentrate on the debate. Sumali agreed with the expedition. I noticed with pleasure that Prahastha was fast getting isolated. Then I saw Vibhishana stand up. He rarely spoke, so anything he said carried some weight in the Council. However, I had found that he usually spoke about unnecessary and uncomfortable things and was a pain in the neck. He gave a moral twist to things and made everyone uneasy. It was as if your grand consciousness was hoveri {ss in ng over you and shaking its head in dismay at your slightest pleasure. Vibhishana was someone who constantly researched the right way to live, so much so, that he had forgotten how to live. He was a walking rulebook, with lots of obscure and utterly useless jargon and mumbo jumbo. I do not know why my hair stood up every time this pompous brother of mine spoke. It was duty to protect him. I loved him but somehow, his actions were irritating. He made me and the others feel small, as if he was the only son born of virtue and the rest of us were bastard children. Perhaps this was an affliction that came from reading too many of those philosophical books. If you read them a lot, you started believing, not in yourself but in the lifeless words of complicated arguments that lay between the pages. But, I also had a soft corner for my youngest brother. Vibhishana had yet to grow up. He believed that no evil existed in the world. Though I got riled every time he went on and on about dharma, my affection for my little brother always stopped me from being too harsh to him.

  Vibhishana began, “I don’t think we should cheat anyone. We should go and ask Kubera whether he is willing to give us a portion of his kingdom and some money to start our campaign against the Devas. We should put this money to good use and then, with our half-brother’s help, we should start negotiations with the Deva kingdoms of North India…”

  Kumbha guffawed at this suggestion. “We can also ask Kubera if he will share his wives with us. With them we can start a pleasure business to gain more money. Then we can negotiate with the Devas and ask them if they can put some investment, say their sisters or mothers, in our Asura brothel service guild, and then we can sit and calculate profit percentages. Eventually all the Devas and Asuras will share the same pit and become brothers and live happily after.” Kumbha clutched his belly and rolled around on the ground. I could not contain my merriment either and laughed out loud. Even Prahastha could not hold back a smile and the grave Sumali’s mouth twitched at the corners with the hint of a smile. Vibhishana stood there with a blank expression in his face, as if he had expected these silly comments from a boor like Kumbakarna.

  “Please, please, can we at least stick to using civil language?” Prahastha was again the moderator and slowly the laughter died off. Vibhishana sat down in his seat and became immersed in his deep thoughts or at least he gave us the impression that he was deep in thought. Finally, after a lot of deliberation, it was decided that we would stick to the original plan of getting two ships. Prahastha, along with Dhumraksha and Vajradhamstra, were to go to Mahabali and ask for money to take two ships on lease from the merchants in the port of Muzuris. It was also decided that the destination would be kept a secret from anyone outside the Council, and that both ships together would carry about 1,000 people. Maricha suggested that the ships be redesigned to have secret chambers and a deck where the men and arms could be concealed. Messengers would be sent to get engineers from the Mayan’s school on the east coast of India, to alter the ships. Maricha would lead that team.

  Kumbha and Vibhishana were to accompany Prahastha’s delegation and once the money was arranged, they were to buy the horses. Maricha was also to collect rubies and diamonds from the east coast, not real stones but fake gems shaped by the Mayans; a few gold bricks, again fake, were also to be obtained from the east coast. Maricha would accompany Kumbha and Vibhishana to Mahabali and take his share of the money for his purchases. Rudra

  ka, Jambumali, and I, would stay back and train the troops. I respected Jambumali a lot. This man, who started as a billing clerk in a spice depot and had risen to the post of Governor of Lanka under Mah {nkae troopabali, deserved respect. I had to develop a second and third rung of leaders for effective combat. There was a lot of work to do. It was a big gamble we were taking, but we did not have any choice.

  11 Traitor

  Bhadra

  Tears sprouted in my eyes. I cried like a baby by the time I reached my camp. They did not believe me. Worse, they called me a spy. The two guards who were on either side of me until I reached my camp, proved it. I was surprised to find my camp mates had moved out. I was imprisoned. The guards were quite nice to me – too nice for comfort. I cried for a long time. I wept for my wife and daughter, for my country and race. I moaned for the group of people who had followed my master, trusting him with their lives. I cried for the fact that I was no longer human, but a vampire thirsting for the blood
of the Devas. I wailed for the dark depths my soul had fallen into.

  I had to get out of this place. My King needed my service but he did not know that. I could not be kept chained like an old dog while my country prepared for war. I had to reach Lanka. I peered outside. It was a dark and silent night. Somewhere, deep inside the forest, an owl hooted. Was it a dark omen, a harbinger of things to come? It chilled my spine. The two guards were chatting. There were guards on the periphery of the camp as well. The roar of the waterfall was loud but it was just a background sound which we got used to. I had to take advantage of it. If I could reach the stream, I could follow it down by climbing the rocks on the sides of the fall. It would be slippery and dangerous but I was sure I could do it. I had climbed such rocks when I was younger, to gather honey. Of course, I was fitter then. But now, my need was greater. So it balanced out, at least I hoped so. Once I reached the river, I could use a canoe or a tree trunk and flow downstream. The swift flow would take me to the sea. By daybreak I’d have to leave the river and follow its course upland. I could once again catch up with the river by hitch-hiking to Muzuris and then taking one of the rice boats going to the port. But I had to act fast.

  I made a hole in the tent with a small kitchen knife. I wanted to take my sword but it was too heavy. Bows and arrows were out of the question. I was not sure if some crocodiles would take a fancy to my plump body. But there were no crocodiles found near the fall. The swift current and lack of fish kept them away. I got out and looked around. My heart missed a beat. There was only one guard. Where was the other one? The tall, lanky fellow with the dirty kurta? I did not want to fight him. It would wake the others. Besides, I was not sure if I could win the fight. Then I saw him under a tree, whistling while he peed. His back was towards me but he would turn once he had finished his business. I prayed that he had drunk a lot of water or toddy. I ran. The rustling of dry leaves were like thunderclaps to my ears. Once I reached the woods, I looked back. The guard was standing erect, holding his spear, ready to throw it. He had heard something. The other guard had come and lit a torch. I could see both guards in the ghostly torch light. These guards were alert. One wrong move and I would dangle like a boar on their spear.

  Then, I saw the shorter guard gaping at the hole I had made. Run! Every nerve in my body became taut. It took a few seconds for the guard to comprehend what had happened. Then he began to shout. His voice was agitated and terror gripped me. Lots of torches were lit. A small drizzle had started and I heard a change in the sound of the water. The flow had increased. The waterfall was more furious now and its sound drowned what the soldiers were saying. Then I saw the king coming out of ~nkae incrhis camp. He had his sword drawn. Should I rush to him and say that I was his servant and friend? I was tempted to do so. The tension was killing me. I saw his face in the flickering light of the torches. I was not so sure anymore. It was a cruel face, not at all kind, as I had imagined. He looked like a man possessed by the devil. The wind had grown stronger now and was howling through the trees. His dark curly hair flew like the mane of a galloping horse. He looked like a demon-king. I was afraid of him. I was also afraid of the surging waters of the river. Of the two evil forces of nature, I chose the river.

  I ran, hoping that the sound of my running feet would not be carried in the howling wind. An arrow flew inches above my head. I knew that there was no time to clamber down the rocks. My life was at stake. On one hand it was sure death. My people, who I wanted to serve, were shooting arrows at me. On the other hand, my beloved river Poorna, was inviting me with millions of surging, frothing hands. I plunged into the river without a second thought. The freezing cold when my body hit the water was shocking. I could not keep my head up. The rain was falling like iron pins. I was carried away like a dead leaf on the swift current, sinking in the water, coming up, only to go down again. Then, suddenly, before I knew it, I was falling, descending and plunging into dark depths. There was a roaring, moving pillar of white water all around which kept me pressed down, not letting go of me. The Poorna struggled to swallow me.

  When I opened my eyes I was floating on a log. The sky had cleared and the roar of the waterfall was distant. I did not know when and how I had got hold of the log. It was a miracle that I had escaped. I had a mission to fulfil and that was why the Poorna chewed me but didn’t swallow me completely. Every single joint in my body hurt. I checked my head for any injury and found that it was slimy and warm. There was blood flowing. Blood! Blood would attract the crocodiles. I was in crocodile territory. Did they hunt at night? I did not know and did not want to find out either. I needed to get out of the water but the current was swift. I swam towards the shore without letting go of the log. It was exhausting. Suddenly, I saw something moving in the water. Had the crocodiles come for their dinner? For a late night snack of a poor, dark Asura? I was not sure if they could run and catch their prey on land but definitely land was safer. Safer as long as there were no leopards. I would worry about leopards and tigers and snakes if I reached land.

  The dark moving thing came closer. I kicked hard. I had but a few feet to go when something hit my leg. This was it. This was the end. After escaping the Deva armies, the Asura arrows, and a mighty waterfall, I was going to end up as a late night snack for some ugly, long-nosed reptile. I waited for the powerful jaws to snap on my leg but nothing happened. I was too terrified to look back. Too frightened to swim and reach the shore. I hung onto my log and waited. A pale moon made its appearance in the wet sky. It could have been an hour or two or maybe even a few seconds, I do not know. But when I looked back, it had gone. Without a trace. I wanted to cry with joy. Then I saw it again. It was caught in the small overhanging branch of tree. It was no crocodile which had waited under my feet but a small canoe! Someone must have followed me and the Poorna had taken care of him. All this time I was worried about crocodiles, when I had men chasing me in canoes. I could have got the canoe when it was literally at my feet.

  I swam towards the canoe carefully. I didn’t want ripples to move it. I had almost caught it before a strong wind shook the branch and set the canoe free. I swam with all my might to catch it before it caught the drift. But it was too swift for me. I thrashed about, ignoring my pain and the rain which had started pounding me

  again. Fng reeinally, when I had almost given up, the canoe got caught in a whirlpool. After a lot of twists and turns, it miraculously shot towards me. It almost knocked my head off but I ducked underwater and grabbed hold of it before the canoe could go past. I clambered up and balanced in it. Then exhaustion overcame me and I collapsed on my back. As the canoe swirled and bounced on its way towards the great sea, I slept.

  12 The wait

  Ravana

  Almost two months had passed but no one had returned except the search parties who were supposed to have hunted down the spy. That night we had lost three men in the swirling waters. The chief of the guards, a pale, burly, corpulent man, suggested that the river had swallowed Bhadra. The search party had found the bodies of two of the three guards a mile downstream, half-eaten by fishes and jackals. Perhaps the crocodiles had eaten up Bhadra and the other guard, whose name no one seemed to know. I hoped the spy was dead, but it was somehow difficult to believe that. He seemed immortal. There was something in him, some raw power that defied death. I was afraid he had betrayed our plans.

  The endless wait was frustrating. Boredom had set in among my soldiers. Rudraka drilled the soldiers with a dedication bordering on cruelty. By late evening they were tired and slept like stones. It reduced the liquor-induced fist-fights and slovenly limericks. I separated 300 men who showed promise and selected thirty captains. I made the units as small as possible for swiftness and flexibility. Each team had ten members, including the captain. They were trained to use swords and clubs scientifically, free-arms combat, close combat with knives, and climbing walls. I also designed uniforms for them, with pitch black turbans and black dhotis. They were to travel light with a small iron club and a light-weight sw
ord, a rope tied around their waist and a dagger hidden inside the rope. The men were physically fit even before the selection and after two months rigorous training, their dark bodies gleamed. They were good specimens to watch, the epitome of Asura manhood.

  I had wanted Vajra to stay back but Prahastha thought Vajra had a better chance of getting Mahabali to lend us the money. Jambumali was a good administrator but in the kind of operation we were planning, his contribution would be limited. Men like Jambu would be assets when our kingdom had stabilized and then men like Vajra or Rudraka would become dangerous liabilities. I gave Jambu charge of the weapon kilns. He had to arrange enough metal and get swordsmiths and ironsmiths to make swords and arrows. The actual production though, was overseen by Rudraka. We discarded the heavy iron spears normally used by the Asuras. And the heavy, wooden clubs were exchanged for lighter ones with copper thorns jutting out. A single blow from a heavier club could splinter the skull but it was too clumsy and needed men of extraordinary physical strength to use it effectively and swiftly. A small light-weight club which could be lifted and swung like a sword, would be more suitable to carry and use in close combat.

  Rudraka and I had sat together for hours under our Banyan tree, discussing new innovations in our armaments. I wanted to get rid of the six feet bow and heavy iron arrows. They were too unwieldy. Rudraka, as man with vision, was against the idea. He agreed that we could reduce the heavy archers as the forthcoming operation would require stealth and speed and not raw power. But he did not want them completely discarded. He explained that, in the not-so-distant future, when we had established a kingdom with forts for our protection, archers with heavy bows could shardower arrows on attackers and even pierce the head of an elephant. I agreed with him after he explained the logic. But for the forthcoming raid, they would remain on the ship.