A device to keep prying eyes out and conceal the entrance to the Gurukul.
But something more was transpiring in the clearing.
The black fog was now sinking to the ground like a fine black veil dropping over the forest beyond it.
As Arjun watched with a growing sense of alarm, the black fog started disintegrating into amorphous clouds of black, wispy, smoke, which began separating from the fog. As the individual wisps of smoke touched the ground, a remarkable transformation was taking place before his eyes.
The nebulous forms of the black clouds were stretching and elongating in all directions as they slowly morphed into physical bodies that looked remarkably human in shape. As each one touched down, its transformation was complete.
Yet, as he observed them more closely, the newly formed bodies were not really normal. They were very similar in appearance, yet quite different.
The overall shape and form was similar to that of a human being — a torso, two legs, two arms, and a head.
But that was where the resemblance ended.
For these creatures that were forming right in front of his eyes had no faces. No mouth, no nose and no ears. Just blood-red eyes glaring away, burning into the little group that cowered before them in the shadow of the hillside.
The monstrous beings created from the mist had pale skin, with a deep red hue. Even at this distance, he could see the sharp talons at the ends of their fingers and toes.
What were they?
A knot formed in Arjun’s stomach. One question haunted him.
Was Shukra here?
As the clouds of black smoke continued to descend to the ground, the faceless creatures multiplied in number. Arjun watched, transfixed. What was happening right now was beyond his comprehension.
Silence had descended on the clearing. With a start, Arjun realized that Maya had stopped sobbing. She was still lying on the ground in a foetal position, her hands over her ears now. But no sound came from her.
Was she conscious? He took a step towards her.
Virendra frowned at him. ‘Focus!’ was the message in his glance.
Arjun hesitated, then made up his mind. He didn’t want to disobey his uncle. But there was no way he was going to let any harm come to Maya. She was his childhood companion, his one true friend in the world. He needed to protect her. Surely, Virendra couldn’t have a problem with that! With a decisive step Arjun moved towards Maya and stood protectively between her and the strange creatures that were now slowly advancing towards them.
The one thing he knew was that, at some point in time, he would have to join his uncle in attacking these creatures, along with his mother.
His mother.
He glanced at Pramila. She, too, was focused on the creatures. She stood with the sword in her hand, in a stance identical to that of Virendra’s. Arjun had never seen her with a sword before, but here she was, acting like a seasoned warrior.
And, perhaps, she was one.
As Arjun wondered about what else he did not know about his mother, there was a commotion and all hell seemed to break loose.
The hillside behind him erupted and a mass of people came racing out into the clearing. Men and women, girls and boys, some dressed in white homespun robes, others in colourful leggings and tunics emerged from the rock, led by Tiwari, who immediately headed towards Maya and Arjun.
The younger children carried old fashioned torches whose flames licked the darkness around them, while the men and women and older children in the close-fitted coloured uniforms, carried bows and swords that glinted in the light of the torches.
The folks in the white robes were all chanting a mantra as they burst into the clearing from the rock face of the hillside.
‘The Kshatriyas,’ Virendra exclaimed in relief.
Who were these people? wondered Arjun.
But there was no time to think. Virendra was charging, with a bloodcurdling roar, towards the army of Shukra’s creatures.
Pramila followed Virendra, brandishing her sword.
Arjun, startled out of his contemplation, hastened behind them, adding to the din with his own full-throated shriek. To his great surprise, the fear that had gripped him so far was replaced by a rush of adrenaline.
With yells and roars, the sword wielding people who had emerged from the rock, joined Virendra, Pramila and Arjun in their assault on Shukra’s army.
On their part, the creatures, anticipating the attack, let out fearsome roars and charged, meeting the advancing humans half-way.
The air resonated with mantras, roars and chants as the two sides clashed in the clearing. Virendra and Pramila advanced through the ranks of the creatures, cutting them down with fierce strokes, their swords flashing in the light of scores of flaming torches as they swung their weapons in all directions.
Shukra’s army was strong and fought back viciously. Cries of pain filled the air as the creatures overwhelmed some of their attackers. Their skin was tough and hard, like armour, and their sharp talons doubled up as weapons with which they tore at the men, women and children from the Gurukul. But, even as the Kshatriya army from the Gurukul fought fiercely — slashing and hacking, depleting the ranks of the creatures — the black fog continued to swirl overhead, a seemingly unlimited source to replenish the enemy forces.
Sooner or later, Arjun knew, the Kshatriyas would be overwhelmed.
What would happen then?
Chapter Forty
The Battle of the Gurukul
In the clearing
Panna National Park
Maya’s eyes fluttered open. There was an indistinct shape hovering over her. What was it?
As her eyes came into focus, the hazy shape sharpened into Tiwari’s face. He was kneeling by her side and examining her, an anxious look on his face.
An enormous din surrounded her; a peculiar mix of chanting, screams, blood curdling roars, cries of pain and the sound of fighting came to her ears.
What was happening?
She struggled to rise but succeeded only in propping herself up on her elbow. What had happened to her? She felt drained and had no recollection of why she found herself lying on the ground now.
Her last memory was one of standing in the clearing, wondering if they were trapped between the forest and the hillside, with the pretas hovering above them ominously. Then, suddenly her head seemed to be on fire. The next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground, wondering what was going on around her.
‘Maya! Thank goodness you are okay. Let me help you, ‘ Tiwari said kindly, helping her to her feet and supporting her as she unsteadily stood up, leaning against the rocky hillside. Maya gazed at the battle that raged before her eyes.
A cold dread wrapped its icy fingers around her heart as she took in the scene. Warriors from the Gurukul had reached the scene and were now battling an army of strange creatures, which were mysteriously materializing out of a strange black mist.
The creatures were no match for the skill and weapons of the warriors, but their numbers kept increasing despite the onslaught, as the warriors began to tire in the face of fierce resistance.
All around her, a soft chanting filled the night air amid the sounds of battle. Tiwari, too, was chanting something, Maya noted.
A mantra.
Maya strained to make out the words.
Ugram viram maha vishnum
Jvalantum sarvato mukham
Narsingam bhishanam bhadram
Mrityur mrtyum namami aham
Startled, she realized that he was reciting the Narsimha mantra. She had read it only last night in the diary. Her hand rose to feel the diary still safe under her tee shirt. Somehow, she remembered every word of the mantra, despite her drowsiness while reading it.
Maya had felt helpless until now. Something — she didn’t know what — had deprived her of her senses. Whatever it was, she could still feel the after effects. It had drained her completely.
As she stood watching the warriors — men, women, childr
en, including her childhood friend — fighting a losing battle with creatures whom she was sure Shukra had something to do with, she felt a fierce determination seize her.
Now, she saw an opening. A chance to do something. She was going to do what she could.
Maya assessed the situation. The only way they could win this battle was by destroying the mist from which the creatures kept emerging. Would the mantra succeed in doing that? She had no idea. But she had to try. There seemed no other way out. She closed her eyes and focused on the black fog that swirled overhead, at the centre of the cloud of pretas . This was her only hope, even if it meant nothing in the end.
Maya began reciting the mantra. Tiwari cast a surprised look at her, without breaking the rhythm of the mantra he was reciting.
While Maya took up the chant along with Tiwari and some of the other white-robed people from the Gurukul, Arjun continued the battle with the pale creatures. Following the lead of his mother and uncle, he had charged into their ranks and used his skills with the sword to good effect, cutting down the creatures as he advanced into their midst.
He could hear, all around him, the roars and shouts of the Kshatriyas from the Gurukul as they, too, slashed their way through the unearthly army that they confronted. Some of the Kshatriyas used their bows to devastating effect, plucking arrows from the quivers slung across their backs, drawing the bowstring and shooting in one fluid movement, at lightning speed. Others wielded swords, like Arjun, using a blend of swiftness, dexterity and sheer strength to cut down the monsters.
Arjun silently thanked his uncle for the training and for pushing him to keep at it even when he would tire of the constant practice.
It was those practice sessions, with unending repeats of different techniques and movements that stood Arjun in good stead now. He was light on his feet, nimbly ducking the clumsy attacking movements of the creatures while swiftly spotting opportunities to hack through their defences and strike them down.
Arjun had quickly gauged the main disadvantage the creatures suffered from. While they were larger and stronger than the humans battling them, the Kshatriyas were well trained in warfare. The creatures, on the other hand, probably because they were newly formed, seemed to be unaccustomed to their freshly generated physical bodies. Their movements were awkward and slow, as if they were still learning how to use their newly formed limbs. Despite their physical superiority, the unearthly beings were no match for the Kshatriyas.
They reminded Arjun of the rubber monsters in the old horror movies and in Star Trek, played either by men in rubber suits or mechanical frames that moved jerkily. He grinned at the thought, despite himself, then hurriedly skipped out of the way to avoid being shredded by the sharp claws of a giant creature who had shambled up to him and took a swipe at him.
‘Oh crap,’ he muttered to himself as he turned to face the creature. ‘That was close. No more dreaming about rubber monsters, AJ.’
Arjun could feel himself beginning to tire. Shukra’s army was being constantly replenished by the black mist. While the Kshatriyas hadn’t suffered any casualties so far, they would be outnumbered soon.
He cast a worried glance at the mist swirling overhead, and rubbed his eyes. Was he imagining it? Or was the mist actually dissipating?
Seeing him distracted, one of the creatures came lumbering up to Arjun, and growled as it raised its arm in preparation to strike him.
Arjun, totally absorbed in watching the mist, failed to see the creature approach and became aware of the danger only when he heard it growl. He tried to jump out of the creature’s way to avoid its blow but couldn’t do it in time. A pale, muscled arm slammed into his sword arm like a sledgehammer, knocking it out of his grasp and sending it flying to the ground.
Knocked off balance by the blow, Arjun went careening back, crashing into another creature, which had its back to him and was busy battling a Kshatriya boy.
Surprised, the creature turned its head to look at Arjun, taking its eyes off its opponent. The boy saw his opportunity and swiftly cut down the creature with a few well directed blows of his sword.
Arjun had slumped to the ground after the collision, his eyes fixed on his own opponent who had plodded forward and was now preparing to rip him to shreds with its claws.
In a flash, the boy, whose opponent Arjun had just ploughed into, rushed at the monster, slicing off its hand as it charged. The creature bellowed with pain and anger as its hand, severed at the elbow, dropped straight on Arjun, taking the wind out of him.
Arjun stared in disgust at the severed hand lying on his stomach, oozing a sticky green substance that seemed to cling to his tee shirt.
‘Thought you needed a hand,’ the boy winked and grinned at Arjun, as he despatched the creature, attacking its knees and then decapitating it as it tottered before him.
The boy held out his hand and helped Arjun up. ‘Thanks,’ Arjun said, gratefully. ‘You . . .’
‘Save it,’ the boy said as he pointed to Arjun’s sword, lying on the ground near them. ‘There are two more coming your way.’
Arjun leaped at his sword and brandished it menacingly, flashing his saviour a grin as he prepared to face the two monsters lumbering towards him.
A shout suddenly went up. ‘The mist! It’s fading!’
The shout was echoed across the clearing by the others.
Arjun heard Virendra’s voice. ‘Cut them all down! Leave none of them standing!’
The children of the Gurukul attacked with a vengeance, bolstered by the knowledge that the source of the creatures was gone.
It didn’t take long, after that, to cut down the remaining creatures and secure the clearing.
Chapter Forty-one
Gurukul
In the clearing
Panna National Park
Maya surveyed the clearing, strewn with the bodies of the creatures, many of which were missing arms, legs or even heads.
She had been chanting the mantra, her eyes tightly shut, focusing on the black mist, when a shout had startled her. Someone was screaming something about the mist having disappeared. She looked up, expecting to see the cloud of pretas surrounding the black mist, but there was nothing there.
The entire mass of spirits had vanished, along with the black mist. All that was visible was the night sky, which looked like a sheet of black paper with innumerable little holes in it through which a light shone, creating thousands of little diamonds in the sky.
The inhabitants of the Gurukul had made quick work of the remaining creatures from Shukra’s army, until not one monster remained standing.
A solemn and grave silence descended on the clearing, as people got to work. A pit was hastily dug at one edge of the clearing and the dead creatures and their hacked off body parts swiftly buried. The injured warriors were carried through the rocky hillside, back into the Gurukul.
Maya scanned the clearing, searching for Arjun, Virendra and Pramila, but with the mass of people milling around the clearing she couldn’t spot them.
Once again, she checked to see if her father’s diary was safe and was relieved to feel it pressing against her. As she looked up, she saw a movement in the trees beyond the circumference of the clearing. Was it an animal, disturbed by the noise and the fighting? It certainly couldn’t be anyone from the Gurukul. She strained her eyes to make out the figure that was dimly visible in the light of the torches.
A voice at her elbow made her jump.
‘How are you feeling now, Maya?’ It was Tiwari, smiling at her. ‘Sorry,’ he said, realizing he had startled her. ‘Didn’t mean to scare you.’
‘That’s okay. I’m fine,’ Maya smiled back at him, a bit sheepishly. She was relieved that the ordeal was finally over. ‘What happened to me?’
‘You blacked out.’
‘I don’t know what came over me. But I’m okay now.’ She gestured at the clearing, at the remains of the creatures. ‘Those were Shukra’s creatures, weren’t they?’
Tiwari nodded, his f
ace serious now.
‘I’ve read about Shukra in the ancient texts,’ Maya continued, ‘but I’ve never read about anything like this.’
Tiwari looked at her. ‘There is much we have to learn about Shukra that the scriptures do not mention. They talk of the Shukra who lived 5,000 years ago. The Shukra we confront now is different. Vastly more powerful. And we have no idea what powers he may have acquired since he disappeared from the ancient texts.’
‘But what made the black fog disappear?’ Maya had to know. ‘Something happened. Both the mist and the pretas disappeared.’
‘The power of the Narasimha mantra,’ Tiwari said, ‘is immense. With so many of us chanting the mantra together, it may have countered and weakened Shukra’s power to sustain the fog he had created.’ He gestured towards the rock face they were standing next to. ‘But let’s enter the Gurukul now. There will be time to talk later.’
Maya was not satisfied with his explanation. She felt that Tiwari was holding back something, but she allowed him to lead her through the hillside. The walk through the rock was a novel experience for Maya, who had not experienced the entry into the Gandharva valley. She realized that the rock was supposed to camouflage the entrance into the Gurukul and ensure that only those who knew how to gain access could enter.
As she emerged from the rock, an amazing sight greeted her. Children her age and a bit older, sat cross-legged in meditative postures around what she guessed was the boundary of the Gurukul. The power of the mantra they were chanting together, coursed through her. She strained to catch the words and, to her surprise, was able to make them out quite clearly.
OM triyambakam yajāmahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam,
urvārukamiva bandhanān mrrityormokshiya māmrritāt.
Tiwari noticed her silently enunciating the mantra and smiled. He fell back a step and whispered to her, ‘The mantra protects the Gurukul and keeps evil out of it. It is chanted twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, non stop.’
Maya nodded, overcome with wonder. She looked around and took in the serene tranquility and the beauty of the Gurukul.
Son of Bhrigu Page 13
