Son of Bhrigu

by CHRISTOPHER C. DOYLE

  ‘No doubt,’ Visvavasu agreed. ‘But I cannot help you there. What I can tell you, though, is that you must find the other two parts of the prophecy if you wish to stop Shukra. Without these parts you will be shooting in the dark, trying to figure out what will work and what won’t. If the prophecy has been accurate so far, perhaps it really is more than just a prediction of events based on assumptions. Maybe those who say that it is a set of instructions are correct. If that is indeed the case, you will need those instructions.’

  ‘But how do we find the parts of the prophecy hidden in your world and in Devalok ? That sounds like an impossible task!’

  Visvavasu shrugged. ‘You will have to find a way.’

  ‘And how do we get the verses in the diary deciphered?’

  ‘There’s only one person who can help you with that.’

  ‘And who is that?’

  ‘Satyavachana.’

  Chapter Sixty-eight

  Hot Water

  Day 11

  The Guesthouse

  The Gurukul

  The six children gathered in the sitting room of the guesthouse, their faces glum. After Maya’s private audience with Visvavasu, the Gandharva king had arranged for word to be sent to the Gurukul about their presence in the Gandharva valley.

  Virendra, Pramila and Tiwari had duly arrived at the Gandharva valley, in the Land Cruiser, and picked up the children from the Pandava falls. The journey back to the Gurukul had been completed in deathly silence. Neither the children nor the adults spoke. The group was keenly aware that they were in trouble and the adults, presumably, were going to address the situation only when they were back at the Gurukul.

  Maya was deeply troubled. This entire expedition had been her idea. And the trip to meet the Gandharvas had turned out to be futile. They were as clueless about Brahmabhasha as everyone else. Now, the other five were also in hot water because of her.

  The drive to the Gurukul had been uneventful. When they reached, Tiwari disappeared with the SUV, to park it wherever it had been hidden all these days, while Virendra and Pramila deposited the children at the guesthouse and left without a word.

  ‘Guys,’ Maya was the first to speak after the two left, ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘For what?’ Adira sounded surprised. ‘I was just waiting for the grown-ups to leave before I could thank you for the experience. I don’t think I would have ever got to meet the Gandharvas if you hadn’t cooked up this plan.’

  The others nodded, everyone but Agastya. ‘It’s all very well to be excited about the Gandharvas,’ he said, his face surly, ‘but the Mahamatis are not going to take this well. God only knows what punishment is in store for us. I don’t know about you guys but if this stupid misadventure affects our final assessment, I’m going to be really . . . ‘

  ‘Ever the pessimist,’ Varun broke in. He looked at Agastya. ‘Can’t you think happy thoughts for a change?’

  ‘I’m only being realistic,’ Agastya glared at him. ‘We aren’t supposed to go out of the Gurukul without a Mahamati accompanying us. That is the rule. We all know the rule and we all broke it. Now we will face the consequences. That is the rule of Karma.’

  ‘Sure,’ Adira agreed with him. ‘That is Karma alright. But no one compelled us to accompany Maya. Least of all Maya herself. Each one of us is completely responsible for our own actions and decisions. We all volunteered. We made a choice. Whatever the consequences, we should be ready to face it.’

  ‘Never mind the law of Karma,’ Tanveer broke in. ‘I want to know what you were talking about with the Gandharva king, Maya. Why did he want to speak to you in private?’

  Maya recounted her conversation with Visvavasu to the others.

  ‘Wow!’ Varun commented when she had finished. ‘So there really is a prophecy!’

  ‘You mean you didn’t know for sure?’ Maya didn’t understand.

  ‘Well we’ve always heard about the prophecy,’ Adira explained, ‘but we never knew what it said. It is so closely guarded by the Sangha that only the Mahamatis know what the prophecy contains. And I think that even among them, only a few really know. For us students, it has always been a fantastic legend. Like the return of Shukra.’

  ‘That’s no legend,’ Maya assured her. ‘Shukra is very real. He killed my father. And he will stop at nothing to achieve his plans now that the Saptarishis and the Devas are no longer around to stop him.’

  ‘The Sangha must have a plan,’ Agastya said. ‘They will not sit around and watch while Shukra opens the gates of Pataala .’

  ‘They do,’ Arjun agreed. He looked at Maya. ‘Your dad was a part of it. Don’t you remember? The night we first met the Mahamatis ? When they first saw the diary, they said something about your dad searching for many years for weapons to defeat Shukra? They even said that the inscriptions in the diary, written in Brahmabhasha , could have something to do with whatever he may have discovered. Maybe that’s why your dad used to travel so often. Perhaps he was out searching for something?’

  Maya frowned, thinking hard. ‘Dad did travel often,’ she said slowly. ‘Perhaps far too often for a schoolteacher. I never really thought about it then. It didn’t seem important. And since he always left me at your house, I never lacked for company. You could be right, Arjun.’

  ‘But if there is a prophecy,’ Adira interjected, addressing Arjun, ‘and it clearly identifies you as the one who will lead the Sangha and Gana against Shukra, then perhaps you should be the one looking for those weapons, whatever they are.’

  Arjun looked at her in surprise. ‘You’re kidding, right? I mean, how can I find the weapons? I don’t even know what they are!’

  ‘Adira may have a point, AJ,’ Maya responded. ‘There are three parts to the prophecy. While only the Sangha — and Shukra — know what the first part of it contains, no one knows what is concealed in the other two parts. Even the Gandharvas don’t, from what Visvavasu told me. All he could confirm was that the Gandharva prophecy actually mentions the weapons. It can tell us what we should be searching for! Who knows what else it contains? And what more could be hidden in the Devalok prophecy?’

  Varun understood where Maya was going with this. ‘You’re saying that Arjun should be looking for the other two parts of the prophecy.’

  ‘Are you nuts?’ Arjun exploded. ‘We’re already in trouble for a short visit to Gandharvalok . And you’re suggesting that I go traipsing in the world of the Gandharvas looking for the prophecy, when I don’t even know where to start. Not to mention that the third part of the prophecy is effectively out of bounds for us, hidden as it is in Devalok , which I can’t enter even if I were allowed to!’

  ‘Not “I”,’ Maya smiled at him. ‘We. I’ll help you.’

  ‘Hey,’ Varun protested. ‘Don’t leave me out. I’ll also help.’

  ‘Me, too,’ Adira said, excitedly.

  ‘I’m not staying back when you guys are having fun,’ Tanveer grinned. ‘Count me in.’

  They all looked at Agastya, who sat there, sullen and silent.

  ‘Come on, Ags,’ Adira cajoled him. ‘We need a strong Rishi with us. Wasn’t it you who said that we Kshatriyas can’t handle trouble on our own?’

  ‘Fine,’ came the surly reply. ‘I’ll come along. But I’m warning you now. You guys are going on a wild goose chase. And when the Mahamatis come to know, there will be hell to pay.’

  Arjun looked at Maya. ‘He is right, you know. We should get permission from the Mahamatis. ’

  ‘And what if they refuse?’

  ‘It won’t come to that,’ Agastya said, perking up slightly. ‘Whether the Mahamatis permit us or not is secondary. As Arjun just said, we don’t even know where to start.’

  They all pondered the dilemma.

  ‘I have an idea,’ Maya said finally. ‘But you have to promise not to tell anyone.’

  Chapter Sixty-nine

  The Council Debates

  The Assembly Hall

  Gurukul

  Mahesh fixed the
six children standing before the Mahamati Council with a stern eye. He was flanked on either side by the other four members of the council — Parth, Jignesh, Usha and Amba. Virendra, Pramila and Tiwari sat to one side, silent observers.

  ‘We have debated amongst ourselves,’ Mahesh began, looking from one anxious face to the next, ‘but we have been unable to come to a conclusion. One thing is clear to us and should be clear to you: you have transgressed. A cardinal rule of the Gurukul has been broken. No member of the Gana can move around outside a Gurukul without the presence of a member of the Sangha . Yet, here, we have a case where the six of you, not even full members of the Gana , ventured outside the Gurukul by yourselves.’ He paused to allow the import of his words to sink in.

  Maya wondered why the Mahamatis had been unable to come to a conclusion. Surely their transgression was clear and serious enough?

  Jignesh’s voice was hard and cold as he took over from Mahesh. ‘We couldn’t decide if you were being just plain foolish or overconfident in your abilities.’ He spoke quietly, but the undercurrents of disapproval were perceptible in his tone.

  ‘You,’ he addressed Agastya. ‘Have you become so powerful now that you fancy your chances against the pisachas and spirits that wander the world outside the Gurukul? I know you have worked on projects where you demonstrated your powers against creatures like these quite impressively. So you think you can handle them on your own now?’

  He turned to Varun and Tanveer, addressing them both. ‘And you two. Great warriors, acquitting yourselves well in the skirmishes that you have had with the pisachas on every mission that you have undertaken. But did you forget that the three of you have always had a Mahamati with you to ensure that you were protected? If you were ready for the outside world, we would have sent you to join the Gana .’ He paused. ‘What were you all thinking?’

  Maya couldn’t take it anymore. Despite everything that her companions had said to her, she still believed that she was responsible for the entire misadventure.

  ‘It was my fault,’ she spoke up in a small voice. ‘It was my idea to go to the Gandharva valley. I thought the Gandharvas could help us decipher the inscriptions in my father’s diary. I was the one who approached Arjun and asked him to accompany me.’

  Mahesh turned to gaze at her. ‘That doesn’t matter,’ he told Maya. ‘They went with you. And, for that, they are responsible, not you. All six of you have broken the same rule.’

  Jignesh regarded Maya with interest. ‘Is it true,’ he asked, ‘that you recited the mantra to enter the valley of the Gandharvas?’

  Maya nodded. She knew what was coming.

  ‘And you got this mantra from your father’s diary?’

  ‘Yes, Mahamati .’

  ‘Yet, no one taught you to recite this mantra. At least no one from the Gurukul.’ Jignesh paused. ‘Is there something you are hiding from us?’

  Maya looked at him confused. ‘Hiding? Mahamati , I don’t understand what you mean.’

  ‘You have barely mastered two classes of the simplest mantras. I have not seen any exceptional powers in you that would enable you to master the higher classes of mantras — creating illusions or manipulating matter — leave alone recite a mantra that opens a portal to another world.’ His eyes bored into Maya. ‘Who taught you how to do it?’

  Maya stared back at him, her eyes wide, confused. Tiwari’s words from a few days ago came back to her. She, too, had been wondering at her sudden, inexplicable, ability to recite the mantra that had allowed them to pass through the rock and into the world of the Gandharvas that lay beyond it, when she couldn’t even utter the mantra that allowed them access to the Gurukul. Tiwari had talked of coincidences. Was it possible that those were not coincidences after all? That there was some sort of connection between her and Shukra which she was not aware of? And which she could not explain?

  Tears came into her eyes as she thought about the implications of this possibility, and she blinked them away, trying to suppress the unpleasant thought.

  Arjun realized what she was thinking; the same thought had occurred to him when Maya had confided in him about her dreams and Tiwari’s explanation about her atma wandering at night. He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it gently. Maya was grateful for the comforting gesture.

  Jignesh opened his mouth to say more, but Mahesh, noticing Maya’s distress, gently placed a hand on his arm.

  ‘The upshot of all of this,’ Mahesh said, ‘is that you have made a serious mistake. What we were unable to decide is whether we should let this mistake pass, and let you all go with a warning never to repeat what you have done today: or if we should punish you for the transgression. Don’t for a minute think this is because your error is insignificant. You have risked not just your own but the entire Gurukul’s safety. But it is also true that you have helped us obtain some important information from the Gandharvas today; information that was not forthcoming earlier, and may not have been available at all had it not been for your unexpected intrusion into their world.’

  Maya realized that Visvavasu would have shared with Virendra and Pramila the same information he had shared with her and they, in turn, would have informed the Mahamatis . Had the Mahamatis been able to figure out what the children hadn’t?

  Mahesh looked around at the other members of the council. An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them.

  ‘We have decided,’ Mahesh said finally, ‘to overlook your transgression tonight as a mistake born of either naivety or ignorance. We do not believe that you would have deliberately engaged in an act of defiance. But hear this and be clear: we will not permit the same mistake to be repeated. The next time, we shall not be as understanding or forgiving.’ He nodded to dismiss the children.

  Tiwari rose and led them away and out of the hall.

  As they left, Jignesh’s words kept haunting Maya. One thought in particular haunted her.

  Had she had an implicit hand in the death of her own father?

  Chapter Seventy

  Maya Travels Again

  That night

  The Gurukul

  Maya finished reciting the shantaa-kaaram mantra. Her body relaxed, her breathing slowed as she lay in bed awaiting the onset of sleep.

  She knew where she was going tonight. She had been there once before, though she hadn’t realized it at the time. She had been blissfully unaware of how close she had been to achieving her goal that night. Tonight, she was determined to complete what she had then left unfinished.

  Presently, sleep overcame her, her eyelids drooped shut and Maya slumbered peacefully.

  Before long, her atma emerged from her body and floated out of the guesthouse, flying straight through the walls as if the physical barrier did not exist.

  Tonight, she didn’t even need to focus hard to think of the name. It seemed to be embedded in her subconscious.

  After her failure to visit the Gandharva valley in her spirit form, Maya had figured that there was a method to spirit travel; it was not a random process guided by thought. Her research in the archives had revealed the guidelines to atma travel. While sketchy, they had explained why she had been unable to visit the Gandharva valley in her spirit form. The portal that protected the Gandharva valley and the mantra to access the portal were one of the reasons for her failure, a fact that she had not known at the time of her first attempt. But that was not the only reason she had failed to enter the valley on that night. The books from the archives had provided more information on what she had missed by way of preparation for atma travel.

  Tonight, she had prepared herself, using the knowledge she had gained from the texts in the archives.

  And it had worked.

  Without even consciously thinking about it, she was now floating over the river and the forest, which she had seen a few days ago. She found the same track she had seen on the earlier occasion and followed it to a small cottage nestled among the trees. It was the same building she had seen, from above, on her previous visit here in
her spirit form.

  Was this it?

  She approached the cottage slowly, wondering what she would find. The trees were thickly clustered together, as if huddling against some unknown, unseen threat that lurked in the darkness of the forest.

  A deep growl sounded from somewhere near the cottage.

  A dog.

  Or was it a wolf?

  Startled, she stopped, hovering between the trees, unsure of whether she should proceed.

  Surely a dog, or even a wolf, couldn’t harm a spirit?

  Gathering her nerves, she proceeded to advance cautiously towards the cottage.

  There was movement in the darkness and a large black shape came hurtling out of nowhere until it stood before her, barking its head off.

  An enormous dog; or perhaps a cross between a dog and a wolf. Its hackles were raised, and spit flew from its huge maw, as it stared directly at her and continued to bark.

  Something told her the dog could see her.

  Maya wasn’t sure if the beast could actually stop her from proceeding, but she didn’t want to find out. She stayed put, not moving, waiting.

  What next?

  A light came on within the cottage, its soft, lambent glow flowing out through one of the windows and bathing the trees around in an eerie, yellow hue. She heard the creak of door hinges, from the direction of the cottage, and an old man came into view, accompanied by a soft, yellow haze of light that hovered at his shoulder. He was tall and surprisingly erect, considering his apparent age. He walked slowly towards Maya.

  She stared with fascination at his long, pure white hair, his flowing white beard, and the deep lines etched on his face.

  ‘What’s the matter then?’ the old man asked the dog, who stopped barking and whined instead, as his tail wagged non-stop, happy to see his master who bent and scratched the dog’s throat before straightening up and shining his lantern on Maya.

  It had to be. Finally, she was face to face with the man who could give her the answers she was seeking.