The Mahabharata Secret
Page 31
The reason why no member of the Nine was able to locate the secret until now is because no one person had all the clues necessary to solve the puzzle. It was only six months ago that I came into possession of all the parts of the puzzle that had earlier been with different members of the Nine. I managed to solve some of the clues, but have done so half-heartedly. For it was six months ago that I realised that, having killed the other eight, the traitor whom I had expelled from the brotherhood, would come for me. And this realisation was sealed by an email he sent to me. Since then, finding the secret has not been a priority for me. My concern then was more about handing over the baton to you.
The secret has remained hidden for over 2,000 years. I have no interest in learning where it is concealed. You are the only person, other than I, who now has access to all the parts of the puzzle that can help locate the secret. The choice is yours. But I implore you to resist the temptation to search for the secret of the Nine and let it remain buried wherever it is, for eternity, because this was the purpose for which the Nine was created.
There is, however, another part of the secret that you need to know. What you see about you is a library containing scientific knowledge accumulated over centuries from all parts of the world. Succeeding generations of members added to the original collection of knowledge discovered by the founding members of the Nine to create the greatest treasure trove of knowledge the world has ever known. This must remain concealed just as the Nine have protected it for centuries.
I have faith in your ability to discharge this responsibility.
I am truly sorry, Vijay, for burdening you with this charge without your consent. But there is no other whom I deem fit to exercise this duty.
May God bless you,
Your loving uncle.
Vijay put the letter down on the table, his feelings mixed. At first, a surge of resentment rushed through him; displeasure at his uncle for believing that he could task him with this responsibility.
But there was another feeling that rose up within him almost immediately, quelling the resentment.
A feeling of pride.
His uncle had chosen him to succeed him as a member of the Nine, a brotherhood that was legendary for its selection of members. The enormity of the responsibility was something he would only appreciate with time.
The feeling that had been bothering him suddenly deserted him. He realised now that his uncle had had no intention of sending him on a search for the location of the secret. Rather, in this letter, he had urged him against it. The emails hadn’t been intended to be a trigger for the search he had embarked on.
All his uncle had wanted was for Vijay to find this chamber and take on the responsibility of guarding this library.
Sometimes you need to look deeper within.
If you look for a deeper meaning, you will find it.
Vijay shook his head wistfully. His friends and he had looked too deep within. Overlooking the clues that would have led him to this chamber, he had followed the clues that led him to Sitagarha instead. What a fool he had been!
But then, perhaps it was best it worked out this way, Vijay mused. The secret was now destroyed and beyond the reach of anyone. His mind was surprisingly clear and calm and there was an amazing clarity to his thoughts. Even if the secret cavern was no more, the secrets lived on in this chamber, in this library.
He didn’t want to deny the responsibility his uncle had passed onto him.
He was now a member of the Nine.
He was The Nine.