‘Maya!’ Adira gasped, breathless, as if she had run all the way here without pause. ‘Something is happening!’
‘Come with us!’ Amyra chimed in, as Adira stopped to catch her breath. ‘There’s a big meeting happening in the Assembly Hall. The Mahamati Council and the visitors have gathered there.’
The Gurukul had had visitors today. The Sangha had not been sitting idle since the destruction of the Gurukul in Corbett. Word had spread among the students of a stunning new development.
Two key members of the Sangha Council—Mahamatra Vishesh and Sanghanetra Pradeep—had been victims of the Naga onslaught at Corbett. Both had had to be replaced and, more importantly, a new Mahamatra had to be elected. Subsequently, Jignesh and Amba had been nominated to the Sangha Council and, to everyone’s astonishment, Jignesh had been elected the new Mahamatra. All this had been accomplished within a day of the Naga attack on the Corbett Gurukul. The Sangha, for once, had shown great urgency in making these important appointments.
Since Jignesh continued to stay at the Gurukul in Panna and teach there, the students had had to suddenly get accustomed to calling him Mahamatra instead of Mahamati. Most of them still had to get their head round it and often found themselves saying ‘Mahamati … oops, sorry, Mahamatra.’ Jignesh had been surprisingly good-natured about it and patient with the students each time they flubbed his new title.
The reconstituted Sangha Council had lost no time in getting to work and performing the last rites of those who had died at Corbett. Special mantras had been chanted to try and protect the souls of the departed from Shukra’s power. The site of the Gurukul was swiftly cleared and all signs of the devastation hurriedly erased so that the tragedy would never be known to the sadh world. Within two days, there was no sign that a Gurukul had ever stood on the site or that a group of people had lived secretly in the forest, away from prying eyes.
Today, the three other Sanghanetras had arrived, accompanied by two strangers, and all five visitors had been whisked away to the guesthouse before any of the students could lay eyes on them.
‘I wonder what they are discussing,’ Maya said, half to herself.
‘Are you thinking what I am thinking?’ Amyra squealed, unable to contain her excitement. ‘Do you think they could be discussing ways to find the other two parts of the prophecy?’
‘I suppose so.’ Maya smiled at Amyra’s exuberance. ‘But don’t get your hopes high. With Mahamatra Jignesh in charge, I think it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll get to be involved. There’s no way he’ll buy the theory that we are the Saptas.’
‘That’s why we’re here,’ Adira said cryptically. ‘Come.’ She turned and ran for the stairs without waiting or looking back to see if Maya was following. ‘Arjun’s got an idea.’
Amyra took Maya’s hand as they followed Adira down the stairs. ‘Quick!’ she urged Maya. ‘You have to hear Arjun’s idea.’
Wondering what bright idea Arjun had come up with now, Maya allowed herself to be led by the excited novice down the stairs and to the front door of the cottage.
The Assembly Hall
‘A girl called Diya Chaudhry, who was a member of the Gana has been found dead,’ Jignesh informed the small gathering. ‘Both her parents are Sangha members and have since been relocated to the Gurukul by the Yomgo river in Aalo. The police wanted to question them and we could not allow that.’
‘Not Diya!’ Yajnaseni was horrified. ‘She was in Arjun’s school! What happened?’
Jignesh’s face was grim. ‘She was murdered.’
‘Impossible!’ Kanakpratap interjected. ‘I knew the girl. She had amazing powers. In just a couple of years she would have graduated to become a member of the Sangha. Dhruv was very fond of her and used to talk a lot about her potential. No sadh could have harmed her in any way.’
‘Maharishi Ratan believes it was not a sadh who killed her,’ Jignesh replied. ‘He thinks it was a vikriti.’
‘How did she die?’ Anasuya, a Sanghanetra asked. ‘Maharishi Ratan must have good reason to believe what he does.’
‘Our sources in the police department tell us that no discernible cause of death could be established. She had a complete internal system breakdown.’ Jignesh looked around. ‘And the strangest part is, according to the autopsy report, her body did not decompose for two weeks after it shut down. You know what that means.’
Anasuya covered her face with her hands in horror. ‘No! Poor girl!’
‘Who could be responsible for this?’ Mahesh wondered aloud. ‘It has to be someone with highly developed siddhis.’
‘Vikritis do not have the ability to do something like this,’ Diksha, another Sanghanetra from outside the Gurukul said. ‘The pancha vikritis were the last of their ilk to have the powers that we possess. The vikritis of today are a shadow of those Maharishis.’
’True,’ Mahesh agreed. ‘We have confronted vikritis of different hues and always found them to be weak.’
‘If it was not the vikritis,’ Jignesh replied, ‘who else could it be?’
Chapter Thirteen
Arjun Has an Idea
The Gurukul
Arjun was waiting outside the door, along with Tanveer, Agastya and Varun, hopping from one foot to another. His face wore an expression of undisguised impatience.
‘What’s the matter with you guys?’ he complained as the three girls burst out of the door. ‘You took forever!’
Adira frowned at him. ‘Tell Maya.’
‘So here’s the deal.’ Arjun got straight to the point. ‘They’re holding a Sangha Council meeting. Which means they’re going to be discussing the prophecy, Shukra and us. Right?’
‘I don’t know, AJ.’ Maya was trying hard to control her excitement. ‘I really doubt if they’re going to be talking about us. But I guess they’ll tell us later, won’t they, if it involves us?’
‘That’s just the point,’ Varun chimed in. ‘They’ll tell us only what they want us to know. The rest will be censored. You know how the Sangha works!’
‘I have a plan,’ Arjun told Maya. ‘But you have to agree.’
‘Oh no.’ Maya could see where Arjun was going with his idea. ‘You can’t be serious!’
‘Of course! That’s the only way we can get to know exactly what they are saying about us!’
‘No way, AJ! We’ll get into trouble!’ Maya didn’t know what horrified her more: the fact that she had guessed what Arjun’s idea was or that Arjun could have come up with such a wild idea in the first place.
‘The first time you and I are in agreement,’ Agastya chimed in. ‘I told him the same thing. Mahamatra Jignesh will have our heads if we are discovered. Remember that he leads the Sangha now.’
‘But there’s no way they can find out!’ Arjun persisted, looking at Adira and Amyra for support, his eyes urging them to persuade Maya.
‘Will anyone be able to see you, apart from Maharishi Satyavachana?’ Adira asked Maya. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t give you away—he’s a decent sort.’
Maya thought for a moment. ‘I don’t think anyone else in the Gurukul can,’ she replied, ‘but I don’t know about the Sangha Council. Suppose they can?’
‘Come on, Maya.’ Amyra slipped her hand into Maya’s. ‘We’d love to get a first-hand briefing on what’s happening in there. And you’re the only one who can do it.’
‘Ringside seats,’ Varun added with a chuckle. ‘Can’t ask for more.’
‘I don’t know,’ Maya said unhappily. Part of her wanted to do it. And part of her was vehemently opposed to the idea. If they hadn’t been invited to the meeting, they were not supposed to be there. So how could she justify being an uninvited, and probably unwanted, presence at the Council?
She looked at Tanveer. She still didn’t know him too well, but whatever she had seen of him in the last few weeks told her that, even though he didn’t speak much, he was sensible.
‘What do you say, Tanveer?’
The archer shrugged. ‘I’d say we are
breaking the rules, but,’ he broke into a grin, ‘I have to admit I’m curious.’
Maya sighed. ‘Fine, I’ll do it.’
‘Yessss!’ Arjun was jubilant. ‘You’re a true sport. We’ll be waiting here for you.’
Maya shook her head and re-entered the cottage, heading towards the dorm. Adira and Amyra took up positions on the floor outside the door to the dorm to ensure that no one disturbed Maya while she slept.
Chapter Fourteen
The Sangha Council
The Assembly Hall
Maya found herself floating high above the gathering in the Assembly Hall. The five Sanghanetras sat in a semicircle, with Jignesh in the centre, flanked by Amba and the three visitors from the other Gurukuls.
Facing them sat the three other members of the Mahamati Council—Mahesh, Usha and Parth—along with Kanakpratap and Yajnaseni. Ratan Tiwari had returned to Delhi, his job of chaperoning Maya now over. As a senior Sangha member, he had responsibilities to fulfil in his job at the university.
On either side of the Sangha Council, between the Sanghanetras and the others, sat the two strangers who had arrived earlier today at the Gurukul. Maya wondered who they were.
She had heard that the structure of the Sangha allowed the Sanghanetras to perform a dual role—as members of the Sangha Council and also as members of the Mahamati Council at their Gurukul. As a result, Jignesh and Amba served on both councils after their elevation.
Maya guided herself upwards until she was close to the highest point of the conical roof. Until now, all that she had been capable of doing was transporting her spirit from one point to another using thought, but Satyavachana had shown her how to guide her atma and manoeuvre it so that she could navigate away from, or towards, or even around anything. Maya had learned fast and was getting better at it by the day.
Satyavachana was missing. Maya wondered where the Maharishi was. Surely he knew about the council meeting. Whatever the reason, Maya was relieved since she could eavesdrop without the fear of anyone knowing she was there.
An animated discussion was in full flow below her. Maya realised they were talking about Shukra and his plans. She had clearly missed part of the discussion.
‘We must not underestimate Shukra, Sriram,’ Jignesh was saying, with his customary asperity, addressing one of the Sanghanetras. ‘He is a powerful and highly intelligent Maharishi. Remember what Lord Krishna said about his intellect and wisdom. For too long has the Sangha underestimated Shukra. And we have seen where that has got us. For once let us be realistic!’
‘We have to consider all possibilities, Mahamatra,’ Anasuya spoke up. ‘We never thought that he would send the Nagas to attack a second Gurukul. We cannot rule anything out.’
Jignesh was resolute. ‘I do not believe that he will unleash the Nagas upon the sadhs. If that had been his objective, he would have done it already. It would have been far easier to decimate the sadhs than fight the Sangha. If he had let the Nagas loose upon Bhu-lok earlier, we would have all been caught by surprise and unable to muster our resources in time.’
‘Then we must be ready for an attack on one of the other Gurukuls,’ Diksha interjected. ‘Isn’t that a real danger ?
Instead of answering, Jignesh looked at the roof, directly at the spot where Maya was hovering. He frowned, and Maya immediately rose higher, clinging to the ceiling. Did Jignesh have the ability to see her atma? She wouldn’t have thought it possible. Then he turned his attention back to the discussion and Maya floated lower, to hear more clearly.
‘We must not forget,’ Kanakpratap joined the conversation, ‘that Shukra is bent on killing Arjun. He knows about the prophecy and surely he will do everything to destroy the One who is destined to lead us against him?’
Jignesh shook his head. ‘If that was the case, he would have led the Nagas himself against us. He has attacked this Gurukul twice, but was not present on either occasion. It would have been far easier for him to overcome us in person. Why send Vishwaraj and the Nagas? Poor replacements for Shukra, surely. He knew that we would not have been able to defend ourselves against his power. So his absence doesn’t make sense.’
‘He could have been testing us,’ Yajnaseni suggested. The other members of the Mahamati Council nodded in agreement, recalling their conversation about this very possibility on the night that Arjun and Maya had arrived at the Gurukul. It was Yajnaseni who had brought it up then too. ‘Shukra may have been wanting to see how strong we are; what resources we have at our command. Whether we are capable of fighting his proxies and how we respond to their assault on the Gurukul. He could not have foreseen that we would find deliverance. Now he knows that we have a defence against the Nagas.’
‘That is possible,’ Jignesh agreed. ‘But it doesn’t explain why he attacked the Gurukul in Corbett. He knew we had Garuda to bank upon. Yet he unleashed the Nagas a second time. We never anticipated that. We thought that the fear of Garuda would restrain the Nagas from any further attacks. How could Shukra and the Nagas be so certain that we would not be able to call Garuda in time to save the other Gurukul? It would have made more sense for him to attack the sadhs rather than another Gurukul.’ He paused. ‘We’re going round in circles. We’re back to where we started and we’re none the wiser about Shukra’s motives.’
Even as he spoke, the doors to the Assembly Hall flew open.
All eyes turned towards the entrance.
It was Satyavachana.
And he didn’t look happy at all.
Chapter Fifteen
Arguments
The Assembly Hall
‘It is useless to sit here and speculate about Shukra and his motives.’ Satyavachana began speaking even as he strode from the entrance to the small group at the opposite end of the hall. ‘We need to act. And it seems that we have a window of opportunity, however small it may be, to begin our work.’
‘What do you mean, Maharishi?’ Jignesh asked. ‘What window of opportunity?’
‘The reason I am late for this Council is because I have been spying on Shukra,’ Satyavachana announced. ‘I have had him under surveillance for the last few days. And what I have witnessed today only goes to prove that we simply cannot predict what he will do next.’ He paused to give his next words greater effect. ‘Shukra has sent the Nagas back to Mahatala.’
Surprise and bafflement registered on everyone’s faces. Even Maya, floating above them, was taken aback.
‘I don’t understand.’ Mahesh was the first to break the silence, echoing the thoughts of every person present there. ‘Why should the Nagas return to Mahatala? Why would Shukra release them only to send them back?’ He shook his head. ‘It just doesn’t make sense.’
Jignesh frowned. ‘There’s something wrong,’ he mused. ‘I cannot put my finger on it, but it seems to me that Shukra is playing a deeper game than we can understand. If he was testing us, then what was he testing us for? The strength of our power? Our resources? Our knowledge of the means to fight the inhabitants of Pataala-lok? No, no, no! There’s more to this than meets the eye.’
He paused and held Satyavachana’s gaze, wagging his index finger for emphasis. ‘It is not an exercise in futility to try and understand Shukra’s motives. They may hold the key to our survival, and that of humanity.’
Jignesh turned and looked at each of the Sanghanetras in turn. ‘We must find out what Shukra is really after. What he wants to achieve. Why he has returned after 5,000 years.’
‘Isn’t his aim to open the gates of the five levels of Pataala and allow the Nagas, Asuras and Rakshasas to take over Bhu-lok?’ Kanakpratap looked puzzled. ‘I thought that was obvious. That’s what he tried to do 5,000 years ago, when the Saptarishis and Devas stopped him.’
‘Maybe.’ Jignesh had a thoughtful look in his eyes. ‘Maybe. But I can’t help feeling that the attacks on the Gurukul were not solely because of Arjun’s presence here. And that there is a deeper motive that underlies everything that Shukra is doing. We need to find out what that is.
We cannot stop him unless we know what he is planning.’
Sriram nodded. ‘There is reason in what you say, but we have no way of figuring it out.’
‘Look at the pattern,’ Jignesh replied. ‘Shukra has surprised us every time we thought we knew what he was going to do. He has been highly unpredictable. After Allahabad, he disappeared for fourteen years, then suddenly resurfaced in Delhi at Dhruv’s house. What was he doing for fourteen years? And how did he know where to find Dhruv? Then, he sent his monster army against our Gurukul. When that failed, he opened the gates to Mahatala and released the Nagas, inflicting them upon us. After we sought, and obtained, the help of Garuda, instead of retreating, he sent the Nagas against a second Gurukul, despite knowing that we have access to Garuda.’
‘There is no pattern, Mahamatra,’ Diksha said.
‘Exactly.’ Jignesh jabbed a finger in the air. ‘There is no pattern. But there should be. If he was solely concerned with finding and opening the gates to the five levels of Pataala-lok that matter to him, there would be a pattern. Why isn’t there one?’
‘That’s a lot of speculation, Mahamati,’ Satyavachana addressed Jignesh. ‘You may be correct about Shukra’s motives. But you may also be hopelessly wrong about them, you know.’
Maya noticed that Satyavachana had not once used the honorific titles for either Jignesh or the other members of the Sangha Council. He addressed Jignesh only as Mahamati. She found it curious and wondered why.
‘Who among us here can hope to be absolutely certain of what is correct?’ Jignesh’s voice could have cut through steel. ‘But we need to do something. We cannot sit and wait for Shukra to take us by surprise yet again.’
‘We need to push ahead swiftly with our plan,’ Anasuya asserted. ‘We have had fourteen years to prepare and this is the time to move.’
‘True,’ Satyavachana responded. ‘Yet, what have you achieved after all your preparation? Shukra is stronger than ever. And we have no means to defeat him, not yet. You had planned for Vishawaraj to partner with Arjun, hadn’t you? The young Rishi joining forces with the One to defeat Shukra. Well, that plan lies in tatters now. Your young saviour has gone over to Shukra, hasn’t he?’
The Mists of Brahma Page 5
