THE CURSE OF BRAHMA Read online

  ‘I have another sister,’ Jarasandha continued haltingly. ‘Her name is Asti. She is Prapti’s twin sister and she is as beautiful as Prapti was before her face got burnt. Both of them love each other and have been inseparable from childhood. I have always been afraid that when they marry, they will be away from each other.’ He paused to take a deep breath before going on. ‘Kansa, I will not find a more noble man than you in all the nations of Mrityulok. Please do me the favour of marrying both my sisters, so that they can be together and have a man like you as their husband.’

  Kansa was quiet for a moment. He did not believe in polygamy, unlike several other kings and princes who had more than one wife. But neither did he want to refuse his new friend his first request. More importantly, what Jarasandha had said about the bond between the two sisters helped him make up his mind. He nodded, indicating to Jarasandha that he would marry both the sisters.

  A month later, Asti and Prapti were married at Magadha with a celebration the likes of which had not been seen in any part of Bharat for a very long time.

  On the day of the wedding, Ugrasena couldn’t control himself from asking something that had been bothering him ever since Kansa had agreed to marry Jarasandha’s sisters. ‘Why did you agree to marry Prapti when Jarasandha had promised he would not attack us, even if you rejected his proposal?’

  Kansa smiled, ‘You remember when Jarasandha mentioned the charred face of his sister?’

  Ugrasena looked confused. ‘Uh yes…what about it?’

  Kansa looked intently at Ugrasena, ‘I tried to imagine how Prapti would have looked; but try as I might, every time her face would metamorphose into Devki’s features, half-charred and marked for life.’

  Ugrasena looked like he wanted to say something, but Kansa continued as if he hadn’t noticed, ‘And as I stared into Jarasandha’s eyes, I saw myself staring at my own face in the mirror, pleading to people to marry Devki…’

  Ugrasena looked at his son with unadulterated love, as a trickle of tears poured out unbidden from his eyes. ‘Devki is lucky to have you as her brother.’

  ‘My brother!’ Jarasandha’s reverie was broken as he saw Kansa walk into the room. He rose to grip Kansa by his shoulders, as the Prince returned his embrace with equal fervour.

  Ugrasena smiled in relief to see the camaraderie between his son and Jarasandha. Over the last few years, he had reconciled himself to Kansa’s marriage with Asti and Prapti. In all honesty, he had realized that Jarasandha’s sisters were not at all like their brother. They were both extremely warm and affectionate and had won him over completely. Most importantly, they loved Kansa with all their heart. And the deep bond between the two sisters ensured there was no discord in their marital life despite being married to the same person.

  ‘I’m so glad you could come down, brother,’ Kansa smiled. ‘I was on my way to Magadha the day the incident happened.’

  Ugrasena looked at Kansa in surprise. His face reflected his hurt. He hadn’t known that Kansa was going to Magadha. It pained him that Kansa had become so distant from him that he had planned on going away without even meeting him.

  Kansa realized what Ugrasena would be feeling and he looked apologetically at his father, his expression a strange mixture of sadness and rebellion. ‘I wanted to tell you, Father, but…but there was no time,’ he commented lamely.

  The exchange between Kansa and Ugrasena did not escape Jarasandha’s vigilant eyes. He sensed there was trouble between the two but he didn’t want to probe in Ugrasena’s presence. He decided he would discuss it with Kansa later. ‘So how are you feeling now, my friend?’ he asked Kansa, deliberately changing the subject.

  ‘As fit as a fiddle,’ Kansa smiled at his brother-in-law, glad to talk about something else.

  Jarasandha looked closely at Kansa. Something seemed different about the prince. Kansa’s arms looked bigger and his shoulders, too, appeared broader than he remembered them. Warriors like Jarasandha noticed every little aspect of another warrior, especially one whose prowess they respected. And Jarasandha held Kansa in great esteem as a fighter. But it wasn’t just Kansa’s physical characteristics that seemed altered. Even his eyes looked different. For a moment, Jarasandha wondered whether it was his imagination or he actually saw a glimmer of green in Kansa’s deep brown eyes.

  The latter noticed Jarasandha examining him, and for some strange reason he felt uncomfortable. He too hadn’t failed to notice the changes in his physique since his recovery. It wasn’t just the speed with which he recuperated that surprised him. His muscles seemed bigger to him, and he felt as if he was several times stronger and agile than he had ever been. When he had questioned the royal vaid about this, the physician had seemed visibly disturbed and had not been able to provide a satisfactory answer. In fact, though Kansa could not be sure, he thought he had detected a hint of fear in the physician’s eyes as he spoke to him. However, Kansa had put aside the physician’s strange behaviour, seeing how happy his family, and especially Devki, were at seeing him fully recovered.

  ‘Why don’t you come with me to Magadha now?’ Jarasandha said softly, interrupting Kansa’s thoughts.

  ‘I don’t know if I should, brother,’ Kansa replied hesitatingly. He saw Jarasandha’s hurt expression and felt it necessary to explain.

  ‘You see, we are still not sure why those creatures from Pataal Lok attacked Devki in the first place,’ Kansa said thoughtfully. ‘We don’t have any animosity with those people…and they…they have never before appeared in Mrityulok unless there was a good reason for their presence here.’ Kansa’s face was tight with concern.

  Damn, Jarasandha thought to himself. He hadn’t expected this. He thought quickly. ‘It’s quite possible these creatures were thrown out of the nether world by the asura council.’ he ventured, thinking aloud.

  ‘It’s happened in the past you know!’ Jarasandha continued. ‘From time to time, the asura council banishes some of their creatures out of Pataal Lok for not complying with the gruesome practices prescribed by the council members. The ousted demons know they can’t go to the higher world because the demi-gods in Swarglok would kill them on sight. So these wretches prefer to seek refuge in our world. They know they are stronger than most mortals and can fight their way out even if their presence is discovered. However, most of the time, these vile creatures find a place to hide and stay out of sight of the mortals. They know the laws. If they are found on Mrityulok, it will mean instant death.’

  Ugrasena who had been listening quietly till now chipped in, ‘More than the fear of death, it is the knowledge that if their presence becomes known openly, some king or the other may decide to launch a full-scale campaign to unearth them out of their hiding places. That would hurt them far more than a few of their kind being put to death.’

  Jarasandha glanced sharply at Ugrasena. He had not known that the old king too was aware of the presence of the creatures from Pataal Lok in Mrityulok. He had thought this knowledge was known only to him, and a handful of his close associates.

  Kansa stared at Jarasandha and Ugrasena, ‘Are you saying there are creatures from Pataal Lok in our world? That Mrityulok is full of these repulsive demons, and most of us are not even aware of their presence?’

  Ugrasena nodded quietly, ‘Yes, there are a lot of these creatures in Mrityulok. Over the past few years, hundreds of them have found refuge in our world.’

  Jarasandha looked closely at Ugrasena. The truth was that the number of demons in Mrityulok exceeded a few thousand by now. But for Ugrasena to put the number even in a few hundred was surprising. How much does he know? Jarasandha wondered.

  Kansa looked thoughtful. ‘So you think those three creatures that attacked Devki on the Shiva temple hill were also among those people who have been banished from Pataal Lok?’

  Ugrasena nodded again, ‘Yes it’s possible that they also belong to the group of exiled demons. They were probably hiding somewhere on the hill, and seeing Devki there, they may have panicked and attacked
her, afraid that their presence might become known if she escaped.’

  ‘Possible…even probable,’ Jarasandha said, agreeing with Ugrasena.

  Kansa’s face contorted in anger at the memory of the attack on his sister. ‘Vile demons. They should be thrown back into Pataal Lok.’ he snarled.

  ‘All demons are not repulsive or bad, my son!’ Ugrasena said, looking at Kansa with an inscrutable expression.

  ‘I am not a demon, Father,’ Kansa said with suppressed anger. ‘You don’t have to make me feel good by saying all this.’

  Ugrasena was taken aback at Kansa’s reaction. He had not thought that Kansa would take the remark personally. He had only wanted to bridge the growing distance between the two of them. But his comment seemed to have pushed Kansa farther away.

  Jarasandha did not fail to notice the latest exchange between father and son. He wasn’t sure what all of it meant, but he resolved to ask Kansa about it later.

  ‘So will you come with me, brother, or should I leave alone for Magadha?’ he asked Kansa.

  Kansa looked undecided. He had wanted to go to Magadha to get away from his father and the troubling nightmares he had been having over the past few days. He had thought that being away for a while might allow him to get over the reality of his childhood and possibly bring back the feeling of love for his father. After the attack on Devki, he had decided against going away, fearing another attack on her. But from what Jarasandha and Ugrasena had just shared with him, it appeared that the attack on her had not been a planned ambush, but more of a reaction on the part of the creatures to keep their presence a secret. He looked around in frustration, still unable to decide whether to go with Jarasandha or stay back at Madhuvan.

  Strangely it was Ugrasena who helped him decide. He went up to Kansa and held him by his shoulders. Looking into the eyes of his son, he whispered, ‘Go…go to Magadha. I know you need to be away…from things…from me. But when you come back, come back to me as the son you have always been. And remember, I have always loved you as my own.’

  Before Kansa could reply, Ugrasena had turned away and left the room with a curt nod to Jarasandha. Kansa looked at his father’s retreating back, torn between the love he had for his father, and the pain of rejection he felt at the knowledge of his birth.

  In the end, he willed himself to be strong and turned towards Jarasandha. ‘We will leave in an hour. I want to say goodbye to Devki.’

  Jarasandha nodded as Kansa made his way out of the room, in search of his sister. He was dying to know what had happened between Kansa and Ugrasena. But the thought that troubled him the most was how Ugrasena knew about the presence of the banished demons from Pataal Lok in Mrityulok. Ugrasena could upset all his plans. I have to find out how much the old king knows, Jarasandha thought, as his face creased into a frown.

  A Walk in the Past

  he Dark Lord moved in his sleep. It was rare for him to lie down at all. Sleep gave way to nightmares. Sleep brought back too many memories of his past life, ones that he had tried to bury over the last two hundred years. Sleep was an enemy!

  But even he had to sleep occasionally. The force of Brahman running through his system kept his senses aware of what was happening around him at all times, so that even in his sleep no one could take advantage of him. But even the powerful energy of Brahman wasn’t enough to prevent his unconscious mind from walking over the footprints of his past. There were always a few recurring memories that hounded him every time he lay down to sleep; the close relationship he shared with his guru, Brahma; the betrayal he experienced when Brahma banished him to Pataal Lok for no reason, almost killing him and ravaging his soul and mutilating his face forever; and the horror he experienced when he regained consciousness to find himself in the deepest pit of hell where Brahma had unfairly banished him for eternity.

  The most feared figure in Pataal Lok lay curled up like a child in his sleep, his knees pulled up towards his chest, and his arms tightly hugging his legs. His disfigured face lit up with a smile, as his unconscious mind took him back to some happy moments from his past life…

  ‘Amartya, hurry up! Today is your initiation,’ his mother bellowed from outside his room. Amartya grinned to himself. Today was the day when his guru, Brahma, would pronounce him to be a deva—a demi-god. At the age of twenty-two, this was an unprecedented honour. Yet it didn’t stop his mother from treating him like a child. She was banging on the door and mumbling to herself, about how late he was for the initiation ceremony. It was still the beginning of the first prahar of the day. The ceremony was scheduled for the dvitiya prahar (the second period of the day, each day being divided into six prahars of four hours each). He decided he had enough time to perform his morning prayers and meditation, even though his mother was acting like he was already late.

  Amartya focused inward on his energy centre, and willed himself to concentrate his energies on achieving a meditative state. He slipped into meditation with the ease of a person who had been doing this for the past twenty years of his life, since he was two years old and Brahma had pronounced him to be an extraordinarily gifted child. Time passed quickly as he sat in meditation. At last he came out of the state of concentration and got up to leave for the ashram where Brahma awaited him.

  ‘You are so late, Amartya!’ chided his mother as he stepped out of his room. She was busy trying to get her other six children ready for the day. Amartya was the eldest of her seven sons. The younger six also went to an ashram, but theirs was the regular gurukul where all the rishi’s children went for their education in philosophy and other studies. Amartya was the only one singled out by Brahma in the past several millennia to be trained and educated under his own tutelage. A lot of Amartya’s peers, including his own siblings, were not too happy at the special treatment Amartya received from Brahma. Amartya had discussed this with Brahma on several occasions, but Brahma had merely said, ‘You are different, my child, and hence there will always be people who envy you. But you are meant for greater things; and one day all of them will know this!’ Amartya had no idea what Brahma meant and what greatness he was destined for. But he had unshakeable faith in his guru and if Brahma said something, then it must be so.

  Amartya touched his mother’s feet as he prepared to leave for Brahma’s ashram. As she touched his head with the palm of her right hand to bless him, he heard the barely suppressed giggles of his younger siblings. Amartya looked indulgently at his six brothers. He loved them even though he knew they envied him. All six were standing in a group giggling and chattering amongst themselves—Hansa, Damana, Suvikrama, Ripurvardana, Kratha and Krodhanta. Amartya walked up to them and patted Krodhanta, the youngest of the brothers, on his head. ‘What’s the joke, brother?’ he smiled. Krodhanta looked away nervously, while the others still giggled. Amartya cupped Krodhanta’s chin in his palm and raised his brother’s face to look into his eyes, ‘What is it, child? Tell me,’ he coaxed.

  Krodhanta looked up at him, undecided whether to share the joke with Amartya. Somehow, it didn’t seem as funny as it had when he had been laughing with his other brothers. But he couldn’t refuse Amartya, and he was compelled to lower his eyes at the intense gaze of his eldest brother. ‘W–we were jo–joking about Brahma,’ he stammered. Amartya unconsciously tightened his grip around his brother’s chin, and Krodhanta winced in pain. Amartya didn’t seem to notice. ‘What was the joke?’ he asked in a tight voice. Krodhanta looked miserable. He had realized by now that the joke wasn’t funny at all, but he knew Amartya wouldn’t let go till he had told him everything. He pointed at two of his older siblings—Hansa and Damana—and whimpered, ‘Th–they were laughing at…at Brahmaji.’

  Amartya’s grip on Krodhanta’s chin tightened further. ‘Why?’ he said quietly, his fury barely controlled.

  Tears of pain sprang into Krodhanta’s eyes, as Amartya’s grip on his face intensified. ‘They said Brahmaji married his own daughter…and that he….’ His sentence was cut short by a tight slap from Amartya. Krodhan
ta ran crying to his mother, who looked on speechless at what had happened. She knew it was a sin to make fun of your elders, especially your teachers. And for that ridicule to have been aimed at Brahma himself—that was unforgivable. If anyone got to know about it…she shuddered to think what would happen. She understood why Amartya had slapped his younger brother so uncharacteristically. He was completely devoted to Brahma and to hear anyone ridiculing his guru would have been unacceptable to him.

  Amartya hadn’t moved. He stood rooted to the spot. Krodhanta’s words rang in his ears: ‘Brahmaji married his own daughter…’ The giggling of his other brothers too resounded in his mind. But above all of this, he had a premonition of something that was about to happen, something that would change his life forever. For a fleeting moment, he saw a terrible vision of Brahma’s face contorted in rage. But his guru’s fury wasn’t directed at his brothers…it was directed at Amartya.

  The Dark Lord groaned in his sleep, his breathing ragged and irregular, as if the events of his past life had happened in front of his eyes, yet again. He pulled his knees tighter against his chest, as if this action would enable him to ward off the disturbing thoughts. Gradually, however, his body relaxed and his breathing returned to normal.

  The ashram was decorated as Amartya had never seen before in all the twenty years he had been under Brahma’s tutelage. Flowers of all possible species in the universe adorned the walls and the doors. Amartya had thought only Brahma and a few senior members of the ashram would be present at his initiation ceremony, but he hadn’t imagined that there would be so many people. While he couldn’t count all of them, it looked like there were at least fifty devas present at the function. Indra, the overlord of the devas, was also there, talking animatedly with Brahma. And then, Amartya stopped in bewildered shock. No…it couldn’t be possible. Was he dreaming? He pinched himself to check if he was truly seeing what he thought he was. It took him a second to realize that this was indeed no dream. The two greatest gods in the universe were sitting quietly near the ceremonial fire, smiling at each other, their faces aglow with the knowledge that something spectacular was about to happen. Amartya felt his mouth go dry with excitement. This was the first time in his life he was seeing Shiva and Vishnu in their physical form. And it was perhaps the first time most of the devas present would have seen the three supreme gods at one place. The mightiest gods in the universe—Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma—all three present at his initiation ceremony.