Dwandv:: The Battle for the Gate

by Dinkar Goswami

  “Master Shalya, I say this respectfully. You know this is an arduous task. I know you have also prepared me superbly to execute the task. But you yourself have never seen the gate, as has no one else, and nothing has been written about it anywhere. Please forgive me for asking. How do you know that it even exists?” Gerua asked, still perplexed.

  “How did you know that the yog you have learned exists? You had not seen it, nor met anyone who had seen or known of it. Yet you went on a search for it, not even knowing what actual yog was. You did not know that there could be an ashram like this or that we existed or that there could be such a child as Danta whom you would conceive. You did not know that we would find you, but we did. There are many things that exist which no one has seen or are known to exist. But they exist.

  “Similarly, we know the gate is there. We also know that the deserving will find it or the gate will find the deserving, just as yog found you. We don’t have to see it to know that it is there. You are Danta’s mother, and only you can help Danta find it. The gate will not show itself to anyone else. You also have to agree to let Danta go through the gate alone. So, prepare yourself.”

  The moment Gerua had stepped into the eye, she became totally committed to finding the gate. She told herself over and over that she had to find the gate and she had no other option. The masters had made that abundantly clear. They all believed that it was Danta’s destiny to become the Maha Yodha as prophesized, and Gerua would have to prove that she was a deserving mother. She would have to put aside her personal feelings and let Danta go. It was her destiny.

  When the time came to enter the forest, Gerua lowered herself on one knee and held Danta gently by his shoulders and spoke to him. “Danta, we are going to go through the forest. I want you to stay close to me and do what I tell you. Do not leave my sight. We must stick together.”

  “I understand, Mom. Of course, I will stay with you, and we will stick together,” Danta assured her. He looked at her and chuckled. “You look like a warrior princess with all those beads.”

  “Let me see...” Gerua pretended to think. “Hmm, you are right, young man,” she said with a grin. “But you must always be where I can see and touch you. Now let’s go find the gate.”

  Danta nodded, strutting happily. As he went a little ahead, Gerua grabbed his hand, and they moved toward the edge of the forest. The journey was perilous not only because of the terrain but also because of the unfamiliar environment. Gerua and Danta noticed an air of excitement in the forest. The birds chirped loudly as they flew overhead, and the primates screeched, forming a circle around Danta and Gerua.

  “Look, Danta! The animals and the birds are here to welcome you. Can you understand what they’re saying?” asked Gerua, laughing.

  “Yes, Mom, they are saying that they’re happy to see us and they will be with us,” Danta replied cheerfully.

  “Good to see you have made some friends,” said Gerua, smiling fondly at her son.

  Gerua and Danta moved further into the forest. The foliage was not very dense, and they could easily move through it. They had been walking for some time when they reached a denser part of the forest, and they could no longer see a path. Bushes grew in their way. Gerua took out the urumi from its casing and turned the handle one notch, making it crackle with energy as the Urumi switched to gripping mode. She swung the urumi up toward the branches, and it latched around the branch. Gerua tested the grip by pulling down on it. She released the backpack to one side, and she asked Danta to climb up on her back. With one graceful leap, he was on her back, hugging her from behind. His legs were wrapped around her stomach. Gerua tightened her grip on the urumi handle and swung forward over the bushes blocking their path and over the foliage and landed softly on the other side. She unhitched the urumi and put it back in its round casing, and they both continued down the mountain. Gerua didn’t know that in addition to the primates and the birds moving with them, they were also being tracked.

  CHAPTER 24

  TIPPING

  After reevaluating the events in the village Gerua had purged, Bubba strongly believed that the masters had saved Gerua. Having trained under the masters in their ashram, Bubba knew how capable they were. Only the masters could have protected Gerua and trained her to be what she was today. She could have been living among them, waiting for the right moment to appear.

  Decades ago, when Bubba had been chosen to learn yog from the masters; he had only a minor siddhi. He was merely able to draw energy from his surroundings and from ordinary mortals around him. He had used the siddhi clandestinely pretending to be a humble virtuous yogi in penance.

  Not using this siddhi overtly, Bubba was seen as a gifted yogi not abusing his power. Thus he was able to spent years at the ashram when it was obscured on Mount Everest. At the ashram he had learned the secrets of the masters, pretending to be a devout student. Having acquired further siddhi at the ashram, Bubba had secretly become a powerful yogi. He had kept these additional siddhi hidden from the masters. His growing power had fed his ego, but there was still a void. His ego had always needed more nourishment. In his heart, Bubba did not agree with the masters at the ashram on one crucial fact. He was never able to accept that it was wrong to use siddhi egoistically or for personal gain. What was the use of all this power if it was only to become one with the universe, which according to him, was tantamount to becoming nothing?

  He recalled what Master Shalya had told him. “I believe you have achieved a lot, but you have found it difficult to let go of the physical plain,” said the master. “You must let it go so that there is a void within you. This void will then be filled with the necessary knowhow to give you freedom from ordinary environmental influences, and give you mastery over your life force. You have a long way to go. Keep striving. You show potential for being a great yogi.”

  Bubba was tired of not being openly able to use the siddhi he had, and of just striving to master his life force without purpose. He was also tired of all the secrecy in the ashram. He had seen the masters operating devices and communicating in the language of the ancients with entities he could not see, hear, or feel. He knew that certain parts of the ashram were out of bounds for him. Bubba wanted all the powers and technology the masters had instantaneously. For him, the masters were too slow at imparting their knowledge. Bubba had never seen the masters use siddhi. He often wondered if their knowledge was limited.

  However, Bubba did acknowledge the fact that due to the tutelage of the masters, additional siddhi had begun to manifest in him. But he had convinced himself that he was smarter than the masters. Most importantly, he needed to use the unbelievable power that had manifested in him as he willed. Bubba concluded that his time had come for him to develop his skills and seek further knowledge elsewhere. It was a big universe and he was convinced there were other ways to acquire the knowledge the masters professed to possess. Bubba made the decision to leave the ashram. He knew no one would chase him or stop him by force, but he didn’t want to be questioned. He just wanted to disappear with all that he had gained at the ashram.

  It was a full moon night when Bubba left the ashram, stepping out on the freezing thin air on the peak of Mount Everest. There was a slight wind, and the sky was clear. He needed the moonlight to guide him to the valley below. He had to get off the snow-clad mountain and onto the rocky plains below as quickly as possible.

  Bubba had a plan. He was relying on his training to be the key to achieving his goal. However, he had failed to account for weather changes and had underestimated the effects of the mountain environment at this altitude on even a trained person like him.

  As soon as Bubba stepped out of the ashram, scantily clothed, the biting cold and lack of oxygen hit him. He gasped for air, feeling dizzy as his lungs screamed for more oxygen. The cold bit into his skin as the hair on his body froze. He felt his bone marrow would freeze and his bones would break. There was nothing here—no life, no mortal or inorganic being that lived on the mountain at this height. Th
e moment he stepped out with dark intent, the ashram disappeared as if it had never been there. He would never be able to find it again.

  Bubba knew if his training did not kick in soon, he would freeze or collapse and die. He summoned all the skills he had acquired at the ashram, focusing his mind on causing his organs to become more efficient. He had to optimize his bodily functions.

  His glands kicked in secreting adrenaline giving him a rush. Inactive neurons fired up in his brain, making his major organs function remarkably efficiently. His lungs expanded hugely and took in more of the thin air as his breathing techniques kicked in. His brain commanded his alveoli to seek all available oxygen molecules in his lungs. Oxygenated blood flowed to his brain, and more commands were fired to shut down unnecessary organs and direct blood where it was needed most. His circulatory system directed oxygenated blood to his core and limbs making him move efficiently with ease. He needed his body to fight the extreme low temperatures, so his brain commanded muscle and skin to fight the biting cold via the friction his moment generated. His body turned on available reserves of energy and supplied it to his extremities. He used the siddhi he had attained to become superefficient physically.

  Moving briskly Bubba felt a sense of exhilaration at his success. His heart filled with a belief that he could now control nature and nothing could take him down. He wanted to get away as fast as possible.

  CHAPTER 25

  GETAWAY

  Bubba had been on the mountain for quite some time, moving south, making considerable progress. Suddenly, the mountain darkened as clouds began to hide the moon. He moved as fast as possible, over the icy snow. If he could reach the bare rocks below, he would be fine.

  He felt a chill run up his spine as the mountain prepared to unleash its full fury. It was as if it knew of his treachery. The wind picked up as the dark clouds swirled in the sky. Quickly, the clouds swallowed the moon, and the mountain was engulfed in darkness. The wind howled, and Bubba felt the biting cold trying to wear him down. His siddhi began to fail, and he refocused to make his organs even more efficient. Then the blizzard hit. The mountain became deathly frigid as the temperature dropped.

  It was now Bubba’s will and training against the mountain. Bubba fought to defeat the mountain as it unleashed its wrath. Bubba dug deeper into his mind, seeking to muster all his reserves. He was determined to fight the fury that was about to engulf him.

  The mountain lit up, bright as day, as lightning struck the mountain followed by a thunderous crack. Again, the mountain lit up as another bolt of lightning struck the snow some distance above Bubba. The next thing he heard was a thunderous rumble as tons of snow and ice hurtled toward him. He froze, knowing that he had no siddhi against the fast-moving avalanche. The mountain was aware of that. The avalanche came thundering down ripping Bubba from the mountain face. He remained conscious as he tumbled like a ragged doll, battered by the avalanche. Hurtling down the mountain at breakneck speed, he focused on driving all thoughts of destruction and death out of his mind. His brain sent a telepathic message for help across the racing snow to an entity he had been secretly communicating with earlier. His message was also heard by an aghori who lived in the cave below. The aghori sent his apprentices to assist Bubba. The avalanche hurtled him to the plain below, burying the now unconscious Bubba.

  Bubba gained consciousness and found himself buried under the snow. He felt pain in his ribs and arms and realized that this was a good sign. He was still alive. He found himself wrapped in a cocoon of snow, but there was air to breathe, at least for some time. Bubba once again summoned his siddhi to optimize the use of the air. He conducted an internal check and concluded that his main organs were intact and nothing had ruptured. He promised himself that he would never go on any snow-covered peak again.

  Bubba calculated that there was just enough air to survive in his small snow cocoon till help reached him. He managed to slow down his body functions to a revivable death-like state, but at the same time, he kept his mind wary of his surroundings.

  After what seemed like an eternity, fist-sized purplish-red devils materialized over his body. They spoke to each other in a language he did not understand, but they seemed to be searching for signs of life. After checking him over, they suddenly disappeared. He waited, aware that time was running out.

  After a long time, he heard shouting and could make out that someone was digging toward him. The aghori apprentices scuttled above the snow they so hated. Before long, a human hand reached into his cocoon. Men with long matted hair, bushy mustaches, and long scruffy beards dug Bubba out. He knew his saviors were aghori. One aghori put his ear to his chest to listen for any signs of a heartbeat. They found nothing as Bubba had slowed down his pulse so much that they thought he was dead. They spoke with one another, trying to decide what to do with his body. They threw Bubba on the ground. Some sat around him, and others began to build a huge bonfire. He sensed that the aghori intended to cremate him and consume his flesh. He wanted to scream that he was alive, but he couldn’t muster the strength to revive himself. His heart filled with rage and hatred for these cannibalistic aghori, only to be replaced by the horror of what was about to happen to him.

  Helpless, Bubba tried to garner the warmth from the bonfire to revive his bodily functions before he was cooked alive. He wondered why the entity he had sent the message for help hadn’t responded. Then he heard the sound he had been waiting for, the thunderous sound of something large approaching. The aghori also heard the sound and scurried away. A huge demonic Rakshas had appeared. The Rakshas had a large bluish-red face with a huge bushy mustache over his thick red lips. The Rakshas was covered with fine blue hair. It had big round eyes, a bluish-red chin, a pudgy nose, and tiny horns. The Rakshas stopped at Bubba’s limp form, looking curiously at him for some time over its potbelly. The Rakshas then picked Bubba with one huge hand and tossed him over its shoulder and went hurtling through the bonfire, scattering the embers and ash all over, heading south.

  Bubba woke up somewhere inside a maze-like intricate cave system deep in the mountain. The cave he was in was a huge dome-shaped structure with a hot spring for water. Apart from the red glow coming out of the ground, it was dark. Beyond the glow, there was a large throne-like chair made of white material. In this inner cave, Bubba would become a master yogi he wanted to be, completing his transformation.

  Bubba was alone in the cave for days. He spent his days healing, using the skills he had acquired at the ashram. He could sense the presence of inorganic supernatural beings in the cave too. As he healed, he began meditating, repeating the mantra he had received from his first mentor replenishing his energy.

  When Bubba opened his eyes after days of meditation, the Rakshas that had saved appeared before him, sitting on a large throne-like chair. Along with the Rakshas came three fist-sized purplish-red demons, the miniature pishachas. Bubba knelt before the Rakshas and thanked him for saving him and beseeched him to help him become the most powerful tantric aghori anywhere. When he did so, two miniature purplish-red pishachas clambered over Bubba while one of them held a kapal below Bubba’s heart.

  Before Bubba could realize what was happening, he felt a searing pain in his chest as one the pishachas tore into his chest. Moments later, blood poured into the kapal from the wound in Bubba’s chest.

  Bubba collapsed, and the tiny pishachas rushed to the Rakshas with the blood-filled kapal. The Rakshas sniffed the blood, adding some liquid to it and nodded. With Bubba’s blood still in the kapal, two pishachas grabbed the third one that was now in the Rakshas’ hand and ripped it apart with their devilish teeth and talons, mixing the blood of the slain demon with Bubba’s. Holding the blood-filled kapal in between them, they ran back toward the fallen Bubba, clambered on his chest, and poured the blood into his gasping lips and into the wound in his chest. The wound healed instantly, and Bubba rose, snatched the kapal from the tiny pishachas’ hands, and greedily drank the rest of the blood. He threw the empty kapal at the two rema
ining pishachas. Avoiding the kapal, they ran toward him, clambering all over him, pulling and tugging at his nose, lips, and ears. Bubba heard the Rakshas laugh demonically and then the Rakshas suddenly disappeared, leaving the two tiny purplish-red pishachas to torment Bubba.

  The pishachas tormented Bubba constantly, not letting him rest or leave the cave. Time passed slowly, fueling Bubba’s hatred and contempt for the pishacha and all other paranormal sinister entities. To overcome his torment, he shut himself off from the world reciting the mantra in deep meditation. He focused on his siddhi. When he was in deep meditation, he found that his torment stopped and his power grew. He realized that the Rakshas had left the pishachas behind to help him learn how to control them and other supernatural beings. He promised himself that he would become the one true master of all organic and inorganic sinister beings and entities he loathed so much.

  To attain total mastery, Bubba spent twelve years like this meditating, reciting his mantra silently, surrounded by pishachas that constantly tormented him.

  Bubba focused on acquiring the siddhi that would extend his life and give him the ability to bring dead back to life called mrit sanjivani vidya, but he warped this siddhi with vile intent. He perverted the siddhi by indulging in sinister practices and consorting with the undead. Bubba learned how to lure mortals who were filled with hate, desolation, and despair to a willing death to reincarnate them into sinister paranormal beings. There were a lot of willing mortals. Refining his siddhi further, Bubba learned how to control the sinister inorganic supernatural beings. He tested his skills by commanding the two purplish-red pishachas to rip each other into shreds, gloating over the power he had over his tormentors as they tore into each other. Satisfied with his powers, he began creating an army of mortal aghori and paranormal sinister beings. As his power grew, he laid down an all-encompassing edict and proclaimed that all aghori masters and their disciples must swear total allegiance to his edict and serve his will. He professed no fear of any man, animal, demon, or god and sought to exercise his power ruthlessly with disregard to the consequences. He thrived on the power he wielded, but it was not enough. He wanted to crush all possibility of rebellion or noncompliance and decided it was time for a real demonstration.