The First Aryan

by Paramu Kurumathur

  *

  Two days before the escape, Kaśyapa was talking to Bhārgava when they saw Jaraduṣṭra and the queen discussing something.

  Straining his ears, Kaśyapa could just about make out what the pair was talking about.

  Jaraduṣṭra was saying, ‘The decadence in the morals of the kingdom is unacceptable. Imagine! The prince and Vasiṣṭha brought a whore with us. You must do something about this.’

  The queen asked, ‘What can I do?’

  ‘You should accept Varuṇa worship. That way . . .’

  Coincidentally, while they were talking, Ghoṣā walked by. Jaraduṣṭra suddenly went wild with anger—it was as if all the venom he was hiding within himself had erupted. ‘You whore! You are one of the primary causes of the decadence in the kingdom. How can you live such a life?’

  Ghoṣā, who was perhaps used to such negative comments, calmly said, ‘Sir, I know how you feel. I do not want to get into an argument with you.’

  But Jaraduṣṭra would not let go. ‘You are nothing but a prostitute. The king and queen will soon become Varuṇa followers and then we will banish the lot of you from the city and the kingdom!’

  When Ghoṣā did not respond, Jaraduṣṭra continued, ‘I know what you are thinking. With the prince controlling everything, you have nothing to worry about any more. You may be right. Maybe we are powerless here. But you must know, we will capture power eventually.’

  Ghoṣā did not say anything but started to move away. Jaraduṣṭra’s words followed her, ‘Will someone kill this woman for me? She, those other girls of hers and all the prostitutes! There will be justice at last.’

  The queen tried to calm Jaraduṣṭra down. Meanwhile, Agastya had joined Kaśyapa and Bhārgava.

  Agastya asked, ‘What is going on?’

  Kaśyapa said, ‘Jaraduṣṭra lost his temper with Ghoṣā.’

  Bhārgava said, ‘Well, sometimes inconvenient truths do need to come out.’ As they turned to look at him in surprise, he said that he had somewhere else to be and went away. The two of them thought it would be a good opportunity to talk to Jaraduṣṭra and the queen together—the outburst was surprising, but they could not afford to be distracted from the serial killings and miss any opportunity to make progress in their investigations. They made their way to them and asked the queen, ‘Madam, as you know, I have been asked by my guru to inquire into Vāyata’s murder too. Since you were one of the people in the castle that night, I wanted to ask you a few questions.’

  How far he had come in just a few weeks! He had become more confident. When he had just started his investigations, he was hesitant, diffident and not sure how people would respond to a little boy posing serious questions to them. However, now he was certainly not hesitant to invoke the guru’s or the prince’s name any more; only when required.

  She sighed wearily. To be questioned by students! ‘Okay, go ahead.’

  ‘The royal physician feels that the murder happened during the fourth part of the night. Did you hear any noises coming from Jaraduṣṭra’s room?’

  ‘No, I did not hear anything.’

  ‘Did you come out of your room at any time?’

  ‘Yes, I came out twice. Once towards the end of the second part of the night and once during the fourth part.’

  Agastya asked, ‘Why did you come out?’

  ‘Well, you know that the king had had a lot to drink that evening. He was feeling a bit uneasy in the stomach and I was looking for some medicine for him. The second time, I came out to relieve myself.’

  ‘Did you get the medicine?’

  ‘Yes. I knew that Ghoṣā would have some medicine. Her chamber was closest to ours and she is known to always be fully equipped to deal with drunken men. Her clients, after all, are mostly those who drink and feel unwell from their indulgence. I went to check if she had it with her; fortunately, she did.’

  ‘Did you see anyone about or hear anything?’

  ‘I thought I saw Bhārgava walking towards your room. Well, I am not sure whether it was the first time or the second time I got out of my room, but I am certain it was him. And I think I also saw the commander and Veśa when I got up the second time. The commander was talking to one of the guards. Veśa was walking around.’

  Kaśyapa asked, ‘What do you think happened? Who do you think committed this murder?’

  ‘Why do you need to look twice? Both this and my son’s death were plotted by the prince and executed directly by him or through some agent of his.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Why! My son was a potential threat to his throne and Vāyata was the foremost spokesperson for Varuṇa worship. Clearly, the prince saw both as threats and thought it better to get them out of his way.’

  Agastya asked, ‘Then, instead of Vāyata, should he not have got rid of Jaraduṣṭra?’

  ‘No. The immediate danger was Vāyata, since he was the firebrand pushing the agenda for immediate change.’

  ‘Did you hear anything after or before that?’

  ‘No.’

  Kaśyapa then turned to face Jaraduṣṭra and asked, ‘Sir, please forgive me for being so forward. You must be extremely unsettled by the death of Vāyata. You were the one who discovered the fact of his death. It is hard to imagine the depth of your grief.’

  ‘He was my chief disciple. He was my voice. I feel completely lost without him by my side. Nobody wants to hear me out. Nobody believes in my ideas. The prince and your guru actively oppose me, and they are the only ones who have any power. Now, I have been brought here, where I have no influence. All I can say is:

  To what land should I turn? Where should I turn to go?

  They hold me back from folk and friends.

  Neither the community I follow pleases me,

  nor do the wrongful rulers of the land . . .

  How can I please Thee, O Great Asura?’21

  ‘Well, what do you plan to do now, now that your chief disciple is dead? How will you propound your ideology?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Sir, again, please forgive me for taking up your time like this. Please tell me what happened on the night before the murder of your disciple.’

  ‘After dinner with the vassal kings, I went to my room with him. He had some philosophical questions regarding the differences between Varuṇa and Indra worship. We had quite a lively discussion. I did not think that that was the last discussion I would have with him. His death is a big loss for me.’

  ‘Did you meet Bhārgava that night?’

  ‘Yes. He came in some time during the night.’

  ‘What did you talk about?’

  ‘We had asked him to come and meet us. We were talking to him about Varuṇa worship and the need for that in the kingdom. He had been assigned by your guru to learn about Varuṇa customs.’

  ‘Do you think he was convinced?’

  ‘There is no need to convince anyone. We are all Varuṇa worshippers, including you. Is not Varuṇa one of our main gods? All I am advocating is a switch to Varuṇa as the main god and following his edicts.’

  ‘When did he leave?’

  ‘He left soon, immediately before we started our meditation.’

  ‘You are saying that immediately after he left, you and your disciple went into meditation?’

  ‘Yes. Into deep meditation.’

  ‘When did you come out of your meditation?’

  ‘In the morning . . . to find him dead.’

  ‘Did you hear anything while you were meditating? Did you know how your disciple was killed?’

  ‘No. I was completely oblivious to the world. If I had known, don’t you think I would have done something to prevent it?’

  ‘Did Bhārgava come back later, after you had both gone into meditation, to your room to talk to Vāyata?’

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything.’

  ‘Well, sir, I have one more question. Did Vāyata ever confess to you that he had inadvertently ended up killi
ng Atharvan or Kutsa?’

  ‘No. He did not.’

  In hindsight, Kaśyapa was happy that he had managed to talk to the queen and Jaraduṣṭra about Vāyata before they fled the castle. Though he had discovered his calculations were incorrect, the list of suspects was now shorter, much shorter. He patiently waited for the prince to make the decision to go back. Meanwhile, he watched everybody closely as they prepared to return home.

  22

  Sudās Becomes King

  Five days had passed since the king and queen fled. On that two hundred and second day of the year, the twenty-fourth day of Nabha, the monsoon arrived in its full fury. The northern city wore a drenched look. The roads, except the ones that were cobbled, were muddy and slushy. The constant passage of horses, carts and men did not help. The sun hadn’t come out at all in the last few days; it was either pouring or the sky was overcast and dark.

  It was still raining when Kaśyapa woke up that morning. He sat and made some calculations—the two hundred and fifth day of the year was the thirteenth day after the new moon in the month of Nabha, the twenty-seventh day of that month. It was Viṣuvān day, or the central day, of the Cow’s Walk sacrificial session—not counting the initial twenty-four days of preparation—that was going on in Parśupur. It wasn’t considered auspicious if the middle day of the sacrifice fell in the rainy season. But then, if they had to start the sacrifice on one of the best days, then the middle day did necessarily fall in the monsoon season. And so, it would be again this year. Vasiṣṭha had once told them that many generations ago, the annual sacrifice used to start about three months before the current starting day. The sacrifice started when the day and night were of equal length rather than when the sun was at its southernmost.

  The middle day’s sacrifice was unlike the other daily sacrifices. It was believed that on this day, the gods were afraid that the sun would fall from the sky and, therefore, tied it up with five rays, using them like ropes. On this day, there were special musical chants to be sung. A spotless white animal, with not even a speck of another colour on its body, had to be sacrificed in the name of the sun. The priests had to recite twenty-one verses during the prayers, while usually they recited fifteen or seventeen.

  *

  Meanwhile, Vasiṣṭha and the commander had acted. Since they were in the northern city already, it gave them a chance to get the prince declared king from a place other than the capital, with no threat of interruptions to the ceremony. This would add to his acceptance within the kingdom. Once fourteen days had passed since the king and party had fled, some of the leading priests, warriors and traders from the capital, all members of one of the assemblies, came to the northern city. In fact, more than half of the members of the combined assemblies were part of this group. Only some of the most vehement of the king’s loyalists had stayed back. The group had also brought along a force of around five hundred soldiers that they had managed to levy in record time. The guru and the commander met these citizens. The meeting ended with the conclusion that it could be legally asserted that Turvaśa had abdicated and that Sudās, as the rightful heir, should be offered the throne.

  The citizens went as a delegation to the prince and requested him to accept kingship, which he graciously did. The next day, the leader of the citizens group declared in an open assembly to the people of the city and to the soldiers that Turvaśa had, by fleeing, abdicated his throne and that Sudās was to be the next king. He would be anointed with the required ceremonies and rituals once they got back to the capital.

  Thus, Prince Sudās became the king of Parśuvarta. He was only eighteen years old then, and so, had a long reign ahead of him. As the new king, Sudās decreed that they should make preparations to return to the capital within the next two days so that he could officially be anointed as king. Two days later, all of them packed up and headed back to the capital city. Sudās, however, decided to leave five hundred soldiers of the northern garrison back to protect and prepare the northern vassal kingdoms for the inevitable battle with the queen and her adherents. He decided that the remaining thousand soldiers would travel back with them to the capital just in case there was some trouble upon their return. And how wise he proved to be!

  *

  Kaśyapa and Agastya were up early and ready to head back home that day. The monsoon was in full swing and the roads were expected to be mucky. While waiting for the rest of the party, they decided to strike up a conversation with the castle caretaker. It was the first time they were talking to him. He was wary of them, looking about every few minutes to ensure that none of the elders saw them together.

  The caretaker said, ‘Well, I have heard about going “south” to die. This man seems to have had to come “north” to die!’ He had broached the subject of the murder on his own. Maybe he could tell them something they didn’t know . . .

  Kaśyapa indulged him, ‘Why did he have to die?’

  ‘Maybe with his moralizing and holier-than-thou attitude, he deserved to die. He may have been killed by someone who was driven to annoyance by his preaching. Or by his incessant talk of Varuṇa worship.’

  ‘How strict is the security here? Can people walk in and out of the palace freely?’

  ‘The castle, its walls and gates are secured thoroughly. Nobody can come in or go out without due authorization. But I must admit, the palace itself is not as heavily secured. There are a few guards posted outside to keep watch, but people who are known to them can come and go freely. However, if anybody from outside, any unknown person, had gone into the palace, he or she would have been stopped and questioned. So, I daresay . . . no. You can be sure that the murder was committed by someone from your party . . . who knows? Maybe it was you . . . or perhaps one of the servants or the soldiers, or even the caretakers of the royal household.’

  At that moment, the caretaker’s old father came towards them. He had either been drinking heavily or was just senile; he seemed to be garrulous. He asked them loudly, ‘Are you talking about the murder? The prince could have done it, but he didn’t. The king wanted to do it, but he didn’t. The courtesan should have done it, but she didn’t. He who did is very high up! Nobody will ever suspect him!’

  The caretaker looked at them and shook his head, asking them to ignore what the old man was saying. He turned to him. ‘Father, the boys have a long journey ahead of them. If their guru catches them talking to us, they will get into trouble. Why don’t you go to the barracks and rest?’

  ‘I know who did it. It is that person . . . you know, the one who hated him. You know, that one, that . . . I can’t remember who it was now. I saw that one coming out of his room that night. You could see that he had killed him.’

  The caretaker turned to them. ‘The old man is senile and says a lot of things that neither he nor we, as his family, take seriously. He heard of the murder the next day and has somehow imagined that he saw the murderer. Poor man . . .’

  He was obviously demented—was he mixing up people and occasions? Anyway, this was no time for Kaśyapa to dwell upon it too much. The old man walked away towards the others and they saw him trying to talk to them—he managed to get to Ghoṣā, Veśa, Yadu and Bhārgava. He was sure that the old man had talked to everyone who was leaving and, sure enough, proved himself to be a nuisance. While he was deferential to the others, he was unusually nasty to Yadu and Veśa. He could see that the old man was gesticulating and talking animatedly to them. What could they have said to excite him so? Had they made fun of him? Had the old man told them his odd ideas about Vāyata’s death?

  *

  The roads were muddy because of the rains. The animals must have found the travel easier now that the roads were softer and the weather cooler. The party’s mood on the way back was very different from when they came to the castle. All of them were thinking about the turn of events and did not have much stomach for enjoying the trip. It was quiet.

  One day, Kaśyapa finally got the chance to talk to his guru and vent his innermost fears. ‘Sir
, one more death has happened. Where will this end?’

  ‘When the perpetrator is sure that he has eliminated everybody standing in his way.’

  ‘Are the three connected?’

  ‘Yes, I can identify some patterns, though I cannot be sure.’

  ‘What is the main pattern you see? There is the fact that Atharvan was pro-establishment in the matter of worship, while Vāyata was completely against it. What could the common motive be for eliminating these two? And Kutsa?’

  ‘Motives can arise at many levels. At a religious level, to further your way of thinking and worship; at a political level, to get your preferred people into power; or even at the very base level of greed to further your own interests. Of course, all these different levels have only one ulterior motive for the criminal—increasing his or her own power.’

  Kaśyapa thought that he was starting to see a pattern, but it was a very confused picture.

  The trip back would take twelve days. The rains and the conditions of the roads were expected to make the journey difficult and longer. However, three days into the journey they received some news that necessitated a change in plans.

  PART III

  23

  Rebellion in the Capital City

  They saw the new vice commander, who was left in charge of the city, coming towards them on a horse. As he came closer, the agitated look on his face became clear.

  He went to Sudās and paid his respects. ‘Sire, forgive me. I have not discharged my duties. I have failed you.’ He looked ashamed and scared.

  Sudās said, ‘Tell us what happened.’

  ‘We heard about the flight of the old king and his people. We heard that you had been declared king and were on your way back to be anointed.’

  ‘What you have heard is true.’

  ‘Upon hearing this, some of the old king’s loyalists in the assembly and three of my army captains took control of the city. I was taken prisoner and kept in a dungeon. Three of the other captains who are loyal to you are also being held as prisoners. I managed to bribe my gaoler and escaped to warn you.’