The Guardians of the Halahala

by Shatrujeet Nath

  Published by Jaico Publishing House

  A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road

  Fort, Mumbai - 400 001

  jaicopub@jaicobooks.com

  www.jaicobooks.com

  © Shatrujeet Nath

  THE VIKRAMADITYA TRILOGY: BOOK 1

  THE GUARDIANS OF THE HALAHALA

  ISBN 978-81-8495-638-2

  First Jaico Impression: 2015

  No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

  To

  Sudha Anna, who never fails to entertain.

  And Ritz, who never ceases to surprise.

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Index of Major Characters

  Prologue

  Hriiz

  Giant

  Arrivals

  Council

  Dagger

  Veeshada

  Nephew

  Envoy

  Andhaka

  Dark

  Fall

  Brotherhood

  Siege

  Hellfires

  Vishakha

  Scouts

  Oracle

  Healer

  Warnings

  Borderworld

  Maruts

  Ghoulmaster

  Rage

  Author’s Note

  R

  eaders familiar with Hindu mythology will be quick to realize that I have taken many liberties in the telling of this tale; that so many things in this book – and the others to come in this series – are departures from established myth and legend. But the very notion of 'established myth and legend' is flawed, for mythology is a wellspring of possibilities, where many versions of the same myth can coexist in harmony. This is the way mythology always has been, told and retold by bards and balladeers, each teller giving the story a new spin. It is my firm belief that this is what keeps myths alive. This ever changing, ever evolving narrative is the beauty of myths.

  Myths being complex in nature, what I have also attempted here is simplifying them where possible, so that even readers with limited grasp of Hindu mythology can follow the thread of this story without being overwhelmed by an excess of detail and information. Whether I have succeeded or failed in this can only be determined by the reader.

  As always, I owe my gratitude to a lot of people who have assisted and supported me in different ways to make this book a reality. My thanks to my sister-in-law Ritu Madan, and my friends Ravi Balakrishnan, Prasanna Singh, Shankar Ayyappan Kutty, Gaurrav Dhar and Saurabh Garg for their constructive feedback. Thanks also to Paul Thomas, Shekhar Shimpi, Vikram Gaikwad, Payal Juthani, Sandeep Kamal and his team at inCandlelight, and Sarang Kulkarni and Noopur Datye at WhiteCrow Designs for their help with various aspects of design.

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without my agent Kanishka Gupta and my publisher Akash Shah. My thanks to both, as well as to the team at Jaico: Sandhya Iyer, Srija Basu and Meera Menon. Also Savita Rao, Vijayakumar Arumugam, Nita Satikuwar and Vijay Thakur – thanks!

  My parents Jyoti Prasad Nath and Shama Nath, my lovely wife Pragya, and my dear daughter Kaavya: I can’t thank the four of you enough for your faith in me.

  And a special note of appreciation for R Balki, Nandini Raghavendra, Sagarika Shah and Rensil D’Silva as well.

  Index of Major Characters

  (In alphabetical order)

  Humans

  THE KINGDOM OF AVANTI

  Amara Simha Councilor of Avanti

  Angamitra Captain of the samsaptakas

  Atulyateja Garrison commander of Udaypuri

  Brichcha Father of Shanku

  Dattaka Commander of the Sristhali command center

  Dhanavantri Councilor of Avanti & royal physician

  Ghatakarpara Councilor of Avanti; nephew of Vikramaditya & Vararuchi

  Kalidasa Councilor of Avanti

  Kshapanaka Councilor of Avanti & sister of queen Vishakha

  Mahendraditya Late king of Avanti; father of Vikramaditya, Vararuchi & Pralupi

  Mother Oracle Shanku's grandmother; head of the Wandering Tribe

  Pralupi Sister of Vikramaditya & Ghatakarpara's mother

  Satyaveda Governor of Malawa province

  Shanku Councilor of Avanti; granddaughter of the Mother Oracle

  Upashruti Mother of Vikramaditya & Pralupi; second wife of Mahendraditya

  Ushantha Mother of Vararuchi; first wife of Mahendraditya

  Varahamihira Councilor of Avanti

  Vararuchi Councilor of Avanti; half-brother of Vikramaditya

  Vetala Bhatta Chief councilor of Avanti; royal tutor

  Vikramaditya King of Avanti

  Vishakha Wife of Vikramaditya; Kshapanaka's sister

  THE KINGDOM OF MAGADHA

  Daipayana General of the Magadhan army

  Kapila Second son of Siddhasena of Magadha

  Shoorasena Elder son of Siddhasena of Magadha

  Siddhasena King of Magadha; ally of Avanti

  THE KINGDOM OF VATSA

  Chandravardhan King of Vatsa; ally of Avanti

  Himavardhan Brother of Chandravardhan; father of Ghatakarpara

  Shashivardhan Son of Chandravardhan of Vatsa

  Yashobhavi Councilor of Vatsa

  THE KINGDOM OF KOSALA

  Bhoomipala King of Kosala; ally of Avanti

  Pallavan Envoy & councilor of Kosala

  THE KINGDOM OF HEHEYA

  Harihara King of Heheya; ally of Avanti

  Rukma Daughter of Harihara of Heheya

  THE KINGDOM OF MATSYA

  Baanahasta King of Matsya; ally of Avanti

  THE ANARTA FEDERATION

  Yugandhara Chief of the Anarta Federation; ally of Avanti

  THE REPUBLIC OF VANGA

  Sudasan Chancellor of the Republic of Vanga

  Devas

  Brihaspati Royal chaplain of the devas

  Dasra Captain of the Ashvins & twin brother of Nasatya

  Indra Lord of the devas; king of Devaloka

  Jayanta Son of Indra

  Narada Envoy of Devaloka & advisor to Indra

  Nasatya Captain of the Ashvins & twin brother of Dasra

  The Ashvins Elite cavalry of Devaloka, led by Nasatya & Dasra

  The Maruts The seven sons of Diti

  Urvashi Apsara of Devaloka & mistress of Indra

  Asuras

  Andhaka The blind rakshasa

  Diti Sorceress & matriarch of the asuras

  Hiranyaksha Lord of the asuras; king of Patala

  Holika Sister-consort of Hiranyaksha & witch queen of Patala

  Shukracharya High priest of the asuras

  Veeshada The thief of the Halahala

  Others

  Betaal The Ghoulmaster; lord of the Borderworld

  Shiva The Omniscient One

  Prologue

  T

  he flame appeared in the sky sometime during the fifth night of the Churning, while the devas and the asuras slumbered heavily on opposite shores of the White Lake.

  It wasn’t discovered until daybreak though, when a couple of devas emerged from their grand pavilion to view the bewildering sight in the western sky. Soon, the lake’s northern shore was thronging with devas, their din rousing the asuras on the southern shore. The asuras, too, came out of their tents, shaking their heads, perplexed by the jagged, teardrop-shaped flame hanging overhead.

  Wonder slowly changed to unease on both sides of the large lake, as the rising sun crested the young peaks of the Himalayas. For instead of being diminished by t
he sun, the brightness of the flame increased in ferocity; a glare in the sky like a sultry, malevolent eye.

  Recognizing it for an omen, the asuras and devas exchanged emissaries, each side trying to gauge what the other made of the phenomenon. Being the more timid of the two, the devas proposed calling a halt to the Churning, and waiting for the omen to wear itself out. But the asuras, spurred by their greed to find the magical Elixir hidden in the depths of the White Lake, goaded the devas to abandon caution and return to the task of churning the lake.

  The devas, who were greatly outnumbered by the asuras, saw that the latter were fully prepared to take on the Churning all by themselves. They also realized that should this happen, the asuras would stake full claim to the Elixir, with its promise of eternal youth. Unwilling to forgo their share of the Elixir, the devas were left with no choice but to accept the asuras’ proposal.

  Thus, the two rival clans of demigods, born of a common father but torn apart by the lust for power, set about the chore of churning the White Lake for the sixth consecutive day.

  All day they toiled, as the flame glowered over their heads. They heaved and pulled, but the water yielded nothing. Fatigue grew on them, dull and cankerous – still they persevered, hauling on hope with bruised and blistered hands.

  Then, a little before sundown, a black boulder emerged from the bottom of the muddy, turbulent lake. It bobbed in the water, heavy yet light, the eddying currents splashing against it, washing it slowly toward the far shore.

  The Churning was brought to a halt. The asuras and devas hastened to take a closer look at the rock. It was large and made of obsidian, and required half a dozen devas and asuras to drag it ashore. Once the stone was a safe distance from the water’s edge, the rival kinsmen crowded around, gaping at it in gluttonous fascination.

  They knew their quest for the Elixir was finally over!

  What they saw, deep in the core of the volcanic glass, was an iridescent blue light, emanating from a softly swirling mass buried inside the stone. The swirl was flecked with a thousand gold and silver particles that burned like scintillas upon catching the rays of the setting sun. The blue light radiated at regular intervals, flashing seductively through the rock’s polished black surface like a beacon in the night.

  The fat flame above burned blood red and spread across the sky like an impure stain, but the devas and asuras were too entranced to notice the change. They summoned a council, and after some deliberation, determined that the rock should be cracked open and the Elixir be distributed among them right away. As the impatient devas and asuras jostled one another to line up, one of the devas struck the rock with his heavy mace. On the third blow, a slender crack appeared on the stone’s surface, and at once, a faint tendril of iridescent blue vapor escaped into the open. The gathered demigods raised shouts of exultation...

  But almost immediately, cheer turned to dismay, and dismay to horror.

  Gripped by morbid waves of fear, they watched the unfortunate deva drop his mace and claw at his throat. His face started to convulse violently, a half-scream gurgling in the folds of his larynx. His eyes began bulging out of the sockets, the skin peeling off his contorted face. He slumped to the ground in agony as his steaming flesh melted off his bones, his entrails spilt out of his stomach and his body dissolved into a bloodied, messy pulp that settled into the sandy soil with a rasping, dying moan.

  As more blue mist emerged from the boulder, a sulfuric stench filled the air, overpowering the smoldering reek of the deva’s corpse. Within moments, the devas and asuras closest to the boulder started to choke and fall.

  The toxic fumes enveloped the trees nearby, making birds tumble off their perches, their feathers catching fire before they hit the ground. Plants and shrubs shriveled to a burned crisp and the White Lake’s surface boiled and frothed eerily at the shores. Tremors rose from deep underground, and sizzling fissures appeared on the earth’s surface.

  Up in the sky, the red, oppressive flame engulfed the sun, changing color to a vile, iridescent blue.

  Panic-stricken, the devas and asuras took flight, seeking refuge in the forests by the lake. But borne by the breeze, the noxious vapor followed them, claiming asura and deva without discrimination and wreaking havoc on nature.

  Sage Brihaspati, the chaplain of the devas, held a hurried consultation with Sage Shukracharya, the high priest of the asuras. The bitter adversaries for once agreed that the devas and asuras had erred in judging the rock’s contents. This was no life-prolonging Elixir. On the contrary, it was the accursed Halahala – the primordial poison, which, if not trapped in a vacuum, could destroy all Creation.

  The Churning had dislodged the boulder from the abyss of the White Lake, and by breaking it in their eagerness to imbibe the Elixir, the devas and asuras had unwittingly breached the Halahala’s protective vacuum, unleashing the scourge upon themselves.

  Brihaspati and Shukracharya went to work, intoning the most arcane of mantras, conjuring up spell after spell to contain the Halahala. But the fracture was too deep and wide, and the toxin too potent, for any of it to have an effect. Devas and asuras continued to succumb as steam from the White Lake rose to fuse with the Halahala and form a dense, miasmic cloud that rained scalding, acidic pellets over the mountains.

  Frantic in the face of the growing terror, the two sages sought out the ancient gods Brahma and Vishnu for assistance. The gods, however, confessed to their helplessness and instructed the devas and asuras to take the boulder to Shiva the Omniscient, for Shiva was the only force in the three worlds capable of destroying the Halahala.

  Two dozen of the hardiest devas and asuras were marshaled to escort the poison-spewing boulder to Shiva’s abode on Mount Kailasa. Brihaspati and Shukracharya cast powerful spells on each of them to temporarily ward off the effects of the Halahala, and the procession set forth. For three days, the group travelled through the windblown mountains, braving blinding blizzards and freezing temperatures. And all through their journey, they had the company of the angry blue flame in the sky.

  Finally, on the third night, when the effects of Brihaspati and Shukracharya’s spells had begun wearing off, the group staggered up to the mouth of the Eternal Cave, Shiva’s dwelling.

  Without waiting to hear the terrifying account, Shiva the Omniscient demanded the toxic boulder from the devas and asuras. Taking the rock in one hand, the most ancient of gods cracked it open on the floor of the cave. Raising the split stone to his lips, he swiftly poured the blue, viscous Halahala down his throat.

  The poison singed and seared Shiva’s mouth and gullet, and he broke out into a feverish sweat. His dark skin turned ashen and blistered, and his muscular neck turned iridescent blue as the acidic fluid caught in his throat and crackled into flames. The god’s bearded face bloated to bursting, and his eyes rolled back till the whites as he let out a fearsome bellow that crashed over the mountains, triggering mighty avalanches.

  The devas and asuras huddled in fright as Shiva smote the ground with his gigantic trident, splitting the stony floor into two. Where the trident struck, water gushed forth from a subterranean river, and the god drank from the fountain long and deep, quenching the Halahala’s fire. He then slumped to the ground to lay still, his body racked by spasms.

  At long last, the mighty god raised his head and looked at the devas and asuras, his eyes tired but placid – and they understood the poison had been vanquished.

  Overhead, the night sky was empty, rid of the flaming omen.

  The asuras and devas rejoiced, embracing each other in relief, their enmity briefly forgotten. But as Shiva sat nursing his tender throat, his face was grave. He knew something the joyous devas and asuras didn’t.

  The Halahala hadn’t been entirely destroyed.

  The curse of the Halahala had just begun. Now nothing could prevent the three worlds from plunging into the darkness of greed.

  And the darkness of war.

  Many Thousand Years Later...

  Hriiz

&nb
sp; T

  he four horsemen of the Frontier Guard stood at the top of a high ridge, watching the dull orange sun edge into the purple haze that obscured the far horizon. Down below them was the Marusthali, flat and parched, a spidery network of cracks on its surface running infinitely westward. Behind them rose the rocky folds of the Arbuda Range, dividing the wasted desert from the fertile vastness of Sindhuvarta, which lay to the east.

  And all around was the bleak stillness of the mountains.

  The murky haze had smothered nearly half the sun when a bearded vulture swept lazily into the horsemen’s field of vision. The large bird circled a couple of times, before angling away sharply toward a far outcrop. As it disappeared behind the rocks, a chill wind suddenly sprang up from the Marusthali, plucking at the men’s clothes and ruffling their hair, which was dry and matted with dust.

  One of them, a grizzled veteran, wearing a bronze medallion fashioned in the form of a sun-crest, pulled his cloak tighter around himself and cursed under his breath. The other horsemen exchanged sly smiles.

  “Cold’s already getting to you, captain?” the biggest man in the group derided, his handsome young face twisting in a mocking grin.

  “Humph!” the older man grunted, continuing to gaze over the darkening desert.

  “Why don’t you retire and give the sun of Avanti a chance to warm your old bones, captain?” the handsome lieutenant persisted with his needling. “Leave this business of hunting the Hunas and Sakas to younger blood.”

  The captain turned a cold eye on the cocky youngster. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and caustic.

  “Count yourself lucky to have the luxury of hunting the Hunas and the Sakas, lieutenant. Because when I was your age, they were the hunters – and we the hunted. And these bones that you make fun of...” He paused and raised his chin toward the western horizon. “They have grown old pushing the Huna and Saka hordes back into the Great Desert. Don’t you forget that!”

  A stiff silence followed, broken by the youngest in the group – a reedy lad not a day older than twenty.

  “It must have been something... driving the invaders out of Sindhuvarta.” He looked wistfully at the last sliver of the dying sun. “I sometimes wish I was born a decade earlier. Then, perhaps...”