Asura- Tale of the Vanquished

by Anand Neelakantan

  As I was crossing the river Payaswini, I heard of Rama’s end from a travelling holy man. Rama had sacrificed the two people who he loved most, for the sake of his dharma. He became more and more depressed and withdrawn and finally found eternal solace in the dark waters of the Sarayu. It was an inglorious end to a king who had defeated one of the most colourful and glorious men in history. Rama struck to letter of the scriptures. He led an unhappy life and sacrificed everything - his wife, his brother and his conscience, for that dharma. I still cannot forget the helpless look in his eyes when he raised the sword against my little Shambuka. His image was in complete contrast to the man whom he had vanquished.

  Ravana was a man who lived life on his own terms, doing what he thought was right and caring nothing for what was written by holy men; a man who lived life fully and died a warrior’s death. Like their lives, beliefs, values and definitions of dharma, the manner of their deaths were also contradictory. However the final truth remains that both were actors in a grand farce and it is only the small detail of who won, that decided the hero and the villain, in their epic life stories.

  As time goes by, Rama may become God and Ravana the demon, for one was putty in the hands of the priests and the other as obstinate as a rock, self-willed and unorthodox. The Ravanas of the world are dangerous to those who wish to use the scriptures for their own purposes and lord over others, exploiting everyone. The Ramas of the world are used by such oppressors, as models to justify their way of life. But as time passes, even the Ramas and Lakshmanas become dangerous, as their inherent humanity starts rebelling. When the hands of Rama shook while beheading a little boy, the ungodly coterie knew he may turn dangerous later. Deifying him was the only solution, since they had already vilified his enemies. They are thoroughly distressed with the Ravanas; they can manage the Ramas for a while; but what they truly delight in are men like the Vibhishanas, Kuberas and Varunas. It is not the righteous and straight-jacketed like Rama or the proud and rebellious like Ravana, who inherit the world, but the men who do the bidding of the fanatics; men who can kill, maim, fight and do any inhuman thing in the name of religion and the scriptures. For people like me, those insignificant, irrelevant and dumb nobodies, remembering this lesson is the basic tool for survival. Once in a while we get swayed by the peddlers of impossible dreams, like Ravana, Rama, Mahabali, the guru of Shambuka. . . And we idiots who fight for abstract dreams and follow such leaders, pay the price, always. But sometimes dreams do not die and survival becomes unimportant. There may be glory in living and dying like Ravana or Meghanada, there may be satisfaction in standing steadfast for some abstract idea like dharma and sacrificing everything like Rama. But such glories are unaffordable luxuries for men like me.

  After a month of walking, I reached the place of my birth. When I saw the river Poorna as a silver line in the valley, my heart leapt with joy. Memories came rushing back and I felt choked with emotion. I climbed down as fast as I could and reached the river. I jumped into its crystal clear water and swam like a duck. I felt my youth return. I swam for a long time, floating on a thin layer of inexplicable joy. I was rudely shaken from my dreams by a stone that hit my forehead, “Pariah! How dare you pollute this holy water?”

  As I scrambled up the steps, I saw a group of high castes, glowering at me. I ran for my life, away from the waters that belonged to the Gods. Later, I came to know that my land has now become God’s own country and there is no place left for man. Parasurama has succeeded in overthrowing the last opposition from the Asuras and has established the most rigid and cruel caste system imaginable. Rama’s Ayodhya was heaven compared to the hell Parasurama has created. Gods lurk behind every stone; they hang from every tree, hide at every corner and make the lives of humans miserable. Parasurama has brought sixty-four Brahmin families from the North. The elite of the defeated Asuras have joined them as their servants and become their cruel and strong tools, to oppress all others. My place of birth has become a mad house with perplexing caste equations and taboos. I want to run away from this land of God, as many are doing, by sailing away across the seas to the hot deserts to the west. But I am too old for another journey. I was born here and I want to die here. The earth is bountiful in my land and it does not discriminate between skin colours. Coconuts and jackfruits, rabbits and wild berries, and the cool waters of the Poorna, these are more than enough to sustain life in my hunched

  and tired old body.

  Once in a while, I trek to the majestic falls in the upper hills of the Poorna and sit watching the river cascading over the rocks. I do not know why, but it gives me peace of mind. I sometimes wonder how I had dared to jump into these majestic falls as a boy. Sometimes I lie back on the black rock that protrudes over the falls and look at the vast, blue sky with little, puffy clouds sailing across it. The sound of the waterfall fills my ears, along with the screech of parakeets. The universe seems eternal, infinite, and without any barriers. Sometimes I feel it is indifferent to the trivial pursuits of man and his strivings. Sometimes I feel a gigantic eye watching us. I have long given up my quest to find meaning in life. Maybe I am just a fool, since my colour is black.

  But on certain days, especially after the rains, when nature blooms in a myriad colours and the grass flowers with a sweet fragrance, I hear snitches of songs that waft across the river. They sing about the golden times when the Emperor Mahabali ruled over the land, when every human was considered equal, when there was perpetual peace and no fraud or disaster. I sometimes smile at the naivety of the singers. But mostly, a mixed feeling of sadness and hope fills my mind. Maybe across the river, there are villages of black-skinned people like me. They may be celebrating Onam, waiting for the return of a golden era, waiting for a king who is long dead and buried somewhere in a cave in the northern Sahyas. Yet there is sweetness in their hope. There is a beauty beyond words in the impossible dreams that hide in men’s hearts. No holy books can erase that, no taboos can bind that, and no Gods can steal that away. Men may die, but such hopes remain. I am old and may die any day like the millions who leave without any trace in this world. Maybe, like the Brahmins say, I shall be born again and again. If so, that is the greatest hope. Every death is a temporary pause in the symphony called life. There is immeasurable beauty in the thought of returning to this lovely world again and again. Perhaps, in one of my returns to this wonderful world, who knows, I may find that the words of that lovely song have come true.

  Acknowledgements

  Asura owes a great debt to many people. First and foremost I owe a lot to my

  parents, the Late L. Neelakantan and Chellamal Neelakantan, for opening the magical world of Indian epics to me. I also owe lots of thanks to my brothers, Loknathan and Rajendran, who, with my parents and neighbors, created many enchanted evenings when Indian philosophy, epics, and folk stories, were discussed and debated. The role that my sister Chandrika and her husband Parameswaran, played in my development, both as a person and author, cannot go unacknowledged. The irreverent and often mischievous criticism, mostly unsolicited, from my nieces, Divya, Rakhi and nephew Dileep, has kept me from indulging in flights of fancy which I tend to otherwise do. The book would not have taken shape without the heated debates I often had and still enjoy, with my friend of 25 long years, Santosh Prabhu. I also owe thanks to Lakshmi Nair, who took pains to correct my first draft, and my friend and collegue Premjeet in reading and correcting the final draft. I also owe to Rajiv Prakash who took time to read through the entire story and patiently point out typos and errors.

  I am grateful to the entire Leadstart team for giving Ravana and Bhadra the opportunity to speak out. The encouragement which Chandralekha Maitra, Editorial Director of Leadstart extended, was phenomenal and I owe a big thanks to her. Without her support and guidance, Asura would have been nothing but a few word bytes sleeping in my laptop. Andrea Barton D’souza, who went through the painful process of correcting and editing the draft of a debut author, deserves an award for patience. I owe Mishta Roy thanks
for her wonderful cover design and Subu and Ashok of Amplecreations Studio, for the illustrations.

  The book would not have been possible without the support, love and encouragement of my life partner, Aparna. I owe her a hug. And our two little imps, Ananya and Abhinav, who are more interested in the stories I tell than the stories I write, I owe you nothing less than a hundred stories for the next hundred nights. Lastly, I owe gratitude to the unknown storytellers of India, who have kept alive the tradition of storytelling for three millennia. And to my country and its inexhaustible treasure trove of religious mythology, I owe the most.

  GLOSSARY

  Agni pariksha Trial by fire. In ancient India, a woman’s chastity was tested in this way; the woman entered a burning pyrand if she emerged unscathed, she was considered chaste.

  angavasthra Shawl worn by nobles

  Ashoka An Indian medicinal tree; in the epic Ramayana, Sita spends her captivity in Ravana's Lanka, in a grove of Ashoka trees

  astra Arrow/shaft; epics often describe them as having divine powers

  Asura Hindu mythology portrays Asuras as demons of darkness – the antithesis to Devas, the Gods

  Atharva The fourth Veda, which speaks of magic, spells etc atma Soul

  Ayurveda Ancient Indian system of medicine

  baksheesh Bribe, but with the undertone that the receiver considers it his right, rather like a tip or commission

  bhang A mild narcotic made from the female cannabis plant

  bindi Red dot worn by Hindu women on the forehead

  Brahma One of the Hindu Trinity of Gods – Brahma created the universe. In this book, it is the generic name of an ancient tribe of Asura origin

  Brahman The one supreme power responsible for the creation and existence of the universe, according to Hindu beliefs

  caste Hindu society was divided into four Varnas (see under Var€na for details), and further sub-divided into various Jatis or castes. Castes varied from region to region (eg. a Brahmin from Kashmir in the north and Brahmin from Andhra in the south, belonged to same Varna, but did not intermarry because they belonged to different castes.

  Chaitra Indian month when Spring begins

  Chandagyo Upanishad One of the most important of the Upanishads

  Chandrahasa Ravana’s sword – according to mythology, it was gifted to him by Lord Shiva

  chenda A south Indian drum, beaten with a curved stick; even today it is called Asura Vadhya or ‘musical instrument of the Asuras’ and is still used during festivals in Kerala and parts of south Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

  Chettis Merchant caste of south India; corruption of the word Shresti

  crore One hundred lakhs

  darshan Literally ‘view’; it was customary for Indian monarchs to appear at a balcony and hear petitions from their subjects

  Dasamukha Ten-faced

  dasa Servant or slave

  Dharma Rough translation : ‘duty, righteousness etc’; but Dharma encompasses more – it is the code of life; antonym: adharma

  Dharmayudha Ancient ethical code of battle

  dhobi Washerman caste

  Dhoti Traditional lower garment for men, made from an unstitched length of cloth; the dhoti was also worn in a different style by lower-class women in ancient India

  Durbar Court or assembly

  Gandhara Present-day Kandahar in Afghanistan

  Gandharvas Singers in the courts of the Gods; they were considered to be supernatural beings pining for love and acted as messengers between the Gods and men. In this book, they are just another aborigine tribe, living on the fringes of the clashing Asura and Deva empires.

  ghat A broad flight of steps leading down to the bank of a river and used by bathers or washermen

  gobar Cow dung

  Har Har Mahadev Hail Shiva, the Greatest God

  Indra King of the Gods; in this book, it is the generic name of the tribe who are the nominal rulers of the Devas

  Indrajith ‘One who had vanquished Indra’ – another name of Meghanada

  Jambu Dweepa Ancient name of the Asian continent

  Jay, Jai Hail; victory

  Kala Time; also God of Time and God of Death, who is commonly known as Yama (derived from the unit for measuring time – yamam)

  Kalaripayattu The traditional martial art form of south India, especially Kerala

  karma Action or deed

  Kingara Servants; soldier-slaves

  Kinnaras In Hindu mythology these were celestial musicians who were half-horse and half-human. In this book, they are treated as just another tribe.

  Kubera In Hindu mythology, he is the god of wealth, patron god of business men. In this story, he is just a man running a huge business empire

  Kurta Indian shirt

  lakhs One hundred thousand

  Lankeswara Lord of Lanka, another name of Ravana

  lathi Cane stick usually used by police to control crowd

  lungi Traditional lower garment of south Indian men, made from an unstitched length of cloth which is wrapped around the waist

  Malayans, Vannans Tribes from the Western Ghats (Sahyas) of India. These tribes were priests before Brahmins became prominent. Even now, many rituals in the Malabar region are conducted by people of this caste.

  Mata Mother

  mehendi Application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration, especially for marriage

  mela Gathering

  mlecha Barbarian/ uncivilized people

  moksha Rough translation: ‘salvation’; nirvana in Buddhism

  Mrudangam, Milavu, Timila & Maddallam Percussion instruments, which like the Chenda, are known as Asura instruments

  mundu Traditional south Indian lower class, formal garment, worn by both men and women

  Nagas An ancient tribe, literally meaning ‘serpents’

  Onam The only Indian festival celebrated in honour of an Asura King – Mahabali. It is the state festival of Kerala, where people still believe that the reign of this Asura King, who was cheated of his kingdom by Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avatar, was the ideal, when every human being was considered equal.

  pallu the loose end of a draped sari worn by women

  Panchayat Indian village council, usually with 5 members

  Parameswara Literally ‘Supreme God’ and another name for Shiva, one of the Trinity of Hindu Gods (the other two being Brahma and Vishnu)

  pariah The lowest and most discriminated-against caste

  Parvati Consort of Lord Shiva

  Pasupathi Literally ‘Lord of the Beasts’, usually applied to Shiva

  patala Nether world; in this book it means the capital of the Asuras in exile

  Poorna River in Kerala, also known as Periyar

  Prabhu Sir, an honorific; also used to mean a rich man

  Puja Religious ritual conducted in reverence to a God

  Ragas Indian musical scales

  Raja Dharma Code of ethics of a ruler

  Rajasooya Sacrifice performed by ancient Kings of India who considered themselves powerful enough to be Emperors

  Rakshasa A mythological evil being; Ravana is often called Rakshasa Raja or ‘King of Demons’

  Sarswathi A mighty river which once flowed between the Indus and Ganges but which has now vanished

  Rudra Veena Ancient string instrument

  Sahya Mountains parallel to the western seaboard of India

  samhita A collection of holy hymns/science/knowledge

  sari Traditional attire of Indian women, made from 6 yards of unstitched material

  Sarpanch Village chief or head of a Panchayat

  Shiva One of the Hindu Trinity of Gods – the Destroyer, who after every eon, destroys the Universe, after which Brahma recreates it. In this book, it is the name of an ancient Asura King who became a God by virtue of his great deeds.

  Shravan Fifth month of the Hindu calendar; considered to be a holy month

  Shudras The lowest of four Varnas, the other three being, in order of precedence: Brahmana, Khshatr
iya, and Vaishya

  Sindhu Indus

  smritis ‘That which is remembered’; Hindu laws written by different sages, including Manu Smriti, the code for society in ancient India

  Soma An important ritual drink during Vedic times

  swayamvara Ancient Indian custom wherein a girl chooses her groom from a gathering of suitors, sometimes through competition