‘I understand your dilemma,’ Tiwari said gently. ‘But any information that concerns the safety of the Gurukul, needs to be flagged to the Council immediately. You should have come to me at once. I would have worked out a way to tell them without revealing your secret.’ He paused before continuing.
‘And what you saw last night were not creations of Shukra,’ Tiwari assured her. ‘They are beings as old as creation itself. True, they cannot overrun the Gurukul — even entering would be difficult for them, though not impossible — but they can certainly lay siege to the Gurukul and choke us out of our shelter and protective cover. That is what you heard Shukra say to them. That is what he plans. It is a masterstroke on his part. To release . . .’
‘There you are.’ Tiwari was cut off abruptly by Virendra who had just entered the room. ‘We’ve been looking all over for you.’ He looked from Tiwari to Maya and back again, realizing he had interrupted a serious discussion. ‘Sorry to barge in, but it is urgent. The Council has summoned both of you.’
Maya froze. The first thought that came to her mind was that the Council had somehow got to know of her atma travel with Satyavachana last night. Why else would they summon her?
Virendra did not explain and she walked briskly to keep pace with the Kshatriya’s long strides as they trudged from the guesthouse to the Assembly Hall.
There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air; a buzz that Maya couldn’t quite explain. Groups of students stood clustered around the central avenue leading to the Assembly Hall, talking in low voices.
Maya spotted Varun, Tanveer and Arjun. Varun silently mouthed something as she passed and Arjun gave her a surreptitious thumbs up sign.
What was going on?
The trio reached the Assembly Hall and mounted the steps to the meditation area where Mahamati Mahesh held his classes. The doors were shut. Maya knew what that meant. A session of the Mahamati Council was in progress.
A feeling of trepidation took hold of her. Why did the Council want her to be present at one of their sessions?
Virendra pushed the door open and they entered.
There were three people in the room. Jignesh and Parth from the Mahamati Council sat on chairs facing the door.
Maya sucked in her breath sharply as she saw the person who occupied the third chair.
Satyavachana!
No wonder ripples of excitement had spread through the campus. Satyavachana was notoriously reclusive, shunning the company of his fellow Maharishis. Most of the students and even some of the teachers had never laid eyes on him. When Gurumurthy had first told Maya about the reclusive Maharishi, he had mentioned that Satyavachana was on a self-imposed exile from the Sangha, for reasons that no one could remember — so far back in time had this incident occurred.
Yet, here he was, sitting with the Mahamatis .
What was he doing here?
Even as she asked herself the question, the answer came to Maya. Her worst fears were about to come true.
Satyavachana had come to Panna to warn the Council about the impending attack on the Gurukul.
Had he told them about Maya’s atma travelling to his ashram? About how Maya and he had together witnessed the preparations for the attack?
She struggled with her dilemma. Should she acknowledge Satyavachana or pretend not to recognize him? If he had told the Mahamatis about her atma travelling and she pretended not to know him, she would look like a fool. But if he hadn’t told them and she showed that she recognized him, that would land her in serious trouble and lead to the very revelation that she sought to avoid.
Maya stood there, confused, unable to take a decision.
Chapter Seventy-five
Maya’s Secret
The Assembly Hall
The Gurukul
Satyavachana solved the problem for her. ‘Good to see you again, Maya,’ he greeted her in the deep voice that she had heard last night in his cottage.
Maya bowed in acknowledgement but said nothing in response.
Jignesh fixed Maya with a stern eye. ‘Maharishi Satyavachana has enlightened us about your little adventure last night. You never told us that you were capable of atma travel.’
It wasn’t a question, so Maya was unsure of how to respond. Was Jignesh looking for an apology?
Tiwari stepped in to her rescue. ‘She had told me,’ he admitted. ‘I thought it best not to talk about it right now.’
Jignesh raised an eyebrow. ‘It seems you and I need to speak in private about that, Maharishi Ratan.’ He turned his attention back to Maya. ‘You are quite a bundle of surprises. First the mantra to open the portal to Gandharvalok . And now using your atma to travel. Yet, you have not displayed any signs during your lessons so far, that would indicate your capability for either of these feats. What are we to make of this?’
‘It is possible that she has not been taught to develop her powers,’ Satyavachana said, quietly. ‘She may have karmic reserves that she is unaware of. She needs help to tap into those reserves. What we have seen so far could be instances where she didn’t need to be conscious of her karmic powers, but was able to use them at a subliminal level.’
Maya saw a flash of anger cross Jignesh’s face. It was there only for a fleeting instant, disappearing almost immediately, but it was unmistakable.
‘Maharishi Satyavachana has just informed us that Shukra has opened the gates to Mahatal,’ Jignesh resumed. ‘But of course, you already know this because you accompanied the Maharishi and witnessed this sight.’ His tone was disapproving.
Instantly the memory from last night flooded back, and a wave of nausea washed over Maya.
‘I did not tell you about the release of the descendants of Kadru so that you could castigate the child,’ Satyavachana murmured to Jignesh but not so softly that Maya could not hear.
Jignesh flushed at the reprimand. ‘She should have told us earlier,’ he remonstrated. ‘I had a class with her in the morning. Had we been informed then . . .’
‘You could still have done nothing about it. ’ Satyavachana’s piercing gaze was now directed at Jignesh. His tone was sharp. ‘Whether Maya informed you in time or not is not of the utmost importance. The events of the past week should have been enough of an indication of what was going to come. The Sangha has been sleeping! Action is what is needed now, not endless discussion. We need to prepare for what we know awaits us. I came here today, breaking my own vow, only because the world is in peril and I knew that Maya might hesitate to tell you what she saw for fear of being punished. I am glad I came for I see that I was right.’
Maya wondered what vow Satyavachana was referring to. She watched the two Maharishis with fascination. The tension in the room was palpable. Jignesh was clearly uncomfortable with Satyavachana’s open admonitions, but it was also clear that he had to defer to the older Maharishi. She had no idea why Satyavachana was taking her side, but she was glad that he was. Ever since she had come to the Gurukul she had felt isolated and picked on. She had soldiered on, determined to master the mantras, in response to Jignesh’ s barbs, trying her best to cope with the anxiety and frustration that his continuous criticism would arouse. Maybe, she reflected, Satyavachana was not really taking her side. He was only being fair.
‘She told me,’ Tiwari interjected once again. ‘We were about to come to you when we were summoned to the Council.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Satyavachana repeated, now looking at Tiwari. ‘You can strengthen your defences and try to stop them from getting in, but you cannot fight them. And you cannot hold them off forever. Your forces are already severely depleted with four of your most powerful Sangha members being away from the Gurukul. I can only hope that the news about Vishwaraj was not a ruse by Shukra to draw them away and leave the Gurukul thinly protected. But even if Mahesh and the others were here, you would not have the means to defeat the Nagas. It is only a matter of time before the Gurukul is besieged by them. You cannot stop it. There is only one course of action available to you,
if you wish to be able to break the siege, once it starts. And I have told you what that is.’
Silence settled on the little group.
Maya knew exactly what Satyavachana was talking about. Last night, after they had returned from witnessing the hordes of Nagas pouring out of the now open gates of Mahatal, Maya had been increasingly worried. That was when Satyavachana had proposed a course of action. She had been planning to execute the plan herself, with the help of Arjun and his friends, if the Council was unable or unwilling to do it.
What Satyavachana had not told her was that he would arrive in person to ensure that the plan was implemented.
‘This is the reason you were asked to join us in this Council, Maya,’ Satyavachana turned his attention to her. ‘Only you can do this.’
‘I still think that one of the Mahamatis can carry out the plan better,’ Jignesh said, stubbornly. ‘It is too big a risk to send someone who isn’t even a novice. What if she fails?’
‘We’ve gone over this before,’ Satyavachana replied. ‘Every member of the Sangha, including me, is needed here to protect the Gurukul. We cannot afford to deplete our ranks any further. We do not know if Shukra has been able to conceive and develop a mantra or a weapon that is capable of piercing the protective shield and countering the mantra that you use to protect the Gurukul. We cannot send any of the Kshatriyas — that would take too much time. And none of your other students are capable of spirit travel. Only she is.’ He pointed to Maya.
‘Very well, then.’ Jignesh conceded defeat, but didn’t look happy in the least.
‘Treat it as yet another test for her,’ Satyavachana urged. ‘If she succeeds, as I believe she will, then I will take her under my wing and teach her myself, for she will have then demonstrated that she is, indeed, a Rishi in the making.’
Jignesh said nothing but only nodded his assent.
Maya couldn’t contain her excitement. The most powerful Maharishi since Kaliyuga began had not only vouched for her but also just offered to be her own personal Mahamati ! It was something she would never have even dreamed of.
But, before that could happen, she had a task to complete.
The fate, not just of the Gurukul, but also of the world now rested on her shoulders.
Chapter Seventy-six
Time for Travel
The Guesthouse
The Gurukul
Maya smiled at Amyra as the two girls walked up to Maya’s bedroom on the first floor of the cottage. Over the last few days, despite Maya’s brusque treatment of her at dinner time four days ago, Amyra had made several attempts to be friendly.
Preoccupied and struggling with troubles of her own, and with the single-minded objective of getting the mysterious verses in her father’s diary deciphered, Maya had paid the novice little attention. But she had realized that the girl meant well, and had been polite to her. It was just that making friends was not Maya’s priority at this point in time. But Amyra was pleasantly persistent and Maya found herself growing fond of the girl.
Today, when the Council had agreed with Satyavachana on the plan to prepare for the imminent onslaught of the Nagas, it was Amyra who had volunteered to watch over Maya as she embarked on the most important journey of her life so far. Arjun had wanted to take on the role first, but the Council had overridden his bid to protect Maya.
‘Your place is here, in the Gurukul,’ Virendra had told him. ‘If we have to fight the Nagas, you must be a part of the battle. We cannot afford to waste your mettle on a sentry’s job.’
The other Council members had emphatically agreed with Virendra and Arjun had found himself without a choice. Much as he wanted to stay by Maya’s side and ensure that she came to no harm, he had to back down.
It was then that Amyra had volunteered for a job which no one really wanted. And Maya was grateful. While everyone seemed to dismiss it as an unimportant role, Maya knew how critical it was. Not only was Amyra tasked with ensuring that no one disturbed Maya, but she also had to ensure that, until Maya completed her mission, she would be safe from harm. No one knew how long it would take Maya to find what she would be searching for. If something had to happen in that period, she would be unable to defend herself.
For Maya was going to embark on her search using her new-found talent for atma travel.
She held Amyra’s hand as they stood at the door to her room. ‘Thank you,’ she said to the novice. She meant it sincerely.
Amyra smiled back cheerfully. ‘I am happy that I could be of service. And come back soon with our deliverance.’
Amyra latched the door to the room from the inside and double-checked the balcony door and windows, then quietly sat on the floor in one corner of the room, as Maya lay down on the bed and chanted the shantaa-kaaram mantra.
She wasn’t sure if sleep would come to her so early in the evening, but the mantra had its desired effect and the now familiar sensation of calm pervaded her entire being. Soon, she grew drowsy and slipped into a deep sleep.
As Maya, in her atma form, floated out of her body, she saw herself lying on the bed, immersed in slumber. Amyra sat in one corner, her eyes fixed on the door. She was evidently taking her duties very seriously. If Maya could smile to herself, she would have.
But it was time to leave. She flew out of the cottage, her atma passing effortlessly through the wall, and into the night air. Darkness had fallen and the lights of the cottages in the Gurukul, and the glowing orbs outside them, lit up the forest, looking like fireflies dotting the trees as Maya rose higher in the air.
The calm before the storm, she thought to herself.
She had prepared well for this journey, post her talk with Satyavachana the previous night. After classes, earlier in the day, she had spent all her free time in the archives, poring over books and maps that would help her triangulate the exact location where Satyavachana had said she would find what she sought. At that time, she had planned to employ the help of Arjun and his friends to undertake the journey. Now, of course, the plans had been altered.
Satyavachana had been extremely confident of her success, but Maya was plagued by a series of doubts.
First, would she really be able to locate a place as ancient as the location she was searching for? The city she had to find had vanished 5,000 years ago and there remained no trace of it today. There were geographical references in the ancient texts, and there had been recent archaeological discoveries in the region indicated by those texts, but nothing conclusive had been found.
Second, even if she did find the lost city, what she was searching for was not in the city. It was somewhere near it. That was all that Satyavachana could tell her.
‘On an island hidden to the world,’ he had told her. He had also given her the mantra that would help reveal the island. If she found it, that is.
That was her third fear. Would the mantra work?
And there was a fourth doubt, but she didn’t want to think of it right now. If she did, then the entire exercise would be futile and her mission was destined to end in failure. She placed her faith in Satyavachana. If he had said it was possible, then he must be right.
Too many ifs. Too many possibilities for failure. And she was just a fifteen-year-old who wasn’t even a member of the Gana yet.
It was time to leave the Gurukul, but something made Maya stop. She hovered over the forest, looking all around her.
She had felt something.
Sensed something.
What was it?
She scanned the forest below in all directions. Nothing moved.
She sensed it again.
Like gentle ripples in the air, caressing her. It was a strange sensation. Even though she did not possess a body, she could still feel the ripples. She didn’t know how.
Only, this was no delicate caress of soft breeze against skin. There was an emotion in the ripples. The caress seemed to possess a hatred, a longing for destruction, a foul anger.
She shrank back but the sensation grew stronger.
Of course! The air!
She scanned the sky, rising higher in order to get a better view.
Then, she saw it.
Against the darkness of the night, a darker mass.
It was blotting out the stars, drowning the night in its shadow.
And it was moving towards her.
Was it the black fog she had seen on that night when they had arrived in the Gurkukul? The fog, which had produced Shukra’s monsters?
Something told her this was not that black fog. It was something more deadly. More dangerous.
A horrible premonition flashed through her mind. A premonition based on a past memory.
The Nagas had arrived.
Chapter Seventy-seven
The Siege of the Gurukul
In the sky above the Gurukul
The black cloud was travelling at an amazing speed. Maya hurriedly floated higher. She didn’t want to be in the way of the cloud, or be engulfed by it.
Maya used her consciousness to carry her at the speed of thought high above the forest.
Just in time.
Moments after she floated up, the black, roiling cloud sped past below her and descended around the Gurukul, surrounding it on all sides. From her vantage point, she could see the individual Nagas descending to the ground, taking up positions around the Gurukul.
Satyavachana had been right. The Nagas were unable to land directly within the Gurukul, but they were surrounding every inch of it. The siege of the Gurukul would be complete and thorough. Nothing could now get in. Or out.
Unless they travelled through the air.
Maya had seen enough. It was time for her to leave.
With a last look at the heart-rending scene below her, she vanished.
Inside the Gurukul
Mahamatis and students alike gazed in awe and dread at the scene unfolding above them.
The black cloud, which was visibly composed of dark, shiny, writhing shapes, had rolled in at a high speed from the west, taking them all by surprise, even though the Gurukul had been placed on alert for the arrival of the Nagas.
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