Shiva and Vishnu edged closer to the fire, as they were the ones who would lead this part of the initiation.
‘Release your mind of all thoughts,’ Shiva instructed.
‘Focus your energy at the base of the fire,’ Vishnu joined in.
Amartya did as he was instructed, his face aglow in the reflected light of the blazing fire. Brahma poured ghee in the pit to keep the fire burning with intensity.
‘Observe my actions and perform the same body and hand movements that you see me doing,’ Shiva guided Amartya. The two types of gestures were instrumental in the success of conveying the twin mantras. The body gestures were called the ‘anga nyaasa’ and the hand gestures the ‘kara nyaasa’. In all there were six gestures and all six had to be executed while uttering the seed letters, called bijaksharas. The six bijaksharas accompanying each of the six gestures were klaam, kleem, kloom, klaim, klaum and klah.
‘Repeat after me,’ Shiva commanded as he started chanting the first part of the twin mantras.
Klaamityaadi shadanga nyaasah; Klaam angushTaabhyaan namah;
kleemtarjaneebhyaan namah; kloom madhyamaabhyaan namah;
klaimanaamikaabhyaan namah; klaum kanishTakaabhyaan namah;
klaah karatalakara prushTaabhyaan namah;Klaam hridayaaya
namah; kleem shirase svaahaa; kloom shikhaayai vashaT;
klaimkavachaaya Hum; klaum netra trayaaya vaushaT; klaah,
astraaya phat; Bhoorbhoovassuvaromiti digbandhah
‘Now focus on the following thoughts and repeat after me,’ Shiva’s voice was steady as he inducted Amartya.
Amrita karatalaardrau sarva sanjeevanaadhyaa avagha
harana sudkshau Vedasaare mayookhay, pranava maya
vikaarau, Bhaaskaraakaara dehau, satatamanubhaveham, tau
balaatibaleshau Om Hreem, maha deyvee, hreem mahabalay;
Kleem chaturvidha purushaarthe siddhi praday; Tatsavitur
varadaatmikay; Hreem varenyam Bhargo devasya varadaatmikay;
Ati baley sarva dayaamoortay Bale; sarva kshud bhrama
upanaashinee; dheemahi, dheeyo yonah jaateprachuryaa;
Prachodayaatmikey,
pranava Shirasaatmikay, Hum phat Svaahaa
Amartya felt his body and mind respond to the intonation of the powerful mantras. A strange vitality filled up his being. A power such as he had never felt or imagined before this day, suffused his senses and he felt his chest would burst, with the twin forces of Bal and Atibal beginning to dwell within him. He controlled the feeling of panic gripping him as he felt his entire being expanding with the power seeping inside him. It took all his will to continue staring at the blazing fire and not get distracted by the strange sensations. Suddenly he sensed that Shiva had stopped chanting the mantras, and the steady voice of Vishnu had taken over the final part of the process of conveying the two potent mantras to him.
‘Amartya, repeat after me, and feel the force of Bal and Atibal enveloping you all over,’ Vishnu murmured gently, the soft tones of his whispers sounding eerily loud to Amartya in his current trance-like state.
Evam vidvaan kruta krutyobhavati, Saavitryaa Eva saalokataam
jaayatee, ityupanishad Shanti paath:Om aapyaayantu mama
angaani vaak praanashchakshuhu, shrotramatho, balamindriyaani
cha sarvaani, sarvam Brahmaupanishadam, maaham
Brahmaniraakuryaam, maa maa Brahma niraakarot-
a-niraakarana mastu, a-niraakarana may astu. Tadaatmaani
niratay yay upanishatsu, dharmaastay mayisantu tay mayi santu,
Om shanti shanti shanti…
Amartya repeated the final three words of the mantra—shanti…shanti…shanti. (Peace! Peace! Peace!) The feeling of panic that had gripped him earlier was replaced with a sense of tranquillity. He flexed his muscles unconsciously. They didn’t feel too different. His chest, which had seemed like it would burst during the chanting of the mantras, also felt the same now. In fact, he didn’t feel any different apart from the feeling of serenity that enveloped him. It was then that he noticed his skin; it looked like it was shimmering with a bluish tinge. It was fascinating to behold. However, before he could dwell further on it, he was jolted back to reality by the voice of Brahma.
‘Amartya, you are now imbued with the power of Bal and Atibal. From this moment on, you are no longer a mortal. You have all the powers of a deva and there is no feat of strength and valour that will any longer be impossible for you to perform. But in order to be a brahmarishi, you must now learn how to harness the universal force of Brahman. With Shiva and Vishnu’s permission, I will now teach you how to do this.’
Shiva and Vishnu nodded their assent for Brahma to start the ultimate part of Amartya’s induction as a brahmarishi. And Brahma began the fantastic process that would change Amartya forever, making him amongst the foremost rishis of all time—a brahmarishi!
‘Feel the force of Brahman around you, Amartya,’ Brahma murmured softly. ‘Brahman is everywhere….it is Brahman that makes the sun shine and give life to the mortals. It is Brahman that nourishes every living being in the universe, and Brahman that makes the water flow in the rivers and the air in the environment around you. Brahman is infinite…it carries within it the secrets of the past, present and the future. There is nothing in the universe that has ever happened, or will ever happen, that is a secret. All of it is contained within Brahman itself. Brahman is an advanced state of consciousness. When you are one with Brahman, you will be able to feel everything around you as you have never felt before; and be one with the infiniteness of existence. Since Brahman is infinite, when you control the force of its energy within your body, you will not grow old or sick or frail. You will continue to exist forever.
Brahma paused, seeking the mind of Amartya through his cosmic vision. He was astounded to see how receptive Amartya was to the understanding of Brahman. It was as if Amartya had left himself completely open to the desire for knowledge; to be one with the infiniteness of existence. That was the core of Brahman, and it was exceedingly strong in Amartya. Satisfied that Amartya was now completely geared to receive the secret of harnessing the force of Brahman, Brahma focused on the innermost root of his own consciousness and released at once the entire knowledge of Brahman from his mind into Amartya’s consciousness. There was a sound like the clap of thunder as the knowledge of Brahman travelled from the guru to the disciple. A blinding spectrum of blue light enveloped Amartya, appearing to the devas present, as though it would consume the young man with its intensity. The scorching blue light raged around Amartya for a few seconds, till not even the outline of his body was visible, and then when it seemed that the young man had vanished, the blue light dimmed and entered his being through every possible pore in his body. Amartya the man was gone forever. In his place was the formidable and awe-inspiring aura of Brahmarishi Amartya.
‘Open your eyes, Brahmarishi Amartya.’ Amartya opened his eyes to see his former guru talking to him. It took him an instant to realize that Brahma’s lips were not moving. Yet he could hear him.
‘Yes, this is cosmic telepathy,’ Brahma smiled. ‘You will take a while to get used to your new abilities, Brahmarishi Amartya, but it will happen soon.’
‘So how do you feel now Brahmarishi Amartya?’ Brahma smiled as he continued to communicate with him through cosmic telepathy.
‘I…I feel the same, Gurudev. I mean my mind feels more peaceful than it ever has and there are a lot of strange sensations I am experiencing right now, including hearing your voice in my head, without you speaking…but apart from all of that, I feel the same at a physical level,’ Amartya looked embarrassed as if by feeling no different he was perhaps letting down Brahma and the other two Supreme Beings.
Vishnu laughed. ‘Amartya, do you know that as of this moment, you are equal in strength and ability to Vashishtha and Vishwamitra—the two greatest brahmarishis of all time?’
Amartya was bewildered. He found Vishnu’s words incredulous. Vishnu divined his thoughts. He was quick t
o make up his mind. He looked around the assembled devas, and his eye found the person he was looking for.
‘Agni,’ he called out to the deva standing at the far edge of the ashram compound.
Amartya looked at the deva Vishnu was addressing. Agni was considered amongst the most powerful devas in Indralok; almost on par with Indra. He had an athletic body that sparkled with the brilliance of a raging fire. Amartya knew Agni was one of the most accomplished destroyers of enemies in Indralok, and Indra used his services mainly when dealing with the most potent asuras. Very few people knew that Agni was Indra’s twin brother, and those who were aware of this, also knew that Agni was possibly as powerful as Indra himself. He wondered why Vishnu had called for Agni, specifically at this moment. He received his answer in the next instant and it shook him to the core.
‘Agni, I want you to attack Brahmarishi Amartya with your most powerful weapon, the Agneyastra,’ Vishnu commanded.
Agni stood dumbfounded. Vishnu was asking him to attack a brahmarishi. Not only was this against the law but it could also be fatal for Agni. After all, brahmarishis were the most powerful beings after the three supreme gods.
Vishnu guessed Agni’s dilemma. He sought to comfort him. ‘Don’t worry. I will not let anything happen to you,’ he told Agni reassuringly.
Amartya watched speechless. He couldn’t believe that Vishnu had just asked Agni to use the deadly Agneyastra on him. But what shocked him more was that Vishnu was speaking of protecting Agni rather than bothering about him. He looked at Brahma for guidance, who merely smiled and said, ‘No matter what Agni throws at you, don’t panic. Just focus on your inner core and weave the protective shield of Brahman energy around you.’
Meanwhile, Agni got ready to hurl the terrible Agneyastra at Amartya. The weapon appeared as though by magic in the hands of Agni, and to Amartya’s amazement, the weapon started to grow in size. In a brief time, the Agneyastra had attained the size of a large spear, but it was at least three times thicker. A spark of fire emanated from the head of the Agneyastra. Amartya noticed Agni’s lips moving softly as he chanted the mantras necessary to launch the deadly weapon. As if on cue, Amartya focused his mind on his inner consciousness and connected with the force of Brahman now dwelling inside him. Immediately, he felt an overpowering sense of calm as the Brahman energy enveloped him from all sides. He saw Agni hurling the Agneyastra towards him, and as the weapon heaved through the air, it gained intensity and all that was visible was a flaming ball of fire flying at great speed towards Amartya. Amartya forced his mind to stay focused on the shield of Brahman energy around him. He knew the Agneyastra contained fire of such intensity that it could not be extinguished by any means known to mortals, or even to devas. The flaming weapon hit Amartya just beneath his neck. Amartya braced for the impact, but there was none. The Agneyastra shattered into a thousand pieces at the same moment that it made contact with Amartya’s body. The ball of fire was reduced to a few dim embers struggling to stay alive. Agni stared open-mouthed at the summary dismissal and destruction of his most powerful weapon. Then he bowed to Brahmarishi Amartya to show his respect.
Vishnu, meanwhile, was engaged in an animated discussion with Shiva and Brahma, both of whom were shaking their heads forcefully. It appeared there was a disagreement of sorts between the three supreme gods. Finally, Shiva and Brahma seemed to relent and Vishnu came forward.
‘Devas!’ Vishnu summoned the entire assemblage of demi-gods. All the devas present looked at Vishnu with some amount of trepidation. None of them wanted to face Brahmarishi Amartya after what they had just witnessed. Every deva present was praying fervently that Vishnu wouldn’t pick them up against the newly inducted brahmarishi. However, Vishnu’s next command left all of them shocked to the core. The difference was—they were not worried about themselves any more. They were seriously concerned for Brahmarishi Amartya’s well being. They listened carefully as Vishnu repeated what he had just said; on the off chance that they had not heard him right.
‘As I said, I want all of you to attack Brahmarishi Amartya…at the same time….from all sides.’ Vishnu said, emphasizing each word. His eyes sought out the most powerful demi-gods from the group—Varun, Bhoomi Devi, Vayu, Surya, and Agni, who was standing some distance away from the rest of the devas. He motioned to the five of them to surround Amartya on all sides. The rest of the devas covered the space between these five potent demi-gods. In its completed form, the structure was made up of fifty devas circled all around Amartya, who stood in the centre of the ring.
Vishnu continued with his instructions in a calm voice. ‘Use your most powerful weapons. Give him no quarter, and don’t hold back. Attack the brahmarishi as if you were facing your most powerful adversary.
Agni glanced at Varun and Surya. He knew that alone, he had not been able to make any impact on Amartya. But this was insane! There was no brahmarishi in the universe, with the exception of Vashishta and Vishwamitra, who could withstand the combined might of so many devas, at one go. They might actually end up killing the young brahmarishi, thought Agni with alarm. Varun and Surya’s faces mirrored his apprehension. Bhoomi Devi and Vayu had expressions that reflected the same thought—if they did what Vishnu had just commanded them to do, this could well mean the death of Amartya. And their hands would forever be stained with the blood of a brahmarishi. There would be no corner in the universe where they would find absolution after such a deed. But to refuse Vishnu’s command would mean disrespecting one of the two most powerful gods in the universe. They were caught between a rock and a hard place.
Amartya looked around him and let his consciousness focus on each deva. The Brahman energy coursing through his body felt strangely familiar by now. It was as if he had been controlling this force forever. He felt his body and mind in total synchrony with the universal force. Amartya closed his eyes in order to better concentrate and realized with a jolt that even with his eyes closed he could sense the presence of each deva. He was able to feel their mind and read their thoughts as if they were an open book. He sensed their dilemma and their fear of hurting him. And in that moment, he knew that there was nothing that they could throw at him that he couldn’t handle. It wasn’t arrogance; it was just the certainty of knowing that anything that they used against him came from the universe and by controlling the force of Brahman energy, he could control their weapons too. He smiled unconsciously, as he read Vishnu’s mind and he knew that he had passed the test even before the test had happened. Vishnu knew it. Shiva knew it. In all probability, Brahma knew it too or he wouldn’t have been standing silently while fifty of the toughest devas got together to attack him. He locked his mind with that of the three gods and read the same thought in each of their mind—‘Brahmarishi Amartya has understood the secret of controlling Brahman energy.’
Amartya got ready. He knew the attack would begin any time now, and it did. Even though all the devas started the offensive at the same time, the extent of Amartya’s concentration was so high that he was able to separate what each deva was planning as if their actions were happening in sequence and not simultaneously. He saw Varun release two deadly weapons. His right hand let loose a torrent of water with the force of a tsunami aimed directly at Amartya’s chest. His left hand simultaneously heaved a giant noose with the intention of tying Amartya in a stranglehold from which not even the devas could escape once tied. At the same time, Bhoomi Devi, the keeper of the mortal world and the controller of the forces of nature, chanted a potent mantra that created an earthquake right at the spot where Amartya was standing. Vayu the mighty god of wind, let loose a gale that was powerful enough to lift an entire army of mortals off the ground. Surya shot out heat rays from his fingers that were scorching enough to dry an entire ocean. Agni’s mantras sent forth a bundle of flames targetted at Amartya’s body. The other forty-five devas too aimed their weapons of destruction at the brahmarishi.
The heat and flames created by Surya and Agni merged with the torrent of water released by Varun to
form a mass of boiling liquid flying in Amartya’s direction. The noise of the roaring earthquake created by Bhoomi Devi drowned out all other sounds. Vayu’s swirling winds darkened out everything else, including the weapons of the other devas. For a brief instant, it appeared to everyone that Amartya had disappeared in the darkness and dust created by all the weapons aimed at him.
And then the noise of the earthquake dimmed just as suddenly as it had started. And the winds of Vayu were dispelled as if they were a mere breeze instead of a raging storm. The figure of Brahmarishi Amartya became visible to everyone. His eyes were still closed and he had the same smile he had had before the attack commenced. An aura of blue Brahman energy was visible all around Amartya that acted like a shield to protect him from all the weapons hurled at him. Then everyone saw what they would never get the chance to see again in their immortal lives. The earth that had split under Amartya’s feet began to grow back again, even as Bhoomi Devi tried in vain to create another earthquake. The torrents of water released by Varun metamorphosed into vapour that was absorbed in the air where it originated from in the first place. Surya’s heat rays were unable to penetrate the shield of Brahman and Agni’s fire balls scattered all around as embers, yet again. Varun’s other weapon—the deadly noose—was flung back and tied up all the Devas in a stranglehold. And at that moment, Brahmarishi Amartya opened his eyes!
There was a hush as the devas attempted to comprehend what they had just witnessed. What Amartya had done just now would perhaps have been impossible for even veteran brahmarishis like Vashishta and Vishwamitra. He had single-handedly defeated fifty of the most powerful demi-gods in Swarglok, without even attacking them. And all of it had taken less than a minute.
The devas expressed their respect for the youngest ever brahmarishi by chanting his name in unison. ‘Brahmarishi Amartya…Brahmarishi Amartya…Brahmarishi Amartya…’ Amartya acknowledged the sentiments of the devas with a slight nod of his head and a broad smile. He concentrated his energy on the noose that had tied up the devas. In the next moment, the rope unravelled and fell at the feet of the demi-gods, leaving them unfettered.
THE CURSE OF BRAHMA Page 15