The Sage's Secret

by Abhinav Menon

  ‘What I am about to tell you is very crucial.’

  Then the teacher started telling him a story—a story that would stun Ajith.

  ‘Many centuries ago, during the time of Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s ninth avatar, our ancestors stumbled upon a great secret. A secret so significant for us that it was passed down generations! It was vital for us to preserve it and carry it into the future, where it could be used to our advantage …’

  Ajith nodded slowly, barely grasping all that his guru was saying. But he felt important. The joy of being privy to one of the best-kept secrets of all time was bubbling inside him. It reflected in his eyes. The student shifted excitedly in his seat, fidgeting with his thumbs. He took a deep breath and waited. He knew the teacher would take his time.

  ‘A conspiracy was hatched by Lord Krishna himself in the company of Sage Dweepa, his trusted friend and confidante.’

  Ajith nodded, his face serious. A conspiracy by Lord Krishna? He couldn’t believe his ears!

  ‘The conspiracy pertains to the Kalki avatar.’

  Ajith’s eyes widened—the very name had piqued his attention. But the guru continued.

  ‘The world assumes Lord Vishnu will be known as Kalki in his last avatar. But that’s not true. He will be given a different name.’

  The news came as a shock to Ajith, and his mind raced. He couldn’t figure out how his guruji and their cult even knew about this.

  Guruji went on. ‘What’s more, Kalki won’t be all-knowing, like he was in the Krishna avatar. He will be a common man.’

  Ajith gulped. On the outside, he was calm. But his heart was pounding furiously. His temple was throbbing. His mind reeled.

  ‘This is a weakness of Lord Vishnu’s Kalki avatar. Probably his most major one! And we are going to exploit this.’

  Ajith looked at his guru questioningly.

  ‘If Kalki is not all-knowing, we can use this to our advantage and make our dream come true. The dream of controlling the world! Kalki will never be able to stop us. Before he even gets a hint of our plans, we would have executed them! We will set demons loose all over the world. And Kalki won’t be able to do anything about it.’

  His guru paused and then spoke in an uncharacteristically cold voice. ‘Kalki, the Vanquisher of Evil, will be vanquished by evil. And once he is out of our way, no one can stop us from world domination.’

  The teacher smiled as he relished the thought of a Kalki-free world. Ajith managed a weak smile; he wasn’t aware of the plans yet, but his chest swelled with pride at being included in this grand cult and at being privy to this earth-shattering secret.

  ‘Ajith, you are being trained to become a powerful sorcerer, so that you can aid us in establishing the rule of our lord on earth.’

  Ajith nodded. He was ready.

  The snapping of a twig brought Kalanayaka back to the present. He stopped moving and looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound. He was on his guard. He thought the breaking of a twig could be a natural occurrence, as he was in a jungle, but he couldn’t risk dismissing it. It could be that some wild animal was on the prowl, or someone may be following him. He bent low and looked around cautiously. Another twig snapped in the distance.

  Kalanayaka realized the sound came from the trees ahead of him. He cautiously approached the grove and saw a sage foraging for fallen branches, picking them up from the ground and breaking them into smaller twigs. His eyes grew wide when the man’s identity dawned on him.

  Sage Dweepa!

  EIGHT

  The man wearing the overflowing red cloak walked to the tree in the centre of the clearing. Casting a cursory glance over a little cottage to his left, he looked at the man—the occupant of the cottage—meditating peacefully under the tree. He cleared his throat as he neared the tree. The man who was meditating opened his eyes in a flash and, seething with disgust and anger, looked for the source of the disturbance. But then his eyes widened in recognition and his face softened.

  ‘Apologies, shishya,’ the red-cloaked man spoke as he approached.

  The disciple sprung from his seat and bowed to his lord, touching his feet. The lord patted his head, blessing him, and pulled him upright. He looked at his student closely. He was seeing him after ten years. Age had caught up with the man. His wrinkled skin, grey hair, shrivelled face—all bore testimony to that fact.

  They sat in the shade of the tree. The student asked, ‘What can I get for you, my lord? Water, juice … just name it …’

  The man shook his head. ‘I do not want anything. Thank you.’

  He gave a brief smile, which remained veiled under the hood, and came straight to the point. ‘Jana, I have come to recruit your best students for the Kalabakshakas.’

  For a moment Jana’s face lit up, but it fell just as quickly. ‘At the moment, I have … um … only—only one student worthy of becoming a Kalabakshaka.’

  The lord kept his dark-skinned hand on the disciple’s shoulder and squeezed it warmly. ‘That’s better than none. Even if it’s just one student, I will gladly accept him … if he is worthy of it. Who is this student? Where did you find him?’

  ‘Do you recall that I recruited some children from a shelter home in Karnataka many years back?’

  The man in the red cloak nodded.

  ‘He is one of them …’ Jana revealed. ‘It took some amount of convincing to bring him to our side, showing him our views and take on God. But now he is driven to vanquish Kalki. He is a power-hungry monster …’ The disciple proceeded to describe Ajith’s conquests, including his sacrifice of the rooster.

  ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘He’s on a quest for more power. I believe he is in Tamil Nadu.’

  Under the red hood, the lord’s eyes widened. ‘Why Tamil Nadu?’

  His chest puffing out with pride, Ajith’s guru answered, ‘My lord, twenty years have passed since the incident of the red lightning. When we met a few years back, you had mentioned that Dweepa and Kalki would meet any time after twenty years from that moment. I recall you mentioning that they would meet in the Tamil Sangam. Hence I instructed him to go to Tamil Nadu.’

  The lord pursed his lips. If he was in Tamil Nadu already, it was necessary to find this student as soon as possible. There is a chance he might ruin my plans, he thought grimly.

  ‘Though I must confess,’ Jana continued, ‘I don’t recall you ever mentioning how you came to know that they would meet in Tamil Nadu … How did you come by that information, my lord, if I may ask?’

  ‘That’s unimportant at the moment. What’s his name, shishya, the student’s?’

  ‘Kalanayaka, my lord.’

  The lord chuckled upon hearing the name, as it was used only for a Kalabakshaka. ‘You really have a lot of faith in this student of yours, I see …’

  Guruji smiled and nodded.

  ‘You gave him the name Kalanayaka?’

  ‘Yes, my lord.’

  ‘What’s his birth name, Jana?’

  ‘Ajith, my lord.’

  The red-robed man stood up. Placing his hand on the guru’s head, he said, ‘Close your eyes and think of Ajith. His face, his physical features …’

  The disciple did as asked. The lord, reading Jana’s thoughts, searched for the presence of such a person all over the earth. And after only a few moments, he found him! In fact, he entered Ajith’s mind and … saw him fiercely attacking a man dressed in saffron robes! Dangling from that man’s neck was a locket shaped like a broken conch shell.

  The red-cloaked man’s eyes widened with shock. Just as I had feared! He couldn’t let this happen. He took his hand off his disciple’s head and vanished into thin air, rushing to prevent Kalanayaka from killing Dweepa.

  NINE

  Dweepa, Kalki’s ally! Kalki’s only ally!

  Kalanayaka recognized the saffron-robed man because of the broken conch-shell locket that hung from his neck. That locket seemed ordinary but it was very significant. Only one such locket existed in the whole wo
rld. And it was known to Kalanayaka that Sage Dweepa was the one who owned it. His guruji had told him so.

  Kalanayaka couldn’t believe that Dweepa was in front of him, for he was always known to remain hidden from the world …

  The sorcerer was pleasantly surprised to find him so close to his home. Of all the places in the world, Dweepa had to turn up in the forests of Tamil Nadu, right in front of me!

  Kalanayaka sneered. ‘If I eliminate Dweepa right now, then Kalki will not have any ally! Neutralizing Dweepa would equal neutralizing Kalki himself!’

  With a grin on his face, he stepped out of his hiding place behind the trees and stood in front of Dweepa.

  The sage looked at the man dressed in black robes. He was holding a tall wooden staff in one hand. Dweepa smiled politely at the stranger and was about to inquire about him, when Kalanayaka waved his staff and a strong gust of wind raged through the grove, knocking the sage off his feet.

  ‘Dweepa!’ Kalanayaka roared.

  Dweepa fell a few feet away. The ground shook and the trees swayed with a malicious energy. He regained his balance and sat up on the ground, the gentle smile wiped clean off his face. He looked at the man standing before him.

  ‘Who are you?’

  ‘I am Kalanayaka, the one who is going to kill you!’

  Dweepa got to his feet, now certain that the man before him meant business.

  Kalanayaka waved his staff once again. But Dweepa was ready this time. He raised his hand high above him and quickly brought it down, slicing the gust of air in front of him. With the crack of a whiplash, the sudden burst of air passed like a breeze along the sage’s sides. Kalanayaka was enraged; he prepared himself for another attack, but Dweepa didn’t wait. He summoned a streak of blazing fire and aimed it at his new enemy.

  But the sorcerer was surprisingly quick in his movements. He ducked in the nick of time, and escaped unsinged. The ground under him was burnt, the leaves had turned to soot. He recovered in no time and immediately waved his staff, sending three successive streaks of wind at Dweepa.

  The sage was waiting. He swiftly brought his palms together, aligning them next to each other, both facing Kalanayaka. Then he parted them, conjuring up an invisible wall. The trees shook from the force, and the wind around them howled. The wall vibrated with what seemed like bottled-up energy. Dweepa, his teeth gnashing under the strain and his muscles taut with pressure, held his hands firmly, trying with all his might to keep the wall steady against the onslaught from the sorcerer. And the attacks from the other side were successfully deflected!

  With a slight smile of satisfaction, Dweepa bent his right arm and pulled it back, as far as he could, readying himself to deliver a punch. He curled his fingers to form a fist. With a loud grunt, he shot his arm forward and punched the invisible wall. The force hit Kalanayaka square in his chest, and he howled as he fell back from the impact.

  Within moments, Kalanayaka got up and steadied himself, brushing the blood from his lip. He had underestimated Dweepa’s prowess. Meanwhile, the sage, having regained his composure, was mounting rapid attacks. He delivered punches to the sorcerer, hitting his abdomen, chest, legs and hands. Kalanayaka tried his best to defend himself, but he was feeling overwhelmed. The attacks were brute shots of energy, and he had to use all his strength to deflect them.

  The fool is indeed powerful!

  Now Kalanayaka closed his eyes and chanted rapidly. Bringing every ounce of his energy together, he gathered gusts of sand and hurled the forces towards the sage. Dweepa was quick to avert the sandstorm, but the wind was unforgiving and some of the sand particles and ash entered his eyes. Dweepa was blinded, the sand irritating his vision. Kalanayaka stood grinning as he watched Dweepa flail around.

  What the sorcerer didn’t notice was that the moment Dweepa shut his eyes, the red-cloaked man appeared behind him. And even before he could launch a fatal attack at the sage, Kalanayaka felt a body lunge at him from behind. Arms chained his torso, a crack echoed in his ears and darkness surrounded him. His eyes closed and his body went limp.

  Kalanayaka lost consciousness.

  TEN

  Kalanayaka’s attacker entered the chamber in his sanctuary flushed with anger. He slammed his hands down on the table, bending over it. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. He shook his head and started taking slow, deep breaths.

  ‘What happened, my lord?’ a voice asked from behind him.

  The red-cloaked man straightened and turned to the voice. The elderly man before him was dressed in a black cloak, but he wore no hood over his head. With greying hair and a fit body, the man stood with a serene expression on his face.

  The red-cloaked man spoke. ‘Bhairava, a grave error would have occurred today had I not intervened …’

  Kalaguru Bhairava looked at his lord while waiting for him to explain further. Though all that was visible of his lord was his dark and slender hands, Bhairava knew the face behind the hood. Still, his lord chose to keep it hidden at all times.

  ‘Kalanayaka engaged Sage Dweepa in a duel today, with the intention to kill him.’

  The red-cloaked man expected to see shock, but he was disappointed. All Bhairava did was widen his eyes. No words escaped his lips.

  ‘I don’t know who this Kalanayaka is, but is Sage Dweepa fine?’ he asked.

  ‘Kalanayaka is a new recruit among the Kalabakshakas. And yes, Dweepa is fine. Probably got a few scars,’ the lord replied dryly.

  ‘What about Kalanayaka?’ Bhairava asked.

  ‘He is in the stone cellar, unconscious.’

  ‘What do you plan on doing with him? Execute him?’

  The red-cloaked man shook his head. ‘He is an impressive fighter, Bhairava. With proper training, he could be a lethal weapon.’

  Bhairava nodded. ‘My lord, how did Kalanayaka identify Dweepa?’

  ‘The same way I did,’ the man replied. ‘The broken conch-shell locket. Jana must have told him.’

  The old man sighed. ‘But … how did you know that Dweepa was under attack?’

  ‘I had gone to Jana for recruiting new students, and this Kalanayaka wasn’t at the gurukul. He had left in search of more power. Jana said he was in Tamil Nadu.’

  Bhairava’s face hardened. He said gravely, ‘It’s about time, isn’t it?’

  The man nodded. ‘Yes, Kalaguru Bhairava. It is indeed time. Dweepa is to meet Kalki.’

  A tense silence followed. It was as if the wind itself had stopped blowing. The mood was pensive. Both of these men had waited a long time for this meeting, for they could identify Kalki only when he met Dweepa.

  The silence was broken by the red-cloaked man. ‘I wanted to check that Kalanayaka wasn’t doing something that might ruin my plans! And when I traced him, he was attacking Dweepa …’

  ‘It is indeed very fortunate that you stopped the duel. If you hadn’t, then we might have lost Dweepa.’

  The red-cloaked man clenched his dark fists and spoke coldly, ‘Yes. I had to intervene, Bhairava! I have been waiting for the Kalki avatar since Krishna’s death … I have waited centuries to vanquish Kalki. If all I wanted to do was kill Dweepa, I would have killed the one who was Krishna’s friend! But Dweepa is the only one who can lead me to Kalki; and I will not let anyone take him away from me till he has served this purpose!’

  They fell silent again for a couple of minutes, wrapped up in their thoughts. Then Bhairava laughed softly. The red hood of the imposing man turned towards him ominously, as if seeking an explanation.

  ‘My lord, Krishna’s plan has such a big flaw. A fatal flaw that can cause his whole plot to be blown to smithereens—Sage Dweepa!’ He laughed again. ‘Dweepa is the biggest flaw! Dweepa is the only link to Kalki. And there he roams about, displaying the conch-shell locket openly. What a fool! Follow him, and you shall find Kalki. Then you can end both of them. You can strike before Kalki even has the time to realize his avatar’s purpose.’

  The man shook his head, slightly irritated at Bhairava’s o
versimplification. ‘Don’t talk like a fool, Bhairava.’

  The old man, surprised, turned to look at his master.

  ‘I know Krishna very well. He is one of the most brilliant beings I’ve ever met,’ he said grudgingly, but there was a hint of admiration in his voice. ‘I have known him up close and personal for a long time, you forget. And trust me when I say this, Krishna always does everything after careful consideration. He accounts for every single scenario imaginable, and only then does he formulate his plan. He is indeed a genius at strategy.’

  But the old man wasn’t prepared to hear a word against his theory. ‘Then why didn’t Krishna advise Dweepa to hide the locket? Why is the sage roaming around with that conch shell on full display? He can hide it or wear something else, can’t he?’

  A smile appeared under the red hood. ‘Let’s play with a hypothetical situation, Bhairava. You have made certain plans. Your enemy comes to know of these plans. What do you do next?’

  Bhairava answered instantly, ‘It is obvious. I will change those plans immediately.’

  ‘Now consider this: You know that your enemy has discovered your plans, so your first response should be to change them immediately. But what if you don’t? What if you let the plans be? You know that your enemy knows, but instead of changing those plans, you simply make more plans, just to compensate for the disadvantage that your enemy has you at, covering the contingencies. The enemy knows what you are planning to do and they expect you to change or drop your strategy. So you can proceed with your original plan as well as the additional plans for emergencies, and your enemy is left guessing what your new plans are.’

  The man paused, allowing Bhairava to absorb the theory he had just presented. ‘Well?’

  Bhairava nodded slowly. ‘Definitely thought-provoking, I must confess.’

  The man smiled. ‘And this is Krishna! If he hasn’t changed his plan, he will have added more safeguards—something to improve on the original plan. To be honest, we don’t even know all of Krishna’s plans. Nor do we know what Kalki is capable of.’