The Secret of the Nagas

by Amish Tripathi

  ‘Not rootless, My Lord,’ corrected Parshuram. ‘They have roots. But not fixed ones. The roots float in the lagoon.’

  ‘But how can such trees live?’ asked Sati.

  ‘That is something I have not understood,’ said Parshuram. ‘Perhaps it’s the magic of the Nagas.’

  The other ships, led by the royal ship that carried the Mahadev, glided into the floating grove of Sundari trees and entered a hidden lagoon where the gentle waves of the Madhumati came to a halt. Shiva looked around in wonder. The area was lush green, alive with raucous bird calls. The vegetation was dense, creating a canopy of leaves over the lagoon which was massive enough to hold ten large ships. It was nearing the end of the second prahar and the sun was at its peak. Within the shaded lagoon however, one could mistakenly think it was evening time.

  Parshuram looked at Shiva. ‘Very few people know the location of the floating grove. I know of some who have tried to find it and have only run their ships aground.’

  The ten ships were quickly anchored into long stakes in the banks after being tied to each other and pulled behind a dense row of floating Sundari trees. The vessels were secure and completely hidden from view.

  The path now was on foot. More than two thousand soldiers had to troop through the Dandak forests. They were all asked to assemble on and around the lead ship.

  Kali climbed up the main mast, so that all could see her. ‘Hear me!’

  The crowd quietened down. Kali’s voice instantly commanded compliance.

  ‘All of you have heard rumours of the Dandakaranya. That the Dandak forest is the largest in the world. That it stretches from the Eastern Sea to the Western Sea. That it is so dense that the sun hardly ever cracks through. That it is populated by monstrous animals that will devour those who lose their way. That some trees themselves are poisonous, felling those stupid enough to eat or touch things better left alone.’

  The soldiers looked at Kali with concern.

  ‘The rumours are all true, horrifyingly so.’

  The soldiers knew the Dandak forests were to the South of the Narmada, the border mandated by Lord Manu. The border that was never to be crossed. Not only were they violating Lord Manu’s orders, but they were also entering the terrifying Dandakaranya. None of them wanted to push their luck further by being adventurous in these cursed jungles. Kali’s words only sealed their convictions.

  ‘Only Ganesh, Vishwadyumna and I know the path through this death trap. If you want to stay alive, follow our orders and do as we tell you. In turn, I give you my word that you will all reach Panchavati alive.’

  The soldiers nodded vigorously.

  ‘For the rest of the day, rest on your ships, eat your fill and get some sleep. We leave tomorrow morning at sunrise. Nobody is to go exploring into the Sundarban by himself tonight. He may discover that these forests are more vicious than beautiful.’

  Kali climbed down the mast to find Shiva and Sati below.

  ‘How far is the Dandak forest from here?’ asked Sati.

  Kali looked around and then back at Sati. ‘We are travelling in a large convoy. Normally, the distance should take a month. But I suspect we will take two or three. I don’t mind that though. I would rather be slow than dead.’

  ‘You have a way with words, sister.’

  Kali smiled with unholy glee.

  ‘Is Panchavati at the centre of the Dandak forest?’ asked Shiva.

  ‘No, Shiva. It is more towards the western end.’

  ‘A long way.’

  ‘That’s why I said it would take a long time. Once in the Dandakaranya, it will take another six months to reach Panchavati.’

  ‘Hmm,’ said Shiva. ‘We should carry enough food from the ships.’

  ‘No need, Shiva,’ said Kali. ‘Excess baggage will slow us down. The forests are replete with all the food we need. We just have to be careful that we don’t eat something that we shouldn’t.’

  ‘But food isn’t the only problem. We’ll be spending nine months in the forest. There are many other threats.’

  Kali eyes lit up. ‘Not if you are with me.’

  Dinner had been served on the deck of the main ship. Shiva had decided to honour the Naga custom of community eating, where many people ate from one humongous plate stitched together from many banana tree leaves.

  Shiva, Sati, Kali, Ganesh, Kartik, Parvateshwar, Anandmayi, Bhagirath, Ayurvati, Parshuram, Nandi, Veerbhadra and Krittika sat around the massive plate. Parvateshwar found the custom odd and unhygienic, but as always, followed Shiva’s orders.

  ‘What is the reason behind this custom, Your Highness?’ asked Bhagirath to Kali.

  ‘We Nagas believe Devi Annapurna, the goddess of food, is one of our collective mothers. After all, doesn’t she keep us all alive? What this custom does is that it makes us all receive her blessings together. We eat all our meals, while travelling, in this manner. We are brothers and sisters now. We share the same fate on the journey.’

  ‘That’s true,’ said Bhagirath, simultaneously thinking that community eating was a good way to hedge against poisoning.

  ‘Is it really that dangerous in Dandak, Your Highness?’ asked Parvateshwar. ‘Or are these just rumours that ensure discipline?’

  ‘The forest can be abundant and caring like an indulgent mother if we follow her rules. But stray out of line and she can be like a demon who will strike you down. Yes, the rumours help ensure discipline. Nine months is a long time to stick to a fixed path, to not stray. But trust me, those who stray will find that the rumours are not far from hard facts.’

  ‘All right,’ said Shiva. ‘Enough of this. Let’s eat.’

  All this while, Ayurvati had been looking at Krittika and Veerbhadra. Between bites, Veerbhadra was pointing towards Kartik and whispering to his wife. They looked at Kartik with loving eyes, almost like he was their own son.

  Ayurvati smiled sadly.

  ‘General,’ said Veerbhadra.

  Parvateshwar was clearly irritated. The two men were on the floating dock next to the lead ship, along with a hundred soldiers. At the lead were Kali and Ganesh. No road was visible. Dense bushes covered the path in every direction.

  Seeing Veerbhadra, Parvateshwar calmed down. ‘Is the Lord coming?’

  ‘No General, just me.’

  Parvateshwar nodded. ‘That’s all right.’ And then, he turned towards Kali. ‘Your Highness, I hope you do not expect my men to hack their way through these bushes all the way to Panchavati?’

  ‘Even if I did, I’m sure your Suryavanshi men would be able to do so very easily.’

  Parvateshwar’s eyes narrowed in irritation. ‘My Lady, I am at the end of my tether. You either give me some straight answers or I take my men and sail out of here.’

  ‘I don’t know what to do to earn your trust, General. Have I done anything in this journey thus far to hurt your men?’ Kali pointed in a westerly direction. ‘All I need your men to do now is hack their way through these bushes for a hundred metres in that direction.’

  ‘That’s it?’

  ‘That’s it.’

  Parvateshwar nodded. The soldiers immediately drew their swords and formed a line. Veerbhadra joined them. They moved forward slowly slashing through almost impenetrable bushes. Vishwadyumna and Ganesh were at the two ends of the line, swords drawn, facing outwards. It was obvious from their stance that they were protecting the men from some unknown danger.

  A little while later, Veerbhadra and the soldiers were surprised to emerge from the dense undergrowth on to a pathway. It was broad enough for ten horses riding side by side.

  ‘Where, in Lord Ram’s name, did this come from?’ asked an astonished Parvateshwar.

  ‘The road to heaven,’ said Kali. ‘But it passes through hell before that.’

  Parvateshwar turned back to the Naga Queen.

  Kali smiled. ‘I told you so. Trust me.’

  Veerbhadra walked up and stared in wonder at the road ahead. It ran straight, right into the distance. A st
ony path, it had been levelled reasonably well. Along the sides, running parallel to the trees, were two continuous hedges of long, thorny creepers.

  ‘Are they poisonous?’ asked Parvateshwar, pointing at the twin fences.

  ‘The inside one, on the side of the road, is made of the Nagavalli creeper,’ said Kali. ‘You can even eat the leaves if you like. But the hedge on the outside, facing the forest, is highly toxic. If you get pricked by its thorns, you will not even have time to say your last prayers.’

  Parvateshwar raised his eyebrows. How did they build all this?

  Veerbhadra turned towards Kali. ‘Your Highness, is that it? Is this all we have to do? Uncover this road and keep walking? And we find the city of the Nagas?’

  Kali grinned. ‘If only life was that simple!’

  The first prahar was just about ending. The sun glimmered over the horizon. Within a few minutes, it would be shining down in all its glory, spreading light and warmth. In the dense Sundarban however, the sun was a shadow of its fiery self. Only a few rays courageously penetrated the heavy foliage to light the pathway for Shiva’s convoy.

  A company of men had been stationed at the clearing made by hacking the bushes up to the Naga road, with express instructions. Kill anything and everything emerging from the forest.

  The foot soldiers marched through the clearing, entering the Naga road with wonder in their eyes. The last thing they had expected was a comfortable and secure road through the forest. The procession was flanked by mounted riders, bearing torches, lighting the way.

  Riding a black horse, Vishwadyumna was at the head accompanied by Parvateshwar, Bhagirath and Anandmayi. The Neelkanth’s family travelled in the centre, along with Kali, Ayurvati, Krittika and Nandi. Ganesh was at the clearing with Veerbhadra and Parshuram. He would wait till every soldier had passed through. He had a task to do.

  ‘Do we really need a rear guard, Ganesh?’ asked Veerbhadra. ‘It is almost impossible to find the floating Sundari grove.’

  ‘We are Nagas. Everyone hates us. We can never be too careful.’

  ‘That is the last of the soldiers. What now?’

  ‘Please guard me,’ said Ganesh.

  Ganesh walked into the clearing bearing a bag of seeds. Veerbhadra and Parshuram walked alongside, their weapons drawn, protecting his right and left flank.

  They had been in the clearing for a few moments when a wild boar sauntered in. It was the largest boar Veerbhadra had ever seen. The animal stopped at a distance, staring at the humans, shuffling its front hoof, snorting softly. Parshuram turned to Ganesh. The animal was obviously gearing up to charge. The Naga continued to perform the task of scattering seeds on the ground as he nodded softly. Parshuram lunged and swung hard with his axe, cutting the boar’s head off in one clean sweep.

  Veerbhadra was edging forward to help Parshuram, when Ganesh stopped him sharply. ‘You keep your eyes focussed on the other side, Veerbhadra. Parshuram is capable of handling this.’

  Parshuram, meanwhile, continued to hack the beast’s body. He then pulled the fragmented parts of the boar’s corpse onto the road.

  As Parshuram walked back, he explained to Veerbhadra. ‘That carcass will only attract other carnivores.’

  Ganesh, meanwhile, had finished scattering all the seeds. He turned and walked back to the road, followed by Parshuram and Veerbhadra.

  As soon as they entered the road, Veerbhadra spoke up. ‘That was one massive boar.’

  ‘Actually, that one was pretty small since it was young,’ said Ganesh. ‘Others in its pack would be much larger. You don’t want it to be close by when we are defending the road. A sounder of boars in this region can be vicious.’

  Veerbhadra turned and looked at the hundred Branga soldiers waiting for them, holding their horses steady. He turned to Ganesh. ‘What now?’

  ‘Now we wait,’ said Ganesh, drawing his sword, his voice calm. ‘We have to protect this gateway till tomorrow morning. Kill everything that tries to enter.’

  ‘Only till tomorrow? Those bushes will not be full grown by then.’

  ‘Oh yes, they will.’

  Veerbhadra was woken up by the loud snarls of a tiger. Some animal, perhaps a deer, had fallen victim to the mighty cat. He looked around. The jungle was waking up. The sun had just risen. Fifty soldiers were sleeping in front of him. Beyond them was the Naga road on which Shiva’s entourage had left the previous day.

  Veerbhadra pulled his angvastram close around himself, breathing hard onto his hands. It was cold. He saw Parshuram next to him, sleeping soundly, snoring, his mouth slightly open.

  Veerbhadra raised himself on his elbows and turned around. The other fifty soldiers were standing guard, their swords drawn. They had taken over from their fellow soldiers at midnight.

  ‘Ganesh?’

  ‘Out here, Veerbhadra,’ said Ganesh.

  Veerbhadra walked forward as the guards parted to reveal the Lord of the People. Veerbhadra was stunned.

  ‘By the holy lake,’ said Veerbhadra. ‘The bushes have grown back completely. It’s almost as if they had never been cut.’

  ‘The road is protected completely now. We can ride out. Half a day’s hard riding and we will catch up with the rest.’

  ‘Then what are we waiting for?’

  ‘You should ask him,’ said Veerbhadra to Krittika.

  It had been a month of uneventful marching through the Sundarban. Despite the mammoth size of the convoy, they were making good progress. Krittika had slipped back from the centre of the convoy to ride with her husband at the rear. She was enjoying her conversations with Ganesh and had grown increasingly fond of the elder son of her mistress.

  Ganesh, whose horse was keeping pace with Veerbhadra’s and Krittika’s, turned. ‘Ask me what?’

  ‘Well,’ said Krittika. ‘Veerbhadra tells me that you weren’t too surprised to hear that Emperor Daksha may have killed Lord Chandandhwaj.’

  Parshuram pulled his horse up to fall in line with the others. Curious.

  ‘Did you know?’ asked Krittika.

  ‘Yes.’

  Krittika stared hard at Ganesh’s face, trying to glean some traces of hate and anger. There were none. ‘Do you not feel the need for vengeance? A sense of injustice?’

  ‘I feel no need for vengeance or justice, Krittika,’ said Ganesh. ‘Justice exists for the good of the universe. To maintain balance. It does not exist to ignite hatred among humans. Furthermore, I do not have the power to administer justice to the Emperor of Meluha. The universe does. It will deliver justice when it is appropriate. In this life or in the next.’

  Parshuram interjected. ‘But wouldn’t vengeance make you feel better?’

  ‘You got your vengeance, didn’t you?’ asked Ganesh to Parshuram. ‘Did you really feel better?’

  Parshuram took a deep breath. He didn’t.

  ‘So you don’t want anything to be done to Daksha?’ asked Veerbhadra.

  Ganesh narrowed his eyes. ‘I simply don’t care.’

  Veerbhadra smiled. Parshuram frowned at Veerbhadra’s reaction.

  ‘What?’ asked Parshuram.

  ‘Nothing much,’ said Veerbhadra. ‘Just that I have finally understood something Shiva had told me once. That the opposite of love is not hate. Hate is just love gone bad. The actual opposite of love is apathy. When you don’t care a damn as to what happens to the other person.’

  ‘The food is delicious,’ said Shiva, smiling.

  It had been two months since Shiva’s men had marched out of the floating Sundari grove. They had just entered the dreaded Dandak forests. The road had ended in a giant clearing, capable of accommodating many more than Shiva’s band of travelling men. As was the Naga custom, groups of people were eating their dinner together on giant plates.

  Kali smiled. ‘The forest has everything that we need.’

  Sati patted Ganesh on the back. He rode separately from the rest of the family, so Sati enjoyed the common dinners where she got to talk to her elder son. ‘Is th
e food all right?’

  ‘Perfect, Maa,’ smiled Ganesh.

  Ganesh turned to Kartik and slipped a mango to his younger brother. Kartik, who rarely smiled these days, looked at his elder brother with affection. ‘Thank you, dada.’

  Bhagirath looked up at Kali. He couldn’t contain himself any longer. ‘Your Highness, why are there five roads leading out of this clearing?’

  ‘I was wondering how you had kept yourself from asking that question up until now!’

  Everyone turned to Kali.

  ‘Simple. Four of those paths lead you deeper and deeper into the Dandak. To your doom.’

  ‘Which path is the right one?’ asked Bhagirath.

  ‘I will tell you tomorrow morning, when we leave.’

  ‘How many such clearings are there, Kali?’ asked Shiva.

  Kali’s lips drew in a broad smile. ‘There are five such clearings on the way to Panchavati, Shiva.’

  ‘Lord Ram be merciful,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘That means there is only a one in three thousand chance of marching down the right path to Panchavati!’

  ‘Yes,’ smiled Kali.

  Anandmayi was grinning. ‘Well, we better hope you don’t forget the right path, Your Highness!’

  Kali smiled. ‘Trust me, I won’t.’

  Kali looked at Shiva, Sati and Nandi riding a little ahead of her. Shiva had just said something which made Sati and Nandi crack up in laughter. Then the Neelkanth turned to Nandi and winked.

  Kali turned to Ayurvati. ‘He has the gift.’

  They were marching at the centre of the convoy to Panchavati. It had been three months since the march from the Madhumati river. Deep in the Dandak now, the march had been surprisingly uneventful and probably a little tedious. Conversations were the only relief from the boredom.

  ‘What gift?’ asked Ayurvati.

  ‘Of bringing peace to people, drawing out their unhappiness,’ said Kali.

  ‘That he does,’ said Ayurvati. ‘But it is one of his many gifts. Om Namah Shivaiy.’

  Kali was surprised. The Meluhan doctor had just corrupted an old mantra. The words Om and Namah were only added to the names of the old gods, never living men.