by Krutant Iyer
“How did you do it?” Mitra asked. “We were too shocked to even react.”
Murari looked around for his sword.
“Don’t worry, it’s safe,” Mitra said, pointing towards the sword lying beside him.
It had been wiped clean and put back in the sheath by Mitra.
“What happened after I passed out?” Murari asked.
“Even we are not sure what happened exactly. We could only hear sounds of struggle, and then the beast howled and everything went silent. We tried calling out to you, but upon hearing no response we descended the tree and found Ballu first. You were lying beside the Tiger, several feet away from the tree. Seeing your sword plunged into the beast’s back we understood what had happened.” Mitra recounted. “It was very brave of you to take on the Tiger on your own.”
“How long have I been out?” Murari asked.
“You were out the entire night,” Raaka answered as he offered Murari water from his gourd canteen. “The mist cleared up soon after you killed the beast. That’s how we managed to carry you to this clearing.”
Murari looked at Ballu. “How’s his condition?” he asked.
“We don’t know yet. He hasn’t woken up since he passed out the previous night,” Mitra said.
Murari stomach growled loudly as he suddenly became aware that he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.
Mitra offered him a fistful of wild berries.
“This is all we could find in the vicinity,” he said. “We did not want to dwell much further into the jungle for the fear of losing our way and alerting other beasts that may be lurking in the jungle.”
Murari looked at the berries and wondered whether it was safe to consume.
“Don’t worry – It’s safe.”
Murari thanked Mitra, as he sat up and hungrily stuffed his mouth with the berries.
“Let’s wake Ballu. We need to get moving soon,” Murari said once he had finished eating.
“But he may not be in the condition to walk,” Raaka voiced his concern.
“Only one way to find out.” Saying so, Murari took some water in his cupped hand and splashed it on Ballu’s face.
Ballu sat up with a start.
“Who the hell did that!?” he shouted.
Mitra smiled in relief. Other than some minor scratches and bruises on his leg and back, Ballu seemed to be fine.
Raaka and Mitra filled him in on everything that had transpired while he was passed out. Ballu couldn’t believe that Murari had put his own life at risk to save him once again.
The boys prepared to leave, securing their weapons back in its position.
“Wait a moment,” Ballu called out to Murari. “Uhm – thanks for what you did back there.”
Ballu extended his hand, with a sheepish smile plastered on his face.
“What’s with you? You look like a monkey,” Murari burst out laughing while pointing at his face.
“Who are you calling a monkey, you Buffoon!” Ballu tackled him to the ground.
As both of them grappled with each other, Raaka and Mitra watched in silence, knowing they could never change.
Now that the mist had been lifted, the boys did not find it difficult to find the right way through the maze of trees to the top level of the jungle.
Soon they were standing on the edge of the jungle once again, only this time, they did not have to walk a narrow ledge, or climb up a tree’s root. What lay in front of them was a wide field strewn with flowers and plants. They were so fascinated by its methodical layout, that the boys wondered if someone lived up here to maintain such a well-manicured, colourful field.
Behind the field of colourful flora, they could see the giant rock wall rising into the cloud of mist covering the sky above the island. The absolute contradiction of the gloomy grey sky with the colourful field left the boys enchanted for a while. They wondered if it was even possible for so many fruits to grow alongside each other. And not just that. The fruits growing up here were bigger than any they had ever seen. But then their restless mind was overpowered by their growling stomach, and they lost no time in raiding the exquisite field.
While Ballu broke open a watermelon, Mitra made his way towards the orange orchard, and Raaka cut down a bunch of red grapes.
Murari couldn’t decide what he wanted to eat, so he just headed further into the field to see what else he could find. He picked a few apple-sized strawberries along the way and put them in the small pouch of cloth, tied around his waist.
Walking further in, he passed the banana trees and came upon what seemed like wild shrubs and bushes. He would have ignored and walked past it, but he hadn’t caught a glimpse of the pale green flowers, and red berries from the corner of his eye.
He looked back to call the others, but couldn’t see them. So, he decided to examine it himself. Parting the plants and shrubs with his hands, he carefully made his way towards the Ashwagandha plant. He bent down and sniffed its leaves. It indeed smelled like freshly-cut grass. He uprooted a plant with its roots intact. Looking back, he still couldn’t see the other boys.
Holding the plant in his hand, he made his way back the same route he had come. After walking some distance, he could sense something was amiss. He clearly remembered passing the banana trees when he had come this way, but now he had walked quite a distance, and yet he had neither crossed the banana trees and was very sure the path looked different than the one he was on earlier.
Upon close observation, he noticed that even the plants and shrubs around the field had somehow grown taller than before, cutting off his line of sight.
Something wasn’t right.
As he stood there, he sensed a movement nearby.
“Who’s there?” he called out.
Hearing no response, he put down the Ashwagandha plant, and slowly unclasped the cord that secured his sword to the sheath, without taking his eyes off the field. Resting his hand on its hilt, he stood very still.
This time he heard something shift behind him. He turned around swiftly, pulling his sword out of the sheath while doing so, but instead of seeing a person, he saw nothing but long wild shrubs. He stared at it curiously.
Didn’t I just walk in from here? He wondered as he reached out to examine the shrubs.
As soon as he did that, a large stem from its depth entwined around his arm. He tried shaking it off, but the stem twisted and tightened its grip. Seeing no other way, Murari drew his sword and swung it at the extended stem with all the force he could muster. The stem immediately let go of his arm and retreated within the shrub.
As Murari jumped back to a safe distance the shrub began shaking wildly. It began germinating, and before long, it had taken the form of a gruesome creature. The wooden stems intertwined to form four legs, and its body transformed into the shape of a hound. The greens covered its entire frame, while its hollow eyes peered at him.
The creature crouched down and began thrashing its tail wildly on the ground. Murari didn’t have time to react as the creature extended its tail while lifting it several feet off the ground, before bringing it down with full force on him. Getting out of the way was out of the question, so Murari blocked the attack using his sword. The pressure exerted by the mysterious creature’s attack was beyond his comprehension.
As the creature pulled back its tail, Murari used the moment to spring back up and get into position for its next attack.
What kind of creature is this? I have never seen or heard about such a thing.
Once again, the creature started shaking wildly, shredding some of its leaves as it did. Then crouching down, it got into its attacking mode. Instead of using the same attack, the creature sent its tail flying straight at him, like a whip. This time Murari was prepared and was anticipating the attack. He jumped to the side as he lifted his sword over his head, and in one swift motion, cut off the creature’s extended tail. Severed from its body, the clump of stem fell on the ground, as the creature withdrew its remaining tail.
The
shrub creature once again shook wildly, shedding more greens, but did not show any signs of pain or intention of backing away.
Murari decided it was wise to run as he had no idea who he was fighting, or how to defeat this mysterious creature. But how could he get away, when he was having a difficult time even taking his eyes off the creature.
The creature continued attacking with its tail, as Murari constantly dodged and cut off its tail every time. He was running out of breath and had bruises all over his arms and body.
Then Murari noticed it.
The creature had not moved from its position ever since it had suddenly shown up. It kept mounting attack after attack using its tail, while the creature’s legs were rooted to the ground.
Is that where I should aim to strike? He wondered.
Murari decided to test his theory.
As soon as the creature sent its tail flying at Murari again, he cut it off by dodging sideways and immediately dashed towards the creature before it could withdraw its tail.
Lunging forward, he swung his sword at the creature’s right front leg, cutting it off at the foot. Without its support, the creature’s frame slanted on one side. Running around the creature, Murari struck down the rest of its legs as well. As he cut off the last leg, the creature disintegrated. Its stems and greens fell to the ground. Murari fell on his back, exhausted, but relieved at finally having defeated the strange creature.
But the ordeal was far from over. He still had to find the others. He sheathed his sword and collected the Ashwagandha plant from where he had left it on the ground.
Just then he felt something coil around his abdomen and with a sudden jerk, he was lifted off his feet. The Ashwagandha plant fell from his hands. Thankfully, his sword was still on him and hadn’t fallen off due to the sudden motion. As his body was being hurled in the air, he caught a glimpse of the resurrected creature. It stood there looking at him with its hollow eyes, as a menacing grin formed over its leafy face.
Murari understood that he had only managed to temporarily thwart the creature’s attack. The creature’s tail flung him violently in the air. Throwing him up and catching him just before his body could hit the ground. It did so several times, leaving Murari disoriented. Even so, Murari did his best to keep his consciousness. After the creature was done having its fun, it stiffened its tail.
Murari could hardly maintain his focus now. He was bleeding from the cuts around his chest, abdomen, and arms, sustained due to the prickly stem gripping his body. As the creature stiffened its tail, Murari’s tried to fathom whether it was preparing to thrash him on the ground or pull him towards itself. He knew he had to unsheathe his sword somehow.
He found his moment when the creature retracted its tail, pulling him towards it. Its mouth opened wide, ready to swallow him. It was now or never.
Unable to look down, Murari desperately ran his fingers around his waist, feeling for his sword. He managed to pull out his sword at the same time when the creature swallowed him whole. He wildly swung his sword around, even as stray twigs and stems cut his skin and made him lose his grip over the sword.
Having exhausted all his energy, Murari closed his eyes and let his body fall. The innards of the creature’s body seemed like a bottomless abyss.
After a few moments, he opened his eyes and saw a bright light appear in front of him. It seemed to stay with him even as his body kept falling. Then he heard the voice.
“Why do you seek the Ashwagandha plant?”
It was a woman’s voice. It felt strangely serene. At first, Murari did not respond, as he was already disoriented from being the creature’s playball. But then he heard the voice again, and this time the white light took the form of a woman.
“Tell me – Why do you seek the divine plant?” said the woman. The upper half of her body seemed human, while the lower half looked like a tree’s roots. Her face couldn’t be seen clearly due to the brightness of the light surrounding it.
“I don’t know,” Murari murmured.
Inside this space, surrounded by darkness, he did not feel any pain. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, he looked around and saw that his surrounding looked very similar to how he had often imagined the innards of a tree’s body would be like.
The only difference being – if this was an actual tree, why hadn’t he fallen to its bottom yet? Not that he wished to. Falling from such a height would only result in something he dearly wished to avoid.
“You don’t know why you picked the divine plant out of all the luscious fruits in the orchard?” the voice questioned.
“We are supposed to bring back the plant to pass the trial set by our teacher,” Murari said.
“Trial? Does that mean, these Manavas are with you?” the women asked.
Suddenly he stopped falling, but his body remained suspended in the air.
The woman lifted her hand and shed light on one corner, where he saw Ballu, Raaka, and Mitra suspended in a corner, with the stems holding them in place. They were unconscious.
“What have you done to them?” Murari shouted angrily, looking back at the woman.
“Don’t worry, they are fine. But their will is far weaker than yours,” The woman answered.
“Who are you?” Murari asked.
“I am Dvaitavana’s Atman,” the woman answered calmly.
Murari’s eyes widened on hearing this.
“You mean you are like the Atman of Paramshakti Vruksha?” Murari wondered out loud.
“You know of Paramshakti Vruksha?” the woman asked, surprised.
Murari kept silent. He did not wish to reveal the power he had received from the tree’s Atman. He hadn’t learned to control it anyways.
The woman stayed silent. Then she lifted her right hand and directed a beam of light at Murari’s body. Murari did not feel any pain. Moments later, the light retracted back to the woman’s hand.
“Child, nothing in this world happens by mistake.” The women finally spoke again. “It seems that my fears were unfounded. I will allow you to take the Ashwagandha plant.” the woman said.
Before Murari could say anything, he felt himself being pulled up by an unseen force. It made his head dizzy and forced him to shut his eyes tightly.
When he opened his eyes, Murari was back in the jungle and lying on the ground.
He looked towards his right and saw the boys waking up in a daze. Their weapons had been returned to them as well. On his left, he saw the Ashwagandha plant.
Murari got up and dusted his dhoti and vest that was in tattered condition now, as he looked around. This did not seem like the field on the top level, but the surrounding looked quite familiar. He could see the jungle rising on all four sides on an elevation.
It was then that he realised, they were back in the jungle’s clearing on the ground level, near the tunnel’s mouth.
He grabbed the Ashwagandha plant and checked upon the boys. They did not have any recollection of the events but seemed fine otherwise. The last thing they could recall was biting into the delicious fruits in the colourful field on the top level of the jungle.
Murari filled them in on what had happened. They listened with awe and wonder. They wouldn’t have believed him if he hadn’t shown them the Ashwagandha plant.
Even though they couldn’t tell the time of the day due to the misty sky, they knew Sun had not set, as the jungle hadn’t descended into complete darkness yet. This meant, they had passed Vajra’s trial before the deadline.
Thrilled at having passed the trial and eager to meet and show Vajra the result of their test, the boys walked out of the other end of the tunnel.
First, they saw the pirates at the far end of the beach. While some were just waking up, others were sitting about idly. The ones who were awake had an astonished expression on their face upon seeing the boys.
They looked for Vajra and spotted him sitting on their right, leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed. They proudly marched towards him.
Hear
ing them approach, Vajra opened his eyes. He smiled seeing the Ashwagandha plant in Murari’s hand, pleased with the positive outcome of the trial.
“So, you managed to pass the test,” he said.
“Of course, Teacher. And that too before the deadline.” Ballu said. He was ever eager to impress Vajra for reasons best known to him.
Vajra looked at them and smiled once again.
“So, tell me. How did you find Balaloka?” he asked the boys.
The boys looked at him, confusion writ on their faces.
“Teacher, what do you mean? We have been on the island all this while.” Ballu said.
Vajra clapped his hands on his thighs repeatedly, as his thunderous laughter echoed through the rocky wall of the beach.
After some time, he finally managed to control his laughter.
“Let me explain. I had several reasons behind sending you boys into the jungle to fetch the Ashwagandha plant,” he explained. “First, I wanted to test your willpower and courage in the face of adversity. I must say, you have outdone my expectations.
Second, I wanted to ensure that the four of you have each other’s back, even in the grimmest situation.
The third reason behind sending you into the jungle was not just a test, but also your first lesson. And finally, the fourth reason is this herb, for which you went through the ordeal.” Vajra explained.
“Teacher, what do you mean? What’s special about this plant?” Mitra asked him.
“Ashwagandha is a rare kind of herb that’s difficult to find even in Balaloka. Its red berries, when consumed can cure any illness and internal injuries. Furthermore, if you crush its green leaves and apply the paste to any external injury, the wound will cover up and be healed within half a day. When used separately, the plant may seem nothing more than a medicinal herb, but when the two are combined and consumed – an individual can awaken the power of Siddhi.” Vajra disclosed.
Their eyes widened in disbelief. They couldn’t believe they had brought back such a rare plant.
That’s why that strange creature was hellbent on stopping me, Murari’s thoughts trailed back to his altercation with the shrub creature.