Aru Shah and the Song of Death

by Roshani Chokshi

  “Aiden!” called his mom, a lighter note to her voice. “Where are you? Come on, Ace-Cakes.”

  Ace-Cakes? mouthed Aru.

  “Don’t even think about repeating that,” said Aiden, scowling.

  When his mom went to answer the front door to meet his dad, Aiden gestured for Aru to follow him. She crept after him to the back door, and they snuck out. Aiden walked her across the street and stopped on the sidewalk.

  Less than ten minutes had passed since Aru left her party, but it felt a lot longer than that.

  “I gotta go,” said Aru, tugging her beard.

  “Happy birthday, Shah,” said Aiden. “And um, thanks. A lot. I mean it.”

  “You can join in whenever? If you want?”

  Aiden brightened for a moment, but then shook his head. “I should stay with my mom. But thanks again. I didn’t know what to do back there.”

  “Decisions are hard,” said Aru, thinking of every battle they’d gone through in the past few weeks. “But the biggest one is deciding what to do with the time that is given to us.”

  Aiden frowned. “Did you just make that up?”

  “Nah. Stole it from Gandalf.”

  There and Back Again, an Aru Tale

  The night of her thirteenth birthday, Aru Shah fell asleep in a beard and a wizard robe, and honestly, she had never been more comfortable. Brynne had fallen asleep next to a plate of cookies. Mini and Hira were curled up on the couch.

  It had been a very good birthday.

  It might have even been the best birthday Aru could remember…if it weren’t for that strange text message she’d received around midnight. She hadn’t recognized the number, and it had come in when they were right in the middle of watching her favorite battle scene, so she hadn’t said anything to anyone.

  The message was short. Just two emojis—a snake and the smiley face wearing sunglasses—and one sentence:

  I’m going to call in that favor soon, Aru Shah.

  What was that about?

  The snake and the sunglasses should have tipped her off immediately, but it wasn’t until right before she fell asleep that she remembered the boy who had saved them from Takshaka. Part of her had wanted to shake everyone awake, but…it could wait until morning. With pancakes. And turkey bacon. Mmmm.

  In her dreams, Aru was walking through a huge forest. At her side, a huge, fluffy white dog that looked a lot like the dream dog from the Grove of Ratri bounded along, occasionally snuffling her hand and woofing happily. Aru was still in a wizard robe, but she didn’t have a beard anymore.

  It was a totally perfect dream until two loud voices disturbed it:

  “That’s her?” said one.

  Aru whirled around and came face-to-face with a pair of girls. Twins. They were short and looked younger than her, with deep brown skin. One wore a fashionable hair wrap. The other wore her hair in a series of intricate braids. Their eyes were a blue so pale they looked like chips of ice.

  “What are you doing in my dream?” demanded Aru.

  “What are you doing in our dream?” said one of the twins. “We got here first!”

  “Did not!”

  “Did too!”

  “R-2!”

  “D—” started one of the girls before she scowled. “No fair.”

  Aru grinned. There was something strangely familiar about the twins, but she didn’t know why.

  One of the girls touched her fingers to her temple, squeezing her eyes shut.

  “What is it?” asked her twin. “Is it another vision?”

  “Whoa. Vision?” asked Aru. “Can you see the future? Can I see it, too?”

  The other twin opened her eyes, then raised her hand and pointed to Aru.

  “That’s her,” said the girl. “Next year, she’s going to save us.”

  “Save you?” asked Aru, looking around. “From what?”

  The twins answered in unison. “You’ll find out soon enough, Aru Shah.”

  Glossary

  I see you’re back for more. Ah well, can’t say I didn’t warn you. Once again, I’d like to preface this glossary by saying that this is by no means exhaustive or attentive to the nuances of mythology. India is GINORMOUS, and these myths and legends vary from state to state. What you read here is merely a slice of what I understand from the stories I was told and the research I conducted. The wonderful thing about mythology is that its arms are wide enough to embrace many traditions from many regions. My hope is that this glossary gives you context for Aru’s world, and perhaps nudges you to do some research of your own.

  Adrishya (UH-drish-yah) Hindi for invisible or disappear.

  Agni (UHG-nee) The Hindu god of fire. He’s also the guardian of the southeast direction. Fire is deeply important to many Hindu rituals, and there are a lot of fun myths about Agni’s direction and role. For example, one sage cursed Agni to become the devourer of all things on earth (No one ever told me why the sage was mad…. Did Agni burn a hole in his favorite sweatshirt? Overcook the popcorn?), but then Brahma, the creator god, fixed it so that Agni became the purifier of all he touched. That said, Agni definitely had an appetite. Once, he’d eaten so much clarified butter (often used in religious rituals) from the priests that nothing would fix his terrible stomachache except, well, an entire forest. That happened to be the Khandava Forest. Small problem, though. Indra, the god of thunder, protected that forest, because it was where the family of his friend Takshaka lived.

  Amaravati (uh-MAR-uh-vah-tee) So, I have suffered the great misfortune of never having visited this legendary city, but I hear it’s, like, amazing. It has to be, considering it’s where Lord Indra lives. It’s draped in gold palaces and has celestial gardens full of a thousand wonders that even include a wish-granting tree. I wonder what the flowers smell like there. I imagine like birthday cake, because it’s basically heaven.

  Ammamma (UH-muh-mah) Grandmother in Telugu, one of the many languages spoken in India, most commonly in the southern area.

  Amrita (am-REE-tuh) The immortal drink of the gods. According to the legends, Sage Durvasa once cursed the gods to lose their immortality. To get it back, they had to churn the celestial Ocean of Milk. But in order to accomplish this feat, they had to seek assistance from the asuras, another semidivine race of beings who were constantly at war with the devas. In return for their help, the asuras demanded that the devas share a taste of the amrita. Which, you know, fair. But to gods, fair is just another word. So they tricked the asuras. The supreme god Vishnu, also known as the preserver, took the form of Mohini, a beautiful enchantress. The asuras and devas lined up in two rows. While Mohini poured the amrita, the asuras were so mesmerized by her beauty they didn’t realize she was giving all the immortality nectar to the gods and not them. Rude! By the way, I have no idea what amrita tastes like. Probably birthday cake.

  Apsara (AHP-sah-rah) Apsaras are beautiful, heavenly dancers who entertain in the Court of the Heavens. They’re often the wives of heavenly musicians. In Hindu myths, apsaras are usually sent on errands by Lord Indra to break the meditation of sages who are getting a little too powerful. It’s pretty hard to keep meditating when a celestial nymph starts dancing in front of you. And if you scorn her affection (as Arjuna did in the Mahabharata), she might just curse you. Just sayin’.

  Asura (AH-soo-rah) A sometimes good, sometimes bad race of semidivine beings. They’re most popularly known from the story about the churning of the Ocean of Milk.

  Bhai (BHAI) “Brother” in Hindi.

  Bhangra (BAHN-grah) One of several popular Punjabi-style dances. The technique is quite simple: “pat the dog” and “screw in a lightbulb” AT. THE. SAME. TIME. This is critical. And then you must hop back and forth. Many Indian men think they’re very good at this. They are usually not. Like my father.

  Bollywood (BALL-ee-wood) India’s version of Hollywood. They produce tons of movies a year. You can always recognize a Bollywood movie, because somebody gets fake-slapped at least once, and every time a musical number
starts, the setting changes drastically. (How did they start off dancing in the streets of India and end up in Switzerland by the end of the song?) One of Bollywood’s most enduring celebrities is Shah Rukh Khan. (Yours truly did not have the most giant crush on him and keep his picture in her locker…. You have no proof, go away.)

  Chaat (CHAHT) Not to be mistaken for a quick phone call, chaat is a yummy savory snack found all over India. My grandmother makes it with fried pieces of gram flour smothered in spiced potatoes, chopped onions, pomegranate seeds, yogurt sauce, and OH MY GOD I’M HUNGRY!

  Chakora (CHUH-kor-uh) A mythical bird that is said to live off moonbeams. Imagine a really pretty chicken that shuns corn kernels in favor of moondust, which, to be honest, sounds way yummier anyway.

  Dada-ji (DAH-dah-jee) Grandfather in Hindi.

  Danda (DAHN-duh) A giant punishing rod that is often considered the symbol of the Dharma Raja, the god of the dead.

  Devas (DEH-vahz) The Sanskrit term for the race of gods.

  Dharma Raja (DAR-mah RAH-jah) The Lord of Death and Justice, and the father of the oldest Pandava brother, Yudhistira. His mount is a water buffalo.

  Dosa (DOE-sah) A savory crepe-like dish that is a large part of South Indian cuisine. My best friend’s mom used to make them for us every day after school with fish tikka masala. They’re delicious.

  Draupadi (DROH-puh-dee) Princess Draupadi was the wife of the five Pandava brothers. Yup, you read that right—all five. See, once upon a time, her hand was offered in marriage to whoever could do this great archery feat, etc…. and Arjuna won because Arjuna. When he came home, he jokingly told his mom (who had her back to him and was praying), “I won something!” To which his mother said, “Share equally with your brothers.” The rest must’ve been an awkward convo. Anyway. Draupadi was famously outspoken and independent, and she condemned those who wronged her family. In some places she is revered as a goddess in her own right. When the Pandavas eventually made their journey to heaven, Draupadi was the first to fall down and die in response (PS: She loved Arjuna more than her other husbands). Mythology is harsh.

  Drona (DRONE-ah) The famous warrior teacher of the Pandavas. He promised to make Arjuna the best archer in the world and therefore shunned Ekalavya, the son of a tribal chieftain, who had the same ambition.

  Durvasa (dur-VAH-suh) An ancient and powerful sage so infamous for his short temper that his name literally translates to one who is difficult to live with. Legend has it that the reason he is commanding and grumpy is because he was born out of Shiva’s anger. Go figure. It was Durvasa who ended up cursing the gods to lose their immortality, all because of a flower wreath. Yup. Once, Durvasa was wandering the world in a (shocker) ridiculously good mood. He came across a beautiful nymph, saw her flower garland, and was like, “OMG that’s adorable. Gimme.” The nymph, probably aware of what happened when Durvasa didn’t get his way, respectfully gave him her crown. While wearing the flower garland, Durvasa ran into Indra. He tossed the garland to the god, who caught it and placed it on the head of his cloud-spinning elephant. The elephant was like, “Ugh! My allergies!” and threw the wreath on the ground. Durvasa was like, “How dare you!” and placed a curse on Indra that, just like the flower garland, he and the rest of the devas would be cast down from their positions. And that, children, is why you should always ask an elephant permission before you put any flowers on its head.

  Ekalavya (eh-KUH-lav-yah) A skilled warrior who trained himself in the art of archery after he was rejected by the legendary teacher Drona on account of his lower status. Drona’s favorite student just so happened to be Arjuna. One day, Arjuna saw Ekalavya perform an incredible feat of archery and got distressed that someone was actually better than him (cue hair flip). This made Drona nervous, because he had promised Arjuna that he would be the best archer who ever lived. Drona demanded to know who Ekalavya’s teacher (guru) was. Ekalavya said, “You.” As it turned out, the archer had made a symbolic statue of Drona and meditated on it to guide him in his self-teaching. When Ekalavya offered Drona guru daksina, an act of respect to teachers, Drona responded with “Give me your right thumb.” At this point of the story, I just get angry. Why should Ekalavya be punished for achieving something on his own merits? GRUMP. But respect, especially to one’s elders, is critical in many Hindu legends. And so Ekalavya cut off his thumb and was no longer better than Arjuna.

  Gali (GAH-lee) Air or wind in Telugu.

  Gandharva (gun-DAR-ruh-vuh) A semidivine race of heavenly beings known for their cosmic musical skills.

  Ghee (GHEE) Clarified butter, often used in Hindu rituals.

  Gulab jamun (GOO-lab jah-MOON) A delicious dessert made with milk, dripping in warm syrup. Most commonly found in my belly.

  Guru daksina (GOO-roo DUCK-shee-nah) An offering to one’s spiritual guide or teacher.

  Halwa (HUHL-wah) A catchall term for desserts. It literally means sweet.

  Hanuman (HUH-noo-mahn) One of the main figures in the Indian epic the Ramayana, who was known for his devotion to the god king Rama and Rama’s wife, Sita. Hanuman is the son of Vayu, the god of the wind, and Anjana, an apsara. He had lots of mischievous exploits as a kid, including mistaking the sun for a mango and trying to eat it. There are still temples and shrines dedicated to Hanuman, and he’s often worshipped by wrestlers because of his incredible strength. He’s the half brother of Bhima, the second-oldest Pandava brother.

  Idli (IHD-lee) A type of savory rice cake popular in South India.

  Indra (IN-druh) The king of heaven, and the god of thunder and lightning. He is the father of Arjuna, the third-oldest Pandava brother. His main weapon is Vajra, a lightning bolt. He has two vahanas: Airavata, the white elephant who spins clouds, and Uchchaihshravas, the seven-headed white horse. I’ve got a pretty good guess what his favorite color is….

  Jaani (JAH-nee) A term of endearment that means life or sweetheart.

  Jaya and Vijaya (JAY-uh and vee-JAY-uh) The two gatekeepers of the abode of Vishnu. Think divine club bouncers. One time, they refused to let a group of powerful sages in to see Vishnu because they thought the sages looked like kids. Who knows what they said? Probably “Ha! Imma need to see some ID, infants.” And then they laughed. I bet they stopped laughing pretty quick when the sages cursed them to lose their divinity and be born as mortals on earth. (Sometimes I’m offended that this is the worst curse possible. “OH GOD, NOT A MERE MORTAL, A SLAVE TO INTERNET SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES AND SUBJECT TO TAXES! ALAS!”) The god Vishnu gave them a choice. Jaya and Vijaya could either take seven births on Earth as pious devotees of Vishnu, or they could take three births as his sworn enemies. They chose the shorter option. One of their reincarnations turned out to be as the most popular villain of them all: Ravana—the ten-headed demon king who kidnapped Vishnu’s wife—and his brother. Makes you wonder about the real nature of villains, huh?

  Kalpavriksha (kuhl-PUHV-rik-shaw) A divine wish-fulfilling tree. It is said to have roots of gold and silver, with boughs encased in costly jewels, and to reside in the paradise gardens of the god Indra. Sounds like a pretty useful thing to steal. Or protect. Just saying.

  Kamadeva (KAH-mah-deh-vuh) Hindu god of human love or desire, often portrayed along with his wife, Rati. One time, the gods needed Kamadeva’s help to get Shiva and Parvati back together after Parvati had been reborn on earth. The problem was that Shiva, devastated over her loss, had been in deep meditation and pretty much refused to open his eyes to anything. Enter Kamadeva, armed to the teeth with the stuff of crushes: funny memes, spaghetti noodles for that iconic Lady and the Tramp moment, same Hogwarts houses, etc., etc. But Shiva was having none of it. Furious at being manipulated, he opened his third eye on poor Kamadeva, incinerating him on the spot. But don’t worry, Shiva and Parvati got back together! And Kamadeva was eventually fine, but perhaps a little less eager to jump into the games of celestial matchmaking after that.

  Kauravas (KORE-aw-vuhz) The famous cousins of the Pandava brothers and, later, their sworn enemies.
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  Khandava Forest (KUHN-duh-vuh) An ancient forest, once home to many creatures (both good and bad), including Takshaka, a naga king. On the advice of Lord Krishna, the Pandavas burned the entire forest for Agni, the god of fire, to consume. One of the inhabitants they spared was Mayasura, the great demon king architect, who built them the beautiful Palace of Illusions on top of the ashes.

  Krishna (KRISH-nah) A major Hindu deity. He is worshipped as the eighth reincarnation of the god Vishnu and also as a surpreme ruler in his own right. He is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love, and is popular for his charmingly mischievous personality.

  Lassi (LUH-see) Lassi is a blend of yogurt, water, spices, and sometimes fruit. In my opinion, nothing beats a tall glass of mango lassi on the hottest day of summer.

  Laxmana (LUCK-shman-ah) The younger brother of Rama and his aide in the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Sometimes he’s considered a quarter of Lord Vishnu. Other times, he’s considered the reincarnation of Shesha, the thousand-headed serpent and king of all nagas, devotee of Vishnu.

  Mahabharata (MAH-hah-BAR-ah-tah) One of two Sanskrit epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). It is an important source of information about the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE and tells the story of the struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

  Mahabharata War The war fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas over the throne of Hastinapura. Lots of ancient kingdoms were torn apart as they picked which side to support.

  Makara (MAH-kar-ah) A mythical creature that’s usually depicted as half crocodile and half fish. Makara statues are often seen at temple entrances, because makaras are the guardians of thresholds. Ganga, the river goddess, uses a makara as her vahana.

  Masi (MAH-see) Aunt in Gujarati, specifically a way of addressing one’s maternal relation.

  Mayasura (MAI-ah-SOO-rah) The demon king and architect who built the Pandavas’ Palace of Illusions.