The Mists of Brahma

by CHRISTOPHER C. DOYLE

She felt a lot closer to Maya than she had before. It was like there was some invisible bond that had grown stronger over time.

  Three months had passed since the departure of the six new members of the Gana. Amyra was no longer a novice. She had graduated to being a full-fledged member of the Gurukul. Psychics were rare, especially those with her special ability, and she was now being tutored in the development of her psychic powers to expand the boundaries of what she could accomplish.

  ‘How are you progressing, Maya?’ Amyra asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Maya replied. ‘It’s hard to tell. Since December, Maharishi Satyavachana has been focused only on thought control. He has been putting me through exercises, practice sessions and tests to build my ability to control my thoughts. He says it will be useful in any situation I find myself in. I can think of only one where it will help; when I am travelling as an atma. That’s when I need to be able to control my thoughts, both for controlling my ability to travel as well as ensuring that no one can hear my thoughts. I think I’ve been getting better, based on the tests, but until he allows me to practice some mantras and actually apply thought control, I won’t know if it’s really working. He keeps telling me I’m getting the hang of it, but he’s such a sweet person, he would say that just to keep me from getting discouraged.’

  Maya sighed. ‘How are your lessons going?’

  Amyra shook her head. ‘Not great. I’m terrible at learning stuff. I only got by at school because of my psychic abilities. Actually, that’s how I discovered I was psychic.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Maya asked. She had assumed that Amyra had always known about her abilities.

  Amyra smiled. ‘Well,’ she replied, ‘one day, a few years back, quite by accident, I slipped into a self-induced hypnotic trance kind of state, while reading my textbooks. Weirdly enough, I discovered that, in that state, I was able to absorb a lot of stuff without too much effort. And when I did come out of the trance, I was able to remember everything.’

  ‘Amazing,’ Maya breathed. ‘You must have topped the class.’

  ‘I did,’ Amyra admitted, looking embarrassed. ‘And then I realised that I could control the trance and bring about that state whenever I wanted to. I used it a lot to study. It was during one of those times that I discovered I could see the past. I was studying in the library when one of my friends came up to me to say something and, during our conversation, I was able to see exactly what she had been doing before she met me. She was freaked out when I told her.’

  ‘You mean you were conscious of your surroundings while in the trance?’

  ‘Yes. You see, going into a trance is nothing like what you see on television or the movies or how fake psychics pretend to do it. It was like … an altered state of mind, an altered state of consciousness in which I was fully conscious and able to move and talk normally, but my mind was somehow … different … if you know what I mean.’

  Maya shook her head. ‘Actually, I don’t understand. Never had such an experience myself, so I guess I never will understand. But it sounds pretty cool.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Amyra shrugged. ‘Except I can’t do it here because there really isn’t anything to be learned from textbooks and stuff. I need to understand new stuff, techniques and all that kind of thing.’ She sighed. ‘And I’m not very good at that.’

  ‘You’ll pick it up,’ Maya reassured her. ‘Look at me. I’m a sadh. I’m not even someone like you, with some kind of power. All I have are my genes from my dad. But I’m working hard to ensure that I don’t have to leave the Gurukul. If you put your head down and focus on what you need to do, you’ll pick it up, don’t you worry!’

  ‘I guess.’ Amyra smiled at her. ‘But you’re so wrong about yourself, Maya.’

  ‘In what way?’ Maya said, as they walked on.

  ‘I mean, maybe you are a sadh. I don’t know. I have no way of figuring out who is or isn’t a sadh,’ Amyra explained. ‘But there is something about you that is …’ She paused, struggling to find the right word, ‘different, I guess? You’re different. No, the word is “special”. That’s it. You’re special.’

  Maya laughed warmly. ‘That’s so sweet of you, Amyra. That’s what I love about you, you’re so nice to everyone.’

  Amyra shook her head. ‘No, Maya, I mean it. I’m serious. You really are special. I can sense it. I knew it from the day I first met you. Don’t ask me how, maybe it’s part of being psychic.’ She paused. ‘To be honest, that’s why I wanted to be your friend. Because I knew you were special. But don’t hold that against me, please! I agree it was childish. I really like you for who you are now. And I’m being open with you.’

  Maya stopped and turned to face Amyra. She held her arms gently and looked at her. ‘Never, Amyra. You are a very dear friend. It doesn’t matter why you first approached me for friendship. What matters is that you were one of the very few people who wanted to be my friend. And you have stayed with me right through, protected me when I travelled to Dwarka to seek Garuda’s help and encouraged me at every step. That’s what true friends do. You’ve been there for me and that’s what matters.’

  She embraced Amyra. ‘Come on, it’s getting late,’ she said. ‘Let’s go for dinner. Arjun and Ags must be waiting for us.’

  Chapter Eighty-five

  The Test

  The Forest

  Unknown Location

  It was somewhat cooler in the shade of the trees, but only somewhat. Above them, the sun beat down mercilessly on the treetops, blazing with an unbearable intensity. Summer had the land well and truly in its grip.

  Maya kept wiping the sweat from her brow as she followed Satyavachana’s instructions. The Maharishi, on the other hand, was cool and composed, with not a drop of perspiration to be seen on his face.

  Satyavachana had explained to Maya that his siddhis enabled him to weather the most extreme temperatures. ‘A powerful yogi can brave the extreme cold and sweltering heat,’ he had told her. ‘When you are able to tap into your powers, you will be able to do the same. Until then, I’m afraid you will have to endure the heat and suffer like all sadhs do.’

  Maya had nodded. But, as she stood now in the oppressive heat, she didn’t understand how she was supposed to focus and concentrate.

  ‘You can do it,’ Satyavachana said, as if divining her thoughts. ‘You have spent more than seven months practising and training since I first started teaching you. You have worked hard and you have done well. Now, remember that you need to tap into the inner power that you have been building up over all these months. Don’t allow your external environment to distract you. Stay focused.’

  Maya mopped her brow once again. ‘Yes, Mahamati,’ she said. ‘I will try.’

  ‘Don’t try, Maya. Do it.’

  Maya nodded.

  The Maharishi disappeared and Maya began walking alone through the forest.

  As she walked, she fought to keep at bay thoughts of the heat and the sultriness, the perspiration, the stickiness of her clothes. To her surprise, though it took some effort, it didn’t take her too long to find her centre, a pool of tranquillity filled with a calmness that pulsed with energy. Satyavachana had been teaching her to create and find this calm centre since he had started working with her on thought control, the day before her fifteenth birthday. How time had flown. Seven months had already passed since the attack of the Nagas on the Gurukul in Panna.

  Maya immersed herself in the pool of tranquillity, allowing it to overwhelm her mind completely. She lost herself in the energy that pulsed through it, revelling in the amazing sensation flowing through every fibre of her body, every nerve, every cell, until she was completely focused.

  It was only when she had begun attaining this state of mind, with considerable effort at first, that she had understood what Amyra had told her three months ago, about the trance that helped her to focus on her studies while remaining conscious of her surroundings.

  For Maya was now keenly aware of the rustling in the bushes around her;
a sound that grew in intensity as she walked. It started on her right in the undergrowth beyond the trees that lined the narrow path along which she strode, then spread to the bushes on her left, and ahead and behind her, until it was coming from all directions.

  Above her head, the leaves whispered and the branches groaned with the weight of something that was as yet invisible, keeping pace with her and surrounding her from all sides.

  Maya immersed herself deeper into the pool of energy and allowed her mind to soak it in. She focused her thoughts, emptying herself of all emotions until her mind was blank. She could still hear the sounds around her; in fact, her hearing was keener now, but she was not reacting to the sounds.

  Deep within her, a single note resonated.

  It was the sound of the universe.

  She allowed her mind to drift, floating on the resonance, feeling her being vibrate in sync with the note.

  She was one with the universe.

  Her walk slowed. There was no longer any haste in her stride, no hurry to get anywhere.

  Maya didn’t need to get anywhere.

  She was where she should be.

  Abruptly, without warning, the creatures began to appear.

  They emerged from the bushes on either side, rushing onto the path directly ahead of her, dropping from the trees around her.

  Maya stopped and looked around.

  She was surrounded.

  Chapter Eighty-six

  Attack

  The Forest

  Maya stood still. She could sense rather than see the creatures that surrounded her.

  They were of all kinds.

  Pisachas of different varieties—some winged, some horned, some thin, others deformed—mingled with other creatures from the bhutagana. Pretas hovered in the air along with fearsome looking creatures with bloodshot eyes, whom she identified as Panis—the cattle-stealing creatures mentioned in the Rigveda.

  And that was not all. There were invisible creatures circling above her and around her. Bhutas. The spirits of the dead who were yet to be given another body for rebirth.

  They set up a din, with howls and roars and grunts, creating a cacophony that seemed to silence every other inhabitant of the forest.

  Maya stood still, but for once, it was not out of fear. She was not rooted to the ground as she had been on earlier occasions when Satyavachana had tested her.

  Something had changed.

  A thought briefly crossed her mind.

  She did not know the mantras to destroy these creatures.

  She swiftly pushed that thought away and it disappeared into oblivion.

  Another thought crossed her mind, this time with a tinge of panic.

  There seemed to be hundreds of these creatures, some of whom were visible on the path. More lurked in the forest beyond the path. She could not see them, but she could sense them.

  How would she defend herself against so many?

  There was the briefest disruption of her focus as this thought flitted through her mind. Then she dismissed it and sought the vibration of the universe again.

  But the damage had been done.

  The multitude of creatures, sensing her loss of focus, charged at her.

  To Maya’s surprise, she reconnected with the vibration almost instantly. Then she attempted to do something she had never done before.

  She began chanting the Narsimha mantra. She knew from experience that the mantra would keep the creatures at bay, even if it didn’t destroy them. She felt its power course through her body, amplifying in strength as it touched the resonance of the strange note that had sounded within her from out of nowhere.

  The creatures stopped in their tracks, as if they had come up against an invisible barrier.

  Maya continued reciting the mantra, but deep in her mind, she was now reaching out to them.

  Become one with them. They are part of your universe. They are a part of you.

  She closed her eyes and, without stopping the recitation of the mantra, reached out to each of the forms that she could sense.

  To her great surprise, even though her eyes were closed and there was a physical distance separating her from the creatures, she could feel them.

  Maya reached out, further afield, searching out the creatures, feeling them, trying to be one with them.

  Then something strange happened.

  Something strange and horrifying.

  Chapter Eighty-seven

  Something Strange

  The Forest

  As she connected with the creatures, trying to become one with them, she began to absorb and experience strange new feelings.

  Pain, sorrow, guilt, grief, regret, remorse, contrition, repentance, shame, misery, anguish, distress and despair filled her mind, spreading like darkness.

  Maya started shivering with the burden of the emotions that were flooding her mind. Her eyes were tightly shut, and yet tears began streaming down her face.

  But she was oblivious to it all.

  The only thing she was capable of sensing was the torrent of emotions.

  Then, suddenly, it was gone.

  The darkness that had enveloped her mind vanished.

  Silence reigned around her.

  Maya sensed another presence. But she could not make out what or who it was.

  She opened her eyes. Tears continued to stream down her face and she was shaking like a leaf.

  Satyavachana stood there with a worried expression, clasping his brahmadanda. Seeing her open her eyes, he seemed to relax and a smile lit up his face.

  ‘I thought I had lost you there, my child!’ he exclaimed. ‘How do you feel now?’

  Maya ran a hand across her forehead. She was drenched in perspiration and her clothes were sticking to her. Gradually, the shivering subsided and the flow of tears dried up.

  ‘I … I think I’m fine,’ she said. ‘But what happened? I could feel so many dark emotions, so much despair; what happened to me?’

  ‘Come,’ Satyavachana said, ‘let us walk together.’ They began walking down the path and Maya looked through the trees on either side. Nothing was visible. The creatures had all disappeared.

  She realised that Satyavachana had put her through a rigorous test this time. One pisacha had not been enough today.

  ‘I was observing you,’ Satyavachana told her, ‘though you could not see or sense me.’

  ‘How did I do?’ Maya was now more concerned about her performance than the explanation for what she had experienced.

  ‘You did well, child. And you are stronger than I thought. But something strange happened. Something that shouldn’t have.’

  Maya waited for the explanation.

  ‘You did well. Too well, actually,’ Satyavachana resumed. ‘All the dark feelings you experienced came from the creatures whose souls you touched. You didn’t just feel one with them; you became one with them. You touched the depths of their souls, attracting and absorbing all their suffering. No doubt you gave them some relief, but it was dangerous. You could have been overwhelmed by all that guilt, remorse and despair. It is their burden to bear; the price they must pay for the karma of their previous births. It is not possible to take on the burden of so many creatures and survive. That is why I was worried for you.’

  ‘I … I don’t understand. Why should it not have happened?’ Maya wanted to know. ‘You told me that I had to be one with them.’

  ‘No, child. I told you to move closer to oneness with them. I asked you to feel compassion for them. Empathise with them. Not become one with them. That should never have happened. You should never have been able to become one with them, to feel their suffering the way you did. If I’d had even an inkling that it was possible, I would never have put you through the test.’

  Satyavachana smiled at Maya’s confused face. ‘But you did pass the test with flying colours. You didn’t even know the mantras to destroy the creatures of the bhutagana, but you didn’t let that stop you. It was a masterstroke to recite the Narsimha mant
ra. And you recited it beautifully. There was no way any of those monsters could have harmed even a hair on your head the way you invoked the power of Narsimha. And, at the same time, you were able to reach out to them. Marvellous!’

  ‘So I’m ready to learn some new mantras?’ Maya asked anxiously.

  ‘Not yet, my child. First, I need to teach you a few more things that will help you prevent this situation from ever recurring. You need to be able to protect yourself, control the flow of emotions from any creatures you face, if you happen to cross the barrier and touch their spirits. Otherwise, you may get overwhelmed, and we can’t have that happening, can we?’ He smiled at her again.

  ‘Can we start today?’ Maya felt ecstatic.

  Satyavachana shook his head. ‘You have been through a lot today. The techniques I have to teach you are strenuous. We will start tomorrow, when you are fresh and have recovered. Go now, back to the Gurukul. I will meet you tonight.’

  Maya folded her hands and bowed. ‘Pranaam, Mahamati.’ She disappeared.

  Satyavachana stood for a while, lost in thought. Now that Maya was gone, the worried frown returned to his face. What happened with her today was totally unexpected. He had not been prepared for it. He was surprised that it could have happened at all, especially to Maya.

  But of even greater concern was the implication for her if she entered the Mists. If she absorbed the energy of the Mists or from anything she came across in the Mists …

  The success of his entire plan depended on Maya weathering the Mists and succeeding in the mission that he had planned for her.

  He shook his head. There wasn’t much he could do except teach her greater control over her defences. It would not take long. Maybe another month. Or two.

  He wasn’t sure if it was going to be enough.

  But it would have to be.

  Chapter Eighty-eight

  Shukra Wonders

  Mayurbhanj

  Odisha

  Shukra made his way determinedly through the dense forest cover. This was one place where he could not use his yogic powers to instantly transport himself to his destination.