That was true. “The Elders don’t care about a powerless Guardian. You are just a pawn in their game. A piece to be sacrificed at the right moment to gain an advantage. Even now, they sent you defenceless to fight me to gain a little time. Why should you owe them your loyalty? Because they are good? They are not. Good and evil is just a point of view. The hypocrites portray themselves in this way just to keep the virtuous with them. Once they have destroyed all, they will implement their own policies which seem good in their minds. ”
I wanted to tell him on his face that it was because they had saved me. But I didn’t, instead I looked away. That was a story for another time. I saw the table, it was strewn with maps, photographs and some sort of blueprints.
Devakratha continued, “Once you are used up, they will discard you. You will have spent your whole life fighting for what is right and then sacrifice it for them without enjoying a moment of peace. Don’t you think that you deserve better in this life. I can see that you have paid your debt to them, have you not earned some comfort? Normally I don’t do this but I will make you an offer.”
My ears perked up. What was this? Why was the invincible leader of the Thugee making me an offer?
“I’m listening,” I said.
He brought up the pouch in which I had placed the piece of armour. It now seemed to be empty.
“I know what this is. This is a Sri Laya pouch. Once a person puts something in it, it is only he who can take it out again.”
He was right. That piece of armour could not be removed by anyone except me. Even killing me wouldn’t help. The object in the pouch will then be lost forever. Made me wonder, where would those unclaimed objects go to? But for now, this was my only bargaining chip.
“Ok, quid pro quo. Show me the spell that Suryaprakash devised and I’ll think about opening the pouch.” I said. If I know the layout of the spell, I can deduce what it does and then I can craft different ways to stop him.
But Devakratha was too wily. From the look on his face I knew that he suspected my intentions. He gave me that creepy, eerie smile that twisted his face before saying,
“You insult my intelligence, Guardian. But I will tell you my plan so you can see its grandeur and admire it.” His self-confidence was off-putting and considering his power, he could afford that luxury. “You see, no one control the shade of the Pandava Arjuna. He is too powerful and beyond even the reach of the Devas. But his weapons are not. Suryaprakash deduced this. He researched for the origins and the true nature of the Gandiva Bow given to Arjuna by the keeper of the celestial weapons, Lord Varuna, the ruler of oceans. He was able to slowly define it and in the world of sorcery, to define something is to control it. He created a spell to summon the Gandiva bow itself.”
My jaw dropped again for the second time today. And I got a searing pain spreading from my jaw. The accident with the truck had hurt me considerably. It was a wonder that my air shields protected me. I shouldn’t be conscious at all.
“After the war of Kurukshetra, Arjuna relinquished the Gandiva. He gave the bow and the quiver to the river Ganges. From its depths, it must have gone back to the armoury of Lord Varuna. Now with this spell, the weapon of the Gods will be mine.” His eyes were wide and they had a fierce glow in them. He looked like a raving lunatic. Something in him had opened up and he was spilling everything. But the very thought of the Gandiva in his hands made me sweat.
The Gandiva was a weapon of another era. It was from the Dwapara Yuga. It is said that each universe goes through four Yugas like the seasons in a year and after the four Yugas, each of which lasts for millions of years, there will be a big crunch, the opposite of the Big Bang. We are now in the Kali Yuga. There is a reason that all the weapons of the different Yugas are locked up. The bow had an incredible history. It was held by gods throughout its lifespan. The last time it was unleashed was the very end of the Dwapara Yuga. It had caused untold damage and laid waste to the greatest heroes of the world and to the land itself.
Such power is not meant for mortals. Then something occurred to me, I remembered a piece of scripture. When the bow was presented to Arjuna, he had been told that no other mortal will be able to wield the bow again. So how would Devakratha overcome that hurdle. Meanwhile Devakratha was still talking with a manic gleam on his face walking across the room gesturing to himself.
“Oh, can you imagine? The power of the Gandiva? With its arrows, I can control the weather, I can fire it into a dormant volcano and make it erupt. I can rip the very land asunder for miles exposing it like a sword wound. I can destroy even the most powerful Deva. None will be able to stand and fight me. The cowardly Devas were confident that they cannot be killed in this yuga. They’re in for a surprise. I can lay siege to devaloka itself. There will be a war unlike any in this yuga. Deva and Asura alike will bow before me.”
After his short crazy speech, Devakratha was regaining control rapidly. “However to do all this, I need to summon the Bow first and to do that, there is only one obstacle in my way.” Here he stopped pacing and looked directly at me squirming uncomfortably in my chair. I gave this madman a bland smile, his eyes were like sharp brown drills trying to penetrate into my brain for information. I had never been in such a situation before. I always had my power to defend myself or at least get away.
I tried to reach inside me to see if I could touch my power, a sharp stabbing pain split my head. It looked like I was left to my devices with no power. So I tried to keep him talking. “That’s all well and good. But the Gandiva cannot be wielded by a mortal. So how are you gonna get around that? Planning to buy some gloves, are you?” I snickered.
I never saw the fist coming, but felt its impact. He hit me right on the jaw and I nearly fainted in pain. When I could open my eyes again, I could see that he had gone back to his desk and was seated with his arms resting on the desk. He was adjusting his shirt sleeve. He took his time and carefully composed himself.
He said “Never mock me again. I am not just a mere mortal. The Thugee were created by the Goddess Kali herself. We are her children and we are much more than mere human. In any case, my father was an Asura. So that qualifies me. Now, about my offer. The reason I revealed all this to you was because I would like you to join us. The Thugees always appreciate talent. You shall never be left with any want. Pleasures beyond imagination. Pleasures of the flesh. The thrill of slaughter. Even the secret to life shall be yours. I can teach you to spit in the face of death with impunity. I am older than I look. You are good, but with me as your teacher and master, you will be great. You power will increase hundredfold. You have the potential to be as good as me. What say you, Guardian? Are you ready to embrace your real destiny?”
I was shocked. I also knew that he was telling the truth, for the Elder had told me Devakratha was over three hundred years old. The pull of it was strong. I could be more powerful than ever. I could be strong as an Elder. I could live longer. I would just have to give up in everything I believed in.
Devaratha was watching me shrewdly, “I know what you are thinking. You believe that you have to give up your precious morals. You don’t have to. Being one of us does not mean the death of your character, it means you have chosen another way to reach your destination. You could influence the world positively in many ways. The ends will justify the means, if the ends create a better world. You don’t have to be, as one of your bards put, ‘just another brick in the wall’”.
His words were seductive to me. I did disagree with many things the Elders did. I would no longer be a cog in the machine, even with a quarter of Devakratha’s power. I could be a decision maker. It ashamed me that I was even considering this proposal.
“You don’t have to do much for now. Open the Sri Laya pouch, give me the piece of armour and join me.”
But it was the wrong side, I would never be able to live with myself if I submitted to him.
I mimicked a piping high voice as I said, “Join the Dark side, I never will. Crazy like a fox , you are [GGN9] .”
He got and walked over to face me. He leaned into my face and said, “Think hard, Shiva. Everything you ever dreamed of. With the bow, we can make even the Devas subservient and you can be my agent in this world while I rule Devaloka. An army has already been drafted, you could lead them. You would be only second to me. My current help leaves a lot to be desired. And I don’t want to convert you by force. Forced conversion to serve would break you and give me nothing but a blunt tool”.
He was looking at the big guy as he said this.
“Who did you try to convert by force? Little Johnny over there?” I asked.
“He obeys my every command to the letter. But he does nothing more, lacks initiative. I have need for a man like you.”
I had no idea what this guy saw in me but his plans were that of a megalomaniac. He was right up in my face. The thought of being a mindless zombie like little Johnny who obeys his every command was frightening but I wasn’t going to take the bait.
“I disrespectfully refuse. Is there an option B?”
His face showed disappointment, and he said “Well, That’s sad. You know what option B is. I force you to open the pouch. I dislike using violence. Remember I gave you a choice. But it’s too late now.”
He removed a clear vial of liquid from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“You know, the leaps you mortals have made without using any Maya is simply amazing. I am often in awe of the destructive power of mankind in the area of medicine. No more herbs or Ayurveda like the old days. Just a couple of pills and even the most terrible of diseases can be cured. Even in your methods of torture, physical violence is no longer the primary means of coercion.”
He sat on the desk and gestured to a small bottle of liquid. “Do you know what this is?”
I shook my head with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
“This is called LSD by your doctors. It is even more potent than the purest bhang. I am told it causes uncontrollable hallucinations.”
I was puzzled. “You want to give me acid? Make me high?”
“No, no, no. My associates here will first give you a physical tuning up and then you can have the drug. First we will attempt to break your body and then attempt to break your mind. Also I believe that an overdose of this drug will leave you in a comatose state forever in the land of dreams. You see, I am curious to see which will break down first, your mind or your body.”
Horrified is not a word I use lightly. I have seen some nasty things and done a few myself, but this was beyond the pale. The reality that I probably wouldn’t leave this place alive struck with the force of a cannon. I had no idea what to do. My nervous apprehension turned into a full blown panic. I had a brain freeze. I couldn’t think of anything but my impending doom. My imagination conjured up many gruesome images of these thugs chopping my body up into little pieces or burning me to ashes or would a horribly mangled body be floating in the gutter tomorrow? Would they disfigure me permanently and leave me a shell of the man that I was? I died a thousand little deaths before it even began. I was not the powerful Guardian that day. I was a scared man who was in the hands of the enemy.
Devakratha stepped back and snapped his fingers.
Four thugs stepped forward with Little Johnny, they had a huge roll of plastic with them which they began laying on the ground below me.
Devakratha shrugged and said “I like the carpet. Try not to get too much blood on it. ” and walked away. The casualness in his voice suggested that he had been doing this sort of thing for a long time. Thus began the longest and darkest night of my life.
Then the thugs began to rough me up. They dragged me from my chair and punched me in the gut repeatedly, which made me double up. Then blows rained on me from all directions. In my already near-dead state, it took only a few minutes of their ‘tender’ treatment before I was curled up on the ground in a ball trying to protect my vital organs. One of them was kicking me with a steel-toed boot, I felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth before I threw up. I had taken beatings before, but they normally stop once I stopped fighting back. This was just sadistic. After what seemed like an eternity I woke up in a puddle of my own puke trying to recall who and where I was through the mind-numbing pain. I could hear talking and laughing. I could feel hands grabbing me and depositing me on the chair.
Then one of them walked up to the table and took the vial of LSD and walked up to me. I struggled with all my strength. Unfortunately I had no more strength than in a newly born kitten. They held me with the greatest ease as the thug inserted a small needle and took a very small amount of the drug. Somehow that relieved me. It must have shown in my face because he smiled back evilly before saying
“Don’t you look happy? But this is just a first dose, just enough to get you high for a couple of hours and then we begin the cycle all over again” He injected me with the acid. I knew that when injected with LSD, one of two things will happen. If the mood of the person is good, then the experience is pleasant. But on the other hand, if the mood is different or fearful, tripping can be unpredictable and frightening. People have committed suicide or attacked others under its influence. This must have been a purer form, it took effect almost instantly. My head felt light and my chest felt strange. Then it started, colours started getting brighter, intensely brighter, like a whole room was bathed with light and dark at the same time. Colours swirled and mixed, recombining and splitting and forming different patters like a kaleidoscope.
Everything in the room was changing and nothing was in my control. I was helplessly left watching the change. The people in the room turned into cartoon characters, one was a bunny, another Kangaroo and one more a bulldog. He dog barked something.
“Hey, look, its bugs bunny. What’s up doc?” I said. I was hammered.
The room changed again and all the colours inverted, and suddenly I began seeing sounds and even hearing smells, some dim part of my brain knew that this was actually medically documented and called synesthesia. But I was too busy hearing smells. After this, things took a turn for the worse and the nightmares began. They were scary even beyond my imagining that left me trembling. The physical beating and mental suffering had begun. After a depressingly long time, the drug wore off.
After which the beatings started again, it was worse this time. Atleast the last time I could focus on the pain or something else. Now I was not grounded in reality, but in a state of confusion that made me feel the pain all the more. Everything was clouded, with Devakratha drifting in and out asking me if I was ready to open the pouch. I refused him. I could barely make out the outline of a man injecting the drug into me again and the cycle began anew.
At some point during the night I broke. My life was left meaningless without hope and I just could not take anymore. I opened the Sri Laya pouch. I only dimly remember the gloating face of Devakratha with his hands on the armour. After which I fell. Death had come and I was woefully unprepared for it.
Chapter 13: Radheya
Death was not like what I had expected. I was strangely inside a clearing in a dense closely packed jungle. The trees were tall, the smell was fresh and there was a light film of fog on the ground. Everything was green. It looked as if it was early dawn. The air was chilly and when I inhaled it, I coughed. I was so used to the polluted air of the city that had dust and exhaust fumes along with a million other substances that this clean air was alien to me. I checked myself and found that I didn’t have a single mark or bruise on me, the evidence of last night’s events were not upon me. I felt like a new man.
My lungs felt the chill and I wondered how that was possible when I was dead. I looked around and saw a path that went winding deeper into the forest. Seeing that there was no other place to go, I followed the trail into the deeper parts of the forest. The place was filled with so many noises that I was constantly turning this way and that. There was a wildness to this place that could not be captured, nature in its raw form. It was scary and frightening and funnily likeable. I went
deeper and deeper and just when I was thinking I had been foolish to take the trail, it ended abruptly into the most beautiful place I had ever seen.
Now this looked like heaven. It was straight out of a 3d desktop wallpaper. The jungle opened up into a beautiful valley between huge mountains that were dark and mysterious. There was a small river that flowed, curving like a snake between the mountains. There was a small rope bridge that connected the two mountains. A man was standing there.
Right off the bat I knew he was not just a man. Radiance emanated from him that warmed my body and took my pains away. He was clean shaven and had long hair that flowed freely on his shoulders. He was dressed differently, like a person from a different era. More than that, he held a bow. The bow was a simple one, but was around four feet long. He drew the bow and fired an arrow, the twang from the bow was like a boom that disappeared in to the upper ends of the sound spectrum. He drew another arrow and checked it and took his time before firing it into the gloom of the opposite mountain. Again the deafening boom was heard. I couldn’t see what he was shooting at. The arrow ripped the air. It was a blur. It travelled so fast that I was surprised that it didn’t break the sound barrier.
I approached him as he was drawing another arrow from his quiver. Just before he fired it he said, “You’re early”. The voice was low and confident and carried the mark of command. He spoke in Sanskrit.
I didn’t know how to reply to that so I replied, “Yeah, I just jumped a couple of signals and the traffic was less”.
There was a silence that was somehow chastening. He turned and we were face-to-face. He looked human and godlike at the same time. He was noble yet fallible. He held himself with the air of a king. And it came naturally to him. I almost knelt. He was tall, almost 6’6 and had a muscular lean built.
The Weapon of the Devas Page 10