Rajiv Menon -- ThunderGod (23 page)

When he awoke, he found himself suspended in space, among the stars. He looked around and saw his companions naked as the day they were born. Soma was there, his ear intact, his face as beautiful and radiant as ever. They all seemed to be staring upwards in a deep state of trance. Indra looked at his own body, astounded. His wounds, even old scars, had all disappeared. It was as if he had been reborn.

He tried to sit up and found he could do so easily. It was then that he noticed that they were all slowly circling a giant pillar of light, brighter than a thousand suns. As he looked up and down, it did not seem to have a beginning or an end. For all its brightness, it seemed to give off only a warm, comforting glow that made their bodies shine like gold.

Then from the pillar, right before his eyes, creatures began to emerge, human in shape, but with no physical form. They seemed to be made up entirely of light. As one of them approached Indra, he noticed the face; it wore a gentle, benevolent expression. Within its body, Indra could see tubes of light in multiple hues crisscross through it like veins and arteries. As he gazed into the creature's deep, dark eyes, he felt all his fears and misgivings disappear. A great sense of calm engulfed Indra and he surrendered to it.

The creature reached out its hand towards him and touched him in the centre of his forehead, between his eyes, with its index finger. Indra felt an incredible surge of energy through his body, he heard himself cry out like a newborn child, and then there was nothing.

***

Mitra shivered as a cold draught of wind hit him, almost putting out the campfire. There was a dull ache in his head, something he had not experienced in years. It was their third night in the vast southern plains. Mitra had spent the last couple of them awake, casting his awareness out into the vast openness. He'd tried to pick up traces of the auras of his boys, but had found none. The exercise had weakened his body and mind considerably, which explained the headache.

Mitra knew the only remedy was rest and meditation, but he had time for neither. The situation had started to worry him. Where could they have disappeared? He had stayed close to the river, as he knew Indra would have done the same. But had Indra been in a position to make that choice? It baffled Mitra, how they had just disappeared. He decided to relax and make another attempt before dawn. It would make the coming day very hard on his body, but he did not care.

Paras woke up at daybreak to the sound of laughter. He was amazed to see the sage chuckling away to himself. Looking out into the rising sun, Mitra said, 'I have found them.'

***

Indra opened his eyes and found himself beside a pool of water. The walls of the cavern he was in were covered with a green glow. He looked around and saw that the others were awake. Like him, they had no idea how they had got there. The only way out was a dark tunnel behind them. They gathered their weapons and torches and made their way out.

The Falcons walked in silence, unable to find the words for what they had all experienced. Of one thing they were sure: it had not been a dream. Indra could sense a certain vibration in the pit of his stomach, a low rumble that he could feel but not hear. Suddenly Soma's voice broke the abnormally long silence.

'Can you'll feel that thing in your stomach?'

One by one all of them admitted to it. Any further discussion on the matter was curtailed as Indra, who was leading the way, spotted daylight ahead. With a huge sigh of relief they increased their pace.

They stepped out of the cave and stood in the light of the early morning sun that was breaking through the thick fog around them. In unison, they looked up to the heavens. They felt the vibration become stronger. Then it started to move upwards through their body. Through the abdomen, chest and throat, into their heads. They felt it burst out through the top of their heads like a volcano. The fog began to lift and bright sunshine hit the floor of the valley for the first time. Their horses saw them and whinnied with joy. On the floor of the valley, bright little flowers started to bloom, their faces turned towards the sun. Butterflies appeared, and bees and dragonflies. It was as if the forest had started to come alive again.

As they made their way through the forest, they suddenly saw a dark cloud in the sky; it seemed to descend towards them at great speed. As it neared them, they realised what it was. Thousands of birds were returning to roost in the Forest of Cedars. Soon the canopy was filled with birdsong.

They camped that night in the forest and by mid-day found themselves on the eastern border of Aryavarta. There they found Mitra and Paras waiting for them. The two had ridden day and night to rendezvous with them. The reunion with their teacher was a warm and joyous one for the Falcons.

As Paras brought them up-to-date with the situation in Aryavarta, the sage studied his boys, amazed to see the change in them, particularly Indra. There was a calm and self-assured way about him now. The boy he had left behind a couple of months ago was now a man.

Indra listened to everything they had to say, and then laid down his future course of action.

8

Paras rode ahead and arrived at the settlement well before noon. It was the day of the weekly market and the square outside the Sabha bustled with activity. Paras stood on the steps of the hall and called out in a loud, clear voice.

'Citizens of Aryavarta, I bring to you a message from Indra, son of Daeyus. He is on his way to claim his birthright, the throne of Aryavarta. Any citizen who has an objection will be given a chance to state his case today. Let the Sabha be convened.'

Paras was pleased to note the great cheer and enthusiasm with which his words were received. The months of absence had in no way diminished Indra's popularity among the common folk. He slipped away in the ensuing confusion and awaited the arrival of his new king.

As he rode towards the Sabha, Indra was delighted to see the citizens of Aryavarta gathered in the streets to greet him and follow him to the hall. The members of the Sabha had assembled outside in full strength, eagerly awaiting his arrival. Mitra was pleased to note that the regent was genuinely happy to see the prince safe and well.

As he alighted at the steps of the hall, Indra heard a sharp voice cry out, 'Seize him! He is a murderer and an outlaw.'

He turned to see Pusan and his Lion Dal, armed to the teeth, make their way towards him. Atreya was conspicuous by his absence. The Falcons drew their swords and formed a protective circle around their leader.

Vasu was quick to spot the imminent danger and he called out in his authoritarian voice, 'Stand down, Pusan. Prince Indra has to be given a chance to prove his innocence. I order you'll to surrender your weapons and submit to the authority of this Sabha.'

At a quick nod from Indra, the Falcons relinquished their weapons. A furious Pusan and his cohorts did the same.

Though Vasu was happy to give Indra the floor of the house to present his defence, he was sceptical as to how successful the young man would be. His companions were co-accused, so their statements would not be admissible.

Indra stood in the well of the house and the members leaned in, eager to hear what he had to say.

'My dear citizens, I, Indra, son of Daeyus, stand before you accused of murder. I have only this to say in my defence: the man I killed insulted the memory of my dead father. I only did my duty as a son to restore his honour.'

Pusan stood up.

'Bold words, but worthless, without any proof. You and your companions were found near Nira's Tavern. Fearing arrest, you killed one of the guards while he tried to discharge his duty. The other guards can substantiate this charge. Do you and the co-accused have anybody who can speak for you?'

Indra bowed respectfully to Pusan.

'Yes, I have a witness who will corroborate my statement. He was present when the event occurred and he does not stand accused. I call on Atreya of the Lion Dal.'

There was a gasp around the hall at this totally unexpected turn of events. Pusan watched in shock as Atreya, dressed as a common citizen, took the floor. The brave young Lion looked straight at a livid Pusan as he gave his statement as to the events that occurred that fateful morning. Atreya's testimony was enough to convince the members of Indra's innocence. Vasu wasted no time in delivering the verdict: 'Not guilty!'

The news was greeted with roars of approval outside where the entire populace of the settlement, citizens and slaves, had gathered in the square, anxious to hear what the verdict of the Sabha would be.

Indra now stood up to address the Sabha.

'My lord regent and members of the Sabha, I, Indra, son of Daeyus, am here to claim my birthright to lead the Devas as their rightful king. If anybody has just cause to object, let them do so now.'

He looked towards Pusan with a smile. A furious Pusan faced Indra squarely as he spoke. 'I, Pusan, son of Vasu and Madri, challenge your right to lead our tribe. We who carry the bloodline of the Arya Kasyapa cannot allow ourselves to be ruled by the illegitimate son of a demon.'

A hush fell on the audience; to question the legitimacy of a man of noble birth was an insult that could only be avenged with blood. All eyes were on Indra as they awaited his next move.

Indra pretended to be shocked at Pusan's statement. 'My lord! I am dismayed by your allegation. You leave me no choice but to challenge you . . .'

Pusan could not hide his smugness; he did not even wait for Indra to finish. He thought he had him exactly where he wanted him. After all, he was older, stronger and definitely more experienced in the art of combat.

'I accept. Choose your weapon and the time. I will teach you a lesson you will not forget.'

Mitra watched Indra carefully; although his ward's face did not betray his emotions, he caught a triumphant glint in those blue eyes. Suddenly he was not sure who had trapped whom into this duel.

Indra bowed slightly to Pusan. 'With your permission, I was hoping we could settle this the old-fashioned way.'

Vasu noted how he paused for dramatic effect. Indra had grown up in the short time that he'd been away. He already carried himself like a king. Everyone in the Sabha leaned in, eager to hear what Indra would say next. His words were spoken loud and clear:

'I challenge you to a Dvanda.'

A hush greeted these words, followed by cries of protest from those who fully grasped its meaning. Vasu and a few of the older soldiers were out of their seats as they made their disapproval very clear. Pusan's smile faded a little. He suddenly found himself questioning Indra's sanity. Pusan knew what a Dvanda was; to agree to it against a mad man would be suicidal.

Mitra was dismayed at Indra's announcement. He could not fathom the reasoning behind his decision. The Dvanda was an ancient, barbaric way the northern tribes had used to settle disputes. It was a knife fight to the death. One hand of an adversary would be tied to the hand of his opponent with a rope made of horsehair. The length of rope between them would be exactly three feet. They were then given short daggers of identical shape and size. The rules were simple: the two men would hack and stab at each other till only one of them was left standing.

One of the primary reasons the Dvanda had been banned was because more often than not it descended into a bloody scrap from which neither opponent walked away alive. It was cruel and barbaric, even by the Devas' standards. Vasu called for silence, but in vain. Finally he shouted over the din. 'The Sabha will not allow a Dvanda to take place. It requests Prince Indra to reconsider his challenge.'

Indra bowed to the regent.

'I beg your pardon, my lord, but the laws clearly state that a Dvanda can be used to decide the right to kingship. Provided both the opponents are in agreement. Unless I'm mistaken, this is a duel that will decide who will eventually lead our tribe. So unless Pusan has an objection, the Sabha cannot interfere.'

A helpless Vasu tried a softer approach.

'My boy, I promised your brave father that I would look after you. Allow me to honour my raja's last wishes. You are like a son to me. Please! Desist from this madness.'

'You loved my father, my lord. Surely you understand my need to avenge an insult to his memory. If I'm like your son, do not fear, at the end of this duel, you will still have one son you can be proud of.'

Pusan watched Indra closely; there was something different about him. And these were not the words of a mad man, but of someone with supreme confidence in his own ability. Pusan quickly dispensed the thought from his mind. He was at least half a head taller than his opponent, with a significantly longer reach. This was going to be easy.

'I have no objection, let's get this over with,' he said.

Indra bowed, first to Vasu and the other members and then to Pusan.