The Secret of the Chalisa (10 page)

The second verse talks about Vibhishan, and how he became the ruler of Lanka after the death of Ravana. It was with his help that Ram was able to kill Ravana who was Vibhishan's brother. But important point to highlight here is that in his previous birth Vibhishan was a prince named Satyavrat who always spoke the truth and walked the path of
dharma
. Surpanakha in her previous birth was the daughter of the guru of Satyavrat and wanted to marry Satyavrat. However he refused saying that a guru’s daughter is like a sister to him. This raged her so much that she falsely claimed despoilment against Satyavrat, which led to death sentence. Before his death he cried to God. When the Lord appeared, He gave him the boon of being born as Vibhishan and a devotee of Lord Ram, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Dr Satyavrat, who is currently residing in Sri Lanka, may be a valuable asset for us. I just have this gut feeling that he has more than just an ingredient of the drug. If he was a sincere student of Ma he must be in possession of some other information as well,” pondered Pawan.

Just then Sanjeev’s mobile phone rang which startled the others. It was an ISD number. Sanjeev answered the call with a usual ‘Hello'.

“Hello, this is Dr Satyavrat. I just received your voice message. Sorry, I was busy in a conference so couldn’t reply,” he said.

“Yes Sir, I’m Sanjeev, Dr Anjana's student. I believe Madam asked you for some
ingredients, Shankh Bhasm to be particular. Can I have them?” Sanjeev asked.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Someone called me from the department last week and asked me to courier it. Shankh Bhasm and antimony extracts were asked, so I sent them. I sent the courier in the name of Dr Kamalbali. He said he’s looking after the department and ongoing researches.”

Sanjeev and others were horrified at this unexpected development. There was a strange pause in the call.

“But are you Dr Sanjeev who was doing the research on jasmine extracts?” he asked.

Somehow Sanjeev muttered a ‘Yes' and explained him the situation of the department in short after the death of Dr. Anjana.

“Oh My God, I committed a blunder. But there’s something more important I want to tell you. Madam has left with me some rare relics which she asked me to hand it over to you. I wasn’t aware of her untimely death until one of your junior told me. I need to hurry now, I’ll take the next flight and reach as soon as possible,” Satyavrat replied and disconnected the call.

Yug sahastra jojan par Bhanu
Leelyo tahi mhur phal janu

On your own you dashed upon the Sun, which is at a fabulous distance of thousands of miles, thinking it to be a sweet luscious fruit.

Prabhu mudrika meli mukh mahee
Jaladhi langhi gaye achraj nahee

Carrying the Lord's Signet Ring in your mouth, there is hardly any wonder that you easily leapt across the ocean.

The three of them were waiting at the airport next morning to receive Dr Satyavrat and being cautious that this information was not leaked to anyone. Bhumija had taken leave from her hospital and was fully dedicating herself to this mysterious hunt.

“I wonder how much we should let him in our secret related to the relics and Chalisa,” questioned Bhumija.

Sanjeev stood there with a placard of Satyavrat’s name. “I agree, telling department related stuff is OK, but can we let him into our sanjeevani buti secret?” said Sanjeev.

“Let’s see what he has to offer us. He said he had something very important, what could be more important than the ingredient which he sent to the wrong person. We need to wait and watch,” suggested Pawan.

It was almost noon when they received Satyavrat and reached Pawan’s house.

“You can change and take some rest, the guest room is on the right,” Pawan said.

“Oh no, there’s no time to rest. I’m still feeling guilty for the blunder I made. I ordered some more Shankh Bhasm and antimony extract of a better variety and got it for you. But that’s not the point, I’ve got something madam especially ordered me to deliver it to you, Sanjeev,” he said as he opened his suitcase and took out a cardboard box. Within it was a sculpture covered with paper and bubble wrap. He cautiously removed the cover to display a beautifully carved statue of Lakshman. It was dressed in saffron colored clothes and held a bow on his shoulder. On his back was a quiver of arrows. The statue was serene and portrayed a calm look on its face. It was almost the same size as the statue of goddess Sita and likewise had an indentation in its feet.

“Oh you had this too?” Bhumija cried out in surprise. While Satyavrat was confused at her remark, Pawan and Sanjeev exchanged puzzled glances.

“How did you get this?’ asked Bhumija.

Madam had sent a courier to me sometime back with a note that I should hand it over to Sanjeev when the time comes,” answered Satyavrat.

“I think it’s time to let you in to the secret,” Pawan said and explained him the story so far. Meanwhile Bhumija brought out the wooden box from inside and placed the other statue over it in the same manner. “I think it will go on the leftmost side,” said Pawan. The statue again fitted like a thud, and was locked into its place. Satyavrat was befuddled to see all this.

“I’m not sure if I should be surprised at this or not, but there’s one more thing I have to give you.” This time he took out a red velvet square box of the size of one’s palm. He opened it to reveal the most beautiful looking ring studded with a bright red gemstone. It glistened as light fell on it.

“This is
Padparadscha
Sapphire, found specifically in Sri Lanka. It is a very rare stone and is known for its peculiar pink yellow shade which resembles salmon. The term Padparadscha means lotus bloom and the stone is as beautiful as that. If you see this ring in sunlight you will see ‘Ram’ embossed on it. Probably it was made like this on special order by Madam. The order was placed by her at a much known jeweler; she had asked me to collect and sent it to you. But this is such a precious thing that I thought I should personally give it to you,” explained Satyavrat.

The ring took everyone in a state of awe. While they were busy gazing at it, Satyavrat took the booklet and started reading further.

“Can anyone explain me the meaning of these verses?” he asked. “Yug sahastra jojan par Bhanu.”

“It denotes the distance between the sun and the earth,” said Pawan.

“Are you kidding me? Who would calculate that distance in those times,” Satyavrat argued.

“Someone who has actually been there, and that is none other than Hanuman,” Pawan replied confidently. “You don’t believe me, right?” said Pawan seeing the bewildered look on Satyavrat’s face. “Why don’t you check your Wikipedia?”

Satyavrat couldn’t believe what he just heard, but just to find out the sanctity of the verse, he googled. He was equally amazed to find the answer so correctly explained that he read aloud, “juga means the sum of Four Yugas (1 complete Mahayuga) with unit in divine years.

Satiyuga= 4800 divine years;

Tretayuga=3600 divine years;

Dwaparyuga=2400 divine years;

Kaliyuga=1200 divine years;

So 1juga= 12000 divine years;

Now next is sahastra which is a common Sanskrit word meaning "1000"

Next is jojan also known as Yojan that equals to 8 miles

Let’s calculate distance of sun from earth

Juga X Sahastra X jojan (in miles) = 12000X1000X8= 960,00000 miles

Now 1 mile= 1.6km

So 960,00000 miles= 960,00000X1.6 km = 1536,00000km.

Today estimated distance is approximately 15,0000000 km which is close to above.”

“Was it such a close estimate?” Sanjeev inquired.

“Yes it is, the proof is right in front of you,” said Pawan.

“What does the remaining verse means,” asked Satyavrat.

“It’s a story of Hanuman’s childhood. As a child he loved eating mangoes. One day when he gazed outside the window he saw the image of sun peeping through the leaves on a tree. He mistook it as a giant fruit and started flying towards it in order to eat it. However, little did he know that it was the sun and couldn’t be eaten by him. With his strong willpower he reached in space and ate the sun. When Indra heard about it he hit Hanuman with his Vajra which broke the chin. Sun was rescued and Hanuman was free from his ignorance. This story explains how the mind of a child is, free from any impediment with a strong willpower to achieve anything as big as the sun. However, it should be free from arrogance and pride which is signified by the broken chin,” Pawan explained. “The next verse is also very informative. When Hanuman had to go to Lanka in search of Goddess Sita, he took with him Lord Ram's ring in his mouth as a token of identification. He then did the most difficult task of crossing the ocean and reaching Lanka. Keeping the ring in the mouth actually means chanting the name of Ram. With faith in His name, one can overcome the most difficult task and attain true intelligence. This pure intelligence, personified as Sita, helps an individual to blend into the soul, personified by Ram.”

“I’ve never heard something as divine as this,” exclaimed Satyavrat.

“I know I’m being kiddish, but the literal meaning of the verse is to put the ring in the mouth,” said Bhumija. “Shouldn’t we try putting this ring in the mouth too?”

Everyone burst out into laughter, something which was missing since a few days. “You’re funny Bhumija,” said Pawan.

“But there’s no harm in trying,” supported Sanjeev. “In fact the ring has ‘Ram’ written on it, so it won’t be wrong in placing it in one’s mouth.”

With this Bhumija took the ring and placed it in her mouth. The moment she placed it in, there was a strange sensation. She felt a strange taste, a mix of sweet and sour blending in her mouth. There was a feeling of crackling as if numerous small fireworks were bursting in her mouth. Then there was a choking sensation as if something was blocking her windpipe and as a reflex she spitted out the contents. Sanjeev was startled at her response and was patting her back to relieve the choking.

“It seemed that the ring melted in my mouth,” she said regaining her breath. Sanjeev hastily ran for a glass of water for her. While they were busy resuscitating her, Satyavrat observed something and said pointing to the floor, “The ring actually melted. The stone has come out of the ring and strangely the word ‘Ram' has disappeared from it.”

Durgaam kaj jagat ke jete Sugam anugraha tumhre tete

The burden of all difficult tasks of the world become light with your kind grace.

Ram dware tum rakhvare, Hoat na agya binu paisare

You are the sentry at the door of Shri Ram's Divine Abode. No one can enter it without your permission
.

“I can’t believe my eyes. All this is so strange yet true,” remarked Satyavrat. “I suppose you should keep the stone safely with you Sanjeev,” he said handing the velvet box to Sanjeev. “Have you got all the material needed or do you still need to procure some?”

“The rightful owner of the stone is Pawan Sir. He can keep it safely in his home. We have all the needed stuff; however titration of the ingredients in their exact doses is remaining. I can’t even use the lab now as it is not safe to work there,” replied Sanjeev.

“So you have the amount and volume required for medicinal properties?”asked Satyavrat.

“No.”

“What about the duration and the medium required for heating them, do you have that? Type of vessel required mixing the materials, storage conditions, dilution volume, study subjects, have you worked out all the details?”

“No, I don’t have any answer for that. The medicine needs to be prepared in earthen vessels which are there in lab. Rest I’ve not figured out how I’ll do,” Sanjeev said sincerely.

“Ok, we’ll find out some solution. I think if Madam had collected the materials she would have worked out the composition and method also. Maybe she has left some trace of it somewhere,” asked Satyavrat.

“There’s a personal lab of Bua in the house, we can check that,” suggested Bhumija.

Sanjeev, Satyavrat followed Bhumija to the back of the house where the lab was. The lab was a small space occupied neatly by wooden cupboards, workstation and glassware in cabinets. They searched the drawers, cabinets and cupboards but couldn’t find anything. Neither there was earthenware nor any document for drug formulation.

“I have to go to the department to get earthenware pots. But I want to go only after Kamalbali has left the department,” said Sanjeev.

“How will you go after college closes?” asked Satyavrat.

“I have a spare key, I’ll sneak in somehow.”

It was almost evening by the time they discussed about the drug, and the college was about to close. Sanjeev went to the college alone and slowly swept into the department without coming in anyone’s notice. He looked here and there and then slowly took out the key to open the lock. As he inserted the key in, he felt a hand touching his shoulders. He froze in fear of being caught in his theft. As he turned he saw the gatekeeper.

“Chaubeyji,” he exclaimed.

“Sanjeev babu? I never thought you would become a thief one day,” said Chaubey ji.

“I have always worked late hours in the lab, it’s nothing new, you know it too,” Sanjeev defended himself.

“But I know your work is over now. After Madam expired I don’t trust anyone, so I don’t allow anyone in the lab after college hours. I’ll take you to the principal,” he said trying to drag Sanjeev away.

“Please listen to me once,” Sanjeev said pulling him from his grasp. “I’m doing this for Madam. If I don’t do it on time her nephew will die. It’s her unfinished work which I’m doing,” Sanjeev explained.

The mention of Anjana's name changed Chaubey ji's demeanor. He softened a bit and said, “What do you want?”

“I just want some earthenware pots,” answered Sanjeev.

Chaubey ji opened the door and came inside with Sanjeev cautiously locking the door behind him. Sanjeev took some pots and placed it in his backpack. While he was leaving, Chaubey ji stopped him.

“Wait,” he said. “I have some more important thing. Madam gave me before her death, and said give to the one who came looking for something in the lab. I have a strange feeling that she meant you.”

Sanjeev stood there in amazement and in anticipation that something valuable may come up. He saw Chaubey ji going to one of the corners where a wooden cupboard was kept. Probably he used it for his paraphernalia as it had a personal lock. He took out a brown envelope which encased something of indefinable shape. He handed it to Sanjeev and said, “Be careful, it’s fragile.”

Sanjeev opened the envelope and from it emerged a beautiful statue of Lord Hanuman. The statue was in a kneeling posture with his palms joined together in reverence. His meticulously carved long tail was twisted in the shape of ‘S’. His face was tranquil, peaceful and compassionate. A faint smile was intricately carved on its puffed face which left no doubt that he was the greatest devotee of Lord Ram. The feet had a peculiar indentation just like the other statues.