THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (10 page)

Ugrasena ended his story. He sat motionless and it seemed to Kansa as if his father’s mind were somewhere else. Perhaps with his mother, who had died a couple of years back, leaving his father alone.

‘What happened to that baby? He asked finally. Ugrasena was silent.

‘Father! What happened to that baby?’ Kansa pressed Ugrasena, wanting to know the fate of the hapless child born out of a lustful father and a vengeful mother.

‘Did you kill the child?’ Kansa asked, fearing his father’s answer. Ugrasena’s face was frozen and he sat motionless.

Kansa shook his father’s shoulders to get him back to the present. ‘Did you too feel like murdering the child?’ he asked raising his voice. He couldn’t explain why he felt such anger welling up from deep inside him.

‘Did you?’ he shouted.

Ugrasena shook his bowed head. ‘No…no I didn’t feel like murdering the child,’ he whispered pleadingly.

Kansa knew his father was lying; lying for the first time in his life. But the lie didn’t concern him. Right then, he wanted to know something else of far greater significance.

‘Where is that child today? What did you do with him?’ He looked at Ugrasena, his eyes penetrating into the depths of his father’s soul.

Ugrasena looked up to meet his son’s gaze, and his eyes were full of unshed tears. ‘The child…he stands before me, my son!’ he said softly.

Kansa heard the words he couldn’t believe. And over the chaos caused by Ugrasena’s statement, he heard in his head, the sad and raucous laughter of the Dark Lord, followed by his whisper,
Welcome to the truth, Kalanemi!

arada was possibly the most travelled demi-god. He made frequent visits to all the three worlds, including the dreaded regions within Pataal Lok. It was on one of his recent journeys to the netherworld that he had heard something that had made his feet turn cold with fear. He rushed back to Swarglok to share his findings with Brahma, his father and mentor.

‘Are you sure your information is correct?’ Brahma asked pointedly. He was aware of Narada’s habit of exaggerating things.

‘Father, I got this information straight from Devayam. He is Shukra’s right-hand man!’ Narada said petulantly, a little upset that Brahma was not taking him seriously.

‘Hmm…that makes it different,’ Brahma said softly. Shukra was the spiritual master of the asuras and a formidable personality. Even the mightiest asuras and the devas (demi-gods) held him in awe. Even though he was a mentor to the asuras, his morals were known to be unimpeachable, and on several occasions he had sided with the devas against the asuras when it came to matters of principle.

‘Exactly what did Shukra’s man tell you?’ asked Brahma, with a great deal more interest than he had displayed a moment ago.

Narada’s face showed his relief as Brahma finally gave him some attention. ‘He told me that Shukra has been uncharacteristically worried since the past few weeks. And every time he has tried to ask him what is troubling him, Shukra has brushed his questions aside, deftly avoiding any direct answers.’

‘What could be bothering Shukra?’ Brahma said, more to himself than to Narada.

‘It seems there is a rumour that someone….some very powerful entity…is mobilizing all the asura forces. Every kind of asura…daityas, rakshasas, pisacas, danavas, bhutas, pretas, dasyus, kalakanjas, kalejas, khalins, nivata-kavacas, paulomas…all of them are being assembled under one banner in the form of the largest army ever seen!’ Narada’s voice trembled in fear as he narrated what he had heard.

‘That is impossible!’ Brahma roared. There is no asura left who wields the kind of power you are talking about. The only asuras who could have done this—Kalanemi, Ravana, Jalandhar—all of them are long dead.’

Narada nodded his head vigorously to show he did not disagree with the old man on this point. ‘You are right, Father, but there is no doubt that an army the size of which has never been seen or heard of before is indeed being mobilized in Pataal Lok. And…’ Narada’s voice trailed off as he debated whether to share more with his father.

Brahma’s eyes narrowed in impatience. ‘And? And what?’ he barked.

‘Uh…nothing,’ Narada stuttered, mentally kicking himself for having said more than he had wanted to. ‘Speak up!’ Brahma said impatiently. ‘What is it?’

Narada sighed. He wasn’t sure if what he had heard was true, and Brahma would have his scalp if he were wrong. But he couldn’t keep the information away from him now that he had said as much.

‘I picked up something else when I was roaming in the netherworld. It may not be anything important, but Devayam also mentioned that he had heard some senior members of the asura council saying that very soon they would be introduced to the potent power of Brahman…by being initiated into the powerful codes of Bal and Atibal…’ Narada’s voice trailed off as he looked at Brahma with concern.

‘Father what is it? What’s wrong?’

Brahma looked stricken, as though he had seen some terrible vision.

‘That…is not possible,’ he whispered, his expression resembling the face of a man who has seen or heard something impossible. ‘It cannot be. Even Shukra doesn’t wield the power of Brahman. It is known only to the Saptarishis….and…’

‘And to you, and the Lords Shiva and Vishnu,’ Narada automatically completed Brahma’s sentence, echoing his father’s thoughts. He looked questioningly at the man he feared and respected more than he loved. Brahma seemed to have become aware of Narada’s searching gaze and made a herculean effort to calm his frayed nerves.

‘Leave me alone, my son,’ he said quietly. ‘I need to meditate for a bit.’

Narada stared at his father with a feeling of growing unease. Brahma was definitely hiding something, but Narada was hesitant to question him. The last time he had gone against Brahma’s wishes, he had been banished from Swarglok and had had to spend several years in Mrityulok as a mortal. He did not want to risk deportation, yet again. He bowed low and turning around, left the room.

Brahma looked at the retreating figure of his son, not really seeing him. His mind was fixed somewhere else—at a point in time more than two hundred years ago.

The six boys were laughing at him, none of them even in their teens yet. And still they dared to mock him. Brahma’s face contorted in anger. He looked around to see if their father was around to castigate them for their behaviour, but remembered that he was away for an extended period of meditation in some faraway land. It was then that Bahma noticed the boys’ eldest brother standing at a distance. He was a handsome young man, wise beyond his years and Brahma’s favourite pupil; the only person in the universe whom Brahma himself had initiated into the secrets of Bal and Atibal, the two codes key to using the potent force of Brahman. He had thought a hundred times before sharing the secrets of Brahman with the young man, but even Shiva and Vishnu had seemed to agree that the youth deserved the knowledge. Now he was the only one apart from the Saptrishis (the seven sages) and the Trinity (Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma), who knew how to control the universal force of Brahman. And yet he stood looking at his brothers making fun of his guru and did nothing! Nothing at all! Brahma’s fury was terrible to behold as he glared at the young man. His curse was quick and the youth paled as he heard Brahma mutter the shocking punishment that would banish him forever from the place he had always thought of as home. He did not know what struck him till the Brahmashira hit him with the power of a hundred thunderbolts, hurling him down…and down…to the swirling depths of what was the lowest and seventh level within Pataal Lok. Brahma regretted what he had done in the instant that he pronounced his curse and let loose his most powerful weapon upon his dearest student. But it was too late. A few shreds of burnt flesh lying on the ground were the only evidence that the youth had once existed.

‘It can’t be you!’ Brahma whispered, his face still reflecting the agony of having done what he had done that day.

It is I
, mocked a raucous voice, erupting suddenly in the middle of Brahma’s head. While the harsh voice was almost indistinguishable from the soft and mellifluous tone of his former student, Brahma recognized it in an instant. It took him another second to realize that the voice was coming from inside his head. Someone was using cosmic telepathy with him. Someone who knew how to wield the universal powers of Brahman, along with all the associated abilities that came from the knowledge of Bal and Atibal, including cosmic telepathy.

‘It…it is impossible!’ he shuddered. ‘You were…’ Brahma couldn’t complete his sentence.

Dead?
hissed the voice in anger.
Yes, you almost killed me. But I survived. Not as I was earlier…before you cursed me and damned my soul for eternity into the netherworld; I changed…I had to change. You saw to that! But I’m stronger today, Gurudev…stronger than I ever was
.

Brahma controlled his tears as he heard the voice of the student he had loved the most once upon a time; more perhaps than his own sons. It filled him with happiness that the youth had survived. He had berated himself every day for the past two hundred years over what he had allowed his temper to do to the boy; believing all these years that he had killed him. It was a miracle that the boy had survived.

‘I am happy that you are alive, vats’ he said softly, using the traditional term elders employed for people younger to them.

No you are not
! the voice was agitated now, reflecting the mental state of the person.
You are trying to manipulate me like you did in the past; and when I am off my guard you will try and destroy me again, finishing what you started two centuries back. But this time, I am not going to be caught so easily, Gurudev. This time I will be ready, and it will be I who shall strike. The only difference is I will tell you before I do
.

Brahma knew his former student was making a point; that Brahma had caught him off guard when he had unleashed the Brahmashira upon him. The former shishya was telling Brahma that when he would strike he would let his guru know that he was striking. The teacher in him was outraged at the disrespect shown to him. But the compassionate part within him knew that he had been unfair to the boy and it made him more tolerant.