THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (61 page)

Vishnu waited patiently for Shiva to arrive. The Mahadev had already communicated with him telepathically and Vishnu knew what he wanted him to do. It annoyed him that Brahma was accompanying Shiva. Vishnu had been voluble in his castigation of Brahma after what he had done to Amartya Kalyanesu. He had taken care to avoid Brahma all these years, not being sure how he would react if he saw him.

Vishnu had also understood from Shiva what was happening in Mrityulok, and the reason for Bhoomi Devi’s arrival.
All of this is because of Brahma
, he fumed silently, his anger at Brahma’s banishment of Amartya rising afresh. He was tempted to punish Brahma for his misdeed. Realizing he was dissipating his vital force by indulging his anger, he forced himself to be calm and concentrated on the universal energy of Brahman flowing through his Sahasrara Chakra.

A deed done in anger cannot be rectified by another act of rage
, he reflected as he finally began the process of forgiving Brahma for what he had done two hundred years ago.

Shiva sat facing Vishnu, with Brahma and Bhoomi Devi on either side of him. He smiled as he realized Vishnu had finally forgiven Brahma.
None too soon either
, he smiled inwardly as he realized what would have happened to Brahma if Vishnu had not tempered his anger before they arrived.

‘Have you brought what the Mahadev asked you to?’ Vishnu’s question was directed at Brahma. He hurriedly took out the packet Narada had given him. ‘Yes, My Lord. Narada got it for me.’

Vishnu looked closely at the packet. ‘How long back were these samples taken?’ he asked Brahma, his eyebrows raised.

‘Two days ago, My Lord,’ Brahma stuttered, concerned that he had unwittingly made some grave error.

‘Perefct!’ Vishnu smiled, as he got up to leave.

‘My Lord,’ Bhoomi Devi cried out, worried that the meeting with Vishnu was already over. ‘I wanted to share my concerns with you.’

‘I am aware of the problem that is bothering you,’ Vishnu smiled gallantly at her. ‘I was on my way to get you the solution to that very problem.’

Bhoomi Devi stared in confusion at Vishnu’s departing figure.

Vishnu sat in the pratiroop kaksh (cloning room), surrounded by all manner of lab equipment. He looked intently at the samples of hair Narada had brought from Mrityulok. He examined the bulbs. They were in perfect condition. The nuclear DNA could be easily extracted from the root, while the hair strand carried sufficient quantity of the mitochondrial DNA. Put together, he would be able to isolate all the vital properties from both Vasudev and Devki’s DNA.

But that won’t be enough
, he smiled, as he plucked out one strand of his own hair and kept it under the scanner.

He debated which of his genes he should extract from his own DNA sample. The last seven times he had cloned himself, it had been easy. He had simply separated the few characteristics that were required and recombined them to form a partial clone. But this time was different. The situation in the mortal world was so dire that a partial clone would not help. The clone would need to have all his representative genes.

He tapped the table unconsciously as he debated whether he could afford to do that. Having two Vishnus could upset the world order. Then he smiled as he realized the fallacy of his thinking. The clone would have all his representative genes but would also carry within him the mortal genes of Vasudev and Devki. He would, however, be his only mortal poorna avatar (complete clone).

Working at a rapid pace, Vishnu combined the genes from Vasudev and Devki’s DNA with the entire range of his own genes. Then he began the process of immunizing it, so that it could last through the journey back to Mrityulok. Within a few minutes, the cloning capsule was ready and immunized. He put the capsule into a bottle and wondered what name he should give to this avatar.
Everyone will be attracted to him
, Vishnu thought. Since he carried the essence of Vishnu, people would find happiness merely by being in his presence. He would be the essence of attractiveness (Krish) and bliss (Na). Vishnu wrote the name ‘Krishna’ on the bottle.

As he got up to leave, another thought struck him. The last time he had created a partial clone of himself, he had called him Ram. Ram’s younger brother had been named Lakshman and had carried the genetic code of Vishnu’s closest friend, Sheshnaag. Vishnu recalled Sheshnaag joking that at some time, he hoped one of his clones could have the comfort of being older than Vishnu’s clone.

Vishnu laughed to himself as he thought.
Krishna will require a brother who can keep him company on his mission
. Without a moment’s hesitation, he went to one of the bottles resting on his lab shelf. He found the one he was looking for. It contained the genetic code of Sheshnaag. He emptied the contents of the bottle and mixed it with the remaining genes of Devki and Vasudev. The process of immunizing the resultant genes was done equally quickly and he put the freshly made cloning capsule into another bottle. He wondered what name to give Sheshnaag’s latest clone. It would have to be something that encompassed all of his friend’s qualities—someone who was a powerful force in whoever’s life he touched, and would value truth, justice and discipline above everything else. The name came to him as all of Sheshnaag’s traits breezed across his mind. He etched on the second bottle the one name that represented all these qualities—‘Balarama’.

Shiva was standing at the edge of the island called Svetadvipa, when he saw Vishnu approaching, followed by Brahma and Bhoomi Devi. Vishnu had a huge grin on his face and Shiva’s own countenance broke into a broad smile as he read Vishnu’s mind.

‘It is done!’ Vishnu said softly, his face growing serious.

He handed the bottle containing Balarama’s clone capsule to Bhoomi Devi. ‘Take this to Vasudev’s first wife, Rohini. She needs to take this capsule orally. It will find its own way into her womb and she will give birth to a warrior who will train other formidable warriors.’

Bhoomi Devi was confused. ‘Why not give it to Devki?’ she asked.

‘Because Kansa will not allow the child to live. These two children have to be reared away from Madhuvan for the initial few years,’ Vishnu answered quietly.

Bhoomi Devi nodded her understanding.

The mountains were silent and the water surrounding the island of Svetadvipa halted its constant flow, as Vishnu held the other bottle in his hand. ‘Take this one to Vasudev’s brother, Nand. His wife Yashoda has not had a child yet.’

The keeper of the earth accepted the bottle though her face still registered her doubts. ‘But what about the one who will save Mrityulok from all the carnage that is taking place today?’

Vishnu replied quietly. ‘Ask Yashoda to swallow the capsule tonight. The saviour will be born to her at midnight, nine months from tomorrow. He will be the foremost warrior in all the three worlds!’

Bhoomi Devi looked in awe at the bottle she held in her hand. ‘What…what will his name be?’ she asked, her voice quivering in anticipation.

The name of the warrior was murmured softly by the lord of Svetadvipa, and it was taken up by all the people present, till the hushed whisperings reached a crescendo and one name echoed throughout the land—Krishna! Krishna! Krishna!

Acknowledgements

There is not enough space here to thank all the people I would like to. However, I would still like to acknowledge a few people without whom this book and the Krishna Trilogy would not have been possible.

Komal, my wife: If you had not listened patiently to all my ideas, they would never have been translated into a story that had me in an obsessive writing fit all through the months it took to complete the first volume.

The twin orbs of my eyes, Bhoomi and Arya: If you had not allowed your mother and me to discuss the plot and its twists and turns at the dining table, the story would as yet be unborn.

My parents: You pushed me to move away from non-fiction and write a story that could excite lovers of mythology and take them 5,500 years back in time.

My publisher, Kapish Mehra, who was excited about the idea from the word go and was a pillar of strength through the arduous process of taking this book from my study to the readers.

The entire team at Rupa Publications, who patiently listened to my suggestions and extended themselves beyond what any publishing team can possibly do.

To all those people across the country who helped me, over a period of nine long years, to research one of the most complex characters in our culture—Krishna.

To all those people who have picked up this book to commence a journey I myself started almost a decade ago.

And mostly to that conqueror of souls; the master of masters; the mortal whom the world turned into the god of gods—Krishna! Thank you for guiding my pen to tell your story in a way it has never been told before.