Dasharajna - The Battle of Ten Kings (Harappa Book 3) PDF

Harappa3

Dasharajna: The Battle of ten kings

Shankar N Kashyap

Published by: Indus Publishing Group #88, Jeerige Building, 11 th Cross, Malleshwaram Bengaluru 560 003 India ISBN: 978-81-93171-4-1-7

Preface The seventh book of the Rigveda describes a battle on the banks of the River Parushni, which is now called Ravi. It also refers to another on the banks of the Yamuna. It is a war between Sudas, the sixteenth descendant of King Bharata and a a confederacy of ten kings led by Abhyavartin Cyamana on the other. This has been portrayed as a battle between right and wrong. A terrible tussle between the flesh and the spirit. . King Sudas is the son of Pijavana and the grandson of King Divodasa. King Divodasa expanded his kingdom centered on the mighty river Sarasvati toward the end of fourth millennium BCE. He wages a bitter war against the Dasyu king Sambara and destroys 99 towns in the kingdom of Ujjala with the help of God Indra. Sudas inherits this kingdom and he further expands his kingdom in the east, west and north under the guidance of the sages Vishwamitra and Vasishta. The countries in the south were not considered important enough to be conquered or fought for. The expansion of the kingdom leads to jealousy by the surrounding tribal kings. They join hands, are led by King Cyamana from Ariana (Abhyavarta or present day Iran), and attack Sudas on the banks of river Parushni. King Shimyu of Bhedas leads a minor group of tribal kings of Yaksu, Ajas and Sigrus and attack Sudas on the eastern border on the banks of river Yamuna. Ancient rivalry between Haihayas and the Bhrigus come into force during this battle. Vitahavya, a descendant of the famed Haihaya Emperor Sahasrabahu sides with Sudas whereas the Bhrigus join the confederacy of ten kings. Kikatas and their king Pramagandha are said to live in the south of Sudas’s kingdom. It is generally agreed that Pramagandha is a precursor for

the later powerful Magadha dynasty of the south. Dr David Frawley places the battle of ten kings to around 3700 BCE based on the astronomical features in the Rigveda. The historian , P L Bhargava starts off his chronology with the start of Kaliyuga at 3100 BCE and the Vaivaswata Manvantara and works out the date to be around 2350 BCE. Niraj Mohanka of New Dharma calculates the regnal years from Vaivaswata Manu and places the war being around 2900 BCE. There appears to be more evidence to Mohanka’s deduction in the Bramhanas and Puranas than others. Puranas are considered “historical documents” and probably the only texts containing a “King list” of sorts for the India n pre-history. The Rigveda is surfeit with evidence for a well-organized society during the Vedic times with Sabhas and Samithis controlling the judiciary and legislative work. There appears to be a distinctive hierarchical nature of kingship with a “Samrat” being equivalent to Emperor, “Rajan” being a King and “Rajaka” a chieftain. For years, there have been speculation as to the nature of governance and rule during the Harappan civilisation.. Several experts, including David Frawley and Michel Danino place the Rigvedic events in the Indus/Sarasvati valley civilisation. The lack of chronological evidence in Rigveda is made up by geographical and geophysical evidence. It is clearly composed over hundreds of years (about 600 years according to Srikant Talageri and David Frawley) and while the river Sarasvati was in full flow – from the mountains to the sea. It is now well established that the mighty river dried up from around 1900 BCE to 1600 BCE to be left with minor seasonal rivers – Gaggar and Hakra. While there are no archaeological evidences in the Harappan ruins for major conflagrations of cities, one must be aware that the wars described in

the the Rigveda did not take place in cities or towns. The Battle of Ten Kings took place on riverbanks. . Descendants of the Puru protagonist, Sudas, and the competing tribes of Yadu, Turvasa, Anu and Druhyu pull the strings in the two great epics of India – Ramayana and Mahabharata. If the battle of Ten Kings had not ended the way it did, the two epics would have been completely different. They may not even have existed. Shankar N Kashyap September 2015

Kings, Sages and Men; Sudas – King/Emperor of Bharata. Grandson of Emperor Divodasa and descendant of Bharata Kavi Cayamana – Grandson of Abhyavartin Cayamana. Descendant of Anu, son of Yayati Divodasa – Emperor of Bharata, 16 th descendant of Bharata. Vitahavya – Haihaya King of Mahishmati Shimyu – Bheda King Vasishta Maithravaruni – Royal priest of Sudas. Composer of Rigveda Book 7 Vishwamitra Gat h inah – Royal priest of Sudas. Composer of Rigveda Vook 3 Bharadwaja – Royal pries of Divodasa Bhrigu – Royal priest of Cayamana Upaas – Royal physician in Sudas’s court Parthava – Itinerant soldier and friend of Upaas Devasravas – Brother in law of Sudas

O Dramatis Personae ther Players and Places: Sudas Vasishta Bharadwaja, Kadraveya, Shunahotra Sudevi, Devasravas Upaas, Lopa, Parthava, Budi, Shushun Vitahavya, Haijana, Daivasa Vairoopa – Cavalry Shakalya – Forward infantry Vasuka – Elephant regiment

Nainruthi – Engineers Bhaguri – Rear infantry Shoki – Vicchaya division

Cayamana Vishwamitra Jamadagni , Bhrighu Turvasas – Purodas

as

Druhyu Anu (Cayamana) Pakhthas Balanas Matsya Alinas – Gandharis Panis Yadus – Jayadwaja Sakhtha Kustanis – female soldiers Angarparna Ishvant

Places: Ilaspada – Kalibangan Harappa - Harappa Sindhu – Mohenjodaro Manusa – Manusa Mahishmati – Maheshwar Parushni – River Ravi Sutudri – River Sutlej Sarasvati – River Gagra-Hakra Drishadvati – River Chautang

Index: Chapter 1: The King who would be Sage Chapter 2: Vasishta Chapter 3: A Samrat’s dilemma Chapter 4: Ashwamedha and Rise of Sudas Chapter 5: The Merchants from Mahishmati Chapter 6: Ilaspada; the centre of the world Chapter 7: The Battle of sages Chapter 8: The Alinas Chapter 9: Anu Chapter 10: The Haihayas Chapter 11: The Bhedas Chapter 12: The Battle of Yamuna Chapter 13: The Druhyus Chapter 14: The Yadus Chapter 15: The Confederacy Chapter 16: The Parley Chapter 17: The Battle of ten kings.

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Chapter 1; The King who would be Sage. The last explosion was too close for comfort. It had knocked king Kaushika to the ground and the blinding flash had made the world go pitch black. He rubbed his watering eyes andstood up, dusting himself and moved his arms and legs to see if anything was broken. He was numb. Slowly the dust and smoke settled down and what he saw made him gasp. The peaceful tiny ashram had disappeared and there was what appeared to be a field with wild kusa grass and thorny bushes scattered around. Smoke rising from burning bushes darkened the air even further. Six of his soldiers were lying on the ground and by the position of their bodies, were most likely dead. The cow they had gone to grab was standing in the middle of the field grazing quietly; completely oblivious to what was happening around. As the dust cleared further, he could make out a line of fierce warriors armed to the teeth.The greyish darkness of the smoke made them look ferocious. He looked for his captain, Nala. He was standing not too far from Kaushika and staring ahead. There was no time to think. Nala pulled out his sword and ordered his soldiers to get ready. They eyed the warriors who were advancing inexorably towards them. Their heavy footsteps shook the ground they were standing on. They were silent except the ominous sound of their marching steps and the metal clanging of the spears.They were marching in a line spread across the front. Strange, Kaushika thought. That is suicidal ; charging against an enemy exposing the whole flank. Kaushika raised his hands to stop him and said,

“Stop, Nala. We can pick them off with our arrows. They have left themselves exposed.” And he pulled his bow out and mounted the first arrow from his quiver. The soldiers did the same when he shouted, “Wait for my command!” Kaushika took careful aim and, as he released the arrow, shouted, “Now!” The soldiers were ready and already taking aim. At his command they let loose a volley of arrows at the advancing warriors. The arrows thudded home through their leather chest plates and several of them fell. Only to be replaced by a new warrior. It looked like they had an inexhaustible supply of warriors. By now they had reached the fallen bodies of Kaushika’s soldiers. They did not stop or break ranks. They just stepped over the bodies and kept marching. Once they were past the bodies, they lifted their long spears and threw them at Kaushika’s men in unison. Many of them found home and within minutes, several more of his soldiers were down on the ground. “We can’t hold them ! . They are too many ! ” Nala shouted as they started to retreat, “We have to make a break for it.” “Right,” muttered Kaushika. “We have to send for reinforcements!” He was distressed. “How long can we hold them off, do you think?” “It is difficult to tell! We don’t know what kind of soldiers we are fighting and how many. I will send a message to the barracks for help.” And, turning to one of his soldiers rapped out instructions. The soldier galloped off towards Kuhasa. “They outnumber us. We will not stand a chance with hand-to-hand combat. If we can retreat to the copse we came across on the way here, we can use these trees and boulders as cover. Our arrows should keep those

warriors at bay till the reinforcements arrive.” Kaushika knew that it was optimistic talk. It would take the best part of a day to get to Kuhasa by a fast horse and it will not be until the following day before his army could get here. They immediately withdrew to the cover of trees keeping their eyes on the warriors in the distance. Suddenly the warriors stopped their advance, seemed to stop their march, and stood watching. The sky had become grey and dark despite being still late morning in spring. Dark clouds had gathered overhead blocking the sun. Everything was still and quiet. There were no birds. The silence was deafening and felt ominous. Kaushika could sense Nala shuddering. The warriors were standing perfectly still. They appeared to be wearing dark hessian cloth wrapped aroundthe waist with black breastplates, carrying round shields and long spears. And, they were tall. Much taller than any of the Bharatan tribes he knew of. It was rather unnerving. There was no sign of any of the priests or the shikshu’s. All the huts and the large pipal tree had also disappeared. The scene looked more like a burnt out battlefield with broken bodies and trees scattered around. Thick mist descended on the scene, making it even more difficult to see what was happening. The cow, which was the cause of all this altercation,had finished grazing and wandered off. There was no sign of the sage Vasishta. Soon the sky became darker. Heavy rain clouds engulfed them, there was fierce thunder and lightning followed by heavy rain. Kaushika and his soldiers ran for cover as the rain drops started to hurt. Kaushika and Nala managed to get under the cover of a rocky outcrop. They had to shout to be heard over the racket of rain. “This is unseasonal rain. It is not supposed to rain for another three

months,” Nala was shouting at the king’s ear. The king just nodded his head and looked in the distance where the warriors were standing before. It was still almost impossible to see anything. The warriors might still be standing there, for all he could make out waiting in the pouring rain. He toyed with the idea of rushing at them in the darkness very briefly, before discarding it. It would be suicidal. He was now left with less than a dozenmen, including his captain. Six of the soldiers were down, killed in their attempt at seizing the magic cow.Some fell at the charge of the warriors. He had not counted the number of warriors standing in protection of the cow before the darkness and rain had come down. He turned to Nala and shouted, “How many of them are there , do you think?” Nala thought for a moment before replying, “I am not sure, your Majesty.At a rough estimate, there could be fifty or even a hundred men.” Where did they all come from anyway? Kaushika wondered. His mind went back to the previous day. This was a small peaceful ashram with harmless priests and shikshu’s chanting vedic hymns and carrying on with vedic learning and teaching. They had come across the ashram by an accident. The king and twenty of his soldiers had left the city. Kaushika wanted to go deeper west into the forest when they heard the roar of the Sarasvati river. This was the furthest west they had ridden in that forest for a long time. They were after the elusive boar, which the hunter in the forest had said frequented the banks of Sarasvati. They had followed the sound of the river to quench their thirst. He closed his eyes and yesterday’s scene was vivid. The water was cool and fresh on the king’s face. A rugged, but handsome face, which stirred terror in enemy’s heart. Thick manicured moustache, curled up at the ends and a short beard made him look slightly

older than his true age. Still a young man with a newly married wife. Tall and well built, muscles rippled on his chest and arms as he moved. His movements were slow and measured. Long jet-black hair tied at the top in a bun, just tilting to the right. His eyes were striking. Black like coal and piercing like two diamonds. He dipped his tired face into the fast flowing river and splashed some more water on his head, letting the cool water of the mighty Sarasvati flow over him. He cupped both his hands in the river to drink and did not stop until he was full. The river was swollen with molten snow of the Himalayan Mountains, sweet and cold. Exactly what he wanted after a tiring day. He had been on horseback for most of that day hunting with his royal guards. All his muscles ached as he sat down on one of the black rocks , with his feet dangling in the river. He looked over the mighty river, which had been flowing since eternity, and he was sure will be flowing long after he has gone. The far bank was barely visible. He suddenly noticed smoke rising out of the bank further down as the river curved round and turned to his captain, Nala who was busy washing himself not far from him, “Nala, have you noticed that smoke on the bank in the distance?” Nala stopped his washing and looked up to see the plume of smoke gently rising on the bank. He squinted at it for a minute before replying. “I see, your Majesty. It must be one of the risi ashrams. There are plenty of them dotted around this forest on the banks of this mighty river. I am not sure who it belongs to , though.” “I think we should go and pay our respects to the risi. I am sure they would appreciate a visit living in such a remote place. It is unlikely they get many visitors.” “Yes, your Majesty,” and looked up at the sky before continuing, “it might even be a good idea to go across and spend the night in the ashram. I

don’t think we can make it back to Kuhasa before nightfall.” The king thought for a while and agreed, “You are right, Nala. If we follow the river south we should be able to reach the ashram well before night fall.” It was not long before they found a rough path in the dense forest, which ran parallel to the east bank of the river. The king was known for his short temper and ruthlessness. His subjects loved him as much as they feared him. He was just and caring, but ruthless with offenders at the same time. They reached the ashram just before sunset. The risi’s ashram was rather nondescript with circular mud huts and straw reed roofs spread around a central clearing. There was not even a fence to fend off predators from the forest. The trees were full of fruit and flowers blooming everywhere giving the whole place a pleasant aroma. Small deer were grazing on the grass along with few cows in between the huts. The sound of vedic chants filled the air. It was utterly peaceful. Several shikshuswere sitting in the shade of a huge pipal tree , reciting chants prompted by a priest sitting cross-leggedat the root of the tree. They were entering the ashram when a voice said, “Welcome to Maharshi Vasishta’s ashram, King Kaushika.” An elderly risi had appeared out of nowhere. Nala was taken aback at the mention of the king’s name. How did therisiknow them? It was nothing new to the king. He had seen the powers of these sages before and was not surprised that the risi knew who he was. He bent his head down and folded his hands with respect and said, “Namaste, risi. Who is this Vasishta? I never knew that a Vasishta had an ashram in these forests before today?”

The risi just smiled and continued, “If it pleases your majesty, he will be with you as soon as the lesson is finished. I have arranged for some refreshments for you in the meantime.” Two shikshus appeared with a large jug and several cups made of dried leaves. The fresh juice was very refreshing, and of an unrecognizable flavor. They led the king and his soldiers to a square platform in the shade of a large tree at one end of the clearing. All of them sat watching and listening to the chants by shikshus sitting cross-legged in front of the master in three rows. It was not long before they finished reciting and each one of them walked across to the master and touched his feet for blessings. Vasishta was a contrast to the king in his appearance. Short and rather skinny. Dark skin hid the lines of his age on the face. A long gray beard covered his face, which bobbed up and down as he spoke. He smiled every time he spoke. It was a genuine smile, which went to his eyes everytime. But, there was also pain hidden behind that smile. The gentle demeanour hid the grit in his movements. He walked erect with a long gnarled oak stick in his left hand. It appeared to be more of an ornament rather than for support. He waited until the last one was blessed before walking across to where the king was sitting. “My humble apologies for making the king wait. I hope the juice has refreshed you. I am Vasishta Mitravaruni, son of Mitra.” “Thank you for your hospitality, sage Vasishta. My land is honoured by the presence of a Vasishta within its borders. I have heard so much about the Vasishtas’ exploits over the centuries.” “You have strayed quite far from your city of Kuhasa. I welcome you to stay at our humble ashram for the night and share our meagre food tonight.” “Thank you again, sage , for your kind offer.”

“Our shikshus will take you to some of the huts where you can rest. The kitchen will serve food after the evening prayers. You are welcome to join us for the prayers.” The “meagre food” that the sage had said turned out to be a right royal banquet. There was fresh fruit of all kinds and honey to go with the freshly made bread made with butter. The ashram’s kitchen appeared to cater to every whim and fancy of the king and his soldiers. Anything that was asked for appeared in minutes. In some ways, the variety of food was better than that served by the royal kitchen. In addition, it was all served in silver utensils. Kaushika wondered at the splendour of the meal: beads of suspicion appeared on his forehead. “That was a feast fit for a Samrat.You have done extremely well. You must forgive my curiosity, but how can you get these exotic foods, fruits and silver in a remote place like your ashram?” Vasishta smiled and replied, “We are blessed. Come, I will show you where we get our riches from.” And, walking back towards the ashram, said, “O King, this feast that you have partaken with your kinsmen, has been provided by my calf Nandini, who was gifted to me by Indra. You must know that she is the daughter of Indra's cow Kamadhenu. She provides me with everything that I need.” “This, I must see.” He followed the sage to the back of the ashram where there was an open pen with several animals including cows, chickens and goats, among others. He pointed to one of the cows lying down on the ground at the far end of the pen. Alabaster skin and jet black eyes. Pools of peace. Not very different from other well-nourished cows. “That is our Nandini, a gift from Lord Bramha himself. She provides for all our needs.” He said smiling broadly, “she has surpassed herself today

with the presence of royalty in the ashram.” “That is an amazing animal indeed.” Kaushika replied with astonishment. “However, I feel it has no place in a risi’s ashram. You are using it for your own benefit. It should belong to the kingdom so that it can be used for the good of the people. You should hand over the cow to our soldiers to take back to Kuhasa.” Vasishta could see the glint of greed in Kaushika’s eyes. It is unlikely that the king will use Nandini for the good of his people, he thought. He will use it to fill the coffers of the palace and might even use it against his enemies. “I am afraid I will have to refuse your request, King Kaushika. Nandini has been gifted to the ashram to provide for the poor sages and the upkeep of the yajna’s for the betterment of humankind across the world. Not just for your own kingdom.” Kauhsika’s eyes and nostrils flared up at this statement. Nala could not believe what he had just heard. “You are mistaken , sage Vasishta. You do not know who you are talking to. I can destroy you and your ashram in the blink of an eye. It is in your own interest to hand over the cow to me now.” “Forgive me, sire. As a king, the most you can do is care for your own subjects. You may use it to make yourself more powerful and attack neighbouring countries to expand your empire.” “The great Manu himself prescribed that one of the important duties of a king is to expand one’s dominion and care for his subjects. I am just following the scriptures laid down by the great sages such as yourself,” Kaushika retorted. “You are well informed, king Kaushika. But , that does not overrule

world peace.

Nandini will help enhance the power of the yajnas and the

sages for peace and harmony across the world.” Kaushika was really furious now. “Are you telling me that sages are more powerful than the greatest king this earth has seen? You are taunting power of the great Gadhi kingdom, sir.” “I will have to repeat what I have said, King Kaushika. That Nandini is not going anywhere.You are guests in our ashram. Please rest tonight in the ashram and you can leave in the morning. Good night.” He turned around and walked off towards his own hut in the centre of the ashram. Kaushika was beside himself with rage . He had never been insulted like this before. “Nala, make arrangements for that cow to be taken back to the palace first thing in the morning.” Kaushika and his soldiers had woken up before sunrise and six men were sent to take the cow from the pen. Kaushika and rest of the soldiers had mounted the horses and waiting near the front of the ashram for the soldiers to bring the cow. It did not put up any resistance. That is, until it reached the gate of the ashram. It stopped at aspot just outside the ashram and refused to budge. When they attempted to drag the animal, it reared on its hind legs and bellowed loudly. A nd, a ll hell broke loose. Heavily armed warriors appeared out of nowhere and the six soldiers were mowed down in minutes before the watching king could lift his finger. They watched in horror as the six soldiers were cut down mercilessly and the rope around the cow’s neck was removed. The peaceful risi ashram disappeared and there was smoke and dust from a burning battlefield. The sound of thunder and flash of lightening striking not far from where

they were standing woke Kaushika out of a reverie. He looked around to see a wall of water falling as rain and the visibility was almost zero. He turned to his trusty captain, Nala and said, “I think we had better return to the city and return with reinforcements. These warriors are not ordinary soldiers. I need to speak to our royal priest to see if he can help.” “I agree with you, your majesty. I feel it may be foolish to go against this kind of enemy where we cannot judge their power properly.” Nala had replied. “Pass the word along and we will make our way back in the cover of this rain. I want that cow in my palace. It does not belong here in a risi asharm. It should belong to the people and the king.” Nala hurried the remaining soldiers along and the group crept back as quietly as they could. As soon as they thought they were far enough from the ashram, they mounted the horses and galloped off towards the city. They did not stop until they reached the outskirts of the forest. A large army was heading in their direction. Nala stopped and pulled his horse to the side. The rest of them followed. “Why did you stop, Nala?” Kaushika asked. “Soldiers coming in our direction. It could be the Haihayas. Raiders from Mahishmati have been seen in these forests harassing travellers and risi ashrams. I am not taking any chances after what happened to us back in the ashram.” The Haihayas werehated throughout the Gadhi kingdom of Bhrigus. They were considered barbaric and un-aryan. There was a long-standing dispute between the Bhrigus and Haihayas. The enmity was such that any

Haihaya seen within the vicinity of theGadhi kingdom would be put to sword. They have been known to penetrate deep into the kingdom and raid the outlying farms for cows. It was none other than , Naranjeya, the erstwhile captain of the infamous black guards of the Kalika regiment. These soldiers dressed in black and always seemed to know everything that happened in the kingdom. They were ruthless towards anyone trying to hide information from them. A large contingent of black guards with an even larger contingent of regulars followed him from the Kuhasa army. “Long live King Kaushika.” Naranjeya had jumped off his horse and was on his knees in front of the king. “We came as fast as we could.” “Rise, Naranjeya. How many soldiers have you brought?” “We have fifty of the Kalika regiment and one thousand soldiers of the Kuhasa army.” Kaushika smiled and laughed aloud, “Now, let us see what that sage Vasishta can do.” Kaushika led the massive force of the black guards of Kalika regiment along with his army towards Vasishta’s ashram. He stopped in front of the ashram, which appeared to have miraculously reverted to being a small nondescript hermitage with mud huts and risi’s going about their routine. He raised his hand to stop the army and announced, “Sage Vasishta Maitravaruni, I have come back for what is rightfully mine. Give up the Nandini cow if you don’t want my army to destroy your pitiful ashram!” Vasishta appeared in front of him out of nowhere, to the amazement of the soldiers.

“Welcome , King Kaushika. I hope you have had a pleasant journey. Please come inside and rest.” “I have not come here to rest, sage .” Kaushika glared at the sage. “I have come here to take Nandini, which rightfully belongs to the Gadhi kingdom and its people.” “I will have to repeat what I said yesterday. Nandini is not going anywhere.” Vasishta paused as Kaushika’s face started to get red and one could almost sense the steam coming out of his ears. “Well, if you insist, you can try and take her yourself.” The sage turned and walked back into the ashram. “How dare you show your back to your king, sir.” Kaushika screamed at the sage’s receding back. Turning to Naranjeya, Kaushika uttered a command, “Send your guards and get the cow from the ashram.” “Certainly , your majesty.” Two of the black guards ran into the ashram past the walking sage. “There she is.” Vasishta said pointing to the sedate cow who was lying on the grass at the back of the ashram. The two guards roped the cow and she got up and followed the guards without a protest. The sage stood his ground looking at the king and followed the cow as it walked past him. He had a wry smile on his face as he watched the cow saunter past him towards the front of the ashram. Just as before, Nandini stopped as soon as she reached the boundary of the ashram. Everyone could see the king fuming. Naranjeya stepped forward and took his whip out of his waist. Nala, who was watching this with increasing concern, noticed it and, before he could stop Naranjeya , the whip was cracked just behind the cow.

“No!!” Nala screamed. “Don’t.” It was too late. Nandini reared its legs up and snorted loudly. There was loud thunder and the sky enveloped everyone beneath. The soldiers heard the loud sound of heavily marching steps. There was nothing to be seen but terror on the faces of Kaushika’s soldiers. The horses neighed and became very skittish with fear. As they watched, the sky got even darker and the ashram appear to fade away into the background, giving way to a large field filled with coarse tall grass and shrubs. Nala looked on at the now familiar sight of the gray tall warriors marching inexorably towards them with tall spears and bronze cuirass clanking in tandem. The noise blended with the sharp whistle of a northern wind, piercing the forests and the tall grass. The entire army stood anchored to the spot in terror. This was something they had not experienced before. They had fought battles with fierce warriors of Haihaya clans, demons of Matsyas and even magical Dasyus. However, they had never come across this. Kaushika saw this and roared with anger, “What are you? Men or mice? Have you not seen warriors before? You are the men of the mighty Gadhi army. Show some strength and destroy the enemy!” Both Nala and Naranjeya responded with orders to their soldiers and there was a loud response from all the soldiers, “Hail King Kaushika! Hail Gadhi Kingdom!” They stamped the ground where they stood and beat their spears against their bronze shields. The sound was impressive and in normal circumstances,it would put the fear of death in any enemy. Nevertheless, it did not appear to have any effect on the warriors, who were advancing on them. Kaushika ordered a charge at the oncoming gray warriors.

The black guards of Kalika regiment took the lead and charged at the warriors. The attack was fierce and rapid. Most of the warriors in the front line fell to the spears of the black guards. That did not seem to deter the warriors. They did not even stutter in their march towards where Kaushika was standing. Both the sage and Nandini had disappeared by then. The warriors were now at the spot where the cow had resisted, stopped, and raised their spears in unison. There was a veritable shower of spears towards the rushing unit of black guards. All of them perished at the first onslaught from the gray warriors. Naranjeya was still on his horse and could not believe what happened to his precious guards. He had lost men before, but never an entire company. He was too shocked to say anything. Nala turned to his soldiers and ordered the entire army to attack with everything they had. It was no good. It was literally a massacre. The warriors were increasing every moment, and before long, there was only Kaushika standing in front of the burnt out battlefield filled with broken and bleeding bodies of his army. His trusted captains – Nala and Naranjeya were both lying on the ground not too far from where he was standing. He could not believe his eyes. How can a sage destroy an entire army? “This Vasishta has untold powers, I need to have that kind of power.” He thought to himself. Vasishta appeared in front of him again as if by magic. He was completely unscathed and looked serene and calm as ever. Kaushika jumped down from his horse and knelt before the sage. “I bow to you, oh great sage. Your power is immense. I have lost everything because of my arrogance and ignorance.” “Rise, King Kaushika. Power is only relative. It resides in the mind and the heart. You will be as powerful one day. You really have not lost anything but your arrogance of your power.”

“I am not as powerful as you are, clearly! How can I get to be as powerful as you are? Please tell me and I will do it.” “Go home in peace, King Kaushika. Learn to live happily with what you have. I know one day you will become a Bramharshi and will become a friend of the world. You will not just be the ruler of a kingdom.. You will be called ‘Vishwamitra’ – friend of the world.” Vasishta raised his hands palm down and blessed the king. When Kaushika looked up, there was no sign of the sage. The battlefield had disappeared and so had all the dead bodies of his soldiers. He was standing alone in front of the ashram. There were no signs either of Nala or Naranjeya. The ashram had reappeared and he was standing in front of it with his horse grazing not too far away from him. Did he dream it all? What happened to his army? Where were Nala and Naranjeya? Nevertheless, the last words of sage Vasishta still rang in his ears. It was a thoughtful Kaushika, who got onto his horse and rode towards his city of Kuhasa. He kept going over what Vasishta had said about power and also the display of sage’s power over and over as the horse took him along the path. By the time he reached the outskirts of the city, he had made up his mind. He was going to relinquish his throne, go into the forest for penance, and force the Gods to make him a Bramharshi. “Hail to King Kaushika!” The shout woke him up from a reverie. It was his trusty captain Nala along with his guards. “We have been looking all over for you, your majesty. Naranjeya has sent his Kalika guards into the forest looking for you as well.” The king did not say anything. He acknowledged the captain and rushed to his palace and his wife and ministers. “I am going to relinquish my throne and go into the forest for penance. I

want to become a Bramharshi. More powerful than Vasishta, more powerful than the gods they worship. Powerful enough to create my world, if I so wish.” His wife and his ministers displayed shocked consternation. The royal priest tried to dissuade him, “Do you realise it will be several years of hard penance and training to get to be a risi, let alone a Bramharshi. The offer of Bramharshi is in the hands of the Gods and if you are trying to be more powerful than them, they will try their best to make it even harder for you. They will use their power to stop you. You might even die in the process.” “So be it. Let them try their worst. I know I can do it. Anyway, I would rather die trying than live like this, knowing that I could be as powerful as that sage. It is the sage’s own proclamation. He cannot be wrong. I have seen his powers.” There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. He soon left to the deep forests in the Himalayan Mountains. Last time anyone heard, he was up high in the snowy mountains , looking for a teacher.Several years later, he returned, a Bramharshi, and set up an ashram on the west bank of the Sarasvati, as if nodding towards the one on the eastern banks with sarcasm and suspicion.

Chapter 2: Vasishta “Clear the road for the King . ” The shouted command took Shakthi by surprise. He had seen rising dust in the distance as he topped yet another hill. He was with two other shikshus from the ashram. They had set off a few days earlier on the way to Kadraveya’s ashram on the slope of Arbuda mountain. He was looking forward to the visit as he had not been to the mountain since the massive earthquake, years ago which had flattened the mountain and destroyed their ashram on the southern slopes. He had lost many friends during the catastrophe. “What is the matter, Shakthi?” One of the shikshus asked with concern. He was new to the ashram on the river Sarasvati and did not know about its history. “Our master, sage Vasishta had the ashram on the southern slopes of the Arbuda not too far away from Kadraveya’s ashram. I was born and brought up there. I have spent all my childhood in that ashram.” “What happened then? Why did you move to the Sarasvati river?” Shakthi was quiet for a minute before replying. He took a deep breath and sighed as he replied. “It was a few years ago. I was away at the time with my brothers at the ashram of Kadraveya learning about the Soma plant and the techniques of extracting the juice from the plant. Sage Kadraveya, as you know , is the final word on Soma and he has described at least twenty-seven different types

of the plant and the correct technique of making the Soma Yamuna. There was a massive earthquake and the top of the mountain collapsed, destroying everything that was above the snow line. Our ashram was well above the snow line at the time. My father was on his way to Saraswatha with some visitors when it happened and they just managed to escape disaster by the grace of lord Indra. That is when he left for Susa to visit the temple of Varuna on the banks of Karun in Susa. He was away for nearly two years.” Shakthi paused and when he looked up tears rolled down n his cheeks. “Several of my dear friends died on that day. Mother took all of us back to the ashram days later. I helped in digging out the bodies from the disaster site. It was heart breaking to see so many of my young friends and teachers perish on that fateful day. I have never forgotten them. I can still see their smiling faces in front of me if I close my eyes.” “I am really sorry to hear that, Shakthi. It must be traumatic to return to the mountain for you.” “Did you not hear what I said, you peasant? Clear the road for the King.” The shout had again come from the middle of the dust cloud on the dry , dusty road. A strong gust of wind turned the dust cloud into a bunch of armed warriors. Their bronze shields glinted in the sunshine. One of the riders was carrying a herald they could not recognise at this distance. It was not until the dust had settled completely that they recognised them as the dreaded Haihaya soldiers. The typical blood red herald with a golden halfmoon and a black sickle was unmistakable. It was too late to do anything about it by then. “Haihayas!” The shikshu whispered loudly with a sharp intake of breath. “What are they doing so far into Bharata?” “I am sure they will answer your questions soon.”

As they faced the soldiers, the leading soldier with the herald had shouted the command to get off the road. “You are not King Pijavana, sir. Anyway, we are from Vasishta’s ashram and we have the right of passage in Bharata kingdom,” Shakthi retorted. The soldier guffawed at this. “Not for long. You are obstructing King Kalmashapada of Haihayas. It won’t be long before he will be the Samrat of all known lands. The sages of Bharata will have to bow to our King.” That is odd, Shakthi thought. Who is this Kalmashapada? happened to king Vitahavya of Mahishmati?

What

“You are trespassing on the sacred land of Bharata kingdom. You have to follow the rules of the kingdom laid down by none other than the great Manu himself. The wrath of the Lord Indra will be on you if you do not make way for us.” “You speak too much for a puny shikshu. Can you see the arms we are carrying? I can kill you this instant and step over your bodies.” Kalamashapada, who had been quiet all this while, spoke up. “You are looking at the future Samrat of all known lands. It is in your best interest to give way to us.” “Mahishmati is ruled by the benevolent king Vitahavya, and Bharata does not have any quarrel with him.” Shakthi continued to ignore their commands. They could see Kalmashapada’s face reddening. “A Kshatriya shows respect for the risis and allow us to pass. If you call yourself a Kshatriya, you should honour your creed and let us pass first.” “Vitahavya does not represent the true Haihayas, sir,” said the great obstructor of Shakthi’s path.“He has become too soft and he has forgotten the great heritage of the Haihayas. We were chosen by God Varuna himself to

rule the world. I am trying to resurrect the glory of Haihayas and one day we will rule the world.” He then turned and shouted orders to his soldiers in a language neither Shakthi nor his friends could understand. Four of the soldiers brought their horses forward and drew out their bows. Shakthi found himself staring at four deadly arrows pointing at his heart. At this range, none of them would miss, sitting on a stationary horse. Both his friends stepped forward and stood in front of him. “It is admirable that you have friends who are willing to die for you.” The King grimaced. “But this will not save you. All it will mean is that all three of you would die instead of one.” Shakthi moved forward, gently pushing his two friends out of his way. “I hope you do realise who you are confronting right now.” Sabya said, puffing his chest out. “This is Shakthi, son of Vasishta, the most powerful sage in the world. He can destroy at the blink of an eye.” “But he is not here, is he?” asked the soldier with a derisive snort in front. “He cannot save you from wherever he is at the moment. Nothing can save you from our arrows.” Shakthi was impatient now. “You are wasting my time. Let us pass now.” “Or else what? What would you do? What can you do?” The soldier raised his bow and took careful aim at Shakthi. “You will face the wrath of the three of us together. And you don’t want to see that.” Sabhya said and raised his kamandalu. There was a swishing noise and a thud as the arrow dug into the open chest of Sabya. The soldier

carrying the herald had fired. Sabya fell on the spot, crying out loudly. “Hey, Indra!” Both Shakti and Nodhi immediately raised theirkamandaluat this, only to be put down by a hail of arrows by the king Kalmashapada and his soldiers. Both of them were dead before they hit the ground. The last thing Shakti uttered as he went down was “Oh Father, forgive me.” Several miles away, on the east bank of Sarasvati, Vasishta was getting ready for his afternoon prayers when he suddenly felt a shooting pain in his chest. He dropped the brass vessel he was carrying and sat down on the ground , holding his chest. His wife looked up to see him fall to the ground and ran across to him, fearing the worst. “My dear, what happened?” Vasishta looked up at his wife’s anxious face and smiled weakly and said, “Something terrible has happened, Arundhati.” “What do you mean, my swami?” “We have just lost our dear son, Shakthi.” Arundhati nearly fainted at this terrible news and started to sob, holding her hands to her mouth. “He was due back home soon with his friends. I should not have sent him for those herbs to the forest. It is my fault.” “No, dear. It is not your fault. It was his time to go and he has gone. It is my fault in failing to protect him as any father should.” Vasishta had his hands on his head as he spoke. “I should have taught him how to protect

himself from attacks. The dreaded rogue Kalmashapada who calls himself a Haihaya king has killed him. I have to make arrangements for him to be brought here and his last rites.” By then a few of the shikshus had realised something bad had happened and assembled around them. Vasishta looked at them and said, “My children, three of our sons have been killed by Kalmashapada on their way back to the ashram.” They were shocked, and the girls began to sob quietly. Vasishta chose a few of the older shikshus to accompany him to bring the three boys home. Arundhati insisted on coming , despite Vasishta’s protests. Two bullock carts were made ready and they set off down the road towards the forest. It was late and the darkness was only broken by the bright full moon and millions of stars in the clear night sky. The three boys were lying in a pool of blood still clutching on to their kamandalu. Each of them had several arrows buried in their chest. The satchel of herbs was tied to Shakthi’s waist. “How could anyone kill these young, unarmed boys!” Vasishta sighed deeply and replied, “Arrogance makes men do things which cannot be explained by rational reasoning , my dear.” It was quite late by the time they could get the three boys on to the bullock carts and get back towards the ashram. As they climbed over the last hillock before the ashram they saw smoke rising out of the ashram. There was a gasp from the shikshu at the front. “Oh my God! What has happened now?” and he ran back to Vasishta, who was following the cart and shouted, “Maharshi, the ashram is on fire. Come quickly.” All of them literally ran down the last hundred yards towards the ashram

fearing the worst. The scene was out of someone’s worst nightmare. Kundali, one of the teachers was lying on the ground face down with an arm stretched out in an unnatural angle. Vasishta quickly knelt down beside him and rolled him over gently with help of couple of the shikshus. His face was bloodied and appeared to have been badly beaten up. There was smoke rising out of his hair. The eyebrows were completely burnt. Vasishta leaned forward to lift his head on to his lap. Kundali opened his eyes and looked at the sage. There were tears in his eyes as he tried to say something. He was barely breathing and signalled the sage to come closer. Vasishta took his ear close to Kundali’s mouth. “I am sorry, Master. I could not save them.” gasping as he spoke.

He kept spluttering and

“Don’t speak, Kundali. Save your energy. Let’s get you inside.” Vasishta said , stroking the man’s burnt hair. Kundali nodded his head sideways and whispered again, “Too late for me. It was…it was Kinkara, the demon.” With these words, he breathed his last. Vasishta closed Kundali’s eyes and laid down his head off his lap. Arundhati had just reached them now. “What dreadful thing has happened now?” She saw Kundali’s body lying on the ground next to her husband and suddenly cried out, “My babies!” and ran towards the centre of the ashram to see their hut was burning fiercely. Vasishta and a few of the shikshus also were with her and stopped her rushing into the burning hut. Several of the shikshu ’ s were already running back and forth, with pails of water from the stream alongside the ashram trying to douse the fire. It took them a good couple of hours to control the fire and enter their hut. Arundhati’s babies had been strangled in their sleep, before the fire had been set. Arundhati was inconsolable.

But sage Vasishta was a century older. He had lost everything in a night. Only his daughter-in-law was safe in ther father’s place. By that night, the last rites were over. The prayers that night were very sombre and the sage found it difficult to sleep. He had given a syrup of Soma to Arundhati to help her calm down. After tossing and turning for a long time, he got up and helped himself to some as well. His mind was in a turmoil. Everyone said he was the most powerful sage in the universe, but he could not protect his own children. What was the use of being a Bramharshi? It was a long time before he had fallen into a fitful sleep. Vasishta stood at the edge and looked down. He was standing at the brink of a precipice with an abyss in front of him. Pitch-black darkness seemed to swallow even the light of the stars above. He looked above to make sure the seven stars were still there. He looked at the distance trying to locate the far end of the abyss. ‘Nothing. Just like me. Nothing.’ He sighed again. “Are you sure?” A booming voice out of nowhere. He looked around to see who was talking. No one to be seen anywhere. He might as well end it here. No one is watching. He leaned forward and jumped into nothing. He could feel himself falling, slowly at first and getting faster with wind blowing against his cheeks. “Where are you going?” The voice again. “To the bottom.” He replied. “Do you know there is a bottom? Have you seen it?” “I have not seen it. But there has to be a bottom to this.” Vasishta said, perplexed.

“But you have not seen it?” the voice insisted. “It does not mean that it is not there.” Vasishta countered. “Who are you?” “Who do you think I am?” “Do you answer all my questions with a question? I cannot see you. So, I don’t know who you are.” “Reach out , Vasishta , and you can feel me.” Vasishta lifted his hands out to feel all around. Nothing. He could not feel anything again. “Open your eyes and you can see me and feel me.” “I have my eyes opened. But I still cannot see you.” “What do you see?” “Nothing. Just darkness.” “Because you really have not opened your eyes.” Vasishta did not answer. He could feel the wind blowing his hair and ears back. His eyes started to hurt by the speed of the wind. His cheeks were getting hot, despite the cold wind. “Vasishta. Look at me. Why are you doing this?” Vasishta closed his eyes. He could see his eldest son, Shakti lying in a pool of blood on the roadside, clear as daylight. He could see Arundhati, heartbroken and crying inconsolably, holding Shakti’s head on her lap. He quickly opened his eyes, but all he could see was still nothing but darkness. He closed his eyes again. Images of his small children lying on the ground of his ashram with the demon Kinkara guffawing was too painful and opened his eyes again.

“I am a failure. I have not been a good father. I have lost everything. I could not save my sons from the dreadful Haihaya or my children from the demon, Kinkara.” “It is not your fault that your sons were killed by the demon. Shakti was killed by his own arrogance. He should not have confronted Kalmashapada. You were not there when the demon attacked your other children. You will not achieve anything by killing yourself.” The voice was much calmer now. Almost soothing. “There is no salvation for me now. How can I attain the Bramhan now?” “What is the salvation, Vasishta?” The voice continued. “What are you trying to reach? You are a Bramharshi. You can be what you want to be. You can reach what you want to reach.” “Not now. I cannot reach what I want to. I cannot even see you.” “That is because you are blind in your grief.” The voice continued. “Reach out. Forget your grief for a second and look into yourself.” Vasishta did not say anything. He could still feel the freezing wind biting against his cheeks and eyes. ‘I will hit the bottom soon and it will be the end. I don’t have to listen to that voice anymore’, he thought. “What happens to your poor wife, Arundhati?” The voice was back again. “What about the pregnant Adrushyanthi?” That shocked the risi. ‘Adrushyanthi is pregnant?’ “And what happens to all your shikshus who depend on you for their learning? What about the millions of people who look up to you as their Bramharshi? Is this why Swayambhuva Manu saved you from the flood?”

Vasishta paused to think and suddenly everything was clear. ‘I am being tested and I do not want to be found wanting.’ “How do I stop falling now?” Vasishta asked. “Close your eyes. Reach out to me. You will stop falling.” This time when he closed his eyes, there was utter silence and the wind blowing against his face had stopped. He was standing still. “Open your eyes now, Vasishta.” The voice said. There he was, larger than life, Indra in all his glory. Tall, dressed all in white, long flowing white beard, piercing, and yet, soft,jet black eyes.Vasishta lay himself down at the feet of Indra, asking for forgiveness. “Arise, Vasishta. You do realise, your life is not really yours to take?” “Forgive me, Lord Indra. I am a mere mortal.” “You are not any ordinary mortal, Vasishta. You are a Bramharshi and the world is waiting for your guidance. You are meant to do great things in the future and as do your progeny.” There was a blinding flash and Vasishta could not see anything for a moment. He was being shaken by someone. “You are dreaming again, dear.” It was Arundhati, looking concerned. “Was it a nightmare?” Vasishta rubbed his eyes as he got up off the reed mattress. “It was, and it was not really a nightmare.” “You are speaking in riddles. I don’t understand.” Arundhati said. “I did not know Adrushyanti was pregnant?”

Vasishta went on to

describe his dream to his dear wife. “She is pregnant. The physicians tell us she is healthy and there should not be any problems.” Arundhati tried to look happy. “But does that take away our pain?” “Yes. It does not. Nothing ever will. But we have to look ahead, as you always used to say.” “You are right, Arundhati.” Vasishta said with a deep sigh. “We have to look at the children we have in the ashram and there are a lot of people who depend on us.” “God Indra is right, my swami. You are a Bramharshi and you are on this earth to help others. It would be selfish to end your life. As Indra said, your life is not really yours anymore.”

Chapter 3: A Samrat’s Dilemma . SamratDivodasa stopped his horse and looked around. 'Now, where did that buck disappear to?' he wondered. He had been chasing that young buck for a few hours now. He was good, very good. The Samrat was not a slouch either. However, after several hours of chasing, the king had lost sight of him. The sun was rapidly going down and he had better make his way back to the royal team. He was sure the captain of the guards, Kutsa, would be frantic with worry. By now, there would be half dozen search parties in every direction. If he could only figure out thedirection he had come from, he could try to retrace his steps. Deep in the forest with light fading, everything looked the same. No matter how much he scratched his head, he could not figure it out. Maybe, if he went higher up the ground he may be able to see some identifying mark. He wandered a bit more in several directions. There were some places where he was almost sure he had been before. It was of no use. He decided to get off the horse and climb a tree. There was a huge Arjuntree, whichseems to go up forever into the sky. He decided to go to the top and see if there were any landmarks, he could identify. The tree was sloping at the bottom with thick branches and it was easy for him to climb. His ageing body was agile enough for him to climb without stressing himself. He could see a yojana around him. The sun was setting and the sky was turning purple and red. As he turned to the west, he saw it. A column of smoke was rising out of the forest floor in the distance. If he hurried, he should be able to reach that place before dark, he thought. One of the search parties must be camping for the night. He climbed down the tree

and galloped towards the smoke while the light rapidly faded into the twilight. He managed to get there before the sun had completely set. It was not his guard’s camp. It was a risiashram. As he approached the ashram, one of the shikshu ’ scame, took the reins of the horse, and helped the king climb down. "Welcome , Samrat Divodasa Athithigva. We have been expecting you". He said bowing his head to the Samrat.Divodasa was taken aback by that response. He could hear the Vedic chants coming from inside the Ashram. "You were expecting me? But, how?" The shikshu did not reply. He just bowed his head, smiled and signalled the king to follow him to the centre of the ashram, where a roaring fire was burning on the fire altar. Several sages were performing a sacrifice. He could smell the burning ghee and soma emanating from the altar. The shikshu still did not say a word. Divodasa followed him to an arena around the altar where he signalled him to wait. Divodasa waited patiently till they recited the hymns and all the ritual was finished. “Ishanah sarva vidyanam Ishwarah sarva bhutanam Bramhadipdih Bramhanodipadhih Bramha shivomeh asthu sada shivom.” Once the ritual was finished, the lead sage got up and walked towards Divodasa with a brass pail and said, "Welcome to our humble ashram, O great samratof Bharata. We have been expecting you." "Greetings to you, as well sir. You have me at a disadvantage. You appear to know who I am, but I am at a loss to your identity. How did you know I was coming and who are you?"

"I beg your pardon, your majesty. I am Ushanas, you have reached my ashram in the middle of Dandaka forest. It was destined that you would come here today. The buck you were chasing brought you here." That appeared to enrage the king. "Again, you are at an advantage , sir. You know who I am, but I don't know anything about you." “I must apologise to you, Samrat Divodasa.I am a descendant of Shukra, the principal sage of Samrat Yayati of Chandravansha, your ancestor. You have been brought here for your own good. It is better if we discuss this after you have rested. Please accept the humble offerings of this ashram. I have sent a messenger to your soldiers, who will be along shortly.” The two men stood there for a moment staring at each other. The sage was a tall, gangly man with a flowing white beard, long, thick, white hair tied at the top of the head in a bun and bare-chested with a rosary bead necklace around his neck, dark brown eyes not revealing anything, but taking everything in. The samratwas regal in appearance despite his advancing years. Still, tall, well built with a muscular body, a clean-shaven face showing deep lines of age, a broad forehead, deep square-cut jaws and sharp eyes exploring the sages face. That was an uncomfortable moment. Finally, the samratsmiled and said, “That is very kind of you, sage Ushanas. I am famished. That buck of yours took me around in a wild chase.” The tension cleared and the watching risis breathed a sigh of relief and one of the young shikshusled them to the nearby stream for ablutions. The two of them sat in front of the risi’s cottage in the middle of the camp while the students served them soma. Soma was followed by a simple yet

sumptuous meal. Both of them drank the soma and ate in silence, as was the custom. “Now, Sage Ushanas, please tell me why you brought me here.” Divodasa asked as they were resting after the meal. “Samrat, you have been extremely successful in your campaigns during your younger days. You have rightly given over the mantle to your eldest son Pijavana. You have won over ninety-nine villages in the country of Ujjala from the Dasyu chief, Sambara with the help of Lord Indra. You have been eulogized by sage Grtsamada for that in the Vedic scriptures , as we speak.” That interested Divodasa. It took him back to the five-yearlong campaign against the Dasyu king Sambara who had refused to pay respects to his stallion when he had performed theAshwamedha yajna. The campaign was long and hard and finally he had defeated the Dasyu king with the help of his mentor, Lord Indra. Sambara had fought with an enormous army and the magic spells of his magi. Divodasa had lost many of his trusted comrades and generals during the campaign. He had felt dejected about all the killings and loss of life at the end of campaign and had performed a shanthi yajna at the end on the banks of river Drishadvathi lead by great sages, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja and Bhrigu himself. “Since then, you have spent your time in leisure pursuits. You don’t really know what is happening in your kingdom.” “Pijavana is an able administrator. I am confident that he will lead the kingdom well.” “I am sure he is a very good administrator. However, have you noticed that the kingdom is standing still? There has not been any expansion of the borders. The laws of Manu clearly state that a Rajan has to expand to cater tothe growing population of the kingdom. It has been several years since he

was crowned and he is still to undertake the Ashwamedha. A king has to progress and acquire land and wealth.” The sage looked intently at Divodasa. “Your grandson, Sudas has grown up to be a handsome young man and has fire in his belly. You know as well as I do that he has been under the able tutelage of sage Vishwamitra over the past several years.” Vishwamitra’s name caught the samrat’s attention and brought a smile to his face. He still remembered the day he had gone to see him with his own royal priest, Bharadwaja. Vishwamitra had just been awarded the Bramharshi title by the Gods and he was on a high horse. It had taken all the persuasive powers of both the samrat and Bharadwaja to get him to agree to be Sudas’s teacher. Bharadwaja felt that Vishwamitra would be an ideal teacher as he was both a Kshatriya and a Bramhana. Everyone knew his story. The powerful King Kaushika had been humiliated by sage Vasishta and later on went on a ‘hundred years of penance’ to become a Bramharshi with the title of Vishwamitra – ‘friend of the world’. Divodasa was getting uncomfortable at the direction in which the discussion was going. He started to fidget and asked, half expecting the reply, “What do you want me to do then, oh great Maharshi?” “I think you should transfer power to your grandson Sudas Pijavana, and crown him a Rajan.” Sage Ushanas said, staring at the samratwith unblinking eyes. “I am sure sage Vishwamitra and your own purohit, Bhardwaja, will agree with me.” Divodasa became very uncomfortable at the thought of asking his eldest son to step down from the throne of the kingdom of Bharata. He still remembered the day when he finished the Ashwamedha yajna after his coronation, when sage Bharadwaja had anointed Lord Indra, before crowning

him a samrat. It was a critical point in his life when he had made the same number of friends as enemies in the process. He knew Pijavana was a mild mannered ‘gentleman’ and not really a warrior. He had taken after his wife , rather than himself. “Oh, great Maharshi, this is a difficult task. It is a lot easier for me to destroy a demon for you or conquer a kingdom for you. But what you are asking me goes against everything I have believed in,” Divodasa said with pain clearly visible in his eyes. “A samrathas to suffer for the sake of his empire and his people. You have no option.” The sage was unwavering. Divodasa was in a dilemma. He cannot rightfully refuse a request by a Maharshi. A request from a sage and a Maharshi at that, is like a command. For one, it is not a done thing to refuse any request. Besides, the anger of a Maharshi was the fire that destroyed kingdoms. He did not want to spark that glow. “It is also not so simple. Sage Vasishta may not agree to it. As you know , he is also the royal priest for the empire along with Vishwamitra, and I cannot go against his wishes.” The sage smiled and replied, “I knew you would say that, Samrat. However, do not fear. Maharshi Vasishta is of the same view as Vishwamitra and me. Now, you should stop worrying and take some rest tonight in our humble ashram. Sudas’s prana is too powerful to be ignored. Your soldiers will be here in the morning to escort you back to the city of Ila.” And, turning to the shikshu, he continued, “Please arrange for suitable accommodation for the Samrat for the night.” Divodasa was confused and understandably flustered. The sage saw him dithering and put his hand on Divodasa’s shoulders and said , looking into his

eyes, “I know what you are thinking,Samrat. Please have faith in what I say to you. You have the dilemma as a father taking away a prize from his son and as a Samrat you have an obligation to take it away. But, think of it as a welcome gift to your grandson and relieving your son of an unwanted gift. You know as well as I do, that Pijavana is not enjoying his time as a Rajan. I am certain that he will thank you for relieving him of his responsibilities.” And he turned and went into his hut , followed by his wife. Divodasa stood there , staring at the darkened door of the hut for a long time before turning towards the patiently waiting shikshu. It was a thoughtful samratwho walked slowly behind the shikshu to a little hut they had prepared for him to spend the night. It was a small circular mud hut with thatched roof. There was a bed made of reeds on a pallet for him to lie on. The night was hot and humid. He carried the reed bed outside and spread it under the short amratree. He laid down on the reed mattress, but could not sleep. He tossed and turned thinking about how he was going to break the news to his son, Pijavana. He lay there, staring at the clear sky brightly lit with millions of stars. The moon was low in the eastern sky and the sun had set a long time ago. He could see the seven stars of Saptharshi’s quite clearly. He started to name all the stars and named all the seven in the Saptharshi mandala (the Great Dipper) from Vasishta (Mizar) to AngiYamuna (Alioth). He thought he could even recognise the faint Arundhati star (Alcor) next to Vasishta (Mizar). He knew if he stayed awake long enough he would see the cluster of stars of Krittika (Pleaides) coming into view on the eastern horizon just before the sunrise. He thought about the years he had spent with the Suryavanshi sage Vasishta, learning the art of becoming a true Aryan before becoming a

Rajan. His son Pijavana had spent all his time growing up learning the same from Vasishta. The basic tenets of being a true Aryan were to love everything and everyone. Unfortunately,Ithad a profound effect on the growing mind of Pijavana and he became more of a pacifist. He probably could not bring himself to the thought of sacrificing the horse at the end of Ashwamedha or killing all those soldiers during the wars that invariably ensued during the Yajna. The eastern horizon was a light orange now. Divodasa realised he had no option but to ask his son to step down. And then he fell into a dreamless slumber. Incessant chirping of birds on the amratree woke him from a dream where he was in Lord Indra’s court. Indra was chiding him for taking so long to decide on Sudas. “I was Manu and the Sun. I am the Kakshivan, the sage,” he was sitting on his golden throne and pointing his finger at Divodasa. “I made Kutsa humble. I am the seer Ushanas, behold me. I gave the Earth to the Aryans. I gave the rain to the worshipping mortal. I led the roaring floods. The Gods move according to my will. In ecstasy I destroyed at once the ninety-nine cities of Sambara, and the hundredth city completely,when I aided you.” Remember Prastoka gave you ten chests of gems and ten stallions. He gave them to you because you showed your power and now, you go and tell Sudas to do the same. He has the prana of a samrat, not Pijavana. I will be there with Sudas and help him win battles against his enemies.” Divodasa had looked on at Indra without saying a word and the sound of birds had woken him before Indra could say anything else. The sun was high in the sky, but he was still in the cool shadows of the Amra tree. No one dared wake him in the morning. He felt refreshed as he walked towards the stream at the edge of the ashram. Just as he finished washing himself, a

shikshu appeared on the bank of the stream with a fresh towel. Divodasa dried himself and prayed to the Sun God, facing the blazing sun itself. The shikshu waited patiently for him to finish and said, “Namaste, Samrat. Your captain is here with the soldiers.” “Thank you. Have they been here long?” “They reached the ashram late last night and they are ready for you now.” The shikshu replied. “The sage Ushanas is expecting the Samrat in his hut.” Divodasa suddenly remembered what had happened the night before and his heart sank. He threw the towel over his shoulder and walked behind the shikshu to the sage’s hut. Ushanas was sitting in front of the hut with his wife. The Samrat kneeled in front of the sage and said, “My humble obeisance to the great Maharshi. I am grateful for your hospitality.” Ushanas stood up and put his hand on the Samrat’s shoulders helping him up. “Dheergayushman bhava, the great Samrat of Bharata. You are the greatest Samrat the kingdom of Bharata has seen since Yayati.” The sage looked into the samrat’s eyes and continued,“I am sure you will continue to do what is right for your kingdom and the people.” Divodasa knew exactly what he meant by that. “I am grateful for your advice, Maharshi.” He replied. “I am on my way to the city of Ila to put things right. I am sure your blessings will make me successful as always.” “Bhadram te. God Indra will protect you, as he has always done.”

His captain, Kutsa was waiting eagerly for his Samrat. He had been his trusted bodyguard and captain of his personal guards since Divodasa had spared his life many years ago after a bitter and an acrimonious battle involving magic and demons of king Sambara. Divodasa had taken to this rather rough and ready man , who was one of the “fallen Aryans.” He had changed Kutsa with the help of sage Vasishta to something completely unrecognizable now. Kutsa was a greedy, selfish tribal king, always looking out for himself, hoarding the riches of his people and was cruelty personified. God help any of his subjects who crossed him. Now he was a nobleman, offered prayers and sacrifices to the Gods and the people. He would lay his life down for the samrat. He had been worried sick when Divodasa had disappeared the day before, chasing the buck in the forest. He had sent search parties in every direction and would not sit down until a shikshu from Ushanas’s ashram came and told him the news of Divodasa’s safety. He knelt down at the approach of his Samrat, as did all of his soldiers. “Hail, Samrat Divodasa.” All the soldiers chorused with raised hands and heads bent down. Divodasa put his hands on Kutsa and said, “Arise, captain. It is good to see you and the platoon.” “We were extremely concerned at the Master’s disappearance last night,” Kutsa said with concern on his face. He had always called Divodasa ‘Master’ since the day he had been spared all those years ago. “I had sent teams in all directions looking for you. It was not till late last night when the shikshu from the ashram found us and told us of your whereabouts.” “You need not have worried, Kutsa.” Divodasa replied. “There is no one in this world who can harm me as long as I have God Indra as my protector.” “My grateful thanks to God Indra and our prayers are always with him and you.”

“Now, I hope you have rested well and had some breakfast.” The samratasked. “We have to rush back to the capital, Ila. I have important business to attend to.” As if by cue, a shikshu, the same one who had picked him up the day before, brought his horse around. “Your horse has eaten and drunk, Samrat,” Kutsa handed the reins over to Divodasa. “The saddle was damaged where he had rubbed against a tree. It has been repaired with flax and leather.” Divodasa had a look at where the shikshu was pointing at and was surprised to find that the saddle was as good as new. He could hardly see where the saddle had been damaged. He thanked the shikshu and jumped onto the saddle with ease of a youth. It was not long before they were galloping down the path out of the forest towards the capital. The samrat’s mind was busy, as he galloped through the forest. Suddenly, he pulled the reins hard and the stallion came to a stop rearing up as it did so. The nostrils were flaring with exertion and the rest of the platoon pulled up behind him. “Is there a problem, Master?” Kutsa asked politely, wondering what had happened. “There is no problem, Kutsa. We will first go to Vishwamitra’s ashram to see my grandson Sudas.” Kutsa’s face immediately lit up. Sudas was a favourite of his , as well as of the guards. A loud cheer went up when the guards heard the change in destination. They were not too keen on the sage Vishwamitra, though. He was known for his foul moodsand short temper. Nevertheless, the thought of seeing young Sudas made it all worthwhile for them. There was a renewed vigour as they changed directions towards the west and Vishwamitra’s

ashram. They would have to cross the mighty river Sarasvathi to reach the ashram. Even that did not faze them. They reached the eastern banks of the mighty river late that night and camped on the banks of the Sarasvathi. The whole platoon slept well after that. Except the samrat, who tossed and turned. His turmoil was tempered only by the thought of seeing his favourite grandson soon. They crossed the river Sarasvathi in the morning and galloped towards the city of Sindhu on the banks of the mighty river Sindhu. Vishwamitra’s ashram was on the western banks of the river Sarasvati, where the two mighty rivers were within touching distance of each other and not too far from the city of Sindhu. They camped overnight on the eastern banks of the river and crossed the river using a ferry. The boatman had been shocked to see the samrat himself at first before recovering to fuss over his stallion. One does not see the samrat of Bharata every day in the middle of the jungle.They had to travel further south to reach the ashram. The soldiers were now careful because this was a path frequented by bandits and rogue mercenaries. The wealthy cities of Harappa, Ilaspada and Sindhu attracted a host of trader caravans from everywhere. The samrat’s convoy passed several caravans with carts pulled by strong oxen and laden with everything from grains to oils to semiprecious stones and heavy cedar wood. Sage Vishwamitra often left the city of Sindhu to spend much of his time in the ashram on the banks of the river Sarasvati. Divodasa was hoping that the sage would be in the ashram. He did not fancy riding two more days to reach the city of Sindhu if he was not at the ashram. They reached the ashram well after sunset. The ashram was in darkness and there was no sign of any activity apart from a tiny column of smoke from the dying embers of the evening prayers.

“I think we will camp outside the ashram tonight, Kutsa,” Divodasa said. “I don’t really want to disturb their sleep.” “As you wish , Master.” Kutsa replied. “I will send scouts to look for a suitable site.” They set up camp near a small stream, which flowed on the edge of the ashram. Early next morning, Divodasa turned back from his morning prayers to confront the overpowering countenance of Vishwamitra. He was standing tall, holding a kamandalu in one hand, a rudraksha around his neck, and a long , flowing white beard. One could sense the power and charisma as an aura around the sage. His jet black eyes were staring at the samrat and made him feel humble instantly and he immediately prostrated in front of the sage asking for his blessings. “I know why you are here, samrat. Welcome to my ashram and we shall discuss your problems.” He turned and walked quickly away, before Divodasa could respond. Kutsa was taken aback and stood there transfixed staring at the sage’s receding back. The samrat recovered first and sprinted after him. Sight of the great sage well known for his short temper was daunting to anyone at first. “Come on , Kutsa. The one thing we don’t want is getting him angry.” The two of them rushed after the sage while the rest of the soldiers followed. The sage strode directly into the centre of the ashram, which was a circular clearing with huts around the circle amidst asokatrees. The sunrays were beaming down in between the trees where the mist was just lifting off the fallen leaves on the ground. The red flowers of the Asoka trees had fallen

on the ground covered with due giving an unearthly appearance to the whole place. Several shikshus were moving around unhurriedly doing their morning chores and getting ready for the morning prayers. There was no sign of Sudas anywhere. They found the sage had stopped under a large pipal tree with a mud platform. The samrat knelt in front of him, as did Kutsa. “Namasthe , great sage Vishwamitra. We have come for your blessings.” The sage laughed and said, “I know exactly why you are here, samrat Divodasa. I knew this day would come and Sudas has been prepared for this.” He clapped his hands twice and two of the shikshus came running and stood in front of him with bent heads. “Go and fetch young Sudas. Tell him that his grandfather is here to see him.” “Thank you , sage Vishwamitra. You are very kind.” The samrat was on his feet now. “Come , Divodasa. Sit down and rest. Sudas will be here any minute now. I agree with sage Ushanas. Sudas will make a much better king than his father, Pijavana. He has been on the throne now for a decade and has not really done much for the kingdom. Sudas has been a very good student. He has become a good warrior and has learnt the scriptures as well. I have been teaching him the art of a true Aryan king and he is a fast learner.” The samrat just then heard running feet and he turned around to see a handsome young man running towards him at a fast clip followed by the two shikshus, completely out of breath trying hard to keep up with Sudas. Sudas had not even broken into sweat. He was tall, well-built with chiselled features, broad shoulderswith a wheatish complexion glowing in the early morning sun with long red hair, dark blue eyes and long eyelashes. Well

defined muscles on his chest and shoulders gave him a regal look. He was powerful and yet not brutal. His dark blue eyes took everything around him quickly without darting from one to another. The red, shoulder length hair was blowing in the wind as he ran towards the samrat. He knelt in front of Divodasa’ and placed his forehead on his feet and said, “Namaste , Grandfather. I did not know you were coming.” Divodasa was smiling from ear to ear as he lifted up the young Sudas holding his shoulders. Divodasa was taller than most Bharatans, but he had to look up to see Sudas’s face. He hugged him and said, “Thousand years to your life, my son. May God Indra protect you all the time. It had been a long time since I saw you. You have grown into a handsome young man. You will bring glory to Bharata.” Sudas turned to the sage and touched his feet. “Namaste , Master. Thank you for bringing my grandfather to me.” Vishwamitra smiled and said, “You better sit down , samrat Divodasa. Tell me what made you come here first before speaking to your son Pijavana.” Divodasa and Sudas sat opposite to the sage on the ground. Kutsa withdrew to the edge of the clearing along with his soldiers out of earshot. “I am sure you do not have to be told why I am here instead of Ilaspada, great sage. You know everything,” Divodasa started. “But still since you ask, I will tell you. I have difficulty coming to terms with asking Pijavana to step down from the throne when he is still in his prime. He is not old or infirm. I have to have a reason acceptable to everyone.” The sage cleared his throat before speaking.

“I will have to take you back in time for this Samrat. As you are well aware, your ancestor, Yayathi, probably the greatest Samrat after Bharata himself ruled the kingdom of Bharata. His sons Yadu, Turvasa, Anu, Druhyu and Puru then ruled the world as we know it. Wise Yayathi made Puru the king of Bharata for reasons you know very well, but did not ignore the other sons. Puru earned his position as he was prepared to give his life for his father whereas the rest of them were not. The others were given kingdoms around Bharata. Yadu, Turvasa, Anu and Druhyu never forgave their father for what they considered to be a betrayal. They bore the grudge against Puru and that continued through their descendants. Puru was a brilliant Rajan and he continued the noble ways of the Aryans expanding the country and was always a fair Aryan ruler. Yadu and Turvasa’s descendants continued in their own way accumulating wealth and expanding east and south towards the Vindhya mountains. They did not completely lose their Aryan values. They did come under the influence of local tribal sects worshipping pagan deities and worshippers of moon and the stone obelisk they called Rudra. However, descendants of Anu and Druhyu veered away from the Aryan ways. Druhyus expanded their kingdom towards the north and west, and became greedy and eyed Bharata itself. Anu’s descendants expanded towards the west mostly and , at times , joined hands with the Druhyus. It was left to your ancestral kings to launch campaigns after campaigns against the Druhyus. Kings Sasabindu, Yuvanasva, Mandhatri and Sibi fought several battles to contain both Druhyus and sometimes Anu on the west. It did not stop until King Mandhatri killed the Druhyu Angara and put his youngest son Gandhara on the throne.” Both Divodasa and Sudas could not really understand where the sage was taking them. They had heard these stories several times before and knew their history very well. The sage saw their look of perplexity on their faces

and smiled. “I understand your confusion. You are wondering what this has to do with your current predicament. I will tell you. One thing that none of these kings did, was to expand the kingdom of Bharata. It had remained the same for over a century. When Mandhatri killed King Angara of Druhyus, he should have annexed the kingdom. Instead, he placed Angara’s son, Gandhara on the throne. They have grown since then. They control all the soma fields on the Mujavant mountain. They have been made guardians of Mujavant and Sharynavat under the leadership of Alinas by the ancient Bramharshis. No one can take that away from them. They have gained magical powers, partly because of the soma and partly because of their Mujavant mountain. Now, Gandharis are powerful and hold a large army by expanding northwards over the mountains.The city of Varsagira is always under threat by the Avestan and the marauding Elamites and you know what that means. The fall of Varsagira would mean a huge blow to our supply of gold, copper and lapis lazuli.Anu have not lagged behind much either. Both of you know what happened recently at Harappa. King Vishtaspa would not have dared attack Harappa if we had strong boundaries. The Anu’sbelieve a messiah will come and save them from annihilation. I, too, foresee a great thinker leading them to great things, but not quite now. They call themselves Avestans now and are growing in strength every day. Unless Bharata is made more powerful by expanding its borders, it will be destroyed and it will be the end of the Aryans.” There was still an air of consternation and shock at this revelation on the faces of Divodasa and Sudas. “We are still not sure what you are trying to tell us , great sage. Pijavana has ruled Bharata now for over a decade with no major calamities. Alinas

and his Gandharis provide us with all the soma we need and he has been most friendly. Why would the Gandharis and the Avestans attack now? They have been taught a lesson by sage Shunahotra of Harappa on the banks of Parushni not long ago. ” “That there are no calamities within the kingdom has more to do with the resilience of the people and the country built up by your ancestors. A Raja has to show the neighbours that he is a force to be reckoned with. The Gandharis are biding their time. Avestans are waiting for a king powerful enough to unite them again. Mark my words, it will not be long before someone will take up that role for them. And, he will be powerful. Pijavana is an able administrator but not a powerful one. He has been too soft and has not shown any signs of aggression so far. It is not his fault. Sudas has been taught, that to be a good king, one has to follow the Kshatriya dharma as well as the tenets of Aryan philosophy. The most important prerequisite of all is that he has the prana of a Samrat. Pijavana will understand why Sudas should rule the Bharata kingdom now.” Both Sudas and Divodasa sat with rapt attention and some anxiety. Sudas did not have the courage to speak up against the sage. Divodasa finally plucked up enough courage to ask. “But, sage. Is it not against the laws of Manu to take away a throne from the King when he is still fit and young enough to rule the country?” Vishwamitra’s eyes protruded out of his sockets when he calmly replied, “Are you questioning my words, Samrat? Don’t you think I have considered that myself? Do you think I do not know the laws of Manu?” He paused for a moment. There was absolute silence in the ashram. Even the cool breeze had stopped for the wrath of the great Maharshi.

“Manu also states that a ruler is incapable of ruling, if the country is being threatened and nothing is being done protect the borders. Now consider this. The Avestans find their new king and Gandharis decide to use their magical powers to attack Bharata. Do you think Pijavana is strong enough to stop the destruction of country built over thousands of years? Do you think he is strong enough to protect the Aryan way of life cherished by hundreds of generations since the great king Bharata? I knew you would balk at speaking to your son at this. Don’t worry, I have sent a message to Pijavana. He will offer to step down himself when you reach Ilaspada.” There was a tone of condescension and sarcasm in his words. Divodasa relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. There was an emotional turmoil in Sudas, but he was still reticent at voicing it. Vishwamitra was watching Sudas’s face intently, but did not say anything at first. Divodasa responded with, “Thank you, sage Vishwamitra. That lifts a great burden off an old man’s shoulder. I could not bring myself to ask my son, Pijavana to give up his throne. As always, your knowledge and power have solved my problem.” Sudas was fidgeting by this time. The sage responded to him. . “I can understand your concern , Sudas. Nevertheless, remember the teachings over the years. Swayambhuva Manu and all the great sages who wrote those teachings were great thinkers and their knowledge should be used for the good of humanity. It would be a travesty if you do not use the knowledge you have acquired here in the ashram. This is your chance to serve your kingdom and people. You should grab it with both your hands, cherish it, and grow with it. God Indra will be with you in your efforts. I have great faith in you and your capabilities. Bhadram te.” They thanked the sage and took their leave from the ashram. Kutsa was

bursting with curiosity, but did not have the courage to ask any questions. The soldiers were thrilled to see young Sudas and were content to be riding along with him in front. Sudas was quiet for a long time during the ride. He kept looking at his grandfather who was also appeared to be preoccupied. After what seemed to be an eternity, Sudas broke the silence and asked his grandfather, “Grandfather, I cannot say that I am terribly happy about the situation. How can I accept the role of a king while father is still at the helm of everything?” Divodas smiled at this and replied, “Unfortunately, son, you have no choice. You have to do certain things, which are not always to your liking. You are born to lead Bharata to be a great empire. The great sage has decreed that your responsibility starts now. I can understand your reluctance. I am sure your father will feel the same way about it.” That quietened Sudas somewhat. But there was an uncomfortable silence for a long time. The soldiers following dared not speak up. Even Kutsa, who was itching to speak to Sudas had to bite his tongue. They reached Ilaspada just as the dusk was settling in and the lights were being lit on the walls and streets of the city. The news of Sudas’s arrival had reached the city the day before and the citizens thronged the streets to take a good look at their beloved prince. He had left the city as a child. Now he was a young prince. As soon as they saw the riders come through the immense gates a massive roar went up. “Hail Sudas!” roared the streets and it continued with, “Sudas!!Sudas!!” And it increased to a crescendo as Sudas and Divodasa entered the main street. When the two waved their hands acknowledging the adulation, the response was unbelievable. The guards on the street and the walls joined

hands beating their shieldswith their spears. The ground shook with the noise. Divodasa felt proud of his grandson and Sudas was overcome with emotion at the love of his subjects. They reached the gates of the palace to be welcomed by Pijavana and Sudas’s mother. Sudas jumped from his stallion and ran to his mother. Pijavani hugged her little boy, who was now a man. Pijavana knelt in front of Divodasa asking for his blessings. “Live long and prosper. Stand up, Pijavana, Rajan of Bharata.” Divodasa had lifted Pijavana by his shoulders, “It is time, son.” “Yes father. I know it is time.” He smiled and turned to look at Sudas still in the arms of his mother with fondness. “Thank you for bringing Sudas to me and to Ilaspada.” “Yes, Pijavana.” Divodasa replied, “Sudas is ready to lead Bharata to glories. The sages have spoken.” Pijavani walked with Sudas to Pijavana. Divodasa takes Sudas up the huge wall of the city to see the vast sea of mankind watching. They were watching and waiting. Pijavana and Divodasa hold Sudas’s arms up in the air for all to see. There is a growling murmur among the watchers which dies down as they see both the samrat and the rajan lifting young Sudas’s hands. “My people, hail to your new king. Hail Sudas!” The entire gathering rose up as one and there was an uproar of “Hail, O King. Hail prince Sudas.” The chanting of Sudas’s name went on for a long time. When they eventually went inside the palace, the sound of Sudas’s name was still ringing in their ears. There was a smile of relief on Divodasa’s face that night.

Chapter 4 : Ashwamedha and Rise of Sudas. It was my first trip to the city of Ilaspada on the banks of great river Sarasvathi. Father had been invited to the coronation of Sudas as the new Rajan. I was going as part of the medical team with Master Ashwin. The coronation was expected to attract a large number of guests, both invited and un-invited. It would be one of the largest gatherings of peoples in the kingdom for a long time. Leaders of the surrounding countries had been invited as well. King Vishtaspa from Ariana, along with the leaders of the seven states of his kingdom were attending with a large retinue, more as a show of strength than a show of friendship. Representatives from Keingir, Elam, Media, Dravida as well as Mastaba were expected to attend with their retinue. The medical facilities in the city would not be able to cope with the numbers. Medical teams from all the major cities including Harappa, Saraswatha, Girinagara, Mahishmati, Varshagira, Manua, Kasi and Sindhu had been requested to help during the week long celebrations. We had left Harappa with a caravan of wagons filled with medical supplies weeks before the event. The preparation for the trip had taken a lot of effort and time for everyone at the hospital. Being the youngest in the team, I was in my first year of training under Master Ashwin, I was the “go for!” I had made my first trip to Lake Sharynavat on mount Mujavant with the Master and Pindara to get a fresh load of soma plants and extracts in the week before leaving Harappa. That trip itself was magical and full of exciting things for a rookie physician. I saw the power of my Master and the magic of Alinas and Gandharis on the mountain during that trip. We had a platoon of Harappan guards with us as protection from the raiders who had been known to attack such convoys. Mother had been busy as well,

preparing dried food for me to take for the trip. Father and Master Ashwin had insisted that I had some basic training with arms and I had to spend every morning at the crack of dawn with Commander Adhvadipa himself learning the rudiments of archery and swordsmanship. The commander turned out to be a taskmaster and at the end of two weeks training, I was reasonably comfortable with using simple bow and arrows and the long sword. The Commander’s parting shot was, “You have enough skills to ward off a weak Dasyu maiden at best. I would not stray too far from the guards if I were you.” We had visited the great temple of Indra at the edge of the city, blessed by sage Shunahotra in the morning, and left soon after sunrise. I was always impressed by the sheer size and architectural engineering of the temple. Opening of the front doors of the temple as the first rays of sun hit the temple was a sight to see. As the rays climbed up the front door to hit a small window in the middle, the massive doors swung open with clanging of thousands of bells and massive kettle drums within the temple. The small golden idol of Indra sitting cross-legged on the central platform within the sanctum sanctorum looked almost lifelike. The team had two senior physicians and three apprentices including me, four nurses, two wagons full of supplies and two wagons for respite. We were on horseback including the platoon of soldiers, looking regal in their leather armour, brass shields and bows and arrows. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. I felt elated and duly impressed when I saw that the whole city had turned up and filled the roadsides as the convoy left the city. The interspersed cries of “Hail!” to the young Sudas was new to everyone there. Sudas’s name was still new and not many people knew much about him, including me. His father, King Pijavana was ruling from the city

of Ilaspada and none of us knew much about him either. He had never visited the city of Harappa before. We reached the western banks of Sarasvati about two weeks later , without too many hiccups. We did not see any raiders during our trip. Most of our enthusiasm had waned by the second week of the trip. Nothing exciting was happening during the journey. We were expecting at least one attack by the dreaded raiders and I had visions of downing several of them with my arrows. One night, a scout had returned to report a camp of raiders further ahead at the head of a ravine. Our captain had dispatched a small group of soldiers who had come back several hours later with minor injuries and the news that the raiders had been “taken care of.” That was the only excitement during the entire trip. Our enthusiasm turned into fear when we saw the mighty river. It looked more like a raging ocean than a river to me. We could not see the opposite bank. The water was a muddy torrent with waves splashing the rocks on the shore with an almighty force and rewriting the boundary of the river every day. I was beginning to wonder if we had lost our way and ended up on the beaches of the great ocean down south. The sandy bank was interspersed with large granite rocks breaking up the waves and offered some shelter. There were huge arjunatrees all along the eastern bank with some appearing to be growing out of the water. Thick branches hung down close to the water and offered shade from the evening sun. The sand was brilliant : white and smooth. The horses did not like it one bit. “We will camp here for tonight,” the commander had said. “We will have to travel north in the morning to reach the river crossing point, where a ferry awaits to take us across.” I was still not convinced. The water looked immense and the current was

rapid to say the least. How could a ferry go across such a rapid current and across such a vast distance? I thought. The other two apprentices were worried too. Master Ashvin must have overheard our discussion, because he came to us. “It is much deeper further north and the current is less rapid.The ferrymen do the crossing almost every day. I would not worry too much. I would get as much sleep as possible, if I were you. You won't be able to get any rest on the ferry.” He was smiling when he said that. He obviously knew something we did not and it amused him. We looked at each other and tried to get some sleep under the bright light of a near full moon and bright stars. The rhythmic sound of the flowing river lulled us to sleep to be woken up by the captain shouting orders to the soldiers. They had to get their practice and training every morning without fail. The commander had insisted that I join the soldiers in the morning training every day. The captain had actually praised my improved archery skills a few days ago; I hit the target more, and I didn’t miss as many targets as before. We reached the crossing point of the river by lunchtime that day. The captain was right; the river was much quieter here. We could just make out the distant shoreline. There was a large ferry waiting for us, which could take the wagons and the horses as well quite easily. This was not my first ferry crossing, but I had never seen such a large one before. It had a covered cabin in the middle and the rowers, twenty of them on each side, were below deck. It was built of solid cedar wood trunks and planks, lined with bitumen and tied together with thick, strong flax ropes. The solid planks were joined together with butt joints reinforced with flax ropes and dowels. I could see the look of fear on the faces of one of the apprentices and a couple of the junior nurses. They were petrified of the mighty river and kept closing their eyes and praying every now and then. The crossing , however, was not as

turbulent as we all had feared. We had to travel south downstream for a short while before going east to the opposite bank. Our first view of Ilaspada was a tall temple spire rising out of a dense forest. Soon, we saw the great walls. There was lush vegetation everywhere we looked.It was not like the cities of Harappa or Sindhu where the cities stood away from the forest. The river skirted the western walls of the city for a distance before reaching the dock. I could not see anything beyond the city walls apart from thin columns smoke rising from the houses. The huge city walls were dwarfed by massive arjunaand kadiratrees, which appeared to engulf the city from all sides. Even the dock was in the shadows of the massive trees. The branches were low down and some were dipping into the river itself. The stone built dock platform with a massive brassand stone anchor points along the edge was crawling with people. The pilot of our ferry took the boat close enough to the dock for anchoring ropes to be thrown across to the waiting hands of men on the platform. Themenon the dock secured the ferry to the dock and loweredthe gangplank. Some of the sailors jumped on to the shore and helped the nurses get down onto the platform followed by us on the horses. The wagons and soldiers followed suit. Massive gates led to a wide road whichheaded north, lined with shops selling all sorts of wares, anything from clothes to food and toys and jewellery made of precious and semi - precious stones. There were several inns along the way and the smell of delicious food being cooked for the evening meal filled the air. The buildings on either side were two and three storied, except for one very large building at the cross section, going up four storeys high. Asoka trees with bright orange red flowers lined the wide road and the entire main street appeared to be in the shade of the trees. The road climbed gradually up in a straight line ending finally in the great temple at the top of a gentle hill. We could only see the gates of the temple from the cross

section as the thick canopy of trees covered the view of the top of the temple. There was another wide street crossing the road in the middle running from east to west along with several smaller streets joining the road at right angles. The city plan appeared to be very similar to that of our own Harappa, but in a grander scale. There was a distinct lack of trees along the side streets and the tiny lanes , which sprung off the side streets were so narrow that the high walls of the houses cut of the sun almost completely. The houses were of similar design with main doors opening into courtyards with a well in each. Elaborate ornate grills covered high windows. Walls painted with ochre and red with wooden doors leading to passageways into the courtyards. Several of the houses had fire altars where house holders performed daily yajnas. Unlike Harappa, the man of the house did daily yajnas at home and offered sacrifice of sweets, milk and grains. All the roads were cobbled with sun-baked bricks. The carts had made shallow gutters on either side of the road, as the road was big enough to take two carts easily at a time with enough spare space on either side for pedestrians. I could see at least one large open well at the cross roads with steps leading down to the water. The main street was bustling with numerous visitors from all over the world thronging the place. It was fascinating to watch different kinds of dresses and people as we rode up the street. Our convoy turned left at the top near the temple and headed towards the eastern wall of the city where we camped in a huge field along with several other caravans. I had never seen so many different kinds of people and caravans in my life. I could make out some of them from the yearlong experience in the hospital. I had met some Avestans and Sumerians and even a couple of Dasyu’s in the hospital as patients. There were men from Elaam, Aratta as well as Media. However, I

could not identify anyone else. Over the following days, our captain pointed out guests from different parts of our own kingdom of Bharata who dressed and spoke differently – the Anu, Turvasas, Yadus, Panis and Druhyus among others. There were also people from surrounding countries such as Bhedas, Shigrus, Matsyas, Yaksu etc. The carts and horses carried the seals of their kingdoms and kings. It was a mixture of aryans with dasyus, Avestans which made it so colourful. The Matsyas with a huge fish on their flags, Druhyus with a star ensign to show they were descendants of planet Shukra and the loud Yadus from the Far southeast were most prominent. I had never seen so many different types of seals and signs. My fellow sailors were amazed when I could read out the seals and tell them whom they belonged to. Most fascinating were the seals by the Elamites, Mastaba and people for Aratta, whichI could not read. The soldiers who were not on duty, appeared to spend a lot of time around inns selling the local drinks. Apart from the usual Sura, which was made from fermented barley, Ilaspada was known for its own drink called the Masara. It was made by fermenting rice mixed with spices such as mustard, turmeric and some secret ingredient fiercely guarded by the innkeepers of Ilaspada. The generals and the sages frowned upon all these drinks. The only drink allowed by the generals was the soma and that would be for special occasions, Yajnas and battles. It was fascinating as well as overwhelming to see a sea of humanity all together in one place. Most of them had brought their soldiers in some numbers. “Why are there so many foreign soldiers?” I asked the captain. “I am not entirely sure of the politics.May be for their own protection or could be a show of their strength to the new king Sudas.”

“Why would they need protection in our kingdom at a time like this?” I said, slightly perplexed. “Our Bharatan soldiers are more than a match to anyone in the world and there are huge contingents from all the cities here.” “What are you two young men discussing?” Master Ashwin had joined us from the caravan. “Namaste, Master Ashwin. I was just asking the captain why there are so many foreign soldiers here.” The Master smiled before replying. “All the Rajans of the surrounding countries want to show off their strength as a warning to the new king.” “Why should they be worried?” I still could not understand. “Our present king Pijavana had never waged a war against any of them before.” “Well, it is not unusual for a new king to perform the Ashwamedha after his coronation.” Master Ashwin looked serious. “I have just been informed that Sage Vishwamitra has asked Sudas to perform the Yajna at the same time as his coronation. These kings must be worried about the impending Ashwamedha and that is why they are showing off their strength. The spy network has been busy obviously. I am afraid we will not be going back to Harappa for a while.” “Are we not going back home after the coronation, Master?” I asked , showing my anxiety. “Upaas, you will see the course of a magnificentyajna after the coronation. A white stallion, chosen from the best of the royal steeds, is let loose to roam the countryside after the yajna.Wherever the stallion goes, the people and their Rajans and Rajikas will have to pay tributes to King Sudas and swear an oath of allegiance. If they do not, Sudas will wage a war to subjugate them. And that is where we come in. He will need as much

medical help as he can get.” “But, that could take months or even years!” I exclaimed. “Yes, Upaas. It may even take years. However, do not be worried. We won't be expected to stay with the army for the entire course.” There was a lot of excited discussion in the camp that night at this news. Everyone had his or her own versions and his or her own fears and assumptions. None of us had seen an Ashwamedhabefore and the news was apprehensive as well as exciting. It was quite late by the time the camp went to sleep. The master took us to the place where the coronation was going to take place the next day. It was set in a huge field just outside the western walls of the city. The place was a hive of activity with hundreds of shikshu’s running around getting the final touches to the yajna that went with the coronation along with the Ashwamedha that followed straight afterwards. The central agnikundawas raised according to the Rigvedic instruction under the careful watch of the sages, Vishwamitra, Vasishta and Bharadwaja. No one knew who the adhwayuwas going to be. Bharadwaja was the senior most being samrat Divodasa’s Purohit, but sage Vasishta was considered more knowledgeable. On the other hand, it could be Vishwamitra under whose tutelage Sudas had grown all these years. The new king would first sit as the Yajamana before proceeding to sit on the throne at the end of the Yajna. The throne was at the end of the central platform screened off for the time being from prying eyes. Best wood from the kadira tree was used to build the throne frame as prescribed by the laws of Manu. The rumours were that the plate covering the throne was made of solid silver with gold embellishments and precious stones like ruby, emerald and lapis lazuli. The following morning, we were on the banks of river Sarasvathi to pray

to the sun god, Surya, as he came up on the eastern horizon and were at the venue soon after the sunrise. The yajnastarted with sage Vishwamitra praying to the Agnito bless the occasion and everyone taking part in it followed by prayer to God Soma and Sun as samrat Divodasa accompanied King Pijavana and Sudas to the platform. Sudas sat on one side of the Agni Kunda and followed instructions from sage Vasishta and Vishwamitra. Sage Bharadwaja was overseeing the entire process and making sure the incantations were correct and the order of yajna was maintained. The rituals went on for several days, starting everyday at sunrise and ending as the sun set. Finally, on the day when the sun would start his southward travel again at the start of Dakshinaayana, God Indra was anointed first as the Samrat of the World and the empire of Bharata. King Pijavana invited Sudas to take the throne. The two sages anointed Sudas at the invitation and led him to the throne at the end of the platform. As sage Vishwamitra took him on to the throne, the bugles sounded and the massive kettledrums beat loudly to herald the new king and new empire. The sage Vasishta anointed him as the new Rajan and said to him, “Close your eyes and repeat after me. Om Tat sat.” “Om Tat sat.” Sudas said with folded hands with his eyes closed. A brilliant light appeared in front of him, which seem to materialize into a figure draped all in white. He had a long face covered in pure white moustache and a long beard, holding a long staff in one hand and carrying a bow across the other shoulder. There was a golden crown on top of his head and a gold braided band across his forehead. He was combination of a sage and a warrior. Another odd thing about the figure was a brilliantly dazzling bronze armour, which could be seen under the white cloth. “I am Indra. I am your mentor. Remember that I will be with you all the

time as your Prana. Remember the strength of Om. It will be in touch with your Prana and will protect you always with me beside you. Have faith in your Prana and you will succeed in everything. Listen to these hymns of laws laid down by your elders and betters thousands of years ago and follow Manu’s laws always. I gave the laws to Swayambhuva Manu in the beginning. Since then several Manu have made your ancestors follow them successfully. You need to be a kshatriya warrior but with aryan values. You should strive to be in the path of Arya dharma always. If you deviate from this path, disaster will befall you.” The figure spoke for what appeared to be an eternity giving the newly anointed king the laws laid down all those years ago. When Sudas finally opened his eyes, sage Vishwamitra was next to him smiling and whispered in his ears, “Remember what you have been told. Swayambhuva Manu himself will guide you through your travails and Lord Indra will be with you always.” Sudas appeared perplexed for a moment and confused to see the sage smiling. All the royals from the surrounding countries came up to the platform to wish him success. All the Brahmans in the congregation rose as one and blessed him with, “Dheergayushman Bhava. Dhigvijayee Bhava.” The new rajan was then taken to the fire altar built separately for the Ashwamedha. The process was started this time by sage Bharadwaja and continued by sage Vishwamitra with Sudas sitting on one side of the altar. The white stallion was tied to a post not far away from the altar, where it stood looking majestic with a long white mane, lilac coloured cloth with the emblem of the empire embroidered in gold across its back, gold threaded rope straddled the leather harness. No one would be riding the stallion and it

would be allowed to roam free of its own will after the yajna. It was an occasion not to be missed and left a lasting impression on anyone and everyone watching it. The occasion was solemn and at the same time exhilarating. I could feel my chest swell with pride, my heart beat faster;the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and made me feel proud to belong to the nation of Bharata. I also felt an immediate allegiance to the new rajan Sudas. The Ashwamedha went on for several days and finally, the stallion was let loose followed by a large company of Sudas’s soldiers. Young Sudas knelt in front of samrat Divodasa and touched his feet, “Bless me , grandfather. May your blessings protect me all the time.” “Dheergayushman Bhava. Dhigvijayee Bhava. God Indra is with you and will protect you in all your battles.” Divodasa embraced the young king and there were tears of pride mixed with sadness in his voice. He then walked up to his father, King Pijavana and knelt in front of him touching his feet. Tears rolled down the king’s cheeks as he put his hands on young Sudas’s head and said, “Dheergayushman Bhava, son Sudas. May your reign equal that of God Indra. I know you will glorify your ancestors and make all of us proud to be Bharatans. God will give your arms strength to rule the world. Your enemies will tremble at your name and your people will worship you.” He lifted his son up, embraced him, and held him in his arms for a long time. As the tears dropped on Sudas’s shoulders, he said softly, “I will make you feel proud of me, father. You have brought me up to know the difference between right and wrong and no one can take that away.”

“I know you will, my son.” And, wiping tears off his face, he continued, “Sage Bharadwaja has foretold that your exploits will be sung for generations to come and for millennia in the future. Nevertheless, remember son, your strength is in your humility. Never let your emotions rule your brain. Destiny is your child. You can mould it the way you want it. Never make a decision when you are angry or emotional. Remember the Arya dharma is eternal and no one can destroy it. May the Gods bless you and protect you from all evil.” The elders blessed him and the assembly hailed him with one voice. Sudas climbed on to a raised platform at the end of a huge field outside the yajna campsite. The entire field was filled with a huge mass of soldiers of every hue and colour. Each city of Bharata had sent a company of soldiers as did the foreign states of Sumer, Mestaba, Elaam, Aratta, Dravida and Media. I could recognise our own Harappan soldiers with their captain , riding a black horse and carrying the Harappan flag with an orange rising sun on a yellow background. Colourful flags of different cities and countries were flying high in the breeze. Everyone was trying to outdo the other and impress the new king. Obviously, the foreigners were trying to show off their power with chariots and cavalry riders. The huge elephants stood at the back bedecked and mounted by the soldiers of Yadus. The infamous black Kalika regiment of Gadhi kingdom was there with their soldiers dressed in all black and riding black horses. Neighbouring Kings of Anu, Druhyu, Yadu and Turvasa had sent huge contingents in a show of strength. Sudas stood under the flag of Bharata flying high above the ground, an ochre yellow with a blood red lion in full flight. He looked around at the field of at least a hundred thousand soldiers and raised his right hand in acknowledgment. The entire field erupted at once with,

“Long live King Sudas! Hail to King Sudas! King Sudas.” Soon the sound of the soldiers beating their shields with their spears started slowly at first gathering pace with every shout. The ground shook with thousand voices and the wood hitting the bronze shields louder. The horses of the cavalry were getting excited and neighed loudly. The elephants at the back trumpeted to add to the tremendous sound. It was a sight to withhold. It looked as if the soldiers were straining at themselves to come forward towards Sudas. The captains raised their flags high and the elephants trumpeted again in unison. Sudas raised both his arms and waved at everyone again. Here was a man who would be loved as well as feared, I thought. This scenario went on for a while until sage Vasishta signalled him to step down off the platform. The guards formed a path for Sudas to walk towards the white stallion of Ashwamedha. Sudas climbed his favourite steed bedecked with leather saddle and finery. His bow and a large quiver of arrows hung on one side of his horse and a pair of long spears on the other side. “Hail to Rajan Sudas. Hail Samrat Divodasa. Hail Rajan Pijavana.” King Sudas led the large company of Bharatan soldiers at the front just behind the stallion. The buglers sounded the start of the epic journey and drummers beat the rhythm for the horses and the soldiers. The elephants blew their trumpets. Regiments followed Sudas’s company of soldiers from Harappa, Sindhu, Saraswatha, Manusa, Mahishmati and Girinagara. The regiment from Ilaspada and the neighbouring city of Manusa took the lead. Our captain estimated a number of ten thousand soldiers following Sudas on his journey. The contingent had the support of a large company of cavalry of one hundred horses. The support vehicles and staff followed behind. The sound of the march of the army would put fear of god into anyone.

Master Ashwin returned home to Harappa, leaving the two senior physicians, Karala and Dhanvi, and two of the apprentices along with a couple of nurses and the supply wagon to travel with the medical team of King Sudas. It was a fascinating journey for us. We were due to return home after the first six months on the road. The stallion went north first before turning slightly west towards the river Vipas. Wherever we went, people thronged to see the horse and the new king, tribute flowed, and the contingent grew in size. No one had challenged Sudas so far. We were beginning to think that nothing was going to happen and all we were doing was treating coughs and colds and some sprains along the way. ***** Thetrouble started after we crossed river Vipas into the mountainous region of the foothills of Himalayas. The first to confront the massive army was a village on the northern bank of Vipas. They were waiting for us in a narrow valley between two steep hills. It was a well-planned ambush aimed at causing maximum damage with a small number of soldiers. Our forward scouts set up by sage Vishwamitra had already spotted the hidden soldiers on behind the rocks and boulders on either side of the valley. They fought fiercely, but the battle was rather one sided and it was rather pathetic to watch our front line soldiers decimate the small army of the villagers. The chief of village Sabha came up at the end and fell at King Sudas’s feet, “Hail to great Rajan Sudas. Please accept our apologies for our transgresses. May you be victorious and be a samrat like your grandfather.” “Arise sir. Blessings of Lord Indra to you. The empire of Bharata will protect you from now on.”

The villagers followed suit with large quantities of gift to the king in the form of carts filled with food, fruits, butter as well as jewellery. “We swear our allegiance to the great rajan.” The leader of the Sabha had said as his soldiers laid down their weapons at Sudas’s feet. His soldiers joined the growing army. Just as the chief and villagers were breathing a sigh of relief at getting of lightly, “What you did was un-Aryan, sir.” It was sage Vishwamitra, thundering at the chief. “You did not announce your intention of a battle. There was no pre-battle meeting to discuss the rules of the war. You have broken all the sacred rules of war. You must be punished for it.” The chief of the Sabha was mortified and immediately fell at the feet of the enraged sage. He had heard of the sage’s short temper and his powers. “Our humble apologies, great sage Vishwamitra. Please forgive us, poor villagers. We are not as well informed as the great Maharshi. We did out of sheer ignorance and self preservation.” “That won't do, sir. You and your village must be taught a lesson.” And turning to the young king, he thundered, “I propose that we put the village Sabha to death and burn the village down. It would be an offering to God Agni.” The chief of the Sabha was inconsolable as he grabbed hold of the sage’s feet and soaked his feet with his tears. It was distressing to see an elderly gentleman crying, obviously terrified of consequences. “We will die for the great sage and the victorious Rajan. Please give us a chance to redeem ourselves.” His lamentation was gut wrenching and would melt anyone’s heart. I could not believe at what was happening. This cannot be considered Aryan if

you go around killing people who have surrendered to you. Vishwamitra. He was unrelenting when he bellowed,

But not

“Rajan Sudas, I am telling you to order your soldiers to destroy this village.” Just then the quiet voice of Vasishta interrupted, “Wait, Rajan Sudas.” He came forward between Vishwamitra and the Sabha chief. “There is value in forgiveness. Our scriptures tell us that an Aryan Rajan grows in power in forgiving the wrong doers and protecting the weak. It would be wrong of you to punish this man and his village who has surrendered and sworn allegiance to you.” “You are wrong in your interpretation of scriptures yet again, sage Vasishta.” Vishwamitra thundered and would have none of it. “It is the Kshatriya law to punish the enemy and assert his power.” Vasishta smiled at Vishwamitra and continued, “May I remind the great Maharshi that he was a soldier and a king before becoming a Risi? The great Bhrigu Muni who taught you insists on forgiveness. Did he not get you to forgive your enemies and give up your kingdomwhen you wanted to become a Risi? Did he not say that sacrifice is the greatest form of worship to God?” “That is rich coming from you, sage Vasishta,” Vishwamitra retorted. “It was you who refused to share your heavenly cow, Nandini with the rest of the world and you talk about sacrifice.” “You are wrong. You wanted the Nandini for your own use as Kaushika, the king. You wanted to get more powerful with the heavenly cow’s help. I had to refuse to protect the world from your avarice.”

“You have not changed , sage Vasishta. You are confusing the issue here just like you did back then.” Vishwamitra stormed off the camp. The Sabha chief and the villagers stood around heads bowed and petrified. Suddenly the elderly chief looked even older. There was silence in the camp as Vasishta turned to Sudas and said, “Rajan Sudas, it is now up to you to decide what you want to do. The life of this village and its people now belong to the empire of Bharata. You represent the empire and your decision will reflect on the empire. Do you want to build an empire on hate and oppression or on the values of love and compassion?” Sudas stood and thought for a long time before replying. He turned his face to the sun and said “Om Tat Sat.” The same figure of lord Indra who had appeared to him before at the time of his anointing appeared and said, “Son, this is a choice you will have to make yourself. This will show your strength and weaknesses as well as the wisdom to be an Samrat. You have to follow the rules of a kshatriya king and at the same time follow the law laid down by me as a true Aryan.” Sudas opened his eyes and turned back to the crowd in front of him. “Both of you are great sages and I am only a mere mortal. Being a mortal, I am allowed to make mistakes. I do not want to go against either of you. I do not have the strength to stand up to either of you. I have to abide by my kshatriya Dharma as well be a true Aryan.”

“Well said, Rajan.” Vasishta replied. “But, think carefully before you make your decision. As the villagers stood there with their hearts in their mouths, Sudas replied, “I have decided that as a kshatriya, I have to teach this village a lesson as they did not abide by the rules of either kshatriyas or the Aryans. The village will be burnt.” There was a gasp from the villagers. Women at the back started to sob. “But, as an Aryan rajan, I will forgive the villagers and spare their lives.” The soldiers hailed the Rajan’s generosity and the chief of the village Sabha fell at sage Vasishta’s feet and sobbed, “Thank you , great Maharshi. We are eternally grateful to you for saving our lives. We will serve the Rajan Sudas till the last drop of our blood.” The sage consoled the villagers and asked them to empty their houses of their belongings before the soldiers get at them. Sage Vishwamitra was not pleased. He stormed out of the camp and was not seen again for a few days. The travel through the mountainous region of the foothills of the Himalayas and the Shiwalik mountains was not as fast as that on the plains. We came across small temples with mother Goddess as well as Indra as main deities. There was one temple made mainly of wood with thatched roof for God Indra, which was really impressive. He was sitting crosslegged with a horned crown on his head. Images of sacrificial animals were etched into the base of the idol. It was made of baked mud painted with vivid colours.It was in the middle of a deep jungle on the Shiwalik mountains on the banks of river Sutudri. The walls had images of all kinds of animals, elephants, lion, bulls, peacocks, rhino and horses. There was no door as such and the temple was

open to elements. There was no priest in attendance. Anyone and everyone could go up to the idol and offer prayers. There was a blood stained black stone plinth in one corner where animal sacrifices had been made. The black stone sacrificial altar was highly polished by years of use and shone even in darkness. The idol had fresh flowers around the neck and shoulders as well as on the feet when we entered the temple. The atmosphere was serene and peaceful with sound of gently flowing Sutudri, birds chirping in the background and the sound of trees of the jungle. For a moment, we could forget the soldiers, the battles, and the bloodshed. Neither of the sages appeared to be interested in the temple. “Such imagery is for the commoners,” Vasishta had said. everywhere and in everyone.”

“God is

As the army crossed the river of Sutudri, similar scenes repeated with some of the Anu villages and it was not long before we were on the banks of the mighty river Sindhu with an army twice the size we started with. At this height on the mountains, the river was not as wide as further down the valley. But the force of the water flow was enough to daunt anyone. Vishwamitra, as usual, had organised the crossing of the river using the ferry as well as pull rafts to get the huge army across. Once we crossed the mighty river Sindhu, the sage Vishwamitra announced that Sudas has to do a Shanthi Yajna as he had crossed the last of the seven rivers of the land of Saptha Sindhu and had reached the Pariyatra Mountains. We camped down in the Suvastu valley on the banks of Sindhu and prepared for the Shanthi Yajna. As a prerequisite, several of the Maharshi ’ s wereinvited , including Bharadwaja and Jamadagni , along with our own Shunahotra from Harappa. The Yajna went on for several days and on the final day, sage Shunahotra came to the medical camp.

“Dhanvi, you have been with rajan Sudas’s army now for over six months. I think it is time to return home to your families. Master Ashwin has made arrangements for replacements to come from Girinagara, who should be here anyday now.” I was getting tired of all this travelling. All the wars and the battlewounds1 It is time to get back to working with Master Ashwin and learning about the latest medicine from the master. Our replacements from Girinagara arrived a few days later as the army was setting out to march again. We bid goodbye to our new friends from Ilaspada and Rajan Sudas’s physicians and boarded the boat sage Shunahotra had sent to pick us up. The journey down the mighty river Sindhu and back up Parushni was uneventful. In fact, it was extremely boring after all that excitement with a large army. But stories about King Sudas’s exploits reached us in Harappa. He spent the nextthree years following the stallion and occupied most of the empire north of the VindhyaMountains. His empire spread west over the Sarasvati and Sindhu and followed the river Kubha (Kabul) into the Avestan lands. He had subdued the descendants of Anu and Druhyu tribes in the north and west and those of Yadu and Turvasa in the south and east of the kingdom. He had continued north over the foothills of the Himalayas and across the glaciers to the land of Kushanas. His army had travelled east past the great kingdom of Kasi and had confronted the Kikatas. That was the first real resistance the army had faced and the battle carried on for weeks and there were huge losses for both sides. King Pramagandha of Kikata was no small fry and he would not give up even minor border villages without a fight. The battle dragged on for a month and there were huge losses on both sides. Vasishta invoked the help of God Indra and it was left finally to sage Vishwamitra to use his powers to wreak havoc among the Kikata army. They did not have any answer to his magical army, similar to the one sage Vasishta had used to spoil

Vishwamitra all those years ago when he was a kshatriya king of the Gadhi kingdom. There was not a kingdom who could oppose him or his powerful army. He had made a triumphant return to his capital Ilaspada to culminate the Ashwamedha Yajna where the horse was sacrificed and the feast that followed was the talk of the whole empire. The empire under Sudas was vast and extended from the Himalayan Mountains in the north to the ocean in the south. In the process, he had also accumulated list of enemies. But no one dared oppose him or his army supported by two of the most powerful sages of the time – Vasishta and Vishwamitra. Sudas was anointed as aSamrat by sage Vasishta in the presence of all the great sages including Vishwamitra, Bharadwaja and Jamadagni.It was said that God Indra himself came down from the lake Manasa to anoint him as a Samrat. Kings from all the surrounding countries attended the anointing to acknowledge Sudas as the Samrat of Bharata. I could imagine the security for the occasion as most of the Kings attending had lost some or all of their lands. Master Ashwin had been invited. He was away for nearly a month while I managed the hospital in Harappa in his absence. I continued my training and soon forgot everything about the episode and King Sudas when things started to unfold in Harappa over the following years. It was a few years later as I was coming towards the end of my training when the Avestan magus Matriya plotted with a Harappan traitor, Ubhayavetana to take over the Harappa, followed by the war with Avestan king Vishtaspa. It was not very much longer after that war, thatSudas attacked Ariana and took over large tracts of the once proud lands of Ariana. When I heard about the death of king Vishtaspa, I had a mixture of sadness and a feeling of relief. I was impressed by his magnanimous

behaviour in the face of adversity. I did not believe that he would not come back with a larger and a better-prepared army. Sudas’s empire spread west over most of Ariana almost to the border with Elam. He had conquered lands belonging to Gedrosia, Gandhara, Sogdiana and Margiana. He had followed the river Vaksu and set up a trading post, Varsagira at the northern tip of the river Sarayu where it turned west. Only Carmania was largely spared. He left a large contingent to guard the Sistan provinces and left the general of the defeated Avestan army as the governor. He had stopped short of the lofty Zubi Mountains of Aratta at the behest of sage Vasishta , much to the disquiet of Vishwamitra. “Sudas, you must stop now and return to your people in Ila before they forget you.” Vasishta had started looking over thesnow-capped mountains of Aratta. “Your empire now is the largest in the world and is bigger than all the other mighty empires in the world put together. It is bigger than the Hattian, Mastaba and Kiengir civilisations put together.” Sudas had laughed, “It was you who said ‘go and conquer the world’. Now you are telling me to stop!” “Yes, I did. However, one should know his limitations. You are letting your empire get too big to administer. Do you know what is happening in your capital Ilaspada right now?” Vasishta had retorted. “You have conquered the four corners of the known world and you have achieved the laws Manu laid down for a Samrat. It is time to go home now. The empires of Mastaba are building massive pyramids for their king’s travel in afterlife, that of Keingir are building monumnental temples for their Gods. But, they will amount to very little if their people are not with them. I want you to build cities with amenities for the common man. Safe drinking water, drainage systems, food supply in time of drought and security against the

natural and unnatural elements.” He did not go south beyond the Vindhya mountains as there was “nothing worth conquering”! Thus, the Dasyus and the Pandyans of the south of the empire were spared. Haihayas of Mahishmati had turned friendly and signed up an allegiance with Sudas.

Chapter 5: The Merchants from Mahishmati . It was our last day of stay at Susa. Prince Shushun had us treated like royalty and there was a grand dinner at the palace with King Awan of Elam. All of us had moved down to the palace gardens and were sitting in front of a roaring fire keeping us warm. Sage Vasishta had received a message from Ilaspada about some trouble in the kingdom and he had called us a few days previously to meet at the magnificent thousand pillared temple of Varuna on the banks of river Karun, “Upaas, it is time for us to return to Bharata,” he had started with a sombre voice. “King Sudas needs my help. Some elements in the east of the empire are causing problems.” “Certainly , Sage Vasishta. We will start preparations immediately for our return journey,” I replied . “We should be able to start within the week.” “Pardon the intrusion, oh great sage,” Shushun intervened, “But if there is anything that I can do to help, please let me know. The Elamite army would be at your disposal.” “Thank you for your generosity, Prince Shushun,” Vasishta had replied with a smile, “I am sure King Sudas would appreciate your offer.” “I would like you to accept the use of our royal ships for your return journey.” “I would not insult you and your kingdom by refusing your generous offer. I am very grateful.” It was a most generous offer. Shushun had gifted us one of the best royal

ships and had it furnished to the highest standard.It was quite a large ship with two levels and had both sails and two rows of oars on either side. The bow of the ship was much higher than the stern with a figure of a seamaid fixed to the hull in front. The upper deck had covered cabins sumptuously furnished with silk, wool and the finery. The mast had the royal staff of Bharata instead of Ela a m. Everything was tastefully decorated and the ship was fully stocked with enough food to last several weeks. “You send me a message the minute you need anything,” Shushun said holding me in his arms. “I know you well by now, Upaas. You cannot stay out of trouble for long. I will move the entire empire of Elam , if necessary , to come to you. Parthava cannot save you from everything.” He had grown attached to Lopa during the previous year and he had become an over protective brother towards the end. He held her in his arms for a long time and , turning to me , said, “Look after her, Upaas. She is a gem of a girl and you will not find another one in the world like her. I hope , by the time I see you next, you will have a little Lopa or Upaas.” He had taken us around his kingdom, showing off the beautiful mountains and rivers that flowed throughout the kingdom. The entire country was mountainous and some of them were snow-capped. The people of Elam were beautiful and extremely friendly. The last day was spent in the huge thousand pillared temple dedicated to their main deity, Varuna. The lime stone temple was massive and built at the edge of the river Karun. In high tide, the river came inside the temple and one could step off a boat straight on to the second level of the temple. Their rituals, which were very similar to our Vedic rituals, fascinated me. “God Varuna ruled the waters where as Indra ruled the earth,” Sage

Vasishta had said. There were tears in Shushun’s eyes as we sailed from the port in Susa. Even the king Awan had arrived to bid us goodbye. We were waving goodbye with mixed feelings. It was sad to leave Shushun who had been our constant companion over the previous year. We had been through some hairy adventures both in Bharata as well as in Sumeria, not to forget the perilous journey with Gilgamesh to see sage Ziusudra. When we eventually retired to our cabins, we found it was filled to the brim with precious gifts of gold, lapis Lazuli and other precious stones. He had not forgotten that I loved their furniture. There was a beautiful pair of chairs made of scented cedar wood. The return journey from Susa in Elaam was not as eventful as the journey few months earlier to Sumeria. No storms, no sea monsters. Our ship, a grand princely ship gifted by Shushun sailed majestically into the harbour at Saraswatha exactly six weeks after we had set off from Susa down the river Karun towards the ocean. It was good to be home. It was over a year since we had left the shores of Saraswatha in three ships. There would many stories to be told both by ourselves and our friends and families in Harappa. I wondered how mother was and little sister Nivya. I wondered if Nivya was married already. I wondered how my brother Satakratu was doing in Sindhu. He would be two years into his training there. My elder brother Vidhayaka would be a senior Master Engineer by now. Sage Vasishta had kept to himself of most of the time during the journey. He appeared to be preoccupied with something and often distracted. He was obviously troubled by something happening back home. This caused us concern, but none of us was brave enough to ask him what the trouble was. “I am a bit worried about sage Vasishta,” Lopa had said leaning against

the deck railings one evening as we watched the stars in the night sky. “He obviously has something serious occupying his mind and is distracted,”I replied. “He does not appear to take his food and he looks tired all the time,” and turning her head towards me, she continued, “I think you should speak to him, Upaas. He has a soft spot for you.” “I am not sure I can be of much help. He has reached the exalted stage of being a Maharshi and there are not many people apart from Lord Indra himself who can be of help.”“Even so, I think you should speak to him. There is no harm in that.” Lopa persisted. “Lopa is right, Upaas,” Parthava chipped in. “You never know. Maybe he needs to know how much people care about him.” “I will certainly speak to him when the opportunity arises.” It was finally agreed that I should speak to the sage after his morning prayers next day. He normally took a stroll around the deck after his morning prayers. I was waiting for him on the deck the next morning. “Good morning, Upaas. Have you finished reciting the Gayatri this morning?” The sage asked me. “Namaste, sage Vasishta,” I replied bowing to him with folded hands. “Yes, I have finished my morning prayers.” “Come, walk with me. Let us watch the river joining the great ocean. The sunrise is always amazing to watch on the ocean.” We walked towards the prow of the ship as the ship captain negotiated numerous little islands in the mouth of the river Karun. The river had

widened enormously as it neared the ocean and it appeared to break into hundreds of smaller streams separated by tiny islands. The islands were not much more than large sand banks covered with pale yellow grass and black clumps of seaweed. As the ship sailed into open sea, the sun was just peeping out of the eastern horizon. The sea still looked black,whereas the clouds over the horizon were crimson red merging imperceptibly with different hues of red and orange in the sky ending in pale blue of the west. The sage raised his arms over his head and, with folded hands,prayed to Surya, the sun god. I followed suite standing just behind him. Once he finished the hymn, he just stood still for a few minutes with eyes closed. There was a deep sigh as he opened his eyes and turned to me, “There is a lot of strife in this world, Upaas,” and there was pain in his eyes as he continued. “It is difficult to explain the behaviour of some people. Greed shows itself in several ways in a man. Man has not learnt to be content with what he has. He always wants more and when a want changes to greed, it starts the downfall of him. Greed for more wealth, more power and more of everything. Praying, reciting hymns and offering extraordinary sacrifices do not please the lord if one’s heart is full of greed. You might be the most powerful Bramharshi, but you are no more than an ignorant animal if you crave for something that is not yours. Swaymbhuva Manu has laid down the laws for us to follow and it is done for a reason. To protect you from swaying from being honest with yourself and true to your God.” We had been walking around the ship as he spoke and now we were at the back of the ship. I could see a dark cloud pass over his face as he finished talking and it was not just the dark rain clouds in the west. “It is unfortunate that you are being troubled, oh Sage. I am sure you are

strong enough and powerful enough to overcome whatever is causing you trouble.” It sounded so inane even when I said it. “Thank you for your confidence, Upaas. You have a balanced head on your shoulders. You will be called upon to help others in the future years and I am sure you will address yourself to the task well.” He spoke at length over the values of a common man and royal duties. “As a child you value your mother’s love and father’s protection. As you grow up one should value education and learning and to respect elders. As you enter the domain of family, wife takes on the role of mother and you treat her as such. She is your friend, partner, soulmate and life. When you get older, your children become the centre of your life.” He paused for a minute. “But what you don’t do during these changes in your self realisation, you should not lose sight of what is around you. Whether you are a common man or a sage or a ruler, the biggest mistake you can make is to lose your sense of reality.” I think he must have sensed the relationship I had with Lopa and its possible effect on others. Or was he talking about my friendship with Shushun and Parthava? I was not quite sure. We must have gone around the ship a few times, when he abruptly turned and went back towards his cabin. I did not think I should follow him. “What did he say? I thought you were never going to stop.” I do not know how long Parthava was watching us as he eased himself out of the deep dark shadows of the mast and the rolled up sail. “Don’t you know it is rude to overhear someone else’s conversation?” I replied with a feigned annoyance. “I don’t really know. He did talk about life and there was a lesson about selfrealisation. From what I gathered,

someone high up and powerful is causing problems for King Sudas and our kingdom. He would not elaborate on it. I also gathered that we might not be resting in Harappa for too long. There is trouble brewing in the eastern part of our empire.” “Well, it has been a few months since we have seen any action.” Parthava replied with a hint of glee in his voice. “My hands are beginning to itch for some action.” “You seem to have forgotten. Unlike you, I am only a physician. I did not train to be a soldier,” I replied. “I would rather live in peace, if you don’t mind. I have had enough of battles and fights.” I was looking forward to spending some quality time back at home in Harappa with Lopa, my family, and the thought of some children lightened the mood a bit. “You are deep in thought dear. Is everything allright?” Lopa had opened the door of the cabin. I took her in my arms and held her for a long time looking deep into her eyes. I felt safe in her arms. I felt I could take on the world as long as Lopa was by my side. She looked at me whimsically and smiled. That smile which had captured my heart on that fateful day outside the gates of Harappa in the traveller’s camp. I bent down and kissed her softly and gently. “Yes, Lopa.Everything is fine with us and as long as you are with me, the whole world is fine too.” “You were away for a long time talking to the Sage.” “There may be trouble brewing in Bharata and Harappa would be drawn into it.” “Well, not much point thinking about it now. Come and rest your feet.”

Typical of Lopa. Pragmatic as always. If there were a war in Bharata, even in the eastern provinces, hundreds of miles away from Harappa, it would still affect us. The last few years had been filled with adventures not only in Bharata but also abroad. It is time to settle down, I thought. We hardly saw the sage until we reached the port city of Barbera, the eastern most city on the south coast of Bharata. It was a refuelling stop and the captain would have to stock up with fresh food, fruits and water for the last leg of the journey to Saraswatha. The familiar sight of a Bharatan town with Sanskrit speaking people and our own food made us all feel at home. It was only just over a week to Saraswatha and home. It made us all even more homesick than before. “It is fascinating to see how the hometown attracts everyone,” said sage Vasishta from behind us. We were staring at the dock as we approached the coast. “Namaste, Sage Vasishta. I hope you have rested well,” I replied with a broad smile “Yes, it is good to be back home.” “I would be surprised if there is anyone on board this ship from Barbera.” He continued looking at the fast approaching port. “No, sage Vasishta. I do not think we have anyone on board who is from Barbera. But it is still exciting to be back in the kingdom and our own homeland of Bharata.” “The call of the motherland is next only to the call of the mother herself, Upaas. Men have died defending their mother land and will continue to do so for thousands of years to come.” Vasishta continued with a deep sigh. “That makes it even more difficult to understand what is happening back home.” He was obviously still troubled by whatever was happening in Bharata.

Barbera was a small port and it did not take very long to dock the ship. The dock was a hive of activity despite being small size. This was the first port of call into Bharata for anyone travelling from the west on the sea. We would be docked for atleast a couple of days for the captain to restock. We were standing on the deck watching the ship being anchored and gangplank being lowered. “I would like a word with you Upaas.” Sage Vasishta had come up behind me unnoticed and walked back towards his cabin. I followed him into a sparsely decorated cabin with almost no furniture. He was sitting on a reed mat in the middle of the room cross-legged as I walked in. I sat down in front of him when he pointed to the mat in front. “We need to meet an envoy of the Haihaya king Vitahavya,” he started, “I want you to bring him into my cabin tonight after dark. I don’t want to go into details, but this meeting has to be discrete and I should impress upon you the importance of discretion and utmost secrecy.” His face was inscrutable as he spoke and I could not see any emotions in his eyes. I was more than a little puzzled at this. Why would someone travel halfway across the empire from Mahishmati, the Haihaya capital to meet Vasishta? We would have been in Saraswatha in a couple of weeks, which was much closer. Most importantly, I did not know that Haihayas weren’t enemies of the Purus anymore. However, it was not for me to question the Maharshi. “Of course, Sage,” Ireplied, “how would I recognise the envoy and where is he now?” “He is travelling incognito and you will find him in the inn just inside the northern border of the town. It is frequented by many foreigners and easy to be anonymous. I will instil his image into you before so you can recognise

him. You’ll also be able to recognise his Prana.” He stood up and walked to the tiny little window in the cabin overlooking the ocean. I stood up and walked up to him as he clasped his hands behind his back and continued. “There is going to be trouble in Bharata over the next few years. There are forces within the country and outside eyeing the riches of the empire with greedy eyes. You will be called upon to serve the kingdom. I pray to Lord Indra that we will not lose too many lives.” “Are you expecting a war then, sage Vasishta?” “There will be battles fought across the borders and there will be a battle to beat all battles. It would take courage and conviction to come through them and save the empire. Young king Sudas will be tested beyond his capabilities.This will be a much bigger battle than what he faced after ashwamedha and against the Kikatas. I sure hope that Vishwamitra’s coaching has made him strong enough for what is to come.” I did not know what to say. I had seen the arguments between the two sages when I had accompanied them during the Ashwamedha. There obviously was no love lost between the two sages. “I am sure our armies are powerful enough to repel any attacks. I have seen them in action against the Avestan armies in the past,” I said. “They are powerful and may be the best army in the world. But we cannot take things for granted. Come, we don’t have much time to loose. Take this seal with you. The envoy will have a seal which should match this.” He gave me a small bronze seal with an image of a bull and an inscription at the top. I could not read the inscription in the darkness. He then took me

to the little window “look at the sun and then close your eyes.” I looked at the sun now high up in the sky and bent my head down closing my eyes and folding my hands together in obeisance to the Surya, the sun god. Sage Vasishta put his hands on my head and muttered a hymn in my ears. “Om. Om. Ishanas sarvabhutanaam. Ishwarah sarva vidyananm. Bramhodipdith. Bramhanodipadith. Bramha Shivome, Asthu sada.” as the voice increased in tempo, there was an immediate bright flash in front of my closed eyes and everything went blank. When I opened myeyes, I was standing outside on the dock. I did not remember getting out of the cabin or coming down the gangplank. “There you are, Upaas. Where have you been?” It was Parthava hailing me from the other side of the dock. Lopa was standing next to him. I sauntered across still deeply immersed in what had happened and what I had been told. The bronze seal in my hand was beginning to hurt where I had clenched it hard. It reminded me that it was not a dream. I quickly put the seal away in my tunic. Should I tell Parthava and Lopa about the envoy? The sage did not say anything about not telling him or Lopa. On the other hand, what if someone tries to read their mind? “I was called in by the sage Vasishta,” Isaid, “He wants me to bring some merchants from Mahishmati into his cabin after the evening prayers.” Lopa looked at me quizzically. Both of them had stopped in their tracks at this revelation. “What? Sage Vasishta wants to meet some merchants? Are you sure? Why? What is so special about them?” “Haihaya merchants? Are you sure?” It was Parthava adding his bit.

“You have been standing in the sun too long my friend. Why would the great sage wants to have anything to do with some merchants? Haihaya merchants from Mahishamti? And you do realise we have been fighting the wretched Haihayas for hundreds of years?” I had to think fast. Why would any sage want to meet a merchant, that too from an enemy country? “I don’t really know,” I lied. “They are merchants from Mahishmati, the Haihaya capital in the south. They will be arriving at an inn in the town this evening. We’ll go and fetch them tonight.” The part about them being from Mahishmati was true. “I hope you are right Upaas. I don’t trust those Haihayas. They are brutal aggressors.” Parthava continued, “We might as well stretch our legs in the town. The last time I was here, I was with the army and we did not get much of a chance to see the town properly.” “You can show us the sights,” Lopa said with a mischievous smile. “I mean the good ones!” The town turned out to be one of those nondescript border towns. Once we went through the gates in the city walls, the town looked rather drab and seedy. It had obviously been wealthy once upon a time looking at the faded ochre and red paint on the crumbling large ornate buildings. The main street was broad enough for two carts to pass at the same time, but the road surface had not been repaired for a while with potholes everywhere. Some of the buildings were in various stages of disrepair and about to collapse. It was crowded. One could easily lose oneself here, I thought. There were people of all nationalities of all shapes and sizes. There were tall, gangly mountain men from Aratta, completely wrapped up in sheets. Scruffy mercenary

soldiers from Media and lapis lazuli merchants from Gedrosia. The suave oil merchants from Elaam on huge powerful horses reminded us of Shushun. There were Nubians with their strange ear piercings and colourful dresses covering only the lower part of their body. There were even some Gutians wandering around the centre of the town. The atmosphere was one of suspicion filled with fear and apprehension. People gambling in the street corner with a dice and a wooden board with squares on it. They were using chert objects on the board as pieces. There were heated arguments and shouts coming from these gaming corners. The side roads were very narrow and dark, the walls hemming in cutting off the light. I could see some children playing in the side streets with toy carts and dolls. I was not sure if we should be out with Lopa in this place. Just as I was about to return, a platoon of Bharatan soldiers marched by looking as imposing and powerful as ever. The sight of these soldiers reassured me and felt safe. Lopa must have realized my apprehension and said without turning around, “The place gives me the creeps. There are too many unsavoury characters around. I would hate to be in here at night. The soldiers are a welcome sight.” That answered one of my questions. She was going to stay on the ship tonight when we go to pick up the men from Mahishmati. Parthava bumped into some of his friends outside the army camp and joined them on their way to the local Inn. From what we had seen of the place, we did not think it was secure for us, let alone a beautiful girl like Lopa. It did not take us too long to decide to head back to the ship. We did not see Parthava until that evening. He looked worried when he walked on to the ship. “There is something going on in the kingdom. The worrying thing is that

no one seems to know what , ” he said as he sat down on the deck of the ship, “the soldiers have been asked to be on the alert and everyone is edgy. Men in the inn kept looking over their shoulders and were jumpy as hell. That is not normally a surprise here, but they were jumping at the shadows! They would not even let me inside the camp. That has never happened before!” That appeared to tie in with what sage Vasishta had said. I had decided not to tell him about the real reason behind the “merchants from Mahishmati”. “I am sure we will find out soon enough!” Ireplied, “We should be heading towards the inn to pick up those merchants.” “I don’t think it is a good idea to take Lopa with us.” Parthava said. “I am not coming, if you don’t mind.” Lopa said before I could say anything. Parthava stood up dusting off his clothes, “That is settled then. Come, on let’s go.” I looked at sage Vasishta’s cabin door, which was firmly shut. Should I tell him that we were going? Parthava was already half way down the gangplank. I shrugged my shoulders and set off behind him. We wound our way past the highstreet where the lamps on the street corners and in front of tavernsand inns were already lit and the first customers were drifting in. Soon they would have had their fill of cheap beer and not notice our guests on the way back. We found ourselves in narrow winding alleyways flocked by steep windowless walls making the streets look pretty dark. We stopped a guard at the warehouse at the north end of the town and asked for directions. As we moved further away from the mainstreet, the roads were deadly silent which was worrying. It was a good thing that Parthava knew his way around these alleys, as I could not really see where we were going. He stopped in

front of a large oak door with a spherical brass knocker the shape of a bull’s hornand a plate. Parthava walked up the two narrow steps and knocked on the door. It sounded very loud in the eerie darkness. Nothing happened for a while. Just as he was about knock again, a tiny brass window set in the door slid open with a creak and we could see two blood tinged eyes staring out. “Who is it?” said a gruff voice. Parthava looked at me before replying, “It is Upaas from the ship.” The door opened slightly with a loud creak and I could see part of a face peering out examining us in the darkness. After what seemed to be an inordinate length of time, he opened the door fully. “I have to be careful. The city is not as safe as it used to be. You have come for the merchants?” I nodded. “Follow me then.” It was a short, frail old man, bent almost double with age carrying an old brass oil lantern in one hand and a twisted walking stick in the other. The dim light from his lamp lit an old wrinkled face and fading white hair on the top. He had black, crooked teeth. Two of his front teeth were missing; he looked like an old hag. We were in a narrow corridor lit by a couple of small oil lamps. The breeze from the open door caused the lamps to flicker and the dark dancing shadows on the walls looked ominous. He turned and walked down before we could reply. I shut the door behind me as we followed the old man down the corridor to another smaller door at the far end. This led to a large sparsely furnished chamber. “You wait here.” He trotted off behind yet another door at the far corner of the chamber. He was gone for a while. We could hear his walking stick clicking away for a while and stopped before starting again. I was quite apprehensive about

meeting these ‘merchants,’ especially after what Parthava had said about the Haihayas. I saw that Parthava had his hand on the hilt of his sword all the time we were inside. After a short time,two well-dressed men accompanied himinto the chamber. Their heads were covered with flat turbans but they were, otherwise, smartly dressed. They could have easily passed off as any one of the rich merchants that frequent such border towns. I could just make out the outlines of a short , deeply - curved knife hidden under their cloak. That was the hallmark of the Haihayas, a sharply curved knife with serrated edges. It could cause serious damage in hand to hand combat. The infamous knife had been rumoured to be used for carving up the opponents. “I just don’t want any trouble,” the old man said , looking furtively around, before tottering off, with his walking stick clicking away. The older of the two men smiled and nodded his head at us. I recognized him immediately as the Haihaya captain Daivasa from the images in my mind. “Namaste, Captain Daivasa. I am Upaashantha. I have been sent to bring you to the ship,” I said with folded hands. “Namaste, Upaas. Thank you for coming. We are eager to meet the great sage as soon as possible. Time is of the essence,” he replied and turning to his partner, “shall we?” “Before we can proceed, I think you have something to show me.” The older man smiled and put his hand into his cloak. Parthava’s sword was out in his hand like a flash before I could stop him. The younger man whipped out his vicious knife too. I raised both my hands and cried out, “Wait. Don’t do anything, please.” “I must say, your friend is very fast,” he said taking his hand out of his cloak with a steatite seal in his hand and offered it to me. “Please check the seal carefully.”

I took the seal from his hand and walked across to the only window in the room for better light. The seal had the same image of the bull and some inscription at the top. I took out the bronze seal Vasishta had given me. When I was happy that they were an exact match, I gave both the seals to him and said, “I think you should check too to know that we are who we say we are.” “You are right, of course.” He examined both the seals in the light shining through the little window for a minute before giving the bronze seal back to me. “I am satisfied that you are who you say you are. Now the time is really getting short and we should be moving.” “I understand,” Isaid, “We can be with the sage within the hour. Please follow me.” I could see a look of puzzlement on Parthava’s face. He still had his left hand on the sword, which was back in its scabbard and would not take his eyes off either of the ‘merchants.’However, he had enough sense not to ask any questions. There were lots of questions on Parthava’s face, but he kept quiet. His training as a soldier made him just follow the events without asking too many questions. I must admit they did not look like any merchants we had seen before. I could not see any other weapons displayed. But that did not mean that they were not hiding something other than their infamous knife under those thick cloaks. The return journey to the ship was a lot quicker. As I thought, the streets were deserted and an occasional door opened and quickly shut on seeing the four of us. Vasishta was waiting on the deck as we made our way down the dock. He nodded an acknowledgement to the two men as we walked up the gangplank.

“Thank you, Upaas.” Turning to the two merchants, he said, “You have travelled a long way to see me, captain Daivasa. Please come with me.” He said, turned, and quickly went into his cabin. There was no introduction or any niceties, I noticed. The door shut behind them leaving us looking at each other on the dark deck of the ship. We were still none the wiser about these merchants. “If they are merchants, I am the Samratof Sumeria!” Parthava exclaimed in a whisper behind me “They have soldiers written all overtheir faces. What is happening Upaas? And where did that seal come from?” I was as much in the dark as he was. The only thing I knew was that they were envoys from the Haihaya king. Therefore, I told him. “Looks like there is something big happening. No wonder the soldiers are all on an edge,” Parthava replied. “What are you two whispering about?” Lopa had walked up behind us. Obviously, we were not as quiet as we thought we were. “You are still awake, Lopa?” “You make enough noise to wake a herd of cows,” she replied, smiling. I told her about our trip to the inn in the town, the sage’s instructions and the envoys from Mahishmati. “That explains the sage’s concerns during the voyage. That sounds like there has been some unrest in the kingdom. It does not look like we are going to get much rest after returning home, Upaas.” “You are right. I think you had better get back to bed. We might have to take them back to the inn.” “No Upaas. There will be no need for that. I have made arrangements for

their return,” Sage Vasishta said from behind me. He went back into his cabin before we could say anything. We did not see the “merchants” leave the ship. But there was no sign of them next morning. The ship was cleaned and loaded over the following couple of days and we set sail again to Saraswatha. The sage kept to his cabin most of the time apart from his early morning walks on the deck. There was no further talk about the “merchants” from Haihaya during the rest of the journey. No one else from the ship appeared to have seen them either. It was as if the episode never happened. There was a large welcoming party at the docks of Saraswatha. The dock was teeming with soldiers and Lopa’s father was stomping up and down the dock looking rather worried. As both Lopa and I leant forward and touched his feet for his blessings, he lifted both of us by the shoulders and hugged us. “All of us were very worried about you. It is a great relief to see all of you healthy and safe,” he said, with a worried smile on his face. “You have to tell me all about your travels after you have rested a bit. Upaas, your father and Master have sent messages. I have made arrangements for you to leave for Harappa within the week.” It was with mixed feelings that we entered Lopa’s father’s house that day. Parthava decided to stay with us before returning to his home town of Nausharo later. There was a lot of activity in Saraswatha. Lopa’s father had arranged a caravan for us to return to Harappa. The journey to Harappa was uneventful apart from seeing many soldiers along the way. We met a number of travellers from the south as well as from the east. The travellers from the east had some news. There had been some unrest among the border towns, particularly those visited by the King Sudas’s army during the Ashwamedha. The rulers of some of those countries were displeased with Sudas occupying

their lands. There had been local skirmishes along the river Yamuna on the eastern front. There was also talk of the Turvasas attacking King Sudas and taking back the lands that his armies occupied. There wererumours of other countries surrounding Bharata revolting.On the western front, many of the lands have been taken over by Druhyus, Panis and Alinas. Mundigak had been over run by the Avestans with very little resistance as there were no Bharatan soldiers posted there. A new king was ruling the Avestan lands west of Pariyatra mountains from Mundigak. Ishvant had been coronated as the King of Sistan. All this disappeared from my mind as soon as I saw mother and sister, Nivya. I knelt and touched mother’s feet, when she picked me up by the shoulders and hugged me. “It has been so long, son,” and there were tears in her eyes and a tremor in her voice, “I feared the worst and sometimes was desperate. I must have offered prayers to all the known deities and some unknown ones too for your safe return.” She picked Lopa up from her knees and held her chin in her left hand and continued, “You are looking more beautiful than ever, my daughter. Nevertheless, you have lost weight. You have not been looking after yourself.” There was a tone of mild admonishment. Lopa smiled and said, “Mother, you always say that when you see me after some time. Upaas has been looking after me, as did our friends, Parthava and Sushun. I was not short of anything.” “Mother, with your blessings protecting us, nothing could go wrong. You should not have worried,” I said. “And we had Parthava and Shushun by our

side all the time. They would not let anything happen to us.” The next few weeks flew by. Wherever I went to the city of Harappa, I got the same rapturous response from everyone. I went to work at the hospital a couple of days later and Master Ashwin introduced me to the new recruits and apprentices who I would have to train. I got myself busy at work and forgot all about sage Vasishta and his worries about King Sudas. It was towards the end of the following year just as the winter started to set in and there was a noticeable chill in the air when Master called me into his room. It was nothing unusual for the Master to send for me and I did not think much of it as I knocked on the door and waited. “Enter.” I noticed a certain strain in his voice. He was standing at the window with his back to me as I entered the room. He sighed deeply and said, “Have you enjoyed coming back to work, Upaas? Are you satisfied here?” I was slightly taken aback by the unusual question and could not reply straight away. He turned around and walked towards me. He put his hands on my shoulders and said, “Have you thought about what you want to do in the future? Now that you have a baby in the family, it is time to think of settling down and setting your roots.” That brought a smile to my face. Thinking about my baby boy Atreya in Lopa’s arms always did. He would be a year old soon. I was not sure where this was going. “I have not given it much thought, Master.” I had to say something. “I am quite happy here. My patients seem to like me and I feel that I am getting

better at work here. I feel safe knowing that I can count on you here.” He walked around to the desk in the corner of the room near the window and picked up a palm leaf roll with a bright red and yellow silk tassel around it. I noticed the broken royal seal on the leaf as he unrolled it. There was another deep sigh as he came back towards me. “It looks like your days here may be numbered, Upaas. Sage Vasishta has been impressed by you and he has asked you to join the Royal Medical Team.” I could sense sadness in his voice. “Here, have a look at the letter from the sage himself.” I took the letter hesitatingly and opened it. It was more of a command than a request. It asked Master Ashwin to release me to work for King Sudas as a Royal Physician. I had mixed feelings. It is an opportunity of a lifetime. Nevertheless, it would mean moving from Harappa to Ila. It would mean a major uprooting of everything, especially with a small baby. “I am thrilled by the invitation, Master. It is a big step up for me. But, I will need to ask my father first, of course.” “Of course you have to. And, do not forget speaking to Lopa before you decide. As you say, it is a once- in- a- lifetime opportunity. Sage Vasishta was obviously very impressed by you during your trip to Elam and Sumeria. We will miss your presence here a lot. You have become an invaluable part of our team. But life has to move on and you have to grow. Stagnation is not good for anyone at your age.” I literally ran all the way back home and was breathless as I entered the house. “You are early, dear. You are excited by something. Is everything

okay?” Lopa was the first one to see me as I barged into the courtyard. Atreya was fast asleep in his cradle in the middle of the courtyard. I did not say anything. Instead, I pulled her to me, kissed her, and held her in my arms, smiling from ear to ear. “You are really excited! You will wake Atreya. He has just gone to sleep with great difficulty. What is the news?” “I have to speak to father first. Is he at home?” “No. You will have to wait till he comes back in the evening.” “What are you two love birds upto?” Dulcit tones of Nivya interrupted us. I let go of Lopa and turned to her. “I have some news. But I have to wait till father comes home.” “You can tell us now. You know we can keep a secret!” I knew then there was no way of going through the normal protocol of telling the father first with these two girls. They won’t leave me in peace until they get it out of me. Therefore, I told them and watched their expressions change from excitement to joy to worry. “But that would mean moving out of Harappa!” Both of them exclaimed at the same time and loud enough for mother to hear. “Who is moving out of Harappa?” Mother said as she walked out of the kitchen. “No one, mother. Not yet anyway.” I went on to explain what had happened at the hospital that morning.

Mother listened carefully and was quiet for a minute before speaking again. “Son, you will have to think carefully before you make any decision. You are right. You should speak to your father and your brother. You have a family to think of too now. They have seen the world for a lot longer than you have and I am sure they can guide you.” Pragmatic as ever, I thought. I was on tenterhooks waiting for father and my elder brother, Vidhayaka that evening. As mother said, both of them had been around for a while and worldly wise. It was Vidhayaka, who spoke first, “It is an opportunity of a lifetime and does not get offered to anyone lightly. My advice is for you to accept the position.” Father sat for a while thinking deeply before saying anything. “Upaas. There are several issues you are faced with here.Firstly, this letter from Sage Vasishta is not an invitation, but a command. You cannot refuse even if you want to. As your brother said, this is once in a lifetime opportunity and unlikely to come your way again. There are and will always be many emotional ties to the home you were born in and also the city that raised you and taught you. However, like the severing the umbilical for a baby to survive at birth as an independent individual, you will only grow when you move away. It means a separation from your mother but not a detachment. You will always have ties here and memories will keep you here mentally even when you are away physically. You will have to think of your son and I am sure it will be good for you to raise your family in a big city such as Ilaspada.” He paused for a moment before starting again. “You and Lopa are starting out in your life and have to look at the future.

If your future lies is Ila, so be it. You really have no option but to accept the offer.” “Thank you, father. tomorrow.”

I will speak to my Master about the decision

And so it was that my time in Harappa was coming to an end, I thought. This was not just a travel to some place like before. I am moving and setting up a family in a new place. Mother was not sure of taking a small baby on such a long journey. She agreed with a great reluctance after father spoke to her at length. I did not know what to expect. My Master had spent some time in Ila in the past and his advice was invaluable. During my last few days, may father took me to see sage Shunahotra for his blessings at the city hall. The day of my departure soon arrived and I found Lopa and myself with our bags on Pindara’s cart. Atreya was wide awake in his wool lined cradle, taking everything in. I had the letter from Sage Vasishta, as wellas another letter from my own Master along with me. Our first stop was at the great temple at sunrise, as it was the ritual before going away on any important journey. I would not have missed the opening of the temple doors by the sunrays. It still excited me and put me in awe of the ingenuity of the celestial engineer, Vishwakarma. The process of the doors opening as the first rays hit the little window in the door, the sound of thousands of bells going off at the same time and the sound of the huge kettle drums as the sunrays hit the face of the idol of Indra inside, was out of this world. It had taken me aback all those years ago when I saw it first and it still had the same effect today. As the shikshus started their chanting, the whole atmosphere was transformed into a surreal experience. It was not Lopa’s first experience either, but still made her gasp as the massive front doors opened without anyone touching

them. It was a very tearful good bye to the family this time. Many of them wre there, including Master and Ma Ashwin. Ma Ashwin was heartbroken, she thought of me as her own son. Even Grtsamada was there to say goodbye. “You are lucky, Upaas. Ila is a great place of learning and I am sure you will meet many great thinkers of our time in the big city. I am jealous of you.” he had said “I wish I was coming with you.” We reached the banks of river Sutudri after a week’s travel on the paved road. Pindara had already arranged with a ferryman to cross the river where it curves around the Shiwalik hills and gentle. Pindara managed to catch quite a few fish from the river as we were crossing on the ferry, much to the delight of Lopa. She loved fresh water fish. The cook on the inn on the east coast of Sutudri was true to his word and cooked us a sumptuous meal with the fish Pindara had caught. We spent the night at the inn before travelling further east towards the Sarasvati river. The road here was quite rough and the cart rolled around a bit much , to the dismay of Pindara. “This road will break my cart before we reach Ilaspada.” He said. “Why is this road so bad?” “I suspect they get a lot more rain here than at Harappa, Pindara.” Perhaps my answer reassured him. It was only a couple of days later when we saw the great Sarasvati river. Crossing the mighty river Sarasvathi in a small ferry this time was frightening. The little ferry was thrown about by the strong current.At times, I was worried that our cart would topple over into the river. We did make it across battered and bruised, but intact!! It did not seem to bother the little Atreya even a little. Everytime the cart was tossed around he would giggle

and squeal with delight. It was Lopa and I, who were frightened throughout the crossing. The ferryman tried to comfort us with words, “This is nothing, Master Upaas. We have crossed worse currents before. This boat can take a lot of beating. It has never toppled over.” That did not fill either of us with a lot of confidence. By the time we reached the opposite bank of the great river, we were petrified. Rest of the journey took overa week and it was uneventful. We stopped over in the wayside inns on the way. They were quaint and often quite busy as they catered to a large amount of traders and travellers traffic.

CHAPTER Chapter 6: Ilaspada – the centre of the world. The last time I was in Ila was a few years previously along with my team and my Master to accompany King Sudas and his horse of Ashwamedha Yajna. Lopa had never been to the big capital city before and everything was exciting. The huge buildings and roads and the number of foreigners in the city fascinated her. “There seems to be a lot of foreigners here just like Saraswatha.” “Yes. They are mainly representatives and ambassadors from different countries coming here for Royal favours and trade. You will find people from many countries from around the world.” I replied. “It is no wonder it is called centre of the world,” Lopa said with a sense of awe in her voice. I was quite surprised to see the sage Vasishta himself at the Hospital when we arrived. I swung down from the cart, knelt in front of him, and touched his feet. “Namaste, sage Vasishta. We seek your blessings.” “Dheergayushman Bhava, Upaas. It is so nice to see you and Lopa again. I hope the journey was not too taxing.” Lopa came up from behind and as she knelt in front of him to touch his feet, the sage held her by the shoulder and gave her a hug. “Welcome to Ila, my daughter. This is your new home,” he said. “Thank you, Sage Vasishta for giving me the opportunity to serve the king,” Isaid, “I hope that I will live up to your expectations.”

The Sage smiled and replied, “I know you will, Upaas. I have complete faith in you. I have foreseen that there are great things in store for you in the coming years. You will come through strife and trials triumphant and stronger than before.” He then walked across to the cart to look at the baby in the cradle and smiled. Placing his right hand on Atreya’s head, he said, “Little Atreya is handsome enough to be called the duplicate of his mother. May the gods give him a long life.” As we were talking, the chief Royal Physician himself walked in and said, “Welcome to Ila and the Royal Household, Upaas. Come, you must be tired from the long journey. I will get one of the shikshus to take you to your quarters.” I had not seen Master Gopayana, the Royal Physician since the time of Ashwamedha. I immediately knelt and touched his feet asking for his blessings. He pulled me up by the shoulders and said, “Dheergayushman Bhava, Upaas. I have heard so much about you from sage Vasishta. You are a welcome addition to our family.” “Thank you, Master. This is my wife Lopa, daughter of Master Avisthu . ” We said our goodbyes to the Sage and the chief and followed the little shikshu to our new home. I was pleasantly surprised to see the chief royal physician himself and the great sage Vasishta welcome us. I was very touched and I could see Lopa was impressed as well.It was quite painful to say goodbye to Pindara. I had known him since childhood and we had played together with our toys growing up. He had become part of our family for a

long time. I could remember the times he had accompanied me to Sindhu and the time we were attacked. His skill with the driving the cart had been invaluable. He was seriously injured when the Mount Arbuda collapsed around us and he barely survived. Our house was quite close to the hospital and not too far away from the palace. It was quite large for just the three of us. It was very similar to our home in Harappa with a central courtyard with all the rooms opening into it. Lopa was quite taken by the large kitchen with a two hearths on the floor. All the cooking pots were of bronze and copper. She did not even have to go outside to throw rubbish because there was a rubbish chute in the wall of the kitchen which opened outside onto a small tank where the rubbish was collected by the sanitation workers every three days. There were a few mud pots for carrying water. We had our own well next to the bathroom. The bathroom was large with a fire hearth opening onto the outside and a large copper vessel for hot water. It meant the fire could be controlled from outside without disturbing the bather. Water was fed through clay pipes directly from storage tanks outside the city , which in turn were fed by the mighty river Sarasvati through three channels. Steps led up to a contraption near the ceiling, which would spray water in a shower on our heads. The wastewater drained out under the floor to a drain outside. Our bedrooms were upstairs and very comfortable and warm. Grilled windows let in enough light without being obtrusive. I knew from past-experience that winters could be bitterly cold. The ceiling was made of thick cedar planks and the doors were made of solid oak planks with brass hinges. I was apprehensive when I went to the new hospital first day but was put at ease by Master Gopayana. We settled down to the routine of hospital work and made several new friends very quickly. The work was not much

different from that in Harappa and the hospital was much bigger. We saw patients from all parts of the world speaking different languages. Lopa made herself useful as an interpreter of languages. The new Master was very kind and extremely knowledgeable. He used to leave me in charge often to attend the Sabha meetings and meetings at the court with the King. It was a few months after we started, he called me into his chamber. “I think it is time you were formally introduced to the Samrat. He is going away on a hunting trip and you will need to accompany him.” “That would be an honour, Master. I have heard so much about Samrat Sudas. Apart from a couple of brief interludes, I have only seen him from a distance after the coronation. We did accompany him after the ashwamedha but I did not have an opportunity to get close to him during the trip. When do I have to leave?” I asked. “I will take you to the court tomorrow and formally introduce you to the Samrat and you can ask him yourself.” The Master replied, “He is very open to people around him. Just be yourself and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. He likes people around him to be honest.” I remembered the Samratas a tall, well-built young man leading the armies behind the white stallion during the Ashwamedha and the dutiful son taking blessings from his formidable grandfather, Divodasa and the sages during the coronation. He had made it a point to come and visit the injured soldiers every day after an altercation. What had impressed me was that he spent the same amount of time with the injured enemy soldiers as he did with his own. All that seemed only like yesterday. However, a lot had happened since then and several years had passed. I wondered how he would be. Would he recognise me? Was he still as impartial and kind as the King who had spared those defiant villagers all those years ago?

“You are miles away, sweetheart.” Lopa’s voice brought me back “is everything all right?” I had walked home completely oblivious of my surroundings deep in thought. “I am going to the court tomorrow to be formally introduced to the Samrat Sudas.Master says that I will have to accompany him on a hunt.” Lopa’s eyes lit up. “Why, that is brilliant news. That is what you have been hoping for all this time, isn’t it?” “Yes, you are right,” I replied, “I have been dreaming for this for a long time and yet...” I paused. “What is it, my darling? Why are you concerned now?” “I am not too sure. There is something in the back of my mind. I don’t understand.” “It is just the nerves of meeting the Samrat after a long time. I am sure he will recognise you and everything will be fine.” Lopa is always optimistic. “Will you come with me tomorrow, please?” I was looking at Lopa with pleading eyes. “Of course, priya e ,” she replied, “I will be there right next to you. Be strong.” I was not as nervous as I thought I would be. Maybe because Lopa was with me. We had taken pains to look presentable enough to be with the king. Both Lopa and I were impressed by the splendour of the royal court. It was quite a large hall with high ceiling. Ochre- coloured walls with red patterns and gilded decorations made the walls come alive. The high windows let

bright sunshine explode the colours across the floor. Silk tapestry hung on the walls below the windows with heavy gold thread tassels weighing them down. Plastered ceiling had sculpted lotus and jasmine trellis around with patterns of swastika signs in all the corners. Huge bronze lanterns burnt on the walls ready to light to the cavernous court hall. We entered through the side doors to a throng of people of all kind. On my left, towards the far end was the huge front doors ornately carved out of solid oak. The guards standing at the entrance stood at attention with long bronze tipped spears, which glinted in the light. Courtiers had short platform chairs to sit on either side of the central pathway. There was a row of cushioned chairs on the far side of the hall reserved for royalty from outside Bharata. Three of those seats were occupied today by men dressed as royalty. I had a vague remembrance of them, but could not place them properly. One of them had silk vest on top with a silk shawl thrown over his left shoulder. He kept twirling his moustache every now and then, which amused Lopa no end. Commoners thronged one corner of the court and they were still coming through a narrow door in the far left corner. The buzz among those present came to a sudden halt when the bugler announced the arrival of the Samrat. The massive oak doors swung open inwards apparently on their own accord to show the Samrat standing at the pedestal of the doorway. He stepped down on to the hall to the hail of the assembled courtiers and commoners together. The huge kettle-drum at the corner was beating slowly to the march of Sudas and his retinue down the hall. Sudevi walked along him on his right side. The commander of his personal guard, Kaathiya, was a step behind him. Sudas raised his arms high above his head to acknowledge the ecstatic greeting from everyone. He slowed half way up the path to wish his subject. Sudevi caught up and he held her hand as he climbed the steps up to the platform. Both of them went

to sage Vasishta first and knelt down to touch his feet and moved to the left to get blessings of sage Vishwamitra. Sudas went to the throne and turned around to face the crowd. As he raised his arms in a salute to the public, the hail from the crowd was deafening. The court was full. Samrat Sudas was sitting on the throne at the top end with the queen Sudevi, on his left. He looked resplendent with jet-black, long flowing hair to the shoulders, a lilac silkcape tied at the neck with twisted gold rope, a patterned bracelet over the left shoulder and a leather belt across the waist. He was wearing a white dhoti, which was pulled up between his legs and tied at the back. The dhoti was rolled up at the bottom, showing off the shiny leather sandals tied across the ankles with golden anklets. On either side of the court sitting on a raised platform were the two royal priests, Vishwamitra and Vasishta, directly facing each other. Numerous courtiers lined up the walls on either side, senior officials nearer the throne sat down on their chairs as Sudas sat down on the throne. We walked into the centre of the court asthe usher announced my Master Gopayana. My Master walked up to the Samrat followed by Lopa and myself. The three of us knelt in front of the Samrat, “Hail Samrat Sudas.” We said in unison. Sudas got up from the throne and stepped down to us. “Rise, Master Gopayana . ” He turned to look at me. “The young Upaashantha Kapila, famed Harappan physician. We meet again at last after all these years. Who is this beautiful young lady with you?” “Thank you,your majesty. Please meet my wife, Lopa, daughter of Master Avisthu of Saraswatha. She is a translator of languages.”

“It is my pleasure to meet you, my dear Lopa. It is a long way from Saraswatha. My court and the city of Ila is enriched by your presence. Translator of languages , indeed! We could use your expertise here in Ila. And, I have heard so much about your knowledge of medicine, your skills and your exploits, Upaas. It indeed my pleasure to have you on board my team.” We made our way to the seats shown to us by the usher. I was not sure, if we had to stay for the entire proceedings of the day or if we could leave when we wanted. I would need to read up the royal protocol. I was aware of several patients waiting for me in the hospital. Master sensed this and signalled me to wait. The court proceedings were mostly about listening to complaints by common people, some of whom had travelled for days and weeks to get here. I saw that the Samrat had not changed much in his magnanimity and his sense of fair play in dealing with complaints. Once the last of the commoners were heard to, the captain of the palace guards closed the front door. The court became very quiet. Sudas stood up and came to the front of the platform and addressed the three men sitting in the special chairs. “Welcome to our dear friends from neighbouring countries who are gracing this court today. My welcome to King Jayadwaja who has travelled a long distance from his port city of Kushasthali to be here. I am grateful for King Ishvant of Druhyu’s from Sistan and King Turvayana of Turavsas for taking trouble to be here.” “When we heard that there were troubles on your borders, we could not do anything else but come here to show you our support.”Jayadwaja stood up and said, “Our ancestry goes back several generations and we are blood relatives.”

The other two nodded their heads and as Jayadwaja sat down, Turvayana stood up and said, “We are all descendants of Yayati, the greatest Samrat the country of Bharat had seen. We cannot allow the barbaric Dasyus to attack sacred Aryans.” “I am afraid we do not know the details of who are attacking Mahishmati yet,” Sudas replied. “We cannot assume that they are all Dasyu tribes. Remember our Aryan brothers have attacked us in the past.” All the three of them nodded their heads at this. I could see both Vasishta and Vishwamitra were not taking any part in this exchange. Samrat Sudas turned to sage Vasishta and said, “You have indeed brought disturbing news, great sage. Tell us what we should do now?” Sage Vasishta stood up and adjusted his rosary beads around the neck before speaking, “It is indeed disturbing, They are gathering along the eastern borders and there have been several incursions into the border lands. At the moment they have only taken wild forest land. It won’t be long before some of the villages you conquered after the ashwamedha are lost. Haihayas have asked for help. King Vitahavya has realised that they are no match for the Bhedas. The Bheda king has been joined by several other kings now including the Aja, Yaksu and Shigru. Dasyus, led by Cumuri and Dhuni have already sworn their allegiance to Bheda. They are all not Dasyus. In fact, some of them were Aryans who have lost their way and stopped the yajnas. They have Rudra as their prime protector and feel that they don’t need to do any yajnas anymore. How wrong can they be? Rudra also needs yajnas to appease him. I am getting reports that they are getting very close to Mahishmati now.” He paused there for a minute and turned to Vishwamitra, before continuing, “and

you know very well what would happen if Mahishmati falls to Bheda.” “That will not happen as long as I am alive.” said Vishwamitra and turning to Sudas, he continued, “Haihayas have not been our friends for several generations now and we have had our differences. But, Vitahavya has changed all that and we need him on our borders as a buffer. You must go to the help of king Vitahavya immediately.” “Thank you, great sages. That was my intention too and our armies are getting ready as we speak. You have confirmed that I am doing the right thing. Very fact that he has sent envoys to meet sage Vasishta asking for help is a welcome change in more than ways than one. So, with your blessings, I cannot but win the war with Bheda and his cronies.” “You have our support, Samrat Sudas. Our armies will march with you as one.” Turvayana was the first one to offer help. “Druhyu army will march with the Bharatans to the river Yamuna and Mahishmati,” Ishvant said. “What do you need from us, King Sudas?” Jayadwaja was not quite sure. “Thank you my friends for your offer of help.” Sudas replied. “I will have to consult with the great sages and also my generals before we can form a plan of action.” All three of them looked at each other and nodded their head. Did I see a signal being passed between the three? I was not too sure. It may just be the trick of the eye. But there was definitely some whispered conversation going on. There was a loud “Hail Sudas! Victory to our Samrat” going up in the air from the courtiers and put a stop to their conferring. Some of the tribal leaders present were the most vociferous. They had the most to lose by the

incursions of Bheda. Sage Vasishta raised his hands to quieten them down and walked towards Sudas. Seeing this, Samrat Sudas stood up and bowed his head. Vasishta put his hands on Sudas’s head and uttered a hymn under his breath that no one could hear. Sudas folded both his hands and took a step back and looked at the sage with puzzlement in his eyes. Everyone in the court, apart from Vishwamitra looked at each other, wondering what was going on. “It is the Aryan code which says that you should help anyone in distress. Lord Indra will guide you through your battle. You will return glorious in your success.” There was palpable tension between the two great sages for everyone to see and feel. No one would dare breath freely let alone say anything. Vishwamitra stood up again and addressed the court. “Mark my words all of you. If we don’t nip this in the bud, it will escalate into a full scale invasion. Bheda on his own is not a threat, but with Shigru, Yakshu and Aja, they can be a formidable force. The Dasyus living in the marble caves of river Yamuna have demonic powers and difficult to fight. I want your Samrat Sudas to take an army to Mahishmati as soon as possible to stop this getting any worse.” “It will take some time to build our army to strength. Taking a large army down to the eastern borders across the mountains and valleys is not easy.” “That does not mean you sit still and hope for the best,” Vishwamitra retorted. “If we start building now, we should be at Mahishmati in less than a year.” “I thank the great sages for their knowledge and advice. I will send

words to my brother Devasravas in Manusa to send his army as well.” Samrat Sudas was still on his feet. “As you said, great sage, we will try to get to Mahishmati within a year. I will assemble the generals and seek their opinion too.” “You are right, Sudas. You will need to take advice from your generals too. But, don’t delay. It is time for our prayers now, Samrat Sudas. There is so much to do to prepare for this war. We will have to think of the demonic powers of the Dasyus to content with.” With that, sage Vasishta and Vishwamitra left the court followed by a retinue of shikshus. The three kings stood up at this and it was Jayadwaja who said, “If you pardon us, Samrat Sudas, we will need to return to our kingdoms to prepare for this war too.” “Thank you my brothers. I am eternally grateful for your offer of help. With three of you by my side, we cannot but win this battle,” Sudas replied. The three of them walked out through the front door, which only the royalty and sages could use followed by their own personal guards. Sudas stood up finally and raised his hands in a salutation to everyone in the court and said, “I will say good day to all my subjects and salutations to my elders. Thank you for coming to my court today. With that he walked down the steps of the platform along with Sudevi and started to walk down the hall towards the door. The drums started up again as his retinue of guards followed him down the hall. On the way out, Sudas stopped at me and said with his left hand on my shoulder, “Upaaas, you saw the excitement in the court today. I may have to

postpone the hunt that was planned. Why don’t you come over to the palace tomorrow with Lopa for dinner?” This was an invitation I could not refuse. Master Gopayana was deep in thought as we walked out of the court. “Upaas, you will have to undertake a trip to Mount Mujavant for increasing the stock of medicines and Soma too if we have to go on a long journey with the army.” The thought of going to the magical mountain and meeting the inimitable Alinas filled me with joy and a slight apprehension too. I had heard the journey to the mountain from Ila was quite hazardous. It was a fascinating day by all accounts with an invitation to the palace for dinner and now a trip to the Mount Mujavant. The dinner at Sudas’s palace was aninformalaffair and I found that the Samrat was relaxed and easy going. Lopa spent some time dressing up for the occasion. We were apprehensive about the visit to the palace and meeting the queen. I had never met queen Sudevi before that day at the court. I was so preoccupied with what had happened at the court, that I only had vague recollection of her sitting next to Sudas. She had a reputation of being very beautiful and charming. The palace was built on top of a hill at the end of a road big enough to take three carts side by side at a time. Large ashoka trees on either side of the road gave shelter from the blistering summer sun. It was a large three-storied building with massive oak doors and shiny bronze plates embellished with the emblems of the Puru clan and the Bharata empire, at the front guarded by two burly soldiers armed to the teeth. It was an impressive building, only slightly smaller than the temple n height. The royal ensign was flying high

above the top of the crenellated walls at frequent intervals. The walls were thick enough to let two guards march on top. There were short turrets in each corner of the palace. Ensigns of the empire flew on top of the towers at the top. A guard materialised out of nowhere and confronted us before we could reach the door. “Can I help you?” “Yes. I am Upaashantha, the new Royal Physician come to visit the Samrat.” “Can I see some identification please?” “Yes, of course.” I took out my seal from the tunic pocket and handed it to him. He looked closely at the small seal and turned it around in his hand. I was not sure if he could actually read the seal and I was getting a bit annoyed, when he smiled and gave the seal back to me. “That is fine, sir. I have to be careful as I have not seen you before.” “That is completely understandable, “ I replied. He turned to the two guards and signalled them. They withdrew their long spears as we approached and bent their heads down in respect and ushered us inside. The door led to a longish corridor with high grilled windows at the far end leading to the widest courtyard I had ever seen. The setting sun’s rays passed through the grilled windows to throw strange patterned shadows on the floor of the hallway. Wall mounted brass lamps had already been lit to make the dusk lighter. “Welcome, Upaas and Lopa. It is so nice to see you again.” Samrat Sudas got out of the bench he was sitting on in the courtyard and came forward with outstretched arms. Sudevi got up from her chair and

came forward as well with a broad smile on her face and said to Lopa taking her hands, “I have heard so much about both of you from Sudas. I am so glad that you could join us today for dinner.” The tone in their voices showed genuine affection for both of us. Sudevi took Lopa by the hand and lead her to the table at the centre of the courtyard. She looked every bit as beautiful as the rumours said. She was wearing an ankle length yellow dress tied at the waist with a gold braid and the dress appear to flow as she moved. It complemented Lopa’s long white dress made of thin cotton. The cloth was exquisite and soft and accentuated their figures well. Sudevi had a simple gold chain around her neck with carnelian beads strung along with bits of copper. The carnelian beads appear to blink every time she moved. The gold braid on her waist had precious stones embedded and sparkled every time the light from the lamps hit. As soon as we sat down, everyone around us began fussing over us. The cooks served us with a sumptuous meal fit for a king. Fresh fruit from the palace’s orchard and fresh vegetables from the palace gardens along with succulent meat cooked just right. The spices were just enough to tickle your throat without being overwhelming. Ghee was flowing like water. Samrat Sudas was the perfect host. He wanted to know everything about Harappa. He knew sage Shunahotra very well and asked me about the work of his son, Grtsamada who was composing several hymns for the Rigveda. Both of them were very interested in Lopa’s work with languages. They were fascinated to hear about her command of numerous languages including Sumerian, Elaamite and Avestan. Our heroisms in Sumeria and our adventures with the sage Ziusudra enthralled them. “Tell me Upaas, how did the great sage look?

Did he tell you about

immortality? Is it true that you have to pass a magical lake to get to his island?” By the time I could answer all his questions, we had finished the dinner and the servants were clearing the table away. “Come , Upaas, taste the best dessert in all Bharata made in our kitchen. It is a recipe handed down the generations of Puru clans.” He was right. It was something out of this world. I could recognise pomegranate, mint, mango and honey in it. He opened up a little more during the dessert. He talked about his exploits during the Ashwamedha and the trouble caused by his enemies on both fronts. He talked about uniting all the tribes under one banner. He had great respect for his father, Pijavana, whom everyone called a pacifist. “My father was born a few generations too early.” He said with a deep sigh. “Our world is not ready to live in peaceful harmony. My grandfather, the great Samrat, Divodasa used to say that man is never going to be willing to live in peace. Gods have instilled greed and selfishness in humans to keep control of the world.” He spoke fondly of his ancestor, Yayati and his exploits. He did not blame Yayati for the divisions, which seemed to have travelled through several generations and appearing to cause a huge turmoil now. I thought I saw a cloud over his eyes when he talked about uniting the whole country into one. “I am looking forward to our hunting trip together soon, I hope,” Sudas said as his eyes lit up at the thought. “You will meet brother Devasravas.” It was quite late by the time we left the palace. The full moon was high up in the sky and it was so bright that it was almost like daylight.

“You are excited about the hunt, Upaas?” Lopa asked. “I am. It will give me a chance to get to know the Samrat. If I am to be his personal physician, I will need to know as much about him as possible and I want to be able to diagnose problems, before they occur.” “When do you think you will leave?” “I am not sure. Maybe in the next couple of weeks. I wish Parthava was here with us.” “You miss him quite a bit, don’t you?” “We are going into the dense Naimisha forest. I am excited at the prospect of going into it. It has thousands of medicinal plants.” “It is also reputed to be filled with demons.” Lopa said. “I would have felt happier if Parthava was there to protect you.” “Don’t worry, Lopa. The Samrat’s guards are hand-picked soldiers and I am sure I will be safe.” It was a slightly apprehensive Lopa who said goodbye two weeks later, as I mounted the faithful Shankara. Lopa had packed dried food and fruits for the journey in a small satchel. “I have added a couple of pots filled with Budi’s special powders, just in case.” Lopa said with a twinkle in her eyes. Long-forgotten pictures of the friendly magus, Budi, made me smile. His magic potions would always help us, I was sure. I had my favourite bow and a quiver of arrows tied to the side of Shankara. There were a dozen soldiers waiting for me outside the back gate of the palace. They did look very impressive on their horses fully loaded with bows, arrows and long spears. Sudas joined us soon. He was accompanied by a slightly older man, riding a short white stallion. He did

not look like Sudas in any way. He was lot thinner and taller, had a mousy face and hair. He had a long twisted nose and almost permanently furrowed forehead. He did look very comfortable on the back of the horse though. He looked as if he was part of the horse. I did vaguely remember seeing him from a distance during the Ashwamedha all those years ago. “Upaas, meet my brother Devasravas.” This is the famous Harappan physician, Upaashanta Kapila.” It turned out that Devasravas was not really a brother of Sudas. He was Pijavana’s sister’s son and was in charge of the neighbouring city of Manusa. He was a man of very few words. He just nodded his acknowledgement at me and moved on. The road petered out into a dirt track and soon became too narrow for two riders to pass. We were passing through rolling plains with clumps of trees and small streams. We had camped at one of those streams on the first night and the cook had feasted us with the fresh fish from the stream. It was the second day just as the dusk was turning the horizon maroon red and purple, when we noticed the glow of a distant fire. Kaathiya, who was leading the column , raised his hand and stopped. “I better send some scouts ahead sire. I can see a fire in the distance. Just to make sure that it is safe. There are no villages as far as I know in this area.” Sudas nodded his head and said, “It is a good idea. But, I don’t expect any trouble here as we are too close to the city.” Two soldiers galloped off towards the glow we could see in the distance. We rode on in silence, partly with apprehension and partly with curiosity. Soon, a slow-paced rhythmic sound of a drum broke the monotony. As we

climbed over the brow of a small hill, the sound intensified and we could now see where it was coming from. There were ten bullock carts parked in a circle at the bottom of the hill around a roaring log fire. There appeared to be plenty of activity around the fire. The two scout riders returned before we could go further. “It is just a group of traders camping for the night, sire. We could not see any signs of arms or soldiers,” one of the scouts said. “They look pretty harmless.” “That is good,” Sudas said. “We shall go and join them.” We increased our pace and were soon at the camp. Some of the traders had heard the horses and stopped what they were doing. One of them came forward as we stopped at the edge of the camp. He looked at the group of us and set his eyes on the arms we were carrying. “Welcome to our camp, strangers. We are a peaceful caravan of traders on the way to the capital city of Ila.” He spoke with some reticence in his voice. “We are not looking for any trouble.” “Thank you, sir.” Kaathiya replied. “We do not mean to intrude. This is the hunting party of Samrat Sudas on our way to Naimisha forest.” The trader immediately fell to his knees, as did the couple of others who had come forward by this time. The music had stopped completely now and others joined to see what was happening. “Our humble apologies, Oh Samrat. We did not know who you were.” The first man blurted out with his beard rubbing the ground as he spoke. “Please get up. There is no need to change on our behalf. Please carry on as you were.”

Sudas spoke to them calmly as he climbed off his horse. There must have been at least fifty of them. Men, women and children. I suspect none of them had seen royalty before. Particularly the Samrat himself. Men were craning their necks to get a good look at Sudas, while women stood in the background. I could see the giggling children trying to run and their mothers shushing them and trying desperately to stop them from running towards the horses. Men wore typical dhotis made of rough-hewn flax and the women were wearing knee length skirts with a robe covering their tops. By now, all of us had dismounted and gathered behind Sudas and Devasravas. It turned out they were a group of people, some from the southern Dravida and some from the eastern lands deep in the Naimisha forest on their way to the profitable markets of Ilaspada. They invited us to camp with them and partake in their evening meal. We were taken to the centre of the camp, which was essentially the big roaring log fire with a row of stones kept in a circle, just inside the circle of bullock carts. The bulls were tied up in a make shift pen at the far end of the camp. The smell of cooking reminded us that we had not eaten anything since leaving the camp on the banks of a stream. I could make out the aroma of garlic and cinnamon wafting through the air. It did not take very long for them to relax and start their music again. The slow deep rhythm of the drums was soon joined by a wind instrumentand a single stringed instrument too. It reminded me of the first time I met Lopa all those years ago. It was in a similar camp and the music was very similar and bewitching. Someone started to sing in a lilting and soothing voice, quite deep. He started off with a bit of humming and the words came out slowly at first and then the pace started to pick up along with the drums. I tried to listen to the words. It was in Dravida, a language my wife had taught me well. The song went something like this – “I am in a land far far away from home

I feel all alone! I miss the verdant green of our land I miss the deep blue colour of our skies I am in a land far far away from home I miss the sweet scent of our flowers I miss the tinkling sound of our rivers I am in a land far far away from home I feel all alone! Even the darkest woods in my land...” “What is he singing about?” I was woken out of my reverie by Sudas. “He is singing about his homeland. They must have left their land a long time ago and he is pining for it.” “It is extremely soulful,” Sudas replied. “He must miss his home badly to sing like that. It does not matter what one’s home is like, it is still his or her home.” We stood there for a while listening to the enchanting music and I tried to translate as best as I could. He went on to sing about his woman next. Several of the men and women stood up and started to dance. It was a remarkable sight. The song again was soulful and sad. He missed his woman a lot. It was quite late when the food was served and it was delicious. I had tasted some of them before in the traders’ wagons outside Harappa during my courting days. The whole thing reminded me of Lopa and I was terribly home sick. I went to bed feeling lonely and dreaming of Lopa. My stomach felt empty even though we had eaten enough for two days. I wanted to run away from the camp back to Ila and home. After tossing and turning for a long time, I must have dozed off to sleep only to be

woken up by Kaathiya in the morning. We left the traders’ camp in the early hours of the morning after thanking them for their hospitality. We reached the Naimisha forest couple of days later without any mishap and camped on the banks of gentle river Gomati. The river appeared so quiet and appear to ramble along at a gentle pace. The banks had huge ashoka trees hemming the banks in closely. We could hear the soft sounds of the river lulling us to deep sleep after a meal of roasted meat. The day’s hunt by the guards was consumed without any protest by everyone. Sudas showed his prowess with his arrows by downing two wild boars. There was no sign of the tiger Sudas wanted to encounter so dearly. Naimisha forest was known for a concentration of tigers who were wreaking havoc in several villages at the edge of the forest. We had come across a few hamlets along the way and they were pleased to see the hunting party. In one of them, a hamlet of not more than a dozen mud huts, the elder had almost begged Sudas to rid the forest of the tigers. “They have killed our children and our cows.” He had said in a language only Kaathiya could understand and I could only get a gist of. “If the tigers continue this, we will have no option but to move out of the forest. I don’t know how we can survive outside the forest.” These forest dwellers had lived and thrived in the forest and they would be lost outside in the plains. Sudas had reassured them that he will do his best to help them. Kaathiya, the captain of the guards was getting very touchy despite the peaceful surroundings of the camp. “This is the land of demons with magical powers. This is the backyard of Dasyu’s. They will be watching us.I will post two guards in each directions to keep watch. We will take turns through the night.”

“It is better that the fire is kept going through the night to repel wild animals.” Devsravas said. That was probably the longest sentence he had used since the start of the journey. “The fire can attract the brigands too, Master Devasravas.” Kaathiya replied. Sudas laughed lightly at this and said, “I am sure they have been following us for a while now, Kaathiya. I don’t think they would dare attack the Samrat of Bharata.” “I am sure you are right, sire. I will send a scout to check out the area.” He was taking this too seriously, I thought. The place looks so peaceful. How can this be a land full of demons? I went to bed dreaming of Lopa and little Atreya. “You do that. We are quite safe with you watching over us.” Sudas replied , still with a smile on his face . They hit us early in the morning. There was no sound at all. I was rudely woken up by the sharp end of a crude spear pricking my throat. It was made of an indeterminate metal and badly discoloured by misuse. But the guy holding the spear was more impressive. I could not see much in the darkness only lit by a fading moon and stars. I could still make out the monstrous size of the man. He must be the biggest man I had seen and nearly blocked the sky out above me. He made a guttural noise, which I could not understand. He appeared to repeat the same thing twice and sounded as if he was getting angry. That was the last thing on my mind. Then he signalled with the spear to get up. I stood up immediately and looked around. Everyone else in the camp appeared to be in the same predicament. I blinked a couple of times to get used to the darkness and looked around to see what

was happening. I could not see much in the dim light of the dying embers of the fire in the middle of the camp. I could count about ten of these attackers, standing with spears pointing at our soldiers. I could not see Sudas from where I was standing. One of them, obviously the leader, said something no one could understand. “I am afraid we do not understand your language.” Devasravas sounded quite nonchalant. For anyone listening, he could have been out on a stroll talking to a stranger. There was silence for a minute or two. The leader called one of the guys from the back and there appeared to be a discussion of some sort. Couple of others joined and there was a lot of arm waving and shouting. It later turned out that some of them wanted to slaughter the lot of us and take whatever we have and be done with it. Devasravas could understand everything they were saying. I suddenly realised that the guy pointing the spear at my throat a few minutes ago was no longer interested in me and was shouting something at the group. My satchel was not too far from where I was and I slid my left hand into it looking for the two of Budi’s pots. As soon as my fingers grasped the neck of one of the pots, I froze. Afraid that someone might notice. My bow and arrows were under the satchel. Kaathiya had seen me fumbling around the satchel and I nodded my head towards the dying embers of the fire as the attackers were still arguing about something. I was not sure if he understood what I was going to do. But I could see him edging towards his bow and arrows too. I had to do it quickly before the attackers realise what was happening. I pulled my left hand out of the satchel and in the same movement slung the pot at the fire hoping for the best and shouted, “Close your eyes.” Then everything happened at once. As the contents of the pot and the pot

itself hit the fire and broke into million pieces , there was an explosion and bright yellow flash blinding anyone who had not closed their eyes. When I opened my eyes, there was pandemonium with men running all over the place in utter confusion. I managed to load my first arrow just as the attackers recovered from the shock. Thanks to the time I had spent at the archery school in Ila, I could see at least two of the men go down by my arrows. Sudas had appeared out of nowhere and he was like a lion himself with his double-edged bronze sword. He was a man possessed. Devasravas and Kaathiya were magnificent with their bows too. Everything was before the attackers could regroup. I could hear at least one of them running away crashing through the undergrowth. We counted eleven bodies all around us. The four guards, posted at the periphery had had their throats slit and had not made any sound. “Danavas!” Kaathiya exclaimed. “We have not heard the last of them. I am surprised that they have ventured so far out from their lair.” I had heard of these Danavas before, but never had a chance to see any of them. The sun was coming up now and we could get a good look at the attackers. They were short, swarthy and squat. Extremely well built and muscular, with thick black facial hair making it difficult to make out their features properly. One thing that struck out was their thick stout nose – on each and everyone of them! They are a Dasyu tribe who used magic and poison freely. They are rarely seen outside the deep centre of the Naimisha forest. “I think we better double up our guards and be on the lookout for trouble from now on,” Sudas said. He was looking down at his blood soaked sword and hands. His clothes were splattered with blood as did his face. “We better pay our respects to the fallen soldiers and get ready to move.”

“Is it wise to continue, Sudas?” Devasravas asked. “Something has made these Danavas to venture out so far out and they will want revenge. I am not sure we would be so lucky next time.” “You are absolutely right, Devasravas.” Sudas replied. “There is no fun in continuing this hunt anymore. From now until we leave the forest, we will be the hunted ones.” The next couple of hours were spent on the last rites of the four dead soldiers. They were cremated with full honours. Sudas read out the hymns offering prayers to Agni and Soma asking them to accept our comrades. I was quite impressed by his knowledge of scriptures. We then moved down towards the stream when, Devasravas sauntered across and said to me, “That was a neat trick, Upaas. Where did you learn that? What was in the pot?” I explained the trip to Sumer in brief and our encounter with Budi, the Avestan Magus who befriended us. He was fascinated by the story. By this time, Sudas had joined us as well and said, “I remember you telling me about him at the dinner, Upaas. It was a brilliant idea to bring those pots. It saved our skins today.” I smiled before replying, “It was actually Lopa’s idea to put a couple of those pots in my bag.” “You must pass our grateful thanks to your beautiful wife then,” Sudas said as he finished washing up in the stream.Breakfast was a quiet affair. We were all shaken by the narrow shave we had had with death. Kaathiya sent two scouts ahead on the road out of the forest. It started to rain as we set out at a hard gallop, and before long my thighs were cramped and aching. Even when we were safely away from the ambush site, and Kaathiya had slowed us

down to a trot, it was miserable pounding journey over rough ground, made worse by the rain. “We must have some rest, Kaathiya,” Sudas said after a couple of hours of hard riding in pouring rain. The rain had just started to ease and the sun was high up in the sky. “This rain has not helped and the horses are getting tired. If we have to make a break for it for any reason, we don’t want them to be tired out.” We stopped at a clearing where one of the numerous streams of the forest slowed down on their way to join the river Gomati and dismounted. The rain had stopped completely now. Sudas seated himself on a rock. “By now the escaped Danava is likely racing across the Naimisha forest to their lair, chasing up the news of the Samrat of Bharata on horseback and easy prey.” “I am not certain about being an ‘easy prey’, your majesty. “They will think twice before attacking us again, ” Kaathiya said. “I must admire your optimism, Kaathiya.” Sudas smiled. “Or were you trying to placate our anxiety?” Devasravas, who had perched himself on yet another rock smiled and threw another pebble into the stream. “I know these Danavas. Mark my words, they will be back, They are on their way here as we speak.” He bent down to pick up another pebble before continuing, “We better get our defences strengthened. Does anyone here practise telepathy? If there is, it would be a good idea to send a message to our garrison to send some reinforcements.” “Riders!”

The shriek came from the top of a wind carved ridge above the stream. Kaathiya had sent one of the soldiers up the rock face o watch the track while they took rest. For a while no one moved. Kaathiya was the first to react. “Your majesty, Master Devasravas, to the horses,” he shouted. “Get the other mounts behind us.” “I hear them!” Sudas called out. I turned my head to listen, and there it was: hoof beats, a dozen or more, coming closer. Suddenly everyone was moving, reaching for weapons, running to their mounts. Stone pebbles came raining down around us as the watch came springing and sliding down the ridge. He landed breathless in front of Sudas, as ungainly looking man with wild tufts of black hair sticking out from under the skin cap. “Thirty men, maybe more,” he said, breathless. “Same tribe of Danavaas by the look of it. They must have watchers out, your majesty. They know we are here.” Sudas was already on his horse, the bow in his hand, already loaded and his long spear not too far away. I hid behind a boulder, recently occupied by Devasravas, my trusty bow loaded and ready. I fumbled in my satchel and found the other one of Budi’s pots. I carefully placed it on top of the boulder, ready to throw when needed. “Here they come,” Devasravas uttered between clenched teeth, drawing his long sword from the scabbard across his back. He glared at the watch who was still getting his breath back and trotted off to form beside the other soldiers. A heartbeat later, the riders were on us. There were no heralds, no banners, no horns nor drums, only the twang of bowstrings as I let loose a volley of arrows as did Sudas and the soldiers.

Suddenly the Danavaas came thundering out of the forest, swarthy, dark men, in boiled leather and bare chested. They had all sorts of weapons in their hands: long swords, spears, scythes and even clubs and daggers. At the lead was a stocky man, must be the darkest man I had seen with a snub nose,a white beard and a thick white moustache. He was swinging a bronze axe in his right hand. Sudas shouted “ForBharata!” and rode to meet him, with Kaathiya just behind him. The noise was unbelievable. I could hear the screams of frightened horses and the crash of metal on metal. Devasravas’s sword raked across the naked face of a rider and the watch plunged through the attackers like a whirlwind, belying his appearance, cutting down foes right and left. He was like a man possessed. Sudas had his long spear out and lunging at their leader, their horses dancing around each other as they traded blow for blow. Devasravas twisted where he stood as a rider turned to come back at him, hefting a spiked maul. Devasravas swung his long sword with both hands. The blade caught the charging horse in the throat with a meaty thunk, angling upward, and Devasravas almost lost his grip as the animal screamed and collapsed. He managed to wrench the sword free and lurch out of the way. Horse and the rider crashed to the ground in a tangle on top the boulder right in front of me. Devasravas danced back in while the attacker’s leg was still pinned beneath his fallen mount, buried the sword in the man’s neck, just above the shoulder blades. They seem to be coming in waves. I thought it was time for my secret weapon. I took Budi’s magic powder pot in my right hand, weighed it a couple of time and aimed it at the next wave of riders swinging their way round the track. The pot arched slowly up in the air before coming crashing down on the lead horses head. The explosion was deafening and the horse and its rider disappeared in a mangle of flesh and blood. There was an acrid

smoke and it became quite dark with the smoke. Rest of the horses were petrified and crashed down on to the body of dead attacker and the horse. After that, things several things happened together. The air was full of shouts and screams and heavy with the scent of blood mixed with burning flesh. Arrows hissed past my ear and clattered off the rocks. I saw a long sword clutched in a dead attacker’s hands. I picked it up, looked around and picked up a spiked mace. Sudas was trapped against the stone face of the valley with three men around him, one still mounted and the other two on foot. He had been unhorsed at some stage. He had his bronze sword in one hand and his long spear in the other, but his back was to the rock now and they had pinned him on three sides. I did not think, but somehow kept moving. I caught the first man in the back of the knee before they even knew I was there, and the heavy sword split flesh and bone like rotten wood. ‘I am not a soldier. I should be getting help,’ I thought inanely as the second man turned around and came after me. I tucked under his sword and lashed out with the mace in my left hand, the man reeled back. Sudas stepped up behind him and slashed his long sword at his neck. He dropped down like a log. The attacker on the mount took fright and galloped off before we could turn on him. The two of us looked at each other and looked around. The enemy were all either vanquished or vanished. Somehow the fighting had ended when I was not looking. Dying men and wounded horses lay all around, screaming or moaning. It suddenly occurred to me that I was not one of them. I opened my fingers and let the mace and sword sink to the ground. My hands were sticky with blood. I could have sworn that we had been fighting for a half a day, but the sun seemed scarcely to have moved at all. “Your first battle?” Kaathiya asked as he sauntered over to where we

were standing. I did not say anything. I was probably in a bit of a shock. Sudas smiled and replied, “No, Kaathiya. Our physician friend Upaas has been in a few fracas before and this is nothing new to him.” He then turned to me and said,“I owe you my life, Upaas. I was in a sticky situation for a minute there.” I blushed at that and stuttered before I could say anything. “It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same in that situation. I am sure you would have easily got all three of them even if I had not turned up.” By now, the rest of the soldiers and Devasravas had also returned to where we were standing. “You are not bad for a physician, Upaas,” Devasravas said “that bag of tricks of yours is extremely useful. I hope you have some more of them for future when we have to fight real battles.” Afterward, I knelt by the stream and washed the blood off my face in fresh, cool water. As I walked back to the others, I glanced again at the slain. The dead Danavaas were in fact thin, ragged men, their horses scrawny and undersized, with every rib showing. Their weaponry was not very impressive either. I remembered their leader who looked ferocious and duelled with Sudas with an impressive looking long sword, but when I found his corpse lying on the ground, the man was no so big after all, the cloak was gone and I saw the blade of the sword was badly notched, it’s cheap metal rotted with rust and dents. Small wonder that the tribesman had left eighteen men dead. We had only three dead and we had lost two horses. “We must press on as soon as possible,” Kaathiya said, his eyes scanning the ridge at the top of the valley.

“We must bury our dead, Kaathiya,” Sudas said. “These were brave men. I will not leave them to the crows and vultures.” The rain had softened the ground and it was not too difficult to dig three graves.The three soldiers were buried with honours and Sudas read out the hymns asking God Varuna to take them. “What about the dead Danavaas?” One of the soldiers was heard to say. “Animals in the forest need to eat too,” was Kaathiya’s sarcastic response as we rode out of there.

Chapter 7: The Battle of the Sages . The weeks following the hunting trip was almost a blur with the hospital getting extremely busy. There was a deluge of travellers into the city, mainly the merchants from almost everywhere. That meant a lot of patients with travel illnesses and injuries. Lopa had become an integral part of the hospital helping in translating, particularly Sumerian patients. She was the only one apart from the Master who could read the seals and documents from Sumer and Elaam. She tried to show me how to read an impression brought by a Sumerian merchant. It was on a clay tablet and had images of animals as well as text. The letters were imprints by an angled wooden stick I had seen in ShuIlishu’s house in Lagash a few years previously. They looked like linear triangles printed in a regular distribution. She could read them as easily as I could read our own seals. My Sumerian was now good enough to understand what she was reading. I still could not read the script on the tablets. By now the number of foreigners coming into the hospital had increased to such an extent, that the Master wanted to ask the Samrat for reinforcements. The work was getting to be hectic and I had very little time to collect medicinal herbs and roots. If we have to go to a battle, we would be woefully short of medicines to treat injuries. The stock of soma was getting critically low. But , I could not take time off to go to the Mount Mujavant to get the soma or all the herbs and roots available only on the Shiwalik mountains. “Upaas, we have an opportunity to meet the Samrat again. The kings of surrounding countries have sent envoys to the Samrat’s court. I want you to

come with me to the court tomorrow.” “Certainly, Master. I look forward to it.” I was not sure why I was being called. My doubt must have shown on my face. “It will give us an opportunity to seek help. We need more physicians and nurses, especially if we are going to a big battle.” That would be my second visit to the Samrat Sudas’ court since coming to Ilaspada. We were quite early at the court and there were a lot of people in the court. What attracted me most was the presence of all those envoys. I could recognise the heralds of Yadus, Turvasas, Anu and Druhyus, as well as Pakhthas and Balanas from across the mountains. I did not expect to see them here. It was the turn of Yadu envoy first. He came forward and knelt on one knee in front of the throne and said, “Hail to Samrat Sudas. May his reign last for a hundred years. I bring greetings from the land of legendary Yadus and gifts from our king Jayadwaja. He swears his allegiance to the Samrat and a company of soldiers, horses and elephants in your battle against the Dasyus of the south.” “Thank you , sir. Please tell your king we value his friendship and support immensely. After all, we are brothers by ancestry and Jayadwaja is my elder brother. I knew he would come to his younger brother’s aid in this hour of need.I am impressed by the way he has stuck to his word.” The envoy stood up and clapped his hands three times. The main doors opened and there was a procession of palanquins bearing gifts of all kinds – gold, silver, lapis lazuli, agate and pearls. There were carriages loaded with arms – bronze shields, sword, spears, arrows, mace and bows made out of

best teak. Elephants walked in majestically fully adorned and looking regal. When the elephants trumpeted, the thick walls of the court shook and we could feel their heavy feet on the ground. This continued with the other envoys too and Sudas stood at the edge of the platform appreciating the gifts from across the borders. The palanquins and carriages made their way out of the court at the back and into the palace stores. The Matsyas had reportedly sent their best boats, which lay anchored in the docks on the river. I definitely did not expect any allegiance from the Matsyas. They had sunk our shipson our way to Susa years ago. I am sure sage Vasishta would remember that. Once all the gifts left the court, Sudas invited the envoys to stay in Ilaspada as royal guests for as long as they pleased. I was quite impressed that all the kings had fulfilled their promises so well and so quickly. “Thank you for your kind gesture, Samrat Sudas,” The Yadu envoy said. “But we have been asked to return as quickly as possible to prepare for the battle with the Dasyus. We will be leaving Ilaspada early next week once our boats have been replenished.” “As you wish, sir. You are our honoured guests as long as you are in our city.” Once the envoys left the court, it was the turn of the commoners. There were numerous petitions by the commoners – anything from a petty disagreement about a cow ownership to disputes about land ownership and water supply. There was an interesting case of a young man refusing to go to the girls house after marriage, as the tradition was. It took all of Sudas’s diplomatic skills to show the young man his folly. Sudas’s grasp of varying strengths of situation and the speed at which he disposed of the disputes was amazing. He was not much older than I was, but his demeanour and

judgement were beyond his years. When the commoners were dealt with, the main doors were shut for official business. As the king was walking back to his seat, there was a knock at the door. There was consternation on everyone’s faces. It was unthinkable that king’s court could be disturbed during a private session. I could see Vishvamitra glaring at the door. King Sudas signalled the guards to open the door. One of the soldiers from the front gate walked in, bowed his head to the King and the two sages before kneeling in front of the throne. “My humblest apologies, your highness. But there is a man at the gate who is insisting on seeing the king himself. I have asked him to come back tomorrow as the commoner session is finished. But he won’t listen.” “Who is he? Why does he want to meet the Samrat?” Vishwamitra sounded even more irritated than ususal, if that was possible. “I am sorry, sir. I have tried and the captain has threatened to throw him in the dungeons. But he will not listen. He is dressed as a Harappan soldier and he obviously been travelling for a while in a hurry by the looks of it.” “Interesting. Why would someone send a soldier with a message?” Sage Vasishta said. It became even more interesting when a messenger was ushered into the court, “Hail to Samrat Sudas. Hail to mother Bharata.” The messenger said kneeling down on his right knee, head bowed down, averting his eyes from the two sages, in front of Sudas. He was wearing the uniform of a Harappan soldier, a short white tunic tied down at the waist by a leather belt and a brass buckle in the shape of a sun, but I could not recognise him. He was shaking like a leaf. His clothes were covered in dust of several days of travelling and torn in places. This could be the last thing he would do in his life if either of

the sages or the king does not like what he has brought. He had been told by the man on the road to Harappa, that the king should be notified at the earliest and that the message had to delivered to the king in person. The man had also said that it would be his head if it fell into anyone else’s hands. “Rise, soldier. What is your name? What news have you brought?” The messenger stood up and took the rolled up message scroll out of his tunic. He was still not looking at the sages. He had been told that he could be reduced to ashes by one glare from the powerful sages. “I am Arani from the city of Harappa, sir.” He replied rather hesitatingly. He was shaking with fear as he spoke. He glanced at the two sages to see their reaction. “I have a brought a message to the king.” “Bring it forward to me soldier. Do not be afraid.” The messenger looked up at Sudas, before stepping forward gingerly bowed double at the waist and handed the scroll to the Samratwith head still bowed down. He then walked backwards gingerly still bowed at the waist and head down staring at the floor. Sudas opened the scroll and glanced over it and took it to sage Vasishta. “I think you should read this, sage Vasishta.” Vasishta picked up the scroll and after going through it first, passed it to Vishwamitra, turned to the Samrat and said, “It is a message from the border town of Sudra on Pariyatra mountains. It is not good news. There have been further incursions by the Avestans, Panis and Alinas into our territory. They have retaken some villages along the western front along the mountains. Cayamanais are leading them and they are amassing troops all along the border and the writer thinks that they are

getting ready to march on Harappa.” There was utter silence at this. One could hear a pin drop. I could see Vishwamitra’s face getting redder by the minute and was ready to blow when Vasishta was speaking. “This is not acceptable, Sudas.” Sage Vishwamitra thundered. “You cannot allow your enemies to take back the lands you conquered at the time of Ashwamedha. I want you to lead an army and teach these upstarts a lesson.” “How reliable is this message? Who gave you this message?” Vasishta asked the messenger. The messenger turned red. He started to twiddle and twist his dhoti at the corners and stuttered something.Arani had come across that man, half dead trying to drink out of a dirty pond on the side of a road to Harappa. He was injured and limping badly. There were bandages on his shoulder and legs. Blood had seeped through the bandages and stained them black. The rough hessian bandages had become hard and digging into the skin at the edges. Arani was leading a patrol at the time and taken the wounded man back to the camp where he had been looked after. The story had come out slowly from the injured man. It turned out that he was a trader from the border town of Sudra who had been attacked while on acaravan tripalong the border lands. The caravan had been taken by surprise by what they thought was a Haihaya contingent. He was the sole survivor of the small convoy of traders on the way to the profitable Harappan market. He was cut off from going back to Sudra and ended up going north towards the city of Harappa, not realising the distance involved. He had lost his horse and had fallen down losing consciousness. This was probably why he was spared. When he had regained consciousness, he realised that most of his travel mates had died and the entire caravan had been looted. All their horses had

been taken as did their bullock carts. It was dark when he had eventually opened his eyes. He could hear voices of the attackers. They were sitting around a fire, discussing something in earnest. He had managed to crawl through bramble bushes close enough to hear what they were saying. He could count a dozen of them sitting crouched on their haunches around a roaring fire eating something. The tall flames threw strange shadows on the men and he could not make out any of their faces. They were not Harappan soldiers by the emblem that was on the saddle of the horse grazing peacefully nearby. He was careful not to startle the animal as it would have given him away. Initially, he could not understand what they were saying as they were speaking in a language he could not understand. It was definitely not the Haihayas as he was fluent in their language. It changed once what seemed to be their leader turned up. They started to speak in a dialect very similar to Sanskrit. Their leader had new orders for his troops. What he heard, had shaken him to the core. He had hidden under the bramble bushes through the night and waited till all the attackers had left before getting enough courage to look around. The attackers had ridden off just before sunrise in the direction of the city of Sudra. He had waited until sunrise before walking down to the stream alongside the road and cleaned himself up. He had managed to stop the bleeding from his wounds and used his turban to dress up his leg wounds as best as he could. He had picked up a broken oak branch for a walking stick and had started to run towards Harappa. His injured legs were weak and he had fallen a few times. He was distraught at losing all his friends and had fallen a few times. He wanted to get the message to the army as fast as he could. He had managed to scrounge up some berries and fruits from the forest. He had tried to shoot a rabbit with a make shift bow and arrow with no success. Once he came out of the forest going through the

plains, there was very little food to forage and only water to quench his thirst. After the first couple of days out of the forest, he had lost count of time and was not even sure if he was on the right road to Harappa when Arani’s patrol found him. The scribe at the camp was asked to write down everything he said, once the captain realised the content of his message. He had started off slowly describing what happened and words tumbled out at great speed. He was obviously distressed when it came to the death of his mates and Arani had comforted him as best as he could. The scribe had transcribed his words onto a palm leaf sheet and the scroll was sealed by the captain. The captain had turned to Arani and said, “You rescued the man and so it is only right that you have the honour of taking this important message to the Samrat in Ilaspada.” “The message is dangerous and if it falls into the wrong hands it will be your head.” Was the captain’s words as Arani had climbed the horse with the scroll hidden under his tunic. He had been anxious to see the king and his court, he had heard so much about. Now that he was in the court facing the king and two of the most powerful sages in the world, his knees had gone weak and he could barely speak. “Dont be afraid, my man. I give my word that you will not be harmed.” Vasishta continued. I could see the messenger was relieved visibly at this. He stopped twiddling and said, “He is not our usual contact sire. But my captain has said that he is reliable.” After some persuasion from Vasishta the rest of the story came out to an enthralling audience. Sage Vasishta, who had sat down by the time Arani finished his narration asked Arani, “Do you know if Sudra or Roruka have fallen? What has happened to the city of Kuhasa? How many villages have been taken by these attackers? Do

you know where Cyamana was when you left?” The soldier was becoming very uncomfortable with all the questions. He started to fiddle again as he answered. “According to the trader, they had taken small hamlets along the top of the mountains along the pass. The army was to hit Sudra anytime now. The plan as far as he could hear was to head towards Harappa once the armies of Panis and Alinas had joined them. And sir, there is something else.” He hesitated for a minute, not continuing. He looked even more nervous than before. “Please carry on, soldier. You are safe now. There is nothing to fear.” “There is talk of strange beings helping Cayamana. They were talking about female soldiers and also those who crawl out of ground to feed on animals.” He visually shuddered as he finished. There was utter silence at this revelation soon to be followed by a lot of whispering. Vasishta stood up and raised his hands to quieten the court. “This is exactly what the enemy would want. Instil fear in us even before starting,” he said. “We know of people who live in the outskirts of Sudra and lived in houses with no doors. They live like rats, almost underground and use a hole in the roof to go in and out. They are neither Aryans nor Daysus. They cover themselves in dust to protect themselves from the blistering sun. They are quite tall, well-built, pale and are mostly golden-haired. Their eyes are like that of cats, sharp and pale green. They are not magical and nor are they superhuman. As for the female soldiers, they are from the Avestan city of Kuntasta, not far from the capital Mundigak. They pray to mother goddess and the soldiers are female while their men folk tend to the farms.” There was an immediate uproar in the assembly.

“How can we fight women?” It’s against the Aryan code!” “It is unethical to kill women!” Vasishta again raised his arms to quieten the assembly. He turned to Sudas this time before speaking. “You are right, it is un - aryan to kill women. Samrat Sudas, woman is our mother and our benefactor,” and turning back to the assembly he continued. “But, if they decide to bear arms against us, we have to protect our land and our heritage and our homes. Manu has said that when one is faced with such a situation, you have to bear arms against others, even Aryans , if you have to.” Arani appeared confused and did not know what to do at this confusion and arguments. “Thank you, Arani. You have been very useful. Please wait outside while we discuss and let you have a reply.” Vasishta dismissed the messenger. He waited till the door was closed behind Arani before saying, “I find it difficult to see how Alinas could go to war against the Purus with all the help he and his ancestors have had. The Gandharis under Alinas have been the protectors of the Soma fields on Mujavant mountains for generations. I have not felt any change in the prana on these sacred mountains or the lake Sharyanavat since King Vishtaspa attacked Harappa all those years ago.” “You and your outdated ideas, sage Vasishta. It is time you let those are proficient in both kshatriya and Aryan dharma make decisions.Once you say it is Aryan to support Haihayas and the next minute you say we should kill women.” Vishwamitra was like a dog with a bone and he was obviously

referring to his own background as a king and a kshatriya in the past. Samrat Sudas was very thoughtful as he stood up. “With respect, sage Vishwamitra, we have not lost a great deal. It is only a few villages in the borders. We are not strong enough to take an expeditionary force when we are still trying to strengthen our country of Bharata. Our armies are getting ready to go to Mahishmati. The Bhedas have amassed a huge army, which is a bigger threat to our existence than some villages on the Pariyatra mountains. We don’t know how reliable this message truly is. This trader may be exaggerating or he could be a plant in the pay of the enemies.” Sudas said with some deference and turning to Vasishta, he continued, “I will have to ask what sage Vasishta thinks.” Vishwamitra stood up and stuck his chest out. “That is just typical of you, Sudas. You have no respect for me. May I remind you that those little villages you speak off on the mountains, are my homeland of Gadhi Kingdom. Their warriors fought for you and gave their lives during your Ashwamedha.You have insulted me at every opportunity. You always listen to that old man. You have forgotten that it was I, who trained you. Without me, you would be nothing today. I cannot stay here, where his orders are of more importance than mine. You have to decide today who stays in this court.” Sudas jumped to his feet and walked down to the sage. He knelt before Vishwamitra and touched his feet. “My apologies, oh great Sage. It has never been my intention to insult you, ever. I was showing deference to sage Vasishta as the senior sage in this court. I have a great regard for the Gadhi Kingdom and the people of Gadhi belong to Bharata as much as I do. I would not dream of forgetting their

sacrifices for Bharata.

I have always respected your opinion.

You are

absolutely right, I am nobody without you.” Vishwamitra stood back from Sudas haughtily and boomed again, “You have an odd way of showing your respect, Samrat. You did not listen to me when the villagers stood against you in the mountains after Ashwamedha, you stopped your expansion at the behest of Vasishta against my wishes when the world was yours for the taking and today you do not even have the courtesy to listen to my advice. You have always preferred to listen to him, instead of me!” Then he turned around to look at sage Vasishta. “And you, sage Vasishta. You have not changed at all over the years. You are still the same old stubborn man holding on to your antiquated ideas. It is time for you to move on and let younger, progressive ones like me, to lead the country forward. You are taking this country backwards. Bad experience is not necessarily better than inexperience. You will be the ruin of this country and Sudas. If the great samrat Divodasa was here it would have been different.” “You are mistaken, sage Vishwamitra. One has to weigh up the pros and cons of everything before deciding on such a major issue as a war against our neighbours. As Sudas said, we are still rebuilding the country and not strong enough to mount an expeditionary force. We have to verify the source of this message first and if it is true, we may have to send help to sage Shunahotra in Harappa. Shunahotra is powerful in his own right. You forget how he defeated the Avestans in the past despite great odds while you were still in Sindhu. Samrat Sudas needs you and your knowledge and skill now more than ever. Please don’t desert him in his time of need.” And turning to Sudas, he continued, “Samrat Sudas. I will be more than happy to step down and let Vishwamitra to be your chief priest. He will lead you to victory, I am

certain of that. Anyway, I am old and it is time I retired to the forest to meditate for the good of humanity.” Vishwamitra just snorted at this derisively and looked away folding his arms across his chest. Sudas was in a quandary and everyone could see that he did not know what to do. “Oh , great sages. You put me in a never-before dilemma. I need both of you here in my court. The city of Ila needs you and the country of Bharata needs you. We need you now, more than at any other time in the past. I need the knowledge, wisdom and guidance of sage Vasishta that comes with age and enormous experience, good experience. I need the skill, vision and knowledge of sage Vishwamitra who has combined skills of a Kshatriya as well as a Bramharshi.” He raised his folded hands above his heads at both of them and continued, “Please, I beg both of you. Don’t desert me and my country in this hour of need.” The altercation went on for a while and the entire court was engrossed, spell bound at this clash of the titans. It ended with sage Vishwamitra storming out of the court with sage Vasishta in hot pursuit. Vishwamitra stopped at the door, turned back and with a raised fist, shouted down at the court, “I will never set foot in this court again. Mark my words, Sudas, you will regert this day. This will be the beginning of the end, for you and your country. I am leaving your court and this country forever now. Don’t come running back to me for forgiveness and help when you are on your knees. This is the beginning of the downfall of Bharata. Because, you are not going to get it. Consider yourself lucky that I am not throwing a curse at you.” Vasishta who had tried to follow him, stopped at the door as Vishwamitra slammed it in his face and turned back towards the court.

“This is indeed a sad day for all of us. We have to thank ourselves that he has not put a curse on all of us. However, we should first verify this story.We have to think of what he said though. What has happened in the western borders cannot be ignored. I recommend you send an envoy to Mundigak to King Cayamana immediately asking for a truce.” “I will certainly do as you say, Maharshi. I do not want to get involved in a second war at any rate. Our priority is to deal with the problem in Mahishmati first which is more of a threat to us as a nation. I will arrange for an envoy to leave for Mundigak immediately. Sage Vasishta, I thank you for your help today. It is a great loss that we have suffered today. Is there any way sage Vishwamitra can be brought back?” “I am afraid it is not going to be easy. He is known for his stubbornness. It is his stubbornness, which earned him the Bramharshi title. He changed from a Kshatriya to a Rishi and a Bramharshi, by being single minded and stubborn. I will try, but don’t hold any hopes.” Vasishta replied, looking rather sad. Sudas continued, “I will send an envoy to the ancient Gadhi kingdom on the mountains today. The city of Kuhasa is now being ruled by Nalanjeya. He may be able to help persuade the sage to come back to us.” “Nalanjeya was close to Vishwamitra when he was the captain of his personal guard of Gadhi kingdom. I remember Nalanjeya accompanying him as King Kaushika then when he came to take away the Nandini cow from our ashram.” Vasishta was reminiscing. There was a wry smile on his face as he said it. It was a sore point between the two sages and no one dared discuss it in presence of Vishwamitra. “But I have a suspicion that he will not be going back to Kuhasa.”

“Why do you say that, sage Vasishta? After all it is his kingdom by rights and he can claim it anytime he wants to.” Vasishta had a pained expression on his face when he replied. “He is too proud to go back to the city and claim his kingdom. He had thrown it away to become a Maharshi. And now he is a Bramharshi.” He paused for minute before continuing, “I think he will spend some time meditating and thinking before taking any action. I sincerely hope he does not go and offer his allegiance and help to King Kavi Cayamana. That would be disaster for us.” There was deathly silence when he said that. No one present in the assembly had any doubts about the power of sage Vishwamitra and what damage he could cause if he decided to fight against Bharata. “God help us all if he decides to join forces with Cayamana and march against us.” Sudas said. “Sage Vasishta, you must do something to stop that happening.” “There is not much I can do to stop him from joining Cayamana. However,” he paused for a minute before continuing. “However, I could go to Lord Indra for his help if that happens.” “That means going to the Manasa lake, on top of the Himalayan mountains.” Sudas said with anxiety. “Sage Vasishta, all of us here know that no human has returned from an attempt to reach Manasa lake before. I do hope it does not come to that.” “You are right Samrat Sudas.” Vasishta replied. “But the alternative does not bear a second thought. It might mean the destruction of the Bharata kingdom and thousands of years of culture, heritage and history.”

“My apologies , sage Vasishta. I did not mean to speak out of turn. If there is anyone who can travel to Manasa lake and return, it would be you.” Samrat Sudas was on his feet. “Let us hope it will not come to that.” “Let us hope it does not come to that. I am sure Vishwamitra will see sense once he calms down.”

Chapter8: Alinas . Some days we could hear the workers busy at work late into the night. We could see smoke climbing out of the chimneys throughout the night. The coke fires were not allowed to go out when they finished late at night, as it would be pointless trying to spend hours to get the fire going to reach the temperature to work on brass and bronze. The little town of Urgada on the Kings road north of Ilaspada had their tanneries working full time churning out leather shields, leggings and sandals for the soldiers. All the workshops were working flat out to get Sudas’s army well equipped. There was a sense of pride in their work and there was a healthy competition between groups of workers. They held their captain in the highest regard and vied with each other to please him. The training had been intense over the few weeks. The carpenters had searched the forests around Ilaspada for the best woods. It had to be strong and yet flexible enough for the best bows. They had carved out the strongest and yet light arrows. They had searched the furthest jungles for strong bamboo and oak for spear shafts. The foundry was working round the clock to produce the spear and arrow tips. The smoke from their chimneys nearly blacked out the sun. The powerful smell of the tannery outside the city walls wafted in time to time to the disgust of some people. The General would visit the workshops almost everyday unannounced and do a random check on the finished products. He was firm and didnot tolerate fools or laziness. He would discard any weapon even with a slightest blemish or mistake. He would pick up a bow at random and a few arrows and try them out on targets set outside every workshop.

The mahouts were busy training their elephants and also helped carry heavy loads for the workers when needed. It was funny to see them play heavy drums or trumpets close to the animals. At first, the elephants would panic and go on a stampede nearly killing the mahouts. The horses were put through their paces every day. The servants at the horse spent hours checking their shoes. They would talk to them as they massaged their flanks and legs. The General arranged mock battles outside the city walls "It could be the difference between life and death in the battlefield," he would say. "You should remember that you're not making furniture here. A slight loss of tension in the bowstring or a bend in the arrow can be disastrous.” Teams of soldiers would spend hours training in the forest outside Ilaspada every day. Sage Vasishta would spend days with them , training the soldiers in the art of magic warfare. There was no sign of sage Vishwamitra. If sage Vasishta could trace Vishwamitra’s Prana, he was not divulging. I was looking forward to accompanying Sudas and his army as his personal physician with some trepidation. I had never seen so much preparation for a battle before. I still remember the preparation for the war with the Avestans near Harappa all those years ago. The army was much smaller and the preparation even though intense, was not of this extent. Just looking at the size of the army made me slightly nervous. Or did it just seem much smaller? I wondered. I was so young and full of fire and anger those days. Now I have a beautiful wife and a son and I am looking at the world in a slightly different way. All this talk of magical warfare of Dasyus was causing me anxiety. “Harappan workshops were equally busy and we did have a smaller army than what is being prepared for Sudas those days in Harappa.” Lopa had

smiled at my concerns. “Your perception has changed. Sudas’s army is certainly much bigger than the Harappan army. Just wait until the army is assembled for the march. You did not notice the activity then because you were itching to go to the battle and have a go yourself even though you were never a soldier, Upaas.” “Are you sure Lopa?” I was still sceptical. “Yes. We had soldiers from surrounding cities. Girinagara, Sindhu, Saraswatha and even some from Ilaspada. But this time there are regiments from every city in the Bharata kingdom.” Lopa had replied. Lopa was always the pragmatic one and could see things more clearly than most people, even in times of stress. Sage Vasishta sent for me one day. I went to his ashram, which was on the outskirts of the city along the banks of the river Sarasvathi. It was nice to get out of the bustle of the city and into the forest for a change. The northern gate opened on to the kings road and I had to leave the road within a couple of hundred yards outside the city walls into a dirt track just big enough to take a single bullock cart. My horse, Shankara could negotiate the worst of the paths and he seemed to enjoy the open track just as I did. Fresh air filled with smells of the forest was truly uplifting and made me forget the war and the frenetic preparation that was going on inside the city. Sounds of a stream rushing to meet the mighty Sarasvathi, like a baby running to embrace her mother was stimulating and soothing at the same time. The ruffling of the leaves of giant ashokatrees by the gentle breeze was broken only by the chirping of pigeon chicks excited by the sight of their mother coming back from the hunt with their food. I had never seen Vasishta’s ashram here even though I had vivid memories of his great ashram on the southern slopes of the Arbuda mountain

which was swallowed up by the mountain as it collapsed all those years ago. I still remember our flight as the top of the mountain collapsed around us as, Prince Shushun of Elaam and my dear friend Parthava were literally flying on their horses to escape disaster. Vasishta’s ashram, which we had left only that morning, was completely destroyed killing a lot of shikshus and gurus. This stood right on the banks of river Sarasvati and a sprawling expanse of green with several huts interspersed in between. Vasishta’s hut was right in the middle and was the largest of the lot. I could see the risis, gurus and shikshus were getting ready for their evening prayers as I tied Shankara to a tree just outside the ashram and walked in. There was a large clearing in front of the sage’s hut with several agni kundas built within the square. They were all different shapes and sizes. Grtsamada would have told us what each Kunda was for by just looking at them. Each of them was built to a specific design as laid out in the vedic scriptures. They were built using sun baked bricks laid out in a prescribed pattern along the cardinal directions. These no doubt were for their daily rituals. Agni kundas for major Yajnas would need to be built according to the positioning of stars at the time of the Yajna and would only be temporary. We had our own fire altar at home for our daily prayers to lord Agni. The kunda was already there when we moved in from Harappa. Now that I have a family, I am a Yajamana and have to perform Yajnas everyday as prescribed in the Vedas. As did everyone else in Ilaspada. This was so unlike Harappa where a lot of this done as a communal affair and not all of the houses had a fire altar. I think even Sindhu was the same with several communal altars rather than a fire altar in every house. “Come and sit down, Upaas,” The sage said as I entered his hut. “How are you settling down in the big city of Ilaspada? You are entering a new phase in your life now. You will be accompanying the king on some of the momentous journeys, which will change the face of the kingdom and your

future forever.” “Thank you, great sage” I tried not to sound too contrite, “I do understand that we will be facing some formidable enemies. I am not new to warfare and war injuries. I think I know what to expect.” Vasishta smiled wryly as he continued, “Do you, really? I know you were exposed to the Harappan war against the Avestans and King Vishtaspa. Don’t get me wrong. I am fully aware of your capabilities. You did admirably well against the forces of Avestan Magi. You did have the help of the inimitable Elamite, Prince Shushun. I also remember your activities in the country of Keingir. You should be proud of your accomplishments. Now you have spent more than a year travelling the exotic country of Keingir and have learnt even more from their physicians. To top that, you have had the famed Druhyu Magus, Budi teaching you during your time in Sumeria. That was the reason you were chosen for this job.” “I am sorry, sage Vasishta. I did not mean to be rude.” “Don’t worry, Upaas. I called you here today to tell you about the type of enemy you might be facing this time.” He got up from his seat and started to pace the floor. “Do you remember the sea monsters we faced on the way to Susa?” “Yes, I do , Sage. You are not expecting magical warfare? Are you?” “Yes. It is lot worse than you have ever seen before. The Bheda king is leading a group of people who have gone out of Aryan ways and embraced un-aryan ways including tantric worship. Number of years ago, most of them were Aryans worshipping our Gods and performingyajnas. They have now stopped performing yajnas and do not offer sacrifices to the Gods. They

have fallen out of the Aryan ways for one reason or another. They have joined hands with certain Dasyu tribes who are tantric worshippers and use magic a lot during warfare. There are a number of Danava warriors who use nothing but magic.” “But, surely they cannot be more powerful than you, oh great sage!” Vasishta breathed a deep sigh before speaking. “I hear what you are saying, Upaas. But I cannot be everywhere all the time. I am not God. I want you to be my eyes and ears and help me fight this abomination.” “Of course , sir. victorious.”

I will do whatever is necessary to make Sudas

“I want you to come to the ashram everyday after work and I will teach you some hymns which will be useful in telepathy and some more remedies for magical warfare.” He went on to describe eventualities where I would need such a skill over the next couple of hours. Just as I was leaving the hut at the end, he stopped me and said, “You must not forget to attend some training with arms with the commanders.” That brought back memories of altercations with the Avestan bandits and Parthava. I suddenly wished that Parthava was there with us. I turned back to the sage and asked him, “Can I ask a favour, Sage Vasishta?” “Yes, of course Upaas. Anything you want. Tell me.” “I want to send for my friend Parthava. I am sure you remember the

brave Harappan soldier from Roruka.” “Of course I remember Parthava. A good choice for you , Upaas. Wait until I teach you improve your skills and then you can contact him through telepathy.I am sure Ila could do with all the help it can get too.” He paused for a minute before continuing. I did not want to say anything as I had a feeling that he was going to say more. “You must remember Roruka is part of the Gadhi kingdom of Vishwamitra. Parthava might have conflict of interests if Vishwamitra joins hands with Cayamana.” “Thank you, sage. But, I know Parthava well. He is like a brother to me and Lopa. His first allegiance would be to me and Lopa.” “Of course, you know him better than I do. I am sure you are right about him.” I was back home without realising it. I saw very little of Lopa over the next few days. I immersed myself in getting all the medical supplies needed for the excursion to the war front. I had to spend a couple of hours every night with sage Vasishta learning various hymns and trying to fine tune my mind for telepathy. I finally managed to get in touch with Parthava and he was on his way to Ila. In the middle of all this, I had to spend time training with the soldiers with my bow and sword skills. Lopa insisted on coming to these training sessions and at times, I was wondering if she was better than I was with the arms. It took me back to the time of the troubles in Harappa and the Avestan bandits and brought a smile to my lips. “What are you smiling at?” Lopa asked looking at me quizzically.

“It reminded me of our courting days and the trip to Sindhu with my brother, Satakratu.” We both laughed aloud at the story as it unfolded. Our little Atreya was growing up so fast and it won’t be long before we have to leave him at sage Vasishta’s ashram as a Shikshu. He would have excellent company with the son of Sudas and the grandson of Vasishta being of the similar age group in the ashram. The commander at the Ila garrisonwanted me to work on my sword skills. “You may not be lucky to get away without close combat. It’s essential that you learn swordsmanship.” He said, “Come with me.” We went to the courtyard of the armoury, which rang to the song of swords. There were several men jousting with wooden swords. He took me to the store at the far end where there were several wooden swords hung in their scabbards. He turned around to look at me, “You are not very big, are you?” Compared to the burly soldiers who were fighting in the courtyard, I was quite small. But not a midget either. “I am not small.” I smiled. He picked up a sword, weighed it in his hand and gave it to me. “Well, we will see soon. Try this one. It is not too heavy, but quite powerful.” We walked out into the open again. I was trying out the sword in my hand, first with the right and then the left. He called one of the soldiers out, “Panna, come here.” The soldier came running over to us. “This is Upaas, our royal physician. I want him to train to fight. Let us see what he has got.”

He smiled at me and the two of us went to the middle of the courtyard. It started innocuously with me, trying more to defend Panna’s thrusts and hits at me than trying to attack him. “You have to fight to defend yourself.” The commander barked. I changed my tactics. I still remembered watching Parthava fight on the road to Harappa and tried to copy his moves. I pressed into attack mode. Panna was taken aback by this sudden change of tactics and stumbled backward, defending himself clumsily. I don’t think he expected me to do any real fighting. When he raised his sword, I went underneath it with a sweeping blow that crunched against the back of his leg and sent him staggering. When he tried a sideswing, I swept aside his blade and slammed my left forearm into his chest. Panna lost his footing and fell down on the ground. The bronze protective cuff on my left forearm had hit him hard. He was winded. “That is enough.” The commander’s voice was firm. As I helped Panna up from the floor he continued. “Hmmm. Are you sure you have not done this before, Upaas?” Both of us bowed our heads to him with folded hands before replying. “I have watched my good friend Parthava fight several times. But never used a sword in anger, commander.” I said still out of breath from the short training session. “As for you, Panna. A physician hamstrung you, opened your empty skull and broke your ribs. Lucky we were using only wooden blades.” “He nearly broke my ribs, commander,” Panna said, smiling. “I will be more careful next time. I thought I was fighting a rookie!” “Off with both of you.

I will see you tomorrow for more training,

Upaas.” Panna patted me on my back and said as we walked back towards the store to return the wooden swords. “You did very well for someone who has never used a sword before. You fight more like a street fighter than a soldier. I will show you some tricks that will save your life in a battle.” “Thank you, Panna. I did not mean to hurt you. It was just reflex.” Panna laughed and said as we hung the wooden swords on the wall, “Beginner’s luck, my friend. generous or as foolish as I was.”

Don’t expect your enemies to be as

I was quite pleased with myself as I walked back home that night. Lopa was not so sure. “You can easily get hurt, dear. Are you sure you need to learn this fighting?” It took me a while to persuade her to see that it is better that I learn how to defend myself if the situation arises. She reluctantly agreed. “Remember that you are a physician and not a soldier.” That brought me back to reality. The Master had asked me to stock up on herbs and potions including the all precious Soma from the mount Mujavant.I spent a lot of time in the forest collecting herbs and splints. I took two of my apprentices with me to the forest to teach them about different medicinal herbs and roots. It was a great opportunity for them to learn. I had to stock up on the bark of Bakula and Udumbura trees for the paste for wounds, Neem and Tulsi leaves for fighting infection. I had some problems getting hold of Prajakta flowers as they were out of season in the north. I had to send couple

of messengers to the south to get them. The supply of soma was running short in the pharmacy. I will need a large supply of those. We might have to make a trip to the Mount Mujavant and the lake Sharynavat for the Soma plants. It would be nice to see the famed sage Alinas again after all these years. Better wait for Parthava for that trip to the mountain, I thought. It would be interesting to hear his take on the happenings on the borders. He was always very opinionated about everything and was usually right. Parthava turned up home two weeks later one night. We had been worried sick since the messenger at the court had told us about the battles along the border and the attack on the trader from Roruka. There were hugs and tears of joy at the reunion. “Parthava, you look exactly the same as you were all those years ago!” Lopa had exclaimed. We had sat in the courtyard under the arjunatree till early hours of the morning catching up on events in each other’s lives. Parthava had done well for himself climbing the ladder in the army and was now a captain with his own company of soldiers. He was now stationed at Harappa and visited Roruka to see his parents twice a year. He had stayed single and had adapted Harappa as his home town. I could see his face getting worried and serious as I recounted the events in the Sudas’s court and the departure of sage Vishwamitra and the message from the soldier from Mehrgarh. “I knew you could not stay out of trouble for long, Upaas.” Parthava said with a broad smile, after learning about the impending war and the troubles in the court. “We better get prepared. The whole thing sounds very serious. What are your plans?” I told him. He sat listening intently nodding his head now and then. I could see the worried look on Lopa’s face and she had become very quiet. In

the end she could not contain herself and blurted out, “You should send for Prince Shushun from Susa.” We looked at each other. The same thought had crossed our minds. Shushun, the crown prince of Elaam had promised help when we had left him all those years ago. I was not sure of the diplomatic relations between King Sudas and Awan, the Samrat of Elaam. “That might cause a diplomatic problem, Lopa.” I replied. “I don’t think I can call for help from another country without getting permission from the king. What do you think Parthava?” “You are right. Elaam may not want to get involved in a fight with a powerful neighbour. Best leave it to the diplomats.” “But, there is no harm in letting samrat Sudas know of our friendship with Shushun and his promise of help?” Lopa continued. “We should wait and see how things develop before making such alliances public.” Parthava said,“It wont do us any good if Elam sides with Cayamana. I would be very surprised if Cayamana has not made a deal with them already. From what I gather, he is a very clever diplomat and has made alliance with several kings.” I did know any of this and got me even more worried than before. “So where does the Gadhi kingdom stand in this?” I watched Parthava’s face closely as I asked the question. His home town of Roruka was part of the mountainous country of Gadhi. “I am not privy to what is happening there, Upaas. Now that Vishwamitra has left Sudas, he might persuade his old kingdom to join whoever he would be supporting now.” Parthava’s face was very pensive as

he replied. “I hope the Gadhi Kingdom stay with Bharata or even stay neutral. I have tried to persuade my parents to move down to Harappa to live with me. But you know how stubborn old people can be.” “I understand your concerns, Parthava. For all our sakes, I hope Gadhi does not align itself with Cayamana. We have no time to lose now. We should get prepared as soon as possible for the worst. I was waiting for you to go to Mujavant for more soma,” I said. “If an opportunity arises, I will speak to sage Vasishta about this and ask his advice once we get back from Mujavant.” I could see Parthava was excited at the thought of trip to the magical mountain and lake Sharyanavat and the opportunity of seeing the great Alinas again. Lopa was more reluctant and finally agreed, insisting that she accompanies us. “I have to keep an eye on you both. Both of you have a habit of inviting trouble, judging from past experience.” Both of us laughed at this and agreed with Lopa. It was two days later when we left Ilaspada towards Mount Mujavant. I was on my favourite Shankara, who even though getting a bit old, still as strong as ever. Lopa still had her huge Elamite stallion. We had Naranga from the hospital driving the cart. “It is just like the old days.” I said as we moved out of the western gate of the city on to the Kings road. “We are missing good old Pindara.” Lopa replied with a deep sigh. I particularly missed Pindara who had accompanied me during every trip up to the mountain for Soma. The Kings road was wide enough to take two carts easily and the journey gathered pace as we left the city behind. The

road gradually climbed as we moved west and north. We could see the city walls for a quite a while and soon the only thing we could see was the tall spire of the temple rising out of a deep green carpet of jungle. It looked as if the forest had swallowed up the city behind us. It had become my home and suddenly I felt heaviness in my heart. It was as if we had left the safety of its immense walls and exposed to the elements of the jungle. Soon the dense canopy of the forest trees made it impossible to see anything beyond the immediate vicinity. We reached the Sutudri few days later and followed the eastern bank northwards leaving the Kings road. There was no road here, but just a dirt track. Progress was slow and often had to get off the horses to push the cart. Within two weeks we were in the Shiwalik hills climbing rapidly all the time. The huge arjuna and vatatrees with massive canopies gave way to dense pine trees during the third week. The going got tougher with pine needles hemming in the track and fallen pinecones making the wheels get stuck now and then. “The road from Harappa was not this bad.” I said after a particularly hard climb. The images sage Vasishta had planted in my mind just before we left had warned me of the difficulties and particularly the height to which we would have to climb before coming down on to the Alinas rock from the north. The route from Harappa stayed mostly on the south facing hills and it was hard enough then. I could see the snow capped mountains in the distance, which meant it won’t be long before we come to the magical mountain.We were trudging snow and ice by the end of third week. The thick woollen coats given to us by Shushun kept us warm. The leather sandals gave way to boots. I was so grateful for the villagers along the way who looked after us as if we were their own. By the fourth week, we were deep in Gandhari country. I knew Alinas’ Gandhari guards would be following us from now on. They moved

around the trees and mountain side, invisible to us. It was in the middle of the week when Lopa looked rather disturbed as we were getting ready to camp down in one of the caves with a roaring fire at the mouth. She turned round to me and said, “Did you know there is someone following us?” Naranga’s ears perked up at this and his eyes flared up as he said, “We are being followed? Where? I have not seen them.” He was alarmed at the thought of some unseen enemy lurking behind the trees or rocks. “Tell me where and I will go and look for them.” I looked at Parthava and smiled. “Don’t worry , Lopa and Naranaga. They are Gandhari guards of Alinas. We are on the sacred Mujavant mountain now and his guards protect us as long as we are on this mountain. They are unseen to most people. I don’t know how Lopa could see them.” Lopa was not amused. “You should have at least told me, Upaas. And I am not pleased with you either , Parthava. It looks like you knew about it as well. I have been worried sick since I saw fresh tracks this afternoon and again just before we stopped here.” “My apologies, darling Lopa. I should have known that if anyone one could feel the Gandhari’s presence, it would be you. In my defence, I have never seen any evidence of their presence in all my trips up this sacred mountain.” That seemed to placate Lopa. Naranga was looking rather dazed by all this. May be it was the altitude. There was kneedeep snow and we had left the cart in the last village at the

base of the mountains. Naranga was also on a horse now. We were climbing all the time. It was the first trip for Naranga and Lopa to the mountains. Both were fascinated by the snow. By the end of that week, I could see he was struggling to breath. The following day he started to cough, slightly at first and soon was having fits of cough. I looked at Lopa. She appeared to be completely unaffected by the height. “Naranga is suffering from mountain sickness, Parthava. We have to take him down a few thousand feet to that village we saw yesterday,” I said. “No. There is nothing wrong with me!” Naranga insisted. “I feel fine. It is this cold air irritating my throat. I will be fine in a few minutes.” “Naranga, this is how it starts. It will get worse as you climb higher.” But, Naranga was stubborn as a bull. He refused to be taken down to the village. Before long, his coughing fits became longer bouts and did look worried when he coughed up a little bit of blood. He still would not stop. He became very quiet apart from coughing. Not until he stumbled against a pine tree as we were turning a corner. “Why has it become so dark all of a sudden?” He said. “Should we stop for the night?” The three of us looked at each other and Parthava nodded. He got off his horse and held the reins of Naranga’s horse. “You better get down Naranga.” And helped him off the horse. “It is still afternoon and has not become dark yet. You are losing your eyesight. That is how mountain sickness works, my friend.” That is when he panicked and started to speak incoherently. “I am blind? I can’t be blind.” Then turning towards the mountain, “Please Master Upaas, you have to help me. I have a family to look after. I

can’t be blind.” I felt sorry to see the pathetic figure clutching at thin air trying to feel something, anything. When he could not feel anything, he started to wander off towards the edge of the track. He would have fallen into the chasm if Parthava had not grabbed hold of him. “You are not really blind, Naranga.” I said. “We will take you down hill and your sight will soon return. Dont worry, you will be fine as long as we take you down.” Parthava had turned Naranga’s horse around and helped him climb on to it. “Now, you just sit still on the horse and I will lead with the rein.” Parthava climbed onto his horse holding on to Naranga’s rein and the travel downhill was slow. To everyone’s relief, he soon stopped coughing and as we reached the village he was breathing quite normally. The villagers were not really surprised to see us back so soon. I am sure they must come across people suffering from mountain sickness at this height. They were gracious enough to keep him in one of their huts until we returned with our supplies of “medicinal herbs and roots”. By the time we reached the village, it was nightfall and we decided to stay the night at the village and leave the following morning, back on trail. I was looking forward to meeting the great Alinas again. “You will like the great Alinas,” I said, smiling to Lopa. “Yes, I am sure I will.” Lopa replied. “From what you describe, he appears to be a fascinating character.” “The entire place is magical, Lopa. Not just Alinas,” Parthava chipped

in. “I have never seen anything like it before.” The vilagers put us up in one of their mud huts with a roarng fire inside. Parthava wanted to sleep outside and leave the hut for us. Lopa said, “You are my brother, Parthava. I can’t let you sleep outside in the freezing cold. We will share the warm hut.” It was bright sunshine when we left the village in the morning. We said our thanks to the village elders and waved good bye to Naranga. The climb this time was slightly quicker as we did not have to stop for Naranga to catch up. The climb became harder as we went up the mountain slopes. We were climbing on the northern side of the Himalayas now and it was much steeper than the southern side when we used to come up from Harappa in the past. I hoped that I would be able to find the Alina’s rock from this side of the mountain. The snow and ice were much deeper than I had known before and I could see both Parthava and Lopa were struggling. “How can anything grow in this cold?” Lopa said with her teeth chattering. She had to shout to be heard against the howling wind and snow. The visibility was getting dangerously low. “We have caught the tail end of the Himalayan winter. Soon it will all melt and the green shoots will come out.” I found it hard to shout against the wind. Parthava looked at me as if to say I was mad. He was right. The snow had descended and it was a white out. When there is white out, one loses sense of direction and end up wandering in circles at best or down a chasm at worst. I signalled to stop and got off Shankara. I peered hard in both direction to see which side was the mountain when I heard Parthava shout, “This side , Upaas. I can see a cave.”

He came shuffling through the knee-deep snow towards us with the horse trailing behind. “I can see a cave to our left not far from here. I think we should rest here until the snow clears.” That could take a few hours or a few days. But, we did not have a choice. The cave was a few feet away. “There may be wild animals sheltering inside. I had better check. You better wait here.” Before either of us could protest, he had drawn his sword and was inside the cave.Luckily, for us there were no animals sheltering in the cave. The cave was quite deep and led to a larger cavern round the corner at the end. This was perfect as there was no wind in the cavern. Parthava had a few logs tied to each of our horses wrapped in hessian cloth. We had learnt from our previous experience never to be without some dry wood up in the mountains. Parthava piled a few logs in the centre of the cave and took his flints out from his satchel. It wasnot long before we had a roaring fire going and warming ourselves. We knew it was getting to be evening by the time we had stopped. But, there was no way of knowing exactly what time as we could not see anything. The blizzard blew for a long time and soon it became wuite dark. We took in turns to stay up to guard. I woke up from a deep sleep to an absolute silence. The cavern was warm and the fire was still buring, kept alive by the ever-vigilant Parthava. He was nowhere to be see though. I turned to see Lopa sleeping on her side and looked so peaceful and beautiful even in her sleep. I was staring at her face when I heard Parthava say, “Have you not drunk her beauty enough all these years!” I flushed at this

and turned around to see him standing with hands folded across his chest. “I must admit she still looks as beautiful as the day I met her for the first time all those years ago.” “Enough of your impertinence, Parthava. But, thank you. I don’t think I will ever get tried of looking at her in my life.” “You are one heck of a lucky man, Upaas. She is gem of a person. Don’t ever lose her.” “I won’t, I promise.” “Well, the blizzard has passed, dumping a few feet of snow on the mountain. It is going to be harder climbing further.” Parthava looked worried. “By my reckoning of time we have spent coming out of the village, I don’t think we need to climb anymore.” I said, racing my brain to remember the images from sage Vasishta. “If we have reached the northern face of the mountain, and by the looks of the blizzard, we should have, it is all the way downhill from no onwards.” “Thank goodness for that. I was getting sick of all this climbing. I don’t think my horse could have taken anymore.” Both of us walked out of the cave into bright sunshine. It was beautiful with bright bluse sky and we could see for miles around. We had indeed reached the northern face of the moun`tain. I could see many snow covered peaks from where I stood. I was looking for a particular shape of the mountain, which would guide me down to the Alinas rock. It was important that we were at the Alinas rock for sunrise next morning. The sun showed us the last path to the lake as it came from behind the mountain ridge at the back. I could see a narrow winding path going down the northern face. It

looked quite steep with some jagged rocks sticking out of the snow in places along the way. Lopa came outside as we were trying to figure out a safe path downhill and said, “Are we there yet?” I turned around and smiled at her. “Yes, my dear. We are in the last leg of the journey. It is only a day’s ride to Alinas rock now. And it is only a couple of hours ride to the lake.” “And how do we get there? May I ask?” She said, smiling back at me. “Down that path all the way around the mountain.” Parthava said pointing to the rough path that we could barely make out in the snow. Lopa came forward to the edge and looked down before pulling back. She turned around to me and said with a naughty twinkle in her eyes, “We are not mountain goats, if you remember, Upaas.” Parthava laughed, “That is what I said to him, Lopa.” “Come on, you two. Stop being such babies. It is not as bad as it looks. If Master has done this at his age, I am sure we can make it too.” The path down was not really as hard as it looked from the top. There were places where it was very narrow with a chasm on to one side. There were a couple of places where we had to get off the horses and lead them over precipice. The blizzard had been a blessing in disguise. It had dumped so much snow that acted as a cushion over the hard ice on the ground. The sure- footed Shankara did not have any problem apart from one or two places where he stumbled. The others followed the footsteps of Shankara. We reached Alinas rock well before nightfall. Parthava found the cave we

normally rested at this point during prevous visits. The cave still had stocks of dried wood as well as some dried fruits and nuts left by the previous visits. The three of us slept thinking about the following morning around a blazing fire in the cave. We were ready on our horses before the dawn break waiting for the sun. Luckily, it was a clear enough day for us to see the sunrise. I remember once when I had come with my Master we had to wait for three days for the cloud to clear. I had seen the appearance of the road several times before, but it was still a fascinating sight. It gave me goose pimples every time it happened. Lopa was bemused by it all and could not understand the whole concept. “How can a sun rise show you the path to the lake? Can you not see the path during the daytime?” She had asked when we had reached the rock the evening before. I had pointed to the expanse of deep snow and rocks that spread in front of us. It was a morass of piles of snow and craggy rocks strewn all over the place. Nary a path to be seen. “The path is there in front of us, Lopa. However, do you see what I mean. No one can see a path among all this snow and rocks unless shown by the sun at daybreak. That huge black rock is Alinas rock. The legend has it that Alinas spent years venerating on top of that rock in freezing cold before Lord Indra showed him the way to the lake Sharyanavat. The Gandharis of Alinas have been entrusted with the safe keeping of the Soma and the lake ever since then.” We stood there already to shoot down the path minute the sun broke from the top of the cliff behind us. We did not have to wait. I was watching the expanse of snow in front of me trying to concentrate as I saw the bright

yellow light of sun descend inexorably from the face of distant mountains ever so slowly on to the morass below us. As the edge of the bright yellow line came towards the huge Alinas rock, it was briefly hidden from view. And there it was as it climbed over the rock and came into view basking the whole area in front of us in bright yellow colur. We could all see the curving path between the craggy boulders marked out. There was a sharp intake of breath from Lopa and before she could recover, we were galloping down the path as fast as we could in the snow. “Come on, sweetheart. Don’t be left behind.” I shouted at the top of my voice as Shankara gathered pace. None of us spoke as we negotiated sharp corners between huge rocks and icicles dripping down the promontories on the way. We reached the place as we turned around a gully between what at first appeared to be two sheer cliffs, so familiar to me from my previous visits. “Are you sure this is the place, Upaas?” Parthava asked. He was not convinced, as all we could see was a field of wild bushes and yellow flowers against a backdrop of yet another snow covered cliff. Lopa was not impressed either by the look on her face. “Yes, Upaas. Where is the lake? Where is your magical Alinas?” “You are so innocent, my child.” A low pitched voice came from behind us. The three of us spun around on our horses to see an old man bent double leaning on a gnarled oak stick. Parthava’s sword was out of its scabbard like a flash. “Open your eyes and you will see what you want to see.” He repeated. I jumped from the horse and ran across to him and knelt to touch his feet.

“It is humbling to see you, Sage Alinas.” I said. Lopa was looking at me as if to say I had gone mad. She must have been thinking, ‘Why is Upaas kneeling in front of an old man who looks like a beggar?’ “Dheergayushman bhava, Upaas. I have not seen you for a long time.” He said. “I see Parthava does not recognise me and this must be your dear wife Lopa.” Parthava jumped from his horse at this and ran across to kneel in font of him. There was a miraculous transformation of the old man to a tall, well built man of indeterminate age with a slightly graying, long beard covering the scraggy lines of his face. By this time Lopa had joined us and knelt in front of Alinas. “Dheergayushman bhava, child. May Lord Mitra bless you with many children.” He said helping Lopa off the ground holding on to her shoulders. “Thank you, sage. I was so looking forward to meeting you. Upaas had told me so much about you.” “I was expecting you couple of days ago. Naranga slowed you down a bit, but he is fully recovered now and regretting not continuing the journey with you.” It amazed me even after all these years how he could read minds and get information from hundreds of miles away without moving from the sacred lake. “That is enough of chit chat. Let us get inside where is is warmer.” As he turned around the whole place was transformed to a beautiful lake with rows and rows of green shoots with yellow flowers. I could see the

large cavern where the Gandharis worked at the back on the right bank of the lake. Several Gandharis had appeared out of nowhere and were busy cutting the branches of the plants. They were carrying woven hessian slung around the waist to collect the twigs of the soma plants. The fragrance of the flowers was strong and slightly overwhelming. We could now hear the grinding sound coming from the cavern at the back. I could see the look of amazement on Lopa’s face as she took in the whole scenery, which appeared to have materialised out of nowhere. The ground in front of us filled with craggy boulders, rough bushes and deep snow had disappeared to be replaced by the beautiful field of greenery and deep yellow flowers. Alinas was walking along a well worn path towards the cavern. “Sage Kadraveya has sent saplings of a new breed of soma plants.” Alinas said stopping at a bunch of small plants gouped together inside a bamboo enclosure. “He says, they will be produce the best soma stalk and juice. It will be a couple of years before the stalk are mature enough to extract any juice from them. Maybe next time you come here you can take a sample.” I could not make out any difference between these saplings and the plants in the field around us, apart from the size. The noise from inside the cavern at the back of the field grew louder and became a deep grumble as we entered the cavern. Inside of the cavern was a hive of activity. Lopa was fascinated by the entire scene. I don’t think she had seen so many Gandharis in one place before. The men from the field were bringing their hessian satchels full of Soma stalks and dumping them into a huge wooden cask full of water brought all the way from Sarasvati hundreds of miles away. Two women were peeling off the leaves from the stalks and chopping the stalks into small pieces. Two other women were collecting these stalks in small baskets and taking them to the grinding machines. These were fascinating to watch for

anyone. Each had two huge circular blocks of granite stones, again brought all the way up from river Sarasvati, one on top of another turning in opposite directions by the brute force of six bullocks going round in circles. One of the Gandharis stood on a high platform and dropped the Soma stalks into the hole in the middle of the top rock and an ingenious system dripped water from the top of the cavern on to the rocks continuously. The base of the contraption was huge black granite and had a collecting groove running all the way around. There was another platform on the opposite side, where two Gandharis stood and dripped other ingredients of the soma extract. I could make out milk, honey and some kind of brown powder being added. The soma juice was collected at the corner of the platform as the Soma stalk along with the ingredients were crushed between the massive granite rollers. It was quite thick juice, slightly yellowy colour with astrong sweetish smell. In fact the entire chamber smelt of the sweetish odour from the crushed stalk. These were collected in mud pots and pured into leather satchels and sealed. Some of it was taken outside for drying to on heated stones to make them into dried extracts to be used over a long period. “Upaas, I have had ten satchels of the soma juice along with another ten bags of soma powder packed for you.” Alinas said by the end of the day. “I know what is happening and you light need all the soma you can take if a war breaks out. I am disappointed that blood of brothers are going to spilled for the sake of land. You better stay tonight here and leave in the morning.” We took leave of everyone and everything the following morning. Parthava had tied the satchels and the bags full of soma extract powder to our horses. Alinas appeared as we were about to leave and said, “Have a safe journey, Upaas. You will be protected by the Gandharis as long as you are on the mountain. But I cannot guarantee your safety once

you are off the mountain. Please be careful. Please give my regards to the Samrat Sudas.” He turned and started to walk away. Then he turned back to look at us once more. “It is possible that this may be the last time I see you, Upaas. Look after your lovely family. It is more precious than anything else. I will pray to God Mithra to bring sense to the world.” He appeared genuinely sad, standing with his head bowed down and leaning on his twisted staff, suddenly looking very old. The bubbly Alinas had transformed himself again to the old man we had seen in the beginning. He walked slowly back towards the cavern and disappeared. We stood there on our horses for a long time before starting our journey back. The return journey down to the village where we had left Naranga was done in almost complete silence. All of us were thinking of what Alinas said as we left. Only Parthava kept a continuous commentary on the surroundings and explaining things to Lopa as we descended the mountain. Even Lopa appeared disinterested in the conversation and was answering in monosyllables. Finally, Parthava also gave up and we travelled in silence and reached the village before night fall.

Chapter 9: Anu . “You will be a king one day, Cayamana,” the Yogi had said, “mark my words. You will rule all the lands of seven rivers. You will be called Kavi Cayamana. You only have to control your senses.” The Yogi was addressing the tall, well-built youth standing in front of him. The setting sun made his long reddish brown hair look as if it was on

fire. The rippling muscles of his body shown through the sweat and dust that had covered him after he had spent the last few hours digging in the ashram’s farm. The young Cayamana spent a lot of his time working in the yogi’s ashram and when he was not working, he trained with what he had learnt. The yogi had taught him how to control his senses and also several tantric exercises. No one really knew who he was, neither did Cayamana himself. The story was that he was found as a new born baby in a wicker basket next to the stream which meandered near the ashram twenty one years ago today. Cayamana never asked anyone about his background. His entire world was in that ashram and he did not want to know anything different. Every year on that day, last day of the month of Magha, he would be called by the Yogi and given a new hymn as a gift. Cayamana looked forward to that day every year as a child would for his birthday. The Yogi had called hima bit earlier than usual. He had washed his hands hurriedly and walked over to the Kadali tree under which the yogi was practicing. “You will be eighteen years old today, Cayamana. You have learnt everything you need to go out into the world. You have to choose if you want to stay here or leave the ashram to find your destiny.” Cayamana was taken aback. He did not expect this. He did not know what to say. “I ... I don’t know Master. This ashram has been my life and this is all I know,” he had stuttered, “You will have to tell me what to do.” There was an audible silence. Rest of the ashram knew there was something happening and all his friends he had grown up with had gathered. No one said anything. No one had seen anyone leave the ashram so far. That was when the Yogi had announced that Cayamana would be a king one day.

“You were delivered to us by the God Varuna himself, to be trained. Your destiny does not lie here. It is outside the walls of this ashram.” The Yogi continued when Cayamana did not answer. “I have taught you everything I know. Now, you will have to go and find a sage. A sage from the fire worshipping Aryans and learn the art of war and administration. That I cannot teach you.” “I am eternally grateful for what you have done to me, Master. I cannot repay the love and affection you have shown me all these years. You have brought me up as your own son. I never felt that I was an orphan. I am privileged to have grown up in this ashram. Everyone here is like my brothers and sisters. I will surely miss everyone here.” “I am sure you will bring good name to this ashram, my son. Go with God and all will be well.” He stood up and raised his arms towards Cayamana and bid him forward. “Come to me, my son.” Cayamana stepped up to the Yogi and knelt down in front of him on one knee, bent his head down with folded hands. The Yogi put his hands on his head and uttered some hymns under his breath. No one could hear what was being said. Cayamana felt his world go black and saw himself high over the Himalayan Mountains high up with the birds. He could see the mighty river Sarasvathi meandering way below amongst dense jungle. It soon disappeared into a thin line within a green carpet below. He suddenly felt himself falling. He was terrified. It seemed as though he was falling for ever. ‘Fly!’ a voice whispered in the darkness. But he did not know how to fly. “I am not a bird” he shouted back. All he could do was fall. The ground was so far below him that he could barely make it out through the

grey mists that swirled round him. He had dreamt of falling from the sky before, but he had always woken up just before hitting the ground. ‘I am going to wake up any minute now,’ he said to himself. ‘And what if you don’t?’ It was the same voice. The ground was getting closer now, still several thousand feet below. It was cold here up in the darkness, he shivered. He wanted to cry. “But, I can’t fly” Cayamana said. “I can’t, I really can’t.” ‘How do you know? Have you ever tried?’ Cayamana looked around to see where the voice was coming from. An eagle was spiralling down with him, following him as he fell. “Please help me.” ‘I am trying. I am.’ The eagle replied. ‘Say, you got any meat?’ Cayamana laughed nervously. “What do you take me for? Am I the meat you are looking for? You are just waiting for me to hit the ground.” ‘Are you sure?’ “Are you really an eagle?” ‘Are you really falling?’ “It’s just a dream, I am sure.” Cayamana said. ‘Is it?’ “I will wake up when I hit the ground.” ‘You will die when you hit the ground.’ “Huh. You would like that wouldn’t you?”

Cayamana looked down. He could see the mountains clearly now, their peaks covered in thick snow and the silver thread of rivers in dark woods. It was rushing up to meet him. He tried to close his eyes. It was no good, he could still see the ground rushing up to him with his eyes closed. He was terrified now. “Help. Somebody help me.” It was lost in the howling wind. ‘That is no good. You are not even trying!’ It was the eagle again. Cayamana tried to reach out to the eagle. It was just out of his reach. ‘If I can fly, you can.’ “But you have wings!” ‘So do you!’ Cayamana looked surprised and felt at his shoulders. There was nothing there. Disappointed. “No I don’t”. ‘You are not looking. Let go of your senses and fly like me. Remember you have nothing to lose’. Cayamana looked at the eagle and started to flap his arms. Suddenly he was flying. “I am flying!” ‘I told you.’ The voice was different. Cayamana turned around. It was not the eagle, but the resplendent lord Mithra appearing as calm as ever next to him. Before he could regain his composure to thank Mithra, he had merged with the grey mists swirling around him and disappeared. As he flew higher and further north, he could see rivers Asikni and Sutudri almost like tiny streams joining the mighty Sarasvati.The snow-

coveredHimalayan mountains were below him now and soon he was over the sacred Manasa lake and the mountain which was the abode of God Rudra. The only thing above him were the millions of stars and the moon. He could make out several of the risi ashramas by the smoke columns rising out of the green carpet of dense forest. He could almost smell the burning cedar and the clarified butter from the yajna kundas down there. He was not falling anymore. Suddenly he could hear the voice of someone calling out to him, “Son, you have come back! God Mitra, you have saved him.” The faces are of an elderly couple calling out to him out of the clouds. The faces were dim and faded. He could not really make them out. All he could see was deeply lined faces with tears rolling down their cheeks. It was deeply disturbing and he opened his eyes with a start when the Yogi tapped him on the shoulder. He was surprised to see his cheeks were wet with tears. “Cayamana, my son. You know where to go now to find your teacher. Go and find your destiny.” The Yogi was looking into Cayamana’s eyes as he spoke with his hands on the shoulders. “But, Master. Who were they? I did not recognise them.” The Yogi smiled briefly, turned and walked away. Cayamana stood up to go after him when he stopped and turned around again. “Don’t go looking for those you have just seen. They will follow your Prana and they will find you. And then you will find who you are and where you came from.” With that, he quickly turned and walked away into the forest and disappeared. He often did that and no one could follow him. Cayamana felt rather than see that almost the entire ashram had witnessed what had

happened. Kavasa came up to him and put his arms hands on Cayamana’s shoulders and said, “Friend, we all knew this day would come for us sooner or later. Come, let’s prepare to leave.” Kavasa had become a close friend and confidant during his years in the ashram. He had come from a Kshatriya family and knew he would be going back home when he was eighteen. They had spent a lot of time together in the ashram. Cayamana did not see the Yogi before he left the ashram next day. Several of the shikshu’s came to say good-bye to him. The two of them hung their rough hessian satchels on their shoulders and the sturdy cedar walking stick and set off towards the dense forest covering the western slopes of the Himalayan mountains.Both of them carried their bows and spear strapped across their back with a quiver of arrows slung low across the waist. They walked for several weeks through a jungle filled with spotted deer and peacocks as well as dangerous animals like lions and bear. They waded through fast flowing streams and climbed through thorny bushes and huge rocks. Three weeks into the trek from the ashram, the sparse forest gave way to dense wood and the path grew lonely. They had not passed a rider for a week now. The flint hills rose higher and wilder with each passing mile, until by the fourth week they had turned into mountains, cold blue gray giants with jagged promontories and snow on their backs , . When the wind flew from the north, long plumes of snow and ice flew from the high peaks like banners. Kavasa shuddered at the sight and pulled his skins closer and tighter around him. With the mountains rising up like a wall to the north, the road veered to the east through the wood, a forest of tall oak and evergreen pine that seemed darker and older than any Kavasa had ever seen. The forest

was never silent, and indeed their nights came alive with the howls of distant packs, and some not so distant. Sixth week into the trek it rained constantly and their trek slowed down to a trickle and it was so heavy one day they could not see in front of their eyes. Cayamana had found a cave on the side of the mountain to rest. They had sat at the mouth of the cave and watched rain fall as a wall of water in front of them. It was a well needed rest for both of them. When they started to walk again the next day. The path was covered in moss and often very slippery. They had fallen a few times. They were covered with cuts and bruises everywhere. They got used to living off the forest with fruits, berries, roots and occasional catch of jungle fowl and rabbit. Cayamana took delight in showing off his hunting skills to Kavasa. He could down a fast running deer with one throw of the spear. Kavasa turned out to be a brilliant cook and a deer would last them a few days. Kavasa just followed him without asking any questions until one day several weeks into their journey, when he was getting increasingly worried that they might be lost. The trees up at this height were dark, twisted by the severe winds and somehow looked ominous. The jungle floor barely visible for the undergrowth. Kavasa could not really see any path. After a particularly steep climb up a mountain side, he stopped and sat down on a moss covered rock and, wiping his sweating brow, said, “Are you sure this is the way, Cayamana? We have been walking for several weeks now and I have not seen any sign of human beings so far.” Cayamana smiled, “I am pretty sure, Kavasa. The image the Yogi put in my head is still so vivid. It is not long before we see the ashram. We just have to reach the top of that escarpment to see the ashram,” he replied, pointing to a steep

rocky face of the mountain shimmering in the sunlight. It looked very steep covered in snow and ice, and quite dangerous. “And how do you plan on climbing that?” “There is a path up there.” Cayamana thought about his dream and his flying and smiled. “Don’t worry.” And sounded confident, but inside he was beginning to doubt himself if he had taken a wrong turn. Some of these mountain sides looked exactly the same. They picked some red berries growing abundantly on the bushes, drank fresh and icy cold water from the stream, and set off again on the ‘path’. There was no path, it was just more bushes and rocks winding up the side of the mountain. They climbed most of the day and reached the top of the escarpment just as the sun was going down. Up at that height, it was biting cold and the rocks were covered in snow and ice. Biting wind tore through their clothes and cut into their bone. It was slippery with hard ice underneath. They had to be careful where they put their feet. A small slip and they were down a few thousand feet down the valley. Kavasa found a large cave around the corner at the escarpment top, hidden behind some bushes. “This looks like an ideal place for tonight, protected against the freezing wind and snow.” “I would be careful before going inside, though. It is bound to have some wild animals taking shelter inside,” Cayamana replied. “Let us go inside and check when there is still some light.” Kavasa wanted to get out of the bitter cold wind, now howling around them blowing gushes of snow on their faces. Both of them had their faces completely covered except their eyes.

“No, Kavasa. I have a bad feeling about this place. Let us make a fire first and take a fire torch inside just in case.” The two of them collected some dry twigs and started a fire with the flint stones from their satchels to get a decent enough fire going. They picked a stick and wrapped a piece of cloth around the end to make a torch. Both of them held the torch in their left hand and the cedar brass tipped spear in their right hand as they entered the cave. Kavasa was nearly floored by the fleeing bear that ran out of the cave shrieking with fear at the sight of the fire. The bear had obviously been using it as its shelter. Kavasa spent some time building fire at the mouth of the cave to warm the cave and stop the bear from coming back. Cayamana promptly went to sleep as soon as he laid down on soft earth in the corner of the cave. Kavasa had a fitful sleep. Just as he was about to fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion, he was woken by chirping noises of birds and the bright sunrays streaming down the mouth of the cave hitting him where he had slept through the night. The fire must have gone out sometime during the early hours of the morning. He walked out of the cave looking for more dry sticks in the forest to restart the fire. As soon as the fire started blazing, he went back deeper into the cave to get much needed sleep. Cayamana came out of the cave covering his eyesagainst the glare of a blinding sun. It took him a couple of minutes to get used to the bright light and when he eventually opened his eyes to look over the valley down below, the view took his breath away. The floor was covered in a green carpet with towering trees on the opposite side of the valley and as he moved his eyes to his left following the sloping floor of the valley in the direction opposite to where they had climbed up, there was a column of smoke visible over the top of the trees not far from where he was standing. He shouted with excitement,

“Kavasa, come out quickly. We are here. I can see the ashram.” Kavasa came out rubbing his eyes with his hands and squinted his eyes. He would rather be inside asleep, he thought. But what he saw woke him up. “Come on, then. What are we waiting for? It has been a long time since we had proper food.” The two of them rushed to the stream they had seen last night to freshen themselves and literally ran in the direction of the smoke. The ashram was a hive of activity and hardly anyone took any notice of the two strangers walking in. Just as the two of them were getting a bit despondent, a voice stopped them, “Welcome to our humble ashram, Cayamana and Kavasa. We have been expecting you. You are afew days late.” That was the first experience of the power of sages to both of them. They would spend the next five years at the ashram learning the art of everything from cooking to warfare to the art of being a king. It was the ashram of great sage Jamadagni, probably the foremost of the Bhrigu sages. Cayamana had thought he had mastery over his archery skills until the master showed him new skills with special arrows. Arrows , which exploded on impact, arrows that released multiple heads and his favourite was the curved arrow which went up in the air to loop back with some force at the target. Their day began before sunrise with prayers and invoking the sun as it rose. A lot of time was spent on working on the farm in the ashram and learning the scriptures. Cayamana was initiated into the role of Yajna in daily life and also the soma for the first time. The sages did not consider soma as just an elixir, but also as a God and was revered as such. He learnt the hymns in praise of soma and was shown how to use it in yajna. It was not till a few

months into their stay that the sage started to teach them warrior skills. It was regimented and often brutal. The art included not just the physical side of battle, but also developing of mental strength. It was of the same intensity as at the master’s ashram, but different. Kavasa left the ashram at the end of five years to start his role as a prince of his kingdom. “Cayamana, why don’t you come and join me? We will rule our kingdom together. Can you imagine the two of us fighting together? No one can beat us. We can rule the world.” Cayamana smiled quietly at this. He was never given to excitement. The years spent at the ashram had changed him from a boy with no ties to a man who was deep. Nothing seem to faze him after what he had been through. He was beginning to see the meaning of the yogi’s words “one day you will rule the world” and he wanted to make it real. He was seeing his long time soul mate leaving going away and there did not appear to be any emotion on his face. “Kavasa, you lead your life with your family. My destiny is elsewhere. I have to follow my destiny. I am sure our paths will cross at some stage in the future. I am certain of this.” “You send for me anytime you need help and my army will be at you command,” Kavasa had replied as a parting shot. It was not long after that day sage Jamadagni sent for him. “Cayamana, come and sit with me. I have something to tell you.” Cayamana sat in front of the great sage cross - legged. “You have been with us for the last several years now. I think you

have mastered several of the arts. You are now well versed with the art of warfare and kingship. You have the knowledge of the Vedic scriptures. But your education is not complete. And, you cannot afford to spend any more time in this ashram now. You have to go out into the world and follow your destiny. Let the world teach you the rest. I have to tell you about where you came from and who you are.” Cayamana was all ears now. He was cold with anticipation and, also afraid. He did not know what to expect. No one had told him anything about his parents or ancestry. “I thank you for looking after me and teaching me all these years, Master. You will guide me the best and I will follow your advice whatever it is.” “You are descendant of one of the leading royal families of our time – the grandson of samratAbhyavartin Cayamana.” Cayamana could not believe his ears for a moment. He had heard about the great Abhyavartin and his exploits during the discourses he had to listen. He was one of the foremost Anu kings who had expanded the kingdom westwards. He had stepped down to retire to the forest to meditate and let King Vishtaspa take over from him. The Abhyavartin had built the fortress at Mundigak and fortified the town to be one of the most formidable cities in the known world. He had never understood why he had not given the throne over to his son. He had often wondered if he was related to his namesake. Jamadagni could see the consternation in the face of young Cayamana and continued. “I know what you are thinking. Your grandfather could not pass on the throne to his daughter, your mother. As you know very well, a king is selected by the high council and your father was not selected. That is another

story you should hear from someone else. Suffice to say, that now time has come to reclaim what is rightfully yours.” Cayamana was still reeling from the revelation that he was truly a descendant of one of the greatest Samrats of Anu. There was little time to rejoice when Jamadagni continued with the story. “The loss of the Parushni war and the humiliation took their toll on King Vishtaspa/ He never really recovered from that fateful day near Harappa, when he had to accede to the powerful sage Shunahotra. By the time his army reached Mundigak, he was ill and had taken to bed. His physicians and the Magi from all over the Ariana tried in vain to no avail. They even brought in physicians from Harappa to treat him. Since the death of King Vishtaspa, the country had been fragmented with Bactrians, Gedrosians going separate ways. The distant lands of Chorasmia and Sogdiana had even started to call themselves kingdoms. There was no leader at the top to unite them again. Ishvant had been elected to tule Sistan as a reluctant King.” Cayamana had heard this story from the teachers in the ashram when he was growing up. At the time it was happening in a distant land and he was not really interested to learn more. He had often wondered why he was being told these stories of distant lands. “You are Kavi Cayamana and it is written that you will be Abhyavartin like your grandfather.” Jamadagni continued. “It is now up to you to bring all Ariana together and regain the glory of Ariana to what it was during your grandfather’s time.” It was a lot for Cayamana to digest. He had grown up as a carefree orphan all these years and suddenly he has the weight of the world thrust on his shoulders. He was not sure if he was equipped to cope with all that.

“Thank you great sage for telling me who I am and who I need to be.” He replied slowly and with a stutter. He was still unsure of himself. “But, I don’t have an army or the equipment to do what you are asking me to do.” Jamadagni, sighed. Have I been wrong in this one, he thought. He looked deep into Cayamana’s eyes and said, “Think back, Cayamana. Could you fly before? Can you fly now?” Cayamana was startled by this. It was the vision he had when the Yogi had put his hand on Cayamana’s forehead all those years ago. How did Jamadagni know about it? He had never spoken to anyone about his dreams, not even with Kavasa. “No, sir.” Cayamana replied, still unsure of himself. “You still have not learnt to look beyond your senses, have you? It is time you started to have faith in yourself and your inner strength. Lord Mithra will guide you only if you believe in yourself. It is for you to unite the tribes and regain the glory of Ariana again,” Jamadagni said. “It is time you left.” It was with a heavy heart that he had left the ashram. That was the second home he was leaving for good. The sage had spent a couple of hours instructing him on where to go and who to meet. What he has been asked to do was a tall order and he was still not sure if he could do it. ‘How can he, an orphan till recently, build an army and take on the might of Bharata, probably the largest empire in the world?’ He thought as he rode hard west and south down the mountains. He marvelled at the beautiful Suvasthu valley and the might of the rivers Parushni, Vitasta and Sindhu as he passed them. It had taken him six weeks of hard riding to reach Mundigak. One of the

two scrolls he was carrying under his cloak had the seal of sage Jamadagni. He had stayed on the high road most of the time for speed and had met travellers from countries as far away as Keingir, Elam and Mastaba. Merchants hoping to make a kill in the lucrative market of Harappa and Ilaspada. They carried stories of the riches of those cities. But, as he passed the Pariyatra mountains, it was only deprivation and despair. He could sense the anarchy. The town of Sudra on the mountain pass was the last city with any sense of public facilities and order. The town was full of soldiers – Bharatan soldiers. There appeared to be an air of supreme confidence bordering on arrogance among the soldiers and the populace. No one had challenged the border town for years and they were ensconced in the security of the name of Bharatan empire since Sudas had extended the border further west almost to the gates of Mundigak. No one challenged him in the border town and he was free to pass through the border without being questioned. He had reached Mundigak just as the sun was setting. The sight of imposing mud fortress of Mundigak was awe inspiring and filled him with pride. ‘That was built by my grandfather.’ Again what he saw inside the fortress was not as impressive. The buildings were crumbling and were in various states of disrepair. The inn keeper just inside the fortress was not very encouraging either. There is a general feeling of despondency in the air and poverty was obvious. “We are paying for the mistakes of our Magi and our leaders in the past.” He had said as he cleared the table where Cayamana had just finished a sumptuous meal. He was quite useful in his directions to the house of Angarparna of the high council. Angarparna was one of his best pals in the ashram for several years. They had trained in the art of war under the strict tutelage of Ankitha in the ashram. He could remember getting up in the early hours of the morning before the sun was up for his training. The winter

months were the worst. The skin stuck to the frozen bronze tips of the arrows and by the time they climbed up to the top of the hill the cheeks would be burning with freezing cold wind filled with icicles. Ankitha would be there before the boys and would be chomping at the bits waiting for them. They would run as fast as they could. In the six years he was at the ashram, he had never managed to get there before Ankitha. Nor did anyone else. The rumour was that he slept there in the forest just to be there before the students. “You are late again!” Ankitha would shout. “You must be the laziest bunch of students I ever had the misfortune of teaching.” Kucha would giggle at this. He was the youngest of the shikshus in his batch. And that would infuriate Ankitha even more. “You have icicles on your earlobes and tip of the nose.” Angarparna would reach out and pick out the icicles from Cayamana’s ears. They could not feel either their earlobes or the noses in the cold. “Stop that chit chat and I want to see you start your exercises now!” That meant the start of Yogasanas for half an hour before running around the arena behind Ankitha on his horse. The boys would be shattered by the time they finished “warming up!” He was a task master and did not like fools. Cayamana remembers at least half a dozen of the shikshu’s thrown out of training during the period he was there. They ended up going to the kitchens or the farms to train. “It is no shame to be a cook or a farmer. They are noble professions too.” Sage Jamadagni would say. Cayamana became stronger and harder under Ankitha. By the third winter, he could barely feel the cold and his fingers did not hurt to use the bows and arrows. He became an expert marksman and

could shoot an apple down from the tree at hundred paces without bruising it. His grasp of the Vedic scriptures and the kashtriya dharma was unmatched under the guidance of Jamadagni. Angarparna had left Jamadgani’s ashram a couple of years before Cayamana. Cayamana had gone to his house in the centre of the city first thing in the morning. The door was opened at his knock by a suave looking young man he could not recognise. He was wearing a long white cloak tied at the waist by a silk tassel. He had a blue silk sache thrown across the left shoulder giving him an official look. “Cayamana!! What a surprise!” “Oh my God! It is you, Angarparna. I could not recognise you. The years in the city have been good to you.” He embraced Cayamana with genuine affection. They had got along very well during their time in Jamadagni’s ashram all those years ago. It turned out that he had been selected to work in the High council. He had established himself as an official and was obviously climbing up. He was no longer the young carefree shikshu of the ashram, but an important official of the high council. Next couple of hours was spent on catching up and reminiscing about the years in the ashram. “What are you doing here? So far away from the ashram?” He bubbled. “By the way you are looking good. You have the air of a prince.” “Thank you. You always did exaggerate. But, seriously, I have come for your help,” Cayamana replied. “I need to meet the leader of the high council.” He brought out the scroll with the seal of Jamadagni from under his cloak to show Angarparna.

“That would be KingIshvant. He is our leader and has been running the state since the death of King Vishtaspa.” He replied. “What is this about? Do you know what is in the scroll?” It took Cayamana good couple of hours to go through what sage Jamadagni had said. He could see Angarparna getting more and more interested as the story unfolded. “I always knew that you were not just an orphan, Cayamana. You were always different from the rest of us. I am sure you will be an Abhyavartin one day. You can be assured of my support. Let us go and see Ishvant right away. But first, come and taste the excellent food and wine of Mundigak.” “I will certainly taste your wine later. I have had an excellent dinner at the local inn where I am staying.” “You are not staying there while I am living in this house. The first thing to do is to move you down here to my home and then we will go and see Ishvant.” It was not long before Cayamana’s satchel and horse was moved to Angaraparna’s house and they were finally ready to go to the chief’s house. Cayamana was pleased and apprehensive at the same time. As they walked across the town to the leader’s house, he opened up his concerns to Angarparna. “I am still not sure if I am the one to lead the country. What if I fail? I don’t want to be the cause of thousands of innocent deaths.” “I have belief in you and as the sage said, you should have faith in yourself. You can only do this when you trust your own ability. If the sage Jamadagni says that you are the one, then don’t look back. He is powerful and as he said, you have the support of Lord Mithra’s blessings.”

King Ishvant turned out to be a benevolent old gentleman, soft spoken and sure of himself. He lived in a moderate sized house for a leader of the state. He had broken the sage’s seal and read the scroll twice before saying anything. “I think you are carrying another scroll with you, Cayamana?” Cayamana dug into the folds of his robe and pulled out another smaller scroll with an unbroken seal. Ishvant examined the seal carefully and said, “Cayamana, you may be the one we have been waiting for. Just wait here for a minute, I will be back.” He went inside the house and came back very quickly. He was carrying a small steatite seal in his hand. He picked up the second scroll and went to the window for a better look and looked at the seal and the scroll in some detail. When he turned around his face was quite serious. “Can I see your back, please, Cayamana? window where there is better light.”

Please come over to the

Cayamana stood up, took off his tunic and walked over to the window where Ishvant was standing. The leader took the steatite seal and scrutinised the back of Cayamana’s left shoulder in some detail again. Cayamana was not sure what was happening. He did not know if there was a mole or a mark on his skin on his shoulder as he could not see. No one had made any remarks before. It was quite common for shiskhus to walk around barechested most of the time and one would have thought someone would have remarked if there was something unusual on his back. “Angarparna, come here please and have a look. My eyes are not as good as they were. Tell me what you see.” By this time, Angarparna’s curiosity was killing him. He jumped up to

have a look. What he saw made him gasp. The unicorn seemed to jump out of the back of Cayamana’s shoulder. There were four inscriptions on the right side of the animal which he could not read. Ishvant then got the seal he had in his left hand up to the light filtering through the window. The image and script on the seal was identical. He still was not sure what this meant. He looked up at Ishvant with a quizzical expression on his face and said, “The images are identical.” “I thought so too. It is also identical to the seal on the scroll Cayamana has brought with him.” Ishvant said, with a hint of excitement in his voice. “This seal was given to me by none other than the Abhyavartin Cayamana himself all those years ago when he left to the forest to meditate.” Cayamana could not see the image on his back and he did not even know the existence of such an image on him. He was beginning to understand what was happening, but still felt flabbergasted by the turn of events. “Did you know grandfather? What was he like?” Ishvant sighed a deep sigh and turned around without replying. He walked up to the side wall by the side of the window. The wall was in darkness and Cayamana could not see what he was looking at. He got up and went to the wall to take a closer look. The window next to the wall shone on his face, but made whatever it was on the wall very dark. Angarparna also joined them to see what was going on. Ishvant reached up and unhooked the object from the wall and brought it to the light of the window. They could hear brass clinking away loudly. He held it up against the window for all to see. There was a catch of breath from both of them. What Ishvant was holding in his hand was the last thing they expected to see. The breast plate with exquisite drawings shone like mirror in the light. There were two bronze swords still in their leather scabbard which were attached to the back

of the breast plate. He passed the breast plate to Cayamana and said, “Can you read what is written on the inside of the breast plate?” Cayamana turned the breast plate to the window to look at the back. There it was written in beautiful Sanskrit, which Cayamana read out aloud, “Mithra protects the Abhyavartin.” Then he picked up the longer of the two scabbards and pulled the bronze sword out of its sheath. It came out with a swoosh and glinted in the sunlight streaming through the window, nearly blinding the watchers. It was a long and curved sword with double edges. The sculpted handle was encrusted with lapis lazuli and carnelian beads. Ishvantpointed to the script on the handle which said, ‘Abhyavartin Cayamana the Great’. “These belonged to your grandfather, Cayamana.” He said. “He told me that you will be back one day to claim them as he left. After the first few years, I lost all hope of his grandson ever being found again. He was the greatest Samrat the world had ever seen. He was heartbroken when Ainyu, your father died in a hunting accident leaving a grieving widow with an unborn child. The Magi blamed you for his death and your mother was to have been sacrificed to the God Angra Mainyu.” He bowed his head down and a deep pain appear to cross his face. He walked across to where the shield was hung on the wall staring at the empty space. His voice was barely audible now as he continued. “I still remember that night. There was a full blown storm belting down on Mundigak. Very strange for this part of the country to get such a violent storm. But it was ideal for what I was about to do. It a moonless night and the rain mixed with sleet was heavy. I could barely see in front of my nose. We were soaked to the skin by the time we got out of the city and on to the jungle tracks. It took me six weeks to reach the cave. My orders were to take your mother to the

forbidden forest in the Himalayan mountains and leave her in that cave. Your grandfather said that the Yogi’s of Bharata would save your mother and no one can see your prana. Not the Magi of Sistan and not even the great sages of Bharata.” He paused again and turned slightly towards the window. He seemed to have aged in years during those minutes with the lines on his face looking like deep furrows in the half light from the window. “I was certain the wild animals of the forbidden forest would have killed your mother as I walked back in the darkness. It was gut wrenching to see your mother, heavily pregnant with you and crying her heart out as I left the cave. There was only Buchara, my trusty slave to protect her.” He stopped and looked up. There were tears in his eyes and his voice was broken when he started again. “I went back, Cayamana. I did go back, Angarparna.But I could not find the cave again. It was as if the cave had never existed. I was sure it was the place, my satchel, which I had dropped near the mouth of the cave was still there when I went back. But not the cave and there was no sign of your mother or Buchara either. I roamed around the forbidden forest for weeks before giving it up. I never thought I would see you, even in my dreams. I get nightmares every time there is a storm.” He walked up to Cayamana and hugged him and held him for a long time. “Now that you are back, we will be great again and all the troubles of the kingdom will be past. Let us see what the scroll has to say. The seal on this scroll is that of your grandfather himself.” He broke the seal and held it up to the light coming from the window. His eyes moistened as he read down tothe bottom. “This is a note from your grandfather. ‘The bearer of this scroll is my

grandson, Kavi Cayamana. I bequeath him the shield and the sword of all Ariana.’ Tell me Cayamana, where is your mother?” Cayamana was quiet for a minute. It was too much to take all at once. He was still in shock at the revelations. He recovered quickly and replied. “I don’t know, sir. The earliest memories I have is of growing up in the Yogi’s ashram. Until recently, I was told that I was an orphan. The Yogi treated me as his own son and I did not know anything different until sage Jamadagni told me who I was on my last day at the ashram. It pains me deeply to say that I have no memories of my mother or Buchara.” Angaraparna was listening to all this with his mouth wide open. He could hardly believe what he was listening to. “Did you know them well, Master?” “I knew Cayamana’s mother quite well, Angarparna. She was a beautiful lady both inside and outside. She held her dignity even when her husband was killed and she was ostracised by the community. She was going to take the decision of the council as her fate. She never uttered a word of bitterness at any time as we travelled together in that perilous journey to the Himalayan cave.” They could see there were tears rolling down Cayamana’s cheeks. But he was silent and dignified in his sorrow. Ishvant continued, “I can see her strength in you, Cayamana. You have her eyes and I can see her determination in your eyes. All of Ariana had been waiting for you to come back and lead them to the glory again. The Magi have been saying for hundreds of years that there will be a saviour and I am sure you are the one.” Cayamana spoke slowly at first and gathering speed and intensity as he progressed.

“Thank you for sharing your knowledge of my parents, Master. There is a mountain to climb if we are to do what we have to do to restore the glory of Ariana.” Turning to Angarparna and back to Ishvant, “I will not be able to do this alone. I will need all the help you can give me. I aim to restore the name of my father and mother and I will prove my grandfather right. The world will hear the name of Abhyavartin Cayamana again. There will never be a mother put to death again in this land as long as I am alive.” Both Ishvant and Angarparna nodded their heads and came up to embrace him. “We will have to introduce you to the council and the generals of the state. There may be some objections from the old guard, who were on the council at the time of your grandfather. They did not take lightly to the disappearance of your mother. Some of the Magi can be troublesome too. They still blame your mother and the unborn child for all the ills of the state even now.” He looked pensive as he spoke to Cayamana. “But I am sure they will see the light and especially when they see the sacred mark on your back, they will be convinced of what you can achieve.” “That reminds me. How did I get that mark on my back?” Viashwavasu smiled as he replied. “I had given the seal to your mother. Buchara was not only a bodyguard but he was also an expert at tattoo. They were told that the baby was to have this seal tattoed on the back of the left shoulder as soon as it was practicable. You were probably still a new born baby when they tattoed your shoulder. Our physicians tell me that the babies do not feel pain as soon as they are born. Buchara has done an excellent job and lived up to his reputation as the best tattooist in the land. And we have to thank Lord Mithra for what he did.”

“I have to thank all of you for caring for my family and it is now up to me to regain the name.” “I will call for an extraordinary meeting of the council and we will present you as the new king of Sistan.” Viashwavasu continued. “It may take a few days to get the council get together. The palace has been lying empty for all these years. I would rather you move into the palace after the council meeting.” Both Cayamana and Angarparna agreed that as the best course. Both of them walked together to the council hall and enetered through separate doors. Cayamana found himself sitting at the back of the big council chamber on the day. The place was buzzing with rumours and gossip. He had a shawl over his shoulders coming down to his knees and a hood over his head to cover his face. Angarparna took his seat on the platform at the head of the hall and tried to look for Cayamana. ChiefMagus Budi was seated next to him at the table. The disguise was perfect as several men had their heads covered in a hood to protect their heads from the chilling wind of the winter. No one knew why the extraordinary meeting had been called by the leader. It had been years since anything important happened in Mundigak since Abhyavartin had left to the forest. The last meeting was held to decide on the fate of his daughter-in-law. Magi had persuaded the leaders of the day that she was cursed and the seed that was growing inside her was poisonous to the land. Since the disappearance of the pregnant ----- there had been many rumours of the devil taking her and even of Bharatan soldiers kidnapping her. All the noise stopped as Ishvant walked in through the main door and walked up to the platform. The whispering started again as he steppedup theplatform to the table. He did not go to his seat as was normal practice, but turned aroundto face the increasingy restless audience of the council. The

whispering again stopped and everyone was curious to know what was happening and they were also curious about the tall man at the back with head covered in a black robe. Ishvant raised hisarms high above his head in the typical Sistan salute and said, “Gentleman of the council, I thank you for coming here at such a short notice. I have some very important news to tell you. God Mithra has finally smiled on me and the Kingdom of Sistan today. I have carried the burdon of leading the council of Sistan all these years since the death of our beloved king Vishtaspa. It is time for me to step down.” The rumble in the council started again, slowly at first and reaching a crescendo before anyone could stop it. Angarparna signalled the bugler standing at the coner of the hall, who lifted his bugle and gave one short sharp blast. The noise stopped immediately. “Thank you. If you will allow me to introduce the grandson of our great Abhyavartin Cayamana …” The noise erupted again before he could go any further. Cayamana, who was watching all this quietly from the bak, stood up and walked slowly down the aisle to the platform, still with the head covered and looking at the ground. He climbed the platform and truned around taking off his black robe in one swift movement. Everyone could see a tall young man in the royal regalia, the royal breast plate shining on hischest and ivory handled long curved sword in a scabbard studded with precious stones. There was a sharp intacke of breath from some of the older members of the council when they recognised the stark resemblance to the Abhyavartin. He raised both his arms in the Sistan salute and brought his right fist down to the shield on his chest.

“Hail Sistan. Hail Ariana. I am the Kavi Cayamana, son of Ainyu and grandson of the great Abhyavartin Cayamana, here to serve the honest people of Sistan. I am here to reunite the great empire of Ariana once again and regain the splendour of our ancestors. I have come here to ask for your help to fulfil my grand father’s dream.” One of the elderly councillors stood up and said, “There is definitely an uncanny resemblance to the great Abhyavartin, young sir. Unfortunately, that will not be enough to prove that you are who you say you are. Do you have any proof of your identity?” “Let me answer that question, if I may.” Angarparna stood up. He had the steatite seal of the Abhyavartin in his left hand and the scroll Cayaman had brought in the right hand. “Can I ask Master Ashtad to examine these please? This is the scroll Cayamana brought with him and the seal, as all of you know is that of our Abhyavartin.” Master Ashtad was the chief justice for the Sistan council. An elderly gentleman in his seventies walked up to the platform and took the scroll and steatite seal. He took them to the light at front door where he could see better and examined them for quite a while before coming back. “The seal on the scroll certainly matches the Abhyavartin’s seal, Master Angarparna. But that still does not prove that he is the grandson of our Samrat.” “You are quite right, Master Ashtad.” Angarparna truned to Cayaman and continued, “Cayaman, can you please remove the shield and let Master Ashtad examine your left shoulder?” Cayamana did as he was asked and Ashtad climbed up the platform to examine the back of Cayamana’s left shoulder. There was a sharp intake of

breath from him and he rubbed the tattoo to see if it would come off. Once he was convinced, he took two steps back and bowed his head to Cayamana. “My humble greetings to the grandson of the great Abhyavartin. There is no doubt about who you are to my mind.” He then turned around and shouted, “Hail Abhyavartin Kavi Cayamana. Hail Sistan. Hail Ariana.” Ishvant stood up and walked up to Cayamana and hugged him for a long time. “May God Mithra protect you, son. I have been praying for this day for a long time. Now I can rest and let you take the kingdom forward.” Angarparna walked up to Cayamana and hugged him again. Ishvant took the seal from Angarparna and gave it to Cayamana. “This is your seal now, Cayamana. This will protect you against your enemies.” Cayamana turned walked up to the high seat on the platform and took his seat as the council again erupted with “Hail Cayamana. Hail God Mithra. Hail the Saviour.” There was a roar of approval from everyone in the council. There was a sense of relief as well as belief among the people of Mundigak. Many were convinced that Cayamana was the saviour that the scriptures talk about. There was a sense of security flooded the city and people were talking about resurgence of the glory days of Abhyavartin Cayamana. There appeared to be a genereal sense of well being among the population and the sense of pride as an Avestan in general and a Druhyu in particular was on the rise from that day onwards.

Chapter10: The Haihayas . The city was buzzing with activity. Blacksmiths were busy with their kilns and shining new bronze swords and spears were being sent out to the barracks as quickly as they came off the polishers. Hundreds of thousands of arrow tips rolled off to the carpenters to be fixed to the cedar wood arrows. Carpenters were also busy building two wheeled chariots by the dozen. Men and women were rushing around the city. There was a lot of apprehension among them. There were numerous rumours flowing around the city. No one really knew exactly what was happening. “Sage Vasishta and Vishwamitra had a fight and they will destroy the world with their powers.” “Turvasas have attacked the farms and carried away the farmers’ cows!” “Bhedas have been pillaging the villages along the river Yamuna!” “King Haihaya has sent for help. King Sudas is on his way here.” “The Yaksu’s are using their magic to make entire villages disappear.” “Shigru’s have joined the Bheda king Shimyu and a huge army is camping on river Yamuna.” There was no end to the rumours and the last one particularly scared the man on the street. It was only a week ago when the town cryer had stood on the platform under the peepal tree in the centre of the city, “Hear this, hear this. This is the proclamation from King Vitahavya,” the drummer beat a roll. “All able bodied men and women have been called to defend the city against marauders. You can join the great army of Haihayas

and teach these mongrels who attack our kingdom a lesson.” The drummer had drowned what the cryer said at the end, which did not help. In addition, the rumour mill had gone into overdrive. There was even talk of the enemy attacking the city of Mahishmati. Armies did not attack a city. Battles took place on the battlefield and scores were settled on the battlefield. However, that did not stop the rumourmongers from getting the population hyped up. Men and women had vision of marauding demons attacking and destroying their much-loved city. There was already talk of families moving out of the city to the west; away from Turvasas or Bhedas. The two “merchants” who had gone to meet sage Vasishta entered the city in darkness just as the gates were being shut. They went straight to a two-storey house next to the citadel. They went past the front door and down the alleyway on the side of the house. The side door was opened even before they reached it. The two of them looked to either side before entering the house. They followed the guard through the narrow corridor, which lead to a small room. The room was in complete darkness and it took them a few moments to see anything. The guard went to the lonely lamp on the wall and turned up the light. “Thank goodness you have returned safely. increasingly worried.”

The king was getting

The man who spoke was tall, dark with a greying beard trimmed short, thick moustache and carried himself erect all the time. He looked extremely dignified in a white dhoti and a shawl thrown across the left shoulder. There was a leather scabbard at the waist weighed down by the weight of a long sword. Both the “merchants” bowed their heads and greeted him with folded hands. “Namaste, commander Haijana. We are glad to be back home,” the elder

of the two men spoke. “Webring good news. The sage Vasishta has promised immediate help and King Sudas’s armies should be on their way here as we speak. He will get the king to come himself.” The commander sighed a deep sigh of relief. “Captain Diavasa, you have served the kingdom well. I will take the message immediately to the King Vitahavya. I am sure he will be as happy as I am at this news.” The two ‘merchants’ removed their hoods and smiled. Daivasa handed the palm scroll he had hidden under his vest the entire journey. He was happy to get rid of it. “Thank you, Captain. Secrecy is not necessary anymore. We can go to the royal court and present this to the king.” The commander said. “There is nothing anyone can do to stop King Sudas now.” Haijana opened the scroll and spent some time going thorugh the text from sage Vasishta. He was thoughtful as he turned around to Daivasa and said, “Have you read this? Did the sage say anything else?” The two of them looked at each other and back at the commander, looking slightly worried. “No, commander.All he said was that he will make sure Sudas will help us.” “Are you sure, Daivasa? I feel you are not telling me the entire truth.” The two of them started to fidget. “Well, I am not sure if we were mistaken. We are probably wrong.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Come on, out with it.” “The sage did look very stressed during our visit. We got an impression that all was not very well in Bharata.” “Why do you say that?” “There was mention of the eastern borders and the Anu and Druhyu’s.” The commander turned away towards the window and stopped silhouted against the moonlight streaming throw the window. The two could not see his face as he continued. “That is not for us to worry about, Daivasa. If he has promised to help us, I am sure he will send help. Come, we don’t have much time to lose now. Our king Vitahavya needs to see this letter.” The three of them walked quickly out of the commander’s house towards the palace. They walked briskly along the small alley towards the western gate of the citadel. The citadel was not quite as big as that in Ilaspada or Harappa or Sindhu. But it was still imposing. The wide brick built steps were covered in timber with columns on either side decorated with motifs of sun god, which was the family deity of Haihayas. The gate at the top of the steps was built with huge timber stocks reinforced with brass plates. It would take more than a battering ram to get through that. There were several soldiers guarding the gate with more in the guard house just to the left of the gate.The guards at the gate recognised the commander and stood to attention. One of them ran across to open the massive gates to the citadel. The palace was just inside the western gates. The guards had been increased since the attacks had begun and everyone was touchy and jumpy. They went past the ornate oak doors studded with bronze finials down the side of the palace to a smaller door with no guards. Haijan took out a key from inside his tunic and

opened the door. They had to bend down to go through the door into a small room, which was in complete darkness. Haijana knew exactly where he was going and went to another door at the far end of the room and opened it with yet another key. They were now in the royal yard lined with covered corridors all the way round. A uniformed guard came out of the guard room in the north west corner and lowered his spear as soon as he recognised Haijana. “My apologies, commander.” He spluttered. “We were not expecting you tonight. It has been very quiet all day.” “Don’t worry, Mahina. We are here to see the king on urgent business.” “Certainly,commander. I will send a message inside.” And he ran across the courtyard to one of the doors on the northeast. He was back within minutes followed by the king himself. The commander and the two messengers knelt on one leg with right hand across the chest in salutation to the king. “Arise, my friend Haijana.” The king said holding Haijana by the shoulders and helping him up. “I am sure you have brought good news. Come let us go inside.” Haijana stood up and said, “Thank you, your majesty. I have brought Daivasa and Satvant with me. They have just returned from Barbera. There is a message from sage Vasishta which you should read.” The king turned to the two messengers and said, “Thank you for risking your lives to get the message. I know Haihayas are not particularly welcomed in Bharata. I dread to think of the

consequences if you had been caught. Mahishmati will be eternally grateful to both of you. Please come inside and let us see what you have brought.” The three of them followed the king into the door he had just come out of. They entered a large room with several windows covered with heavy drapes and several wall mounted lamps buring brightly between the windows. The king went to a desk at the end of the room and sat down opening the scroll given to him by Haijana. He read the message twice before lifiting his head up and asked Daivasa. “What did the great sage Vasishta say to you?” “That he would make sure Samrat Sudas would send his armies to help us,” An increasingly nervous Daivasa replied. “What do you make of the letter Haijana? There is something missing here.” “You are right, your majesty. I thought so too.” Haijana replied. “He appears to be hedging. There are no specifics. It may have to do with the information about the eastern borders of the Bharata empire.” The king stood up and started to pace up and down the room with hands held behind. “I thought it was only a rumour. Are the Anu and Druhyus really amassing their armies? Have any of our spies returned from Roruka?” “Unfortunately, no. But we have had some information filtering through travellers and merchants. I believe that these rumours maybe true and that is why the sage was not clear on any specifics.” “Haijana, we need to call the council and discuss the next step.” He had stopped pacing now and looked at the commander. “Sooner the better.

Please see to it.” “As you wish, your majesty. I will assemble the council before the end of the week.” It took Haijana some time to gather all the elders of the Haihaya council especially as some of the elders lived in far flung outposts of the kingdom. It was not until the following week when all of them had gathered at Mahishmati and were patiently waiting for the King to appear in the court. The guards had closed all the doors and there was heavy security all around. The large hall was not even quarter full as none of the commoners and lower cadre officers were allowed during the private council meetings. Everyone spoke in hushed tones and one could cut the tension with a sharp knife. The rumpurs had grown stronger with a trickle of injured refugees turning up at the gates of the city over the prevous week. They had brought stories of barbaric attacks of the Bhedas along the eastern border villages of the kingdom. There was an invariable look of terror on the survivors’ faces which fuelled the imagination of the rumpur mongers. Haijana had sent soldiers to calm the people down and the local artists had been encouraged to perform patriotic songs and skits to worj on the morale of the people. There was a ban on the alcoholic masara within the city. Haijana had actually closed down a few of the inns serving masara when he found them to be breeding centres of such rumours. The bugler announced the arrival of King Vitahavya with a short sharp blast followed by a long one. The king was in his full regalia with a copper crown studded with precious stones, a yellow cotton sash across his left shoulder wraped around his right elbow and a sparkling white dhothi. The ceremonial sword hung from his waist with the hilt showing at the top, made of ivory studded with rubies. Commander Haijana walked along side him,

just one step behind. The courtroom fell silent and everyone stood up with heads bowed. King Vitahavya was highly respected as an excellent administrator and a benevolent king. He was loved by all, soldiers and common man alike. He walked to the raised platform at the top end of the room and bent forward to touch the platform before stepping on to it. Once on the dias, he turned around and raised his arm high above his head in a form of salute to the people gathered in the hall. There was an immediate response from everyone. “Hail King Vitahavya! Hail Mahishmati! Hail the mighty Haihayas! The cries reverberated around the huge hall mixed with loud sound of metal on wood as the elders of districts hit their bronze swords against the wooden shields. “Hail the mighty Haihayas. Hail mother Mahishmati.” The king replied. “Thank you for coming at such a short notice. I need your help and guidance in this crucial hour. Please sit down. There is a lot to discuss.” There was a hush as commander Haijana stood up to speak. “I am sure all of you must have heard of the Bheda’s attacks on our border villages and towns over the last few weeks. The Bheda king Shimyu has, from all accounts, amassed a large army along our borders and playing havoc along the river Yamuna. Several tribes of Dasyu’s have joined hands with him and the Kingdom faces a mortal danger. He has made it quite clear that he wants to take over our kingdom. The last reports tells us that the Bheda army is growing bigger and bolder everyday. We have to take action now to stop him getting any bigger and protect our homelands.” There was a quiet silence as he finished talking for a minute or so. Haijana was about to start speaking again when suddenly all hell broke

loose. There was a cacophony of noise with a lot of swearing and call to action by the king. “What is the king doing when the enemy is growing?” “We should march on the Bheda King today.” “What are we waiting for?” “How could Vithavya let this happen?” Some of them started to beat the shields with their swords in the rhythm used during battle – two long beats and three short beats. Vitahavya stood up and raised his hands in supplication. There was a hush again. “I agree with what all of you are saying. The Haihaya army has been in preparation ever since we got our first message and is ready to march as speak. But, we are not big enough to take on the might of a combined force the Bhedas and Dasyu’s along with all the other tribes who have joined hands with the King Shimyu.” He paused for a moment before continuing. He glanced briefly at Haijana, who nodded his head ever so imperceptibly. “I have been in touch with Sage Vasishta to seek help from Eperor Sudas.” There was an immediate uproar at this revelation. “How could you take help from our sworn enemies? Sudas will take over the country.” It was Talajanga from the border kingdom of Vatsa who spoke. “I am grateful for our brother, Talajanga to remind us of our ancient enmity with the Puru’s and the Bharata empire.” Vitahavya was still standing as he spoke. “However, as you will know by now, he is the most powerful king in the world at present and there is no one who can defeat him. His Ashwmedha horse roamed the world with very little opposition. If we can get

him to help us, Bhedas will not dare attack us.” “Why should he help us now? The enemity between Haihayas and the Purus go back to before Samrat Divodasa.” “You are correct, brother Talajanga. We have not seen eye to eye for a long time. Having said that, we have not had any skirmishes for a long time and lived as peaceful neighbours over the last few years.” Vitahavya paused to let it sink before continuing. “You will be pleased to hear that sage Vasishta has agreed to persuade Sudas to send his army to help us. Our messengers have only returned last week with the news and a scroll from Vasishta.” He took out the scroll from under his sash and held it high above his head for all to see. “What does the scroll say? Who was the messenger? Where did he meet the sage?” It was Talajanga again. “The messenger was our trusted captain of the guards Daivasa. He travelled into Bharat at great risk to his life and met the sage in the port city of Barbera. The Sage was on his way back from Sumeria. The great sage says that he will persuade Samrat Sudas to send assistance to our noble cause.” There was a complete silence again for a moment at this. The questioning started in earnest after that from almost everyone in the hall. Commander Haijana answered most of them with aplomb and without giving aways the uneasy feeling both himself and the king had felt on reading the scroll. It was nearly two hours later when the group of elders agreed to join hands and march towards the borders on river Yamuna. It was left to

commander Haijana to liase with the elders of various districts and prepare for the battle. It was agreed that they should choose a spot suitable for open warfare along the banks of the river rather than let the Bhedas decide on the place of battle. Bhedas were good at skirmishes and hit and run battles than a proper war. It was also agreed to send Daivasa as the emissary to the Bheda king Shimyu to negotiate the terms of battle. Commander Haijana and King Vitahavya spent the next few hours poring over the maps drawn on cloth scrolls looking for ideal places for a battle. The Bhedas have been attacking around the northern and eastern parts of the kingdom. That narrowed the area to the top corner of the kingdom. They finally decided on three places, all of them along the great river Yamuna. “We must send words to Samrat Sudas of our intentions, Haijana.” The king said, stretching himself from the table with all the maps spread sround in heaps. “There is no point in the Bharata army coming all the way down to Mahishmati. They could easily sail on the Yamuna and meet us at a point west of the chosen battle ground.” “That would be more palatable to the Haihaya elders too.” Haijana said with a sense of relief. “But we are assuming that the Bheda king would agree to our terms.I will have to brief Daivasa and his team.” “Thank you, commander Haijana. May mother Mahishmati bestow her blessings on you and Daivasa. God Aditya will protect Daivasa and his team, I am sure.” Haijana walked out of the court and down the steps of the great citadel, a pensive man with huge responsibility on his shoulders. Daivasa left Mahishmati the following morning, with instructions from commander Haijana on a fast horse. This time he was on his own dressed as

a messenger. He had a seal from sage Vasishta, which would guarantee safe passage through the borders and Bharatan lands till he reached the court of Samrat Sudas. Sudas agreed to Vitahavya’s suggestion to take the battle to the banks of river Yamuna instead of travelling all the way down south to Mahishmati with a huge army.

Chapter 11: Bhedas . Shimyu was not very happy. There was a lot of shouting and flashing of blades going on in his court. The ‘Court’ was a large clearing in front of his large circular hut with thatched roof. His was the largest house in the village. Even though made of mud bricks and bamboo, it was very strong and had several rooms inside. He held his court for the kingdom in the clearing in front of his house. His throne was a massive black granite platform at the eastern end of the clearing overshadowed by an even massive Banyan tree. He had called the meeting of the kings of the surrounding tribes. There was the massive hunk of a man, Jakhu from Yaksu tribe in the north of the kingdom flexing his muscles and rousing his mace at every opportunity. Shigru, the king of Dasyus from the eastern kingdom sat there looking even more morose than ever, getting up every now and then to open his mouth and change his mind and sit down. The loudest was the effervescent Ilibisa, with his bare chest adorned with half a dozen gold chains dangling from his neck and an ivory handled long sword hanging from a leather band on his waist. He was proud of his lineage from the rich kingdom of Aja. He stood up and addressed the congregation. Cumuri and Dhuni, the leaders of Danavas stayed rather quite at the back of the ‘court’. They had already announced their support to Shimyu and they were just itching to get to the battle and fight. They could not understand about these meetings and they had their own opinions about the Dasyus, which was not very complimentary. “Sudas has enjoyed our lands for far too long. He has no right keep our lands. If only we could join hands and not fight each other, we could take

back our lands.” Turning to Shimyu, he continued, “If you want to lead us, you better show some gumption and do something about it other than sitting on your throne and brooding every day.” He has never been happy since King Shimyu of Bhedas was elected by the group of tribal elders to lead them against Sudas. The elders had decided the Sudas was too powerful to go against on their own.Sudas had sailed down the river Yamuna to attack the border lands and all the eastern tribes were affected.King Vitahavya of the Haihayas had joined hands with Sudas and had annexed many of the tribal lands into the Haihaya kingdom. But theBheda kingdom was the worst affected. Shimyu had lost most of the fertile lands around the river and he was confined to one corner of his original kingdom. He had barely escaped with a handful of his guards to the old mud fortress built by his ancestors hundreds of years ago. It had taken him time and hard work to build an army again. He now felt that he could take on Sudas if only the other tribes joined hands. But he could see that it was going to be hard work. The big problem was that they hated each other as much as they hated Sudas. The tribes have been at war with each other for centuries and there was very little trust among them. Sudas, in a way , had been a boon for him. Now there was one thing all of them hated with a passion. Finally, now he has a means of joining forces. Or that was what he had thought when he had called for this assembly. Now, he was not so sure. He better get this unruly crowd under some control. He stood up and raised his arms and nodded his head at the bugler in the corner. On shrill note from the bugler and the entire court became suddenly quiet. “Friends, there is no point fighting among ourselves. If we don’t learn to get along with each other, there is no way of beating Samrat Sudas. He is too powerful with his two sages behind him. So far, you have been attacking Sudas’s kingdom like little gangsters. Attacking unguarded border towns and

farms is not going to achieve anything.” Shimyu looked around to see if he had everyone’s attention and continued, “Now that we are all here, we should join forces and plan a proper attack on his kingdom. Does anyone have a plan?” There was no response for a moment. Everyone was looking at each other to see who was going to go first. As expected, Ilibisa started again with, “I say we join all our forces and sail up Yamuna and attack his capital, Ila.” There was an immediate chorus of voices in agreement. Shimyu smiled and sighed deeply before replying, “Friends, this reminds me of the parable of a hungry idiot. We will just burn your hands by doing that.” “What do you mean? You better explain why you are calling us idiots.” That was the hot headed Jakhu. “This is a parable I heard when I was a child. Nothing to do with you , my friend. I would not call anyone gathered here an idiot. If you were, you would not be here today.” He looked around to see that he had everybody’s attention. “A sage once told me this story. He was resting under a tree next to a house one day when he overheard the mother inside scolding her son; ‘How many times do I have to tell you to take the food from the edges? You have burnt your fingers again. Just like that idiotic king Mandhatri.’ Being curious, he entered the house and asked the mother why she called the king an idiot. “I am sorry sir, I don’t know who you are, but that king is an idiot. He

has been attacking the capital and losing every time. If he had only attacked the smaller border towns and captured them, he would have defeated our enemies a long time ago. No, he keeps attacking the capital city and getting our poor soldiers slaughtered repeatedly. My son is doing exactly the same, he is putting his fingers in the centre of the plate where the food is hottest instead of the edges.” The sage thanked the lady and hurried out to his king and rest is history as they would say. You must know that the city of Ila is extremely well guarded and the we would have his entire army come down on us like a ton of bricks. Instead, I suggest that we attack smaller towns first and take smaller chunks of his kingdom and grow in size. I suggest we attack the towns of Haihaya kingdom first. Once we have taken their capital Mahishmati, we can then launch north towards Ilaspada. It is far from Ila and will take weeks for Sudas to come to their help.” Shimyu knew that he had everyone’s attention now. It is time to hit the hammer on the head now and get their agreement. By the time he had finished talking the dusk has turned into night. Bheda guards had lit up lamps around the periphery of the court and large fire in the middle. A gentle cross breeze blew across the central fire making the fire billow out with long bright yellow tongues of flame reaching out to the sky and the wood was crackling in the silence. The flickering flames threw strange shadows on the people gathered around giving a surreal experience. Before he could start again, Jakhu intervened, “Well spoken, King Shimyu. You are so right. If we are to have any chance against Sudas, we have to hit him where he is most vulnerable. As you say, Mahishmati is so far from Ila that he will have difficulty coming to any assistance.”

He was standing up, towering above everyone else. Bheda could see nodding heads all around. For once, he was thankful for Jakhu’s interference. “I think we should seal this alliance in the presence of Lord Rudra.” He had stood up and looked around the gathering, “Let us go into the temple now.” Shimyu lead the way in front with two of his personal bodyguards close to him holding burning lamps in one hand and long spears in the other. The other tribal leaders and kings followed behind along with their bodyguards. Obviously, no one was taking chances and no one trusted anyone yet. The walk took a good part of an hour to reach the banks of Yamuna river deep in the forest. The path narrowed as the trees became taller and thicker. Thorny bushes tore into the men as they walked. Soon the tree tops were so dense that it shut off the light from the moon and the stars in the sky altogether. It was pitch black save for the flickering light from the flaming torches held by the guards with each of the kings. Shimyu stopped in a small clearing and raised his right hand. “Hail Priest Aila. It is I, Shimyu, the King of Bhedas seeking audience of great lord Rudra.” Everyone stood puzzled at this. Shimyu appears to be talking to a dark patch on the side of the clearing. Jakhu craned his neck forward and squinted his eyes to see what Shimyu was talking to. He could barely make out the mouth of a large cavern at the side covered by a huge black rock. Shimyu’s voice reverberated through the dark cavern. Nothing happened for a while and everyone started to get restless. Just as the impatient Jakhu was about to say something, they heard the sound and everyone froze in their feet. It was a loud grinding sound as if a large rock was being moved. There was silence again and a metallic rhythmic sound could be heard reverberating inside the

cavern. It got louder and appear to get nearer to the waiting crowd. Everyone including the giant Jakhu started to back off. All except Shimyu, who stood there, now with both his hands raised and head bowed down. The massive rock rolled to a side to expose a gaping opening to the cavern. A tall, rather scrawny looking gentleman emerged from the mouth of the cavern holding an unlit lamp in one hand and a long wooden stick in the other.As he emerged into the open the lamp he had held in his hand sprung to life with roaring flames. They could see in the light that he was literally ancient. He was old but stood straight with his back braced and slightly leaning against the gnarled wooden stick he was holding in one hand to support. The top of the wooden stick was shaped like the head of a cobra snake with two rubies shining in the light. The tip of the staff was covered in brass which made the metallic sound when he walked. His forehead was full of creases with hardly a surface to determine the colour. He was only covered in a tiger skin wrapped around the chest and a loin cloth. The face was almost completely covered with a long grey moustache and beard. “King Shimyu! It has been a long time.” He paused, peering at the king’s face closely for a minute before turning his attention to those behind him. “I see you have brought reinforcements this time.” He grinned, showing brilliant white teeth. For a minute, one could only see the teeth and beard. “It is indeed an honour to see the great Priest once again, Aila.” Shimyu said, remembering the last time when he had to run away from the temple with his tail between his legs. Shimyu was one of those non-believers and Priest Aila had pursuaded him otherwise in what turned out to be a one sided affair a few years earlier. Priest Aila had shown him the power of Lord Rudra in no uncertain terms.

“Yes , indeed. Now you obviously need the help of the great Lord Rudra.” He stood there in front of Shimyu staring at his eyes without batting an eyelid for a long time. It was very disconcerting to Shimyu, especially after what had happened the last time he was inside this temple. “Yes, oh great priest. We need Lord Rudra’s help. Our nations have been plundered for far too long by King Sudas of the Purus. It is time we get our land and our cows back.” Shimyu plucked up enough courage to blurt it out in a hurry. The priest turned on his heels and said, “Hmmmm. I see. Come, follow me then.” And lifted the lamp in his left hand which immediately caught fire to the astonishment of those watching him. He turned on his heels and started to walk back into the cavern with the staff clanging loudly on the stone floor. He was walking with a surprising pace for his age and looks. Shimyu followed him into the cavern with the others quickly trailing behind. The priest turned left at the back of the cavern into what appeared to be a wide tunnel with vaulted ceiling. Lamps hung on the walls came alight as they walked through the tunnel. The floor of the tunnel dipped gradually at first and rapidly soon afterwards. The stone floor was wet and slippery. Couple of the guards slipped as the tunnel became steeper and fell with their torches scorching their skin. They would not dare lie there for the fear of being left behind despite the pain. The wall lamps had doused as the crowd passed down the tunnel leaving the path above in darkness. The tunnel narrowed as it became steeper with walls hemming in allowing only one at a time. The lamps on the walls singed their hair as they passed. . As they descended a gentle cold breeze came up the tunnel and the guard bringing up the rear shivered, partly with fear and partly with cold. Soon the silence was broken by the sound of moving water and the floor

flattened out. The priest, Aila had stopped with Shimyu right behind him. He signalled to one of the guards to come forward and he passed the staff and the torch. He raised both his arms above his head and uttered a hymn in a language which sounded like Sanskrit but no one could understand. There was a sudden gush of wind , which nearly blew the group down. It passed as quickly as it came. Before they could recover, there was a blinding light. Hundreds of torches on the walls had come alive lighting up the cavern. There was an intake of breath from everyone. They were standing in a huge cavern with high vaulted ceiling with stalagmites hanging down with pointed ends. The ceiling, stalagmites and the walls were multi coloured. The colours seemed to change constantly with the flickering flames from the torches. The floor was relatively flat interspersed with several stalactites rising up, some of them meeting up with the stalagmites from the ceiling. There were several short ones whose tips were sharp enough to spike an adult easily. There was a large rounded black granite obelix at the back of the cavern . Grey ash was smeared the top of the obelix. It was bedecked with flower garlands. White and lilac lotus flowers adorned the base on a bed of grey ash. Oil lamps on the floor in front lit up the obelix giving an eerie appearance. Smoke arose from a fire in front and appear to waft all the way to the ceiling and disappear into a vent. The sound of running water was louder now but they still could not make out where it was coming from. Aila stood in front of the lingam as he called the huge black granite obelisk and raised both his hands with palms upwards, “Behold the powerful lord Rudra, the almighty. He is the most powerful in the universe and he is the creator and the destroyer of everything in this

world and all known worlds. Kneel in front of the most powerful.” He knelt in front of the lingam and the rest followed suit. With folded hands, he continued to utter hymns in a language none of them understood for what seemed for a long time. No one dared move during this harangue. Once finished, Aila stood up and signalled Shimyu to come forward and kneel in front of him. He was again leaning on his walking stick as Shimyu walked up to him. Aila swerved his right hand in a catching gesture and smeared some grey ash, which had suddenly appeared in his hand,on Shimyu’s forehead. He did the same to all the other kings in turn. Ilibisa was not too keen on this ritual as he was still reluctant to give up his Aryan roots completely. There was a pang in his heart as the ash was smeared on his forehead, a feeling of guilt and a feeling of betrayal. But, he dared not accept what was being done around him. He took a deep breath as he went back to where he was standing before. Aila was speaking again. “Lord Rudra has accepted your request. But, you have to fulfil the alms required.” “And that is?” Shimyu asked. “It is a sacrifice.” He looked at all the kings in turn and back to Shimyu and continued, “You will need to sacrifice your best cattle on the next full moon day.” All the kings looked at each other and nodded their heads. That was least of their worries. Shimyu was sure that each of them will compete to get the best from their land to please Rudra. “Your wish is our command, Priest Aila.” Shimyu spoke up, “we will get our best cattle for the sacrifice on the full moon day. What else would you need?”

“I don’t need anything else.” Before he could finish the sentence there was a loud grinding sound from the back of the cavern. Aila immediately straightened up and turned around the back of the cavern. The whole back wall of the cavern appear to move. “Wait here. I will be back soon.” And before anyone could do anything he walked to the back of the cavern and seemed to disappear into the back wall. Shimyu moved forward towards the wall when he noticed the river for the first time. This was the sound of running water they have been hearing all the while. It was jet black and one had to concentrate to actually see the water. The back wall of the cavern was on the other side of the small river. They could not figure out how the priest Aila walked over the water to the back wall. Everyone was craning their neck out at the edge of the water and scratching their heads when they heard the staccato sound of the priest’s wooden shaft on the granite floor. They immediately pulled back a little still concentrating on the priest’s feet to see how he was going to cross over back. He did not stop as he came out of a tunnel at the back cavern and appear to walk over the water as if it was solid ground. There was a gasp and sharp intake of breath from everyone at the sight of this. The soldiers at the back, who were afraid before, were petrified now. They stood to attention unblinking as the priest passed them to go in front of the lingam. “You will come here on the morning of the next full moon with your wife and son and prepare the site for the sacrifice.” Aila said to Shimyu and turning to others, “I want all the cattles to be here on the morning of the full moon. Now gentleman, I am sure you know your way back out of the temple. I have work to do.”

He turned his back to everyone and sat cross legged in front of the lingam with raised hands folded over his head.Shimyu did not hear anything over the following four weeks while he was preparing for the sacrifice. As the sun started to set on the evening of full moon, he set off to the cavern along with his wife and the best oxen from his court. He was not too surprised to see the jungle in front of the cavern was covered with all the tribal leaders and with their oxen. The cattle were bellowing loudly getting nervous of the strange sounds from the dark jungle. Their keepers were doing their best to control them, with very little luck it seemed. Ilibisa and Jaku were at the forefront with their oxen and made way to Shimyu as he reached the mouth of the cavern. Shimyu nodded his head at the leaders and stood in front of the huge rock covering the opening of the cavern. “Hail priest Aila. It is I, Shimyu, the king of Bhedas seeking an audience with Lord Rudra.” Nothing happened for a while and just as Shimyu was about to call out again, the grinding sound started and the huge rock rolled to the left. The scrawny priest Aila was standing at the opening holding on to his long stick in one hand and a kamandalu in the other hand. “You are on time, King Shimyu. I am pleased,” He said “leave the oxen here. The chosen one will come on its own.” and without saying anything more walked back into the cavern. Shimyu dropped the rope on the ground and walked in along with his wife. Rest of the tribal leaders did the same leaving the oxen outside. Inside of the cavern was ablaze with lamps all along the walls. Aila was standing in front of the black lingam with his hands folded in supplication offering prayers. Water dripped from the ceiling of the cave on the black obelix continuously and drained off at the base into the stream at the back of the

cavern. There were two large burning lamps on either side and a large fire at the base with flames billowing in the gentle wind blowing in from the mouth of the cavern. The red and orange flames threw weird shadows tinged with blood red edges on the priest’s face as he started chanting loudly. “Hraam hreem ho hum! Aum Hram Hreem Hroom Hroom Kreem Kreem Kreem Kreem Kreem Hoom Hoom Hreem Hreem! ”

He then picked up some ashes from a pot at the base of the lingam and threw it on the fire. A large tongue of flame shot out of the fire towards the roof and appear to fly out of the cavern along the roof much to the consternation of everyone there. He did the same three times and turned around to face Shimyu. “I want you to close your eyes and repeat after me. Follow the beat of the drum when I finish and don’t open your eyes until I tell you to. You open your eyes before the drum stops at your peril.” He turned around and clapped his hands twice. A drum started to beat in a low deep base, slowly at first. Aila started his chant again. “Hrahm Hreem Hroom Hryme Hurrah-ha” Shimyu first started to follow the priest with the chant and rest of them soon caught up with their eyes shut. The beat of the drum was slow and soft at first. They suddenly heard the sound of cow bells and soft foot steps of a cow. Everyone was itching to see whose cow has walked in, but too scared to open their eyes. The drum picked up the volume and speed ever so slowly. They could smell incense being burnt and soon they started to feel light headed. The priest’s voice faded into the background as the volume of the drum picked up. Shimyu thought he heard swoosh of an axe and a thud of something falling to the ground. The smell of incense became intense and

soon people started to faint and fall to the ground. Shimyu managed to keep himself upright until the speed of the drum got so fast that he could barely keep up the chanting and he heard a loud bang. That was the last thing he remembered when he woke up with stinging in his eyes. When he rubbed his eyes open, he was outside the cavern in bright sunshine along with the others lying on the ground in the clearing outside the mouth of the cavern. The rock was blocking the mouth of the cavern and there was no sign of the priest anywhere. He touched his forehead to see if the ash Aila had applied was still there to make sure he had not dreamt the whole thing.

Chapter 12: The Battle on Yamuna. The Puru army was ready. It was a most impressive sight. It had started, as Lopa had rightly said, ‘not as big as the Harappan army’, but had grown in size to a huge mass of soldiers, horses and elephants. From where I was standing, the mass of humanity seemed to stretch forever in the distance. I could hear the steady drums right at the front. The forward infantry was all in white carrying long spears followed by the cavalry on their horses loaded with bunch of spears on the sides of the horses and bows across their left shoulder. The elephants were at the back adorned with finery for the occasion. The rear infantry stood to the left of the cavalry, all carrying bows and quivers full of arrows. It was indeed a most impressive sight as the rising sun hit the tips of the spears carried by the forward infantry and the bronze shield glowed red as if already soaked in blood. It brought back memories of the Harappan army under the flag of sage Shunahotra marching to battle against king Vishtaspa’s Avestan army on the banks of river Parushni. The day was chosen by sage Vasishta after consulting the stars and the time was approaching for the army to set off. The morning was spent in performing the Yajna as prescribed in the Vedas with Sudas acting as the yajamana. The sage Vasishta was accompanied by several great Maharshi’s including Kadraveya, Bharadwaja and Shunahotra from Harappa. The yajna had started before the sunrise and the Samrat Sudas had been blessed by the sages. “May you be successful in your battle against evil, Sudas.” Sage Vasishta had blessed him as Sudas knelt in front. “God Indra will be with

you at all times. If you have faith in him, he will not let you down.” “Thank you, great sage.” Sudas had replied getting up afte touching his feet. “With such great sages as are today and God Indra with me, I cannot lose any battle.” He touched the feet of all the sages present and turned to his grand father, Divodasa. , When Sudas knelt in front of Divodasa, he picked him up by the shoulders and hugged him. There were tears in his eyes when he said, “My blessings are with you, Sudas.” Pijavana and Pijavani both hugged him for a long time and there were tears in his mothers eyes rolling down the cheeks as she kissed him. Sage Vasishta lead Sudas to his white stallion which was standing outside the yajna platform with a guard dressed in all black, obviously from the Vichaya regiment who acted as his bodyguards. The stallion was completely white and adorned with silk brocades and tassles. Bells at the end of tassles tinkled as he moved. He recognised the master and neighed as Sudas climbed on his back. King Sudas was at the lead on his white stallion adorned with black leather bridle studded with precious stones. The Samrat himself looked resplendent in his long white robe, his hair tied in a bun to the right side, as it was customary for all Purus during any battle. He had a bright yellow silk band tied around his forehead with a large Ruby in the middle. He was now sporting a short black beard, carrying his bow across his left shoulder and a quiver at the back. There were half a dozen long spears tied to the side of the stallion. Devasravas was on his black horse standing to the right of him. The six commanders of the Puru army were lined up behind the two men. Vairoopa, the commander of the cavalry had just finished giving the final

instructions to his regiment and was itching to get on the move. He kept looking at Sudas and sage Vasishta with growing impatience. His horse reflected his impatience with frequent neighing and stomping of hooves. Commander Shakalya of the forward infantry looked at Vairoopa and smiled. “You must bide your patience my friend. You will get your chance soon enough.” “It is all very well for your men, Shakalya.” Vairoopa snorted. “They can just stand their patiently and wait for all the ceremonies to finish. But, our horses have been on tenterhooks since this morning and it is becoming increasingly difficult to control them as the sun gets to the top. They have been resteless since the morning. I wish they would get on with it and let us go.” “What are you guys mumbling about?” It was Vasuka, the commander of the elephant regiment, looking rather uncomfortable on his short horse. He was not really used to riding horses for long periods. The horse itself was skittish and it took all his skills to keep it still.Vairoopa could not control his laughter. “Do you need any help there Vasuka? I can send one of my cadets to control your horse.” Vasuka just snorted his derision at this and shouted over the neighing of his horse, “That will be the day when I have to take help from snotty nosed kids of your cavalry.” There was a long-standing rivalry between the cavalry and the elephant regiment. The cavalry took boys and groomed them into excellent cavalrymen by the time they matured. Whereas, Vasuka took more

experienced people with the belief that maturity and patience is required to manage the elephants. And he had been proven right on several occasions during the march after ashwamedha. Of the other three commanders, Nainruthi of the engineering division and Bhaguri of rear infantry were quietly contemplating. Whereas, Shoki of dreaded shadowy Vichaya division, who acted as the main body guards for the Samrat Sudas, looked serious and dour. No one had really seen him smile. He took his job seriously. They were the ones who wore black – everything they wore was black. It was rumoured that when they move about at night, they covered their faces in soot so no one can see them. Their movements were highly secret and they answered only to the Samrat. He was also on a black horse draped in black and his quiver was also black. They carried special arrows with magical powers and stayed very close to the Samrat at all times. The name Vichaya was apt as men said their horses did not throw any shadows. The medical core was right at the back of the field on a high rise along with all the other non-combatants – cooks, servants, carpenters, tailors, coppersmiths, Farriers and grooms made up a fair size of the army. We would not be starting to move until late after the rest of the army had moved on. Our wagons were loaded with supplies to last at least six months. I had spent the previous four weeks going through all the medical supplies including splints, bandages, salves, liniments and medicines. It filled up half a dozen large wagons pulled by two oxen each. From where I stood right at the back on a slope, I could see almost the entire army on its march. It was awe inspiring to watch the sea of soldiers armed to the teeth, cavalry in its regalia and the elephants marching down behind the infantry. The hundred elephants marching together shook the ground we stood on and they trumpeted their presence every now and then, which seemed to engulf the whole field. Everytime one elephant trumpted its

presence, the others seemed to follow producing a noise that would either chill your bone or inspire you to great valour, depending on whose side you are on. Lopa and little Athreya were there to see me off on the journey. Lopa wanted to come with me and had come up with lots of reasons why she should. It took all of my persuasive powers to stop her from joining the trip. I was not going to expose her to the magical warfare the Dasyu’s were well known for. I had never come across the Bhedas before and their reputation as unscrupulous and wild warriors was rife among the soldiers. Parthava had fussed around the house making sure Lopa would be safe while we were away. He had arranged for a soldier friend of him to keep an eye on the house. He had checked and fretted around the weapons we were going to carry with us. The newly acquired sword was sharpened so much that even touching the edge would cut through the skin. Both our quivers were overloaded with ‘special arrows.’ He had brought quite a few of Budi’s little packages – pots, cotton sacks and palm packets filled with explosive powders – “just in case!” He had even managed to hide some extra spears and arrows under the medicine wagon. “Parthava, promise you won’t let Upaas get into any battles,” Lopa said as she hugged Parthava. “I don’t want either of you to get into any skirmishes with anyone.” “Lopa, don’t worry about me. And I promise no harm will come to Upaas.” Parthava had replied. “I will protect him at all costs. I promise to bring him back to you in one piece.” “But, you know about Upaas. Trouble comes looking for him. Remember what happened in Sumeria and on top of the Arbuda Mountain?” All three of them had laughed reminiscing at the previous exploits. Little

Athreya looked up at his mother and Upaas, confused. I put my hands on his head and ruffled his jet black curly hairs and said with a smile. “Mom will explain later, son. Now that father will be away for a few months and you will be the man of the house. You will have to look after the house and your mother.” I knelt down in front of him as I said that. I could see his chest swell as he said, “Don’t worry, father. I will look after the house and mother. I am big and strong now. Uncle Parthava has shown me how to use this.” He pulled out a little bow and a couple of arrows from under his cloak to my surprise. “That is a powerful bow you have, Athreya.” I said taking it in my hand and examining it. “You have to be careful how you use it. Someone can get hurt.” “Don’t worry, father.” With a nonchalance that surprised me. “Only our enemies are going to get hurt.” All of us controlled our laughter as we did not want to belittle him. “That is very good, son.” I said giving the bow back to him. “I am sure you are grown up enough to know what is right and what is wrong.” We said our goodbyes and I climbed on Shankara who was waiting impatiently nudging me with his muzzle now and then to say ‘Hurry up.’ Several wild stories went around the soldiers, manly told around the campfires at night. “They are ruthless and don’t think anything of chopping enemeies arms and legs off even after surrender.” “They eat the enemy soldiers.”

“They can disappear in front of you.” “They breathe fire through their nostrils.” “They can throw fire bombs at the enemy.” “They can fly through air and attack from above.” The stories usually got wilder as the night progressed and men became immersed in their stories. . The loud bugle woke me out of a reverie. It was loud and relayed down the ranks by several buglers in turn. The army started its march. The ground shook as the elephants trumpeted and horses started their march. I could see the trees on either side sway by the movement of the ground. It was not until much later that we started our journey. The soldiers would stop and rest at the edge of Drishadvati while we catch up. We would follow the river down towards Yamuna and down south and east. The last known attack was on the villages on the banks of Yamuna not too far from Haihaya borders on the south and well before it joined the mighty Sarasvati. There were no signs of boats promised by the Matsyas, which did not surprise me on bit. I was not impressed by their promise of boats to help us after what I had seen on the way to Sumeria all those years ago. Their magic nearly destroyed our ships on the seas. I noticed hat no one was talking about the missing Matsya boats either. I suspect most of them knew that it was an empty promise to impress the Samrat in front of others. We reached the banks of Drishadvathi by nightfall. It was a full moon night and the river looked like a broad white sheet snaking around between tall dark Arani trees under the moonlight. We could only make out the outlines of the trees and there was a large sandy embankment for the first night’s camp. This is where all the finery would be taken out and returned to

the city. The work and the march really started the next morning. That night commander Shoki came to our camp. He stood on a make shift platform so we could all see him and raised his arms to the full moon in the sky to offer prayers and turning to the gathered army, he said. “I want to put a stop to all this talk of Dasyu’s being supernatural and magical.” He started banging his fist on the table in front of him. “They are as human as you and me. They bleed when stabbed by Bharatan spears and arrows. Their heads roll off their shoulders when hit by our swords. Samrat Sudas has fought them before and defeated them. Those of you from Harappa should remember that your own sage Shunahotra annihilated the Dasyu tribes near Saraswata and our great Samrat Divodasa had destroyed a hundred villages of Dasyu chief Sambara. We will do the same to these Dasyu soldiers. They are no match to the mighty Bahratan army and our Samrat Sudas.” His voice raised to a crescendo as he finished the talk and was soon followed by “Hail Samrat Sudas!” Hail mother Bharata!” by the gathered men and women. The noise was tremendous and reverberated throughout the surrounding forest.There was a flurry of birds which took off from the trees in fear at the noise. The sheer volume of the thousands of birds completely covered the sky and the entire camp was buried in pitch darkness lit only by the few camp fires and burning torches of the guards. It took a while for the birds to settle down again and we were left with the peaceful sounds of the forest and gentle sound of the river Drishadvathi. We were up early next morning before the sunrise to load the river boats with all our epuipment and the two bullock carts. Rest of the army would spend a few days training on the banks before setting off down strem towards Yamuna in a couple of days. Our boats were ready to sail before the sun was

up over our heads. The journey was quite smooth until we came close to the mighty Yamuna. The confluence had several rocky islands in the middle creating severe eddies and the boat was being buffeted around. It took extreme skills of the boat captains to take us through the vast confluence and join the huge Yamuna river. I could see fear on the faces of everyone as the boats were being thrown around in the wild waters. Once we were through the confluence the boats calmed down and the captains kept the boats in the middle of the current. The river was so wide in places where we could not see either of the banks. As we neared the mountainous region of the border lands, the river was going through deep gorges and the current was fast pushing our boats in a clip. The captains did not need the sails throughout the journey. Now a new fear took over the men and women on the boat. All of us realised that we were in the border country of Haihayas. “What an irony this is,” One of the boatmen mused aloud coming to the edge of the boat where I was standing looking at the sheer white cliffs on northern bank with trees hitching precariously from the edges. “What do you mean?” I asked. “It looks so serene and peaceful around here.” “It was not long ago we had to be wary of Haihaya men attacking us from those cliffs.” He replied with a wry smile on his face. “Now, we are rushing down the mighty Yamuna hoping to save them from destruction. I never thought I would see this day.” “Can they attack from those cliffs? They looks so formidable to climb.” He gave a short sharp laugh before replying. “They certainly can. It is a climb from the other side of the cliffs. But, once you get there, you can sit

there all day showering the passing boats with deadly arrows without ever being seen. We are really sitting ducks here in open water. I am sure the Dasyu’s will be doing the same. I would stay away from the side of the boat if I were you.” He walked back to the middle of the boat to stand behind a screen that had been put up in several places along the edges of the boat. There were slits in the screen where we could see through and our archers could fire back. We had a few soldiers on our boats to guard the medical team, engineers and cooks. Parthava sidled up to me and looked over to the cliffs before saying, “Perfect place for an ambush. I will go and get our weapons, just in case.” He turned around and came back with his arm loaded with a couple of bows and our two quivers filled with arrows. He alos had a satchel slung over his left shoulder. “Our specials from Budi.” He said, tapping the satchel with a smile. “I hope we don’t have to use them. I can imagine what they can do to this boat if one of them goes off.” “Don’t worry, Upaas. The satchel is secure. We will take them out only as a last resort.” He replied smiling. The rest of the journey was uneventful. We did not see any sign of the enemy. We reached our spot, which was a flat clearing short distance up along one of the tributaries of the mighty river. We were met by a small contingent of Haihaya soldiers and their own support team. Initial reaction was one of suspicion and animosity. This soon turned to a reserved friendship when their commander came and spoke to us as we were

unloading the boats. “Welcome to the land of Mighty Haihayas, friends. We appreciate the help given to us by the great kingdom of Bharata.” He said with both arms outstretched as a gesture of friendship. “Our men will help you unload your boats. You must be tired after the long journey. Our scouts have been following you for the last few hours to make sure there were no attacks on you.” I looked at Parthava with a question on my face. “I don’t remember seeing anyone. Did you see any, Parthava?” “They have been following us ever since we turned off the Yamuna river.” “Thanks for not telling me!” I said with undisguised sarcasm. “There was no need to cause a panic as I did not know who they were. There were atleast half a dozen of them armed with bows. I would have told you if there was even a hint of aggression.” He said smiling. “Now we know that there was no danger.” It was nightfall by the time we had the boats unloaded and camp set up. The Haihayas turned out to be excellent hosts. They helped unloading and setting up camp. We were served with a soothing cold yoghurt drink, which tasted of mint and there was a gentle hint of spices. They fed us with sumptuous meal around a campfire that night. By the end of that day, we had become very good friends and all the apprehnsions appeared to have disappeared on both sides. The army joined us three days later. They were on several huge boats and the camp became massive when all the boats were unloaded. Elephants were conspicuous by their absence as it would have been impossible to bring

them down on boats. I suspect they were used to instill a sense of power to the soldiers at the start of the campaign. There was no sign of the sage Vasishta either. Samrat Sudas had his tent in the middle of the camp with commander’s tents surrounding him. He came to where we had set up a hospital tent and were busy checking all the medicines, splints and lotions. I was bent over a chest of medicines which also had a suply of soma extract when I heard his deep voice behind me. “I see you are as busy as ever, Upaas. Did your team have a safe journey?” I was startled for a minute as I did not expect him to have any time for us during the campaign. I straightened myself and turned around, “Hail to the Samrat Sudas. Thank you, your majesty. We did have an easy journey. There was no problem on the way. I am just checking to make sure we have all our supplies.” “If you need any help, let me know. I want you to be ready for any eventualities.” “Thank you, your majesty. Sage Vasishta has already warned me of the type of enemy we will be facing and Master Gopayana has also left me with instructions. I am quite sure we all the eventualities covered.” Sudas smiled before continuing. “I am sure you have, Upaas. Sage Vasishta and Master Gopayana are old hats at this and I am sure they would have foreseen all eventualities. I will bid you good night. We are starting at first light towards the battle field that has been agreed.” With that he turned around and walked back to the middle of the camp. “What was all that about?” Parthava had come up from behind me unnoticed.

“I am sure you must have heard everything, hiding behind that tree.” I said.“One of these days you are going to give me a heart attack sneaking up behind me.” He just laughed at this slapped me on the back hard enough to wind me. “Did he say anything about where this battle field is?” “No. He did not say. I suspect we don’t need to know that yet.” I replied. “It would have helped us prepare better. I could have gone and checked out the area for our camp.” “I am sure we will have plenty of time to do that once we reach there.” I said. “Remember, they will have to have a council before the battle begins.” “We are dealing with uncivilised Dasyu’s and Danavas. I would be surprised if they play along with Aryan rules of warfare.” “I think they have agreed to the Aryan rules of war as far as I know.” “We will see what happens. It is not long to go now.” Parthava said. “It is time to go to bed now and get some sleep. Judging from the last battle on the Parushni, we won’t get much chance of sleep once the battle starts.” I dreamt of Lopa and the little Athreya as I tried to sleep under the canopy of a clear sky filled with millions of stars. I wished Lopa was there to identify the stars. She could name a lot more stars than I could. I could identify the Saptharshi mandala and barely make out the Arundhati. Jupiter was exceptionally bright that night and sat just over the side of the moon. The journey through the forest towards the battlefield did not take very long. We set up medical camp about half a mile from the battlefield itself along with the supply chain of engineers, carpenters, cooks and carriers. The soldiers had set up camp much closer to the battle field. There were runners for carrying messages between the battlefield and the medical camp. I had sent men into the forest to collect wood for making more splints, crutches and stretchers. We had set up a field hospital in a gully with plenty of tree cover.

The Haihaya army had joined us as we reached our camp site. The site of the combined army was difficult to see : most of it was hidden among the trees of the dense forest. King Vitahavya welcomed Samrat Sudas on his arrival. “Welcome to the great Samrat Sudas of mighty Puru. Hail the greatest Samrat of the known world.” This was followed by “Hail Samrat Sudas,” “Hail King Vitahavya,” “Hail mother Bharata!” and “Hail the mighty Haihayas.” Vitahavya embraced Sudas in a public display of affection and they walked into the centre of the camp along with all the commanders. They spent the next few hours planning and discussing their plans for the following day. It was finally agreed that Commander Haijana of Haihayas would accompany Commander Vasuka to the war council with the Bhedas next day. Haijana had insisted on taking Captain Daivasa along with him. The Bheda king Shimyu himself was present at the council to everyone’s surprise. He had brought the Yaksu giant, Jaku with him. After the usual pleasantries, they all sat down around a small table. It was difficult to make Shimyu understand Aryan rules and Jaku kept objecting to everything Vasuka said. Daivasa whispered something in Haijana’s ears. “I think we should think of a compromise agreeable to both sides. May I ask your majesty, King Shimyu to propose his terms for the battle?” Jaku interposed with,“We are wasting time! I don’t see how there can be rules in a war. The mightiest of the two armies will win and do what they please with the losers.” Shilyu sighed and took a deep breath before replying. “My good friend Jaku here is rather emotional and given to speak from his heart.” Looking up at Haijana, he continued, “I think we will look at the details of your battle rules and we will set down our own rules.”

It was nearly evening by the time all the regulations were agreed. The most difficult was fighting after night had fallen. It was the strongest point of the Dasyus ; being able to fight with their magical powers at night was a huge advantage. But Aryan rules forbade anyone from fighting at night, or after the sun set. It was agreed that the fighting will stop when the final bugle is blown by either side. They also agreed not to fire at non-combatants and allow the medics to carry out help to the wounded on both sides. They could not understand why a Bharatan medic would help a Dasyu soldier. They had withdrawn to their respective sides, quite exhausted with a day of negotiations. The battle would start the next morning after sunrise. I was tossing and turning on my bed and Parthava was snoring away. His courage had only grown over the years. He was still as enthusiastic as the first time I had met him all those years ago in the border town of Roruka where he had helped me escape the Avestan captors. I was not sure when I finally managed to drop off to sleep. Parthava had woken me up before the sun arose. “Come on, sleepy head. We better get ready if we are to be of any help to our soldiers.” We had made our way to the river’s edge just as the sky was changing colour over the eastern horizon into a dull yellow ochre. "I think we should find out what we are facing, Upaas." Parthava had said as we washed in the river watching the sunrise "That is a job for our soldiers, don't you think?" "You have forgotten the war at Parushni. You couldn't wait to peek at the enemy then!" he had chided. "It would be a good idea to see what kind of casualties we can expect." We had slipped through the thick copse and hid behind a large rock to look at the enemy. I looked at my left at our little recce party with Parthava

and Rishika. Rishika’s face was a picture of terror, whereas Parthava just appeared to be counting something. The scene in front of me was enough to sink the strongest of hearts. It looked as if the great Yamuna herself had flown out of her banks to form an ocean of humanity. The massive gathering had almost blotted out the huge river in the background. There were soldiers from several tribes. I use the term soldier loosely. This was not a contingent of an uniformed and sophisticated army. They were assembled in groups by their generals, kings and tribal leaders. They did not carry ensigns of an army. The only way of recognising the tribe they belonged to was by either identifying the leader in front or by their clothes. Many were Dasyu tribes and just wore loin clothes and carried long spears, sticks or clubs. Danavas among them also carried skin satchels tied across their shoulders. I knew what these satchels had inside them. I had been briefed well by Sage Vasishta and I had filled an entire cart with medicines just for that. My only worry was sulphur burns. I had spent time with my team describing the "magical warfare" of the Dasyu soldiers. The Bhedas carried their satchels tied around their waist and they also had a leather strip strapped across their left shoulder where their short bronze tipped spears were tied in a sling. The Shimyu army was probably the most easily recognisable with their long hair knotted at the top and otherwise clean shaven. They wore short dhotis tied at the back between their legs, and wore leather sandals. They carried an extremely long spear, nearly twice as tall as any of them and short straight swords tied at the back. They have been known to pull out the sword and chop a man's head off in one smooth motion before you could bat an eyelid. The Shigru looked the most ferocious. They were short and swarthy, with thick black moustaches, jet black, long hair falling over their shoulders tied with a white cloth and a large red dot on the

forehead. Each of them carried a broadsword and two short curved knives tied to their thighs. It turned out to be a good idea. The Dasyu army had a lot more magical stuff than we had ever faced before. I felt relieved that we had packed a cart full of drugs just to deal with such casualties. We slipped back towards our camp. Our army was parked slightly away from the river on a small rise. I could not see the river or the battlefield , which was on the beach from our camp. On our return, I decided to share what we had seen with our team. I could sense my team’s apprehension. Most of them had never seen a war before. Definitely not this kind of war. The unknown is a good weapon. But our soldiers didn't seem to be bothered one bit. There was one difference between the two armies. The Bharatha army was highly disciplined and trained in all kinds of warfare. The Dasyu army, however, was used to raids and skirmishes. This regulated war with rules and organisations was entirely new to them. “You must remember, we do have one great advantage over them. Our soldiers are experts at this kind of war. The Bheda’s and Dasyu’s fight in short skirmishes and do most of their fighting in ambushes. And we have the great sage Vasishta with us.” Well, I had not seen him in the camp or with the army at any time since leaving Ilaspada. But, I was not going to tell them that. Anyway, he did have the powers of travel vast distances at the blink of an eye. If necessary, I could contact him through telepathy. I was now quite confident in my powers after so much training by the sage. “We have the best soldiers in the world and the most powerful army,” Rishika added. “We are not short of magical powers ourselves,” I said looking at Parthava. “I have seen casualties caused by such magical warfare before and

we are well prepared to deal with them.” That seemed to calm most of the people down and they went back to getting things ready at the field hospital. The bugle was heard just as we had checked the equipment and medicines for the tenth time that morning. We had already chosen a spot from where we could see the battle without getting shot. Both Parthava and I were on top of a huge arali tree where the view of the battlefield was uncluttered and see our infantry advance on the Dasyus. My heart was pounding as the first clashes took place. Dasyu’s had the initial advantage with those very long spears. Bharatan soldiers had leather shields and some were wearing wooden shields too. It was difficult to see who was gaining an upper hand until I saw the cavalry outflank the Dasyu’s from both sides and appear to literally push the Dasyu’s into the river. I could see several of them had jumped into the river trying to escape the nonstop onslaught. It was not long before we saw their weapons in action. We could see little pots shooting out from outside the battlefield, from a clump of trees at the edge of the river. These pots were being shot from slingshots by Bheda marksmen hiding in the trees. The pots came crashing down on our soldiers with a loud bang and thick yellow smoke. “Sulphur bombs!” Parthava exclaimed, looking at me. “Yes, Parthava. This takes us back to Sumeria and the Gutians,” I replied. “I better get back and get the lotions and liniments out to treat sulphur burns.” “You have forgotten the black Magus and his cronies in the Parushni valley,” Parthava replied as he started to climb down the tree. I climbed down quickly and made my way through the dense forest back to our field hospital when the first of the casualties was brought in. It was a spear wound on his thigh which taken a large chunk of muscle off from the front of the thigh. He was quickly placed on the makeshift table and I got to

work with the help of nurses. We had him cleaned and stopped the bleeding by tying off the bleeding points. Rishika had prepared a bamboo splint by the time to support, which we strapped across the thigh. I gave him some soma ras to kill the pain. It was not until lunchtime when we started to see our first sulphur burns. We were kept busy for the next few hours with a steady stream of wounded soldiers being carried in by the medics. I completely forgot about the outcome of the battle. As the dusk fell, I caught the final bugle and battlefield was silent. Our medics scoured the field and brought in more wounded. This time there were a few of the Dasyu’s, Bhedas as well as some Yaksu’s. None of us could understand their language and that hampered the treatment. By the end of that night, I had managed to pick up a few important words in their language such as pain, knee, back, hip, water, hunger. I wished Lopa was there with me, even though I was not sure if she knew any of their languages. But being a linguist, I was sure she would have picked up more of their language than I did. It was close to midnight when we finished treating the last of the wounded and sat down. “That was a long first day, Upaas.” Rishika was sitting next to me. “Yes, Rishika. It had been a long day. It is only going to get worse from tomorrow as we have to look after the ones already here and the new ones coming through,” I replied, wiping the sweat off my forehead. “I wonder how we fared on the first day.” “We did very well,” Parthava had just come back from his usual reconnoitring at the end of day as was his practice during the Parushni war. “I have been told the Bheda’s have had much bigger losses than us. They have lost many of their commanders as well as their soldiers. We have not lost any of our captains or commanders.” “That is good news, Parthava. Let us hope we can do the same thing

tomorrow and Shimyu will surrender.” “Wishful thinking, Upaas.” The next day saw the Bheda king attempting to march against our troops using the Sigru troops armed with bows and slingshots as well as huge wooden maces. We saw quite severe trauma caused by the solid maces. Too many bones were broken and too many thighs were crushed. They used a technique of going for the thigh of the opposing soldier and disabling them. Bharatan soldiers had to withdraw into the forest and outflank them with archers on horses. The battle raged for six days before we saw the enemy weaken to some extent. There were significant losses on both sides with funeral pyres lighting up the sky every night. Sage Vasishta had come down on the fifth day and he officiated the last rites. It was on the evening of the sixth day of the war, we noticed something different. I had noticed that the commanders of all the regiments, both Bharatan and Haihayas, had huddled around a fire for a long time, discussing something. Vasishta appeared to be directing the proceedings. There was a lot of movement late into the night. The seventh morning saw the might of entire Bharatan and Haihayas army facing the enemy troops. It looked as if the Dasyu army was literally surrounded by a huge mass of soldiers. Tempers were high. The horses at the back of the infantry were neighing louder than ever before and were getting more skittish by the minute. The charge when the starters bugle went off was immense. The cavlry rode into the mass of Bheda and Dasyu soldiers. Danavas ploughed in from the side, only to be mowed down by the archers positioned strategically on a high rise at the back of the field. Cumuri was the first tribal leader to fall in the fight. The sight of one of the leaders falling was enough to detract some of the Danavas who took to their heels. Dhuni tried to rally them around and paid

with his life for his efforts. The Yaksu and Ajas were caught in a crossfire between two lots of spear throwers on either side of the battle - field on the south side. Thankfully, it did not last very long. It was all over before the sun was at its zenith. The casualties that day were too many and we had to get some of the soldiers to help carry the seriously wounded from the battlefield. The immense Jaku was seen wielding his huge mace like a swatting stick knocking over Bharatan soldiers like flies. Vitahavya had charged at him on his horse and downed him with a volley of arrows. He had kept coming at the Haihaya king with at least ten arrows stuck in his chest. Vitahavya had to use his spear to finally down him. It was almost touch and go for the Haihaya king. Two steps more would have taken his life. The Bheda King, Shimyu had fought valiantly leading from the front through out the battle. He wore a leather shield and a long curved sword in right hand and a short broad sword in the left hand for his fight and most of it was close combat. He could wing both his arms in unison and anyone within a few feet of him were cut down mercilessly. It looked for a while that he was invincible. The archers failed to penetrate even once and no one could stand near him. He was causing a carnage. It was as if he had an invisible shield around him. The captain of Vichaya regiment nearly lost his life trying to get near him. Sudas, who was close behind the captain, used the momentary distraction to throw one of his spears at the Bheda king. The spear found its mark through the leather shield and into his chest. He still kept coming as if nothing had happened. It took the captain and Sudas together to get him down with multiple thrusts of their swords. Shimyu went down with a howl and screamed as he went down, “Hail Rudra! Bless my people.” And he breathed his last. It was not long before the news of death of Shimyu and Jaku spread like

wildfire through the ranks of the enemy soldiers. There was pandemonium among the demoralised soldiers and they dropped their weapons and stopped fighting. I missed the surrender of the Dasyu king, Shigru, along with his comrades in arms. They offered a hundred horses as compensation to Samrat Sudas. An even more morose and bloodstained Shigru along with the loud Ilibisa came in front of Sudas and threw down their weapons. “Oh, great Samrat of the mighty Bharatans. We surrender to your mercy. We were misled by the Bheda king Shimyu to go against you,” Shigru said in his dour and deep voice. “We should have known that the mighty Bharata cannot be beaten. Our grief was with the Haihayas who have taken our border lands by force.” Sudas raised his right hand up to stop Vitahavya who was about to protest at this and said, “That may be true, King Shigru. But a war has a winner and a loser. You need to respect that. King Vitahavya’s ancestors won those lands in a just war. It is their right to rule those lands now. If you feel so aggrieved by this, you must declare war on the Haihaya kingdom and fight a war. Raiding unarmed civilians and farmers is not an Aryan way of ruling the kingdom.” The normally loud mouthed Ilibisa kept his counsel and one could see his ears were getting redder by the minute. The two of them exchanged glances and Shigru turned to Sudas and replied. “You are fully aware we do not follow the Aryan concept and we don’t believe in your system. However, we are quite happy to pay compensation for your losses. Please accept these from all of us.” He turned around and clapped his hands loudly. The crowd of soldiers who had gathered behind him separated to let a convoy of gifts to be brought to Sudas. Well-bred horses, cartloads of grains, fruits, gold, precious stones. The last cart was full of oil barrels.

The two leaders withdrew after a lengthy negotiation of peace and agreed to withdraw their armies back to their respective kingdoms. They were grateful for our physicians treating their wounded during the battle. “I am extremely grateful for your assistance, Samrat Sudas. Haihayas are in your eternal debt,” King Vitahavya said to Sudas. “Your actions are a testament to the generosity of the Aryan way of kingship and you are a tribute to the Bharatans in general and the Purus in particular. I am sure your grandfather, Samrat Divodasa would be proud of your actions today.” Sudas got up and hugged the king in a warm display of affection. “I am sure you would have done the same for me, King Vitahavya. This alliance will now flourish and we will never go back to the bad old days of enmity between our two kingdoms.” Seeing the two kings hug each other sent a wave of “Hail Sudas”, “Hail Vitahavya”, “Hail Bharata!” and “Hail Haihayas.” The sound was reverberating though the valley for a long time. By the time our medical team had dealt with all the serious injury, all of the negotiations had been completed. We handed over their injured men and women. We had several seriously injured soldiers who were now stable and put on carts for their travel back to Ila and Mahishmati. There was a mood of relief than joy within the camp as we prepared to leave the battle field on river Yamuna. Nearly fifty soldiers, both men and women, would never be going back. Numerous funeral pyres lit the sky an angry red at night. The reflection of the fire on the low clouds over Yamuna was soaked in blood. It was as if the blood that was spilled on the battle field was collected in the huge rain clouds over us. The reflection of the fire on the slow flowing river was also tinged red and looked like the mother earth herself was bleeding from the battle. We said our goodbyes to the medical team of the Haihaya army and

started our journey back on the boats up the river Yamuna. There was not much chit chat on the boat. We probably enjoyed the scenery better because the battle was over. It took us longer to travel as we were sailing up stream and reached Drishadvati after a week and our starting point another three days later. It took nearly three weeks to get back home. The journey otherwise was uneventful until we were half way from Drishadvati to Ila on our horses. The messenger had obviously been galloping at a clip continuously as the horse was frothing furiously at the nostrils and he was out of breath too. He jumped off the horse at the sight of the returning army and knelt down in front of Sudas. “Hail Samrat Sudas,” he said still kneeling. “I have brought some urgent news from sage Vasishta.” I was riding just behind Sudas. I could not understand why the sage had not contacted even one of us with this urgent news through telepathy. The messenger handed the scroll which was hidden underneath his tunic over to the Samrat. Sudas checked the seal on the scroll to make sure it was from the sage before opening it. I could see his cheek muscles tighten as he read the scroll and eyes widening with anger. He rolled up the scroll and tucked it under his tunic before turning to commander Vasuka. “We have no time to lose. We have to get back to Ila as quickly as possible. Double the speed of our journey. The carts with the anciliaries can come later.” It would be a few days before I found out the cause of this urgent message and why sage Vasishta had not contacted us by telepathy.

Chapter 13: The Druhyus .

Sistan had been quiet for a while since Cayamana’s return. The palace in the upper town of Mundigak was, however, was quite busy. There had been a stream of visitors to the new King since Ishvant stepped down so dramatically on that day. There had been plans for a coronation in the background to make it official. Cayamana wanted all the previous states of the kingdom of Ariana invited. Some of the council members were not so keen. “The Bactrians and Gedrosians have not been exactly behaving like Avestans,” said one senior council member who was in Vishtaspa’s army that had been defeated by the Harappans so many years ago. “It is because of the problems they created we are in the situation we are in now. We have only recently been able to grow enough haoma for our yajna and the people are only now beginning to feel safe again.” There was a general unhappiness at the idea of going back to those days of poverty, despair and hardship by quite a few of the elders. Cayamana continued to raid the border villages of Bharata and already retaken several villages along the western border occupied by Sudas after the Ashwamedha years ago. The occupation by Bharatan soldiers had rankled with several of the kingdoms and Cayamana knew that some of the kings would welcome taking back their territories if given an opportunity. However, everyone knew that they were not strong enough on their own to take on the might of Bharata army. Especially backed by the powerful sages, Vasishta and Vishwamitra.

There were rumours flying around before the assembly and no one really knew what was going to happen. The kings had started to arrive at Mundigak a week ago. Ashgandha had spent a lot of time arranging quarters for everyone over the past few weeks. Cayamana had called him to the palace six weeks ago. “It is time, my friend.” He had said after a great big hug as Ashgandha entered the private chambers in the palace. “I have not seen you for a long time.” “You have been busy, your majesty,” He had replied. “You must be tired after the expedition to the Pariyatra mountains.” “There will be plenty of time to rest later, my friend,” he said, leading Ashgandha towards a seat near the window. “I need your help again. It is time for Ariana to regain its glory and show the world for what it is. And as you said all those years ago, I have to fulfil my destiny.” “I am at your service, your majesty,” Ashgandha replied. “Tell me what I should do.” “We need to raise an army.” Cayamana said. “An army big enough to take on the might of Bharata and its sages. , An army that can conquer the world.” “We do have a formidable army, your majesty. But, I am not sure we can take on the might of the powerful sages of Bharata,” Ashgandha replied. “I am sure you will remember what happened to your ancestor, King Vishtaspa all those years ago. He was not even facing the might of the entire Bharatan army at that time. We lost to the Harappan army helped by some regiments from Sindhu and Ila. Their sages are too powerful to confront.” Cayamana did not lose his calm.

“We are overwhelmed by the formidable reputation of the Bharatan sages. We have learnt lessons in the Parushni war, I am sure. We will not make the same mistakes again.” Cayamana was pacing up and down the room with hands behind his back. “And we have our own Magi. They are powerful too. We have a supply of Haoma now.” “I can understand your frustration, your majesty. You are right. We have learnt several lessons during the Parushni war. We do have several powerful Magi of our own.” Cayamana was standing at the window looking outside at the setting sun in the west. He sighed and continued, “Ariana was once the most powerful country in the land. No one would dare attack our lands, let alone take bits of it. Sudas has done exactly that for his ashwamedha.” He turned around to look at Ashgandha. His eyes were moist as he continued. “It does not matter that he had only taken few villages along the borders. I have taken them back into our fold. But the ease with which he did it is intolerable. We have to teach him a lesson.” Ashgandha was slightly taken aback by the intensity shown by the king. “There may be a way, your majesty.” Cayamana looked up curiously. “Yes. Tell me. What do you have in mind?” “Sudas has upset several kingdoms during his Ashwamedha. I know for my sources that some of the kings would like to take revenge, given a chance.” He replied. “Why don’t we give them a chance?” “How do you mean? I want this to be a victory for the Avestans.” “We can invite them to form a confederacy, with you as the leader. If we

make the suggestion in the right way, I am sure they will agree.” “What do you mean? Why would they accept me as their leader? Gandharis, as you know, are very fiery and independent. Alinas and Matsyas never spoke to anyone before with closed borders. As to the Turvasas and Panis, the less said the better.” “I know we have had our differences in the past, your majesty. But we now have a common enemy. That is enough to unite the worst of the culprits. I think we should approach those who were wronged by Sudas and see what happens.” “I hope you are right, Ashgandha. The news brought by our emissaries to Sudas is not very good. His preparations for fighting the Bheda’s is anything to go by, he would be difficult to beat with any army as long as he has those powerful sages on his side.” “If your majesty will allow me, I will speak to the emissaries again and get as much information as I can and plan for the approach. I believe there were emissaries from Turvasas, Yadus, Gandharis, Panis and Matsyas as well at the time.” “You have my authority to do what you think is best, my friend. I would do anything to get Ariana back to its former glory. My seal should open any door you want.” Cayamana went to the cupboard in the corner and came back with a small steatite seal with the image of a bull and his name on it. Ashgandha took the seal and looked at it. This was the first time he had seen the royal seal and he could feel the power that the seal had in his hands. In the wrong hands, it could cause havoc. He put the seal back in its pouch and hid it within the folds of his tunic. He bid good bye to Cayamana and kept his hand on the

seal as he walked out of the chamber with mixed feelings. He was carrying, what was probably the most powerful instrument in all Ariana and he has been given one of the most challenging tasks in his life. It had taken him several weeks to track down the three emissaries who had gone to Ilaspada at the behest of Cayamana. The job took longer and tougher as he had decided to question them separately without the knowledge of each other. It was one thing to get them to come to meet him and yet another thing to make them talk. When all else failed, he would bring the royal seal out to impress the authority he had to make them talk. The response at seeing the royal seal was amazing. One of them actually broke down and cried. “I am really sorry, Ashgandha. I did not know that you were acting for the king. Please don’t tell the king.” He had blubbered in between sobs. It took all of Ashgandha’s diplomacy and tact to get the kind of information he wanted. He was more interested in what the emissaries of other enemies of Sudas such as Turvasas, Gandharis, Matsyas, Druhyus and Panis than what the Samrat Sudas had. There was a lot of information between the three of them, some good and some bad and some he was not sure of the significance of. There was one string which went through all of them – all the emissaries were doing the same as Cayamana’s emissaries. Gathering information about Sudas’s strength and making a facile offer of help. Ashgandha sat and analysed the information brought by the three emissaries and sat down to write the names of the kings he would invite to Mundigak. 1. Turvasa 2. Yadus 3. Pani

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Matsya Balanas Alinas Gandharis Anu Yaksu 10. Sakthas

Ten tribes and ten kings! If only he could get all of these ten kings to agree to join hands with Cayamana! Some of these tribes had Magi and Dasyu’s who wielded powerful magic. Ashgandha had not seen the power of their magic, but he had heard quite a bit about it. If they were half as good as the reputation, they would be more than a match to the powerful sages of Bharata. After sifting through a huge amount of information and going through it again and again, he got what he wanted – a leverage to make the kings accept the offer of a confederacy led by Cayamana. Each one of them had a different agenda, but the same goal – to defeat Sudas. Ashgandha finally knew what he should do. He sat through the night with scribes, all sworn to secrecy at the pain of death or the royal dungeons, to write individual letters from the Abhyavartin Cayamana inviting them to Mundigak, ostensibly for a game of dice. He knew Sudas hated gambling and the game dice particularly. He sent a diplomatic letter informing him of the game as a matter of courtesy. Now the kings and their entourage had started to arrive at Mundigak a few weeks ago and he had been working hard keeping all of them comfortable and happy. He had gathered a team of trusted men around him to advise and do his bidding. The royal seal had opened all the doors,

including the treasury of Mundigak and there was no shortage of funds for anything. He had planned their accommodations such a way that no one would come across the other without some one from his team being there. He had arranged hunting trips for the Turvasa king as well as the Gandharis on different dates and in different directions from Mundigak. The Matsyas had a fetish for music and dance and there was a tent set up near them with dancing girls and musicians to keep them occupied. The day of the meeting arrived and Ashgandha had butterflies in his stomach. He had seen the kings arrive at the great assembly hall of Mundigak. As expected, Sudas had sent his apologies and would not be attending. Ashgandha had spent a lot of time and effort to get everything right. The royal seal had opened the treasury to aquire what ever he wanted. The assembly hall looked resplendent, with new silk tapestries hung on the walls. The carpenters had worked around the clock to build comfortable chairs and tables of the game, hunters had been busy getting the choicest games for meat and the cooks had excelled themselves. The wine cellar was filled to the ceiling with barrels of wine and sura from across the Zagros mountains. Cayamana had personally welcomed the guests at the door and Ashgandha had taken them to their seats. The game began in earnest and there were ups and downs for several of the kings. The Yadu king, Jayadwaja was the first one to stop playing after two days. The game went on for a week with the magical Alinas coming out with most of the winnings to the chagrin of one or two of the kings. Ashgandha had watched the game almost throughout without any comments. On the last day, as Alinas was wrapping up his win, a voice behind his left shoulder said, “I think this is probably the best time to find out.” It was Cayamana. “I

will use the dinner tonight to broach the subject.” “I think it would be wise to speak to our spies who have come back from all the different kingdoms first, your majesty.” Cayamana looked at Ashgandha for a moment before replying. “So be it, Ashgandha. Send them up to the chamber.” Cayamana left the hall through the back door as Ashgandha went out to the blisteringly hot sun outside. He kept to the shadows until he reached the old house in the seedier part of Mundigak. His spies used it as a safe house for hideout. They were not the most popular people in Mundigak right now. He found his spies huddled around a kitchen table having their dinner along with plenty of wine. All of them looked up as he entered the kitchen and one or two even raised their eyebrows. “I don’t want you to get drunk. The Abhyavartin wants to see all of you, right away.” He neither liked them nor disliked them. They were just an essential part of his work as a diplomat. There was an immediate reaction from the five men sat around the table. Each one of them was more eager than the other to get out. There was a lot of scraping of the floor with chairs being pushed back and one of the chairs falling to the ground as they got up together and said, “Thank you, Master”, “We will go to the palace right away, Master.” “Not in the state you are in. You better freshen up quickly and go to the royal chamber in the north-east corner of the assembly hall. The guard at the door is expecting you.” He pulled out several small seals from his robe and passed one each to the spies. “You need to show the guard this seal.” The small square seals had an image of a tiger with his family’s motto written at the top. His personal seal.

Cayamana was waiting patiently for the spies to arrive. He had left a message with the guard outside to let them in one by one. The session went on very late into the night. “The population are content with their life.” “The rulers don’t want to change the status quo.” “Most people have forgotten the insult by Samrat Yayati.” It turned out that none of the countries were overly keen on a battle and they had come to accept the loss of border lands. In fact, the people in the occupied lands did not want any change. Cayamana had sleepless night after that. He sent for Ashgandha first thing in the morning. “I will have to see what the kings of the ten tribes you have managed to get here feel about the union first, before discussing the prospect of a war with Sudas.” “I agree with you, your majesty. It may be a bit premature to discuss a war at present.” “Have there been any incidents during their stay here to upset anyone so far?” “No, your majesty. Everyone appears to be happy with the arrangements of the game. Particularly Alinas, as he has won,” Ashgandha said with a smile. “That is good. Let me see how the field lies tonight during the dinner.” The dinner that night was a formal affair, with all the heads of the ten tribes outdoing each other in dressing themselves in their regalia. Each king was accompanied by his standard and a small retinue of personal bodyguards showing off their strength. Gold, silver and precious stones were in abundance. Jayadwaja arrived in an elaborately decorated chariot pulled by

two brilliant white steeds. Purodasa was not going to be outdone either. His gilded chariot was pulled by four black horses and his standard flew from the top of the chariot for everyone to see. Alinas was probably the simplest arrival with his Gandharis clad in pure white dhotis, almost blinding the on lookers. The cooks of Mundigak had tried to out do one another and had excelled themselves with succulent meat cooked in sesame oil and saffron. The smell of freshly baked bread engulfed the city. Barrels of sura and masara had been specially brought in from the markets of Ilaspada. Cayamana waited until everyone had their fill. He stood up on the platform and said, “Thank you for gracing my humble abode with your eminent presence. I am ever so grateful to see all the great kings of the world are assembled in my humble city.” There was a nod and a few ‘hail Cayamana’ from the audience. “It is time, gentlemen, to discuss a few important issues. I have been asked to lead this great land of ours by providence and my ancestors’ good deeds. My grand father, the Abhyavartin Cayamana led a united Ariana successfully. For reasons, not really under our control, our empire has broken up into several loose states. We have all gone through a lot of turmoil and upheaval during the last couple of decades. I propose that we unite again and bring back the glory of Ariana.” Cayamana was observing reactions of everyone as he spoke. He was particularly interested in the reactions of the Panis and Matsyans. They were always considered to be mercenaries. There was a deathly silence when he stopped talking and sat down. Jayadwaja was the first to break the silence, as he pushed his chair back and stood up. “I thank King Kavi Cayamana and I am sure my colleagues here agree with me when I say that we have had the most enjoyable stay in Mundigak.

This is the first time that, this august group of kings have assembled in one place for a long time. In fact, I cannot remember this ever happening in living memory.” There were several nodding heads at this except Alinas. His face was as inscrutable as ever. “Speaking for myself and our glorious kingdom of Yadu, I agree with King Cayamana. We should look to unite. It will make us stronger and we can share our knowledge and resources.” There was an immediate response from the floor. All of them started to talk together and there was a lot of shouting. Many of the kings had stood up and looking quite agitated. “We are not ready to hand over our sovereignty to you,” shouted the Matsya king. “This is a clever ruse! Bringing us all here and trying to bribe us!” The Pani leader objected. Only Alinas kept quiet. Cayamana was busy working out who was saying what. Just as he was about to stand up again to speak, Purodasa of Turvasa’s stood up and cleared his throat. “Ahem. If you will keep quiet for moment and think of what Cayamana has offered just now, you will realise that it is an opportunity.” The hall suddenly became quiet at the solid baritone voice of Purodasa. “This is exactly what our enemies want. A thorough discard between friends. Just think about it. If we were a one nation, would Sudas dared attack and take our towns and villages after the Ashwamedha? Now, because of our divisions, he has declared himself a Samrat, and rightly so, according to the laws of Manu.” Alinas, who was quiet all along spoke up at this. “And pray, what do you think we should be doing now, Purodasa?

Declare Cayamana a Samrat?” Yet again, there was an utter silence. Everyone was quite literally shocked into silence. Then there was an uproar and it became chaotic. Alinas stood up, picked something from his robes and threw it on the ground. There was a loud bang and a flash of light. Immediately all the guards surrounded their leaders in a protective cordon. “There is no need to panic. It is perfectly harmless. Now, please let us discuss this as rational human beings.” He looked around to see the reaction. “You are absolutely right, we cannot declare Cayamana a Samrat without going through all the rituals. But, there is a way. Because, we need a leader to unite us into a grand Ariana. The laws allow us to declare him an Abhyavartin. He is the logical choice as he comes from the lineage of the great Abhyavartin Cayamana and more over, he rules over the most powerful state among all of us.”

Chapter 14: The Yadus. Kushashtali was a vibrant port city competing with Saraswatha of the kingdom of Bharata. King Jayadwaja was in high spirits as he rode into the city through the tall eastern gates. The tall stone pillars on either side of the gate were most impressive. He was smiling as they passed through the grand avenue from the gates heading towards the palace. The cobbled wide street lined with tall vibhitaka trees with huge canopy giving shade to the street looked soothing. The setting sun glazed the stonewalls, giving them a golden appearance. No wonder the city of Kushasthali was called the ‘Golden city’. He saw a commotion in one of the side streets. The king turned to his captain and said, “Go and see what the problem is, Sumitra. I enjoyed the hunt and I am feeling a bit tired now. I am going to freshen up with a swim in the lake. Make sure that the cooks use the meat tonight when it is still fresh.” “I will certainly do that, your majesty.” He swung on the horse and shouted orders to his soldiers at the back to take the day’s catch to the royal kitchen. He then galloped along the side street with the horse clicking loudly on the cobbled street. The commotion stopped before he could reach them. Two of the palace guards had caught someone sneaking out of the palace. “What is happening here? Who is this?” The two soldiers stood to attention with one of them pinning the intruder down with his shoe. He was still wriggling and shouting something in a language neither the soldiers nor the captain could understand. “We have caught this man sneaking out of the palace, captain. He had

this scroll hidden in his clothes. He is screaming something at us in a language we cannot understand.” One of the soldiers gave the captain a scroll with the seal still in place. The captain tried to read the seal, which had images of a humped bull and some letters in a strange script. The bull appeared to have a large beard. The captain had seen this kind of seal on the sacks being unloaded on the docks a few times before. The scroll must be from someone in the Bharata kingdom, he thought. He could be a spy or could have stolen it from one of the merchants from one of the ships in the dock. “Let him get up and speak. Let us see if I can understand what he is saying.” The soldier took his foot off the man on the floor. He immediately stood up, dusting off his clothes. He was slim , clean shaven and with long tousled black hair and dark brown eyes. He was obviously not from these parts. He appeared to be bleeding from the corner of his mouth. He wore a white dhoti and a shawl thrown over his left shoulder and leather sandals on his feet. Too well dressed to be a thief, the captain thought. “Who are you? What were you doing inside the palace? What is this scroll you are carrying? Where did you get it from?” The captain asked him. The man wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth and readjusted the shawl around his shoulder and spoke with a heavy accent. “Thank you, captain. If these goons of yours had given me a chance, I would have been able to explain. They jumped on me as I was coming out of the palace after meeting the palace pradhan. I am Treta, a messenger from Mundigak.” “My apologies to you, sir. But, you can understand their concerns as you

were coming out of a side door which is normally used by servants. I am not surprised that they mistook you for an intruder.” “I am staying at the inn in this street and it is quicker for me to use the side door rather than the front door of the palace. I have brought a message to your king and I was told that he was out on a hunt. I will be coming back tomorrow to see him.” “I will take the message to the king,” The captain said. “No!” was the immediate response. “I would rather give him the scroll myself as I have a verbal message too for the king. Please give me back the scroll.” Sumitra looked at the messenger for a while, thinking. ‘How do I know he is telling the truth? What if he runs away and the scroll is actually not his?’ Handing the scroll back to him, he said, “Here you are, you can have the scroll. But, my soldier will accompany you to make sure you are safe till tomorrow and he will bring you to the court. We don’t want you to get into anymore trouble, do we?” And he smiled. The messenger took the scroll and hid among the rolls of his shawl before replying. “Thank you, captain. That is most kind. Now, if you don’t mind, I will be heading back to the inn. Namaste.” With that he turned brusquely and walked off towards the dock area. Sumitra signalled to one of the soldiers to accompany Treta, the messenger. He turned his horse around and rode off slowly in deep thought towards the stables. He was not sure if he should alert the king about the developments or not. When he reached the high street there was no sign of the king. The soldiers were still there waiting for him. It would take a brave man to go and

disturb the king at night, he thought. Treta was not too impressed with the encounter either. He had not expected such a treatment in Kushasthali. When King Ishvant had called him to his house, he was thrilled. Treta was one of the few who had felt that Ishvant should have continued as the king of Sistan. He was disappointed when Ishvant enthroned Kavi Cayamana just a few weeks ago. The Kavi Cayamana had not lost any time in consolidating his position and made sure everyone knew he was in charge. There had been a lot of activity since Cayamana had taken control with dignitaries coming from different countries to Mundigak almost daily. There were messengers leaving to distant parts of the world, including Mastaba, Sumeria and different states of the previous Avestan empire. “I want you to take a confidential message to Kushasthali.” Ishvant had said. “Your wish is my command, your majesty.” Treta had replied. “I am no longer your king. It is Cayamana who is our king now. He will lead us to the glory days of the Abhyavartin Cayamana,” Ishvant had replied. “I want you to take a confidential message to Jayadwaja, the king of the Yadus. You are one of the few who can speak their language as I need you to take a verbal message to the king personally as well.” Saying that, Ishavant had handed him the scroll with his seal and whispered the message in Treta’s ears. He did not like the verbal message. It made him nervous. He remembered his master at the school telling him that the Bharatan sages could read anyone’s mind and he was sure, they could read what has been whispered to him in his ears. If they did, his life would

not be worth anything once he crossed the borders into Bharata on the way to Kushasthali. It had taken him nearly a week to cross the Bharatan lands before he entered the Yadu lands beyond Saraswata. There were several occasions where he had encountered the Bharatan soldiers and thought the end was near. He was dressed as a Bharatan merchant and he could speak their language, albeit with an accent. But that did not matter as there were numerous merchants travelling in the road to and out of Saraswatha. He had joined one of the caravans all the way to the Yadu kingdom border. He had slipped into the Yadu territory under cover of darkness and made his way to Kushasthali. Ishvant had given him specific instructions to go for this particular Inn as it housed merchants from across the world. He would be another foreign merchant selling his wares in Kushasthali. It was just bad luck that he was caught getting out of the palace through the side door. Sumitra was at the inn the following morning at the daybreak to escort the messenger to the king. His guard was still at the door of the inn. The two of them entered the inn as the inn keeper’s wife was cleaning the dining room on the ground floor. “Good morning to you, madam. I am Sumitra, the captain of the guards for King Jayadwaja.” “Yes, sir,” she said with a tremble in her voice and an accent she had not been able to get rid off even though she had been living in Kushasthali now for five years. “What can I do for you?” “Please don’t be alarmed, madam,” Sumitra said, with a broad smile on his face. “We are here to collect the Avestan gentleman who is staying with you.” She visibly relaxed at this and smiled back at him.

“Thank you, sir. He is a very nice gentleman. He should be coming down for breakfast any minute now. You can wait here and have some breakfast while you wait if you like.” “That is very kind of you, madam. But we are in a bit of a hurry.” “Do you want me to get him down or will you wait a few minutes?” “No. That is fine. If he does not come down soon, maybe we will ask you to get him down.” Sumitra did not want to be late at the palace. The king would have heard of the visitor by now and he would want to see him as soon as possible. He did not want to be on the wrong side of Jayadwaja. While he was a very genial king, he could change in a flash. There were a few people who had not been able to survive the king’s wrath in the recent past. It was not long before they heard soft footsteps coming down the wooden stairs at the end of the dining hall. Treta looked a lot cleaner today than the evening before with a milky white dhoti and a white throw over the left shoulder. He had a regal look about him and was quite composed when he saw the two soldiers waiting for him in the dining room. He smiled at Sumitra and said, “Namaste, captain Sumitra. I see you have not wasted too much time. I like the enthusiasm.” Sumitra got out of his chair and raised his right hand in a salute. “Namaste, sir. I am quite sure the king will know of your arrival by now and he will be waiting. I don’t want him to wait too long. He has a public audience at two hours after the sunrise. I am sure your message is not for public consumption.” “It most certainly is not, captain. Let us not waste any more time. I am

looking forward to meeting your king.” King Jayadwaja received them in the anteroom along with his general and minister. He was quite effusive towards Treta. “Long live King Jayadwaja! Hail to the Yadu kingdom!” Treta said as he knelt in front of the king on one knee. “Arise, Captain Treta. It is indeed an honour to receive an envoy from the kingdom of Ariana.” The king said. “I hope the journey was peaceful and you have been looked after well in our city.” “Thank you, your majesty. I have indeed been looked after very well so far.” He did not want to tell him about the mishap of the day before. “You are modest, captain. I know of your accident yesterday. Please accept my apologies for the behaviour of our guards.” Treta smiled and replied. “That is fully understandable, your majesty. I used the side door to be discrete. Unfortunately it misfired.” “Now tell me. How is your new king Cayamana? I have heard a lot about him in the last few months.” “There is very little to tell, your majesty. He is new to all of us at Mundigak. No one had heard of him till a few months ago. I am still not sure what to make of him.” Treta replied hesitantly. He was being honest as he was still not convinced about the new Cayamana. “Well, he has been hailed as the ‘chosen one’ by one and all. Now, tell me what can we do for you?”

Treta took out the rolled up scroll with the seal still in place from under his robe and handed it to the king. “I also have a verbal message from my king, but only for your years, your majesty.” Jayadwaja took the scroll and examined the seal closely before opening it. “It is the royal seal of your previous king Ishvant.” He undid the scroll and read the contents slowly to himself. They could see his face became quite serious as he read on. He lifted his head once he finished reading it and said, “Captain Treta. Judging from the contents of this letter, I can guess what the verbal message will be. It would be prudent for my close counsel, the general and the minister to hear your verbal message too.” Treta looked around. imperceptibly.

He looked at Sumitra who nodded his head

“Our King Ishvant says that the decision has to be yours and yours only. He feels that the old enmity maybe best forgotten and living in peace is much more productive than wars. He is not sure if going to war against Sudas can be won even with a huge army. He wants to remind you about the outcome of battle between king Vishtaspa and sage Shunahotra of Harappa only a few years ago. He does not want his opinion made public for obvious reasons.” The words rumbled off Treta’s tongue in a hurry as if he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. Like taking an unpleasant medicine. He was watching the King’s face intently as he spoke to see for any reaction. There was none. His face was as impassive as it was while reading the scroll. The king looked at his general and the minister before replying. ‘Was there a nod from them?’ Treta wondered.

“Thank you for your honesty and loyalty to your ex-king, Treta. We really appreciate your candour and King Ishvant’s opinion. As you are aware, Ishvant is highly respected across the world and we understand his reasoning for his opinion. We will be discussing the letter with our council and give you a decision as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please accept the hospitality of our city.” “Thank you for your kindness, your majesty. Is there any verbal message to my king Ishvant?” “Please give our respects to your beloved king. His message will be treated with utmost confidence and will not go out of this room. I can vouch for my close counsel here too. Please tell him that we fully understand his feelings and we will take that into consideration while making a decision.” Treta thanked the king and walked out of the palace back to the inn. He did not know what to make of the meeting. He did not have to wait too long to get an answer. Sumitra came to visit him at the inn couple of days later with a scroll, sealed with a royal seal of king Jayadwaja. Sumitra was tight lipped about the contents. He was not divulging anything. Treta did not tell him that he would be travelling to Truti to see King Purodasa next. Sumitra offered him fresh stock for his journey, ostensibly back to Mundigak. Treta was quite sure he would be followed, at least till the border with Bharata. He travelled back up north into Bharata, passing through the same border point that he had entered. It was not until the second night, well inside Bharata that he changed direction towards the east and the country of Yadus.

Chapter 15: The Confederacy. ‘He has matured a lot since the day he was brought home all those years ago by Kavasa!’ Angarparna thought as he saw Cayamana negotiating with all those generals assembled in the Mundigak’s assembly hall. Ishvant and Budi had gone to the kingdoms along the western and northern borders of the Bharata kingdom with gifts and secret messages just a few months previously. King Purodasa of Turvasas and Jayadwaja of Yadus had sworn allegiance with Cayamana and their armies were on the march under cover of darkness to rendezvous on the east bank of Sindhu. It was one thing to get all the kings to agree to form a confederacy when they were full of the intoxicating sura and exotic food, but yet another thing to get them to send their armies under his command to go against Sudas. There was no word from any of the kings after that eventful game of dice at Mundigak all those months ago. They had returned to their kingdoms promising Cayamana the armies and supplies. Six months had past and the preparations at Mundigak was in full swing. The Druhyu army was fully prepared now for weeks. The generals were getting worried that they could not keep the soldiers at their peak for very long. Cayamana was coming under increasing pressure from his generals to get the army moving. Only his old friend, Kavasa had sent his army along with a promise to catch up with Cayamana. He was pacing up and down the palace garden deep in thought and not sure where he was heading. “That is one very worried looking leader.” A deep voice woke him out of his reverie. It was the magus Budi. He had come up the ranks and was the chief Magus for Ishvant till he stepped

down.

His delegation to King Ur-Nanshe of Lagash had been chiefly

instrumental in both Sistan and Gedrosia seceding from Ariana as separate states a few years ago. The Sumerian king, Gilgamesh, had been true to his word and sent a huge army to Sistan as a measure of support. There was no war, but King Vishtaspa was left in no doubt as to the intentions of Druhyus of Sistan and Gedrosia. The separation took place under amicable terms. Both Sistan and Gedrosia were separate states with their own rulers and laws. It was not long before the other states of Ariana decided to go their own way and became independent states with their own rule. His old Magus had resigned at the turn of events and Budi was elevated to the role of chief Magus in the council. They still maintained the council structure with Ishvant was their leader. Ishvant was elevated to the role of a rather reluctant king. He was probably the most relieved person in Mundigak when Cayamana turned up in town. Budi was not sure of his position in the new hierarchy. “Hello, Magus Budi,” Cayamana replied. “I did not realise there would be so many objectors to my plans. Why are they so against uniting the grand Ariana?” “I know it is frustrating, Master Cayamana. But, you must know the history to understand their concerns. They have come through some very hard times.” “I am aware of the war against the Harappans under the leadership of King Vishtaspa. I know we were defeated in the war. But that should be all the more reason for us to unite and regain the glory of Ariana.” Budi sighed deeply before replying. “Please sit down, Master Cayamana. It is a long story. I will try to be as concise as possible. You must bear with me as it will take time.”

Cayamana sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard and Budi sat opposite him in another bench. He went through the saga of Matriya, the black Magus and his attempts to harness the power to control nature, the deceit and skulduggery with a Harappan spy and finally the disastrous march on Harappa. The moon was just coming up. Cayamana had been pacing up and down the passage within the courtyard of the palace as Budi spoke. “You must help me unite all the states. I know about your successful diplomacy to the Sumerian king Ur-Nanshe. I think you are the right person for the job.” “I am not so sure, Master Cayamana. You have forgotten that a Magus was at the root of all the troubles for our Kingdom all those years ago and they have not forgiven the Magi since then. The numbers of Magi have reduced enormously. The leaders of the other states do not have any official Magi anymore. The Magi are only used for Yasna and if they want any interpretation of the Yasht for births, marriages and deaths. We have become a nonentity in most people’s minds.” There was deep sadness and pain in Budi’s voice. Cayamana looked at him in the fading light lit only by the palace lamps. He could see the distress in Budi’s eyes. “I understand your pain, Budi. And yet, I still think you would be the best envoy just for that reason. You can show them that not all Magi are the same. You have your own history as your strength. I am sure they can’t ignore your past success in Sumeria.” “I will do my best to help you unite the kingdom of Ariana and take it back to the glory days of the Abhyavartin if I can. It is going to be hard work and an uphill struggle. The elders have been talking about a messiah who will come and take us to the golden days. May be you are the one they have

been talking about.” Cayamana did not say anything for a moment. He kept pacing up and down the passage for a while before sitting down on the same bench as Budi. “Now, tell me Budi. What makes the Bharatans so powerful? What is so special about them?” Budi was slightly taken aback by the intensity of his questions. “I am not sure if I am the right person to tell you the reasons, Master Cayamana.” “Yes, you are, Magus Budi. You have spent time with the Harappans and worked with them.” Budi was shocked at this revelation. He had kept the details of his time in Sumeria to himself. He had only ever talked about the trip to the court of UrNanshe in Lagash. He had never mentioned his friendship with either Shushun or Upaas. “Don’t look so shocked, Budi. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. You forget that I spent a considerable time studying in the ashram of the great sage Jamadagni. There is not much he does not know and he has been telling me the history of Bharata going back to hundreds of years, to my ancestor King Yayati. I don’t know if you know the story of our ancestor Yayati?” “Yes, Master Cayamana. I have heard the story of your esteemed ancestor. I can understand the bitterness among the families of Druhyus, Anu, Yadus and Turvasas. But that is several generations old now.” “It still matters, Budi. It still matters.” Cayamana was brooding now. He suddenly holds Budi’s shoulders and says with some intensity. “You have to help. You should help. Do you think King Ishvant would agree to go

with you? Budi did not know what to say. “I am not sure, Master. King Ishvant is a very private person. He was forced into the role of the king when King Vishtaspa died. He has never forgiven King Vishtaspa for having his brother executed.” It was Cayamana’s turn to be surprised. “What? Why was he executed?” “It is a long story. Some soldiers had kidnapped a Master Physician from Harappa and Ishvant’s brother was the captain responsible for holding him in Mundigak till he was interviewed by the king himself. Unfortunately, the physician escaped with some inside help. Vishtaspa blamed him and he was executed to set an example to the rest of the army. It was a very sad event in our history.” “I suppose he had reasons to do what he did. Let us get back to the problem in hand now, shall we?” The intensity on Cayamana’s face was too powerful for Budi to ignore. “You must persuade King Ishvant to go with you as my ambassador to all the states.” “I will certainly try, Master. You have my word.” “You still have not told me why the Bharatans are so powerful.” “I am not really an expert on military strengths, Master. However, I do know that they have many powerful sages in the land and of course the inexhaustible supply of soma. Our supplies have improved, but still cannot match theirs. There is also the waters of river Sarasvati.” “What about the river Sarasvati?” “There is a belief that it is a magical river with its waters having magical

properties. The belief is that the soma juice prepared by using the water from the river is the most powerful.” Cayamana was quiet for a minute before responding to that. “That may be true and we cannot do anything about it. But, if we can get all our states together, we can rise an army ten times as big as the Bharatan army. Even the power of the sages cannot beat the numbers.” “You may be right, Master.” Budi replied. “Now, if you will give me permission, I will go and speak to King Ishvant.” “Certainly, my friend. I have complete faith in you. If there is anyone who can pull this off, it is you.” Budi bid goodbye and hurried down the road to the outskirts of the city where Ishvant had moved to after stepping down. He was back to his old house, a simple two- story mud brick building with no frills. He was never one for any tapestry even when he was a king. Budi found him in the back of the house watering his small garden. He looked up as Budi walked in and smiled. “What brings the chief Magus of Sistan to this humble abode?” “Greetings to your majesty.” Budi still addressed him as King as Cayamana had not been officially coronated yet. “Come now, Budi. No formalities here. I am no longer your king.” “Yes, you are. Until Cayamana is crowned, you are still my king.” Ishvant sighed and continued. “Tell me what brings you here today?”

“I am coming from Cayamana himself. He wants me to travel to all the old states of Ariana and persuade them to join a confederacy against Bharata.” “There is no surprise in that. Our Abhyavartin had foretold this a long time ago. I just hope that he is strong enough to pull it off.” “So do I, Master Ishvant. So do I.” Ishvant sighed deeply and looked into the distance. “I still remember the disaster after the last war. We lost so many of our dear friends and the wounds are just beginning to heal. King Vishtaspa died burdened by the death of so many. It was so unnecessary.” “It looks like we will be facing something similar again. Hopefully, not to the same extent.” “It is unavoidable, Budi. It is Cayamana’s destiny and he has to follow it. We are just passengers. As we were all those years ago.” It was Budi’s turn to sigh this time. “Why does it have to be this way? Why don’t we live the way we were? Our country is not what it was. We have not the same destitution we had then. We don’t need someone else’s land or riches.” “But, you have forgotten. The history is full of such conquests and wars. It is the cycle Ahura Mazda has set up and we are just pawns in his game. Sudas occupied some of our lands as as well as others when he did the Ashwamedha yasna. Now, it must be our turn to take them back.” “You may be right, your majesty.” Budi replied and seem to hesitate. He started to twirl the corner of his robe and looked rather uncomfortable. “You are going to tell me what you came here for now? I can see you are

becoming restless. That is not like you, Magus Budi. What is the matter? Come on, you can tell me.” Budi looked up at the ageing leader. “Well, I am not sure how to say this. But Master Cayamana wants you to be the envoy to persuade the other rulers to join him in his battle against Samrat Sudas.” He blurted out quickly. Ishvant was silent for a minute and then got up walking away from Budi towards the big orange tree. The orange tree in his garden was his favorite spot. No one knew exactly how old it was as it had been there forever it seemed to everyone. Ishavant had been seen to sit under the tree meditating on several occasions, including when his dear brother was executed by the then king Vishtaspa. He did not sit down this time this time. He looked at the tree, raising his right hand to touch it gently as if not to hurt it. “This tree has been here since eternity, Magus Budi. It has given shade to many generations of Ishvants and has fed numerous generations with sweet and sometime sour fruit. It has never asked for anything and yet it has yielded fruit even during the driest of droughts. It gives shade even during the hottest of summers.” He turned around to look at Budi. “Yet, it still survives. Don you know why?” Budi did not answer. It was a rhetorical question. “I will tell you why. It knows its limitations. It takes just enough for its survival from mother earth and water from God Varuna. If it had started to outgrow, like some of the trees on the mount Hara, it would have died a long time ago when the drought hit the country.” Budi did not know what to say. Ishvant walked to one of the benches under the tree and sat down.

“I have survived, while others have not. By knowing my limitations, I have tried to do the best for Sistan.” He sighed deeply before continuing. “But, if the erstwhile king and master wants me to be an emissary, so be it. How can I refuse a command from the one who is considered ‘the chosen one’ by everyone?” It was a thoughtful Budi who walked back slowly to his home that night. King Ishvant and Magus Budi left the following morning on horses with a train of carts behind them. They knew that some of the kings would only agree to join forces after a suitable bribe. They had gold, silver and precious stones along with olive oil, prized oak wood and a good collection of Haoma in the carts to appease the lords. It was difficult at first. They went to Bactrian capital first as it was well known that the Bactrian king was looking for an opportunity to hit back at Sudas and an easy one get into the group. Once they had three of the kings in the group, it became easier for them to convince the others. By the end of six months, Budi and Ishvant had managed to get a confederacy of ten kings to join Cayamana in his pursuit against Sudas and the country of Bharata. The Panis and Matsya did not need to be persuaded too much after they had seen the riches in the carts. Ishvant had suggested that they send an envoy to the kings of Yadu and Turvasa to sound out where they stood. “Both Yadu and Turvasa have a long history with the Puru, going back several generations. They have lived happily with the borders of Bharata.” Ishvant had said after the Gedrosians had agreed to join the confederacy. “It may not be prudent for both of us to go to Kushasthali or Turviti until we find out what their kings Jayadwaja and Purodasa feel about Sudas.” “Do you think they have forgotten the old enmity?” Budi asked. “It is that. We also have to remember that we don’t want a high level

delegation to go there until the last minute. We don’t want to show our hands to the enemy too early.” “I am sure the sages of Bharata have already found out about our trips to the various states of Ariana by now. From my past experience, they can read minds of men thousands of miles away.” Budi surmised, looking rather doubtful. Ishvant smiled at this and replied, “That may be true, Budi, if they knew that we have been travelling to all these places. Remember they can only see into your mind if they wanted to. But they can’t be looking everywhere all the time! As long as we are discrete, there is no reason for them to look into our minds.” So it was, that travel to most kingdoms were done in secret and often incognito. Only the seals they carried recognised them as who they were. It was nearly a year since the fateful day when Cayamana had asked Budi to help, by the time the armies of different states and kingdoms start to move. Budi and Ishvant were convinced that the powerful sages of Bharata would have full knowledge of their activities by their powers of reading minds of people at vast distances.

Chapter 16: The Parley . We were still unsure what had happened as the entire army rushed back to the capital Ila. There were numerous rumours floating around the camp and it changed everyday. “Kavi Cayamana is marching on Ila,” said one. “He has already ransacked the city,” said another. “No, it is the Elamite army at the doorstep with the Medians,” said a know-it-all. “It is the army of Gilgamesh with his huge war ships on Sarasvati,” said one of the sailors. Ila was a hive of activity, a lot busier than when we were preparing for the battle with the Dasyu army. Lopa looked anxious when I eventually reached home. She ran across and hugged me hard with tears in her eyes. “I have been away only a year. But it feels like ten years.” I reached out to wipe the tears off her cheeks and said, “How are you, my darling? I missed you so badly. I don’t think I want to go away like this again. How is our little Atreya?” “Atreya is fast asleep. He has been asking for you all his waking hours. He is a big boy now. Or he thinks he is a big boy now. Plays with his bow and arrows all the time. The little cart you got for him from the market has not seen the roads much. We had been worried since the news came.” “Yes. What is this news? We have been riding hard since the last two

weeks, ever since some riders turned up at the camp on our return journey. No one is telling us anything. Everyone is walking around like the sky has fallen on their heads. I tried to get hold of sage Vasishta by telepathy, but no luck. It is as if he has vanished into thin air. I cannot even feel his presence.” “The news is Cayamana is marching towards Ila as we speak with an army of sixty six thousand soldiers, elephants, horses and chariots,” Lopa blurted out. “They tell me that he may even attack the city.” My heart sank. ‘Sixty six thousand soldiers!’ I could not even visualise an army of that size. I knew that we had lost a fair number during the battle with the Dasyus and the army was tired from the battle. The long journey back at double speed had not helped. We don’t stand a chance against such an army. Injuries had disabled several captains. Even Sudas had a flesh wound over the back of his shoulder. “I am sure that is an exaggeration. Where would he find such an army? We are the biggest kingdom and we don’t have an army of that size.” I said, hoping against hope. “I don’t really know, Upaas. But there is a message from Sage Vasishta and master Gopayana to see them as soon as you reach home.” “That is strange,” I said. “I have been trying to get hold of the sage ever since we were asked to rush back.” “Upaas, freshen up first before you dash off to see the great sage and your Master.” I wanted time to think and digest all this. I decided to freshen up, offer prayers at the agni kundabefore reaching for Shankara who had been fed by Lopa in the meantime. It did not take me long to reach the sage’s ashram. I had to wait in the ashram as he was finishing off his evening prayers and the sun was already setting. The blood red evening sky darkened as I stood

patiently for him to finish. It was somehow ominous. The immense dark clouds seem to hang menacingly low in the sky almost engulfing the distant mountains. The setting sun was swallowed up by the heavy rain clouds letting very little light through. It was getting dark rapidly with the burning torches lit by the shikhu’s fighting a losing battle against the darkness and the wind. Even the roaring fire from the huge agnikunda in the middle appear to be struggling. The agnikunda was throwing long tongues of bright yellow fire tinged with red into the sky being blown away by the strong wind. The chirping birds coming home seemed subdued. The cows walking into the ashram silently were a strange sight. I could barely hear a few tinkles of their bells and not one of them mooed. The strong evening breeze swung the bows of the trees bend down to the ground, as if with unspoken heaviness and foreboding. The animals from the jungle , were already inside the protection of the ashram. I felt a shiver running down the spine at the sight of this. This was unnatural. The animals never came inside the ashram before the sun is fully set. “I know the feeling, Upaas.” Sage Vasishta had come behind me without making any sound. I turned around immediately and prostrated myself at his feet. “Rise, son. It is good to see you back in one piece.” He said lifting me up with my shoulders. “How is dear Lopa and baby Atreya?” He knew perfectly well how they were without my answering. “We are fine, great sage, by your blessings.” “I know you have just returned from the battle on the Yamuna. You must be tired. But, there will always be time for rest afterwards. Now, Sudas needs everyone he can trust.”

“I will do my best for the kingdom of Bharata and Samrat Sudas, sage Vasishta. You only have to tell me what you want me to do.” “Come, walk with me. There is a lot to tell.” Vasishta started to walk outside the ashram into the dark jungle. “These are troubled times, Upaas. We have a formidable enemy marching against Bharata. It will need more than courage to come through this.” “Is it true King Cayamana has sixty six thousand soldiers?” Vasishta sighed deeply before replying. “That unfortunately is quite true. But that is not what worries me.” We were well and truly outside the ashram by then and walking along the dark path next to the stream in the dense forest outside the ashram. I did not say anything. “It appears that all the tribes and kingdoms surrounding Bharata appear to have colluded to form a confederacy. That would explain the size of the army,” Vasishta said. I had to concentrate to hear what he was saying as he was very quiet. “That does not really worry me, though. What worries me is that I cannot trace Vishwamitra anywhere. It is as if he has completely disappeared from the face of the earth. If he has joined forces with Cayamana, we are in trouble. It is nearly two years since he stormed out of the court and I don’t know what magical powers he has accumulated during that time.” This was not what I wanted to hear. ever before.

The cold breeze felt colder than

“I have every confidence in your powers, great sage. I am sure you could negate any magical warfare sage Vishwamitra throws at us,” I said, with as much conviction as I could muster. “That remains to be seen, Upaas. I am going to teach you a few hymns,

which will help you in your field hospital dealing with any eventualities. The confederacy has elements in the army who are not Aryans and they might use methods and techniques, which can cause harm. They are not bound by the Aryan code of conduct and they may not spare non-combatants. You will have to be extra careful. The Panis and Matsyas, you have come across before on the ocean. You will be facing their magic on land this time.” That took me back several years ago while trying to sail to Susa when we were attacked by the magical demons and we lost one of the ships. We had lost many men and only sage Vaishta’s powers saved the rest of us. It had left a fear of death and inadequacy in the face of such powers. Suddenly I was feeling warm and a gentle sweat running down my back. The thought of facing the same again filled me with dread. The sage asked me to visit the ashram every morning before sunrise to learn the hymns. We had walked all the way around the ashram and back at the front gate by the time he finished. I took my leave from the sage and my mind was full of thousands of questions all the way to the hospital to see the Master. It was more of the same at the hospital. Master Gopayana was rushed off his feet as the other staff trying to replenish the stock of herbs, salves, lotions and splints. There appeared to be many people running around I did not recognise. The stock of soma was low, but ‘just enough to sustain the battle,’ the Master said. “Do we have enough time for a trip to Mount Mujavant to get more soma, Master?” I asked. “There is not enough time for that, Upaas.” That was Master Ashwin coming out of the side room. I was startled to hear his voice and recovered to run across and touch his feet. “Dheergayushman bhava, Upaas.”

He said holding me up by my

shoulders. “How is Lopa and little Atreya?” “We are all fine, Master. How is Ma? I was not expecting to see you here.” “The news of an impending attack has spread to Harappa as well as other cities. Sage Vasishta felt that the medical contingents need to be increased as well as the army You will see some your old friends from Harappa here to help.” “The medical teams from other cities have already begun to arrive. They have brought their supply of drugs, splints and soma too. Once they are all in the city, we should have enough to sustain a battle.” And added “I hope!” As an afterthought.

It was quite late at night by the time I reached home. “You are looking very serious, Upaas. What did the sage say?” Lopa asked as I entered the house. It took me a while to explain what was happening. Her face went white as I recounted the part of Panis and Matsyas. She was distraught at the thought of me going back into the battleground. I had left out the bit about some of the tribes following Cayamana not following the Aryan code of behaviour during battle. The next few weeks saw Ila transformed back to a massive workshop with a hive of activity both inside and outside the city. The carpenters, coppersmiths and saddle makers were busier than ever working round the clock. The entire city was almost permanently covered in smoke rising out of numerous fires used by the coppersmith and the smell of tanning oils was overpowering at times when there was no breeze. The sound of coppersmiths beating the metal into shape drowned conversation. There was no rest for the

army. The training intensified and the cooks were given special instructions to serve the army with rations to strengthen the men. The hunters scoured the surrounding jungle for best meat for the men everyday. The woodsmen pulled down trees by the dozen every day to make new bows, arrows, spears, maces and machete handles. “At the rate they are pulling down these trees, there won’t be a forest left outside Ila in a few weeks.” Parthava had commented one day as we rode into the forest to get herbs and roots for ouyr salves. Parthava had stayed back in Ila and had by now become part of Ila. He was now enrolled into the guard team of the medical core. There was no news from his Roruka and the Gadhi kingdom. “I better stay back. Someone has to keep an eye on you for the sake of Lopa and Atreya.” He had said. Lopa was extremely pleased by the news. He had become a guardian and a defacto teacher to little Atreya teaching him skills of the forest. It was not very long before the news of Cayamana’s army started to come through. He had crossed the mighty Sindhu and was approaching Parushni, to the north of Harappa. Sudas was preparing for the battle and the assembly sessions at the court was getting intense. Six weeks after the return from the battle on Yamuna, the court was full and it was a closed session. “This will be like no other battle the empire of Bharata has ever seen.” Vasishta announced. He sounded more ominous to a packed assembly. There was a pin drop silence. All the commanders were there along with their captains. There were Rajakas from every corner of the empire – Devasravas from Manusa had stayed with the army and travelled to Ila with us. The commanders from cities like Girinagara and Saraswata had accompanied their rajakas. Sudas looked worried and kept glancing from

side to side. His bandages were off, but the recent flesh wound must still be hurting. He was not sure where this was heading. Would this be the end of the Bharata empire, which had lasted a thousand of years since great Bharat established it? Were all those great sages wrong in making him an emperor before his father? He shook his head to himself. We will come out of this somehow with the grace of God Indra. He thought. Sage Vasishta was still talking. “The time has come for the entire kingdom to unite behind Sudas and fight this evil. Even the Aryans among the followers of Cayamana are not behaving well. They have raided towns and villages. They have killed women and children and carried off thousands of cows. This is not acceptable and should not be allowed to continue. We have to put a stop to Cayamana’s march.” “But, how?” Devasravas asked the sage. “From the information that is coming through, Cayamana has a massive army and we are no match even after all the cities join us.” There was an immediate reaction to this with many people shouting, “death to Cayamana”, “Hail Bharata,” “Hail Sudas.” And there were men standing up punching their fists in their air and shouting, “we should march on Cayamana and stop him now.” “He should not reach our sacred Sarasvati.” Sudas stood up and walked forward on the podium raising his hands at the audience. There was no response, the noise was getting louder and it was turning quite rowdy. Sage Vasishta signalled the bugler. There was a short burst and every one was shocked into silence. “Thank you. I can understand the worries of everyone here, ” Sudas said. “But we are not going to help ourselves by squabbling amongst us.

Our commanders have a plan of action and if we stick to that, there is no reason we cannot defeat the enemy despite its size.” Sudas met all the commanders and sage Vasishta a few times to sort out the logistics and plan of action in the previous couple of weeks. Vasuka of the elephant regiment was all for confrontation east of river Parushni. He did not fancy crossing the river with his heavy elephants. The captain of the advanced scouts had returned one day with information about the troop movements of Cayamana. “The army is vast, your majesty.” The captain had said. “I have never seen anything like it before. We could not see the entire army even standing on a hillock half a mile away. It seemed to stretch forever. They have a large company of foot soldiers, cavalry and chariots. I did not see many elephants among them.” “Where were they when you saw them, captain?” Vasishta asked. “They had just crossed Sindhu. It appears that they lost some of their equipment and soldiers during the crossing. They were camped on the eastern banks of the mighty river and appeared to be waiting for something.” “What is your estimate of the size of the army?” The captain hesitated for a moment before replying. Then he took out a clay tablet from under his cloak and stepped forward, handing it to the sage. “What is this?” The sage asked taking it in his hand and moving towards the light coming through the window to read. “Please pardon our disregard for orders, great sage.” He replied with a tremble in his voice. “I know you had ordered us not to interact with the enemy. But we had an opportunity and made friends with some soldiers.”

Vasishta suddenly stopped and stared at the captain with piercing eyes. The captain probably thought that that was the end of him. He would be burnt to a crisp. “Go on. Tell me what happened in detail.” The captain went on to explain how his team were dressed as fishermen on the river while a small boat carrying the soldiers got into difficulty. The captain had saved the soldiers from a certain death in the fast flowing river. He had taken the soldiers to their camp on the banks and treated their wounds. Their leader had in turn taken them to their camp and got them to meet their commander himself. They had stayed a couple of nights in the enemy camp gathering information about their equipment and strength and weaknesses. They were fascinated by the Matsya and Pani soldiers and their sorcery. The Danavas kept to themselves during the day time and came out mostly at night. They were fierce men, tall, very dark and almost always carried their ‘danda’ – a gnarled oak stick twice as tall as an average man and a satchel across their shoulder full of little sacks and mud pots. They watched the soldiers practice their archery, sword fights and mace duels. They had watched the Generals and rajakas go into a large tent at one end of the camp at night for a meeting after dinner. A chance opening of the door flap on night told them it was the planning tent. That night they had crept into the tent and stolen what looked like an important clay tablet left out to dry. He did not know what it was as he could not read the cuneiform language on the tablet. But he knew it would be something important and had to do with th campaign. They had bolted in the middle of the night before anyone could raise an alarm. Vasishta looked at him for a while, smiled and walked across to the

window again to have abetter look. The tablet was damaged with finger prints across the botton where the captain had held on to it, but it was still readable to a large extent. There was silence as Vasishta read the tablet for himself. He read it twice to make sure he had the the right meaning. The expression on his face was thunderous as he turned to the captain. “What you did was completely wrong, captain. You have disobeyed our orders. You know the punishment for disobeying orders?” Every one could see that the captain was trembling and looked as if he was going to faint. “But, luckily for you, what you have done has given us invaluable information. For that, I thank you. But a crime is a crime and cannot go unpunished. I will get to you later. You may go now.” The captain left looking rather relieved and at the same time disappointed. Turning to the group of commanders and Sudas sitting around the table, he said, “This is a godsend for us. It looks like a letter to Purodasa, the King of Turvasas. The army on the banks of Sindhu is about fifty thousand strong. But, once Purodasa brings in his army along with those expected from Kushasthali, it will swell to nearly seventy thousand. They have lost a fair amount of equipment and men while crossing Sindhu. But that will still leave them with a substantial army. They will start their march once the Turvasa contingent joins them.” There was silence in the room at this announcement. They would have to change the plans that had been made and come up with an entirely new plan. “Genlemen. I think we have beaten this horse enough. It does not matter which way we look at it, there is the same inescapable conclusion. And that

is, we need time. I think Sudas should send an emissary for a negotiated settlement like a true Arya. If that fails, then it would be discussion of the terms of battle.” Turning to Sudas, he continued. “You will have to decide who you are going to send. It has to be someone senior enough and someone who can think on their feet. He has to be a shrewd negotiator.” “Devasravas.” “Sounds like a good choice.” Vasishta said and turning to Devasravas. “It is upto you now, Devasravas, to buy us some time.” Devasravas stood up and bowed his head to sage Vasishta first and to all the men around the table before speaking. “I thank the great sage Vasishta and your majesty, Samrat Sudas and this august group for selecting me for this job. I will do the best I can and I promise not to belittle the faith you have in my ability. It would be an honour to die in the effort to achieve the goal set out by you.” He walked forward to the sage and bending down to touch his feet. “Dheergayushman bhava, Devasravas. May God Indra protect you. I have faith in your abilities and we know you will be successful. Please close your eyes and recite the hymn after me.” The sage closed his eyes, held the palm of his right hand on Devasravas’ head and uttered a hymn under his breath. Devasravas repeated the hymn and stood up with folded hands. “I say we chose a place on the west of Parushni for battle field. Once they cross the river, they would be in reach of our rich farms and villages to loot.” Vasuka voiced what everyone in the room was thinking.

“We will have to have a battle plan with different options. Once we get the armies from Harappa, Sindhu and Saraswatha, we will have more than twenty thousand strong army to face them.” Sudas was on his feet. “I know it does not match the size of the Avestan army. I have been reassured by King Vitahavya, that his army is marching north to meet us as we speak. I am not sure about the size of his army yet.” “You are right, Sudas.” Vasishta replied. “There is no point in waiting meekly within the walls. But with the men we have, it won’t be easy to repel Cayamana’s attack. We’ll stand a far better chance if we take the fight to him in the summer, before he has had time to gather all his forces. Even though we’ll still be outnumbered, we can strike hard and use our knowledge of the lie of the land to our advantage. It is better we plan as much as possible with what we have.” He walked across to the chair in the corner, picked up a rolled up cloth map and spread it over the table for everyone to see. “If, as I believe he will, he advances against us direct after crossing the Sindhu, his swiftest route is along the plains north of Harappa, along this little tributary of Sarasvati.” He traced an almost straight path all the way from Mundigak, west of the mountains, across Sindhu, with the tip of his oak stick he carried around all the time now. “But before he reaches Sarasvati, he will need to cross river Parushni at this point where it is most shallow during summer. He will need to rendezvous with all the other kings and their armies before crossing the river and moving against us in force. This will be our moment to attack.” The men around the table murmured agreement except Sudas, who was looking anxious. “What is it, Sudas?”

“Cayamana is not predictable. That is one of the few things we have learnt about him – to our cost. Please remember that, he and his army has moved around the west of Pariyatra monutains in haphazard fashion, capturing several of the outlying cities and town. We have only recently found out his men slaughtered the men of Roruka. He did not follow any of the conventions of battle like a true Aryan and attacked the cities.” There was angry shouts around the table and a couple of them slammed their fists on the table. No one had completely recovered from the message the spies had brought only the week before. Cayamana’s troops had attacked the cities of Roruka and Suma on the mountains, ransacking, pillaging and slaughtering everyone. It had left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and angered many. “That is why our spies are following his main army. We should not be forced into battle at a site of his choice. But, as soon as we have proof that he is moving towards the western bank of Parushni, we should make our move. I propose that we confront him here.” Vasishta drove the tip of his stick into the map at a place about two weeks ride from Ila where the river narrowed as it passed through low, stony hills. Devasravas left the following day after further instructions from sage Vasishta. They had left Ila before sunrise and had made good time and reached Sutudri three days later. Devasravasa was on his black steed along with a handful of men from the Kaliya regiment. Sudas had insisted Devasravas took Kaathiya and some men from his personal bodyguard regiment. The men were dressed in all black as usual and carrying the golden banner of Bharata along with the white flag of peace. They had ridden hard for two weeks to reach the east bank of Parushni and crossed the river overnight in a ferry. They had camped on top of a little hill overlooking the

river and also the plains beyond it. An excellent vantage point to see anyone coming for miles and at the same time well hidden among the thick and high gorse bushes. They were waiting for the advanced scout to return with the news of Cayamana’s army. The horses were getting restless for standing still in the early morning sun. The sun had risen high in a bight, cloudless sky when Devasravas heard the distant thud of hoofbeats coming from the west. He stretched his neck and squinted at the direction of the sound and, sure enough, in the distance he could see a lone rider coming along a valley. Narrowing his eyes, he tried to identify him and caught the flash of the sword hung low down on the horse. Whoever it was, he was in a hurry. As he watched, the rider disappeared in a cloud of dust as he crossed a dried up dusty floor of the valley. The sound of hoofbeats got stronger and it occurred to him that a lone rider would not be making so much noise. He waited for the dust to settle and put his hand over his forehead to shield against the glare of the sun to take another careful look. There was a gasp from one of the front riders at the same time as Devasravas noticed a long line of riders, maybe few hundred yards behind the lone rider. Narrowing his eyes even further, he tried to count them – perhaps ten, maybe more. It must be the Avestan’s chasing the scout. “Kaathiya, the Avestan troops are chasing our scout.” Devasravas shouted. “By the looks of it, they will catch up with him before he reaches us.” “You are right, Master. We have to help him.” Kaathiya said. “You please stay here.” Hearts pounding, Devasravas watched the men gallop off in a cloud of dust. He watched the men in black overtake the lone rider and head towards the line of riders who were nearly on top of him. The skirmish was fast and

furious. It was difficult to make out what was happening. The scout reached him, completely out of breath and sweating profusely. He jumped off a horse, frothing white at the nostrils and wide eyed. He knelt on one knee and crossed his chest with right hand with a bowed head. “Hail, Master Devasarvas. My apologies for a small discretion. I was doing very well until this morning.” He was out of breath. “Cayamana’s army is only a couple of days’ ride away from here. They have been camped there for a while and appearing to be waiting.” “Thank you.” Devasravas said. “You better rest now.” “There is more news sir. There is another company of men north of here building a dam across the river for the army to cross.” That came as a shock to him. “That is not good news, soldier. We need to get the news to Samrat Sudas and sage Vasishta as quickly as we can.” The two of them waitied in silence and it was not too long before Kaathiya returned, blood stained and covered in dust. “That is twelve soldiers less in the Cayamana’s army.” He said, dusting himself off as he jumped of the horse. Devasravas did not reply immediately. “Come, Kaathiya. It looks worse than we thought. Our scout says that Cayamana is building a dam across the river up north to cross. You better freshen up again if we are to meet him and discuss a truce.” He asked the scout to travel back to meet Sudas’s main army, which was hopefully on the march by now and give them the new information. They came across the Avestan army camp as the soldier had said a couple of days later. Cayamana had camped on the western bank of the river with open

fields all around for as far as one can see. They could spot any riders coming from miles away. The sun was setting as they rode in view of the camp. Devasravas raised his white ensign as soon as he could see the outlines of the camp. They were on top of a gentle slope all the way down to the camp. As the tiny dark outlines grew, the group got quieter and all chitchat stopped. They had never seen anything like what was confronting them ever before. Nothing would prepare one for the power that was displayed in front of them. The camp spread as far as the eyes could see. The not-so small Parushni river and the hill in the background was dwarfed by the sheer size of the army in front of them. There were thousands of hessian tents spread in an apparently haphazard fashion with camp fires belching out dark smoke. Before long, Kaathiya could see a small group of soldiers had started to ride onwards them at full gallop. They had slowed down to a gentle canter by the time the riders caught up. There were six of them riding at full gallop and three of them were with bows loaded and arrows pointing at Devasravas and Kaathiya. Even the black guards were impressed by their skill. Devasravas raised his right hand with palm forwards and raised the white ensign in the left hand even higher as he stopped his horse with his thighs. “Hail Bharata. Hail Samrat Sudas. Hail King Cayamana. Peace be with you, friend.” Devasravas said to the leader of the group. “I am Gangol, captain of the imperial guards for Abhyavartin Cayamana. State your business, please. I remind you that you are in the presence of expert marksmen who can hit the eye of a sambar from a galloping horse.” None of them doubted that for a moment. He spoke in a heavily accented Sanskrit. Neither Devasravas nor Kaathiya could place the accent. “We come in peace, Captain Gangol.

I am Devasravas, Rajaka of

Manusa and an emissary of Samrat Sudas of the mighty empire Bharata. We seek an audience with Abhyavartin Cayamana.” “Let me see some identification. How do I know you are who you say you are?” “You can see my seal of identification and the royal seal of Bharata given to me by his majesty Samrat Sudas.” Devasravas took out the two bronze seals hanging around his neck and gave it to the captain. He took them in his hands and examined it for a long time, turning them over and over several times. It soon became obvious he could not read the seals. Devasravas was trying hard to contain his smile. After what seemed an eternity, the captain gave the seals back to Devasravas. “That looks fine. You follow me now.” He turned his horse around and signalled them to follow. Kaathiya counted at least a hundred two wheeled fast chariots lined up at the periphery of the camp facing out. They could identify some of them by their flags and pennants. Matsyan flags had a large red fish on a purple back ground, Pani’s from Margiana could be recognised by their grey standard with an ochre hand emblazoned on it. Gandhari’s pure white pennants with a cloud and lightning struck across. The biggest and the brightest was that of Cayamana, a blood red standard flying high from a central post and there were a vast number of smaller ones on top of the hessian tents in the middle. From what could be noticed, there was intense activity across the camp despite it being the end of the day. They were taken to one of the larger tents in the centre of the camp with a blood red flag flying from the top. There were two burly soldiers guarding a flap in the front holding tall bronze spears.

“You wait here.” Gangol said and disappeared into the tent briefly, before coming out and beckoning Devasravas. “You can come in now. The others will have to wait outside.” Devasravas jumped off his horse and walked into the tent through the flap. The darkness of the tent blinded him for a minute. There was a small fire burning under a copper cauldron, which did not give out much light. He shut his eyes tight and opened it again to see a group of figures sitting around a long table. The tent was much bigger than the external appearances. “You are welcome to our camp, Rajaka Devasravas. I am Kavi Cayamana. The captain says you have a message from Samrat Sudas.” The man in the middle said. He looked tall, head above the others even while sitting. He had a short beard and no moustache, long flowing hair and piercing blue eyes. “Before we go any further, I believe you have couple of seals for identification?” Devasravas took out the two bronze seals from around his neck and handed them over to Sudas. He took the two seals and went nearer the cauldron where there was better light to read them. Devasravas could see that his hair was really dark red and the gold rings on his ears shone against the light. Returning the seals to Devasravas, he continued. “Thank you. I see you have brought the royal seal. Now tell me what can I do for you?” “Greetings from Samrat Sudas of the mighty Bharata, King Cayamana. Thank you for granting me an audience.” He stopped and looked at the other men sitting around the table and hesitated. “This message is for the king only.”

Cayamana smiled. “You need not worry, Rajaka. They are my friends, and, in fact, kings in their own countries. You can say what ever you have to say freely.” Devsravas pulled out the palm leaf scroll he had under his tunic and passed it over to Cayamana. He again picked it up and took it to the light of the fire to read. He was there for a while this time before returning to the table. He passed the scroll to the man sitting to the right of him saying, “I think all of us should read this document before replying.” Turning to Devasravas, he continued, “please accept our hospitality for the night and we will have an answer by morning.” Devasravas was unsure what to do at this. He was expecting an answer and be on his way back the same night. He did not fancy staying inside the enemy camp over night. Cayamana saw his hesitation and said, “Don’t worry, Rajaka. You are safe here. You will be well looked after. This is a promise of the Abhyavartin.” Devasravas bowed his head and thanked Cayamana and the rest of the group as he withdrew from the tent. He was slightly relieved to see Kaathiya and his men still outside. He walked across to Kaathiya and explained to him what happened. Gangol took them across to the edge of the camp, quite near the edge of the river and said pointing to a hessian tent perched on a huge rock. “There is everything you need in that tent. It is quite safe for you to sleep outside if you wish to. The camp is patrolled throughout the night and the fires are burning all the time to keep the wild animals out. I will get the cooks to send some food for you.” He bowed his head and left. No one said anything for a minute. They

were all still stunned by the enormity of the camp and strength of the enemy. “What did Cayamana say, Master?” “He is not alone. There were at least seven other kings inside the tent I could see. I don’t know how many more have joined him. Now, I know how he has such a huge army,” Devasravas replied. “They will undoubtedly discuss whatever was in the document, sage Vasishta gave me and let us know in the morning.” “Do you think we should go around the camp and get an idea of the real size of the army?” Kaathiya said in a whisper. “I certainly think we should try later when most of them are asleep. But, you do realise, we will be killed if caught?” “I will take two of my best men and look around, Master. I don’t think you should risk. I will say we acted on our own.” “That is not right, Kaathiya. I would not let you risk your life like that.” They managed to slip past the wandering guards in the night and looked around. It took them nearly all night to go around the camp. They did not like what they saw. It was quite a sombre Devasravas, who was sitting in front of Cayamana and the group of kings in the morning. They were sitting under a large oak tree with an oblong table in front. “Good morning Rajaka. We hope you have had a restful night,” Cayamana said as Devasravas sat down. “We have an answer to your message. Unfortunately, the answer is no. We would want Sudas, to withdraw from all the lands he conquered belonging to Ariana and our friends here around the table. He would have to relinquish the title of Samrat. We have detailed the reparations he would have to pay for all these years of occupation of our lands.”

He passed a palm leaf scroll to the guard standing behind him, who came around the table and gave it to Devasravas. It was sealed with a red seal bearing the emblem of Ariana. Devasravas looked at the scroll and tucked it under his tunic. It was not for him to open it. “May I ask what is in the message?” “Yes, you may. We have highlighted the terms of his surrender to the confederate army of Ariana and the ten Kings.” That stunned Devasravas for moment. He had not expected that. He did not know what to say. He stuttered for a minute before he could gather his thoughts to say. “But, Samrat Sudas has made a very good offer and a promise in his message. You know very well we will never surrender. This will just cause a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. Please reconsider. I have word from the most powerful sage on this planet, Sage Vasishta that you will be treated as an equal and Bharata will share its riches with the surrounding country. You will get a share of precious soma whenever you require.” It was an impassioned plea thought out at the spur of the moment. He hoped Vasishta and Sudas would agree to that. “I am sorry to disappoint you. You seem to be a reasonable man. Why don’t you join us and we will make sure, your city of Manusa is spared from destruction?” Devasravas was beginning to get the true aim of Cayamana’s campaign. He had moved away from the Aryan ideals and was prepared to destroy cities. Devasravas pleaded, tried to coerce and cajol Cayamana. Even the threat of unleashing Sage Vasishta’s power on his army did not make any difference. He was not budging. The sun was overhead by the time

Devasravas left the army camp with Kaathiya and his men. He had to somehow, get this message to Sudas and Vasishta as quickly as possible. It happened the second day after they had set off from the camp and waiting to cross the river Parusni. “You look troubled, Devasravas.” It was a disembodied voice of Vasishta. Devasravas was taken aback as did all the horses. They froze in their tracks for a second before neighing violently and bolted in a frenzy. It tool all their skill to get them under control and calm them down. “Sage Vasishta!” Devasravas exclaimed. “I was just wondering how to get a message across to you.” “I know exactly what happened at the army camp, Devasravas. You are right in getting alarmed at the turn of events. Now, listen carefully. Choose two of your fastest horses and best riders among your group to get that scroll across to me as quickly as possible. Arrangements have been made for the riders to get fresh horses along the way at the river crossings. It is vitally important that I see what is in the message.” “I will certainly do that, Sage Vasishta. And thank you.” “Dheergayushman bhava.” There was an unnatural silence after that. Kaathiya and his men were still recovering from the intital shock and were not speaking. “Kaathiya, you heard the sage. Who are your best riders and the fastest two horses?”

Chapter 17: The Battle of Ten Kings . Sudas turned to look at the lines of riders strung out behind him, their brilliant saffron coloured banners proclaiming them all warriors of Bharata. They were riding against an ancient enemy looming ahead as a behemoth. The scroll sent by Cayamana had angered even Vasishta. Sudas had gone into a rage when he read the contents of the scroll brought by the scout asking him to surrender. The wordings of the scroll did not sound as if it came from Cayamana. “I wonder if Vishwamitra has joined them?” Vasishta had mused loudly. “The text in the scroll is that of a sage rather than a king. We should ask Devasravas on his return if there was any sign of Vishwamitra in the camp.” It was only two weeks since the return of Devasravas and his men from a failed negotiation with Cayamana. He had briefed the sage Vasishta and Sudas fully of his meeting with Cayamana. He had not seen any sign of Vishwamitra in the camp and neither did anyone else. Now there was no option but to push towards an allout war if they have to save Bharata. The armourers of Ila had redoubled their efforts and worked night and day, the sound of clashing metal filling the air as they forged sharpedged blades and spears and arrow tips in their furnaces and tempered them on their anvils. The city’s sky was almost constantly covered in black smoke from the furnaces burning round the clock. The air was acrid with dense smoke and we had move around with faces covered in wet cloth to stop inhaling poisonous fumes and eyes burning. The woodsmen had literally stripped the forests around Ila for stout wood for new bows and arrows. Chemists had worked through the night to prepare exploding powders at the

instruction of sage Vasishta. The generals had intensified training of the soldiers. The city and the surrounding plains were always full of soldiers trying out their skills at mace fighting, swords, spears and fine tune their skills with archery. Master Gopayana had recruited more people to help in the hospital to prepare for the war wounded. I was in the jungle almost every day with Parthava collecting herbs, flowers, roots and barks for special salves to combat magic warfare and sulphur burns. I had spent a lot of time in the store checking and rechecking our stock of soma juice and extracts. From Devasravas description we would need an awful lot of soma juice if we were to have any chance of a victory. The generals had agreed to pin Cayamana on the west bank of Parushni at the site they had decided on at first. The river was narrow and shallow at the site. It would be easier for the army to cross in either direction and if they could pin Cayamana own to the west bank, it would give a slight advantage for the Bharata army, which had a higher number of elephants than Cayamana and less of high speed chariots. There was not enough time for the carpenters to produce more chariots. Sudas was counting on the armies of Harappa, Sindhu and Saraswata to catch up with the main army on the river before he had to confront Cayamana. The forward scouts had been very active and the information was coming through daily and sometime twice a day. Cayamana had broken his camp and was on the move almost at the same time as Sudas set off from Ila. The armies of Kushasthali and Turviti had not joined him yet. The last reports had said that his army had grown in size with addition from other kings too and it would grow to nearly seventy thousand once the armies of Purodasa from Turviti and Jayadwaja from Kushasthali join him. The huge army was lumbering along at a slow pace and the latest reports had placed Cayamana not too far from the site chosen by the generals and Vasishta. If they kept their normal

pace, they would reach the narrows of Parushni in two to three weeks. That would give Sudas just enough time to reach the spot and cross the river. Building the dam across Parushni was a worrying prospect and had to be stopped somehow. It looked like Cayamana had the same idea as Vasishta and others had of choosing the spot where the river would be at its shallowest. Sudas’s army being smaller was more mobile and their first hand knowledge of the land was an advantage too. Sudas had left with the largest army the Bharata Empire had ever organised on the auspicious day set by the great sages. Vasishta had sat with the Royal astronomers and worked out the positions of stars, particularly the Saptharshi mandala and at the Orion to choose the most auspicious date. Sages led by Vasishta performed Yajna to propitiate Gods Indra, Agni and Soma as well as the God of War, Varuna on the day. There were special prayers at the temple too. The soldiers themselves had offered prayers to their weapons and animals such as elephants and horses. They have had been fed with choicest morsels from the royal kitchen. The royal cooks had worked overnight to prepare soma juice to the army and the soldiers had been given their rations for the journey. They will get their special allocations on the day of the battle. As Sudas looked back at the army following him as they set off from the western gate of Ila, his heart was full of pride tinged with a hint of sadness. This was the most powerful army in the world, Sudas said to himself. “This is not like before, is it, Upaas?” Lopa said, with tears rolling down her cheeks. “Why do you say that, dear? I have been out on these battles before and I have always come back.”

“This is not the same, Upaas. Just look at the size of this army. Even from the top of the city walls, we cannot see the whole of it. And you have been telling me about the enemy too. Seventy thousand strong! I cannot even begin to imagine that number. I know we have seen some action in the past with magic and sorcery. You are now going against a much larger enemy with unknown powers. You might even be fighting against the most powerful sorcerer that I know of – Magi Budi from Mundigak!” That took me back years to when Magi Budi had helped us in Sumeria to fight the Gutian raiders with his magic. I still had a few of his magic pots in my satchel. I patted the satchel on my shoulder just to reassure myself. Parthava had brought some more with him. “You forget, darling. I will be in the medical core and I will not be involved in any fighting.” I replied. “I was quite safe in my medical camp during the battle on Yamuna, remember?” That seemed to reassure her a little. She sighed before applying the tilak on my forehead with sacred ash from our fire altar. She turned to Parthava and applying the tilak on his forehead said. “Parthava, you have become my brother and protector. Please look after yourself. I want both of you to come back in one piece.” “Don’t worry, Lopa. I will keep an eye on Upaas and bring him back to you if it is the last thing I do.” Just then, the bugle sounded and the kettle drums started their rhythm of march. The great Bharata army was on the move. It was a fascinating sight to watch. Sudas was leading as it was the custom followed by the six commanders of his army. He was on his pure white stallion, resplendent in a white robe and leather cuirasse studded with brass finials, leather guards on

both forearms with gold bracelets, a purple silk band across the forehead and his long red hair tied to the right side. His horse was caparisoned with royal finery with silk brocade and silver tassels. Devasravas rode next to him on his black stallion. The cohort of personal guards of Vicchaya regiment, dressed in black were just behind the six commanders. The forward infantry was led by their captains on feet. Cavalry and the chariots were behind the infantry with elephants bringing up the rear. Right at the back were the supply and support chain along with the medical core. It would be sunset by the time last of the army passed the sacred fire altar where Sudas had set off after getting blessed by the sages. We kept a decent pace all along in a westerly direction passing numerous canals, streams and small rivers before reaching Parushni. Sage Vasishta was right, I thought. This is ‘the land of thousand streams.’ We were crossing several of those almost everyday. We would stop and camp overnight at these streams. I saw Sudas and his commanders gathered around fires at night discussing strategies of war most nights. Messengers would bring news everyday and sometimes twice a day. We reached the east bank of Parushni on the twentieth day after the start of the march. The news coming from the advance scouts was not good. Cayamana was only weeks away from the spot chosen for the battle and where the dam was being built, which was “nearly complete.” We marched north all along the east bank of the river to reach the spot where we would cross to the opposite bank to reach the battle field. I still remember the night when we got our first impression of what we might face. Someone had shouted, “the river is on fire!” We all looked across the river, which was flowing gently at this stage and looked completely innocuous. The opposite bank appeared to be on fire. Parthava and I climbed over a little hill to the right of us to take a better look. It was not quite dark yet. It is one of those in between times between dusk

and evening. The sun was setting behind the hills on the west of the river and the opposite bank was not easy to make out. But, what we saw made me gasp. There appeared to be thousands of fires all along the west bank of the river for far as we could see in either direction. “If that is an indication of the size of their army, we are sunk.” Parthava voiced what I was thinking myself. Another thing that was obvious in the fading light, was the low level of water in the river. The sand bank on either side stretched almost to the midle of the river. “Have you noticed we can see most of the river bed from here?” I said “That can only mean one thing. They have finished building the dam across the river. They must be letting a little of the water through for overflow.” An urgent message came through from the commanders in front. No fires to be lit during the night and no stopping tonight. Rest of the journey was done in silence with an odd nervous chitchat now and then. We reached the chosen crossing point just as the sun was coming up on the eastern horizon. It lit up the river, or what was left of it with a golden glow. It was more of a stream than a river in the middle of a vast sandy bed and huge black rocks interspersed here and there. We could not see the dam the Avestans surely must have completed by then. It must be further up north. The opposite bank past the river bed was covered in thick jungle, huge trees leaning their branches down to the dry sand. I could imagine the tips of the branches floating on water when the river was full. I suspect the chosen battlefield must be elsewhere as we could not see any fields that would act as a battle ground. The west bank of the river here was covered with dense jungle as far as the eyes could see, both north and south. When I looked around, it looked as if the size of the army had shrunk

through the night. The only people I could see were the support convoy of cooks, servants, carpenters and the medical team. Most of the front line forces appear to have disappeared. Parthava and I walked down to the river’s edge, which was quite muddy, to wash our faces in a little lagoon off the centre of the river bed and appeared clean. “Do you realise our army has already crossed the river and moving further north up the west bank of the river? Parthava said as he finished his prayers to the sun God, Surya. “How do you know? I can’t see any of them. They seem to have disappeared.” “If you watch the opposite bank carefully, you can see movement and might even see one of our flags.” He said pointed in the direction of the west bank of the river. I squinted hard to see and suddenly there was a glint and again few more. That was slightly reassuring to say the least. “I think we are supposed to cross the river and catch up with the rest of the army soon. We better get a move on soon.” It was not long before we were on the opposite bank and moving up north along the west bank of Parushni. The river was so shallow that the carts did not have any difficulty navigating through with some coaxing of the bullocks. Once across we moved away from the bank and marched noth. It was late evening the following day before we caught up with the main body of the army. It had camped about quarter of a mile inland away from the bank amidst a thick copse over small hill overlooking the river. We could easily see the river and the banks from vantage points withint the camp. Sage Shunahotra was already at the camp site with a large Harappan army and Vitahavya’s army was entering the camp at the same time as we did.

I did not get to see the field chosen for the battle until the next evening. We spent the day setting up our medical tents and unloading the supplies. The main encampment was a dizzying chaos, a bedlam of motion – the constant fluttering of pennants, laundry on lines, hessian tent walls, the hurrying bodies of thousands and thousands of men. Beyond the dense copse was the river, with its old watermark, several feet higher on the bank. Then the central clearing, with its altar and a makeshift mahavedi for daily yajnas. Parthava and I walked across to have a look at the battlefield. It was a vast grassy field right on the sandy banks of the river with large areas of bare patches everywhere and bordered by giant ashoka trees on the western fringe. Large granite boulders at the northern end appear to block off any escape and the southern end of the field was filled with thorny gorse bushes leading down into a deep ravine, which was probably an earlier course of the river. The confederate army had also reached the spot and camped south of the battlefield, between the ravine and the river. The confederate kings led by Cayamana met up with Sudas, Vitahavya and Sages Vasishta and Shunahotra. There was a surprise waiting for Sudas’s team as they went into the meeting. Sage Vishwamitra was sitting next to Cayamana as they entered the hessian tent. A few rows of chairs were set up in a ragged semicircle inside the tent. At the front of the room sat Cayamana and Vishwamitra flanked by Purodasa and Jayadwaja. The kings came and took their seats one by one. Trained from birth in hierarchy, the lesser kings took the lesser places, leaving the front rows for their more famour peers. Matsyan and Panis showed their non-aryan background by forcing themselves on to the front row, even though they would be classed as ‘lesser kings.’

There was a row of chairs for Sudas and his team facing this semicircle of kings. Sage Vasishta acknowledged the presence of Vishwamitra with, “Greetings, great sage Viashwamitra. I see you are well. We were concerned about you since your absence from Ila.” “There is no need to concern yourself on my behalf, sage Vasishta.” Vishwamitra replied. It was all polite and casual, but one could feel the tension inside the tent which had intensified at the sight of him. “I hope you will be reasonable and bring an end to this madness. I am sure we can find a way of compromise to stop this senseless war.” There was an immediate uproar, mainly from the Matsyans and Panis. “What have we come all this way for, if you intend to talk to them about peace?” Visacin of Matsyans shouted. “I could have stayed at home.” “We are not savages,” Cayamana said. “Perhaps, Sudas will listen to reason.” “But likely not. Why waste time?” It was the Pani king this time. “Because, dear kings of Panis and Matsyans, if war had to be fought after diplomacy, we do not seem so much villains. Which we are not,” Vishwamitra answered this time, looking directly at sage Vasishta. “You are quite right, Vishwamitra. Now what is your counsel to King Cayamana? What would make you turn your army around and go back without slaughtering thousands of men?” Vasishta asked staring at Vishwamitra. “You should give back what is rightfully ours. Cayamana’s ancestor was the eldest son of Yayati and the kingdom of Bharata rightfully belongs to

him. We want you to abdicate and anoint Cayamana the Samrat.” There was a stunned silence at this proclamation on the Sudas’s team. Vasishta recovered first and before an angry Sudas could say anything, said. “That is not quite right, sage Vishwamitra, and you know it. Samrat Yayati gave the Bharata Kingdom to Puru as the rightful heir as the other brothers lost their claim by their actions.” “You always take pleasure in twisting your facts, Vasihsta and you are doing it again. We don’t accept your version of history. Puru cheated his brothers out of their inheritance,” thundered Vishwamitra. This went on for a while before Vasishta giving up with a deep sigh of disappointment. “It looks like you have come prepared for war and nothing else. At least let us conduct the war according to Aryan rules and not slide down to barbarism.” Vasishta said to Cayamana. “One final thing, I do not want chaos. We must have an order in everything and every day of the battle.” Cayamana seemed almost nervous. Well he might be; the kings were prickly, and this was the first distribution of honour, the place in line as it were. If there was a rebellion against his authority, now would be the time. The Aryan kings would not be an issue. He could not say the same things about the Matsyans or the Panis. Even Alinas’ Ganadharis were a bit of a worry. The very thought of it seemed to unsettle him, and his voice grew rougher. This was a frequent fault of his; the more precarious his position the more unsure he became. This was not the Cayamana who had commanded the respect of the ten kings only a few months before at the game of dice in Mundigak. The discussions of rules of the battle went on till late. It was getting dark and the guards were lighting fires when, Vasishta finally said. “It is settled. We begin tomorrow. Bugle at sun up in two days time.”

It was a sad and somewhat dejected group of men who walked back to the camp in the darkness. Next two days were spent with the commanders and Vitahavya discussing strategies with Shunahotra andVasishta. Shunahotra’s experience of the battle with King Vishtaspa in the past was invaluable. It gave an invaluable insight into the battle tactics of the Avestans. The medical camp was hectic with preparations for all kinds of trauma, including magical warfare. Rishika voiced everyone’s opinion when he said on the second day as we sat around the camp fire at dinner, “This is a make or break situation for all of us.” I was up along with Parthava a couple of hours before sunrise to take part in the morning Yajna as we were supposed to. The fire at the agni kunda was blazing with long yellow tongues reaching the sky as if to ask the Gods for help. The sages led by Vasishta and Shunahotra were offering oblations with Sudas sitting as the yajamana and young, Grtsamada officiating. Once the Yajna was finished and Vasishta strood up, Sudas knelt at his feet asking for his blessings. “Dheergayumshman Bhava, Dhigvijayee Bhava, samrat Sudas. Lord Indra will be with you in your battle against the unjust forces and he will make sure justice will be done.” Vasishta said with his right palm on Sudas’s head and leant forward to whisper a hymn in his ears. “You have offered oblations to Lord Agni, Soma and Varuna. You will be protected.” Sudas closed his eyes and repeated the hymn. There was loud thunder despite it being a clear night, getting cleared as the sunrays were peeping over the horizon. Not a cloud in the sky. It sent shivers of fear mixed with excitement in those who were watching and heard the rumble of thunder. Sudas mounted his steed and turned to the troops awaiting. There was an immediate roar from the soldiers.

“Hail Sudas! Hail mother Bharata. Victory to the Samrat.” The roar continued unabated as Sudas marched forward towards the battlefield. As he reached the battlefield, he turned around again to address the troops. There was an immediate silence as the entire army waited to hear him speak. “Hail children of Bharata. Goddess Bharati has been our mother since time immemorial. We have been protected and nurtured by our mother goddess since birth. She is now threatened by evil forces at our borders. The time has come for you to fight for her and protect her. Show her your strengths. Believe in her and we will be victorious in this unjust war. Hail mother Bharati. Hail Bharata Kingdom!!” There was an immediate roar from the crowd and the beating of the spears and swords against the shields started in a slow rhythm reached a crescendo as Sudas turned and marched into the battle field. I recognised the falcon formation, exactly the same as the start of the Parushni war so many years ago. The beak was the infantry led by Shakalya, the head was made up of Vasuka’s elephants, the body was full of archers on the chariots and the wings the fast cavalrymen led by Vairoopa, swooping down from the sides. The information from the spies was that Cayamana’s army would be in the shape of a thick phalanx with two huge columns made up of infantry men backed up by the chariots in the middle and the horses at the edge forming a thin column. Sudas had given his orders to Vairoopa, Shakalya and Vasuka. Sudas and the advanced cavalry along with the forward infantry of Shakalya, galloping fast in a falcon formation, would slam from the flank into the centre of he Avestan line of march and punch through, slaughtering as many Avestans and causing as much chaos as possible, before regrouping and attacking again

from the other side. As soon as they had seen Vairoopa’s cavalry drive through the Avestans, Sudas’s main forces should advance swiftly under the command of Devasravas to attack the front of the avestan column while another detachment under the Haiheya king, Vitahavya, swept round to encircle the Avestan rear. He would be supported by the elephant regiment of Vasuka thundering down on the front line troops. Bhaguri with his rear infantry should hold the small remainder of the troops in reserve. That was the plan thought out and planned in minute detail by the commanders. Vasishta headed towards the low ridge that overlooked the river to get a commanding view of the battlefield. Soon his chestnut horse was at the top and with a few of the invincible Vichaya regiment around him, he looked down on a long, wide column of Avestan riders in a phalanx formation, kicking up clouds of dust along the riverbank, seemingly oblivious to his presence. They were concentrating on the Bharatan army in a Falcon formation in front of them. As, the sun peeked out of the eastern sky, he signalled the bugler. There was a sharp blast from him as a signal to attack. There was a reciprocating blast from the Avestans in response, as agreed during the battle brief. Bharatan army was at a slight advantage in that there was a gentle incline towards the enemy, about one hundred yards away. On hearing the bugle, the Avestan army slowed and turned their horses to face the threat from Shakalya’s advanced guard. They unleashed a shower of hissing arrows, and several of Shakalya’s advance guard crashed to the ground before they could reach the Avestans. Sudas led the charge from the front with the men of Kaaliya regiment behind him along with the Shakalya. The archers on the chariots were accurate and several of Vairoopa’s cavalry went down in the first volley of arrows as they advanced. The rest lead by Vairoopa, who was still blasting through on his horse, unleashing a rain of arrows on the enemy, hutled onwards, hitting the enemy column at full gallop

and slashing around them. He was backed up by the monstrous elephants who put the fear of God into the enemy with their thundering hooves. The Avestan lines seemed to buckle and waver and, Sudas thought, Victory must surely be his. But then they began to enfold Vairoopa’s men rather than to scatter before them. Sudas saw his young standard bearer tumble from his horse in front of him, his head pulped by one blow from a mace. Pulling his horse’s head hard round, Sudas avoided the youth’s body and succeeded in skewering his killer with his spear but then more Avestans were hacking in front of him. Discarding his spear, Sudas fought back with his long sword. The sheer weight and numbers of the Avestan onslaught around him was forcing him away from his bodyguards and he realised he was all but surrounded. He had to find a way of breaking through. Extending his sword in front of him in his right hand and bending low to his horse’s neck, he made for the only gap he could see in the Avestans around him. Moments later, he was in open ground, gasping for breath. Blood was trickling into his right eye from a wound in his temple. Attempting to brush away the blood and with his vision blurred, he tried to make out which way to ride to get back to his main force. After a minute or so his vision began clearing through blood was still oozing from his wound. Hastily, Sudas cut a strip of cloth from his horse’s saddle blanket wit his dagger and tied it around his head. Peering round, he realised that his initial attack had failed and that his terrified horse had carried him off at a tangent into a no man’s land between the Avestans and his own cavalry. Kicking his horse, he galloped quickly back towards his own lines, expecting any moment to feel the bite of an arrow or a spear. It did not come. Vasishta could see what was happening to the cavalry and Sudas. He was

getting worried now. There was no time to discuss fresh tactics with his commanders. He turned his horse towards Bhaguri with his reserve forces. The Avestans had broken through the Falcon formation. The forward infantry was in disarray and the elephants had not been as effective as he thought they would be. Shakalya was badly injured and he was taken away by the medics to the medical camp in the rear. Vasishta wanted to stop the forward attack from Devasravas before it was too late. He barked orders to the runner standing behind him. “You have to stop Devasravas. We will pull back and reform the attack. Run, quickly.” As the runner dashed off, he suddenly remembered Vitahavya. He has to send a message to him somehow. His army will be slaughtered if he attacks the rear as there has not been even a dent in the spearhead formation of the Avestans. He turned to the captian of his body guards. But before he could speak, the captain said, “I know, your majesty. We have to stop King Vitahavya at the rear. Leave it with me. I know a way through the northern end. There is a way through those rocks for a single horse to gallop.” Vasishta nodded his head gratefully. “Go with the wind, Captain. May God Indra protect you.” The battle raged on through the day until finally, trumpet was blown to call the end of the day as the sun started to go down the western sky. The Bharatan men were glad to hear the trumpet and dragged their weary bodies back into the camp, with the injured making their way back to the medical tents. A good day, our commanders said, clapping each other on the back. An auspicious beginning. Tomorrow we will do it again.

The first casualties started to arrive well before the sun was at the top. We were exhausted by the time we finished and bed down for the night. Next day, Parthava took the place of Shakalya to lead the men into the battlefield. I helped him arm. A leather cuirasse and a bronze breastplate for protection, a quiver of arrows over the shoulder and his favourite sword in the scabbard at his waist. The men were waiting, jostling each other with excitement. Together they began the long trip down to the beach to face the enormous, massing army. They could hear the army, before they saw it, clattering weapons, blowing horns. Then the beach unfolded in front, and revealed a bristling sea of men laid out in neat squares. Each was marked with a pennant that declared its king. Parthava counted ten squares in all. The pennants blowing in the wind were colourful and yet ominous. Parthava’s men marched forward and arrayed themselves, Sudas again in front, then a line of Vichaya men to either side of him. Behind them rank upon gleaming rank of proud Bharatans. Before them was the wide flat plain field, gently sloping down towards the banks. At the southern end a roiling morass was ranged up against them, a blur of dark heads and polished shields that caught the early morning sun and flashed. The Bharatan army was in a double wedge formation, with Vitahavya leading the second wedge. As they waited nervously for the bugle to blow, the sun peeped out above the tree lines on the east. In a clanking, clattering mass, the double wedge lurched into a run. A dead run charge that met the enemy in the middle. The idea was that with enough momentum you could shatter their ranks all at once and hopefully break through their neat little squares. The lines went quickly ragged as some outstripped others in their speed, glory-hungry, eager to be the first to kill a a real Avestan. As they ran, breath came quickly and the ground shook

with the pounding of feet, a rumbling roar growing louder. The dust kicked up by the charge was almost blinding. The front lines collided in an explosion of sound, a burst of spraying splinters and bronze and blood. Suddenly there was an explosion and a blinding flash. And another and more. It was the Matsyans and their sorcery. Their catapults were slinging little mud pots which exploded on impact causing chaos. A writhing mass of men and screams, sucking up rank after rank. Parthava could see the mouths of men moving, but could not hear them. It was as if the explosions had swallowed up sound. As he jerked around, looking for his men but saw nothing but a jumble of bodies. The ground was strewn with bodies and its of armour, with spear shafts and chariot wheels. Sudas fought valiantly. It seemed as if he was everywhere. He was blood-splattered and breathless, his face flushed, his spear red up to the grip. He was the only thing on the battlefield that did not pitch feverishly, like a deck of a ship. It was as if he was invincible and nothing could touch him. There was an invisible shield around him and no one could penetrate it. Vitahavya led the second wedge into the Avestan lines like a bull, shattering their squares. He had soon exhausted his spears and arrows. He had lost his sword in a burly Avestan soldier’s chest and was using his shield like a club, smashing it into faces and bodies. Men were being slaughtered all around him. Dusk came at last and released the men, limping and exhausted, back to the camp, dragging the wounded and dead. I knelt by the soldier who had just been brought in. His chest had been transfixed by a spear. I saw that he was still alive, wheezing at me in beseeching terror. The soldier clutched at me, his blood pouring over my hands. He was bleeding from another wound on his chest. The wound was

too deep. There was nothing I could do. I stuffed a pad of sea weed soaked in honey into the wound. He held on to my arms as put pressure on the wound with gratitude. A dull relief when the light faded from his eyes at last. I closed them with gritty, blood soaked fingers and said a prayer. We felt that the entire army was injured. We started to run out of honey dressings and started applying simple dressings and splints. The scene was repeated again the next day and the day after and it dragged on for ten days. By the ninth day, we had run out of all types of dressings and we started to tear down hessian tents to use for bandages. There were intense meetings , which went well into the night with commanders sitting around a fire discussing the days events and planning the next day’s tactics. Vasishta had ordered increase of soma rations in the hope of combating the magical warfare of the Matsyans and the Panis. Sudas was getting increasingly worried by the ninth night. He looked at the men sitting around him. The heads were down and despair was written on everyone’s face. “We are down to less than half of our strength,” Sage Shunahotra said. “Unless we come up with a different strategy, this war will soon be over.” “We have tried several formations and the Avestans seem to know our tactics before we even get to the battlefield. We are also vastly outnumbered, even more so than before,” Sudas replied. “Sage Shunahotra, you have fought and won a war against these Avestans. Do you have any suggestions to make?” “We were not as outnumbered as we are today, Samrat Sudas. And we did not have to fight Vishwamitra,” Shunahotra said. “I think it is time to seek divine help from God Indra.” “I think you are right, Shunahotra.” Vasishta agreed. “It is time we

asked God Indra for help.” The tenth day of the war began with increased rations of Soma to everyone. The captains had gone around the ranks, trying to boost the morale and promising victory despite rapidly diminishing odds. The commanders had decided to use the lotus formation as a do or die strategy. The bulb of the lotus made up of Vasuka’s elephants surrounded by chariots and the cavalry forming the petals. The idea, if it worked, would be very effective both as a blunt instrument bludgeoning the enemy, but also as effective as a defensive strategy. Meanwhile, I saw Vasishta disappear on his own towards the river bank, north of the battle field. He sat down under the huge Ashoka tree with its bows leaning low down into the now dry sandy river bed. He closed his eyes and started reciting hymns invoking God Indra. It was not long before he opened his eyes to see the figure of Indra, in his milky white robes standing in front of him. “Why have you called me, sage Vasishta?” “You have not kept your word.” “What do you mean?” “You promised that you would be with Sudas in his battles. I see no sign of your presence in this unjust war yet.” Indra smiled and was about to respond, when the voice of Vishwamitra intervened. “You are right for once, Vasishta. This is an unjust war. Sudas has no right to fight Cayamana. He should have abdicated and put Cayamana on the throne of Bharata.”

“Vishwamitra!” Vasishta exclaimed. history of Yayati and his children.”

“You have misinterpreted the

“Vasishta is right, Vishwamitra,” Indra replied, still with a smile on his face. “Puru won his place by rights and his selfless sacrifice. Yayati was right to place him on the throne of Bharata, despite being the youngest son. But he did not ignore his other sons either. All of them, including your Caymana’s ancestor, got their kingdoms.” Vishwamitra’s face clouded as he heard this and cheeks red and puffed up, he thundered. “Indra, you don’t realise who you are antagonising. You have not seen my power. I don’t need you. Cayamana does not need you. You watch, I will get Cayamana on the throne of Bharata. I will create my own world.” He stormed off towards the Avestan camp. Indra sighed. “Sudas has done everything an Aryan king would do. There is no reason to fear, Vasishta. He will be victorious.” Before Vasishta could say anything, he was gone. Meanwhile, the battle raged on at the river bank. The Bharatans were fighting with renewed vigour with their captains pushing them hard. Cajoling, encouraging and often threatening. The lotus formation had dissipated a long time ago. There was a melee of soldiers, horses, elephants and chariots. By the time sun was at the zenith, the battlefield was soaked in blood and sweat with broken bodies and spears and chariot wheels. It was difficult to see who was winning. Parthava had finally decided to use Budi’s pots and tinc satchels to good effect. The explosions and blinding flashes caused by them had thrown the Avestan army into some sort of disarray. But it was not long before he ran out of the pots and the Avestan kings regrouped

their soldiers and were attacking again. Sword raised, Sudas turned his sweat soaked stallion to face the Avestans, who had, in fact, slowed and were now advancing at a canter. In their centre, between two tall blood red standards, he made out a rider who could only be Cayamana. He was too far away for Sudas to see his features but there was something in his arrogant bearing, his stillness, that drew the eye, just as it had all those months ago. As Sudas watched, Cayamana slowly raised his left hand as if in salutation and the war-cry of his warriors rose with it – a sound to chill the blood. Bharatans yelled their own defiance, but they had barely filled their lungs when, with a wave of his sword, Cayamana signalled the attack and the thunder of Avestan hoofs drowned all other sounds as they accelerated into a gallop. Around him, Bharatans struggled to hold their horses in check with one hand while with other they held up their shields against the volleys of arrows falling from the skies. Bharatan archers were firing back and many of their missiles were finding their mark, but the dark, fast approaching wave of Avestans did not falter even when the riders slipped from the saddle to be crushed beneath the hoofs of those galloping behind. The Avestans were close enough now. ‘For Bharata!’ Sudas yelled, and charged, followed by his men. Secconds later, the two lines crashed into each other. The shouts amd screams of men and the whinnying of horses mingled with the clash of metal. It was hard, in fact impossible in the melee of battle to tell what was happening, but it seemed to Sudas as he cut and slashed that his men were gaining ground. Energy flowed through him as he lunged at a tall cuirasse covered Avestan. They easily outnumbered Bharatans, but all round they seemed to be giving ground. Sudas wanted to see what was happening and broke away from the melee

towards a scrub covered hillock at the edge. It was a good vantage point and he looked down on the battle. A pattern began to emerge from among the wheeling, fighting riders. Suddenly everything was obvious, and Sudas swore in anguish. He knew what the Avestans were about. It was the ancient Avestan tactic, used so effectively by the Abhyavartin Cayamana in his heyday. He had read about it but never witnessed it till now. As they seemed to part before the onslaught of Sudas’s men, Cayamana’s troops were in fact forming into two units, one on the right, one on the left. In a moment they would sweep round to curb off Bharatans right and left wings, leaving the centre of his lines isolated and unprotected. The Avestans would then detach from the two units to encircle and smash the centre. Afterwards they would rejoin their comrades to share in the destruction of Bharatans left and right wings. The men under Devasravas and Vitahavya would be funnelled towards the river and trapped on its steep, sandy banks while, Parthava’s men would be completely surrounded unless they could break out quickly. It looked as if all was lost. There was nothing Sudas could do to stop the annihilation of his army. It was heartbreaking to watch his men being slaughtered in front of his eyes and the rest being pushed into the river. He pushed his horse down to the ranks closely followed by his bodyguards, who were about half their number by now. If his army was going to go down, he wanted to be with them. With the sword raised in his right hand and yelling, “Hail Bharata! Hail Indra!” He crashed into the Avestan ranks head on, slashing and cutting, using the shield in his left hand as bludgeon at the same time to good effect. The onslaught of Avestans was relentless. Sudas found himself next to Parthava and Vairoopa being pushed back ever so close to the centre of the

river bed, almost into the river. They turned their horses around to face the Avestans as Vitahavya also joined them. He could see Cayamana pushing forward through the ranks along with Purodasa, Jayadwaja and Kavasa with the other kings bringing up the rear. They had sensed victory and instead of asking for surrender of Bharatans, they appeared to increase their attack. It looked as if they wanted to annihilate the entire Baharatan army. Parthava was shocked at these tactics. He had never seen anything like it before, even when fighting the Dasyus and Danavas. “This is not right, your majesty,” Parthava said. “Why are they not stopping? This is completely unaryan. They know we are cornered and outnumbered.” “It looks like they have taken leave of their senses and chosen to be barbaric.” Sudas wiped the blood off his sword on the horse blanket. They had no option but to cross the river to the east bank. The river was now almost dry with hardly any water in it. “We might as well put the river between us and them.” They climbed the steep eastern bank on to dry land and turned around to see if the Avestans would follow. To their shock, the Avestans were waving their swords and spears and wading across the water. They waited in silence. Parthava noticed that everything had gone very still. There was no sound despite thousands of soldiers on the field jostling around in the river. Even the wind had stopped and it looked as if the river had receded even further into the middle. That is when they heard it. It started as a low rumble. Like a distant thunder. Instinctively, , everyone looked up at the sky. It was clear blue, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Sudas and Parthava looked at each other, puzzled. The rumble became louder and soon became a rolling thunder. The animals felt it first. The

horses became restless and started to whinny and swaying back nearly unseating their riders. The elephants started to trumpet loudly in fear. The ground started to shake at first and felt as if it was moving like a carpet. Someone at the far end of the field shouted, “Oh my God! Water!” It still did not dawn on anyone what was happening. Avestans must have heard it too. They stopped in the middle of the river, with swords and spears still raised above their heads. But they did not have any time to think or react. Water came cascading down the river along with huge boulders, trees and mud. It swept the Avestans down and the bodies of soldiers and horses rolled down along with the debris. Some of them tried to scramble back towards the west bank. The current was too strong. Within minutes, it looked as if the entire Avestan army was under water. We could see Cayamana along with Kavasa had managed to scramble back to safety. There were only a handful of Avestans still standing up on the other bank. Rest of the huge army had been flushed down with the boulders and mud from the broken dam they had built upstream. What happened next was beyond belief. Cayamana was clambering on to a boat that had broken its moores and had beached itself on the west bank. We could see him ordering the soldiers to push the boat into the river. They were going to attack us with a handful of soldiers left over from the flood. “What do we do now?” Parthava asked Sudas. “We will ask them to surrender,” Sudas said. “That is the only Aryan way.” That was not going to happen. As the boats got underway, Cayamana and

his left over ramshackly army lined up on the boat and started to fire across. Most of them fell harmlessly in the water as they were too far away. “That man is desperate to kill himself,” Vairoopa voiced what everyone was thinking. The firing was incessant and soon they started to be effective as the boats crossed the middle of the river. Vairoopa turned to his archers and said, “Wait until they are closer. Hopefully, they might run out of arrows.” But one of the arrows hit its mark and downed one of the Bharatan soldiers. Just as Vairoopa was about to order an attack, two arrows hit him on his chest and he was killed instantly. Sudas looked in horror as Vairoopa fell off his horse with two arrows buried in his chest. “Attack!” Sudas yelled and kneed his horse forward towards the fast flowing rivers edge lifting his bow to fire at the same time. He pulled his horse up at the edge and took aim at Cayamana on a boat which was heaving up and down. He ignored the arrows that were raining around him and fired several arrows at Caymana who was closing in rapidly. He let out a loud yell when he saw his arrows find their mark and Cayamana toppled over board into the raging torrent. He rolled over as if in slow motion into the river and did not come back up. There was a stunned silence among the onlookers. As we watched a strong current seemed to catch the boat and the boat rolled away downstream. “What a sad end to what could have been.” Sage Vasishta was standing next to Sudas. Sudas looked at him and nodded meekly. “It is a lesson for all of us. A man should learn to respect his limitations and live accordingly. We should know our boundaries and should not breach

them. I am sure Sage Jamadagni would have told him that while he was with him all those years ago.” The waters receded as quickly as they had risen exposing the pitiful remnants of the once great Avestan army. The exposed beach was littered with broken bodies of men, horses, elephants and chariots. A blood stained red standard of Cayamana was lying limp, still clutched by the standard bearer of Cayamana. The waters of the river looked blood red in the setting sun, and dark thunder clouds were gathering overhead.

The End

Dramatis Personae and Places: Sudas Vasishta Bharadwaja, Kadraveya, Shunahotra Sudevi, Devasravas Upaas, Lopa, Parthava, Budi, Shushun Vitahavya, Haijana, Daivasa Vairoopa – Cavalry Shakalya – Forward infantry Vasuka – Elephant regiment Nainruthi – Engineers Bhaguri – Rear infantry Shoki – Vicchaya division

Cayamana Vishwamitra Jamadagni, Bhrighu Turvasas – Purodass Druhyu Anu (Cayamana) Pakhthas Balanas Matsya Alinas – Gandharis Panis Yadus – Jayadwaja Sakhtha Kustanis – female soldiers Angarparna Ishvant

Places: Ilaspada – Kalibangan Harappa - Harappa Sindhu – Mohenjodaro Manusa – Manusa Mahishmati – Maheshwar

Parushni – River Ravi Sutudri – River Sutlej Sarasvati – River Gagra-Hakra Drishadvati – River Chautang

Glossary: Abhiyantha Adhvadipa Agni Kunda Alinas

Chief architect , Hariyupia Commander of the Army, Hariyupia Sacrificial fire altar Gandhari Yaksha guarding Lake Sharyanavat

Amra

Mango

Arani

Flint

Ariana

Avestan country

Ashwagandha

Fragrant plant

Aswattha

Peepal tree

Aswin

God of Medicine

Avisthu

Lopa's father

Awan

King of Elaam

Balasurya

Lapis lazuli

Bharata

India

Bhattora

Dasyu merchant

Bhrighu

One of the Spatharshis Seven Sages

Dakshinayana Gandhaka

Sulphur

Ghee

Clarified butter

Great Hall

Council Chambers

Grtsamada

Sage Shunahotra's son

Gurukul

School

Haltamti

Elaam - present day Ira n

H ao zdar

Border town in Afghanistan /Capital of Sistan

Feet

Foot

Isvant

Leader of Sistan council

Kadira

Arecanut tree

Kaksha

Dholavira

Kamandalu

A water carrier made from gourd

Kantalika

Belladonna

Keingir

Sumer

Kavudi tree

Cork tree

King Awan

Emperor of Elaam

Kodhandaki

Master of Temple, Harappa

Lopa

Avisthu's daughter from Saraswatha

Mahavedi

The stage for Yajna

Manusa

present day Manusa

Mastaba

Egypt

Master

Ashwin

Master of Medcine, Harappa

Matriya

Renegade Magus from Sistan

Medhatithi

Rigvedic mathematician

Meluhha

Sumerian name for Bharata

Meluhhan

Citizens of Bharata in Avestan

Mundigak

Capital of Ariana - present day south of Kabul

Narang

Orange in Sanskrit

Neem

Medicinal plant

Nivya

Upaas's sister

Pariyatra

Hindukush mountains

Roruka

Nausharo

Pindara

Cowherd

Pradiipaka

Council light man

Prana

Internal Energy

Prushtya line

East-west axis

Pushkarni

Temple pond

Ramontchi

Indian plum tree

River Asikni

River Chenab

River Parushni

River Ravi

River Sindhu

River Indus

River Vipas

River Beas

River Vitasta

River Jhelum

Roruka

Nausharo

Saptharshi

The seven sages in Scriptures

Saraswata

Lothal

Satakratu

Upaas's younger brother

Shamash

Sumerian Oil merchant

Sharyanavat

Lake where Soma plant

Shukra

Planet Venus

Sindhu

Mohenjodaro

Sistan Sudra Suvastu valley

Province of eastern Iran and southrn Afghanistan Mehrgarh Swat valley

Tulsi

Basil

Udumbura

Fig tree

Varshagira

Shortugai

Vaksu

River Amu Darya

Vata

Banyan tree

Vedas

Ancient Hindu Scriptures

Vidhaayaka

Upas's elder brother

Vratra

Avestan God

Yajurveda

One of the four Vedic scriptures

Yojana

Distance travelled by a cart in one day

Soma/Haoma

Sacred plant of Harappan s and Avestans

Keingir – Sumer Mastaba – Egypt Shukra – Planet Venus Dakshinayana – Summer solstice Gandhara – Bacriana Vaksu – River Amu Darya Varsagira – Shortugai Sudra – Megragarh Roruka - Nausharo

Further Reading : 1. Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization by Dr David Frawley. Passage Press, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2. In Search of the Cradle of Civilization by Georg Feuerstein, Subash Kak, David Frawley. 3. The Penguin History of Early India from the origins to AD1300. By Romila Thapar. Penguin India. 4. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City by Gwendolyn Leick. Penguin UK. 5. Ancient India. By R C Majumdar, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Ltd. 6. Modern English Translation of Rigveda Samhita by Prasanna Chandra Gautam.

7. Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India by David Frawley. 8. The History and Culture of the Indian People;The Vedic Age edited by R C Majumdar. Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 9. Underworld: The Flooded Kingdoms of the Ice Age by Graham Hancock 10.

www.ajaonline.org

11.

www.ancientindia.co.uk

12.

www.archaeologyonline.net

13.

www.asi.nic.in

14.

www.harappa.com

15.

www.indiahistoryonline.com