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.
 0.
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 half-
moon 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? What
happened to king Vitahavya of Mahishmati?
“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.” He kept spluttering and
gasping as he spoke.
“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. But not
Vishwamitra. He was unrelenting when he bellowed,

“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. “God is
everywhere and in everyone.”
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 battle-
wounds1 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. I will speak to my Master about the decision

tomorrow.”
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 Shu-
Ilishu’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. I will do whatever is necessary to make Sudas
victorious.”
“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. Don’t expect your enemies to be as
generous or as foolish as I was.”
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? Please come over to the
window where there is better light.”
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 bare-
chested 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. The king was getting
increasingly worried.”
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. Matsya
5. Balanas
6. Alinas
7. Gandharis
8. Anu
9. 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. He looked at Sumitra who nodded his head
imperceptibly.
“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 Ur-
Nanshe 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. The cold breeze felt colder than
ever before.
“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 sharp-
edged 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. “You have misinterpreted the
history of Yayati and his children.”

“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 Chief architect , Hariyupia

Commander of the Army,
Adhvadipa Hariyupia
Agni Kunda Sacrificial fire altar
Gandhari Yaksha guarding
Alinas 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
One of the Spatharshis -
Bhrighu 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
Border town in Afghanistan
H ao zdar /Capital of Sistan
Feet Foot
Isvant Leader of Sistan council
Kadira Arecanut tree
Kaksha Dholavira
A water carrier made from
Kamandalu gourd
Kantalika Belladonna
Keingir Sumer
Kavudi tree Cork tree
King Awan Emperor of Elaam
Kodhandaki Master of Temple, Harappa
Avisthu's daughter from
Lopa 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
Citizens of Bharata in
Meluhhan Avestan
Capital of Ariana - present
Mundigak 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
Province of eastern Iran and
Sistan southrn Afghanistan
Sudra Mehrgarh
Suvastu
valley 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
One of the four Vedic
Yajurveda scriptures
Distance travelled by a cart
Yojana in one day
Sacred plant of Harappan s
Soma/Haoma 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