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At Brice Mack’s gentle proddings, the maharishi picked his way through the complex web of the Hindu faith, telling of the origin of the word ‘Hindu’ itself, in the sixth century bc, as it was applied by invading Persians to the Sanskrit-speaking people living by the Indus River.

In a flutelike voice, he sang of the sacred writings, or Vedas, composed well before the first millennium bc, and of the catalogue of magical yajnas, sacrificial formulas, mantras, and rituals that the Vedic religion embodied, and of the many schools, sects, and religions that had developed through the centuries: Sankhya, Yoga, Vedanta, Vaishnavas, Shaivas, Shak-tas, all of which were preached and practised under the separate canopies of Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, which in turn took their impetus from the original Vedic, changing and refining the basic precepts into a multiplicity of separate doctrines : Karma, avatar, samsara, dharma, trimurti, bhakti, maya.

For more than an hour, what people were in the courtroom seemed mesmerized by the singsong voice and the strange-sounding words, as the maharishi particularized the many: gradations of beliefs, emphasizing the eclectic nature of the faith, which adhered to no particular belief, nor worshipped any particular prophet or God, such as the Christians’ Jesus or Islam’s Muhammad, but found expression in the worship of animals, ancestors, spirits, sages, and the entire world of nature. A religion as variable as the people who practised it, yet with certain constants: the belief in holy pilgrimages, in bathing in sacred rivers, in the veneration of sages and gurus, and, above all, the belief in the reality of reincarnation.

Which was the cue Brice Mack had been waiting for, since the expression on Scott Velie’s face presaged an objection about to erupt on several valid grounds.

‘About reincarnation,’ the young attorney quickly interposed, veering the maharishi towards the relevant issue in the case. ‘You speak of it as a reality, as a functioning doctrine believed in and subscribed to by millions of your countrymen. Can you elaborate for the jury on the precise manifestation of reincarnation?’

The impudence of the question brought a smile to the elderly man’s lips. From the casual tone of the young man, he might have been asking him to interpret the mechanics of a harvest combine instead of an eternal mystery vouchsafed to but a handful of saints. And yet, reasoned Pradesh to himself, he was in America, where machinery ruled, where the wonders of science were worshipped above faith, and only that which was explainable was viewed without suspicion and accepted as reality.

Delivering a primer on the dwelling place of the soul between its incarnations and the inner workings of the astral cosmos to an alien audience was tantamount to explaining the principles of atomic energy to a Bushman.

Turning to the oddly mixed faces of the twelve men and women sitting in the jury box, all of whom seemed to be observing him with varying degrees of doubt and scepticism, the elderly man began his discourse on the world between and beyond incarnations in a manner so childlike as to preclude misunderstanding by all but the densest of intelligences.

‘The astral world,’ he began, ‘contains many planes, many levels, many spheres to receive souls’ as they pass out of the body at death. There are many astral planes teeming with astral beings who have come from the earth life to dwell in these different mansions in accordance with Karmic qualifications. By this I mean the soul of a gross person whose Karmic qualifications are of a low order dwells on a lower plane than those souls of more enriched substance. The gross person, whose main drives in the earth life were of a fleshly and material tendency, will reincarnate very shortly after death since there is little for such a soul to meditate over, as all its attractions and needs are of a material kind. These souls soon find their way back, for there is always a sufficient supply of new bodies among parents of like natures, which offer ideal opportunities in which to reincarnate.’

As Gupta Pradesh continued to outline the rules and conditions of ‘life’ in the astral world, Brice Mack’s eyes flicked towards the jury for a quick assessment of their reactions and was happy to see more than half of them sitting in rapt attention, listening with keen interest. The maharishi’s voice held a bell-like clarity as he joyously told of how souls occupying a higher plane were able to look down on the planes below them and how they were also able to visit friends and relatives on the lower planes, but that those living on the lower planes were unable to return the compliment as they could neither see nor hear the souls on a higher plane.

‘As the earthbound needs of the material life decrease, so do the periods of spiritual existence between incarnations grow longer, some elevated and highly refined souls remaining in their state of rest for twenty thousand years or even more and returning to the earth life only when the need of their specialized services to enrich and improve the world is required. These are the leaders, the great philosophers, the great teachers, the great statesmen, men such as Abraham Lincoln, Luther Burbank, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, men whose Karmic qualifications have approached the pinnacle of perfection and whose spiritual development has brought them to the very threshold of that state of bliss in the presence of the Divine One which is Nirvana, the place of final rest in the loftiest of spiritual realms.’

Brice Mack’s wandering eyes caught Juror Seven, Graser, yawning and Potash grinning like a loon. He’d had a feeling that Potash would be trouble and could kick himself for not having used a peremptory on him when he had the chance.

‘But these perfect souls are few in number. The majority of souls occupy various lower levels of the astral world in which they wait and work and, through meditation, seek to clothe themselves in the higher spiritual garments and so achieve promotion from a lower to a higher plane. When a soul wishes to return to earth life, it allows itself to seek a rebirth, foraging about for the proper parents and circumstances in which to be reborn. Quite often, a returning soul may be accompanied by another soul, as, for example, the soul of a loved one, each selecting to be incarnated at the same time so as to enjoy a continuance of relationship on earth. None of the past, however, is remembered, and the new earth life manifests its own demands and conditions, sweeping the awakening child into the dizzying whirl of its own pace.’

Gupta Pradesh suddenly paused and remained caught in a torpor of contemplation, his glazed eyes reflecting the vacuity of a man who has temporarily lost his way. A ripple of restlessness coursed throughout the courtroom. When, after a full minute of silence, he had still not picked up the thread of his discourse, Brice Mack gently prodded, ‘Is there anything more you wish to add, sir?’

The question penetrated the empty look and brought the return of awareness.

‘Just this,’ the maharishi pronounced in a breathless, hushed tone and with a countenance suddenly revitalized. ‘A message from beyond. The journey is far. Progression is eternal. The end is good. There is nothing to fear. The power that rules on earth rules in the astral cosmos. And all is governed by law! All are blessed and watched over and protected, even to the final atom in the scale of being.’

A supernal glow of inner faith shone forth from the maharishi’s eyes and impinged upon Elliot Hoover, who sat mesmerized, a beatific smile on a face that radiated understanding, acceptance, and eternal gratitude. Neither tacit nor secret, but openly expressed, the communication between the two men did not puss the attention of the court. The jurors’ eyes, Brice Mack noted, shifted back and forth between the witness stand and the defence table as though covering the progress of a tennis match. Judge Langley’s crotchety face, hanging over the bench, wore an expression of perplexed irritation as a further spate of silence ensued, which finally provoked the nettled jurist caustically to demand of the defence attorney, ‘Any further questions of this witness, Mr Mack?’

There were plenty of questions he desperately wanted to ask, basic, bedrock questions that would pull the maharishi off his lofty astral plane and bring him down to earth, but Hoover’s strict admonition prevented him from doing so. With a small, pathetic sigh and shake of the head, the defence attorney turned from the witness and addressed the bench.

‘No, Your Honour, no further questions.’

The judge raised his eyes towards the prosecutor, who had already risen from his seat.

‘Mr Velie?’

‘Yes, Your Honour, we have several questions we wish to ask the learned gentleman.’

The maharishi, assured of the veneration that his followers accorded him, preserved a mien of gentle acceptance and tranquillity even in the face of this gross and callous man lumbering towards him, his teeth partially exposed in a twisted smile that bespoke a heart of stone and a mind filled with harmful intentions.

‘This astral world, or cosmos, that you speak of - is it simply a metaphysical symbol, like heaven and hell, or is it an actual place?’

‘It exists,’ replied the maharishi in a kindly and temperate voice.

‘Have you ever been there? Seen it?’

‘Many times throughout eternity.’ The maharishi smiled. ‘As have you.’

‘Well, I’m somewhat foggy on the physical details of the place; perhaps you can refresh my memory a bit.’

The pale and limpid waters of the sage’s eyes became like granite as Scott Velie continued.

‘For example, this astral cosmos, teeming with astral beings, can you tell the jury what it looks like?’

‘Looks like?’

‘Yes. Is it like a big park with trees and shrubs and rocks, or is it rather like a desert, say, a barren wasteland, with no signs of vegetation?’

Gupta Pradesh moistened his lips with his tongue.

‘The astral universe cannot be described in the same way one describes the material cosmos. The astral universe consists of subtler hues of light and colour and numberless vibrations. In the astral world, all is beauty, purity, and perfection.’

‘Hmm.’ Scott Velie took a few seconds to consider the maharishi’s words. ‘What you’re saying is, it’s no place like home?’

The quip brought a response of laughter from jurors and reporters alike and a smile to Judge Langley’s face. Bill saw Brice Mack rise to object and Elliot Hoover’s hand stop him from doing so.

The maharishi seemed impervious to the prosecutor’s cynicism and calmly replied, ‘It is certainly not a home as we know it on earth; however, to the beings who dwell on the various levels of the astral universe, it is a home of infinite and shining beauty.’

‘Oh, yes - can you tell us about these beings who dwell there? Do they continue to take a human form, or are they just… uh … you know, smoke and blobs?’

‘Astral beings may manifest any forms they so desire, human, animal, even floral. There are no restrictions or limitations.’

A mischievous grin appeared on Velie’s face.

‘Really?’ His voice struggled to subdue laughter. ‘You don’t say! You mean I could transform myself into a rose or a daisy if I wanted to?’

‘Or, even more easily, a pig.’

The maharishi’s equanimity was supreme. Potash guffawed aloud, as did Carbone and Fitzgerald. Judge Langley, wreathed in smiles, banged his gavel halfheartedly as Velie, obviously chagrined, took the time to walk to bis table and consult his notes.

‘By the way,’ Velie asked in an offhanded manner, ‘are you aware of the defendant’s belief that the victim in this case, the child, Ivy Templeton, is the reincarnation of his daughter, Audrey Rose?’

‘I have been told that, yes.’

‘Do you subscribe to his belief?’

Yes, I believe it.’

Brice Mack was itching to object on a couple of legitimate grounds. The question assumed a fact not yet in evidence, and it certainly was not proper cross-examination since it went far beyond the scope of his direct examination; still, he restrained the impulse in the hope that Velie would lead the witness up the very channels that had been denied him by Elliot Hoover.

‘Can you tell the jury your reasons for believing this to be true?’ pursued the district attorney.

‘Such occurrences are not uncommon in my land,’ the maharishi replied. ‘Presently working in my ashram is a young student who is the reincarnation of a former student of mine who died in the cholera epidemic of 1936.’

The statement had a magical effect on the jury, Brice Mack noted; they all seemed to lean forward in their chairs in fascination.

The district attorney also noted the surge of sudden interest in the jury and quickly interposed, ‘Move to strike his answer as not responsive to my question.’

‘So moved,’ Judge Langley said. ‘The answer to the last question is stricken from the record, and the jury is instructed to disregard it.’

Scott Velie continued. ‘Let me repeat, can you tell the jury your reason for believing this - and by “this,” I mean the defendant’s belief that the victim is the reincarnation of his daughter - to be true?’

The maharishi gazed across the courtroom at Elliot Hoover and graced him with a look that bespoke faith and confidence.

‘I believe this to be true,’ he said simply, ‘because a man of truth told me it was so.’

‘I see,’ Velie said, smiling. ‘Would you believe anything this man of truth told you?’

The maharishi returned the prosecutor’s smile.

‘I would believe any truthful thing he told me.’

Judge Langley looked down at Brice Mack. ‘Any objection from the defence?’

‘No objection,’ Mack said. ‘I feel the state should have every opportunity to pursue the subject of reincarnation with the witness.’

‘Very well, proceed,’ the judge said to Scott Velie.

Thank you, Your Honour,’ Velie said, as he pored through his notes and finally found what he was looking for. ‘Oh, yes, let me ask you, Mr Pradesh. These trips that astral beings take from a higher plane to a lower one, how are they made?’

The question drew a blank stare from the maharishi.

‘Do they fly?’ Velie pressed. ‘Do they have wings?’

‘No, they are not as the angels on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,’ replied the maharishi in all seriousness. ‘Communication and travel from one astral plane to another is accomplished through telepathic means and is faster than the speed of light.’