99 Palms: Horn OK Please (11 page)

Derek held her close as he hugged Geri from behind, trying to calm her down. It was evident that Geri was overworked and was at her wit’s end trying to figure out why the aberration of 15 degrees existed.

“I checked with these brilliant astronomers in the Institute of Astrophysics, who calculated the positions of the sun and moon, who found that the Buddha Purnima that occurred at Sanchi on April 28
th
, 109 BC had the sunset and full moonrise, corresponding to the east west orientation of the Stupa exactly the same. It beats me!” said Geri softly, lost in her own world as we surveyed the sight. Sunrise was about to happen and twilight was beautiful.

“OK, noted. So we have one unsolved mystery of the 15 degrees aberration here. But if we get a confirmation on what you said about the moon’s declination on a Buddha Purnima, this is pretty much solved! What’s your next observation?” asked Hound, taking care that he didn’t tick off Geri too much.

“That’s right. If you can have this theory re-validated with Uzki, I’d be the happiest person on earth. That would give you the day and time when you must enter the Stargate. The second unsolved mystery is about the exact location of the Stargates…” said Geri chirpily, happy that we had agreed with her conclusion.

2. Mystery of the 15 degree aberration and the Stupa’s balustrades (railing around the monuments):

Geri quickly regained her composure and started walking on the stone path. She beckoned us to follow. Halting at one of the four flight of stairs that led to the Grand Stupa, Geri said, “You see this? The edges of the
Swastikas
that constitute the approaches to the Stupas follow the course of the sun. The tradition of circumambulation is prevalent in many solar cults and beliefs, it is very logical here in Sanchi. The symbol of Swastika itself is rooted in light, the path of the sun. The railings around the monuments are similar to the arrangement of holes and stones in Stonehenge, so I decided to see if there is an astronomical correlation. To my surprise, I found out that there is one!”

“What do you mean?” asked Goose, trying to make sense of what Geri just spoke about.

“Goose, if you see, there are two sets of railings around the Great Stupa and one around the square railing
(harmika)
on top of the dome. I started my research in Stupa 2 first, this time the other way around. I checked with my colleagues in the Institute of Astrophysics on the same after noticing that the outer railing of the Stupa 2 was held in position by 88 pillars. Three have broken down now. These 88 pillars are arranged in four sectors aligned in four directions, separated by the entrances or gateways of the Stupa. Being an astronomer, the number ‘88’ immediately strikes me as three lunar months, that is, 29.5 X 3 = 88.5. Since one cannot count half days as half-pillars, it would be counted as either 29 or 30 days. Are you with me?”

“Well, kind of?” stuttered Goose, “I suppose that these pillars on this balustrade represent three lunar months?”

“Great! Now, if I were to look from an astronomer’s point of view, I would circumambulate the Stupa four times for four seasons and count the pillars, following the direction of the sun per the Swastika symbol. If we proceed in counting the pillars in the first round and count the space in between the pillars in the second round, repeat the process for 4 rounds around the stupas, I would get 88 Pillars, 89 spaces, 88 Pillars and 89 spaces. Add it up and you get 354 days which correspond to 12 months of the lunar calendar!” said Geri, counting on her fingers.

“So what does it all mean, Geri?” said Derek, hoping to get a simplified answer from her.

“It means, Derek, that the astronomers of Emperor Ashoka knew their stuff. When you apply the same logic to the Great Stupa, I’ll spare you the details, you shall arrive at the same conclusion. While the outer railings represent the Lunar cycle, the inner railings represent the solar cycle. The Stupa is at the center, with the square railing
(harmika)
on top of the dome!” Geri chuckled.

“You mean to say that this kind of proves what Monica’s father concluded? That the Nexus-Point at Sanchi is the strongest one among the 69 Nexus Points all over the world?” I said, hoping to get a confirmation from this brilliant mind.

“Exactly! After reading the notes that Monica sent me from the 99 Palms, my conclusion is that the ‘Inner’ railings represent the Sun, the ‘Outer’ railings denote the ‘Moon’, the Stupa is symbolic of Buddha and the square railings on top that holds the umbrella of the Great Stupa point to the epicenter of the strongest Nexus Point in India. You’re standing right here, under the intersection point of two very strong Ley lines of energy rivers that flow through the Universe! Monica’s father was darn right!” Geri’s face glowed bright with excitement.

Goose was grinning from ear to ear, happy that his Monica hadn’t wasted our time.

“So, we have exactly 234 pillars in the inner railing (balustrade). Similarly, we have 120 pillars in the outer railing. Also, the square railing on top of the Stupa, which is known as the harmika, has seven posts on each side, making a total of 28 posts making up the harmika in the Great Stupa 1”, said Geri, as she fished out a little black book from her back pocket.

“What about the ridge, then? With all this horrendous math, have you been able to pinpoint the exact location of the Stargate?” said Hound, excited that he’d finally got a straight answer from Geri.

“This is where I am lost, I do believe that if we can crack this one, we have the exact location of the ridge that would appear during a
Buddha Purnima
close to Sanchi! I really don’t have a clue here, and that’s why I want you to meet Dr. Uzki Kulyova, an expert in Symbolism and Mathematics. She’s staying at the Lake View Resort in Bhopal right now. Maybe, she can help you. I’m not so sure now if you consider all that I have shared with you to be useful. …” replied Geri, her shoulders drooped as she spoke.

Derek embraced Geri in his arms and spoke lovingly, “That’s alright, Sweetheart, we’ll figure this one out from here. You helped us with three things. One, you helped us get some insight into the sciences that the books of the Nine Unknown speak about. Second, you helped us realize that we need to steal the ‘Philosopher’s stone from Shambala – not gold. Third, you helped us figure out that the Ridge will be formed on a Buddha Purnima only, thanks to your research on the aberration of this Great Stupa. So you’ve been very helpful!”

Coming down from the Great Stupa, I saw the sun rising. It looked beautiful today.

“The only thing that remains unanswered now is, where is the Stargate or the ridge that will tear between the two dimensions leading us to Shambala. You have given us enough numerical clues with the research you did on the railings and pillars of the Great Stupa. We’ll take it from here with Dr. Uzki Kulyova.” I said as we walked down the stairs of the Stupa.

Goose merrily went about taking pictures of everything around. As Derek and Geri went back to the guesthouse, Hound and I stood staring at the Great Stupa.

“So, what’d you make of it, Hound?” I asked, as I pulled out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket.

“Well, Chief, we know we need to travel on the night of Buddha Purnima. We know that Monica’s Dad was right about Sanchi. The rift will appear somewhere close. We need to meet Uzki. Unless we crack the mystery of the 15 degree aberration and the balustrades of the Great Stupa, we won’t find our Stargate….” Replied Hound, as he looked at the vast expanse of ruins that surrounded us.

“Dude, do you clowns know that Varanasi is exactly 690 Kms from here?” said Goose, as he trudged towards us, taking the pack of cigarettes from me.

“Wow! That’s where the Ganges River flows! Holy water! Let’s go!” said Hound excitedly, angry with himself that he’d not thought about it before.

“Wait, I suggest we go to Temple 45 here. Last night, I did some reading, that place will be useful for us. We need to be sure about things. Anyways, we must wait till Derek finishes off his coffee with Geri”, I said as Goose grinned.

Temple 45 did not disappoint. Noting down his points, Hound scribbled down his notes about all the carvings there. Derek joined us after an hour and we thanked Geri before we left, promising her the answers if we were able to crack the two mysteries that seemed to give her sleepless nights.

Damn! The mysteries of the Sanchi Stupa remained unsolved and we desperately needed help from a mathematician to figure it out. At least, we knew where to go and whom to meet. I couldn’t wait to get to Varanasi and meet Uzki!

Geri had helped us more than we had imagined. First, she had given us a brilliant idea to steal the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, not piddly bits of gold. Second, her keen observation around the 15 degrees aberration that corresponded with the moon’s declination on the night of
Buddha Purnima
had solved the mystery of when we should enter the Stargate to embark on a journey to the center of the earth. Third, the exact count of pillars on the Great Stupa would surely lead us to deciphering the precise location of the Stargates with the help of a mathematician.

Geri was much smarter than she knew. We know better, we live on borrowed brains.

The stereo boomed as I closed my eyes to get some sleep.

***
 

CHAPTER TEN

***

Roses are red and violets are blue,

There’s magic in numbers, I tell you;

For what couldn’t be fathomed by sight & sound,

We found the answer that left us spell bound;

An awesome woman whom we all wanted to date,

She came with details of Shambala, the coordinates;

Hidden in geometric symbols & carved in stone,

She cracked the codes with math, she did it all alone;

The ancients were brilliant mathematicians, for sure,

Hiding brilliant clues cast in stone, I swear;

Thanks to Lord Curzon, who restored monuments for posterity,

We now knew where Shambala was, all for our prosperity;

The Stargates to paradise had now been located,

The ridge-points for the same the Nine Unknown had created;

Pieces came together, the algorithm bared its soul;

Wealth was just inches away, we’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll;

Logical clues lay in front of us, lost in the mists of time,

Thanks to Math, we cracked ‘em all, a magic so sublime;

If smiles and Imagination make you say ‘Cheese’

Drive on, for that’s the philosophy of Horn OK Please…

***

Interpreting Dr. Geri’s Research of the Great Stupa at Sanchi:

The meeting with Dr. Geri had been very useful. We had some major things figured out. We’d got some pretty good ideas too and Derek seemed to have enjoyed his French coffee. She had been nice to us and though a bit cranky, she had definitely played her part of the deal to the hilt. She’d also spoken to Miss Uzki, the fabled Russian mathematician and we were told would be of immense help to us in trying to make sense of the jigsaw puzzle.

Geri’s idea of stealing the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ had particularly impressed us. Her theory around the deliberate aberration of 15 degrees in the Grand Stupa had surely helped us get our act together. It also gave us more time to grasp and figure out how to go about finding the lost city of gold or the lost world of Shambala. I deliberately tend to use both for I have no clue about what Shambala looked like, at least right now.

What remained to be figured out was the exact coordinates of the ridge which we were hopeful that Miss Uzki would help us with. There’s always logic in numbers, a pattern that usually escapes the untrained. To call ourselves untrained would be an overstatement for we were living off borrowed brains this was the wisest thing we had done so far.

It was evening as we entered the city. The monuments had been interesting, particularly a site called Temple number 45 at Sanchi. Entering Bhopal, the City of lakes, Derek eased in straight up Shamla Hills towards the Lake View Ashoka hotel where Miss Uzki was staying. We’d spend the night over there and try to see if we could crack the code that seemed to come out of the railings of Sanchi.

“Where’s the box containing 99 Palms, bro?” I asked Hound who was sitting in the backseat, staring at his notes he seemed to have made once Geri had left us alone to explore the rest of the monuments at Sanchi. Derek had accompanied her, feigning a headache, to get some coffee.

“Right here, dude, no worries. It’s safe. I wonder when we are going to put it to some use, stupid thing I can’t even read! It’s in that ancient script which we understand nothing of. But the drawings, one of them do seem to resemble what we saw in Temple 45, it’s there beside a crude sketch of the Sanchi stupa” replied Hound, as he stared at the box that contained the ancient scriptures kept on his lap.

“Is it? No worries, dude, all in good time. The way things seem to be moving with us, I’m sure the time will come when it will serve its purpose”, said Goose wisely adjusting his shades.

He had a point. Life had been a whirl for us in the past few days and we had had no time to assimilate all the information. Our brain processors were slow, we could do with some time off this vacation.

Symbolism of Sanchi, Temple 45, why Ganga?:

Checking into the Hotel, we freshened up as Goose called Dr. Uzki Kulyova to check when we could meet her.

“Guys, she’ll be down in five minutes at the bar. Shall we go now? I could use a drink now, I’m parched” said Goose as he looked around the room for a response. He sure got an awesome nodding of heads, we all needed a drink, all bounty hunters in cowboy westerns seem to. I felt like Lucky Luke today.

“Get your notes, Hound, I’m sure you have some ideas with what we saw at Temple 45, dude”, I said, picking up my empty wallet. I keep one for everyone else does, not because it has any money ever but it makes me look cool.

She was there, staring at the beautiful skyline of Bhopal and the lake, the view from the bar of the hotel. This was our lucky trip. Dr. Uzki was a beautiful Russian, athletic, slim and slender, very non-geeky. I wondered who would get to have some coffee with her tonight. The look in Hound’s face betrayed his lust.

Around thirty-two, Uzki had auburn hair and was very unlike any mathematician I’d ever seen, spare my high-school mathematics teacher, she was sexy. She wore a loose, white, cotton
salwar-kameez
, had a
bindi
on her forehead and the Indian attire suited her. The red
dupatta
matched her lipstick. She looked and smelled good.

“Pleasure to meet you, Uzki, we are the famous four, I am Hound”, said Hound as he made the first move to grab her…attention. Introducing the rest of us to her, he said with an air of superiority around him, “Meet Chief, Goose and Derek, they’re my friends”

“Pleasure to meet you, shall we get down to business? I’ve heard a lot about you from all those books. You seem to be famous personalities in India!” said Uzki, trying to be nice to us.

“Geri told us that you are a brilliant mathematician and a Symbolist who has researched ancient Indian symbols. Can you help us?” I said, trying to put her at ease as Goose and Derek drooled over the exotic collection of rare whiskies all around us.

“Brilliant or not, I shall definitely try to help you. Geri would have told you. It’s my passion”, said Uzki, smiling as she pulled out her laptop, “Geri did send me your case file and her notes, I may have something for you here. But first, tell me what you saw beyond just what Geri would have showed you. What did you see beyond the Stupas at Sanchi?”

Pulling out his little black book from his hip pocket, Hound said, “Temple number 45. We believe it’s got something to do with our hunt for the precise location of the ridge point, the Stargate. Once we were done with the Stupas, we visited Temple 45 at the Sanchi heritage site. The presence of Ganga and Yamuna on the door-jambs of the temple seems to indicate that the Buddhists also adopted some typically
brahmanical
beliefs and motifs as well. I’m not sure if you know what I’m talking about, Uzki”

Uzki smiled at Hound and seemed to be impressed by his cut-to-the-chase approach. The waiter served some classic 18-Year old Scotch for us as Goose shooed him away quickly. Picking up her glass, she said, “Cheers, you’re not as dumb as you look, Hound. Yes, I know what you’re talking about. I’ve been to Sanchi a number of times and I’m particularly fascinated by Temple 45, not the Stupas”

“That’s great. So what do you remember seeing in there, Uzki?” asked Derek as he dipped four cubes of ice into his whisky.

She looked at Hound and said, “I distinctly recall the door jambs and the threshold of the antechamber. They are richly decorated with art, animals and floral carvings. I do believe that the symbolism depicted in the temple is very deep. At the two corners of the entrance is a figure of a God of wealth, holding a gem-spitting mongoose in the left hand.

“So what is the significance of mongoose in there? And why is a statue of Ganga there?” quizzed Goose, immediately sensing we were at the right place, meeting the right person who would help us.

“I’d say that this is a clue that it points to the unlimited wealth of Shambala. The mongoose is believed to be the source of all gems and riches and when the god of wealth squeezes it, it supposedly vomits forth all the riches. Awesome, eh?" winked Uzki.

“Damn! I want that mongoose!” blurted Derek, oblivious of the surrounding, he was lost in the riches that were to follow the adventure.

“Sure, don’t we all? And another motif that caught my attention was the ‘Dharma chakra’ that is carved in there. It is a symbol of enlightenment, it is the wheel of doctrine of edicts, it is the wheel of law! It is a direct correlation to the clues in 99 Palms that Emperor Ashoka wanted law and order to prevail, had unlimited wealth and evolved to Shambala. Emperor Ashoka has spoken!” said Uzki gleefully as she took Hound’s little black book from him to see what he’d scribbled.

“The statue of Ganga and Yamuna, Uzki, what’s that supposed to mean?” asked Hound.

“See, The Holy river Ganges is named after Ganga. The river goddess is said to have descended from heaven and had her fall broken by Shiva’s hair. That’s what Hindu mythology says. She is also the second wife of Shiva. She had many sisters such as Yamuna, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri and Saraswati, right? The believers take a dip in the Holy waters of Ganga to be purified, wash away their sins. This again is symbolic. Sometimes, Ganga is represented by a bowl of water in one hand, a lotus flower in another as she sits on a mythical being. The very fact that the figure of Ganga is in the temple means you can choose to overlook her other sisters for Ganga is the purest” Uzki tried to form a background.

“OK, that still doesn’t answer my question but it surely tells me that you know a lot more than us here, and you’re Russian. Impressive!” quipped Hound, beaming. He was impressed. Hell, she was so sexy and Hound was so lost that even if Uzki sneezed, Hound would find something nice to say about her phlegm.

“Sorry, what I meant was, the very fact that we have the gem-spitting mongoose, the Dharma Chakra and the figure of Ganga in there made me believe that Temple 45 is symbolic of all clues in one place. It brings together Emperor Ashoka, Shambala and the mongoose. So we know that it’s all connected under one roof. Also an unlimited wealth and the fact that the figure of Ganga is on a door jamb is symbolic of Ganga being the gateway to Shambala. It’s not inside nor outside, but on the gateway!” Uzki said excitedly.

“Wow! That’s so cool! But what do you mean ‘on the gateway’? What does that signify?” Hound asked her, leaning forward, getting closer to her.

“Good question, Hound. Gateways are actually symbols of transitioning from one world to another, from the known to the unknown, from light to darkness, from one cosmic zone to another or from one dimension to another. They open into the mysterious, and have a deep psychological meaning. The reason for the threshold in the Indian context is that they also invite us to cross it. It is an invitation to a voyage to the unknown, somewhere beyond” said Uzki, her voice trailing off as her mind seemed to wander.

Ridge formation at the Ganges River?

“In the case of Temple 45, the way I interpret it is that the gateway that bears Ganga and Yamuna are indicative of the threshold that needs to be crossed to reach a land of untold riches that is protected by law. There are other motifs in the temple as well, but you may choose to ignore them for you’re not after spiritual evolution, you need a material revolution”, said Uzki, laughing out loud at her own joke. Hound tried to laugh her down as we losers watched.

“Super! So, how does it all come together for what we are after, Uzki, since you have read our case file?” I asked, trying to prove to her that I existed as I butted into their conversation. Derek and Goose stared at me as though I’d committed a crime.

“OK, now we’re talking, Chief. One, the figure on the doorjamb signifies that Ganga is the gateway. She’s not inside the temple 45, which is symbolic of Shambala nor is she outside. So she’s the gateway. Two, the fact you have both Ganga and Yamuna on the doorjambs is symbolic of the meeting of two very powerful Ley lines. The door itself signifies the ridge! The Nexus point is Sanchi, for that’s where Temple 45 is, near the Great Stupa. Do you get it?” said Uzki with a twinkle in her eyes as she ruffled the hair on Hound’s head.

Lucky bastard. I was the one who’d asked the question. She should have ruffled my crop.

Emperor Ashoka’s transition to another world:

“The ridge being there somewhere in Ganga seems like a logical conclusion alright, Uzki, but what if this is just a hunch? Any other interpretations that substantiate your hunch?” said Goose as Derek asked for another round of drinks.

“Yes. Are you aware of the fact that when Emperor Ashoka ‘died’, his body was secretly disposed off well within 24 hours by his close aides? The whole episode is shrouded in mystery. Do you know where his ‘ashes’ have been recorded to have been immersed?” asked Uzki, fully aware that the answer would be in the negative.

“No, where?” replied Goose, scratching his head.

“In the Holy waters of river Ganges, near Benaras or Kashi or Varanasi as you know it today. I would dare say that he was brought to Sarnath, to the Dhamek Stupa from where he left for paradise. Maybe, he rules paradise today, the place we all know as the lost city of gold – Shambala, but your guess is good as mine” Uzki tried to clear the confusion.

“Really? In the Ganges river?” exclaimed Derek, unable to hide his shock and awe, “These three places are one?”

“Yes, it is not known how, when, or where Emperor Ashoka died. A Tibetan tradition maintains that he died at Taxila. Too many theories, maybe he never died. He had evolved anyways after his prayer by fire, yes, you could be right, he just left for another world, he left for Shambala from the ridge at Dhamek Stupa on the night of a
Buddha Purnima
, but that’s just my theory” replied Uzki as she gulped down her drink.

“Vodka for the lady here, and for all of us please. No more Scotch. We like the Russians!” ordered Hound to the waiter, trying to impress Uzki. It was working.

“All written records, however , seem to indicate that after the death of Emperor Ashoka in his old age, his ashes were immersed in the Ganges river, near Varanasi in less than 24 hours after his death. This happened in 232 BC” said, Uzki wisely as she flipped through the notes of Hound’s little black book.

“Holy cow! That’s what that crazy fakir meant! Remember when we were in Kalinga, this butt-naked loony popped out of the bushes and cursed us? Remember he said that if we didn’t flee then, our ashes will be immersed in the Ganges within 24 hours like the Great Emperor’s?” I blurted out, almost spilling my drink.