Shakti: The Feminine Divine (21 page)

Indra considered talking to his friend, Vishnu, but a certain gulf had opened up between them because of Indra’s mild antipathy towards Shakti and Vishnu’s excessive fondness for her. The former felt betrayed and the latter was inclined to say nothing, preferring to let his misguided friend get over his childish resentment and bridge the distance when it suited him.

Indra found himself discussing the situation with Kama, who was always a sympathetic listener and just about the most non-judgemental person he knew. At the same time he was
honest, which Indra found refreshing. Kama tended to get on Sachi’s nerves because she viewed him as a procurer who tried to keep Indra’s bed well-supplied from the flesh market he and his depraved wife Rati operated from their decadent palace of crystal. This, of course, endeared him to Indra even more.

When asked to reveal all he knew about Vritra’s cult, Kama had been very forthcoming with the details and Indra was glad for such a reliable source. ‘Vritra is quite the good-looking fellow with a magnetic personality…’ Kama had begun, in the mild-mannered way that was typical of him. ‘Don’t go for my jugular, but a lot of the things he says make sense in a weird way…’

He was interrupted when Indra conveyed his disapproval by making rude noises and miming a lunatic.

‘Please don’t grunt like that—people may confuse the mighty wielder of the thunderbolt with a constipated pig! As I was saying, Vritra makes a powerful case against the traditional way of life we have embraced. His philosophy itself is hugely complicated, but he elucidates it very well, without getting listeners lost in the dense foliage of philosophical rigmarole. The crux of the matter is that all individuals, irrespective of whether their gross body is equipped with a male or female organ, are essentially androgynous, as they contain within themselves the elements of purusha as well as prakriti, which, taken together, is the source of all life. According to Vritra, the quality of living is deteriorating all over the three worlds because of the increasing dichotomy that has forced apart this essential unity.

‘Without getting too deeply involved in what constitutes masculinity and femininity, I think Vritra means that the former is characterized by brute strength complemented by the
unrelenting force that is rationale, whereas the latter embodies truth and faith, the essence of nature, and beauty, of course. Hence, like opposing magnetic fields, men are drawn to beauty and women to strength, which is supposed to bring about harmony. In reality, however, it has led to male domination and the suppression of the divine femininity, which has thrown the inherent balance in all things completely out of whack. Vritra seeks to help his followers reconcile the sexes to achieve complete peace.’

‘That is just a lot of bunkum, sweetened with just enough hits of provocative nonsense to make it go down easy,’ sniffed Indra. ‘What exactly is he suggesting we do? The way I see it, the three worlds are shipshape—everybody has a role to play, best suited to their particular talents and station in life. Any disruption in this natural order will lead to all manner of bestial demons springing out of nowhere. Only then will balance be entirely disrupted and peace lost forever.

‘Besides, it is not as if this so-called male domination has caused grief to women. In keeping with Vedic teaching, we accord the auspicious woman all the respect she is entitled to, take excellent care of her needs and keep her safe from danger. What more could the fairer sex possibly expect from us? Are we supposed to encourage women to rush off to do battle with weapons they are ill-equipped to wield, while the men sit at home cooking up meals and wiping the running noses of infants? Surely nobody is stupid enough to believe that all the troubles of this world can be cured if traditional gender roles are merely switched around! In fact, it is far more likely to cause trouble.

‘And what is this nonsense about androgyny? If Vritra’s infernal blathering is true then why should we bother with the
sexual characteristics that delineate the two sexes? Why not have Brahma create nothing but hermaphrodites and leave it at that? Just because Vritra is confused about his sexual orientation and wants to dress up in drag, he has come up with all this poppycock. He wants to cause dissent and induce our warriors to become eunuchs who would be useless in battle, so that he can finally give his father his heart’s desire and bring about the ruin of me as well as my kingdom.’

Kama shook his head. ‘From what I can tell, he has no designs upon your throne. Moreover, he feels that revenge is not the answer because it is not going to do anybody any good. Vritra told Twastha that Trishiras would have wanted him to heal completely, and it is his duty to make that happen. But to do that, Twastha must learn to forgive, for it is impossible to move on when one is encumbered by this kind of angst. I have heard Vishnu say as much too.’

‘And what did Twastha have to say to that?’ Indra enquired with a grin. ‘He must have clipped his son one over the ear!’

‘Twastha was furious initially. He was convinced that you had somehow addled his son’s brain by getting into his head, rather like the time you climbed into Diti’s uterus to divide the foetus growing there into eight parts, which would later be known as the Maruts, and brainwashing them into serving you. Vritra seems to be getting around to him, though, for you will be hard-pressed to find a more dutiful and loving son. Even that curmudgeonly Twastha finds him to be a great comfort.

‘As for the rest of his philosophy, I knew it would bug you no end, but perhaps you should be a little more open-minded about it. The equation between the sexes boils down to power, does it not, as does almost everything else? Vritra has called for a redistribution of power, saying that men have monopolized
it for too long and the feminine influence is needed to curb the tide of destruction that is perpetually poised over our heads. Needless to say, that does not mean women should strive to emulate men; rather, men and women should bring their talents to the table with neither sidelining the other.’

‘A redistribution of power?’ a silky female voice enquired.

Sachi had just entered the room unobtrusively. Kama suspected she had been listening all along.

‘That does not sound like the soundest of ideas to me,’ she continued softly, the words rimmed in steel. ‘A woman’s place is by the side of her man, a constant presence to lend unquestioning support and take care of his every need. In return, he does her the honour of placing his seed in her womb. By birthing his children and raising them, she fulfils her vocation and offers them to the world as gifts of the greatest possible value.

‘Her chastity, fidelity and virtue are talismans of great power and safeguard the men in her life from all harm. What more can an auspicious woman possibly want? If every mother chased after the trappings of power, who would look after the home and hearth? Vritra seeks to subvert all that is sacred and bring about the ruin of all things decent. Anybody who endorses his evil ideas is the worst sort of traitor!’

‘Nobody denies the truth in what you have said, my queen,’ Kama replied evenly, knowing full well that Sachi would still construe his demeanour as disrespectful. ‘Vritra says that such traditional roles are limiting, since they leave so much potential for positive change unutilized. Besides, who is to say what exactly makes an auspicious or inauspicious woman? If some women find fulfilment in raising children and devoting themselves to their families, others give themselves over to
their creative energies, which can be better harnessed to serve noble purposes. Why should we exalt one over the other when a woman is capable of carrying off so many roles with élan?’

‘Twastha’s twisted son seems to be a veritable font of all things non-salubrious… But please, do go on. I am finding this unique brand of garbage most diverting!’ Sachi purred.

Kama flushed, wishing Indra would ask her to get lost. But when that did not happen, he forced himself to continue, ‘Vritra says that because of man’s need for control, he has pigeonholed the opposite sex, using propaganda to brainwash them into thinking that docility and suppliant service are the most highly prized attributes. Men have wiped out from the slate of history much of women’s contribution towards building a glorious heritage, so that future generations may be misguided and enslave their women as well.

‘As an example, Vritra holds up Mahadevi and Lord Vishnu. There is little in the existing records to show the tremendous role the Goddess played in shaping everything we hold dear today, despite the fact that she is the active force behind creation, who has taken it upon herself to look out for every one of her children. In times of crisis, big or small, her presence has been a constant. Surely you admit that his actions are long overdue and supporting his ideals does not make one a traitor? We all owe Durga a great debt, especially after the magnificent way she rescued us from Mahisha…’

‘I will admit to no such thing!’ Sachi snapped, eyes flashing fire, as if he had spit on her face. ‘Clearly, Durga represents an aberration, for what manner of woman goes riding off to make war with such unladylike ferocity? There have been tales about her that are enough to make the ears bleed. They say that she was so drunk on the blood of her victims that she danced naked
over their corpses and even engaged in unspeakable acts of necrophilia. All she cares about is her precious freedom, which she loves even more than respectability, and for which she gave up marriage and children. She has embraced a vulgar, licentious way of living, encouraging impressionable girls to take a similar path to damnation by throwing caution to the wind, thereby holding out an open invitation for exploitation. These fallen women then have the gall to act as though none of it is the result of the fact that they have embraced their unbridled wild side. It is disgusting!’

‘Scholars have painstakingly recorded every one of Vishnu’s and Shiva’s victories while deliberating omitting Shakti’s,’ countered Kama. ‘Worse, false information is disseminated about the Goddess to bury her under a pile of twaddle. She has been associated with all things kinky, such as the tales you just narrated, or disease-bearing inimical spirits that bring about calamities. As for the calumnious smut labelling Durga as promiscuous, I am not even going to dignify it with a response except to say that it is disgraceful that we live in a world where it is so ridiculously easy to irreparably hurt a woman by calling her honour into question. Vritra has no ambition beyond righting this grievous wrong and setting the record straight.’

‘It is thanks to Durga’s inauspicious conduct that the natural rhythms of the universe have been disrupted and the precious balance Vritra is obsessed about has been disturbed, putting us all in mortal peril,’ snapped Sachi. ‘She is a disgrace unto the face of the three worlds and cults encouraging her worship should be burnt to the ground. Her worshippers should have their tongues ripped out. It is what I would do to nip this evil in the bud.’

‘Durga is nothing of the sort!’ Kama exclaimed, his voice
growing charged with the intensity of his feelings on the subject. ‘You should not believe all those wild tales doing the rounds made up by malevolent gossips. She does not believe in using violence to put an end to violence. That is man’s way, as Vritra has emphasized, and all it does is breed even more violence. Those fabricated versions depicting her role in the battle are evidence that many men and women, with their myopic world view, hold that for a woman to be successful in a man’s world, she needs to transform herself into one. Therein lies the tragedy and we need somebody like Vritra to drive home these truths, so that we can become the change that is so desperately needed, before it is too late.’

Sachi smiled at him then, although it did not reach her eyes. ‘It is your reasoning that is unsound, and makes you sound moronic. That said, I am very impressed with the loyalty you have just evinced, Kama, even if it is for the wrong side. You clearly are the ideal student and completely susceptible to the teachings of your chosen guru. Vritra is fortunate indeed that he has such an ardent follower, from Indra’s very own inner circle, no less, who blindly obeys his orders like a zombie whose soul has been sucked out!’

‘Are you questioning my loyalty, my queen?’ Kama asked her quietly, glancing at Indra, who quickly looked away. He had no idea how she had managed it, but Sachi had cleverly backed him into a corner and short of plucking out her foul tongue, he saw no way out for himself.

‘Of course not, Kama! It would never do to believe all the tawdry tales that one hears,’ she said, delighting in the whiff of blood she had drawn. ‘People say the worst things about those who are considered by the naïve to be beyond reproach. Why, just the other day, I was told that you and your peerless
wife have thrown open the doors to your opulent home—a gift from my lord, incidentally—to entertain his enemy at all hours. There have been eyewitness accounts of bizarre sexual rituals that are performed with the view to propitiate the Goddess under the influence of drugs and all things forbidden to the pious. Perhaps you would care to explain, or maybe you would prefer it if we shut our ears and feign deafness in order to ignore the harsh truth about those we were foolish enough to trust.’

‘Is all this true, Kama?’ Indra asked him, after a shocked pause.

He could not believe his ears. As far as he knew, Kama was the friendliest person, who shared a good rapport with everybody that crossed his path. The fact that he was a devotee of the Goddess was not a secret but Indra had always been indulgent about his dubious faith. However, he had not known that Kama was this close to one who had been created with the express purpose of killing Indra, and had actually been a willing participant in Vritra’s madcap schemes.

‘Look at me,’ his dearest friend said, without a trace of remorse for his betrayal. ‘Explanations are useless things because a true friend has no need for it and an enemy will dismiss it anyway, which is why I refuse to defend myself. You know me too well, and I suggest you look into my eyes before you accuse me of things we will both regret.’