THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (21 page)

Prapti had once been a beautiful woman but she had been involved in an unfortunate accident where the right side of her face had been irreparably burnt. Jarasandha had used a combination of bribery and threats with various kings in order to persuade them to marry his sister but nothing could persuade any of them. One look at her charred face was enough to scare away any potential suitor. Jarasandha made it a point to attack the kingdoms of all the kings who had rejected his sister’s hand. These vanquished kings were currently languishing in his dungeons at Magadha. Yet, even the spectre of being defeated and imprisoned by Jarasandha was not sufficient to sway the kings to agree to a marriage to Prapti. Jarasandha loved Prapti and he had been at his wit’s end about what to do.

Around this time, his friend Chanur, the king of the Yavana kingdom, suggested that Jarasandha approach Ugrasena and seek Kansa’s hand in marriage for his sister. Chanur knew Kansa well and had a feeling that he would agree to marry Jarasandha’s sister. The king of Magadha agreed to talk to Ugrasena, even though he wondered why the dashing young prince of Madhuvan would consent to marry his sister when he could have the most beautiful princess in the land of Bharat as his wife. When Jarasandha indicated to Ugrasena that he was keen to have Prapti married to Kansa, Ugrasena was horrified. He emphatically rejected the proposal. However, Chanur who had accompanied Jarasandha, diplomatically suggested that Ugrasena should at least talk to Kansa about it. While Ugrasena was not keen on doing this, he knew that an outright refusal to even discuss this with Kansa might enrage Jarasandha to the point of waging a war that would result in the death of thousands of innocent men and women. He told Jarasandha that he would talk to Kansa about the proposal only on one condition.

‘What is the condition?’ Jarasandha growled suspiciously.

‘If Kansa refuses to marry your sister, you have to promise that you will not attack Madhuvan,’ Ugrasena replied firmly.

Jarasandha was about to refuse this condition when Chanur intervened. ‘Jarasandha will not attack Madhuvan. I guarantee it. Let Kansa take his decision without the fear of any reprisal.’

Ugrasena did not budge. ‘I respect your word Chanur, but I would like to hear Jarasandha say the same thing.’

Chanur acknowledged what Ugrasena had said with a nod, and both of them looked at Jarasandha, whose face reflected his anger at Ugrasena and his own indecision on the condition. At last, he reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, ‘Let Prince Kansa decide. Whatever his decision might be, I swear that I will not attack your kingdom!’

Ugrasena sighed in relief, sure now that there was no cause for concern. He called for Kansa, his mind comfortable in the knowledge that Kansa would never agree to marry the deformed sister of this evil king. When Kansa arrived, Ugrasena calmly told him about Jarasandha’s proposal of marrying Prapti to him.

Kansa listened intently to everything that Ugrasena had to say. Then he turned his attention to Jarasandha. ‘Does Princess Prapti give her consent to marry me?’

Jarasandha was stunned at this question. This was the last thing he had expected Kansa to ask. However, he recovered quickly and nodded. ‘Prapti would be honoured to marry you, prince…that is, if you agree to marry her.’ He paused and added, ‘She…uh….her face is badly disfigured. You should know that before you decide.’ Jarasandha looked expectantly at Kansa, hoping beyond hope.

Kansa nodded, acknowledging what Jarasandha had said. ‘I understand that even if I refuse to marry her, you have sworn not to attack Madhuvan. Is that correct?’

Jarasandha’s face fell. He nodded curtly, regretting having made the promise. He knew Kansa would decline his proposal and his sister would once again have to face the ignominy of rejection.

Kansa continued to look into Jarasandha’s eyes. Despite his anger, Jarasandha could not help being mesmerized by the young man who exuded such confidence and strength.

‘Then I agree to the marriage,’ Kansa said softly, his eyes not leaving Jarasandha’s face for even an instant.

‘W-What?’ Jarasandha was shocked. He wasn’t sure if he had heard Kansa correctly. Ugrasena also looked bewildered.

‘I said I agree to the marriage. I would be honoured to have Princess Prapti as my wife,’ Kansa’s tone left no doubt about his decision.

Ugrasena could not control himself any longer. ‘But son, Jarasandha has promised he will not attack Madhuvan even if you refuse his proposal. You don’t need to do this.’ Ugrasena’s unhappiness and perplexity at Kansa’s decision was evident.

Kansa smiled for the first time since he had entered the room. ‘Father, my decision to marry Prapti has nothing to do with the fear of Magadha attacking us. On the contrary, if the king of Magadha had threatened to attack Madhuvan, that would have been the only reason I would have rejected this proposal.’

Jarasandha embraced Kansa. ‘You have won me over today, prince. From this day on your friends will be my friends; and your enemies shall have to face my wrath before they can hope to harm you.’

Ugrasena looked on helplessly. He still couldn’t fathom why Kansa had agreed to the marriage. There were a multitude of thoughts racing through his head but his reverie was broken by something that Jarasandha was saying to Kansa.

‘Noble prince, you are the first man who has agreed to marry my sister Prapti, and that too, without the fear of any threats. I have another request for you. Please grant me this favour too.’ Jarasandha’s voice was pleading, perhaps for the first time in his life. Kansa motioned him to continue.

‘I have another sister,’ Jarasandha continued haltingly. ‘Her name is Asti. She is Prapti’s twin sister and she is as beautiful as Prapti was before her face got burnt. Both of them love each other and have been inseparable from childhood. I have always been afraid that when they marry, they will be away from each other.’ He paused to take a deep breath before going on. ‘Kansa, I will not find a more noble man than you in all the nations of Mrityulok. Please do me the favour of marrying both my sisters, so that they can be together and have a man like you as their husband.’

Kansa was quiet for a moment. He did not believe in polygamy, unlike several other kings and princes who had more than one wife. But neither did he want to refuse his new friend his first request. More importantly, what Jarasandha had said about the bond between the two sisters helped him make up his mind. He nodded, indicating to Jarasandha that he would marry both the sisters.

A month later, Asti and Prapti were married at Magadha with a celebration the likes of which had not been seen in any part of Bharat for a very long time.

On the day of the wedding, Ugrasena couldn’t control himself from asking something that had been bothering him ever since Kansa had agreed to marry Jarasandha’s sisters. ‘Why did you agree to marry Prapti when Jarasandha had promised he would not attack us, even if you rejected his proposal?’

Kansa smiled, ‘You remember when Jarasandha mentioned the charred face of his sister?’

Ugrasena looked confused. ‘Uh yes…what about it?’

Kansa looked intently at Ugrasena, ‘I tried to imagine how Prapti would have looked; but try as I might, every time her face would metamorphose into Devki’s features, half-charred and marked for life.’

Ugrasena looked like he wanted to say something, but Kansa continued as if he hadn’t noticed, ‘And as I stared into Jarasandha’s eyes, I saw myself staring at my own face in the mirror, pleading to people to marry Devki…’

Ugrasena looked at his son with unadulterated love, as a trickle of tears poured out unbidden from his eyes. ‘Devki is lucky to have you as her brother.’

‘My brother!’ Jarasandha’s reverie was broken as he saw Kansa walk into the room. He rose to grip Kansa by his shoulders, as the Prince returned his embrace with equal fervour.

Ugrasena smiled in relief to see the camaraderie between his son and Jarasandha. Over the last few years, he had reconciled himself to Kansa’s marriage with Asti and Prapti. In all honesty, he had realized that Jarasandha’s sisters were not at all like their brother. They were both extremely warm and affectionate and had won him over completely. Most importantly, they loved Kansa with all their heart. And the deep bond between the two sisters ensured there was no discord in their marital life despite being married to the same person.

‘I’m so glad you could come down, brother,’ Kansa smiled. ‘I was on my way to Magadha the day the incident happened.’

Ugrasena looked at Kansa in surprise. His face reflected his hurt. He hadn’t known that Kansa was going to Magadha. It pained him that Kansa had become so distant from him that he had planned on going away without even meeting him.

Kansa realized what Ugrasena would be feeling and he looked apologetically at his father, his expression a strange mixture of sadness and rebellion. ‘I wanted to tell you, Father, but…but there was no time,’ he commented lamely.

The exchange between Kansa and Ugrasena did not escape Jarasandha’s vigilant eyes. He sensed there was trouble between the two but he didn’t want to probe in Ugrasena’s presence. He decided he would discuss it with Kansa later. ‘So how are you feeling now, my friend?’ he asked Kansa, deliberately changing the subject.

‘As fit as a fiddle,’ Kansa smiled at his brother-in-law, glad to talk about something else.

Jarasandha looked closely at Kansa. Something seemed different about the prince. Kansa’s arms looked bigger and his shoulders, too, appeared broader than he remembered them. Warriors like Jarasandha noticed every little aspect of another warrior, especially one whose prowess they respected. And Jarasandha held Kansa in great esteem as a fighter. But it wasn’t just Kansa’s physical characteristics that seemed altered. Even his eyes looked different. For a moment, Jarasandha wondered whether it was his imagination or he actually saw a glimmer of green in Kansa’s deep brown eyes.

The latter noticed Jarasandha examining him, and for some strange reason he felt uncomfortable. He too hadn’t failed to notice the changes in his physique since his recovery. It wasn’t just the speed with which he recuperated that surprised him. His muscles seemed bigger to him, and he felt as if he was several times stronger and agile than he had ever been. When he had questioned the royal vaid about this, the physician had seemed visibly disturbed and had not been able to provide a satisfactory answer. In fact, though Kansa could not be sure, he thought he had detected a hint of fear in the physician’s eyes as he spoke to him. However, Kansa had put aside the physician’s strange behaviour, seeing how happy his family, and especially Devki, were at seeing him fully recovered.

‘Why don’t you come with me to Magadha now?’ Jarasandha said softly, interrupting Kansa’s thoughts.

‘I don’t know if I should, brother,’ Kansa replied hesitatingly. He saw Jarasandha’s hurt expression and felt it necessary to explain.

‘You see, we are still not sure why those creatures from Pataal Lok attacked Devki in the first place,’ Kansa said thoughtfully. ‘We don’t have any animosity with those people…and they…they have never before appeared in Mrityulok unless there was a good reason for their presence here.’ Kansa’s face was tight with concern.

Damn
, Jarasandha thought to himself. He hadn’t expected this. He thought quickly. ‘It’s quite possible these creatures were thrown out of the nether world by the asura council.’ he ventured, thinking aloud.

‘It’s happened in the past you know!’ Jarasandha continued. ‘From time to time, the asura council banishes some of their creatures out of Pataal Lok for not complying with the gruesome practices prescribed by the council members. The ousted demons know they can’t go to the higher world because the demi-gods in Swarglok would kill them on sight. So these wretches prefer to seek refuge in our world. They know they are stronger than most mortals and can fight their way out even if their presence is discovered. However, most of the time, these vile creatures find a place to hide and stay out of sight of the mortals. They know the laws. If they are found on Mrityulok, it will mean instant death.’

Ugrasena who had been listening quietly till now chipped in, ‘More than the fear of death, it is the knowledge that if their presence becomes known openly, some king or the other may decide to launch a full-scale campaign to unearth them out of their hiding places. That would hurt them far more than a few of their kind being put to death.’

Jarasandha glanced sharply at Ugrasena. He had not known that the old king too was aware of the presence of the creatures from Pataal Lok in Mrityulok. He had thought this knowledge was known only to him, and a handful of his close associates.

Kansa stared at Jarasandha and Ugrasena, ‘Are you saying there are creatures from Pataal Lok in our world? That Mrityulok is full of these repulsive demons, and most of us are not even aware of their presence?’

Ugrasena nodded quietly, ‘Yes, there are a lot of these creatures in Mrityulok. Over the past few years, hundreds of them have found refuge in our world.’

Jarasandha looked closely at Ugrasena. The truth was that the number of demons in Mrityulok exceeded a few thousand by now. But for Ugrasena to put the number even in a few hundred was surprising.
How much does he know?
Jarasandha wondered.