THE CURSE OF BRAHMA (23 page)

The ashram was decorated as Amartya had never seen before in all the twenty years he had been under Brahma’s tutelage. Flowers of all possible species in the universe adorned the walls and the doors. Amartya had thought only Brahma and a few senior members of the ashram would be present at his initiation ceremony, but he hadn’t imagined that there would be so many people. While he couldn’t count all of them, it looked like there were at least fifty devas present at the function. Indra, the overlord of the devas, was also there, talking animatedly with Brahma. And then, Amartya stopped in bewildered shock. No…it couldn’t be possible. Was he dreaming? He pinched himself to check if he was truly seeing what he thought he was. It took him a second to realize that this was indeed no dream. The two greatest gods in the universe were sitting quietly near the ceremonial fire, smiling at each other, their faces aglow with the knowledge that something spectacular was about to happen. Amartya felt his mouth go dry with excitement. This was the first time in his life he was seeing Shiva and Vishnu in their physical form. And it was perhaps the first time most of the devas present would have seen the three supreme gods at one place. The mightiest gods in the universe—Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma—all three present at his initiation ceremony.

Amartya hoped he hadn’t done anything he was not supposed to. It was true that a ceremony to initiate someone as a deva (demi-god) happened rarely, perhaps once in a few hundred years. But did even such a ceremony warrant the presence of Shiva and Vishnu? Amartya was terribly confused. He stood in one corner of the sprawling ashram compound, unable to decide what to do, and whether to approach Brahma while he was still talking to Indra, or to wait for his guru to call for him. Also, he wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to go to Shiva and Vishnu to seek their blessings or should he let Brahma escort him to them. ‘There are so many protocols involved, and I am totally inexperienced in all this,’ he thought to himself. In that instant, Brahma saw him and beckoned him with a broad smile. Amartya walked tentatively towards his guru, hoping fervently that he wouldn’t make a blunder. As he came closer, he saw the powerfully built form of Indra, who stood a foot taller than Brahma and his body rippled with muscles. He was easily the largest person Amartya had ever seen. It never occurred to him that he himself was considerably bigger in size than even Indra.

‘So this is Amartya!’ Indra boomed in an affable tone. He appraised the young disciple of Brahma and admired the powerful build of the youth. But what struck Indra the most about Amartya was his face. He had never seen anyone so good-looking and innocent. Not even the Gandharvas, who were supposed to be the most beautiful creatures in the universe, looked half as handsome as Brahma’s pupil. For a moment, Indra was envious of the youth, but he quickly controlled himself. His vanity had got the better of him on several occasions and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of the three supreme gods. ‘You truly deserve to be a deva,’ he said softly to Amartya. Amartya blushed, uncomfortable with the compliment. He had never gotten used to praise in the ashram. Brahma read Indra’s mind and smiled, ‘His looks don’t do him justice, Indra. His heart is pure and his potential limitless. That is the only reason he deserves to be a deva…and more.’

Indra blinked in surprise. What did Brahma mean by ‘more’? What could be more than a deva? Amartya too was surprised at Brahma’s words but he remained quiet.

‘Come…come, my lad,’ Brahma held Amartya by his shoulders, and nudged him in the direction of the ceremonial fire. ‘Today, you will meet the two greatest gods in the universe. They have been my teachers, and they shall teach you something too.’ Amartya looked nervously at Brahma. Meeting Shiva and Vishnu was one thing. But learning from them, that was an entirely different matter. What if he proved to be a poor student? He couldn’t bear to embarrass Brahma in front of the other two supreme gods. Brahma sensed his anxiety, and looked kindly at him, ‘Don’t worry, you will do fine,’ he whispered.

Amartya bent to touch the feet of Shiva and Vishnu. The mere contact with their body was electrifying; the powerful force of Brahman coursing through their bodies was far more palpable than anything he had ever experienced earlier. He felt his fingers tingling even after the contact ceased. Both Shiva and Vishnu looked like mirror images of each other. For some reason, Amartya felt they completed each other. Both of them smiled and blessed him at the same time. ‘Sit down, son,’ Brahma instructed him. Amartya waited for his guru to take a seat around the fire before sitting down himself. There were four mats placed around the fire, one on each side. Three of the mats were taken by the supreme gods. Amartya sat on the fourth mat. As if on cue, the multitude of conversations around them came to a halt. All eyes were fixed on the quartet sitting around the ceremonial fire.

Shiva and Vishnu glanced at Brahma, who nodded in understanding. He looked at Amartya and spoke in a soft, low tone. Such was the silence in the ashram that even his hushed tones carried to all those present for the ceremony. The only other sound audible was the crackling of the fire in the ceremonial pit. ‘Amartya, you have been my student for the past twenty years, and during this time I have taught you all that was taught to me by Shiva and Vishnu,’ he said, and paused, trying to decide whether to say what was in his mind, or just carry on. Finally, he decided to share his thoughts, ‘It took you twenty years to learn all that Shiva and Vishnu taught me over a hundred years of my education with them. I don’t know whether you are a better student or I was a better teacher.’

He paused as Shiva and Vishnu chortled in good humour. ‘Obviously, you were a better student as I can’t have been a better teacher than Shiva and Vishnu.’ Brahma said with a deferential nod in the direction of the other two supreme gods. Shiva and Vishnu accepted the compliment and Brahma’s humility with a polite shake of their heads. Amartya listened intently. All the praise was a new experience for him as Brahma had never bothered with compliments during his education.

‘Today is your initiation ceremony…the day you were to be pronounced a deva,’ Brahma continued in the same soft voice. Amartya straightened his back and tried to look suitably attentive as he felt the time of his initiation was near. He didn’t want any of the gods feeling he wasn’t paying attention.

‘However, I regret to inform you that we cannot initiate you as a deva today,’ Brahma said gravely. ‘And both Shiva and Vishnu are agreed that my decision is correct.’

There was silence in the ashram at Brahma’s words and Amartya felt his spirit crumple as he heard the ring of finality in Brahma’s voice. He tried to recall what he had done to offend his guru…what he had possibly done to embarrass Brahma in front of the other gods. He looked up to see Brahma staring intently at him, and summoned his strength and bowed to Brahma before speaking, ‘I apologize for letting you down, Gurudev. I am sorry that I couldn’t honour you by being successful in my education. And I beg the forgiveness of the lords Shiva and Vishnu for disappointing them too.’ He folded his hands in apology to all the three gods sitting around the fire. ‘If you could grant me one more chance I would like to study harder and make you proud of me.’

Shiva and Vishnu exchanged glances. They looked at Brahma and both spoke at the same time. ‘Our decision was right, it seems. He shouldn’t be a deva, after all!’

Amartya willed himself to show a brave face. He had let down his guru, but he would make up for it if this were the last thing he ever did. His thoughts were interrupted by Brahma speaking.

‘My son, we cannot make you a deva today,’ he paused, ‘Because we find that your potential exceeds that of a deva.’

Amartya gasped. More than a deva? What did Brahma mean?

‘In the name of the Trinity, I ordain you, Amartya, to the order of a brahmarishi.’ Brahma ended his sentence with a tilak on Amartya’s forehead.

There was a collective gasp amongst the audience. Indra’s face was pale. The other present devas looked bewildered too. Only Shiva and Vishnu appeared undisturbed.

‘B-but, Gurudev, I am not worthy of this honour!’ Amartya stammered. ‘Why do you say that, Amartya?’ It was Shiva who posed the question.

Amartya bowed before replying to the formidable personage, ‘My Lord, a person becomes a maharishi after thousands of years of penance and meditation. And then if they are truly able to understand the meaning of life and all the mysteries of creation, they may be considered to attain the order of a brahmarishi.’ Amartya dropped his voice a notch before continuing, ‘My Lord, I am eternally grateful to all of you for this great honour, but I do not believe myself to be ready for such merit, yet.’

This time it was Vishnu who interjected. ‘Amartya, do you believe that merit comes only with time?’

Amartya shook his head, ‘No, My Lord, it is earned through one’s actions and by the power of one’s beliefs.’

‘Exactly!’ Vishnu exclaimed. ‘Brahma learned from Shiva and me in a hundred years, what most brahmarishis take a few thousand years to understand. And you learned the same from Brahma in a mere twenty years! Does that not tell you anything?’

Amartya was silent, not geared to comprehend the greatness that the supreme gods wanted to bestow on him.

Shiva took up from where Vishnu had left, ‘Learning is learning. It doesn’t matter whether you become proficient in something in a thousand years or whether you gain competence in it in a mere twenty years.’

Amartya opened his mouth to say something, but Shiva stopped him, ‘The very fact that you have learnt all there is to learn about life, death, karma and dharma in so short a time shows how different you are. It’s nice to be humble, but don’t confuse humility with self-doubt. It doesn’t become you, Amartya.’

Brahma looked fondly at his student, aware that he would need a logical explanation more than anything else, at this stage. ‘Amartya, when a person tries to learn on his own, he takes a long time; his learning follows a trial-and-error process. Learning under a guru can cut short the training period manifold. Most of the people who have become maharishis and brahmarishis have taken thousands of years to perfect their learning because they did it on their own. You took twenty years because every moment of those years, I was holding your hand and teaching you personally. Each day that you spent with me was equal to a hundred years of learning you would have managed on your own. Still…’ Brahma paused before continuing, ‘The fact that you picked up all the knowledge in a mere twenty years shows the extent of your potential. I, too, was taught personally by Shiva and Vishnu; yet I took a hundred years to learn all you did in twenty. That makes you very special and very different, my child.’

Amartya was silent for a moment. Part of what Brahma and the other two supreme gods had said made sense. But he knew he had to clear his doubts now, rather than later. The responsibility of being a brahmarishi was no mean task, and he had to be certain that he was up to it. He took in a deep breath and looked at the three supreme gods, sitting around the ceremonial fire. ‘My Lords, Gurudev…in all the education I have received from Gurudev Brahma, I have heard about the spectacular feats of brahmarishi Vashishta and brahmarishi Vishwamitra. I understand now that I have learnt in a short while what others may have taken a much longer time to accomplish. But am I still ready for this? Brahmarishi Vashishta and brahmarishi Vishwamitra are capable of feats which even the devas find impossible to do. There is no weapon—human or celestial—that can destroy them. There is no magic in the universe that can charm them. They can lift mountains and alter the forces of nature with just the power of their thoughts…’ Amartya paused mid-sentence as he saw the three supreme gods looking at him with broad smiles.

Brahma was the first to speak, ‘You are right, Amartya. A brahmarishi can do all the things you just spoke about. And great brahmarishis like Vashishta and Vishwamitra can do even more because they are amongst the seven most powerful brahmarishis in the universe today. That is why they are called the Saptarishis.’

Amartya nodded. He knew about the Saptarishis, the seven most powerful and evolved brahmarishis who carried the responsibility of helping Brahma re-create the universe after every cycle of destruction. But Brahma still hadn’t answered how he could do all the feats that the other bramarishis were capable of.

Brahma read Amartya’s mind. ‘Amartya, before the end of the dvitya prahar, this day, you will be endowed with all the powers that great Saptarishi brahmarishis like Vashishta and Vishwamitra possess. There will be no feat they can perform that you too will not be able to do. But in order for that to happen, we have to first imbue you with the powers of Bal and Atibal, which are necessary for you to harness the universal force of Brahman.

Everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn to Indra, as he let out a loud gasp. The lord of the devas was staring at Amartya with an expression that was inscrutable. But, the flaring of his nostrils and the ragged breath escaping unconsciously from his mouth clearly indicated that he was deeply upset at the initiation of Amartya as a brahmarishi. He had had his reservations when Brahma had invited him to witness Amartya’s initiation as a deva and he had shared as much with Brahma. The lad was too young. But Brahma had sung paeans in favour of his disciple and Indra had given in. After all, as a deva, Amartya would have been subservient to him. But this…this was intolerable! How could Brahma exalt this youth to the order of a brahmarishi, when even he—Indra—had not yet been considered ready for such an honour? Would he now have to bow before this upstart? This was not acceptable! Even if Shiva and Vishnu had been blinded by Brahma’s praise of his pupil, Indra would not be fooled by this.

‘Is there a problem, Indra?’ Brahma’s voice was dangerously soft. Indra knew his behaviour was upsetting Brahma, and perhaps the other two supreme gods too. But he was in no mood to stay back to witness Amartya’s initiation any longer.

‘Something bothering you Indra?’ Brahma asked again, this time not as softly. ‘I…uh…I need to return to Indralok, My Lord,’ Indra replied evasively.