The Krishna Key (36 page)

‘I can assure you that they gave it up willingly and enthusiastically,’ said Saini, smiling slyly.

My father, Vasudeva, heard of the terrible events at Prabhas Patan and died of grief and shock. Dwarka was now a scene of thousands of funeral
pyres and wailing Yadava women. Arjuna rushed to Dwarka to look after the women and children that remained, but he was too late. The rains came lashing down and the seas rose. Waves pounded the walls and fortifications of my beloved Dwarka until the foundations melted. Within a short time, the sea was calm again, but there was no sign of my fabulous city, which lay submerged beneath the now calm waters.

‘Willingly and enthusiastically? Why?’ asked Radhika. ‘And if an ancient secret lies buried here at the Taj Mahal, where do we dig for it?’

‘That’s precisely it, Radhika. We can’t dig,’ said Saini. ‘This is now a sacred spot built to honour the dead. One can’t desecrate it. And that’s exactly what Raja Man Singh’s family knew. This was the very reason that they gave up the palace so easily to the Mughal emperor. In an environment where temples could be destroyed on a whim, they concluded that the best way to preserve the secret of the Syamantaka was to have a Muslim mausoleum over it. It was the ultimate insurance policy!’

‘If we can’t dig for direct evidence, is there any corroborating pointer that the Syamantaka lies here?’ asked Radhika.

‘Do you know that the gardens around the Taj Mahal were planted with very specific shrubs?’ asked Saini. ‘Mentioned in the records are
ketaki, jai, juhi, champa, maulashree, harshringar
and
bel.
Bel has a radioprotective quality. Harshringar is used for treating respiratory ailments. Ketaki is used for treating blood disorders—these were all medicinal herbs! They were
planted at the Taj because the the Syamantaka would have released radiation and these herbs would have neutralised the effects of it.’

For once, Radhika had nothing to say.

‘Another interesting nugget to consider is this,’ continued Saini. ‘In the
Badshahnamah
we are told that in 1632, a fence of solid gold was placed around Mumtaz Mahal’s sarcophagus. It contained over forty thousand
tolas
of pure gold. Some years later the fence was no longer seen at the site. Why? Isn’t it possible that the railing had not started out as gold but only transmuted to gold later on and hence needed to be removed for security reasons? Alternatively, isn’t it also possible that the railing was originally gold but transmuted to an alternative metal and was thus removed because i a burst of sudden emotion but heis Saini and Radhikat was no longer in keeping with the richness of the surroundings?’

‘Is there any way to be sure that the transmutation happened?’ asked Radhika.

‘There is one further piece of evidence that points the way—the white marble of the Taj Mahal,’ said Saini.

‘How does the marble tell us anything about the Syamantaka?’ asked Radhika.

‘Marble is the end-product of a process of metamorphosis of limestone under terrific heat and pressure. The purer the original limestone, the purer the whiteness of the marble. Over the last two decades there has been a vociferous debate over the yellowing of the Taj Mahal on account of pollution in Agra as well as acid rain,’ explained Saini.

‘Yes, I heard that many industries were shifted away from the precincts of the Taj Mahal because of this,’ said Radhika.

‘But ask B. B. Lal, a scientist with the Archaeological Survey of India, and you will get a different opinion. He has stated in writing that chemical and petrographic studies have shown that the marble of the Taj Mahal has not undergone mineralogical alteration, nor is there any evidence of chemical weathering. No impact of acidic gases in the air has been detected, as there is hardly any perceptible sulphation of the marble!’

‘If it isn’t particulate matter, it could be acid rain,’ countered Radhika.

‘The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute—or NEERI—published a report on the basis of which polluting industries were ordered to move out of the vicinity,’ replied Saini. ‘Funnily enough NEERI’s claims regarding acid rain were contradicted by its own data. For example, data on rainwater quality showed pH values between 6.1 and 7.7—a perfectly neutral range, indicating that there was no acid rain.’

‘So if it isn’t the pollution or acid rain, what exactly
is
causing the Taj Mahal to turn yellow?’ asked Radhika. Saini smiled once more.

‘A research study carried out some years ago showed that when marble statues in Europe were cleaned using laser irrsurface colour of the marble underwent a change,’ said Saini.

‘You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, are you?’ asked Radhika.

Saini laughed outright this time. ‘I’m saying precisely what you think I’m saying. The higher Gieger counter readings in Agra on Rathore’s map were due to radiation. Stones such as granite and marble have natural radiation properties but no one had bothered to check whether the radiation from the marble was within ordinary limits. It is this slightly elevated radiation that is causing the colour change—radiation from a source that lies somewhere within this marble edifice! Let’s call Rathore and tell him to come over quickly,’ said Saini as he dialled Rathore’s number.

At that moment Saini felt the cold steel of a snub-nosed revolver against his back. ‘Do not move,’ hissed the voice, pressing the gun harder into Saini’s back. From the corner of his eye, Saini saw that there was another figure standing behind Radhika too. Mataji and Taarak were back from their muddy grave in Vrindavan! Saini quickly slipped his phone into his trouser pocket.

‘You thought that you could get rid of us by leaving that CBI dog—Sunil Garg—to kill us. It’s now our chance to get even,’ spat a small earthen plate—around four centimetres long and an equal four centimetres wide. e. b Priya as she held Radhika at gunpoint.

‘Where is Sunil Garg? What have you done with him?’ Radhika demanded to know.

‘I have found that corrupt men are the easiest people to do business with,’ said Mataji with a demonic smile on her face. ‘While he was vigorously shovelling earth down the temple pit to bury us alive, I persuasively explained the magical powers of the Syamantaka stone to him. He soon realised it was worth his while to partner us. He was given the job of following you both to see your ultimate destination.’

‘It has been a pleasure getting to know you both,’ said Taarak, ‘but now it’s time for us to bid adieu to both of you. Please start walking towards the riverbank. Do not even think of raising an alarm because Mataji and I shall not hesitate to pull the trigger on either one of you.’

With a sharp nudge, Taarak indicated to Saini that he should move. Cautiously, Saini and Radhika began to walk back towards the banks of the Yamuna with Taarak and Priya following at close quarters so as to prevent the general public from knowing that they were holding guns. Within a few minutes they were back at the lowest point of the Taj Mahal edifice—the red sandstone rooms overlooking the Yamuna. Tourists never ventured to this part of the monument and the stretch along the river was isolated except for a solitary figure who stood in front of one of the massive arches that had been sealed during Shah Jahan’s reign.

Taarak waved at the figure from the distance and the figure waved back. Sunil Garg was awaiting the arrival of high dividend prisoners.

The survivors clung to boats to reach the mainland, from where Arjuna took them to Hastinapur. On the way, they were attacked by wandering thugs. Arjuna raised his Gandiva to annihilate them but
was unable to use it. It was only then that the knowledge burst upon him that all his power had emanated from me. He fell to his knees, sobbing like a child. When the tears stopped, he saw a vision of me as a toddler, gurgling for milk. I was reminding him that life continues and that there is always hope for a new day and a fresh start. Arjuna gathered the surviving women and children and took them to Mathura
—
the city from where I had brought the Yadavas to Dwarka. Many years later, my great-grandson, Vajranabhi, would become chief of Mathura.

‘Welcome to the newest prison facility of Agra,’ mocked Sunil Garg as Saini and Radhika approached the archway where he stood.

‘You shall soon be history, Garg,’ admonished Radhika. ‘The world shall soon know that you were working against the interests of the CBI and were part of Sir Khan’s team.’

‘Hmm. History—such a fascinating word,’ replied Garg, ominously. ‘I think that the English dictionary calls it a record of past events and times, especially in connection with the human race. The question in my mind—Radhikaji—is this. Who will write
your
history? Who will tell the world that besides Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan there are two other people buried inside the Taj Mahal? Who will inform tourists that these two other people are Radhika Singh and Ravi Mohan Saini? Visitors will know of the love between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal but will never know of the love between Radhika and Ravi. What a terrible shame… all that passion entirely wasted!’

Ravi gulped. Ga,’ replied Sir Khan Sis Saini and Radhikarg, Priya and Taarak planned to lock them alive in one of the forgotten rooms of the Taj!

‘Enough small talk,’ said Priya to Garg gruffly. ‘Let’s get this over with.’

Garg pushed the old arched door and it creaked open. The room was one among a network of twenty-two that had remained shut since Mughal times. It was musty, humid and stank of animal excrement. Saini suddenly felt a flutter of wings against his face. Bats! These rooms were infested with bats!

‘Welcome to the Hotel California,’ said Garg with deliberate cruelty. ‘You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.’

‘Why would you want to kill us?’ asked Radhika. ‘Professor Saini has already discovered the location of Krishna’s most prized possession. Why eliminate the very people who could lead you to it?’

‘I cannot afford to have both of you alive,’ said Garg to Radhika. ‘You threatened to expose me if I didn’t do what you wanted. It’s my turn to make sure that you can never open your mouths ever again. As for the stone, forget it. A legacy of Krishna—who was a manifestation of Vishnu—would never be left in a palace named after Shiv. Quit wasting everyone’s time.’

‘Shiv is merely a form of Vish and Vish is merely a form of Shiv. Shiv resides in the heart of Vish and Vish resides in that of Shiv. At least do your homework before you jump to conclusions!’ retorted Saini.

‘So Vish and Shiv are the same?’ asked Radhika purposely, hoping that any extended discussion would buy them time.

‘To understand what Shiv and Vish are, we need to go back to the creation of the universe,’ replied Saini. ‘Modern science says that at the beginning of time there was a great explosion—the
Big Bang.
Around 13.7 billion years ago, all energy was concentrated at a single point—physicists call this point a
singularity
—and this single point has been in a state of expansion ever since. It is from this single event that all the energy of the universe—and consequently all matter—came into existence.’

‘Why are we wasting time?’ asked Taarak impatiently. ‘Let’s get this over with and not lose more time in pointless conversation!’ But Saini and Radhika’s strategy had succeeded in getting Mataji hooked. She gestured Taarak to keep his impatience in check.

‘Now, consider the Big Bang in conjunction with Albert Einstein’s theory that E=mc
²
,’ continued Saini, ignoring Taarak’s outburst. ‘Simply put, energy and matter are interchangeable. In fact, subsequent exploration into atomic structure has taught scientists that matter is actually an illusion and that atoms are composed of
nothingness
—energy fields that merely create the illusion of matter. In simple terms, all matter that makes up the universe is actually energy. Einstein’s equation also tells us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can merely be converted from one form to another, or transferred from one place to another.’

‘Then how can we credit the Big Bang for having
created
all the energy of the universe—if energy cannot be created or destroyed? There seems to be an apparent contradiction between the Big Bang and Einstein’s theories,’ said Radhika.