The Last Rudra

In the quiet sanctum of the shrine, two emotions were battling -one exaltation and the other heartbroken melancholy. The spirit was dancing around the yogi, lost in himself, eyes closed. And the stone-eyed laid unconscious on the floor, was in his own world. The beautiful idol had lost its vivacity. Something that had made it look alive died away.

But the blue fire is still surging like before.

Onish had no idea how much time had gone by when he decided to stop to check his body. He was no longer depressed and hopeless. He discovered the mysterious light streak hadn't burnt down his spirit paths. It had modified them. His nadis that were forged with ether (akash tatva) had now turned into some unknown element.

He still didn't know what changes they would bring in his body, but the yogi was relieved to have them. He had some conjectures like the spirit were no in his body anymore; they existed in some other dimension. But it was just conjecture after tracing them with his awareness. He had never heard of such an occurrence before.

The yogi retracted his awareness from his invisible nadis, but he could still feel them, invisible but real.

When Onish's awareness returned to the heart chakra again, he was left dumbfounded. A blue pearl, the size of a mustard seed, was floating beside his soul, glowing faintly. He guided his awareness towards it to feel it, but it repelled it.

Onish decided to ignore the seemingly benign pearl for the time being and examined his soul. The cracks were still the same. The aura had strengthened a bit, but what piqued his curiosity was fine golden lines nearly invisible to him emerging from his causal body. As though some had unearthed them by removing the accumulated dirt.

Puzzled, Onish examined them for a while but couldn't make out anything. He found himself as ignorant as a new student of Vedanta. His unfathomable knowledge had no explanation of these strange happenings.

Frustrated, he left his soul alone and decided to check his other chakras. Nothing seemed changed in them so far, except they were now brimming with pranic energy mixed with some different type of energy.

Surprised, he guided them into his invisible nadis cautiously. The bluish energy flowed through like water from a broken dam. And as soon as it covered all the 72000 spirit paths, Onish felt his awareness boosted all of a sudden. His spiritual sense that he had lost after acquiring the body returned, though no so strong.

So this was called wielding of the spirit. He felt disappointed. Though it had boosted his awareness a bit, he could see nothing else.

After checking the strange energy for a while, Onish concluded it was the spirit energy mentioned by Drona.

So now he was too a spirit wielder. But of which kind, it was still to be found out. He had no idea how they decided it.

After making sure his body was fine, Onish opened his eyes.

The first thing that came into his sight was the tear-streaked face of the idol. He blinked his eyes to take a good look at the odd occurrence. What the hell was? A stone idol shedding tears.

Though he had heard such events in rumours or read in Puranas. But it was his first time witnessing such an unbelievable thing. It was said when Kali-yuga ( age of Kali) stepped on the earth, all the vigraha, who were once white, turned black. The idols had started sweating and shedding tears. And thus, King Yuddhisthra realized that his time on the earth was over.

His guru had mentioned such an event. The enlightened master once visited a temple of Lord Shiva defiled by the shrine-defilers in the night. He saw the cracked lingam bleeding like a living man.

The venerable master had explained the secret of vigrahams (consecrated idols). The vigrah consecrated perfectly, according to the ancient rites of Vedas, came to life. They could even chat and laugh.

Onish observed the beautiful face, once had left him dazed, now had an air of melancholy. He recalled the mysterious whisperer, who had lamented about his failed promise. Who was she? He wondered.

The face evoked no memories in him. But Onish was not a fool.

He reckoned it a long time ago that there was something more to his identity than merely a fallen yogi from the earth. First that hand and now this goddess.

However, he couldn't do anything except live on and see what the future brings out.

So Onish gave an apologetical look to the idol,

"Thank you for your gift. Though I don't have any memory of you and can't recall my failed promise to you, I say sorry. My life is now like a line-broken-kite. My consciousness has no memory of the past that is chasing me. So forgive me for not recognizing you."

The yogi said in a solemn voice as he bowed his head down. He felt forlorn. He wished he could see his all-knowing master again. He missed his seniors who had guided him on his arduous path. He missed his humble icy cave. All had gone.

"LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU DEVILS..." Chalukya, who was unconscious, cried out suddenly, making Onish jerked back to reality. "SHE IS JUST Five spring old--Aagrah!"

Onish crouched down beside the howling stone-eyed. His body was not burning anymore.

"She is just five spring old..." Onish shook the awakener, who was drumming his legs and pounding the floor with his clenched fists, mouth foaming. And mumbling.

"Dwiza, wake up. No one is here." shouted the yogi, bewildered at the grip of the nightmare over the old man.

"Leave my Vindu, please don't defile her...I beg you. I will accept your ways." Wept the awakener bitterly. His eyes were bleeding. Blood diluted by tears stained his white beard.

Onish picked up the ewer and sprinkled the milky water on the awakener's face. He then pressed acupressure points to soothe down pranic energy eruption. The old man calmed down, and a few moments later, he opened his blood-stained eyelids.

Onish saw the polished white stones of eyeball size were rotating in the eye-sockets. Seemingly, desperate to find the reality.

"Are you alright, awakener?" asked Onish, helping the old man to sit. His cotton clothes were wet with sweat.

The old man didn't reply. He still seemed lost in his bad dream.

"Drink some water, Dwiza. You will feel better." Onish thrust the ewer in the old man's quivering hands. But he pushed it aside; instead, his wrinkled hands clutched his hands tightly.

"You must save them. It was not their fault to abandon Old Ways." pleaded Chalukya, his bloodied eyes fixed at him, as if they could see the bewildered face of Onish.

"They have been deceived by the treacherous Mora. I begged you, Hara. Save them from the hands of believers of the Evil Lord." Chalukya implored Onish.

Onish looked at the pleading man with utter confusion and frustration. Now he was Hara too. What's wrong with this world?

"Pull yourself together, Dwiza. It was just a nightmare." said Onish trying to wriggle out his hands from the old man's iron grip. "And by the way I'm not Hara. I'm Ishit, young lord of Minaak."

"No, you're Hara. You haven't been awakened. It was all this old man's fault." Chalukya tightened his grip as he said, shaking his head like a mad man." Once I awaken you, you will recall everything."

Onish saw a headache coming. The old man had clearly lost his mind. It seemed the accident damaged his brain.

He might not have the memory of the goddess, but there was no way he could be Hara, who, by the look of the situation, was some sort of saviour of mankind.

The reason was simple: he didn't have the strength to fight against a common spirit wielder, let alone be a saviour.

Memories were one thing, and power was another. Even Lord Krishna and Shri Rama of the earth had to learn vidyas from their gurus. Not to speak of, they were both Avatars of Maha Vishnu, the supreme ruler.

"Ok, First let my hand go, Then I will see what I can do." Onish decided to play along with the grieved old man. Reasoning with him seemed of no use.

"Thank you, Hara. This Cursed one knew you would forgive them." Chalukya let go of the yogi's hand with a low bow, his bald head touching the floor. Onish stepped back five feet from the old man. There was no way he would let the old man look at his invisible nadis.

"Dwiza, I think you should first wash yourself. Your condition doesn't look good to me. Besides, I'm sure my parents would be planning to break open the door by now. Let's first inform them," Onish said in a concerned tone. He was clearly worried for the poor lady who had pecked his forehead five times before letting him go.

"No, Hara, we don't have time. Besides, awakening wouldn't take long. You just have to follow my instructions, I have seen the ritual in my vision. It will take half a pahar at most." Chalukya refused to be conned. He had sensed cleverly hidden intent of the young boy. There was no time to wait now. Minions of the evil lord had long since infiltrated into Varta.

Aslan, the self-proclaimed king, was blinded by his inability to see the truth.

The horrid vision he had seen just now might be happening somewhere or would occur in the coming future. There was no way of knowing it. Chalukya had no control over his nightmares.

What he could do was to fulfil the task Mother had entrusted to him. In the beginning, he had some doubts about the boy. But now, after sensing the spirit serging into his self-awakened nadis, he was sure the Young lord was the man he had seen in his vision.

So, the old man took silvery powder out of his spatial bag. And after steading his quivering hands, he drew an intricate mandala on the floor. Onish was amazed to see the familiar yantra. It was a famous and most mysterious Sri yantra, used by Shaktas ( devotees of Adi Shakti) on the earth.

The old man whispered an obscure spell. And the powder burned with a colourful flame. Within No time, a Shri yantra made of ashtadhatu (octa-alloy) materialized before the amazed eyes of Onish. Gleaming with golden light, humming with the universal sound, Om.

"Please take off your clothes, Hara. you have to sit on it." Chalukya pointed to the centre, glowing dimly to him.

Unable to talk his way out. Onish had no choice but play along. He took off his clothes. He was relieved that the awakener wasn't going to check his nadis.

The yogi sat down on the faintly red centre, hoping the awakener knew what he was doing.

He felt warmth entering into his root chakra. Tracing his invisible nadis, it spread into his whole body.

"Now close your eyes, and please don't resist whatever you receive." Chalukya said in his calm voice.

Onish closed his eyes and waited for something to happen, but nothing transpired.

Chalukya continued chanting spell after spell. Without stopping, after almost one hour, the air started tightening like the string of a veena. The hum of the yantra grew louder till it began to resonate with Onish crown chakra.

Onish felt his body floating in the air. But he could still feel the yantra beneath him, getting hot like a cauldron. Soon it was scorching hot.

After almost one hour of baking, Onish felt something wriggling under his skin. The strange sensation continued for half an hour, and then everything began to calm down. The yantra cooled down, and the air too turned normal.

Chalukya halted his chanting in the middle,

"How is it possible? How can the power of shri yantra be exhausted so soon." He exclaimed with utter surprise.

"See, I told you. I'm not your Hara. Please let me out. My parents would be worried." Onish said as he got to his feet.

"How can it be possible? Wasn't it supposed to forge his body anew, and break the seal of white-wives." The blind man was still in shock.

"Was he really wrong?" He had seen the boys fighting against the horde of defilers alone, the impossible feat only a Hara could achieve.

Onish didn't want anymore baking. What he wanted was some time alone. But stone-eyed didn't seem to hear him.

What he should do now? Should he try to call the two gargoyles? He wondered.

He was hungry, like a wolf. He could hear his stomach rumbling. It must be noon or maybe the evening.

His body needed the food. The old man had clearly forgotten the fact that his Hara was jsut a 12 years old boy who had just gotten to his feet.

Suddenly an idea strikes his mind how can he forgot this. He could throw tantrum.

"Dwiza, I'm starving. Please let me out or I will die here." Onish said in a crying tone.

Chalukya didn't look at the boy; he called out the mantra to open the giant door.

If the lad was not Hara, then who was. He needed Mother's help again. Chalukya sat down before the idol. He had to find out who was this dark age's saviour or Old Ways really going to vanish.

The two gargoyles opened the door. Onish didn't wait for the invitation.. He rushed out of the sanctum like a prisoner escaped from jail.