The Oath of the Vayuputras: Shiva Trilogy 3

Chapter 4

A Frog Homily

The aroma of freshly-cooked food emerged from Shiva’s chambers as his family assembled for their evening meal. Sati’s culinary skill and effort were evident in the feast she had lined up for what was practically their first meal together as a family. Shiva, Ganesh and Kartik waited for her to take a seat before they began the meal.

In keeping with custom, the family of the Mahadev took some water from their glasses and sprinkled it around their plates, symbolically thanking Goddess Annapurna for her blessings in the form of food and nourishment. After this, they offered the first morsel of food to the gods. Breaking with age-old tradition though, Shiva always offered his first morsel to his wife. For him, she was divine. Sati reciprocated by offering her first morsel to Shiva.

And thus the meal began.

‘Ganesh has got some mangoes for you today,’ said Sati, looking indulgently at Kartik.

Kartik grinned. ‘Yummy! Thanks dada!’

Ganesh smiled and patted Kartik on his back.

‘You should smile a little more, Kartik,’ said Shiva. ‘Life is not so grim.’

Kartik smiled at his father. ‘I’ll try, baba.’

Looking at his other progeny, Shiva inhaled sharply. ‘Ganesh?’

‘Yes... baba,’ said Ganesh, unsure of the response to his calling Shiva father.

‘My son,’ whispered Shiva. ‘I misjudged you.’

Ganesh’s eyes moistened.

‘Forgive me,’ said Shiva.

‘No, baba,’ exclaimed Ganesh, embarrassed. ‘How can you ask me for forgiveness? You are my father.’

Brahaspati had told Shiva that he had made Ganesh take an oath of secrecy; nobody was to know that the former Meluhan chief scientist was alive. Brahaspati did not trust anyone and wanted his experiments on the Mesopotamian bacteria to remain secret. Ganesh had kept his word even at the cost of almost losing his beloved mother and of grievously damaging his relationship with Shiva.

‘You’re a man of your word,’ said Shiva. ‘You honoured your promise to Brahaspati, without sparing a thought for the price you would be paying.’

Ganesh remained quiet.

‘I’m proud of you my son,’ said Shiva.

Ganesh smiled.

Sati looked at Shiva, Kartik and then at Ganesh. Her world had come full circle. Life was as perfect as it could possibly be. She did not need anything else. She could live her life in Panchavati till the end of her days. But she knew that this was not to be. A war was coming; a battle that would require major sacrifices. She knew she had to savour these moments for as long as they lasted.

‘What now, baba?’ asked Kartik seriously.

‘We’re going to eat!’ laughed Shiva. ‘And then, hopefully, we will go to sleep.’

‘No, no,’ smiled Kartik. ‘You know what I mean. Are we going to proclaim the Somras as the ultimate Evil? Are we going to declare war against all those who continue to use or protect the Somras?’

Shiva looked at Kartik thoughtfully. ‘There has already been a lot of fighting, Kartik. We will not rush into anything.’ Shiva turned to Ganesh. ‘I’m sorry, my son, but I need to know more. I have to know more.’

‘I understand, baba. There are only two groups of people who know all there is to know about this.’

‘The Vasudevs and the Vayuputras?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m not sure if the Vayuputra council will help me. But I know the Vasudevs will.’

‘I’ll take you to Ujjain, baba. You can speak to their chief directly.’

‘Where is Ujjain?’

‘It’s up north, beyond the Narmada.’

Shiva considered it for a bit. ‘That would be along the shorter route to Swadweep and Meluha, right?’

With the security of Panchavati uppermost in her mind, Kali had led Shiva and his entourage from Kashi to Panchavati via an elaborate route which took a year to traverse. The party had first headed east through Swadweep then south from Branga. They then moved west from Kalinga through the dangerous Dandak forests before they reached the headwaters of the Godavari where Panchavati lay. Shiva realised that there must be a shorter northern route to Meluha and Swadweep, which was impossible to traverse without a Naga guide, because of the impregnable forests that impeded the path.

‘Yes, baba. Though mausi is very secretive about this route, I know that she would be happy to share it with the three of you.’

‘I understand,’ said Sati. ‘The Nagas have many powerful enemies.’

‘Yes, maa,’ said Ganesh, before turning to Shiva. ‘But that is not the only reason. Let’s be honest. Though the war has not yet begun, we already know that the most powerful emperors in the land are against us. Which side everyone takes, including those waiting in the Panchavati guesthouse colony, will become clear over the next few months. Panchavati is a safe haven. It’s not wise to give away its secrets just as yet.’

Shiva nodded. ‘Let me figure out what I should do with my convoy. There aren’t too many kings in the Sapt Sindhu I can readily trust at this point of time. Once I’ve made up my mind, we can make plans to leave for Ujjain.’

Kartik turned to Ganesh. ‘Dada, there’s one thing I simply don’t understand. The Vayuputras are the tribe left behind by Lord Rudra. They helped the great seventh Vishnu, Lord Ram, complete his mission. So how is it that these good people do not see the Evil that the Somras has become today?’

Ganesh smiled. ‘I have a theory.’

Shiva and Sati looked up at Ganesh, while continuing to eat.

‘You’ve seen a frog, right?’ asked Ganesh.

‘Yes,’ said Kartik. ‘Interesting creatures; especially their tongues!’

Ganesh smiled. ‘Apparently, an unknown Brahmin scientist had conducted some experiments on frogs a long time ago. He dropped a frog in a pot of boiling water. The frog immediately jumped out. He then placed a frog in a pot full of cold water; the frog settled down comfortably. The Brahmin then began raising the temperature of the water gradually, over many hours. The frog kept adapting to the increasingly warm and then hot water till it finally died, without making any attempt to escape.’

Shiva, Sati and Kartik listened in rapt attention.

‘Naga students learn this story as a life lesson,’ said Ganesh. ‘Often, our immediate reaction to a sudden crisis helps us save ourselves. Our response to gradual crises that creep up upon us, on the other hand, may be so adaptive as to ultimately lead to self-destruction.’

‘Are you suggesting that the Vayuputras keep adapting to the incremental ill-effects of the Somras?’ asked Kartik. ‘That the bad news is not emerging rapidly enough?’

‘Perhaps,’ said Ganesh. ‘For I refuse to believe that the Vayuputras, the people of Lord Rudra, would consciously choose to let Evil live. The only explanation is that they genuinely believe the Somras is not evil.’

‘Interesting,’ said Shiva. ‘And, perhaps you are right too.’

Sati chipped in with a smile, almost as if to lighten the atmosphere. ‘But do you really believe the frog experiment?’

Ganesh smiled. ‘It is such a popular story around here that I’d actually tried it, when I was a child.’

‘Did you really boil a frog slowly to death? And it sat still all the while?’

Ganesh laughed. ‘Maaaaa! Frogs don’t sit still no matter what you do! Boiling water, cold water or lukewarm water, a frog always leaps out!’

The family of the Mahadev laughed heartily.



Shiva and Sati were exiting the Panchavati Rajya Sabha, having just met with the Naga nobility. Many of the nobles were in agreement with Queen Kali, who wanted to attack Meluha right away and destroy the evil Somras. But some, like Vasuki and Astik, wanted to avoid war.

‘Vasuki and Astik genuinely want peace. But for the wrong reasons,’ said Shiva, shaking his head. ‘They may be Naga nobility, but they believe that their own people deserve their cruel fate, because they are being punished for their past-life sins. This is nonsense!’

Sati, who believed in the concept of karma extending over many births, could not hold back her objection. ‘Just because we don’t understand something doesn’t necessarily mean it is rubbish, Shiva.’

‘Come on, Sati. There is only this life; this moment. That is the only thing we can be sure of. Everything else is only theory.’

‘Then why were the Nagas born deformed? Why did I live as a Vikarma for so long? Surely it must be because in some sense we’d deserved it. We were paying for our past-life sins.’

‘That’s ridiculous! How can anyone be sure about past-life sins? The Vikarma system, like every system that governs human lives, was created by us. You fought the Vikarma system and freed yourself.’

‘But I didn’t free myself, Shiva. You did. It was your strength. And all the Vikarmas, including me, were set free because that was your karma.’

‘So how does this work?’ asked Shiva disbelievingly. ‘That the compounded totality of sins committed by all the Vikarma over their individual previous lives was nullified at the stroke of a quill when I struck down this law? On that fateful day, in a flash, several lifetimes of sins sullying every Vikarma soul were washed away? A day of divine pardon, indeed!’

‘Shiva, are you mocking me?’

‘Would I ever do that, dear?’ asked Shiva, but his smile gave him away. ‘Don’t you see how illogical this entire concept is? How can one believe that an innocent child is born with sin? It’s clear as daylight: a new-born child has done no wrong. He has done no right either. He has just been born. He could not have done anything!’

‘Perhaps not in this life, Shiva. But it’s possible that the child committed a sin in a previous life. Perhaps the child’s ancestors committed sins for which the child must be held accountable.’

Shiva was unconvinced. ‘Don’t you get it? It’s a system designed to control people. It makes those who suffer or are oppressed, blame themselves for their misery. Because you believe you are paying for sins committed either in your own previous lives or those committed by your ancestors, or even community. Perhaps even the sins of the first man ever born! The system therefore propagates suffering as a form of atonement and at the same time does not allow one to question the wrongs done unto oneself.’

‘Then why do some people suffer? Why do some get far less than what they deserve?’

‘The same reason why there are others who get far more than what they deserve. It’s completely random.’

Shiva gallantly reached out to help Sati mount her steed but she declined and gracefully slid onto the stallion. Her husband smiled. There was nothing he loved more than her intense sense of self-sufficiency and pride. Shiva leapt onto his own horse and with a quick spur matched Sati’s pace.

‘Really, Shiva,’ said Sati, looking towards him. ‘Do you believe that the Parmatma plays dice with the universe? That we are all handed our fate randomly?’

The Nagas on the road recognised Shiva and bowed low in respect. They didn’t believe in the legend of the Neelkanth, but clearly, their queen respected the Mahadev. And that made most Nagas believe in Shiva as well. He politely acknowledged every person even as he replied to Sati without turning. ‘I think the Parmatma does not interfere in our lives. He sets the rules by which the universe exists. Then, He does something very difficult.’

‘What?’

‘He leaves us alone. He lets things play out naturally. He lets His creations make decisions about their own lives. It’s not easy being a witness when one has the power to rule. It takes a Supreme God to be able to do that. He knows this is our world, our karmabhoomi,’ said Shiva, waving his hand all around as though pointing out the land of their karma.

‘Don’t you think this is difficult to accept? If people believe that their fate is completely random, it would leave them without any sense of understanding, purpose or motivation. Or why they are where they are.’

‘On the contrary, this is an empowering thought. When you know that your fate is completely random, you have the freedom to commit yourself to any theory that will empower you. If you have been blessed with good fate, you can choose to believe it is God’s kindness and ingrain humility within. But if you have been cursed with bad fate, you need to know that no Great Power is seeking to punish you. Your situation is, in fact, a result of completely random circumstances, an indiscriminate turn of the universe. Therefore, if you decide to challenge your destiny, your opponent would not be some judgemental Lord Almighty who is seeking to punish you; your opponent would only be the limitations of your own mind. This will empower you to fight your fate.’

Sati shook her head. ‘Sometimes you are too revolutionary.’

Shiva’s eyes crinkled. ‘Maybe that is itself a result of my past-life sins!’

Laughing together, they cantered out of the city gates.

Seeing the Panchavati guest colony in the distance, Shiva whispered gravely, ‘But one man will have to account to his friends for his karma in this life.’

‘Brahaspatiji?’

Shiva nodded.

‘What do you have in mind?’

‘I had asked Brahaspati if he’d like to meet Parvateshwar and Ayurvati, to explain to them as to how he is still alive.’

‘And?’

‘He readily agreed.’

‘I would have expected nothing less from him.’



‘Are you all right?’ asked Anandmayi.

Parvateshwar and Anandmayi were in their private room in the Panchavati guesthouse colony.

‘I’m thoroughly confused,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘The ruler of Meluha should represent the best there is in our way of life – truth, duty and honour. What does it say about us if our emperor is such a habitual law-breaker? He broke the law when Sati’s child was born.’

‘I know what Emperor Daksha did was patently wrong. But one could argue that he is just a father trying to protect his child, albeit in his own stupid manner.’

‘The fact that he did what was wrong is enough, Anandmayi. He broke the law. And now, he has broken one of Lord Rudra’s laws by using the daivi astras. How can Meluha, the finest land in the world, have an emperor like him? Isn’t something wrong somewhere?’

Anandmayi held her husband’s hand. ‘Your emperor was never any good. I could have told you that many years ago. But you don’t need to blame all of Meluha for his misdeeds.’

‘That’s not the way it works. A leader is not just a person who gives orders. He is also the one who symbolises the society he leads. If the leader is corrupt, then the society must be corrupt too.’

‘Who feeds this nonsense to you, my love? A leader is just a human being, like anyone else. He doesn’t symbolise anything.’

Parvateshwar shook his head. ‘There are some truths that cannot be challenged. A leader’s karma impacts his entire land. He is supposed to be his people’s icon. That is a universal truth.’

Anandmayi bent towards him with a soft twinkle in her eyes. ‘Parvateshwar, there is your truth and there is my truth. As for the universal truth? It does not exist.’

Parvateshwar smiled as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. ‘You Chandravanshis are very good with words.’

‘Words can only be as good or as bad as the thoughts they convey.’

Parvateshwar’s smile spread wider. ‘So what is your thought on what I should do? My emperor’s actions have put me in a situation where my god, the Neelkanth, may declare war on my country. What do I do then? How do I know which side to pick?’

‘You should stick to your god,’ said Anandmayi, without any hint of hesitation in her voice. ‘But this is a hypothetical question. So don’t worry too much about it.’



‘My Lord, you called,’ said Ayurvati.

She had been as surprised as Parvateshwar when the both of them had been summoned to Shiva’s chambers. Since their arrival in Panchavati, Shiva had spent most of his time with the Nagas. Ayurvati was convinced that the Nagas were somehow complicit in the attack on Shiva’s convoy. She also believed the Neelkanth was perhaps investigating the roots of Naga treachery in Panchavati.

‘Parvateshwar, Ayurvati, welcome,’ said Shiva, ‘I called you here because it is time now for you to know the secret of the Nagas.’

Parvateshwar looked up, surprised. ‘But why only the two of us, My Lord?’

‘Because the both of you are Meluhans. I have reason to suspect that the attack on us at the Godavari is linked to many things: the plague in Branga, the plight of the Nagas and the drying up of the Saraswati.’

Parvateshwar and Ayurvati were flummoxed.

‘But I am certain about one thing,’ said Shiva. ‘The attack is connected to the destruction of Mount Mandar.’

‘What?! How?’

‘Only one man can explain it. One whom you believe is dead.’

Ayurvati and Parvateshwar spun around as they heard the door open.

Brahaspati walked in quietly.



‘The Somras is Evil?’ asked Anandmayi incredulously. ‘Is that what the Lord Neelkanth thinks?’

Parvateshwar and Anandmayi were in their chambers at the Panchavati guest colony. Bhagirath had just joined them.

‘I’m not sure about what he thinks,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘But Brahaspati seems to think so.’

‘But Evil is supposed to be Evil for everybody,’ said Bhagirath. ‘Why should a Suryavanshi turncoat decide what Evil is? Why should we listen to him? Why should the Neelkanth listen to him?’

‘Bhagirath, do you expect me to defend Brahaspati, the man who destroyed the soul of our empire?’ asked Parvateshwar.

‘Just a minute,’ said Anandmayi, raising her hand. ‘Think this through... If the plague in Branga is linked to the Somras, if the slow depletion of the river Saraswati is linked to the Somras, if the birth of the Nagas is linked to the Somras, then isn’t it fair to think that maybe it is Evil?’

‘So what is the Neelkanth planning to do? Does he want to ban the Somras?’ asked Bhagirath.

‘I don’t know, Bhagirath!’ snapped an irritated Parvateshwar, his world having turned upside down because of Daksha and now Brahaspati. ‘You keep asking me questions, the answers to which I do not know!’

Anandmayi placed her hand on Parvateshwar’s shoulders. ‘Perhaps the Neelkanth is just as shocked as we are. He needs to think things over. He cannot afford to make hasty decisions.’

‘Well, he has made one already,’ said Parvateshwar.

Bhagirath and Anandmayi looked at Parvateshwar curiously.

‘We are to leave for Swadweep once all have recovered from their injuries. The Lord has asked us to wait for him at Kashi till he decides his next move. He believes King Athithigva has not sold out to Ayodhya in the conspiracy to assassinate us on the Godavari.’

‘But if we go to Kashi, my father will get to know that we are alive,’ said Bhagirath. ‘He will know his attack has failed.’

‘We have to keep quiet about it. We have to pretend that nothing happened, that we were not attacked at all. That we made an uneventful journey to Panchavati and back.’

‘Won’t they wonder about their ships?’

‘The Lord says that’s all right. Many things can happen during long sea and river voyages. They may believe their ships met with an accident before they could attack us.’

Bhagirath raised his eyebrows. ‘My father may be stupid enough to believe that story. But he is not the leader. Whoever put together a conspiracy of this scale will certainly investigate what went wrong.’

‘But investigations take time, allowing the Neelkanth to check whatever else it is that he needs to.’

‘The Lord is not coming with us?’ asked a surprised Anandmayi.

Parvateshwar shook his head. ‘No. And the Lord has said we should let it be known that neither his family nor he is with us at Kashi. It should be publicised that he remains in Panchavati. The Lord believes that it will keep us safe as the attack was aimed at him.’

‘That can mean only one thing,’ said Bhagirath. ‘He chooses to take Brahaspati at face value but wants to ascertain a few more things before he makes up his mind.’

Anandmayi looked at her husband with concern in her eyes. She knew that a war was approaching. Perhaps the biggest war that India had ever seen. And in all probability, Meluha and Shiva would be on opposite sides. Which side would her husband choose?

‘Whatever happens,’ said Anandmayi, holding Parvateshwar’s face, ‘we must have faith in the Neelkanth.’

Parvateshwar nodded silently.



Shiva, Parshuram and Nandi were sitting on the banks of the Godavari. Shiva took a deep drag from the chillum as he looked towards the river, lost in thought. He let out a sigh as he turned to his friends. ‘Are you sure, Parshuram?’

‘Yes, My Lord,’ replied Parshuram. ‘I can even take you to the uppermost point of the mighty Brahmaputra, where she is the Tsangpo. But I wouldn’t recommend it, for fatalities can be high on that treacherous route.’

Shiva’s silence provoked Parshuram to probe further, ‘What is it about that river, My Lord?’ He had been intrigued by the abnormal interest shown by the Nagas in the Brahmaputra’s course as well. ‘First the Nagas, now you; why is everyone so interested in it?’

‘It may be the carrier of Evil, Parshuram.’

Nandi looked up in surprise. ‘Doesn’t the Tsangpo begin close to your own home in Tibet, My Lord?’

‘Yes, Nandi,’ said Shiva. ‘It seems Evil has been closer than it initially appeared.’

Nandi remained quiet. He was one of the few who knew the ships that attacked Shiva’s convoy were from Meluha. He knew what he had to do. If it came to a choice between Shiva and his country, he would choose Shiva. But it still hurt him immensely. He knew he might have to be a part of an army that would attack his beloved motherland, Meluha. He hated his fate for having put him in such a situation.



‘I think I know how to find the mastermind, My Lord,’ said Bhagirath.

He had sought an appointment with Shiva as soon as he had stepped out of Parvateshwar’s chambers. He knew that his father had decided to oppose the Neelkanth. It made sense therefore for Bhagirath to immediately prove his loyalty to Shiva. He didn’t expect Shiva to lose. Regardless of the opinion of the kings, the people would be with the Neelkanth.

‘How?’ asked Shiva.

‘You’d agree that my father hardly has the wherewithal to draw up such an elaborate plan. I’d say his selfish needs have made him succumb to the evil designs of another.’

Shiva edged forward, intrigued. ‘You think he has been bribed? Your father is in no need of money.’

‘What can be a better bribe than life itself, My Lord? Had you seen my father a few years back, you would have thought he was but a small step away from the cremation pyre. A life of debauchery and drink had wreaked havoc within his body. But today, he looks younger than I have ever known.’

‘The Somras?’

‘I don’t think so. I know he had tried the Somras in the past. It hadn’t worked. Somebody is supplying him with superior medicines. Something that is otherwise unavailable to even a king.’

Shiva’s eyes widened. Who could be more powerful, more knowledgeable than a king?

‘Do you think a maharishi is helping him?’

Bhagirath shook his head. ‘No, My Lord. I think a maharishi is leading him.’

‘But who can that maharishi be?’

‘I don’t know. But when I go back to Ayodhya...’

‘Ayodhya?’

‘If we are to maintain that no ships attacked us on the Godavari, My Lord, then what reason can there be for my not going back to Ayodhya? It will arouse suspicion. More importantly, I can only uncover the true identity of the master when I’m in Ayodhya. Despite my father’s best efforts, I still have eyes and ears in the impregnable city.’

Shiva considered this for a moment. He agreed with the train of thought. Moreover, now that Dilipa had chosen to align himself against Shiva, Bhagirath would be even more eager to prove his loyalty to him.

Shiva nodded. ‘All right, go to Ayodhya.’

‘But My Lord, when the time comes, I hope Ayodhya and Swadweep will be shown some kindness.’

‘Kindness?’

‘We have not used the Somras excessively, My Lord. Only a few Chandravanshi nobles use it, and that too, sparingly. It is the Meluhans who have abused its usage. That is what has made Evil rise. Therefore it is only fair that when the Somras is banned, this ban be imposed only on Meluha. Swadweep has not benefited from the drink of the gods. I hope we will be allowed to use it.’

‘You didn’t choose to use less Somras, Bhagirath,’ said Shiva. ‘You just didn’t have the opportunity to do so. If you had, the situation would have been very different. You know that just as much as I do.’

‘But Meluha...’

‘Yes, Meluha has used more. So naturally, they will suffer more. But let me make one thing clear. If I decide the Somras is Evil, then no one will use it. No one.’

Bhagirath kept silent.

‘Is that clear?’ asked Shiva.

‘Of course, My Lord.’