Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 29) Jalindra

"Yakshagni?" the name evoked a dim memory of an untamed river for Dharma. She blinked, unable to grasp the nebulous images.

"Yes, that was the name of a great river. It used to flow from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. And I believe it had many tributaries. Pushpavati is one of them."

"This verse is an ode to the river?" Dharma asked, intrigued by Yakshagni. It sounded familiar and yet mysterious.

"Yes, this is just one verse of the poem. The entire poem was composed in praise of the river. I found it on a palm leaf manuscript in an old library."

"What has that got to do with Jalindra?" Dharma's question reminded Dushyant of Jalindra's perplexing life.

He sighed, "I hope I will get the opportunity to tell you the whole story one day. Now is not the time. Come, let us go." Throwing one last glance at Jalindra's cenotaph, Dushyant began to climb up the steps, followed by Dharma.

Dushyant was certain that Jalindra was the king of Alaka who had deserted the kingdom to escape with his love, a tribal princess. There could not be better evidence than the verse itself. The story went that, subsequent to the king's disappearance, his queen had cursed the tribe and her people with ill will and unhappiness in love. Dushyant's mission was to find the truth about the journey of that king and pay tribute to him.

Sighing, Dushyant wished he knew more about Jalindra. Nevertheless, he was pleased with himself for the tireless search. It was a strange coincidence that he met Dharma, without whom, he wouldn't have known about Jalindra or the cenotaph.

Unusual were the ways of the Universe!

He must thank Dharma properly one day, enlightening her about his mission in life. However, right now, he had duties to perform. He needed to talk to his father about his discovery and seek his advice for further action that had to be taken.

While the Sun drew the curtain for the day at Modhera, Dharma and Dushyant made their way back to their respective hotels; Dushyant to Mehsana and Dharma to Ahmedabad. Each engrossed in their own thoughts. While Dushyant mulled over the unexpected discovery of the cenotaph in Modhera, Dharma speculated about Jalindra and his connection to the ancient Yakshagni. Whispering the name of the river to herself, Dharma was gripped by an unusual absorption in the tale of Yakshagni. Her mind had conjured up an image of a swollen and turbulent river at the mention of Yakshagni. She was not certain if it was something that she had seen in her childhood or something that her thoughts had drawn from the umpteen dreams she had. One could never be sure of one's memories; for Dharma, they were either manifested from the past or surfaced as a comforting illusion from a nightmare.

**************

Dushyant made his way to the river early the next morning. Following his father's instructions, he performed the rituals according to his family's tradition for the purification of Jalindra's soul. From Dharma's account of the caretaker's story, Jalindra had spent a traumatized life. Dushyant was convinced that Jalindra's agony had begun after crossing to the other side of the time. He believed that Jalindra had travelled through time to another era and landed on the banks of Pushpavati; when Modhera had begun to make a mark in the history of the region.

After the rituals were performed, he waited for the gates of the temple to open so that he could peruse the inscription once again, and when the complex opened for visitors, he went down the steps to the cenotaph. Dushyant was dazzled by the intricate and breathtaking architecture. He realized that the steps were built in such a manner that water could flow without hindrance to the tank during monsoon.

When he reached the cenotaph, he let his fingers run over the rough etchings on the wall.

**************

Dharma's tryst with the storm did not happen the next day. Highly strung over the emergence of dark clouds at frequent intervals, Dharma communed with the god of the storm to spare Modhera from its fury.

Dharma was waiting for the models in Modhera for the trial run.  She wished for Maurya’s presence for guidance. They had not met after their argument over the show-stopper.

"Dharma, I have arranged one corner in the hall for a change of clothes."

"Thanks, Pooja. I hope Ayesha is fine with the arrangement."

"Yeah, she will arrange a makeshift cubicle for the girls."

"Great!”

"Hello, Dharma..." Dushyant greeted, "I hope I am not disturbing you."

"No, no... how are you?"

"I am fine. I wanted to thank you for telling me about Jalindra and his cenotaph. I have been looking for it all my life. And this morning, I discovered something else," at Dharma's inquiring glance, he answered, "I will tell you after the show."

"Sure..."Dharma murmured thoughtfully, "The storm hasn't arrived yet."

"Who knows? It may just skip Modhera. One can never predict Nature. She has her own will..."

******************

Shankaran surveyed the old map, tracing the route of the river. To his astonishment, he found that River Agni in Anuragnicheri was a tributary of the old river Yakshagni. Agni begins its journey at Agasthyamalai hills, flowing through the southernmost tip of the western ghats to the plains, and joins another river (which he presumed to be the old Yakshagni or Maitsaya) on its way to the ocean near Mangapuram. Shankaran was stunned to learn that the river he saw every day in the backyard of the village was connected to the legendary river Yakshagni. How did he miss this story about Agni?

He could not let go of the fact that some of the elders of the village warned anyone who tried to swim or wade through the waters, of danger. They believed that the swirling waters of the river hid powerful currents. Shankaran wondered if that was the only reason or like Yakshagni, Agni too concealed a perilous secret of the universe.

Energized by the sensational finding, Shankaran went for a walk and ended up on the banks of the river. He stood staring at the flowing waters. He wished he could communicate with the waters or better yet; dip into the river to know more. However, like every other person, he too was fearful of the currents. He sat on the steps connecting the river to the village. A few years ago, the district administration banned activities like washing and bathing on the banks of the river. Now, except for the ceremonial customs of the temple, no one used the steps. Some of the village elders who visited the temple regularly lingered on the steps to enjoy the cool breeze.

Shankaran's contemplation was broken by the greetings of the temple priest, "Hello Shankaran, you are back from your vacation..."

"Yes. How are things here?"

"Fine. By the way Shankaran, did you speak to the owner of Avadhi?" the priest asked, eliciting a thoughtful glance from Shankaran.

"Yes, he has promised me that he will be here soon. Why? Did something happen in my absence?"

"Some officers from the Railways came inquiring about the house."

"What do they want with Avadhi?"

"Since it is the corner house, they would like to purchase the land from its owner and demolish it for their own construction."

"What? That is not possible," a shocked Shankaran burst out.

"Well, the sarpanch has given your number to the railway officers. They will be contacting you."

"Thank you for the advance warning. I will talk to Maurya and find his plans."

"Do something fast about the abandoned house, Shankaran. It seems to have grieved enough. Let us find salvation for it."

"Yes, you are right," Shankaran rose, deciding to call Maurya and warn him about the railway's plans. “I will ask the owner to take a decision immediately."

*********

Maurya reached Ahmedabad a day earlier for the event. Sonia had informed him that the team in Modhera was concerned about the weather forecast. A storm was predicted to blow over the area in the next couple of days.

The projected bad weather may spoil the show. Hence, Maurya wanted to be there. He could have easily sent Tapan or someone else, but he couldn't suppress his need to be there for Dharma at this momentous occasion of her career.

Maurya suspected that he probably wanted to score a brownie point with her.

After Tapan revealed Dharma’s warning call to him like a clairvoyant, Maurya was starting to believe that Dharma and he had an age-old connection. Her heart-warming appeal touched his soul deeply. He surmised that it was his destiny to be rescued by her, not once but twice. He recalled Mahendran's words in the letter.

"I believe that your stars have destined you to find the right partner and when you find her, you will know she is the one! Your true love..."

The vehemence and the magnitude of his feelings for Dharma confounded him. It was shattering to realize that one person could provoke such a violent wrench of emotions in him. It frightened the hell out of him, yet at the same time, he felt a marvellous sense of freedom as if someone had released him from an airless room into an open space. And the bittersweet yearning that usually lasted longer each time she left him...

Like Shankaran had told him, they probably sought each other to fulfill an old Karmic debt and he was beginning to appreciate Mahendran's theory of soul mates.

Something also crystallized very clearly inside him. With such a compelling desire for Dharma, Maurya felt it was not right on his part to continue the engagement with Rashika.  He didn't know if Dharma felt the same but he knew instinctively that she would not acknowledge any attraction for him unless he was single.

Maurya planned to have a serious talk with Vasukinath Krishna and Rashika after the show. He didn't care if Vasukinath stripped him of any right to the family business. With his feelings evident for Dharma, he regretted taking advantage of Rashika’s affection. He felt contrite for manipulating her father. He wanted to make amends for his miscalculations. Maurya was young and hardworking, and with his experience and immense knowledge, he could start another venture from scratch.

His phone buzzed, "Hello..."

"Hello Maurya, Shankaran Murthy here. How are you doing?"

"I am good. I am sorry I could not reach out to you earlier."

"Maurya, I have some news for you. The railway authorities are planning to buy the land where Avadhi stands. I want to know your plans Maurya. When are you coming here?"

"I am travelling right now. There is an event tomorrow. I will reach there after the event."

"Good then. I don't want anyone else but you to open the door of Avadhi. Once you are here, you can decide what you want to do with the house."

"Fine. I will catch you soon."

************

When Maurya drove into the complex of the Sun temple, he was pleased by the amount of progress that had been made. After parking the car, he sauntered towards Kirti Toran where the workers were decorating it. The models were supposed to walk down the steps of the hall, enter through the toran, and sashay around the tank. The seating would be arranged on the lawn adjoining the reservoir. The guests were arriving the next day and Maurya had delegated Tapan, Sonia and a couple more executives from Krishna Industries to take care of them.

Maurya looked for Dharma and spotted her speaking to a tall man. Approaching Dharma quietly, he greeted, "Hi Dharma..."

Swinging around in bewilderment, Dharma's jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight of Maurya. For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. Her heart raced erratically and her pulse rushed in a frenzy.

Maurya's glance shifted to the older man. Dushyant observed the exchange between Maurya and Dharma with interest. He offered his hand to Maurya, "Hello, I am Dushyant Bhadera."

Maurya took the man's proffered hand, "Maurya Verma."

Dushyant was pleasantly surprised by the name, urging him to pay keen attention to the younger man.