Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 38) Saugandhika Forest

"What made Yakshas believe in time travel?" Dushyant questioned the spiritual man, whose name he found out was Ananda Acharya.

"There are many secrets about the universe that the ancients had believed in; some of which we cannot even fathom."

"There must be some particular reason for them to have concluded that time travel was possible," Dushyant probed.

Ananda Acharya bestowed an enigmatic smile on Dushyant, "You are a persistent man. What do you think could have persuaded them to believe in time travel?"

"A wormhole maybe...."

The man laughed without restraint. His gaze seemed to weigh Dushyant with interest. "You have done enough research on this area. Haven't you?"

"So, is it true?" Dushyant persevered.

"And where do you think it was?"

"Yakshagni..."

Ananda Acharya regarded Dushyant with wonder and disbelief, "The river that has flown endlessly?"

"Endlessly?"

"Yes, without bothering about the changing times, it has flowed ceaselessly through the years. There is a story behind it. I will tell you later. First, I want to show you something. Come with me."

"Where?"

"Trust me, you will be surprised."

Dushyant followed the guru down the steps to a narrow path that led them to a dense trail. On their right side, they saw the range of mountains running parallel to them.

"See the peaks there? They were called the Mandara Mountains in the olden days. Another tribe called Kinaras used to live there."

"I suppose the name Kinnaur originated from them..." Dushyant queried.

"I believe so..."

As they trekked deeper into the forests, the descending silence disconcerted Dushyant.

"Is this Saugandhika Forest?"

"Once upon a time, this was a forest where an exotic tribe, rare birds, and primeval trees lived in great pride. The forest was so rich that other kingdoms fought over it. The Yaksha tribe that lived in the forest was loyal to the kingdom of Alaka. They adhered to the rules of the land and lived in peaceful harmony. But every paradise has a serpent. Here, a neighbouring king played foul. Not able to accept that his daughter was forsaken by the prince for a tribal girl, he ordered his people to set fire to the forest hoping that it would kill the tribal girl. What he hadn't expected was that his actions would be fatal to the prince too. As soon as the news reached the king of Alaka, he ordered the death of the other king; however, he had lost his son by then and the entire forest had been burnt down. In today's language, they would call it a failure of military intelligence. Anyway, coming back to this forest, let us go further."

In silence, they walked for some distance into the thicket. There was a stillness to the forest that was not common. Dushyant asked the Acharya, "Why is it so quiet? I mean forests do have their own cacophony of sounds. This forest seems frozen in time even though there are plenty of trees."

"It hasn't recovered from the tragedy that happened centuries ago. It lost almost all its children in the fire.  Days have flown, years have passed and centuries have rolled by but this forest is trapped in a time warp."

"What do you mean by time warp?"

"There hasn't been a single creature that has made this forest its home since the fire. They come and go but no one dwells here long. You know Dushyant... some wrongdoings are so colossal that there is no going back from it. This forest has been abused so badly that it has stopped being home to any species. Look at the trees here. They are either taken over by weeds or they have stopped growing. Similarly, none of the birds or mammals or reptiles stay here long."

Guru's words made sense to him. Dushyant looked around the forest. It existed like a haunted palace. Ananda Acharya continued, "We, the so-called exalted beings on this earth, think, only humans are sensitive. It is not true. I believe all children of the Earth are susceptible to suffering. This forest has endured so much pain that it has refused to be home to any of its visitors."

Dushyant was enraptured by what the Guru was saying. There was such profound truth to it that it impelled him to question, "So guruji, what can make this forest come back to life?"

"I don't know. Once upon a time, this was so flourishing that there were festivals celebrated in honour of Saugandhika. They used to cherish every living entity here." The guru sighed wistfully, "Perhaps Saugandhika is waiting for someone to return. The river could be flowing endlessly because it is looking forward to someone's reappearance, someone who had been wronged in the past."

"True, what you are saying is absolutely right. There are so many things that we have no knowledge about."

"Right!" There was a small clearance in the area and Dushyant viewed the small patch of blue sky with relief. Soon, the looming trees brought an end to the glimpse of the blue yonder. A narrow track led them further into the woods.

"We haven't yet finished the discussion about Ekveer," Ananda Acharya noted.

"Oh?" Dushyant was more focussed on the ground. He didn't want to step on some crawling creature.

They moved to the bank of the translucent river Maitsaya.

"Some people in Alaka had believed that Ekveer escaped death by travelling to the future through the wormhole in the river. If you go to the other side of the forest, there is a small village where they sing a lullaby to children at night. Like the poem about Yakshagni and the ballad that talks about Urmathi and her son; it illustrates the story of Ekveer. The lullaby ends with the return of the prince to his beloved land after thousand years."

Dushyant stared at the Guru in fascination, "Oh, how fascinating! I saw a cenotaph in Modhera. It was dedicated to Jalindra who had escaped from Alaka through the river and had been found on the banks of the river Pushpavati."

"Jalindra?"

"Yes," Dushyant narrated the life of Jalindra to the older man. "Since it has been the mission of my family to trace the journey of the king, I was excited to come across the cenotaph and pay homage to him."

"What makes you think that he was the only one who had escaped? There might have been others who had taken refuge in the river and found themselves on the other side of the world."

"You mean like Ekveer?"

"Yes, he and the tribal princess..."

"But she was a Yakshi," Dushyant mused aloud.

"So what? If she had travelled to the other side, then she could have adjusted herself to the life there."

"Do you think Ekveer and his woman met on this side of the time?"

"Possibly... We will have to wait and see. Long ago, some wise men wrote a prophecy on the banks of this river. The prophecy was that if two innocent lovers had been wronged by Alaka; they would have to return to this land once again to save Alaka from the Great Storm."

"Alaka has gone already..."

"The name is gone but the land is still here, isn't it?"

"Do you think such prophecies come true?"

"Look at the placid river...Who could have imagined that once upon a time it had been awe-inspiring? That it had hidden a mind-blowing secret that no one could have imagined."

"Like you said, a wormhole..."

"Yes!"

They stood watching the serpentine river. Then, they sauntered deeper into the forest. Ananda Acharya commented, "See, even the Sun refuses to brighten this forest. The whole area is covered in darkness."

A dark cloud hung over the forest. The guru stopped suddenly. Dushyant who was following the guru came to a faltering halt.

Ananda Acharya picked a broken tree branch from the ground and brushed aside the dry leaves and debris from a spot near the river. As Dushyant watched perplexed, the guru swept away the top layer of the sand and mud with his hand.

Something like a marble glistened from the ground. Dushyant's eyes widened in amazement. As the guru dug the land around the marble slab, Dushyant helped him. He realized with astonishment that it was a cenotaph. There was an inscription on it. The script was unfamiliar to him.

"What is inscribed on it?"

"Our beloved Prince, Ekveer Bhadra - Prince of Alaka."

"Good lord, he died at this spot?"

"He was believed to have died on this spot. Only his sword and royal jacket were retrieved from this place. But since it is so close to the river, he could have jumped into Yakshagni and travelled to the other world."

"What about the tribal princess?" Dushyant lowered his tone as if he was discussing a palace intrigue.

"She too could have jumped into the river with him. If they had come ashore at the same time frame, they should meet and return here. Or this land would be destroyed soon."

Dushyant knelt and let his hands run over the inscription.

His ancestor! What a miracle to find this cenotaph...

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

When Maurya met Vasukinath Krishna at the hospital, the older man looked shattered. His wife, although exhausted, was more in control of the situation. She was the one who apprised Maurya of Rashika's state of health.

"What about Arjun?"

She shook her head, conveying that she wasn't aware of his condition.

Maurya then asked a nurse who directed him to another unit, where Arjun's parents were waiting anxiously for the doctor's prognosis. Half an hour later, the doctor informed the family that in spite of trying his best, he could not save Arjun. Arjun's mother collapsed on the chair.

Maurya would never forget that afternoon's terrible scene in the hospital. The distraught cries of Arjun's parents lent an air of heart-wrenching bereavement through the hospital's corridor. Many of Arjun's relatives arrived and some of them even screamed at the staff for their failure to revive Arjun. Following the altercation between the staff and Arjun's family, security guards arrived to control the situation.

There was utter chaos but what horrified Maurya was Vasukinath and his wife's utter disregard for Arjun's family. Their benumbed stance and their refusal to acknowledge that Rashika was driving recklessly, and therefore was the cause of her friend's death; appalled Maurya. Maurya recognized something very cold and selfish in their exclusive concern for their daughter with no thought for the person who had died.

Maurya instructed some of the senior staff of Krishna Industries to handle the uproar at the hospital. Index Fashion House closed for a couple of days and most staff showed their faces at the hospital. The hospital administration cautioned Maurya about the growing number of visitors as it was against the hospital mandates to have so many visitors for one patient.

In the midst of the turmoil, Maurya missed Dharma desperately. Although he was dying to speak to her, he did not want to involve her in the mess that Rashika had created. There were allegations and counter-allegations by Arjun's family and Rashika's family. Each blamed the other for the tragic accident. Rashika's parents alleged that Arjun had persuaded Rashika for the disastrous drive while Arjun's family claimed that Rashika had misled Arjun. Vasukinath looked up to Maurya for guidance but Maurya had no clue. He waited for the doctor's diagnosis of Rashika before he took any further action.

Maurya was aware that Dharma had been upset about his abrupt departure. He knew it instinctively because Dharma would have called him by now otherwise. He realized, in hindsight, that he should have given her the details of the accident. But, the truth was that he had been overcome by too many emotions when he received the phone call. He had felt guilty for being indifferent to Rashika during their stay in Modhera; had been regretful that he had not broken off the engagement sooner; but above all, he had been plagued with worry that Vasukinath, on learning about his daughter's condition, would insist on getting him married to her at once. Hence, he had withdrawn into a shell, as always. He supposed that he had hurt Dharma with his attitude. It was only after reaching Delhi that Maurya learnt that Rashika was much more critical than what he had been told, and that, Arjun had been with her.

In truth, it had only relieved him. He, now, had a definite reason to tell Vasukinath that his daughter loved someone else. However, Arjun's death rendered him speechless. He deliberated on the reasons for the ill-fated drive on that day. What had made Rashika take that highway? Had they been on a jaunty ride when they met with the accident?

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

Dharma’s phone was switched off. A worried Maurya spoke to Shankaran who briefed him about Avadhi’s collapse, Dharma’s decision & her leaving for the airport.

While he was kicking himself for having been unfair to Dharma, one of Arjun's two brothers approached him. Arjun was the youngest of the three brothers.

"Hi," Rahul greeted him soberly.

"Hi, I am extremely sorry about Arjun."

Nodding, Rahul took a seat next to Maurya and extracted a cell phone from his pocket. "This is Arjun's phone. The police handed it to me. They found it inside the car when they were towing it away."

Maurya waited. He got an inkling that something significant was going to be revealed.

"I went through his call log and messages. I know you are concerned about Rashika. But we have to do our duty. We are investigating the incidents that led to the accident."

Maurya frowned, "And what did you find?"

"There is an unknown number and message here. When I enquired in my office, I learnt that Arjun was tracing a man who had escaped police custody. None of the lawyers in the firm recognised the number. Only the investigator seemed aware of it because he had been asked to find this man at the behest of Rashika. Just before the accident, Arjun and Rashika had met this fellow. I came to know about this from the umpteen messages exchanged between Rashika and Arjun. Do you know who he is?"

Even before he saw the number, Maurya guessed who Rashika had tried to contact. Enraged by her audacity, Maurya asked, "Do you have his number?"

"Here, see...."

With Rahul's permission, Maurya called the number. It was switched off. "I will let you know once I find out his identity," Maurya assured Rahul, even as he seethed with fury inside.

After Rahul left, Maurya remained motionless, too infuriated by Rashika's deception. But what really added embers to his indignation was Rashika’s manipulation of her naïve friend, just to find Chaitanya. Without a moment's hesitation, he shared Chaitanya's number with the police officer and the lawyer who was in charge of the case. He also shared the number with his friend who had been successful in tracking Chaitanya the first time.

Once he had given the information to the concerned persons, he gave one last try. The disgusting voice of Chaitanya came on line.

"Arjun here..." Maurya lied, to get to the bottom of the truth.

"Your friend, Rashika told me that you would inform me when Dharma arrived," Chaitanya remarked, unaware of Arjun's death.

"So, I did," Maurya answered, instantly understanding the motive behind Rashika's actions. Somehow, she had learnt of Chaitanya's pursuit of Dharma and had decided to contact him to get rid of Dharma. She had taken Arjun's help to track Chaitanya, had met Chaitanya just before the accident, and had promised him that she would inform him of Dharma's whereabouts.

The conniving bitch!

The hurrying nurse informed Maurya that Rashika had gained consciousness. He ignored her.

Instead, he left the building, reversed his car from the parking lot, and headed for the airport.