THE CURSE OF BRAHMA by Jagmohan Bhanver Page A

for Lord Shiva.’
    The bonara grinned malevolently as the full import of the pisaca’s words struck him. ‘So the soldiers would not feel it necessary to accompany the princess to the top of the hill, since they would believe it is a safe spot…it’s a perfect time for the kill!’ he exclaimed.
    The pisaca nodded at the bonara, and then turned towards the kalakanja to see if he was in agreement with the plan. Under the combined gaze of his fellow assassins, the kalakanja nodded his consent reluctantly. He still wasn’t happy being told what to do by the Pisaca but as a professional, he could see that the plan was perfect.
    ‘Good!’ the pisaca hissed in a pleased tone. ‘We meet tomorrow at the top of the hill. May the dark force be with us,’ he said, raising his voice and waving his extreme right tentacle in the air in salute to the Dark Lord. The bonara and the kalakanja too, raised their right arms in the air as their shouts filled the air, ‘May the dark force be with us!’



A Prayer for Kansa
    rahma bowed to the magnetic individual sitting peacefully in front of him. The formidable personality reclined on the jagged rocks as comfortably as if he were sitting on the softest diwan in the universe. He looked like he had just come from a funeral—layers of freshly created ash were smeared in generous quantities over his body. The ash made his form appear grey; but on closer examination, one could see the light of Brahman emanating from all parts of the charismatic Being’s sinewy body.
    There was no sign of life or vegetation for hundreds of yojanas around this area. It seemed even the wind had trouble reaching this spot; yet there was a sense of peace and calm that prevailed here, which was difficult to discover even in the most favoured haunts in Swarglok. There were only two people in the entire universe that Brahma was in awe of, even a little scared of at times. He was standing in front of one of them right now. The last time he had angered the ash-clad person, Brahma had had to undergo untold mortification. But eventually, he had realized that this compelling person had helped him more with his castigation than he could ever have done through kind words. Today, Brahma hoped to persuade him for his help yet again.
    ‘Aum-Num-Ha-Shi-Vai,’ Brahma uttered the five-syllable mantra with a touch of reverence. It meant ‘I bow to you, O Shiva’, and he said this with a deep belief that Shiva epitomized the inner consciousness that dwelled in every living being.
    Shiva smiled at the man standing in front of him, and wondered for the thousandth time how the youngest of the three supreme gods managed to look the oldest amongst them. Vishnu, and He, despite being older to Brahma by a few million years, still retained their youthful countenance, while Brahma had developed the façade of a much older persona almost within a few years of his birth.
It’s probably because he is unable to control his senses
, Shiva mused to himself.
    ‘I am yet to learn much, My Lord,’ Brahma said with a humility uncommon to him, reading Shiva’s mind through cosmic telepathy.
    ‘Not much to learn Brahma…just a little more to apply,’ Shiva corrected him gently. ‘You have mastered the force of Brahman, and that gives you powers that a handful of people have in the universe. It also gives you infinite life.’
    ‘Yes, My Lord’ Brahma said meekly, not sure where this was leading.
    Shiva continued, ‘People die because their energy and vital force depletes as they age. Brahman represents the universal force and energy. If you have it inside you, you will never be short of the vital force that gives you life. You will live forever. That is how Vishnu and I have existed since the beginning of time…by carefully harnessing the force of Brahman inside us, where it now flows inside our bodies as if it were part of us. You yourself have done the same, haven’t you?’
    ‘Err…yes…but…’ Brahma was totally confused