Man Crumbles to Ignorance , Everytime ( Part 3 )

He had a vision for the drylands that inspired many a person. He believed that this arid territory shouldn't be our home for too long and our people should be allowed to spread their roots. For his belief, he even didn't mind that Yuga-dheera was the successor of a kingdom from a rival alliance. When he saw something in the prince, he allowed the boy to inherit his dream. Uncle Vishnu-vardhana's only shortcoming was that he didn't trust the superiority of Rtadhara in deciding the course of history. He didn't trust brother-Indra when he spoke of invaders when the drylands hadn't been invaded in centuries! He didn't believe in Rtadhara's philosophy nor the institution of the Adityas that is supposed to represent gods on Earth. I heard he didn't attend my father's coming of age ceremony and didn't pour libations. Symbolically, that actually meant curtailing the flow of Rta to his own nation, but he didn't even mind it. He said he will create his own order, not depend on Rta to decide which way to go. People used to call him a maniac…And yet, the second queen gave away everything she had for his dream. Even to the end, she agreed with conspirators to assassinate me and my brother because it would help her brother's dream. Not her own."

The young king sighed as he listened to the pitter patter of the fading drizzle in the night. "The reason I say all this is because, this dream is bigger than Yuga-dheera. My sister probably doesn't even know that it is inherited. It is not even his own. If his plans succeed, Yuga-dheera will certainly eventually come for Rtadhara. Rtadhara has the moral high ground in the drylands. Even in the midst of great conflict, the other nations will have to heed our word and listen to our reasoning. When other nations are in conflict, like the two alliances of Pranaya-Thiratha and Dhija-Hangi or any of the several partial alliances between the minor kingdoms, Rtadhara will act as mediator. If something is threatening the drylands, all nations will heed Rtadhara's advice. It was for the support of this superior position that Yuga-dheera seduced my sister. And make no mistake. The word I used is 'seduced'. I bet she probably thinks it is all on her initiation, right…" Vajra chuckled wryly, "I heard she used to have a correspondence with him many years ago. Back then I noticed she had a slight infatuation with him. But then she was infatuated with a lot of people…she especially loved heroes. Grandfather told me girls are often infatuated at that age. When she realizes the distance separating them, she will forget about him. I was only thinking of my sister then, so I didn't realise it.

"Sure she will forget about him…But will he forget about her? This good chess piece that will arrest Rtadhara's position into neutral when he begins his conquest? Ha ha ha ha! Well played, well played." Vajra clapped into the silent night. Unexpectedly, he held his eyebrows and wept. "My poor, smart sister walked into a trap and she thinks she has found true love…She thinks she has finally found a man who recognizes her intelligence and will give her her due…Oh god, what should I do?"

He fell to his knees under the solace of the shadows and cried inconsolably.

At that time, big sister asked who he would ask, who would he turn to when he runs into an unsolvable problem. Vajradandaka liked to think he believed in himself, that he alone was enough to overcome any adversity. Like a cactus of the desert, he could make use of the smallest resource and turn it into life. What could he really want for, if he could even live like a cactus?

However, his young mind was yet to mature enough to understand that when it floods, a cactus will die. A fish that can live under ten thousand feet of water in the ocean, will melt into nothing if it was brought away from such high pressure. A cactus which knows how to collect every little drop of water and store it, will drown and perish when it is fed with too much water.

This is what Vajra felt keenly when two weeks later, he stood on a mountain highway surrounded by the odd greenery that exploded onto the drylands in the monsoon. Not a single cactus was to be seen, as though the resilient plant that never gave up suddenly found no reason to persist.

In his hand was a long sword carved with the symbol of the Martanda. It was totally unlike Indra's, Agni's or any other Aditya's, each of which represented the element of the god, be it thunder, fire, water or anything else. His was a character instead written in Deva script, called 'Nara'. It means man.

Holding the sword, he faced a man more than twice his age. A man who was taller, bulkier, had a resolute step and more importantly, had his sister in his hand. His hair was ablaze like the sun's and he looked like a god standing among mortals. He was in front of a broken chariot riddled with arrows, tightly holding Vajra's visibly shaken sister in his hands. He was extremely calm as though this was just another day for him. Go to a rival king, snatch a princess…as though it was routine.

Vajra tried his best to crackdown on the prince of Pranaya's whereabouts in these two weeks. He sealed all the passes and routes within his kingdom. He sealed his own sister in her palace. But both of them turned out to more resourceful than him, as he expected. After all, he was acting on short notice, while the both of them have prepared for this eventuality a long time ago. Even with all of Sheesha's tips and leads, they weren't able to stop the man from infiltrating the temple where Varuna went to pray and kidnap her on his chariot. Vajra heard that his sister snuck out despite the security. However, he was at class during that time, and the priest chided him for thinking impure thoughts when one of the Eight Devis of Tri-Shakti went to the temple. 'It is her own dwelling! Who are you to stop Devi from visiting her own dwelling?' He already anticipated the worst outcome by then, but was tongue-tied in front of the priest because he had nothing to say as a comeback. He could only hope class ends soon and his sister wouldn't do anything stupid by then.

The king of Pranaya was as yet not aware of his son's plans. The father-son duo had their own differences, if not Vajradandaka could've at least expected a formal proposal from their kingdom. Not that it would've made any difference, but if worst comes to worst, the kingdoms could've at least glossed over the shameful deeds of their sons and daughters and behave as if the alliance was a planned one. But Vajra was glad that he didn't.

Because now he had the option to disown her. Disown Varu.

His sword shook at the mere thought of opening his mouth and calling her name. He clenched his teeth and directly rushed forward, releasing his divine might all at once.

Fifteen minutes later, Vajra had fallen on his knees, bleeding from several places, the sharp edge of the sun's own sword pointing right at the middle of his eyebrows.

A deep, gravelly voice spoke to him, as though coming from the sky itself. "Foolish boy. If you thought you could stop me with just that, you are sorely mistaken."

Vajra grit his bloody teeth and looked up at the man who seemed like the blazing sun. "Release my sister!"

"I could've considered it if I lost in the duel…or at least run into a draw. Give it up child. She's mine now." The haughty and inflectionless voice was scorching. It seemed like the sun's cruel laughter from the center of the sky when the earth has cracked and all crops have died.

"Aaarrrghhh!" Vajradandaka screamed on top of his voice and burst out with superhuman endurance. He launched his assault once again, making his sister beg and scream for him to stop.

But of course, he listened not a word of her entreaties. Just like she didn't listen to his. Her mind sunk into chaos as she watched cut after cut being made on her little brother's body, as his blood flowed down to earth and watered the land where Rta flows. In her panic, she squeezed every bit of her brainpower to think what she had done wrong, but couldn't come up with a single answer.