A Man of His Own (part 5)

"Now tell me Vajra, what is the difference between these two types of conquests?"

"Bleh! Both suck! I guess that's why my ancestors didn't show much interest in conquest, apart from the ten Agnis and the ten Varunas and a few Mitras."

The guru smiled. "I didn't ask you which type is better. I asked you what is the difference between the two."

"Difference? There is a world of difference…" the boy frowned. "Time?"

The guru shook his head. "The difference lies in spending and creating."

"Spending and creating?"

"That's right," the guru smiled, "In the first type, you are spending men, spending resources, spending the spoils, whatever you could get your hands on in order to move forward. But mainly, you are spending your initial impetus. The energy that drove you on this conquest. You are spending it. The soldiers are like stretched rope that only keeps stretching more towards the end, becoming brittle. There is no telling when a difficult campaign might arise and break everyone's morale. The stress of do or die continued on for a long time, coupled with instability of reign as the territory expands will further spend your initial impetus and your willpower away. It all depends on luck and divine blessings, whether you can make it to the final point.

"In the second type of action, you are creating energy instead! You are creating resources in the form of wealth and manpower. Every time you annex a land and stabilize your reign, you are re-creating your initial impetus. You are building a reservoir of energy in the form of a prosperous new reign. The soldiers are rested and ready for the next campaign. There is no desperation. And nothing is lost if you lose a campaign. As long as you haven't lost the will, you can try again."

A long and meaningful silence was spent between master and pupil.

The guru was smart. The pupil was smart as well. He had already begun putting things in context and his initial revulsion for the repetitive and arduous set exercises in the morning was slowly whittling away.

"Little Vajra, so tell me, if I make a warrior out of you in a minimal amount of time after you've grown up, which army out of the two I've described would you be best suited to as a soldier?"

It was still a tough question considering how dumb Vajradandaka was, where martial acumen was concerned. But he could guess the answer based on the general flow of the discussion.

"The first type?" he probed.

"Indeed. But do not look down on this kind of warrior. This kind of warrior is baptized in blood and he learns through numerous life and death experiences. His reflexes are out of the world and once he had had a brush with death, his willpower increases tenfold. Even if you train in all the techniques in the world, even a prodigy like your brother will not be able to take down this kind of warrior easily."

"Oh?" Surprise lit the child's brows.

"But once the campaign is over or once his limits are reached, this type of warrior is like a spent candle. He has no more to give. His valor, his magnificence perishes in the embers as the flames of war are put out in the end."

The prince watched raptly for his teacher to continue.

"This is the difference between spending type and creating type…Little prince, here we learn so many exercises, so many ways of manipulating energy, we learn the science of our bodies…so we can become mediums to the immortal's flame."

"The immortal's flame?" Big round eyes caught on to a new word and wanted to chew on it.

His teacher chuckled. "Indeed. The creating type soldier or warrior will never become a spent candle in the end because he carries within him, the immortal's flame. Even till the end, if ever the need comes, he can become as powerful as he had been in his heyday. One example of such a warrior is your grandfather, Shwetasura. The Hero in White, as he was known back in the day. Even till this day, even after being through such a tumultuous journey through life and adventures beyond the four seas, his valor, his magnificence has not decreased one bit. If Rtadhara is in peril one day, your grandfather would by all means pick up his sword once more and bring back the Hero in White that could plant terror in the hearts of enemies."

"But what is the immortal's flame Acharya…?" the boy asked, his butt bouncing on the ground in impatience. He couldn't even sit properly.

The guru laughed. "It is merely a poetic phrase. It is utilizing energy in your body in such a way that it seems endless. It is being connected with 'the source' always. A creating type soldier will need to accompany his king on dozens of campaigns throughout his life. But after a certain age, man's body is no longer that effective in producing energy, no matter how strong you are. This is why every Kshatriya, from a young age, learns to capture the immortal's flame and allows it to grow within his or her own body. This is the true essence of the Kshatriya way of life. Little prince, if it is only to slay the enemy, there are hundreds of ways to do that…No need to put yourself through so much trouble from a young age," the guru advised.

"Look at the ground underneath your feet. If you look at it as something that attracts all other things, you will inevitably think of 'force' in the external context. You might apply it, say in through the invention of something like wheel. But if you think of it as something that creates bounce on an object already residing on it, you will think of harnessing this force for yourself. Every step you take is about creating energy or harnessing energy, harnessing this bounce that earth has given you! What if every time you stand in a breeze, you learn to align your body with the two polarities? Create balance! Learn to interact with water and fire through knowing the heating and cooling of your own body! Live every moment as though you are creating energy! This is true grace. This is Kshatriya grace…"

"Once you've mastered this kind of grace little prince…what thing is material conquest? The world is already at your feet!"

The little prince now understood that his guru was subtly advising him against taking the path of reckless conquest. His heart warmed, feeling protected, but his mind built up a guard instead. His thoughts were so easily through by his guru. Nevertheless, Vajradandaka was just a little boy. He had already moved on from the earlier musings.

"So when can I do it Acharya?!" the boy asked enthusiastically, "When can I be a warrior with an immortal's flame?"

"At the rate you're going…?" the guru drawled and then yawned. "Never mind."

"Acharya…! Not fair!" the boy whined.

"Hehehe. Little one, be more serious in your practice. If you keep going like this, forget the immortal's flame, even winning a duel or two would be difficult for you after you've grown up," the guru utterly quashed the little prince's hopes.

But the bright youngster's face didn't dim at all. In fact his eyes sparkled with a newfound interest.

"Live every moment as though you are creating energy…not spending it…" he muttered to himself in a low voice. He thought of the countless heroes of yore, his late grandfather, his grandfather, his father and even his brother…he thought of the explosive courage, the valiance, the grit and determination of these men on the battlefield.

He thought that he could do it too. No he has to! He didn't know why, but a determination he never before had began to take shape. It was something even Princess Varunapriya who knew him best didn't expect. The little prince had been never into martial arts before! One could only say that little Vajradandaka would dedicate his life to reason more than anything else. If his guru had not been so observant of his nature and explained everything in detail, he might never have picked up this significant aspect of a Kshatriya way of life.