Amshavatars-3

                                                                   Chapter - 3

Alangara Valli waited outside the room while the physician examined the slumbering brahmin. It wasn't long before the bewildered doctor came out.

"This is the most peculiar case I have ever seen.", exclaimed the amused physician. " This man seems to have had no food or sleep for the past several months."

"How can that be",thought Valli. "How is it possible that a man survives months without resting himself and without having food? Surely this man has great powers. Even when my eyes first set sight on his weakened body my heart bet harder. Something about him seemed to call me. Something far beyond what can be seen."

Even as Valli was lost in her thoughts, the doctor was deeply thinking of how to revive Samudragupta back to his former self. "There is only one way you can awaken this brahmin.", said the doctor. "You would have to boil a lot of rice and massage the body of the brahmin with the rice for three months. If you do this without fail, the brahmin will be restored to his former health and awaken after the three months are over. If, however, you fail to do so, the brahmin shall perish in the sleep that has presently captivated him."

"I will surely have this done",said Valli. She thanked the doctor and then immediately began to make provisions for the treatment. She set the pot to cook and rushed out again to her mistress's house. She told the lady that she had to take care of a unwell relative and so would not  be available for work for the next three months. Her mistress was generous enough to allow this and also handed over a few coins to see to it that she fared well during this hard time.

Valli returned back to find the pot overflowing with the steaming porridge. The rice inside had been heated far too much and began to form as a paste. "All the more better",thought Valli. She began to massage Sumudragupta with the rice paste as the doctor had advised her. The frail patient seemed to take no notice of this. He was well content in his world of sleep. A weeks treatment was hard enough, but it seemed to have little effect. Samudragupta was alive but just as frail. By this time, Valli had bought enough rice to sustain the course of the treatment. But her wood reserves had been depleted. She quickly rushed to the nearby woods to collect a few fallen branches and returned to the house.

The weeks went by slowly but surely. Valli felt content that her efforts were paying off. The brahmin's health looked to  improve day by day. By the end of three months, Valli was glad a healthy young man now rested in her house.

Sleep felt like an eternal bliss. Samudragupta felt that all the worry in the world could not disturb him. He was happy. He was content. He was asleep. And yet, he was unaware of it. He felt it rather rude that he awoke one day. To his astonishment, his surroundings were strange to him. He could see the cracked ceiling of a thatched house. To his side was a small window which portrayed the vision of a crowded street. The sunlight cut mercilessly almost blinding the bewildered man. Towards a bit more darker portion of the room, he was able to see a young woman busily working by the fireside.

"Where am I?", asked Samudragupta.

The woman dropped the firewood that she was holding. With a slight shiver, she turned around almost as if unwillingly to believe what she was about to see.

"Ahh",she sighed. "You are awake"
Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. She clasped her hands in way that revealed both her pain and joy. Slowly, her round eyes began to swell with tears.

"Yes. But where am I?", asked Samudragupta as he began to scan the area once more.

Valli began to narrate the tale of how she happened to find the sleeping brahmin by the roadside and how she had, as per the advise of the doctor, administered to him for the last three months. Samudragupta sat there as he listened in rapt silence. His heart filled up with gratitude for the young maid who had saved his life. He knew well enough that if it had not been for Valli, he would have had to leave his present life.

After Valli was done with her tale, Samudragupta began to tell his own and told her how he had ended up by the roadside as she had seen him. "My dear woman, you have been extremely gracious to me and I am forever indebted to you", said Samudragupta. " I must now be on my way. I thank you again for your kindness. I do not know how much trouble you have borne on my behalf. If ever there is anything I can do for you in return, please do let me know."

"Wait", muttered Valli."You are leaving? How can you be leaving....just like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I take care of you. I look after you day and night.", chanted an angered Valli. Her voice growing with every word. "I see to it that you live. When all others called me insane, I took no notice and cared only for your welfare. For three months, I slaved like a mad woman just to see you open your eyes."

She fell silent for a while. Tears poured down her soft cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. Her voice was straining as she struggled to let out the words. "And now...when you find that you are well again....you wish to leave...and leave me alone?"

Samudragupta was not prepared for this turn of  events. "What more do you wish me to do?", he asked.

"I had loved you...I had loved you more than my own life...",sobbed Valli. "All these days, I prayed for the day that you would wake up and we would be wed. That is what had kept me sane through all these miserable days.... Even when the neighbors made fun of me and mocked me, I cared not. For I had dreamt many dreams....I dreamt of our wedding day...of our future together....I had dreamt of being your wife........ I took care of you as though you were my own husband......and all that you wish to do is to leave...."

The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the occasional sobbing. The two figures stood facing each other. Samudragupta was at lose of words. He did not know how to console Valli, but surely she must understand.

"How can this be, Valli?",said Samudragupta. "What you have spoken must not take place. You do know that I am a brahmin and as such, cannot marry you. The very gods would enraged that a brahmin be married to a woman of lower caste."

"I did not care for you thinking that you were a brahmin",snapped back Valli. "Nor do I care for it now. I do not know what caste you belong to nor do I know mine. All I know is that I loved you. And, as for the gods that you now spoke of. Where were your gods when you were dying by the roadside? Where were they when your life was being taken away from you? Did your gods come and save you then? No. It was me. Only me."

"I understand what you are telling me, Valli, but this just cannot be.", said Samudragupta, unable to think of anything else to say.

"You have dealt with me injustly, O Samudragupta. But I shall plead for justice. Surely the king would grant me justice.", said Valli. "I shall plead my case to King Chandragupta."

Amshavatars - 2

                                                               Chapter - 2

The Brahm Rakshas sat still for a while. His mind was pondering. He knew who Samudragupta was. The great Samudragupta was a learned man who had knowledge of all the Vedas. The great teachers from all over India paid homage to the young scholar. None among those who lived in the civilized world were ignorant of the reputation and respect that the name 'Samudragupta' had earned. Yet the crest-fallen brahmin who now stood before the Rakshas looked hardly the man of such stature.

Deeply moved by what he was witnessing, the Brahm Rakshas asked Samudragupta where he was travelling and what it that he sought. Samudragupta let out a sigh and began narrating his tale thus far. The learned brahmin had a great thirst for knowledge. He learned from many teachers and was a master in the Vedas and Puranas. Even while his fame grew far and wide, a great fire began burning inside. Although he had learned all that was there to be learned, he felt deep inside that there was yet something that he did not know. His hunt for knowledge led him from teacher to teacher, but none could provide him with more than what he had already known. Depressed by the failure he met so far, Samudragupta swore not rest until he found the knowledge that he sought so feverishly. After all his exploits turned out to be fruitless, he found himself in the dark forests near Ujjain.

After hearing the Samudragupta's tale, the Brahm Rakshas was elated. The Brahm Rakshas had taken this form because he did not perform his primary duty in his life as a brahmin, that is, to teach what he had learned to a good pupil and thus uphold the passing of knowledge to generations. If the Brahm Rakshas were to teach Samudragupta, surely he would get his moksha. For who would be a more worthy student than the great Samudragupta himself?

"Oh Samudragupta", cried the Brahm Rakshas."I possess the knowledge that you seek. I would gladly teach you what I know.  But for this you would have to stay six months without food or sleep. I will give you a special power so that you would be able to do this. But, be warned, after the six months, you shall be overcome by sleep and hungry. If you agree to this, I will teach you all the you seek to learn."

Samudragupta readily agreed. The Brahm Rakshas used his power and cast a magic spell on him. For the next six months, Samudragupta would not know what sleep or hunger was. The Brahm Rakshas would write a new slokh on a palm leaf and drop it down to Samudragupta who would learn it. After he completed one lesson and new one would be dropped down to him. And so it was for six months.

After the six months were over, Samudragupta had received the knowledge that he so passionately yearned for. He thanked the Brahm Rakshas and got up on his way. By this time, he was reduced to nothing but skin and bones. After entering the city of Ujjain, he was succumbed by hunger and slumber. The tired brahmin lay down by the road side and started sleeping as though he had never slept before.

At that time, a young hand maid called Alangara Valli was passing through the street to her home. She was tired after a hard day's work and her mind wandered as she strolled through the narrow lanes of Ujjain. Her dancing eyes stopped at the sight of the skinny Samudragupta asleep in a world of bliss. She went across and tried awakening the young brahmin. But Samudragupta was far too content in his slumber to be awakened so easily. Seeing that if she left him by himself the young brahmin would perish, Alangara Valli took him into her house and laid him on a bed.She immediately called a physician to have a look at the sleeping brahmin and cure him of his deep sleep.

Amshavatars 1

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                                                                           Preface

This story is an attempt to shed light on the Legend of the Amshavatars of Lord Vishnu. Amshavatars means semi-avatars or semi-incarnations. Within these pages I hope to make clear the secrets that led to the birth of these divine beings, their wonderous deeds and legendary stature from tales, centuries old, to what is left of their memories in the present day. Their legend is not common outside the people of Kerala and few outsiders have ever known of their existence, but their's, I believe, is the greatest folklore of Kerala.

The true origin of this legend began generations before the birth of the divinties and none could have actually comprehended the sequence of events that were to take place.......

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                                                                    Chapter - 1

Around 355 A.D., in ancient India, there was a dense forest that grew around the great city of Ujjain. A narrow river flowed through the forest and into the mighty river that passed through the city. It was evening, and the dense forest looked darker than ever. Through the rustling leaves, the hollow chirps of the birds could be heard as they flew to take rest in their nests. In the cold waters of the river, a lone brahmin was taking  his evening snanh. The weary traveller dried himself and packed his few belongings into a bundle. His eyes were restless. They wandered hither and thither as if seeking something. He walked towards a banyan tree beside the river and laid down to sleep for the night. The noises from forest did not seem to disturb him. Soon, he was fast asleep.

High above, in the branches of the banyan tree, a Brahm Rakshas sat fascinated by the sight of the young brahmin. His initial instinct told him that he ought to go down and devour the young human. But his curiosity got the better of him.

As a Brahm Rakshas, he had great knowledge and wisdom. In fact, only learned brahmins who have led an evil life or have not performed their earthly duties become cursed to transform into a Brahm Rakshas upon their deaths. Brahm Rakshasas are powerful fiery demons who are known to eat humans and cause terror and havoc. They possess great powers and can grant boons to those they are pleased with. A Bramh Rakshas is both a brahmin and a  rakshas at the same time and so, possess knowledge of the Vedas, Puranas and of their past lives. Yet, all this knowledge did not seem to provide the answer to the question that plagued the Brahm Rakshas right now. What was a brahmin doing in the middle of the forest at this untimely hour? Surely, he could have rested himself in the nearby city of Ujjain. There would have more than one household who would happily agreed to entertain a brahmin for a night's stay. Who was this young brahmin and what is it that led him in this forest?

The magnificent dawn broke through the high canopies. Bright beams of sunlight peeked into the forest floor below. The forest was once again bustling with life. The young brahmin was awoken. His weary eyes reflected the same dissatisfaction that was present in them before. He stood up and said a silent prayer.

"Who are you, young brahmin?"

The praying lips stood still. The hoarse voice seemed to boom down from up the tree. The brahmin stood still for a while. He turned his head towards the branches seeking the face behind the voice. The penetrating sun rays blinded him. He could not see anyone or anything among those lofty branches. The Brahm Rakshas had hid himself among the branches lest his gory figure frightened the brahmin. "Who are you, young brahmin?", came the voice again.

"Who is this who addresses me?", demanded the brahmin. His voice showed no signs of fear or bewilderment.

"I am a Brahm Rakshas", said the voice. "This tree is my abode. Now, answer me, young brahmin. Who are you?"

The brahmin fell silent for a moment and almost as if out of anguish answered,"I am Samudragupta."

The forest was silent again.