The Aryavarta Chronicles Kurukshetra: Book 3 Read online

  ‘I have told you before, and I’m telling you again: I am the wrong man for the task, Govinda. My own father would not heed my advice, why would Dharma listen to me?’

  ‘You are the only man for the task, Shikandin. They will listen to you. As will our old friends…the Secret Keeper included. You cannot fail. Neither you nor I want the brave men and women who have gathered to fight for their realm, their rights and their freedom, to die in vain. There must be peace!’ Before Shikandin could reply Govinda gave him a pat on the back and moved away. Shikandin watched him for a while. Then, nodding to himself as though he had reached some private resolution, he followed.

  30

  ‘PUT THAT OUT!’

  Vidur was startled by the sharp command, but just for a moment. He turned back to the hanging wick lamp he had just lit, kindling the flame till it burnt with a muted glow. He could now see the shadowy outline of the speaker. The man was slouched in a dark corner of Vidur’s private study in the palace of Hastina. Vidur’s eyes drifted to the window beyond, taking in the red and grey skies outside as he considered the possible reasons for the visitor’s choice of his rooms to take refuge in over all the other, more suitable, places in the sprawling palace. Then, resolved to deal with whatever lay ahead, he approached the seated man.

  ‘I asked you to put that out,’ the man said, his voice less harsh.

  ‘Darkness does not suit the Secret Keeper of the Firewrights, and certainly not the untimely darkness of an afternoon storm. You’re a man of the light.’

  ‘So,’ the scholar said, sitting up on the window ledge to face Vidur, ‘you know who I am.’

  ‘Yes, and you obviously expected me to know. Else you wouldn’t be here. You’ve saved me the trouble of coming to you…’ Vidur took a seat along the wide window ledge, facing the Secret Keeper. ‘I take it this day’s events were to your satisfaction?’

  ‘What events do you speak of?’

  ‘I am not the only one who has had news from Kuru’s Fields today. You know what I speak of – Dhaumya’s visit to Syoddhan’s battle camp. With, I hear, an offer of peace that Syoddhan would be hard-pressed to refuse. After all, this time Govinda offers his own head in surrender!’

  The Secret Keeper fixed Vidur with a sharp gaze, but did not reply at once. After a while he said, ‘You know, this is what makes all the difference. When Govinda Shauri wanted a man who could influence the affairs of the Kurus, the politics of all Aryavarta, he chose you. The Firstborn, on the other hand, for the same reasons, threw their weight behind Bhisma Devavrata.’

  ‘I’d say their choice may have been the better one. The fact remains that the Grandsire is at Kuru’s Fields and can directly influence the situation. Me? I’m just a servitor, a man without ulterior motives.’

  ‘And whom do you suspect as having an ulterior motive? You think Dwaipayana…?’

  ‘I didn’t say Dwaipayana. If anyone has an ulterior motive here, it would be you.’

  ‘You think I want war?’

  ‘I think you are prepared for it. It may not be what you want the most, but…’

  ‘Are you so sure that I am not pretending apathy in order to ensure that war is deflected, after all?’

  Vidur laughed. ‘By Rudra! Conspiracies within conspiracies within conspiracies. Don’t you get tired of it?’

  ‘Why do you think I’m here? You’re the one man I can talk to who still remains somewhat untangled in these webs.’

  ‘Then tell me plainly. If you do not want war, why did you let it come this far?’ Vidur bristled.

  ‘What cannot be foreseen, cannot be feared.’

  ‘Fear? Why would you want anyone to feel fear?’

  ‘I want them all to feel fear. Benevolence is an indulgence in these times. I have made my penultimate move, not only so that we shall have peace, but also that we shall have it without slowing down the task that was entrusted to me when I took up my position as Secret Keeper.’

  ‘I don’t see what that has to do with…’

  ‘The thing about Govinda Shauri,’ the Secret Keeper said, ‘is that he is never completely wrong. He is too intelligent a man for that. He could have made the same offer of peace he presents now a long time ago, and it may well have been accepted. But he did not, he let both Dharma and Syoddhan rally their armies, he let them march out to Kurukshetra, all with good reason. There is no doubt, Vidur, that Govinda’s strategy of pushing war in order to have peace is apt, not just because it still keeps Aryavarta consolidated – in two camps, if not one – but also because such a huge mobilization of forces serves as a deterrent to would-be foreign invaders. It also means that no one nation within Aryavarta will be tempted to attack its neighbour under the guise of these being tempestuous times, because no nation stands alone. Unity – the same spirit of unity that we worked so harden to infuse into the realm when Dharma’s empire was built – is still of value to us.’

  ‘Then why did you not leave Govinda to his devices? Why did you oppose him?’

  The Secret Keeper sounded sad as he said. ‘Because I no longer trusted him. The world is not a complicated place. To a Firstborn, duty is everything. To a Firewright, reason is everything. But Govinda… Govinda has traded his devotion to reason for something that I cannot understand. He has made it personal. I told him this at Matsya. Why, long before that: I told him right after Dharma Yudhisthir’s coronation, decades ago, that he should leave Aryavarta. But, against all reason, he has stayed and he continues to meddle in the realm’s affairs. His involvement began to complicate things. It may be that he meant well, but he became a dangerous man, Vidur.’

  ‘And now? Do you still hold to that opinion? Haven’t the terms of Dhaumya’s proposal proved to you that Govinda never meant to compromise your undertaking, nor did he want war. What he now offers to Syoddhan in return for peace – surely it is an excessive price.’

  ‘Not to him.’

  ‘And to you? To us? Do you think it is too high a price for us to pay?’

  The Secret Keeper sighed. ‘Ghora once told me that the secret to building a city, a citadel…anything really, is to keep the foundations complex but the structures simple. And that is what we have done. The empire of Aryavarta is built on complex but strong foundations. It is time to simplify the edifice that stands. Else, in the future, we will be compelled to break it down ourselves.’

  Vidur peered out at the darkening sky. Thunder boomed in the distance, deep and ominous. He said, ‘Perhaps, Acharya, it is already time to break down the edifice. Kali is upon us. This is the end of an age and of a way of life, with it.’

  ‘And then? I suppose you’ll tell me fantastical tales of how Vasudeva Narayana will awaken from his sleep and with some magical power set everything right? My dear Vidur, it is piety to believe in the divine, but sheer folly to confuse it with myth. Myths are made by men, men like you and me…and Govinda Shauri.’

  ‘You’re right. Men like you and I make myths, we weave stories to sanctify the life that has been given to us. But not Govinda. Men like him don’t make myths; they make destiny.’

  The Secret Keeper stared at Vidur. ‘You think too much of him,’ he said, sharpness creeping into his voice.

  Vidur flared up. ‘Do you have no gratitude?’

  ‘To whom and for what?’

  ‘To the one who made you who you are. Did you wonder why you were chosen to be Secret Keeper? Oh yes, I know you were told the reasons, and they are not lies, but did you pause to consider the trust, the faith that was placed in you when you were sought out and asked to take up the responsibility? Do you know who convinced them all to place that faith in you? She is gone, but the memory of that trust, that faith in humanity, is what now drives Govinda Shauri. It has taken him a lifetime to find the core of it, beyond reason, dispassion and detachment, the virtues that you and he both adore. He acts now from compassion and trust; the same values that made the Firewrights reach out to you all those years ago. The wheel turns, and it is now your chance to mirror the fait
h that was placed in you, Acharya!’

  The Secret Keeper looked confused, a state of mind quite rare for the scholar. He tried to put together what Vidur had just told him. Strange as it was, it made sense to him, and he saw no reason to dispute any of it. Still, he decided, it changed nothing. ‘Be that as it may, I cannot compromise the task that was left to me,’ he told Vidur, ‘the very reason why I was, as you said, chosen to be Secret Keeper. As for Govinda’s fickle epiphanies – they are not my concern.’

  Vidur smiled. ‘I expected you to say that. He – Govinda – was certain you would not waver from your ultimate aim, no matter what. He once told me that your single-minded devotion was your biggest strength, and your only weakness. He hoped that you would remember that.’

  ‘And in the guise of counsel he sends you to barter for his life? He offers Syoddhan his head and then expects me to somehow intervene and prevent what will ensue?’

  The smile remained on Vidur’s face, but when he spoke he sounded melancholy. ‘It was not he who sent me to barter with you. I have no doubt that Govinda is not afraid of what lies ahead, but I cannot bear to think of the prospect… Nor can she. It is she who seeks to make this barter. Please… Whether you consider this a request from the one to whom you owe your allegiance, or a threat from one who is in a position to throw us into a bigger hell than we can imagine, I shall leave to you. But she asks me to remind you that the title you now bear was once meant to come to her. Even she does not know what turmoil lies ahead, should she decide to make the truth of her origin known…or claim your title from you.’

  ‘Come now…’ the Secret Keeper began to protest.

  Vidur cut him short. ‘If you are so sure of your convictions, I wonder why you felt the need to come here. It is up to you, Acharya. The fate of many lies in your hands tonight. Now, if you’ll excuse me…’ He made his way out of the room, pausing to blow out the lamp he had lit, leaving the Secret Keeper once again in the dark.

  Alone in the brightly lit corridor outside his quarters, Vidur gave in to his emotions. He swayed as he stood and then, reaching out, steadied himself with a hand on the smooth marble wall. Drawing what courage he could, he made his way through the palace, into the gardens, and to a small gate that led directly to the woods outside. As the courtier looked around for the person he had come to meet, a tall figure stepped out of the shadows, leading a horse beside him.

  Vidur was blunt. ‘Tell her I have done what I can, Asvattama; not only because I care for her as a daughter, but also because I believe she is right. I do not have Govinda’s shoulders to bear the burden of such a price for peace. Nor do I have her ability with words such as compassion and hope. All I know is that a world without Govinda Shauri does not feel right, and I hope you have a chance to convey my message to her before Syoddhan responds.’

  Asvattama was visibly torn between wanting to console the distraught Vidur and maintaining his usual composure. He settled for the latter, crossing his arms across his chest. ‘Syoddhan won’t respond to the peace proposal till my return,’ he said. ‘After all, he is the one who sent me to Hastina to bring him Suka’s counsel on the matter. It is opportune that I carry two messages, not one. I shall do my best to have a word with Shikandin before I arrive at our camp. But all that depends on when Suka calls for me, and what it is he has me convey to Syoddhan.’ He added, his lips curling in a snarl, ‘Does it not seem weird that after all that has happened, you and I find ourselves waiting on these scholars for the sake of those we care about? Perhaps they are the guides of our destiny, after all.’

  ‘Our destinies, Asvattama. But not Govinda Shauri’s.’

  ‘That is an assurance I shall accept in the aftermath, Vidur. Whether Syoddhan agrees to peace on these terms or he takes us to war, blood will flow. All that remains is to be seen is whose blood. It is, therefore, not a good time to talk of destinies. Now I must return to the palace and await Suka’s word. In the meantime, pray and prepare for the worst. It might be the best thing to do.’ His voice graver, he concluded, ‘It might be all we can do.’

  31

  ONE OF THE FIRST AND MOST ESSENTIAL SKILLS ASVATTAMA HAD inculcated during his training as a Firewright warrior in his youth was the art of falling asleep at will and reaching complete wakefulness in an instant. He was alert, though his slumber had been deep, as soon as he heard the first of the footsteps on the smooth marble floor. The harsh clatter of hard wooden soles told him it was a person of the scholars’ order and he expected an acolyte had been sent to fetch him.

  ‘Acharya!’ he exclaimed and stood up as Suka arrived at the entrance to the rooms set aside for his use at the palace in Hastina.

  Suka smiled, perfunctory. ‘Let’s walk outside. The cold air will help me think.’

  The two men fell in side by side as they headed out of the palace into the evening. A persistent wind, a precursor to the chilling rain that would follow, tugged at their robes. ‘So…’ Suka began, as they walked over the palace gardens, far from the lines of guards who secured the royal quarters. ‘Govinda Shauri sends a peace proposal. I suppose it was to be expected.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘He’s not a fool. He’s seen Syoddhan’s forces. They all have.’

  ‘And they – Syoddhan and those who stand by him – have all seen Dharma’s. Rather, they have seen the thousands who have come in support of Govinda’s cause.’

  ‘And what would you say is his cause?’

  Asvattama paused, mid-stride, and then continued to walk. ‘If I were Govinda Shauri I’d probably use words like revolution and freedom.’

  ‘But you are not,’ Suka pointed out. ‘So what words would you use?’

  ‘That depends.’

  ‘On?’

  Asvattama said. ‘The advice sought here is yours, Acharya. If Syoddhan had wished to hear it from me, he would have asked me to speak, not ordered me to serve.’

  ‘I seek your advice,’ Suka said. ‘What do you suggest we do? Or will you say that depends, too?’

  ‘Well …’

  ‘It does, I know. At first glance, the solution seems obvious – armies are equally matched, war is but a terrible waste of life, and peace is easily had, if we accept Govinda’s proposal. But, on reflection, things are not as simple as that. If only we knew what Govinda Shauri truly wants. You see, I don’t doubt he is capable of sacrificing himself in a larger cause. But what I cannot see is what the cause here is – does he want peace, or does he want war? Who is to say what is illusion and what is reality? Of course, the last thing we want to risk doing is falling into a trap. He destroyed the Firewrights once. He has also not hesitated to go against the Firstborn, or anyone who defies him.’

  ‘Is it really that ambiguous? Govinda’s intentions… Do you really question them?’

  ‘They could be considered ambiguous. Certainly, Syoddhan sees it that way. Does he not…Acharya?’

  Asvattama did not miss the emphasis in the scholar’s words. He smiled, enjoying the acknowledgement from Suka as he returned it. ‘Indeed, Acharya,’ he replied, ‘that is why Syoddhan seeks your guidance.’

  Suka laughed, stark and honest. He reached out to trail a hand across an immaculately-pruned garden shrub and considered his next words carefully. ‘If I were Govinda Shauri…’

  ‘But you’re not.’

  ‘I’m not,’ Suka affirmed. ‘But if I were Govinda Shauri, I’d see that my biggest problem is that no one can quite trust me. And when a man has a problem like that, sooner or later, it is going to disrupt his best-laid plans.’

  Asvattama stopped in his tracks as he understood. Suka walked on, turned and said, ‘You have a fresh horse?’

  ‘Yes, and one more waiting on the way. I’ll reach Kuru’s Fields a little after midnight.’

  ‘Send word with Sanjaya as soon as you have a decision. Not that I mean to lose sleep till I hear from you, but it would be good to know…’

  ‘But of course, Acharya.’

  ‘Varuna watch over you, Asvattama.
Ride hard.’

  Nodding his acknowledgement Asvattama strode away in the direction of the stables. Suka wandered the gardens for a while longer, enjoying what he could of the gathering storm and the play of thunder and lightning across the red sky despite his heavy thoughts. Then, resolved that there was nothing more he could have done, he headed back indoors.

  ‘Reality and illusion? What in the name of Yama and Yami does he mean by that?’ Syoddhan set his goblet down with a hard thud and continued to pace about the tent. Asvattama watched him from where he sat, his eyes red and his white robes brown from riding to Hastina and back within the span of an evening. He had, of course, changed horses along the way so as to not lose time, but the speed of his journey had not allowed him the luxury of sleep on saddleback.

  ‘If I could see beyond doubt what the right thing to do was, would I have asked for his advice?’ Syoddhan continued to rant, pausing to refill his goblet with wine as he spoke. He drained the goblet as he turned to Bhisma, who stared, pensive, at the floor. Impatient and restless, Syoddhan poured himself yet some more wine and resumed pacing. All the while, Asvattama kept quiet with the practised ease of a good friend.

  ‘And the matter of peace? What does the Acharya have to say about that?’

  This time Asvattama said, ‘That he leaves to you to pursue, or not, as you will, Syoddhan. As far as bartering for the life of Govinda Shauri goes, he fears that may worsen the situation. The problem is we have no way of being sure what Govinda means to achieve. Is the offer sincere? Or is it a trap? Acharya Suka, for one, does not trust Govinda.’

  ‘And you?’ Syoddhan asked. ‘What do you think?’