章 112: Man Crumbles to Ignorance , Evertyime ( Part 4 )
In Yoga, the science of body and mind, they say, there are five impurities of the mind. Avidya asmita raga dvesha abhinaveshaha kleshaha. Ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, fear of mortality…these are the impurities. They occur in the specific order as well, so once a person makes a decision out of ignorance, the sense of identity or ego that develops from that decision will lead him or her towards attachments first and later aversions in order to support those attachments. The inability to resolve this vicious cycle in turn causes the fear of death.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Varunapriya screamed in frenzy and fell on her man's feet. "Swami!" she cried, tightly holding his legs. She actually called him her lord. "Please don't kill him! Please stop your vengeance. He's my little brother, please don't kill my little brother!" she was hysterical in her pleading.
Vajradandaka had already bled so much, he could only barely hear her. But Yuga-dheera was in perfect health and he was in a rage. "Move aside!"
"No! No I won't!" Varuna cried hoarsely, agitating her divine powers into awakening and causing a cool spray to blow from all sides. "You must forgive him! Must forgive him!"
"Woman, how dare you tell me what to do!"
After the god thundered, silence fell on all sides. Bitter laughter broke that silence. It was low and calm as though unhindered by the ravaging winds and the upset skies.
"He he he he…You hear that Varu?" a young boy covered in blood lamented to his sister. "You're just a woman and you have no place to talk when men are conducting their business."
In her panic, Varuna didn't even rise and directly crawled on her knees to lift her brother up from where he had fallen face down. "Vaju, stop this nonsense!" she pat his cheek several times to get his attention. "Why are you persisting in this action when you know you cannot win?"
"I cannot win, but I cannot lose you either…" With unfocussed eyes, Vajra mumbled to her. "I already lost one sibling."
"No, stop this madness!" Varuna yelled and burst into tears. "You are not going to lose me. You will see it will all turn out well. Pranaya and Rtadhara will become allies. Everything is going to be different after we have conquered the drylands! We can implement all those plans we thought up in childhood…don't you remember any of them?" she asked posthaste.
Reaching out with his bloody hand, Vajra touched her cheek. "Oh Varu…you are still so innocent."
Pushing her away, he used all his strength just to get to his knees. But no matter how he tried, he could not rise more than that. He hung his head and said, "I lost."
Meanwhile, Yuga-dheera who was watching their exchange was trying with all his might to retain his emotions. He realised he nearly killed the ruler of Rtadhara in a duel. And only five days before his coming of age! Had he succeeded, it would've attracted a catastrophe for Pranaya with all the dryland kingdoms united against it.
If only the girl hadn't stopped him…Yuga-dheera didn't dare to imagine the outcome. However, his own emotions went out of control because of the fight and he did not anticipate that. Despite what it might have looked like to others, Prince Yuga-dheera did not actually have an easy time defeating the king of Rtadhara. For one thing, the flow of divine powers is all messed up any time one faces an Aditya. It was because the Adityas are the ones who bring divine powers into this world in the first place when they activate the flow of Rta at their rite of passage ceremonies. A normal Kshatriya can't use divine powers against an Aditya. However, the situation slightly turns for the better when the Aditya himself is a divine awakened. His powers are suppressed, but he can still use them. At least it was supposed to be better this way…
But Yuga-dheera found out the truth is entirely the opposite. The Aditya not only suppressed his divine powers, but also reversed their flow at will! His own divine powers come from the sun. Nourishing and life-giving sometimes, scorching and life-sucking at other times. Yuga-dheera can use both qualities at will, sometimes overwhelming the mortal soldier with his nourishing side, other times suppressing the divine awakened with his scorching side. It was the kind of power even the most experienced warriors found it hard to deal. The sun is loving and punishing at the same time. It is impossible to deal with. One can only bow down to it.
And yet, all of that turned into a joke when facing this little boy in front. Yuga-dheera had been in hundreds of battles in his lifetime. Yet this was the first time when he felt his own powers were his obstacles. Every time he produced an effect, the boy would produce a counter effect that negated his own. It was not because it was the opposite, but because it was the same. If he produced a scorching effect, the boy would produce hell fire. If he produced a nourishing effect, the boy would reveal the source of Rta within which was a million times more potent. Several times, Yuga-dheera was so overwhelmed, he nearly sunk to his knees. He hated the boy for that. He wanted to kill him. And no doubt he would've done so had his beloved not stopped him at the last moment. He took his anger out on her, but he was in fact really grateful to her. If this boy died, Rtadhara would be just fine. It already had a successor. But Pranaya would've been extinguished without any doubt. The more he looked at the bloodied and remorseless child in front, the more he felt it was his intention to give up his life in the duel.
His heart shook at the very thought. Until now, Yuga-dheera did not realise what a terrifying adversary he had been dealing with.
Indeed, who gives a shit about the rules of a duel when nobody is watching? Yuga-dheera knew through his own sources that the child rigged several even when people are watching! And yet, none of the soldiers who surrounded and brought down his chariot moved to save their king when he was about to be killed. It was all planned out from the beginning! It was planned out to extinguish Pranaya even at the cost of life. What a sinister bastard!
Breathing laboriously to calm his emotions, the prince of Pranaya was unable to lower his sword no matter how much he tried. He hated the boy so much, every drop of his blood is screaming to get vengeance. He had been led into a trap by a child only as old as his own son! And he did it so easily at that as if Yuga-dheera was all along a pawn in his hands.
Yuga-dheera has never loved his woman more than he did now. This is where women belong. They are truly useful only when they are passionate and emotional. Even if they do stupid things, it somehow works out for the best. Yuga-dheera knew very well that this little princess of the land where Rta flows loves her individuality and her freedom, but what she really needs is for her lord to tell her what to do. She doesn't know it yet, but she soon will. If not with those unruly emotions, lord forbid if she ever tampers his own big plans just like she spoiled her brother's just now. Women love it when a man appreciates their wit. But what they truly need is a lord to submit their will to. Yeah, Yuga-dheera will take care of her well. He decided.
Towards the bloodied little boy though, he had no sympathy. He conspired to ruin him, and he must pay. Stretching out his sword at the boy, he said deeply, "If you admit you lost in the duel, you know the rules, right?"
The moment she heard those words, Varunapriya felt like she fell into a cold abyss. Turning around on her knees, she blocked the prince's sight to her brother. "No, what are you doing? Stop! He's my little brother. Let it go!"
Yuga-dheera frowned mildly. Where was that submission in her voice when she called him Swami?
But he just decided to take care of his little woman well, so he patiently explained to her. "Between two Kshatriyas, no duels have ever ended just by 'letting it go'. Your brother knew the rules before he challenged me. Now he must pay the price."
Varunapriya thought quickly as to the reason for his change in attitude. He clearly stopped before because she asked him. She blinked rapidly and stuttered when she understood the reason, "S-s-swami…Let it go, please."
Yuga-dheera was pleased at how quickly she came around. He almost smiled when he saw her being roughly pushed away by the child behind her.
No, this time he didn't look like a child anymore. He looked like a man as he stared at the prince with blazing eyes. "That's enough Varu," he spoke and unleashed his dagger from its sheath. Clumping his long and lustrous hair that flowed to his waist, he roughly sheared it off at that nape.
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