INTERESTING AND TRUSTED MANTRA'S
ADI GANGA WAS FLOWING UNRUFFLED, IN THE PITCH DARK, HARDLY ANYTHING COULD BE SEEN. SATYAKAM WAITED UNDER A TREE ON THE BANK WHERE, FIVE DAYS BEFORE, KAPALAK HAD SOLVED HIS BAFFLED DESPAIR. HE WAS NOW MUCH AT EASE. SUDDENLY HE HEARD FOOTSTEPS. KAPALAK BROUGHT HIS LIPS NEAR SATYAKAM'S EAR AND QUIETLY WHISPERED. TONIGHT I'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO ACHIEVE FEALESSNESS FROM THE TANTRIC POINT OF VIEW, AND ALSO TO COMMUNE WITH SPIRITS. IN A LITTLE WHILE, A WOMAN'S CORPSE WILL FLOAT BY, YOU HAVE TO ENTER THE WATERS SLOWLY, CATCH HOLD OF IT, AND BRING IT TOWARD THE BANK. I'LL HELP YOU PULL IT OUT.
BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S COMING,? ASKED SATYAKAM IN ALARM. HIS HEART BEAT FASTER AND HE BECAME FILLED WITH DREAD.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO DISCUSS ALL THIS. JUST GO ON DOING AS I TELL YOU, COMMANDED KAPALAK. SATYAKAM FELT HE WAS A HELPLESS INSTRUMENT.
THE LEAVES OF THE TREES REMAINDED MOTIONLESS. TO SATYAKAM THE WHOLE ATMOSPHERE SEEMED FRIGHTFULLY HUSHED. SUDDENLY KAPALAK ANNOUNCED, ONLY RARELY IN HIS LIFE HAD HE SUBMITTED TO FEAR. BUT THIS WAS TOO MUCH. INDEED, ALL ALONG HE HAD BELIEVED HE WAS FEARLESS, SO WHEN KAPALAK TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD BE TAUGHT FEARLESSNESS THAT NIGHT, HE TOOK IT TOO LIGHTLY. BUT NOW HE COULD SEE THE MERIT IN KAPALAK'S UTTERANCE. HE HAD YET TO ENCOUNTER HIS SUBTLE EGO.
SATYAKAM HESITATED BRIEFLY BUT COULD NOT RESIST ENTERING THE WATER ON KAPALAK'S COMMAND. THE WATER WAS NOT DEEP. HE COULD WALK THROUGH IT, HIS FEET SINKING INTO THE MUDDY BOTTOM. THE JOB NOT PLEASANT, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS UNDER THE SPELL OF FEAR. NUMBLY, HE GRABBED THE FLOATING BODY AND BEGAN MOVING BACKWARD. THE STRENCH WAS SUFFOCATING. HE REACHED THE BANK QUICKLY, THEN KAPALAK BEN DOWN AND GRABBED THE LEGS OF THE CORPSE. WHILE STILL HOLDING ITS SHOULDERS, SATYAKAM CAME OUT OF THE WATER AND TOGETHER THEY PULLED THE BODY OUT.
BOTHE SAT DOWN QUIETLY NEAR THE BODY WHICH LAY ON THE BANK. PHYSICALLY SATYAKAM WAS NOT QUIETE EXHAUSED, BUT MENTALLY HE WAS DAZED. HE COULDN'T COMPREHEND ALL THIS. BEFORE LONG, KAPALAK BROKE THE SILENCE.
WE SHOULD NOW SHIFT THE BODY TO THE NEARBY GROVE AND START YOUR TRAINING.
CAUTIOUSLY, THEY GOT UP AND REMOVED THE CORSE AS KAPALAK DIRECTED. TO SATYAKAM'S SURPRISE, HE FOUND A DIM OIL LAMP BURNING IN THE DARK GROVE. NEARBY LAY OF BOWL OF GRAIN AND GLASS OF LIQUID. THE CORPSE LAY UPON FAIRLY LEVEL GROUND. THE BROWN-SKINNED BODY WAS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE IN AGE- MAYBE ABOUT THIRTY. DEATH HAD PROBABLY OCCURED EARLIER IN THE DAY. SATYAKAM STOOD HAD PROBABLY OCCURED EARLIER IN THE DAY. SATYAKAM STOOD LIKE A STONE WHILE KAPALAK ACTED AS IF THIS WAS HIS NORMAL BUSINESS, SHOWING NO FEAR, SO ASTONISHMENT, NO CLOUDS OF UNKNWOING AROUND HIM. HE HASTENED, NOW I'LL INITIATE YOU INTO THE FOLD OF KAPALAKS WITH AN APPROPRIATE MANTRA, WHICH RECALLS THE SPIRITS BACK INTO DEAD BODIES. BE AWARE THAT YOU HAVE TO GER RID OF FEAR TOGETHER. IF YOU SUCCUMB TO FEAR ANY TIME DURING THE NIGHT, YOU MAY HARM YOURSELF.
KAPALAK PAUSED AND THEN RESUMED, YOU HAVE TO TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES AND SIT ON THE DEAD BODY IN A MEDIATIVE POSE. WHILE YOU'LL BE REPEATIN THE MANTRA INSIDE, AT ONE POINT, THE CORPSE WILL OPEN ITS MOUTH. HERE IS SOME GRAIN AND A GLASS OF WINE. WHEN THE MOUTH OPENS, PUT SOME OF THE GRAIN AND A LITTEL WINE INTO IT, AND THEN IT'LL CLOSE AGAIN. AT TIMES, THE CORPSE MAY UTTER WORDS. REPLY OR QUESTION AS BEST YOU CAN, KAPALAK PAUSED AGAIN AND THEN CONTINUED. SATYAKAM, YOU'LL ENCOUNTER SOME DREADFUL VOIES AND PERHAPS UGLY SIGHTS. BUT REMEMBER, DON'T FEAR, HOLD ON TO YOUR STRENGTH. REMIND YOURSELF AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT YOU ARE UPHELD BY THE POWER THAT DWELLS WITHIN YOU. ANY SLIP MAY CAUSE YOU SOME DAMAGE. BUT IF YOU COME OUT SUCCESSFULLY, WHICH I DON'T DOUBT, YOU'LL BE QUIETE A DIFFERENT PERSON BY EARLY MORNING.
BY NOW, SATYAKAM FELT HALF DEAD. KAPALAK MOVED NEAR HIM. HE WAS AN EMBODIMENT OF COURAGE, HE VIBRATION HELPED SATYAKAM SOMEWHAT. SATYAKAM COULD SEE THAT WHAT WAS HAPPENING WAS A FACT AND NOT A DREAM. A SLIGHT BOLDNESS ENTERED HIM CONTAGIOUSLY. HE BEGAN TO UNDRESS HIMSELF. THEN KAPALAK WHISPERED THE INFALLIBLE MANTRA INTO HIS LEFT EAR THREE TIMES. THE MANTRA INFUSED AN ELECTIC CURRENT THROUGHOUT HIS BODY AND HE WAS NO LONGER FEARFUL, BUT ALIVE AND PREPARED TO DO WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. HE CAREFULLY ASSUMED A POSTURE ON THE DEAD BODY FACING TOWARD ITS HEAD. FOLDING HIS PALMS TOGETHER NEAR HIS CHEST, HE BOWED TO KAPALAK FROM A DISTANCE AND THEN LOWERED HIS HANDS, RESTING THEM ON HIS KNEES. KAPALAK CAME FORWARD AND TOUCHED THE POINT BETWEEN HIS EYEBROWS. AS SATYAKAM CLOSED HIS EYES, KAPALAK WALKED QUIETLY AWAY INTO THE DARKNESS.
HARDLY ONE PHASE OF THE NIGHT WAS OVER WHEN SATYAKAM FELT A SLIGHT MOVEMENT IN THE CORPSE. OPENING HIS EYES, HE SAW ITS MOUTH MOVE AS IF ASKING FOR SOMETHING. HE PUT SOME GRAIN AND WINE INTO IT. THEN THE MOUTH CLOSED AGAIN. MEANWHILE HE KEPT REPEATING THE MANTRA. THIS PROCESS CONTINUED UNTIL THE SECOND PHASE OF THE NIGHT WAS OVER.
ALL OF A SUDDEN SHARP SHRIEKS AND WILD TRIED TO BE UNMOVED AND CONTINUED REPEATING THE MANTRA. BUT THE HOWLING NOISES AND THREATENING CHALLENGES GREW TOO NIGHTMARISH FOR HIM. NO LONGER COULD HE KEEP HIS EYES CLOSED. FOR THE FIRST FEW MOMOENTS WHAT HE SAW CURDLED HIS BLOOD. VARIOUS UGLY AND FIERCE-LOOKING CREATURES WERE READY TO ATTACK AND DEVOUR HIM, THEY LOOKED HIDEOUS AND DEMONIC. BUT SOON SATYAKAM HEARD KAPALAK SAYING, YOU ARE UPHELD BY THE POWER WHICH DWELLS WITHIN YOU.
INSTANTLY HIS FEAR SUBSIDED. WITH RENEWED COURAGE HE CLOSED HIS EYES AND CONTINUED THE MANTRA. THE DREADFUL VOICES AND HELLISH SIGHTS PERSISTED FOR SOME TIME, BUT NO LONGER DID THEY DISTURB HIM. GRADUALLY THEY SUBSIDED, THEN SILENCED ALTOGETHER. NOW THE THIRD PHASE OF THE NIGHT WAS OVER.
QUIET REIGNED ONCE AGAIN. DEEP IN HIS MANTRA, SATYAKAM FELT THE NIGHT OF THE NEW MOON, CALM AND FREE. BUT AS BEFORE, SOMETHING CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION. FROM THE CORPSE CAME A THICK WAILING SOUND, AS IF IT WERE DREAMING SHE SOUNDED AS IF SHE WERE IN PAIN. HER BODY QUIVERED SLIGHTLY. SATYAKAM MAINTAINED HIS POSTURE.
THE AGONIZING SOUND BECAME LOUDER AND LOUDER. HE BURST OUT QUIETE INVOLUTARILY, WHO ARE YOU?
VERY FAINTLY AND IN A QUAVERIN VOICE IT SPOKE, RE...L..E...A...SE...M..EE....
THE VOICE WAS THICK AND HEAVY. FOR A MOMENT SATYAKAM BECAME ALARMED. BUT SOON HE GATHERED HIS CONSCIOUSNESS AND ASKED AGAIN, WHO ARE YOU?
YO...U..R MA..A..Y..A..., SPOKE THE SAME VOICE AND THEN HER WHOLE BODY BECAME DEAD AS BEFORE.
SATYAKAM WAITED FOR SOME TIME TO SEE IF ANYTHING FURTHER WOULD HAPPEN. BUT THERE WAS NO MORE MOVEMENT. EVEN THE MOUTH SEEMED STILL. HE CLOSED HIS EYES AND AGAIN CONCENTRATED ON THE MANTRA. HIS WHOLE ATTITUDE BECAME THAT OF COMPASSION TOWARD THE SPIRIT - OF THE CORPSE AS WELL AS THE OTHER DEMONIC ONES HE HAD ENCOUNDED EARLIER IN THE NIGHT. AN UTTERLY PURIFY FILLED HIS HEART, THE SUBLIMITY OF WHICH HE HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. HIS HEART OPENED WIDE IN GRATITUDE TO THAT INDWELLING POWER WHICH HAD UPHELD HIM THOUGHOUT.
THE LAST PHASE OF THE NIGHT PASSED PEACEFULLY. SATYAKAM FELT RELIEVED AND LOST IN DEEP ABSORPTION.
THE MORNING SUN'S FIRST RAYS FELL UPON THE GROUND AS SATYAKAM ENTERED KAPALAK'S HUT. THE WORLD SEEMED QUIET DIFFERENT TO HIM. HE COULDN'T BELIEVE HE WAS THE SAME PERSON WHO EXISTED YESTERDAY. HARDLY A TRACE OF THE OLD SELF REMAINED. HE FELT TRANSPOSED TO A DIMENSION WHERE HE COULD SEE ONLY WITH HIS THIRD EYE. HE HAD NO PARTICULAR QUESTIONS FOR KAPALAK WHO ALSO SEEMED TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO HIM. THE MEMORY OF HIS MASTER IN HIMALAYA AROSE SPONTANEOUSLY AND HIS UNDERSTANDING OF HIM GREW LARGER THAN EVER BEFORE. FOR A WHILE HE WAS LOST IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF HIM.
YOU ACCOMPLISHED NOT ONLY A GREAT TASK NIGHT BUT ALSO A BENEVOLENT ONE, SATYAKAM.
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