The Untold Legend of The "Adwaita"

         In 285 BC, Kalinga was a small state where people believed in democracy instead of Rajdharma, which was in a way a unique thing at that time in India. “Adwaita” was a clandestine group led by Guru Birupaksha, the only man at that time who was believed know the secret of the 8th weapon of “Ast-astra Vidya”.

         No one clearly guesses the origin, but the legend of “Ast-astra Vidya” is believed to be from 370 BC. There existed a King, who was believed to be unconquerable at his time and had conquered many parts of India. He had kept an army full of men having great knowledge of warfare tactics and hand to hand combats. What made him a great fighter was the knowledge of a unique art called “Ast-astra Vidya”. It was the knowledge of 8 weapons that he mastered the usage of. The 8th weapon, which he never used was believed to be the invisible one. The queen used to worship “Choushathi Jogini” (64 yoginis/goddesses), before each war expedition of the King. It was believed that, the goddesses had given this art of “Ast-astra Vidya” as boon which was the reason, the King was undefeated.

        He knew after his rule, Kalinga will be weak as a power and will be attacked by outside forces. He created a clandestine group called “Adwaita” which had 8 members who guarded the secrets of the skills of 8 weapons. The group members were always scattered and were united only when it was required to pass the knowledge to successive eligible persons, but gradually the members did not abide to the purpose of the knowledge and got scattered all over India except for one. He was the 8th Guru who had kept the biggest secret with him, the knowledge of the invisible 8th weapon. According to some, this weapon was generated by some hymns which had many heavy and light syllables of Sanskrit in it. Guru Birupaksha is the son of that 8th master. He has not forgotten the purpose of the group and still leads this “Adwaita” group where he teaches various ancient weapon tactics to his students. He has these students who will be once a part of the army that will protect Kalinga from the outside attackers.

        Everyone knew that the secret learning of the 8th weapon will be given to the student who will prove himself to be worthy of it by winning the series of competitions involving usage of various weapons. Guru Birupaksha has two students in mind whom he thought to be eligible. Sidhartha and Mauryabhan. The former had excelled the weapon “Bow and Arrow” while the later had no match in “Sword”.

        Sidhartha and Mauryabhan were not best friends. But they used to interact a lot about the skills, about the weapons that they were learning. Sidhartha was part of the group since he was a child when he came to know about this from his father, who was also a member of “Adwaita”. After his death, Guru Birupaksha treated him as his child and thought he would once be the worthy of the knowledge of the invisible weapon. Mauryabhan was never a part of the group till he was found severely wounded at a river bank by Guru Birupaksha and his disciples. He could remember nothing about his past at that time. It has been 1 year since Mauryabhan is in the group and he has excelled all the skills to match up to the level Sidhartha.

        Both Sidhartha and Mauryabhan think each other as competition. While Sidhartha is the favourite among all the other students, Guru Birupaksha liked Mauryabhan more as within just one year he has excelled in the skills. Mauryabhan had once saved the life of Sidhartha when he was attacked by a snake in the forest. From that day Sidhartha was indebted to him. He used to say: “Mauryabhan, I am indebted to you for my life”. Deep inside both were competing against each other to excel the skills being taught there. That was perhaps the only thing common in them. Or maybe not.

        Birupaksha had a daughter whom he loved more than his life. Her name was Karuvaki. She was very beautiful and apart from that, she was also the member of the group. Sidhartha was in love with her but never felt the courage in him to tell. But Karuvaki liked Mauryabhan. She was impressed by both his skills and looks. Sidhartha always felt sad as he thought, no one should judge anyone to be better unless they are put against each other under similar circumstances. By saying this he meant, he will show that I am the better than Mauryabhan by winning the final competitions. Mauryabhan on the other hand was always quiet. He liked Karuvaki too and knew that she likes him. They never shared their feelings though.

        Guru Birupaksha had an announcement to make. He had decided that it’s time for him to select his successor for the skills he has. But that would be decided through a series of competitions involving various weapons. As per the rule of the “Ast-astra Vidya”, the successor can’t be blood relative. So Karuvaki is not participating. The competition happened for the whole day. Sidhartha defeated Mauryabhan in the task that required skills of bow and arrow. In the of sword fight, it was evident that Mauryabhan will defeat him and it happened too. Had Sidhartha won that round, he would have got what he dreamt of. After the event, that night Mauryabhan told Sidhartha: “I can’t see you win over me. And I can’t defeat you either. Let’s see which of these things I believe more. The problem is, I don’t have time till tomorrow, to see this.” Sidhartha could not understand, but replied: “Don’t worry. None of us will die before realizing, who was the better man.” Since there was no clear winner, Birupaksha asked for another day where he will give both the finalists one task. Whoever would complete that would be declared the winner.

        Sidhartha knew, he had to win it. If not for himself, then for the dignity of his father. That night Guru Birupaksha came to Sidhartha to talk about something. He told him “I know you since you were a kid. I see you no less than Mauryabhan. But if I judge both of you as my opponent in the battlefield, I find him more focused and confident. That is what makes me scared to be his opponent. You are no way less than him, but you lack that focus. The day you will bring it in you, you can defeat him, and even me.” Sidhartha was so touched by this that he promised “If Mauryabhan wins this competition; I will never show you my face again.”

        Next day was the final day. No one knew what task Birupaksha will give both the. Before he final task, Sidhartha asked Karuvaki “Whom would you like to win. I or Mauryabhan?” She answered “I would be honest. I would stand for the person I love. So I would like Mauryabhan to win as I love him.” Siddhartha smiled and replied: “I used to think the same as you think. But I would rather stand for the people who loved me and against the person who didn’t. No matter what, he is not winning today.”

        To everyone’s surprise, Mauryabhan was nowhere to be found. No one had any idea where he went. It was a shock for all and specially for Karuvaki. Sidhartha knew, Mauryabhan is not that kind of person who would escape such an event. They searched for him for many days, but could not find any trace of him. No one knew where he came, where he had gone now.

        Four years have been passed now. It was the 261 BC. Kalinga was threatened by a power, 20 times of its size. And this enemy was not any ordinary one. This is the biggest force that ever ruled India. It was the greatest Of Mauryan king, Ashoka.

        Ashoka (means "painless, without sorrow") (304–232 BCE), was son of the Mauryan emperor Bindusara and was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. During his reign, Mauryan empire had the largest expansion. He was believed to be a barbarous man, who proclaimed himself as the worthy king by killing all his brothers. He was also known as “Chand-Ashoka”(Chand=Cruel). He had a huge army and rarely any king challenged him in war.

[ Mauryan Empire before Kalinga war ]

       With such a huge army and hunger to conquer everything, he is about to attack Kalinga now. Raja Anantha Padma, the King of Kalinga, knew that his army strength is nothing compared to that of Asoka. But Kalinga was not a land that will surrender itself to external forces.

        Everyone thought, the battle will not last long. But when Asoka saw the army of Kalinga in front of him at the battle ground, he was surprised to see their strength. Someone told him, “This is not the army that is standing in front of you. Every man and women of Kalinga has come out for their homeland”.

        However, the limited forces of Kalinga were still of no match for the Mauryan army, but There were times when they came very close to a victory at places. During the battle Asoka came to know that, there was a certain group that was giving the Mauryan army a tough time. It was no ordinary group. Their skills were unique for the Mauryan army to understand and fight. They were the “Adwaita”. Somebody also warned Ashoka that if this group battles, the way it was doing, there might be chances that Mauryas may lose. Such a brave king he was, Ashoka wanted to fight with the Adwaita personally. One by one he defeated them and the battle shifted to Mauryas' side again. He was the only man against whom, even Adwaita group was of no match. He kept on killing everyone one by one. Suddenly he saw a brave woman who was fighting nothing less than a tigress and was able to kill many of his soldiers. She was Karuvaki.

        Ashoka felt like the time is frozen for him. He dropped his sword and kept walking towards Karuvaki. When he went near her, she had almost raised her sword to kill him but she could not. Because, inside that face armour, she saw the face of someone she had never forgotten about.

        Only this man could defeat each of the members of the Adwaita group. Or maybe not. Far away from the battle field, a man was standing, with a bow in his hand and an arrow which was eager to be fired from it to hit the supposed target. He had a purpose to be there. The only visible part of Ashoka were his eyes which were not covered by the face armour, but this man was so skilled that, he could easily target them from such a long distance. He was Sidhartha. He wasn't shooting the arrow as he was confused. “Why isn’t she fighting with him? Why both of them has dropped their weapons?”. Assuming her life to be in danger, he ran into the battle field towards Karuvaki, with a sword in his hand. He killed anyone who came in his way. It was like a wave that was unstoppable. When he arrived near her, he saw Ashoka. There was a sense of vacuum that both of them felt. Both the men,  were looking at each other. Sidhartha told Ashoka: “Mauryabhan, I had told you that none of us is going to die till we know, who was the better fighter .Let’s find it out now.”. Sidhartha had his sword in his hand and Ashoka smiled and picked up his sword. He knew he was invincible with the sword. They started the sword fight. Within no time, Ashoka was on the ground as Sidhartha was able to defeat him. It was decided now. Ashoka could not believe he was defeated by Sidhartha in the sword fight. Sidhartha told him: “You were right. I might not have been able to defeat Mauryabhan. But today you are king Ashoka to me, who has attacked my motherland.”

        Before Ashoka could reply, an arrow came from a distance and pierced into the chest of Sidhartha. It was fired from a soldier of Ashoka. The battle was won by the Mauryan army and Sidhartha was the last yodhha (fighter) to be killed.

        Next morning when the sun rose, it was a little more red in colour. It is said that the The Daya River near which the Kalinga war was fought, had its water turned red in blood that day. Ashoka could see the battle ground full of dead bodies and blood and wounded soldiers. He could hear the groaning of those who were injured and mourning of orphaned children and wives who lost their nears and dears, Vultures were hovering over the dead bodies. At least 0.1 million Kalinga soldiers and almost equal number of Magadha soldiers were also killed. This battle which Ashoka thought, would be an easy one, was the bloodiest battle he had ever fought.

        Ashoka was filled with remorse. He thought to himself: “Whom will I rule now. Not a single man in Kalinga left now. I am responsible for all these.” A women approached to him and said: ”This war took my father, husband and son from me. Whom should I live for now. And whom will you think of ruling?”

       The Kalinga war prompted Ashoka to devote the rest of his life preaching “Ahimsa (non-violence)”. He later married Karuvaki . He stopped the military expansion of Mauryan empire and both of them spread Buddhism across the country.

      

Once Ashoka asked his wife Karuvaki: “I still have a question in mind. Why didn’t Sidhartha kill me when he could have easily done that? I was lying in front of him defeated and he had that sword in his hand.” Karuvaki replied: “If not by the sword, you still could not have defeated him. Because he was the only one in the Adwaita group to know the usage of the 8th weapon of the Ast-astra, the invisible one. Yet he could not kill you because, if you can remember you had saved his life once and he was indebted to you for it. ”

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         The legend of “Adwaita” died in history after the Kalinga war. But the bravery and devotion with which that group stood in front of the massive army of king Ashoka, it was commendable. History will never remember that last yodha(fighter) who knew the usage of the invisible weapon, who defeated the king. The last of its kind. The undefeated Adwaita.

The Paradise in The Heart

        Altaf was never interested in his father's business. Whenever his friend Rudra asked him the reason, he always told "What will I do? I am poor in math.” Rudra knew the reason was not that simple. Altaf had lost his mother in a terrible incident in the past. Two years ago, ISI militants had forcibly taken shelter in their home. His father being away, her mother had to do everything to protect her child. The valley was burning at that time and humanity was begging for its existence. That night when Army raided the village for the militants, there was a night long encounter. All the Militants were dead along with three army men. That night a child lost his mother. Altaf’s mother had sent him to Rudra's house that night and he survived. One can't imagine a child's state of mind and how he would see the world after such terrible incident. Altaf will never know who killed his mother. The  Army or the militants. So he has poured all the hatred to the valley. He hates it now.

        Rudra has a different story and life that he witnessed. He is influenced by the stories of their ancestors throughout his life. He has imbibed all the knowledge from his grandfather about Kashmiri Pandits, Shaivism and their ancient literature. He feels the valley as his home as well. He is also baffled by the way Pandits are being treated. The Pandits, who once laid the cultural foundation of the place, are mercilessly thrown away from their home. Their home are burnt, they are killed. The terrorist fundamentalists have made them flee out of the valley. Whoever did not, are living in constant fear and destitution.

        Kashmir is one of the most beautiful places in India. Enticed by its beauty, Mughal emperor Jahangir once called it "Paradise on Earth". Legend says- Kashmir(Sanskrit: kásmira) was named after the Kashyapa Rishi, an ascetic as “Kashyapmar”. When the lake Satisar was drained out, Kashyap brought the Brahmins there to live and with them they brought their philosophy and knowledge.

        Pandits were most ancient residents of the valley. It is their home. It has always been. They are influenced by the Maurya Empire and also by the Mughals.They are having more of Aryan traits and are decendants of Saraswata Muni and hence are Saraswat Brahmins, the highest order of Brahmins.

       Rudra's mother loved Altaf like her own son. After he lost his mother, he started calling her "Maa". His father being out of the village most of the time, he used to live with Rudra at his home.In the festivals like Monjaher Taeher, Gada Bhatta, Khyachi Mavas that were celebrated, Altaf loved to have the taeher rice, fish and Khichdi. Altaf and Rudra are friends since childhood. They are not best friends, they are brothers. The two shared every feeling with each other. Rudra can find the sorrow and anxiety inside Altaf who was struggling with his past. Altaf used to say: "This valley took my mother from me and many like us. It forced its residents flee to other places as if they are refugees here." Rudra used to tell in reply: "Soon, peace will be back to the Valley.  It's our homeland. We deserve to be here. Nobody from outside should come and tell us whom we should love and hate. This hatred you have, try to tame it. It will make you strong". Only Altaf knew that inside the composed and reserved guy, Rudra has conceived a volcano of anger which he has tamed. Altaf knew one more thing too. “This hope that has covered the anger inside Rudra, will break one day.”

        Rudra is upset tonight. They are not celebrating the festival, “ Khyachi Mavas”. In fact none of the Pandit families are. They are threatened by the terrorists this morning. That night after dinner Altaf and Rudra were listening the stories of Mahabharata, from Rudra's mother. Suddenly inside the silence of the night, they heard the voice s of people shouting and running.  Terrorists have atacked the Pandit families. They are shouting "Kashmiri Pandits... Leave Kashmir." Then some gun shots. No one had expected this attack. They were barging into every house and killing people blindly. Rudra's father was outside and they had no hope that he is returning. For Rudra, it was the time that long tamed anger was erupting. But Altaf knew this not the right time for this anger to come out. Altaf could relate this night to the night which took his mother from him forever. Now it has come again to take everything which he is left with. He thought to himself: “Ya Allah, Don’t take my mother from me, again.” He told Rudra: "Not now, my friend. Tame this anger for some more time. You have to take care of Maa now. I have a plan. I will open the door. They won't kill me. You escape from backside.”  Rudra and his mother though hesitant at first understood that they have no time. Meanwhile army was informed about the attack. When the terrorists knocked at the door. Altaf told Rudra:  “Don’t worry about me. I will be fine. The anger you always warned me about, I have to tame it now. You don’t lose your faith or hope. ” Rudra replied: “ My god has always been is inside . And I can see him in front of me now. ” That was the last time they met. They looked at each other for one second. Terrorists broke the door.  One of them  ran towards the bedroom and grabbed Altaf.  He asked: “Where are the Pandits?” Altaf replied: “I used to live with my family here. You killed them. Kill me if you want to”. The terrorists could not find anyone and left.

        While escaping the village, Rudra saw the houses being burnt to ashes. The whole darkness of night was engulfed by the fires coming out of the houses. They were rescued by the Army. Next day morning in Kashmir was a little more silent. It was like even the sun did not want to rise.  The news broadcasted:” Terrorists have attacked in a village in  the Valley. Pakistani ISI may have hands behind it.” Curfew was imposed in the area for two months. Rudra and his mother were taken to Jammu to stay on Kashmiri Pandit Camps. Even if they wanted to, Rudra could not come to his village for his friend now.  

        Three months have passed now. Life is returning to normal again in the Valley.  Rudra has come to his village again. All the houses are burnt. He found it hard to recognize where his home was. But he was not there for the home he had lost that night. His mother wants her other child. But there was nothing, no one. Even the birds in the nearby trees have left their nests. He cried loudly like a baby. He could not believe he has lost his brother.  Nobody knew what happened with Altaf. That night was not any other night in the Valley. It separated an Altaf from and a Rudra.

        Tourists come to the Valley to enjoy beauty of its mountains and lakes. Very few see the scars on the mountains and the tears in the lake water. But still the valley smiles. This is the best thing about its residents. Their heart is like mountains. It was attacked, stained, scarred over the ages. Just like nobody sees the cracks  on the mountain, these scars are not visible on their face either. Whether they are Muslims or the Pandits, they just want their home free from everyone else.  Deep inside this paradise, its beauty and culture, there is one Altaf and Rudra who wants their home, their paradise back.

God's Immortal Warrior

        It happened all of a sudden. The effect was so volcanic that every Indian was affected by it.Akalbir was just like another guy when he was in school. He was never at home. His childish demeanor was really a headache for his parents. Particularly his mother who was always at the receiving end of his father's anger. But like any other mom, she always pampered him. Being the only son, that was an advantage.

        The name Akalbir, was given by his paternal grandmother. Her mother fondly calls him Vira. But for everybody else, he is Akalbir. He never bothered to know the meaning of his name though. He was born in Lahore(now in Pakistan) at his maternal grandfather's residence. He was there till he was 8 because his father, Shamsher singh didn't have a fixed home at that time and was away most of the time for his trading business. Later they settled in Amritsar, Punjab (India).

        Akalbir is 19 now. The age where a man's destiny and desire changes with direction of wind. He is a tall, daring, carefree guy. He roams all the day with his friends and comes home at night. His father, the only person he fears, stays away most of the time for business and his mother, who is everything for him, doesn't bother about her son's doings. Somewhere in the heart she knew, her son can't do anything to harm anybody.

        But last night was different. Vira has not returned home. There is no trace of his friends too since morning. Everyone is worried. In the morning a Train from Pakistan had arrived in Amritsar from Lahore, carrying the bodies of innocent victims of the partition. Akalbir's friend, Gurnam's parents were among them. Little did they know that an imaginary line on the map can make a human being bestial. And this menace did not take much time to grow inside 5 young men who have nothing lose. And at this age, they are unstoppable.

         The only girl Vira ever liked was Vani. They met from the first day when the teacher asked each student to introduce themselves and explain the meaning of their names. Vani was the only one who didn't laugh at him when Vira was not able to explain the meaning of his name. They were schoolmates for 2 years till she left school to help her mother in household. They never really talked but always adored each other from distance. But there was a sense of fondness in their eyes when they see each other. At this age, one can't define this feeling. May be we are not allowed to. Vira always hated to be alone and was always found with his friends. But when Vani is around, he forgets everyone. That adorable face with the innocence of a child, that smile which can bring even god to his knees. Vira is a different person then. He is focused, poised. In contrast to Vira, Vani is more matured, sensible, positive, focused She knew that she loved him since school. Though she didn't like his carefree attitude towards life, she was confident from inside that she can change his life and let him understand the meaning of his name, once they are together. Both could never share how they felt. It never happened.

         Amritsar railway station was never so crowded. It is easy to get lost inside the sea of people. Small children were sitting on the shoulders of their fathers. Everyone's face looks worried. They are not homeless. They just don't know which one is their home now. Some are there to receive their relatives coming from Lahore today. It was morning 6:50 AM. Among such a circumstances a train has arrived. Full of bodies with blood. Many could not even recognize their relatives. It took a little time for the eyes which were full of sadness and worries to have agony and vengeance. You can imagine how quickly the minds of these five teenagers have been engulfed by this. They planned to attack the train that will leave Amritsar that night. Vira will lead them. They will stay here at the station in disguise and attack the people who boards the train. Gurnam said he could arrange all the weapons they needed.

         Everything was happening as per the plan. No one would do anything till Vira says. Finally the train that will take people to Lahore arrived at Amritsar at 11:00 PM. The station was flooded by people with children and family who were eagerly waiting to go to Lahore. This was the world's greatest migration. Thousands of Hindus and Muslims were moving across the countries with no idea about what their furure will be. The capacity of the train was not enough to hold this much of crowd. Suddenly a group of people with weapons in their hand came running towards the platform. The crowd somewhere knew from inside, this would happen after the incident that happened on the train which arrived in the morning. Many groups had arrived on the station for the same ruthless intention. Vira and his friends could not understand what to do. Though they had planned to do the same, they were stunned to see the massacre in front of them. Vira gathered some courage and told all his friends "Let's save the children. That's the least we can do." Nobody asked anything and did as Vira said, they ran towards the train. They did the best and most they could do. Vira and his friends tried to put every child to the train as it had picked up the speed and had started leaving the platform.

        Suddenly Vira sees something. A man, must be at his 40s at least was in a hurry to catch the train and was dragging his wife who is in Burqa. They were being chased by people who would definitely kill them. "They are too late to reach here. Lemme help them"- Vira thought to himself. With all his energy, He ran to them and helped both of them one by one to catch the running train. While doing so, he also slipped and fell down. He hurt his forehead and almost fainted.

        Before he could close his eyes, he had the last look at the train. The train to Lahore, that took so many people to their new home, and left so many, will never come back. The couple which he helped, he could see them too. The wife doesn't look so happy to be on the train. She is trying to jump, but her husband is not letting her. Suddenly a blow of wind came and Vira could see the face of the girl inside that Burqa. "Oh god. Is it Vani? No It can't be. But I can never forget her face. It's definitely her.". His body which had no energy, didn't even let him to think more. Perhaps that was the only time Vira knew, how much he loved her. All he begged was to be awake, to at least see her some more time. But his body had no sense left.

        Later when he returned home to his mother, he explained everything. Holding her,he cried like a baby. If you really want to see how a man cries, try to see him crying in front of his mother.

 Her mother told him only one thing: 
"Don't cry my son. You have justified the meaning of your name. Akalbir "