CHAPTER - 4

The evening was damn pleasant. Mind and Godlover were roaming in the pasture and plucked some flowers for their fragrance. While walking on the pasture, Mind again started religious discussions.

“Our mission is to reach Celestial City to have the blessings of religious monks, listen to their teachings, to be in touch with religious people and ultimately get accustomed to divine life. What next?”

“I have not thought in that direction. I only know that whatever life you lead, I will follow you during my remaining life. By now, I make you my Guru,” Godlover said.

“I am not your Guru, but a friend only. Since I have studied many religious books, engaged myself in worship of God and performed puja in the houses of City of Pride, people admire and consider me as a religious person.”

“But, have you thought what our lives would be after getting to Celestial City and receiving divine knowledge there.”

“Yes, I do have some plans and I will reveal the same to you after reaching there.”

Mounibaba called them from the hut and asked them to come for meditation. They came to the hut and immediately started meditation as per Mounibaba’s guidance, though it was not a new thing for them.

They took some fruits and milk as dinner and arranged their mats to sleep. Mind woke up suddenly hearing a shrill noise. He could not understand and sounded Godlover to get up. They both followed the noise and found a door which was ajar. They went spellbound when they peeped through the door. Mounibaba had put a female’s head in a wooden pillar duly chained from all corner and standing with a sword to behead her. Godlover was behind Mind who was about to enquire, but he resisted. They also saw that the room was dark and at one end there was a brass lamp lighted with white cotton soaked in oil, full of skulls and bottle of wine. They also found that Mounibaba had arranged other ingredients like fruits, sweets, red flowers and sindoor to perform a puja. They simply came back and heard the shrill noise again as ahhh.. ahh…. ahh…. Mind informed Godlover that Mounibaba killed the female.

“Why is he doing this?” Godlover asked Mind

“We are at a wrong place. He will do the same thing with us too. These people are known as tantric. They perform pujas with human skulls and wine and get empowered with evil powers. They slain living and dead and use their skulls for their pujas. They keep wine in the skulls and drink it through the skulls during their puja. Actually they get the power of evil spirits by performing this type of heinous crimes under the name of puja,” Mind explained to Godlover without making him afraid.

The next day morning, Mounibaba ate breakfast with Mind and Godlover. He was preaching them about the life, its missions, how to overcome stresses in life, how to be a good human being and lastly advised them to stay in this hut for some more time to acquire knowledge of spiritual force. Godlover was suspecting very much his actions. He was bit nervous.

Mind then started, “Mounibaba, why there are so many quarrels and bickering in this world? Why do people kill one another to satiate their lust? For example, some do so to acquire wealth of others, some other repeat this process to take revenge and a few more take lives of other persons under the name of performing puja.”

Mounibaba replied, “Oh, my friend you are mixing two things. I am advising you to lead a life under an ideal condition. But, when you are in the company of devils and do not devote to God, it is next to impossible to lead a balanced life unless you decide to come out from the polluted environment. In this type of hatred situation, you cannot take the religious path. You see, in your case, you got so frustrated with the heterogeneous life style of your neighbours in the city of Pride, you decided to come out of it. In short, you decide to embrace divinity.”

Mind observed that while delivered this disclosure, he did not show any annoyance, anxiety and his gesture was calm.

Mind again started, “Then, what is your logic behind people when forced others to immolate their lives for the sake of puja.”

Suddenly, Mounibaba enraged, “Why are you asking irrelevant things?”

“I am narrating the fact. Yesterday, I saw that you slain a female and used her blooded head with wine for your delirious puja.”

“How you know! This is complete fallacy. You have seen a bad dream out of your tiredness. You take more rest. In the meantime, I organize lunch for you.”

Godlover warned Mind not to enrage him, otherwise the same would be the fate for them. Mind nodded. Both of them went to complete their rituals. Then, they started puja. Mounibaba called them and offered a lunch of rice, fresh vegetables and curd like the previous day. Immediately after the lunch, he called both of them in the pasture. Mind could smell out that something was wrong. He took one hand of Godlover and started running. But, this crooked tantric threw a black snare after running behind them. He put them in the snare and tied one end of the same with a hook in the tree near his hut. Then, he descended towards the mountainous path. The evening past and the night time’s darkness engulfed the environment. Godlover as usual got terribly afraid. Mind again consoled him. At the dawn, when they were totally exhausted, they found that someone was passing through the other end of the pasture. Since the pasture was totally empty, the shouting of Mind and Godlover were heard by the person passing. He approached to the snare and Mind could manage to trace him as Margdarshak.

“Who has made your condition like this? What wrong thing, you have done!”

Mind said, “Sir, as usual we have lost our path near a diversion and someone guided us to this hut and this Mounibaba is a tantric and perform puja with human skull and wine.”

“You are correct. They perform all heinous crimes like looting, murder and ransom. These so called tantric are notorious people in their early lives. When they are caught under laws, they fled away with the help of authorities at top. At subsequent stage they convert themselves to baba, sadhu or priest. But, they continue their activities sitting in a desert place. This fellow is one of them,” Margadarshak informed.

“I do not know; one Mr. Grace has brought me here.”

“Oh my God, This Grace is an agent of this Mounibaba. These so called self proclaimed religious teachers keep contact with authorities through agents to serve their purpose. Grace, who is normally a sweet talker allures the pilgrims to show this hut to take rest.”

“Grace was not talking with us pleasantly. In fact, he was bit rough in his talks.”

“That is because from your countenance, he could make it out that you people are pilgrims but penniless. Grace usually came in contact with rich pilgrims and then discourse with them very secretly so as to bring them to this hut. Mounibaba snatches all the ornaments and cash from them after feeding them for a day or two. Ultimately, he killed them to complete his delirious crime known as tantric puja. In fact, in the back side of the hut through a closed secret door, he keeps on stacking on the skulls and throws the other parts of these innocent pilgrims from the top of the pasture to down below in the ditch which is 5000 to 6000 feet.”

“Why is he doing so?” Godlover inquired.

“There are certain types of people in this great world. They always take the pleasure in doing all evil deeds. Throughout their whole lives, they perform the same. To make you and common people mesmerize, they take different roles so that you cannot identify them so easily. Of course, there are good people like you who really want to follow peace, harmony, friendly behavior, good company and probably because of that this whole world is balanced and still survived,” Margdarshak smilingly patted the shoulder of Godlover.

Then he rebuked Mind and said, “I have given a parchment and why are you not using the same in your distress. If you don’t do so, you will delay your charismatic goal to reach Celestial City.”

Mind folded his hands, “Sir, I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

“This is second time, you are not obeying my advice. Since, you have done so much so good works upto your life of these forty years, I am giving you another chance to visit Celestial City.”

Mardarshak then blessed them and showed the correct route so that they could start the journey again. They passed through a mountainous path, crossed small hillocks and after continuous journey, they reached near a big city market. They were exhausted and sat near a corner at the entry of the market and after some time, slept with a bit snoring. People watched them while coming out from the market and thought as lazorous beggars. Some even gave a few coins out of their magnamity. When evening was nearing, the lights glew and surroundings, were glistering with illumination. Upon scrutiny, they understood the name of the market as “One Stop Lust” and everything starting from clothes, crockery, furnitures, mechanical and electrical equipments, lawyers, bridegrooms, scientists, philosophers and doctors were available there.

Mind got curious and decided to enter the market, but Godlover warned him not to undertake the venture.

Then, Mind said, “Why are you extra cautious? We won’t get this type of opportunity to visit a market where every commodities are available under one roof.”

He shot book, “Every mission of ours land us in danger and ultimately we are getting beatings or some humiliations. Why is it so? Without doing any harm to anyone, if we have to succumb these humiliations, then I am afraid to reach our desired destination.”

“Why?”

“Because, in this way, we will be so exhausted physically, if not mentally, that desirousness of achieving some goal will be completely destroyed. Physical weakness may jeopardize the strength of survival.”

“It is correct. But, do you think it is easy to achieve some goal or to that extent any mission without any hurdles. Momentarily, our path will be full of thrones, but with our courage, conviction and faith on God, we have to overcome these obstacles, face humiliations so as to obtain Moksha.”

“I do accept your connotation. But, suppose in some places of our this journey if we are not able to digest the torture and we collapse, then how to fulfill the mission.”

“What do you suggest then?”

“In earlier incidence, we have entered a wrong hut and were about to be killed. Now, if we enter the market, I am non-committal how people will react. Either way, people are already considering us beggars because they throw coins to us. Hereafter, in some places of the market, if they think us as intruders or thieves, think of the consequences.”

Mind kept quiet but only stared at Godlover to understand his inner feelings. He knew that Godlover was right. He also felt that God is there but one cannot expect that in all the troubles mostly when the same is invited knowingly, He would extend His help.

Seeing the condition of Mind’s ambiguity, Godlover pushed his friend towards the entry of the market.

They found that some of the shops were well decorated with neon lights, cloths were displayed with ladies idols and monstrous looking securities at the entrance.

“Why these females are confined in showcases,” Godlover.

“My friend, they are breathless females, they are simply idols draped with beautiful dresses to invite the attention of human beings to induce their materialistic urge for good cloths and lavish style of leaving. This must be a rich city and market is very posh,” Mind explained.

“Let us go out of here, otherwise we may be in further trouble.”

“Why? We are not doing any misdeeds. If someone doubts, we will simply tell them that we are pilgrims, and we are going to Celestial City and in between our journey, we see this market and so we enter to purchase a precious item.”

“What is this precious item?”

“Happiness. In such a big market when they keep so much so commodities, living beings and non living beings, they must be selling happiness too.”

“I don’t know what you are telling.”

They were overwhelmed with the decorative and glittering views of various shops, merchandises and establishments of the market. For a while, they were spellbound. From the market comprising mostly posh shops, they entered an open place where they found people bargaining for various commodities. Mind observed that some shopkeepers were obliging their customers, but few were declining with lewd comments.

Out of enthusiasm, Mind asked a typical shop owner “Is it possible to purchase happiness?”

“What is that?” The particular shopkeeper retorted.

Against his explanation, he declined to offer. Mind enquired this commodity because as for him this happiness is also one type of commodity, from another shopkeeper. He got a thrashing reply from the second shopkeeper. Not only that, he summoned one person to keep a watch on the activities of Mind and Godlover. Of course, they were not known about this behind their back. They moved freely in the market. Some people were looking to them with a bit curiosity because of their countenance, dress and care free attitude. Suddenly Mind got almost a blow on his back. He turned back and Godlover also stopped.

“We find that you two are loitering here for quite sometimes. Where from you are? What is your motive and what is your purpose of visiting this place?” Two gigantic odd looking black persons started interrogating. Godlover was damn afraid, but Mind calmly answered.

“We are pilgrims. My name is Mind and my bosom who stands behind me is Godlover. We were residents of city of Pride. We became frustrated with the quarrelsome, jealous lifestyles of our neighbours and so we decided to leave the city and the people so as to get religious path. In the mid of our journey, we found this market and entered to observe the style of living of people in this city.”

“But, why are you interested to know this lifestyle when you are frustrated with the lifestyle of city of Pride? One of them rudely shot back.

“I am trying to purchase happiness from this market because someone told me that everything is available here. With this extra happiness, I may be able to make my friends, well wishers, companions and other pilgrims more happy by distributing the same with them,” Mind again replied with smiling face.

“Bastard, I am seeing for the past ten minutes, you are jabbering. What do you think? Are we fools?

He then asked other fellow to chain both Mind and Godlover and tie them with a lamppost in the center of the market. Then they started beating them with a stick. Mind and Godlover started crying and after sometime fell down. A small congregation was seen. Some overlooked and some passed sympathetic comments and a few were protesting the activities of the two gigantic Negroes.

One of the black fellows justified their action by saying that these people are thieves. With bad intention, they have entered the market and so they need this punishment.

When Mind and Godlover regained their consciousness, they found themselves chained in an iron cage and were confined like monkeys.

Godlover sobbed and said, “I cautioned you in the beginning, but you turned a deaf ear to my request. Now, what is to be done?”

Mind for the first time cried and also repented because of his non-chalant behavior and not attending to the advice of his bosom.

Godlover felt pity and he consoled Mind this time, “Don’t worry; God will do something for us.”

“This great world which is the creation of God is full of jokers, evil persons side by side of kind hearted and good persons. Have you not seen that some persons were arguing with the black knaves about their tortures on us? Godlover, unless you taste the water, how do you know its taste. We have come to know various types of persons since we entered the market; who knows how tough will be our next phase of journey,” Mind said with little moroseness.

In the meantime, there was storm and the market place was almost scattered. The things flew here and there because of the storms. Then there was rain fall and intensity of the same was severe. People took shelter and some even dashed to their vehicles and speedily left the place. It then started raining heavily and the lights went off. It was totally dark. No one was able to see other.

Godlover whispered, “Use your triumph card means parchment which is given by Margdarshak.”

Mind prayed to God and opened the parchment and touched the same to the chain by which they were bound and they were free. Then they touched the same to the lock and the cage was opened. In the midst of the darkness and rain, they fled quietly so that no one came to know. Of course, in this process, they completely got drenched. After fifteen minutes of running, they reached a hillock and sat there. By the time, rain stopped and the sky was clean and bluish as usual. They felt hungry. Mind managed to keep some fruits with him given by Mounibaba. They shared the same and decided to pass the night on the hillock.

TO BE CONTD....