BOOK TWO
AUM, I bow down to Narayana, the most exalted Nara and to the Devi Saraswathi and say
Jaya!
ONE
He came out of the darkness, as Krishna and Arjuna walked wearily back to the Kuru camp near the Yamuna. They saw Mayaa, the Asura, had recovered from the terror of Agni chasing him through the blazing Khandava vana. Laying his head at Arjuna's feet, he said, "You saved my life. Let me at least tell you who I am."
"Who are you, friend, that you were living in the Khandava?" asked Arjuna.
"I am Mayaa of the Asuras and I was the architect of my people. I built the Tripura in the sky, which Siva burned with his astra. I am in your debt, Kshatriyas; you must let me repay your kindness. Is there anything I can do for you?"
They saw his skin shone in the falling night and his great eyes were deep and honest. The language he spoke was chaste, of an old strain seldom heard in the world any more and a far cry from the crude dialects of the rakshasas of the day. He was a noble being, from another time.
Fascinated by Mayaa, Arjuna said, "I am happy I could be of use to you, but I never take anything from someone I have helped."
"I am deeply in your debt; there must be something I can do for you. Anything at all, you only have to name it."
"It is enough to have you for my friend. You must not feel obliged to me."
However, Mayaa insisted. "I must show my gratitude, or I will have no peace. It is no common favor you have done me, you have saved my life."
In the gloom, Arjuna saw the Asura's eyes glistened with tears. Krishna knew something of Mayaa, that he was among the great Sivabhaktas of all time and a learned Asura to whom Surya Deva revealed the Surya-siddhanta, the secrets of the galaxy. The Dark One said softly to Arjuna, "He is noble and sincere. You mustn't disappoint him."
In a moment, Arjuna said to Mayaa, "Do something for Krishna here. That will please me more than anything else."
Mayaa bowed to the Avatara. "What can I do for you, Lord?"
Krishna grew thoughtful; he saw the germ of fate in the moment. He remembered the task for which he had been born: to remove the burden of evil from the earth, to destroy the power of the race of kings. He saw a vast battlefield heaped with corpses and a skin of blood congealing on it. Briefly, Krishna felt dizzy. He sensed the chance to sow a cunning seed of envy and set the stage for an apocalyptic war. They were no accidents of circumstance: the appearance of Agni or Mayaa, or the burning of the Khandava. Krishna saw fate's hand in the day's extraordinary happenings.
He said to the Asura, "I have heard of your genius, Mayaa. Build a sabha for Arjuna's brother Yudhishtira in Indraprastha. Let it be as wonderful as your own court was, in the Tripura."
They saw how Mayaa's eyes misted over at the mention of Tripura. He had been a great king himself, once, in time out of mind, before Siva's astra consumed his cities in the sky and his people. Mayaa said slowly, "My skill isn't what it used to be and this age does not support true grandeur. But I will do my best."
Krishna laughed. "I think the best you can do, even today, will be more than enough for us. But combine the finest styles of building known to the Devas, the Asuras and to men; let your sabha take inspiration from both ancient times and new. Let it be unique." Krishna paused. "Above all, Mayaa, let it be the envy of those who set eyes on it!"
Arjuna looked startled, but Mayaa received this calmly. With a smile, the Asura said, "So it shall be, Dark One and may it serve your purpose."
Already, images of a majestic sabha for Indraprastha rose vividly in Mayaa's mind. How he had longed to create something visionary; but who would ask an Asura trapped in the wrong time, an age of humans, to build for them? And he was no longer a king of his people that he could build a court for himself. Eagerly, he seized the chance to use his gifts once more.
These were jealous and dangerous times, thought Mayaa. By now, he knew who the Blue One was. He would build just what Krishna wanted: a sabha to be the cynosure of the world, a sabha that would launch the greatest war of these times. A war to end a yuga with and accomplish an Avatara's mission in the world.
Floors paved with candent jewels Mayaa saw before his eyes; gleaming domes and towers; walls depicting timeless legends of the Gods in great panels; friezes encrusted with rubies and diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, cornelians and pearls like this age had never seen. He saw gold and silver, employed subtly, tastefully and the most resonant wood available in the jungles of Bharatavarsha. Mayaa saw all this in moments, as a tide of inspiration swept away the cobwebs from his mind.
They arrived at the camp to find the Kuru party had returned to Indraprastha. They rode back to the city in Varuna's chariot, swiftly as the night wind, bringing Mayaa the Asura with them. The guards at the gates shivered to see the darkly resplendent being with Arjuna. They drove through the streets of Indraprastha and saw how appraisingly the Asura took in the sights of the city.
They brought Mayaa to Yudhishtira, who rose to welcome the mysterious guest, whose presence was so mythic, so out of place in these times in which he did not belong. Mayaa's eyes smoldered with ancient fires.
The Asura bowed deeply to Yudhishtira. "O King, your brother has asked me to build a sabha for you in Indraprastha. I have accepted the offer as eagerly as a thirsty man does a drink of water. For I have not built anything since the Tripura was torched from the sky."
He stroked a pillar near him, appreciatively and let his eye rove over the hall in which they sat. Mayaa went on slowly, "Viswakarman has created a magnificent city for you. It will be an honor and a challenge for me to best my old rival in his own city and show that Mayaa is still the greatest builder."
The others smiled; what did they know of that rivalry? They had not seen the wonder that had been the Tripura: triune, ineffable cities of the air, circling the earth. He would create a sabha for them that would make the rest of Indraprastha seem ordinary. Why just the kings of the world, he would build Yudhishtira a court to make the Devas envious.
Mayaa spent a week studying Indraprastha and its environs, before he decided on the site where he would erect his sabha. Dhaumya was asked to find an auspicious day for the construction to begin. He performed a puja on that day and chanted Vedic mantras to purify the site. The excavation began, to lay the foundations. Like Viswakarman, Mayaa worked with magical powers; but he believed in manual labor too. He knew the hard old way always gave an edifice more depth and grace.
Krishna came to Yudhishtira and said, "I must leave for home. There is much to be done in Dwaraka."
Yudhishtira looked stricken. "You are the star that guides our destiny. While you are with us, we are free from doubt and fear and see our way ahead clearly. Stay a while longer, Krishna."
Bheema said, shyly, "We shall be lost without you."
Sahadeva whispered, "When you go, it is as if our life leaves us." Nakula nodded agreement with his twin. Arjuna was the most forlorn.
Krishna insisted, "If you need me, only think of me and you will find I am with you always. For I leave my heart in your care. But I must return to Dwaraka now, there are others who need me too."
They sorrowing and he beyond sorrow, Krishna bid farewell to his aunt and his cousins. One by one, he embraced them and last of all, he came to Arjuna and Subhadra. They were out in the sun now and Daruka, his sarathy, had brought Krishna's chariot to the palace steps. Krishna clasped Arjuna to him and the Pandava wept. Finally, the Dark One turned to Subhadra, embraced her and said cheerfully, "May I have my chariot back now?"
He had a smile out of his sister and, then, she also began to sob. The people of Indraprastha had filled the streets to bid farewell to the Avatara. Yudhishtira said to Daruka, "Friend Daruka, we have a custom in Indraprastha that when Krishna leaves us, I drive him to the city-gates. So, allow me…"
Daruka got down from his place and the king climbed up to the sarathy's seat. Arjuna and Bheema climbed into the chariot, with silken chamaras in their hands and Nakula and Sahadeva held the white parasol over Krishna and Satyabhama. They drove through the streets and the people thronged the ratha, in a sea, reaching out to touch the Avatara. On their way to the city-gates, they passed the site for the sabha and saw Mayaa. He ran up and folded his hands to Krishna, who raised a hand in blessing over his dark head.
They arrived at the gates and still Yudhishtira drove the chariot, like a man in a dream he did not want to wake from and find his cousin gone. Krishna said, "Yudhishtira, stop. You have a long walk back to the palace and you are not dressed for walking."
Reluctantly, the king obeyed. The Pandavas alighted from the chariot and Daruka climbed back on. A last time, Krishna got down and embraced his cousins. Then he got into the Jaitra again and said, "Come Daruka, we must go or we will stand here for ever."
Bowing to the crestfallen Pandavas, the charioteer flicked his reins and his marvelous horses sprang forward, knowing they were heading home to the city in the sea. The Pandavas stood gazing after the chariot until it was out of sight. Still, they stood on. Finally, Yudhishtira turned back and the others followed him in silence.
In their minds, they followed Krishna's chariot all the way back to Dwaraka and their deepest thoughts remained with their blue cousin, long after they had ceased to be aware of it.
Soon after they were out of sight of Indraprastha, Daruka turned back to his dark master with a question in his eyes. Krishna nodded to him and, next moment, the unearthly horses rose steeply into the air and they flew the rest of the way to Dwaraka with the wind in their faces.