MYSTERY OF THE MYSTIC
(By Subbaram Danda)
Swami Agnirudra was internationally famous. The 55-year-old ascetic was known to possess mystical powers. He could shape the destinies of the men and women at the helm of affairs and change of the course of life of the commoners. First it baffled everyone. But in course of time this incredible faculty of the sage came to be accepted as a rare supernatural phenomenon.
The sage had his abode in a large abandoned cave not far away from the celebrated Ellora group. A senior disciple and a junior stayed with him, helping him in his day-to-day activities. A band of about ten other disciples lived in an adjacent cave. He would give audience to the people only on full moon nights. At other times he would be inaccessible.
The facade of the sage’s cave presented massive sculptures depicting scenes from the Hindu epics. Some of them were half-finished. Inside at the far end there was a sanctum sanctorum for Shiva in his aspect as linga.
Chants and blessing
On those nights of public audience, men and women would congregate in thousands in the large open space in front of the cave. At exactly midnight, the doors of the sanctum, brilliantly lit by innumerable antique lamps, would open. Having completed worship, Agnirudra would emerge out of it and walk to the front with a stately gait to the strident chants of “Shivayanamaha” by the devotees. He would raise the trident held in his right hand and wave it in a gesture of blessing. The chants would rise to a crescendo. This was the moment they had been waiting for. They had come from far and wide only for this and nothing more. After receiving the blessing, they would disperse. They believed this was enough for their wishes to come true.
Swami Agnirudra was not involved in any controversy. His only questionable act was to allow a few selected celebrities to have a one-on-one audience with him. He had personally identified them through extra-sensory perception. His reckoning was that they were the people ordained by God to design and direct the future of the country. It was his duty to interact with them.
One such celebrity was Desaratna, who headed a vast industrial empire. He would consult the sage whenever he felt he was in a bind. The sage’s advice would always put him in the right direction. The industrialist had done a lot for the common man. From educational institutions to multi-specialty hospitals he had built. The downtrodden had benefitted from his munificence.
Business hostility
Desaratna’s good tidings earned him not only the goodwill of the people but also enemies. His immediate business adversary was Vajraguna, who owned several industrial units similar to those of the former. The hostility between them grew relentlessly and reached a flash-point. Vajraguna sought the services of an international stealth operations firm to get rid of him. It was a risky move but he thought it was worth it. He looked forward to meeting one of its top agents soon.
Operative Kora Tragstone called on Vajraguna at the latter’s personal suite in his company’s posh guest house in Mumbai. It had all ultra modern facilities. The plush interiors matched the most luxurious decors anywhere in the world.
A smart hostess in a graceful silk sari offered him a mildly fragrant sandalwood garland and sought to know what drink he would like to have. “I can prepare for you a special vodka-martini, shaken but not stirred,” she said with a smile. He was overwhelmed by the hospitality but said he would prefer the famous Indian green tea. In a few minutes, she brought an ornately crafted tray with a pot of green tea and cups, all sparklingly gilded, placed it on the centre table and left.
Soon the two plunged into business. Vajraguna told him: “As you may know, Desaratna is our major adversary. He is in almost every line – from pen to petrol, milk to media and cotton to computers. He makes a huge profit every year and at the same time he shares a large chunk of it with his employees and stake holders earning their loyalty. He keeps politicians of all hues in good humour. He corners almost all major contracts of the government and in the process persons like me get only the crumbs.”
Tragstone helped himself to a cup of green tea. “Splendid. I love its bitter-sweet taste, especially the hint of honey in it,” he said sipping the beverage.
Operation elimination
Vajraguna went on: “More important, he constantly receives the divine blessings of sage Agnirudra. It is believed that such persons will always be successful. We tried all methods to subdue him but failed miserably. We want him to be out of our way. This is our goal. After careful consideration, we have come to the conclusion that it can be achieved by his elimination. For this we need the help of your organization.”
Kora Tragstone listened to him carefully and took down notes. He told him that he would check with his chief and come back in two days. As agreed, they met again. His favourite green tea also came.
Kora Tragstone: “We are happy to collaborate with you. First of all I would like to brief you about our organization. We function from an old castle on an isolated island in the Indian Ocean. Our agents are stationed all over the globe. We have one of the best repositories of clandestine information on world leaders – politicians, industrialists, scientists, intellectuals, media persons, spiritual gurus, film stars, sportsmen and mafia heads.”
Vajraguna was amazed. He listened to the operative with rapt attention as he went ahead with his mini speech. “At any time we can access data on them including details of their health, wealth, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, passions, habits and pastimes. We even have the vital statistics of the wives and mistresses of the male celebrities. We store samples of their urine, blood and other fluids collected from labs where they go for tests. We pay fabulous prices for the specimens. They come in handy when needed.”
Tragstone poured himself a cup of green tea and took a sip. It tasted deliciously different this time with the tingling flavour of cardamom and cinnamon mixed in it holding out. He gulped it all in one go.
Vaults of death
He continued: “What may be more startling to you is that our special tasks unit holds in its secret vaults highly potent poisons, deadliest chemicals, killer viruses and weapons of silent destruction for field use anytime. We employ a number of scientists, who regularly develop new products of extermination. Our operations are result-oriented, smooth and perfect. Our code of conduct is ruthlessly lethal. If an operative fails, he will be killed at once. That is why our charges are sky-high. In your case, I have been directed to quote a figure of $500 million, nothing more and nothing less.”
Tragstone moved on: “In our library, we have detailed accounts of Swami Agnirudra and Desaratna. We have gone through them carefully. Agnirudra has no bad habits. It is true that he possesses supernatural powers. We have a Kirlian photograph of his right palm, which displays a bright luminous halo of energy. This is something rare.”
Vajraguna interrupted. “Would you mind explaining what it is all about?”
Fields of glow
Tragstone: “It is a method of capturing on film in different colours the fields of aura produced by the human body not visible to the naked eye. Even plants and inanimate objects like coins have their own fields. The system was developed in 1939 by Russian technician Semyon Davidovich Kirlian and later refined by researchers all over the world. Spiritually gifted persons, geniuses and highly intelligent people generate dramatically luminous halos around them. These people are also known to be able to transmit their energy to others, thereby helping them soften their disturbed minds.”
He cut short his speech. “If you are game for our charges, we have a plan to make you attain your goal. We assure you it will all be kept under wraps.” Vajraguna nodded and said: “Fine. Go ahead. Your money will be deposited into your organization’s secret bank account within 24 hours.”
Tragstone: “That sounds great. I have been assigned to this project. Let us keep the forthcoming full moon day as our target date for accomplishing the mission.”
Stunning strategy
In a whisper he disclosed: “Our plan is not to touch Desaratna. Instead, we will eliminate sage Agnirudra.” This froze Vajraguna.
The operative elaborated: “Without Agnirudra’s support, we feel Desaratna would be a psychological wreck. He would commit blunders. Sooner than later his empire would crumble. Then you would be on top of the world.”
After Tragstone left, Vajraguna’s mind started working feverishly. Would the plan work? A strange fear started enveloping him.
Two days later Tragstone called Vajraguna on a secure satellite-linked mobile line and said: “We have succeeded in recruiting a senior personal disciple of Agnirudra. He has narrated to us the daily routine of the sage. He has agreed to do a job for us. In the wee hours of the full moon day around 4:00 a.m. he would smear a deadly chemical powder supplied by us on the handle of the sage’s kamandal (a metallic vessel for water with a semi-circular handle at the top). Agnirudra would touch it at about 5:00 a.m., when he commences his ritualistic prayers. Twenty hours later -- roughly one hour after his audience with the devotees that night -- he would meet with his death leaving behind no clue. Nothing would happen to the disciple as he has been instructed to wash his hands clean with a special solution immediately after the job.”
Grand celebration
Only one day was left for the full moon day. This time it was a special occasion in view of a rare celestial occurrence. Vajraguna heard that Desaratna was making elaborate arrangements to make the event a grand affair. He had also just completed a major project abroad as suggested by the sage and wanted to celebrate its success. Special devotional music and holy discourses were planned. Further, every devotee would be given a silver coin blessed by the sage.
On the full moon day, Desaratna went to the cave abode early in the evening to personally supervise the arrangements. He was happy that everything was in order. Devotees started coming in large numbers. Among several foreigners was Tragstone. The special programmes began at 7:00 p.m.
At exactly midnight Agnirudra opened the door of the sanctum, walked to the front and stood there as usual. Unexpectedly, he made a short speech exhorting the people to be good, as God was watching their every movement. Righteous men would scale heights of glory, while wrong-doers would find themselves on slippery slopes of self-destruction. There was no escape from it. He blessed the large congregation with his trident and stepped back. Desaratna and his men distributed silver coins to everyone, including the stealth organization’s operative.
Surprise and climax
Around 2:00 a.m. Tragstone called Vajraguna frantically and told him, “Our plan has misfired. Instead of Agnirudra, a junior disciple has died. I understand that after our man had smeared the chemical on the handle, this disciple in charge of keeping tidy the sage’s prayer paraphernalia saw the powder marks on it and rubbed them off with his bare hands so that the sage would not find fault with him. It is this man who has met with the death we had planned for the sage.”
In the morning television news channels carried the news of the mysterious death of the junior disciple. They ran a “flash” as well: “A foreigner named Tragstone was also found dead in the bushes near the cave abode with bullet wounds. Investigation is on.”
(1,990 words)
August 18, 2012
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