The Legend Of Ram - Sight Beyond Sight - Part 6

[Continued from Part 5]:

Road to the peak of this low-altitude hill is zigzag, serpentine. The ridge-way below their steps was rugged, stony and steep inclined in places that make the journey miserable. It is wise to keep the head down while walking; because if slipped once then one may have to descend long through the slope over the rocky, rugged surface. This won’t be life-taking, but definitely, it will result in serious physical disorder. There is practically no difference in the backdrops on either side of the ridge-way; same stony heath, some shrubs here and there, wild bushes scattered around – no change in the scenario at all.

“Watch your steps with utmost vigilance, the road is inclined and slippery. And off course, if you have to put your hands on to something, care to observe the surrounding region; the snakes in the hills are more poisonous than those crawling on the plane lands!” – Maharshi Valmiki warned his disciples about the dangers ahead.

But soon everyone lost their words when they faced an unusual scenario by the end of the road after some more turns to reach there; everybody muted off and kept staring on to it. Is it a reality, or are they dreaming with their eyes open? It seemed that even Maharshi Valmiki himself wasn’t ready for the show; this is fantasy or reality? This is… unbelievable!!

Three peaks on the hill were there those they noticed from far. In reality, two of them were natural. Those were the part of the hill, a natural extension of the hill as approved by nature itself; there’s nothing wrong with them. But, the third one in the middle that they thought as a ‘peak’ from a distance was never actually a natural object. It wasn’t a part of that hill, it wasn’t attached to the hill anywhere, and it was just standing tall in the plane surface between two other consecutive peaks on the same hill! Although anyone will be confused to read it as a ‘peak’ from the distance; its body color blends with the boulders around, its body seems to be carved out of the stone itself and It is huge! The ‘peak’ was standing vertically erected from the ground; two larger wheels at the bottom on both sides of it on those the vehicle was practically leaning on. ‘Vehicle’? No other analogy is striking the head right now, what else could it be described with? At least a thousand elephants are required to drag this sort of a vehicle such enormous in size! From where these elephants gathered around and where did they go? No one comes across in the vicinity, what sort of witchcraft is this?

There are more added features to this supposed ‘vehicle’. A sort of ‘window’ like multiple objects is visible in it, and they are bizarre in shapes! Some are rectangular, some circular, some are big and some are small. It’s dusk now, daylight is about to die out. Some sort of light is emitting scattered, coming out of these window-like objects in the ‘vehicle’. Surprisingly no window frame is visible on these objects. There’s another thing, except the huge wheels by the side, there were four main pillar-like objects at the four corners of this ‘vehicle’, and these pillars had small round-shaped wheels at the bottom! These must be placed in order to maintain the balance of the vertically erected vehicle; but there’s no doubt that ‘vehicle’ itself, its presence on the top of the hill, its shape and presence of multiple weird objects in it – all of them are a huge bizarre itself!!

“Waiting for your orders, Maharshi; what to do now?” Dharmakhshem asked finally. He was astonished too with the present scenario, but his age and experience cooled him down quickly.

“No need to keep standing here and waiting; as per instruction, we are right on the exact same place as directed. There’s no second hill in the region with three peaks on it; the rest of those are just hummocks and mounds. Moreover, this is the last hill in this region, so this is the exact place as instructed.”

“Are you sure?”

Maharshi Valmiki nodded silently in response. Next, he ordered everybody to stay put and moved to the ‘vehicle’ himself.

. . .

“Beware Maharshi, don’t get too close! This could be dangerous.” Ashtabasu warned him from behind.

In return Maharshi waved his hand to assure everybody behind; then he put some more steps forward cautiously. Nothing unusual happened so far, what if he moves a little more forward?

The real show began when Maharshi Valmiki moved some more steps forward to the ‘vehicle’ defying the hesitation he had. At first, it feels like the temperature is little increased; then he gradually realized that his legs were stuck! In the end, he realized that he was caught in the trap of an unseen cobweb voluntarily. Neither he is able to move his arms or legs, nor even can he call in for help to his disciples standing behind! He is completely captivated or entrapped into something invisible!

His disciples behind too felt something bizarre; but when they tried to move forward, they could not move an inch! It seemed like some sort of heat emission from an unknown source burning them out to their bones; to get rid of it the only remedy is to step backward. What should they do now?

When everybody stood perplexed, Maharshi Valmiki was almost out of his senses, suddenly it seemed like a vent or a door like something in the vehicle opened and a sound reverberated to their ears-

“Aha! Maharshi Valmiki? Is that you? Aah, sorry! Let me fix that for you-”

(Later on, when Ashtabasu was asked about describing this first encounter he described it as – “when the vent or the door of the vehicle opened, it has a close resemblance to something very natural, like an alligator with its mouth wide open; the vent or the door's opening seemed alike to me!”)

Slowly the ambiance returned to normalcy. Gradually Maharshi realized that his normal physical strength had restored; temperature cools down to the normal state; there’s no more breath-taking situation as it was seemed to be moments earlier. Everything is perfect!

“Sorry for all these unnecessary suffering you had. How are you now, Maharshi Valmiki?” – The stranger asked now.

“It would rather be meaningful if you asked ‘How were you!’” – Maharshi Valmiki replied to the stranger while rubbing his own nape – “Anyway, everybody bow to him; this is Maharshi Markendeya. And Maharshi, these are my three followers and apprentices. I have personally selected them as per your instruction.”

“I haven’t gained such wisdom yet to ‘instruct’ you Maharshi Valmiki. I might become popular later with my mere mortal name; but my own name shall forever be unspoken, unsung, untold! This is a destiny designed for me. But you… let’s leave the topic now! No need to talk about the future, we are all the sons of present continuous events, isn’t it?”

In these moments between the conversations of two wise sages, the rest of the people there had a quick closer look at Maharshi Markendeya. There seemed to be nothing special on him to be marked as ‘Paradox’ or something like that; instead, they spotted a very gentle, humble and aged person reflected on him who much matches with someone from the neighborhoods. Three disciples had a quick exchange of glances with each other; was Maharshi Valmiki right about Maharshi Markendeya?

“…come inside please; have some time spent with us Maharshi.” – Maharshi Markendeya invited them all now to step into the ‘vehicle’.

“Us?”

“ 'Kalatit’ himself wants to talk to you. I have the responsibility to make sure you meet.”

Ashtabasu noticed that Maharshi Valmiki got both serious and cautious right after hearing this name. Who is ‘Kalatit’?

“But where is he? I heard his name for ages; where is he now?”- Maharshi Valmiki asked.

“Come, please step into our vessel first. It is twilight now. Nocturnal beasts crawl around the place the more the night goes denser. Come, let’s have some talkies inside.”

“So, I made no mistake then…” – Ashtabasu keeps thinking in mind while he moves to the vessel with the others – “This is a vehicle indeed. But he mentioned it as ‘vessel’. It means a ‘ship’ as generally we mean a ship by it in our local term. What kind of ship is it? The coastline is miles away distant from here, no connecting river within; moreover, this place is atop the hill! Then how comes this ship is here with such erected posture?”- While thinking all about this hotchpotch incident, Ashtabashu entered into the vehicle.

No one followed up that after they had entered into the vehicle, the entrance to it was closed at once. 

[To be Continued]...