Dear Friends,
This final chapter was long due. Partially because i was afraid of doing injustice to a beautiful idea and partially because i thought no one was reading it ! But many thanks to Vaibhav Anand for continuously pushing me to complete the story and then painstakingly reviewing it.....thrice !
Please read the story patiently and pardon me for insufficiencies in my writing skills. Leave your criticisms so that i can improve.
Chapter 2 -The Eternal Light
“My Lord. Was that the last prayer everyone of us had done?”
“Yes Strot. Time has come when Gaia receives what she already owns”
“I am afraid your words offer more than what I am able to perceive my lord”
“There are some things which you don’t know about the new day my Trisents. You hail me as your Lord. Your savior! But there are matters when even Lord himself has to choose an impossible path. Sriram in Satyug ,
Sacred chambers as it was called, was the symbol of the new day. The place where Gaia emerged in her physical form with all nature at her command, was later taken by the Seas and Sands and the Trees for the next eleven days. They all came together in the shape of a mountain - where they danced fiercely - nothing could be seen except the interplay of waves of water and clouds of sands and sway of trees.
Nature was eclectic. Man was afraid. And when all went back, a dome remained- a dome which symbolized nature’s hail to Gaia. But miracle was not over. Soon, all the creatures of Gaia -the animals, small and big- and the elements stood around it as humanity watched. And before they knew, they themselves were standing among nature’s other creations which Man ruled for thousands of years. As if the world had come round the full circle, every element of Brahma was now having its own place in the eyes of Gaia…exactly as when it all began.
But there was only one creature which Gaia found worthy to enter the sacred chambers, and today he himself was opening its doors for his followers.
“Gaia wishes me to do this alone. But my Strot and Trisents deserve to know the truth” – Lord offered as he walked and lead others to a narrow paved path to the sacred chambers.
As always a mystic radiance emerged from the chambers, but today something was very different about it. Trisents, who always felt chambers to be a place of solace , a place where everyone felt close to Gaia, realized that perhaps it was meant for a higher purpose.
‘Kalki chose an “impossible path” to end the cycle…and the chambers is the way to do it? Perhaps chambers is way to complete what Gaia left – the annihilation of mankind! But Lord? Why Him?‘ – Trisents thought
As Kalki went close to one of the walls of sacred chambers, the radiance nearly engulfed him, and then as if guided by an unknown force , others followed him to what now seemed like an opening in the chambers which they had never seen before. As they moved towards it they felt an extraordinary calm inside their hearts. It was as if all their sorrows and all their pains were lifted, if all the fears had been precipitated away from them. They felt as if they were merely observers of their own sufferings and were distant from them.
Once they were inside the chambers, the absolute majesty of what they saw uplifted calmness of their hearts to pure ecstasy. The chambers reflected grandeur of nature in its best. Now they realized what it meant when nature danced in the form of Sands and Waters and Trees for eleven days ….Nature had created her masterpiece.
On chamber’s walls there were mysterious patterns filled with divine colors made by Elements themselves. They could see the sands moving through the patterns and the waters paving way for her. They could feel the divine music on which the Elements danced. They could see the waves of Waters on the walls as if it was flowing in a river ...they could see the sand storms swirling over their heads.
As their eyes followed the dome’s curvature, they noticed a cone of light emerging from the zenith of the chambers. When they looked closely they saw that the source of light was an eclipsing sun! It was as if Gaia wanted to create another Universe inside the chambers.
The nature’s biggest miracle was coming true in the chambers…and only a few eyes to witness it.
The eclipsing sun illuminated the staff standing tall just underneath it at the centre of the dome. The staff echoed the patterns on the wall. It was a mesmerizing sight and though they hadn’t seen it before they realized that the staff was the reason Kalki brought them there.
And it took Lord Kalki’s voice to wake them from the spell which the chambers had cast upon them - “My dear Strot,Primus,Prathus,Alphus! I shall tell you everything now.”
“Listen to me carefully. All of you know that Gaia did come to annihilate the Man on the new day. She brought with her all the nature’s powers unknown to Man, and then Lord came to help him..”
“Yes my Lord. Lord made Gaia forgive us” – Primus interrupted
“But my dear Primus. I couldn’t”
These words brought upon a stunning silence in the chambers. The only sound that could be heard was swirling of sands and waves of water. …but it was nothing before the storms what Trisents and Strot felt inside their hearts.
“I quite understand that you have questions. But listen, and you might not have to ask them.
I did ask for forgiveness for the Mankind at first. I argued that Man would learn. I told her that Man was her greatest creation…but she …she told me that Man’s existence was unjust for her other creations. And she was right…as long as Man has reasons to realize their individuality, their awareness of self-ego, there will be wars. Except Man, no other creature has the power of self realization as strong. Gaia gave this power to him to make him the guardian of the nature’s other creations. …But Man did exactly the opposite. His capacity of self realization and highest degree of consciousness which was second only to Gaia herself, …such a gift…and Man wasted it. “
Lord continued –“Man’s consciousness is the source of his selfishness my friends. He will never truly understand his part in Gaia’s world. And he will always be a threat to her.
This staff is made by Elements themselves. It has the Gaian threads to all the creations in this world, and they live in harmony and peace. But only one thread will make this staff complete and after that Man will be a part of Gaia. Fellow Gaians, I offered Gaia the consciousness of Man on the new day. Once I complete this staff…rest of humanity will become one with Gaia. We will share the pain and joy, sorrow and happiness, death and rebirth with Gaia herself. On the new day I gave Gaia Man’s consciousness for his eternal happiness“
“No…My lord…..No.” Primus said with a deep sadness in his voice.
“You traded man’s existence for his free will” – He continued
“Gaia would have punished us for our deeds…but to save our lives you gave away our consciousness? Lord what is a life without the realization of its own existence? ”
Lord smiled – “My dear Primus. I did not trade Man’s free will …I brought harmony of his consciousness with Gaia. Man will truly become a Gaian….and his will will work for the Gaia and not against her”
“Look around you my lord….everyone lives in harmony…they are all one already. You have said in your prayers that Man has become a Gaian now. My Lord they have faith in you….as long as you are here all Gaians live in peace. Now you are the only God for us.”
“Fear unites them Primus. Not peace but fear. They all live in peace now as they fear their past. They fear another new day. They themselves created God to justify their fear. Religion was nothing but an instrument to unite people…with fear. Every religion Primus,….every religion …had Heaven and Hell, Swarg and Nark, Jannat and Jahannum. Man was united by the fear of God….and faith of afterlife. This balance was only broken when religions were brought against one another. You say that I am their only Lord now….but till when Primus? Once the new day will have become a myth and Kalki a legend….what then? It will only be time when we go back on the same path again. This was the past …..and this will be the future. I only wish to break this circle of Satyug and Kalyug…after what we do here today…it will not be just another Satyug…but it will be an eternal harmony for all Gaians.”
“But Lord, shall peace be justified at the cost of free will? I still have hopes from the Mankind….and I can’t let this happen” –Primus suddenly jumped towards Kalki with a dagger in his hand.
Silence.
As the dagger went deep into the flesh, the blood began to flow down…turning the flawless floor of the dome into a deep red carpet.
Tears flowed down from the eyes of Lord Kalki and Primus alike as the Strot’s body twisted with pain.
“Why did you…” …Lord said with tears in his eyes and Strot in his arms
“I had to my Lord. You were right….Man will always be amongst us.” Strort said pointing towards Primus.
“ I….I …let myself do this ! What have I done Strot..what have I done. Perhaps you are right. ”– Primus said with eyes full of tears and looking at his own hands red in blood. “Now I understand my lord. Evil is the cost of free will”
“Lord, Please do it – I want to be one with Gaia before I die” – Strot uttered as blood continued to abandon his veins…
“Yes my dear friend”
As lord Kalki moved towards the staff Prathus and Alphus stood near Strot taking his last breaths and Primus on his knees crying for the one last crime of the mankind.
Lord Kalki turned towards them, spread his arms….closed his eyes before looking at his followers for the one last time.
“It is time” – he said
Kalki’s forehead began to glow brightly as the eclipsing sun’s light engulfed the staff …the last thread of Gaian staff was to get completed. Suddenly there was a bright flash and Alphus,Prathus and Primus were blinded by the light. Moments later…when they opened their eyes…Lord was not there…only the staff now emanating more brightly than ever.
“We are one with Gaia now. Should we tell the others?” – Prathus asked
‘They already know. Now ,they are us.” – Alphus answered.
