torch on the wall.
As his gaze travelled beyond the idol, he could vaguely make out the figure of Ram on his knees, prising open with a metal bar a heavy stone that covered an ancient inscription on the floor. Just as he succeeded, Ram sensed Vashishta’s presence.
‘Guru ji ,’ said Ram, as he dropped the tool and stood up immediately.
Vashishta walked up to him, put his arm around his shoulder and gently sat him down again as he bent down to examine the inscription that Ram had uncovered.
‘Can you read what it says?’ asked Vashishta.
It was an ancient, long-forgotten script.
‘I have not seen this script before,’ said Ram.
‘It is particularly ancient, banned in India because the Asuras used it.’
‘The Asuras were the great masculine empire you mentioned today, isn’t it?’
‘That’s obvious!’
Ram gestured towards the inscription. ‘What does it say, Guru ji ?’
Vashishta ran his forefinger along the words of the inscription. ‘“How can the universe speak the name of Shukracharya? For the universe is so small. And Shukracharya is so big.”’
Ram touched the inscription lightly.
‘Legend holds that this was his aasan , the seat that he sat upon as he taught,’ said Vashishta.
Ram looked up at Vashishta. ‘Tell me about him, Guru ji .’
‘A very small minority still maintains that he probably was one of the greatest Indians that trod the earth. I don’t know much about his childhood; apocryphal accounts suggest that he was born to a slave family in Egypt that abandoned him when he was but an infant. He was then adopted by a visiting Asura princess, who raised him as her own, in India. However, records of his works were deliberately obliterated and the ones that remained were heavily doctored by the powerful and wealthy elite of that time. He was a brilliant, charismatic soul who transformed marginalised Indian royals into the greatest conquering force of his time.’
‘Marginalised Indian royals? But the Asuras were foreigners, weren’t they?’
‘Nonsense. This is propaganda spread by those with an agenda. Most Asuras were actually related to the Devas. In fact, the Devas and Asuras descended from common ancestors, known as the Manaskul. But the Asuras were the poorer, weaker cousins, scorned and half-forgotten members of an extended family. Shukracharya remoulded them with a powerful philosophy of hard work, discipline, unity and fierce loyalty for fellow Asuras.’
‘But that would not add up to a recipe for victory and dominance. So how did they succeed so spectacularly?’
‘The ones who hate them say they succeeded because they were barbaric warriors.’
‘But you obviously disagree with them.’
‘Well, the Devas weren’t cowards either. It was the Age of Kshatriya, warrior-like qualities were highly sought after. They were probably as good as the Asuras in the art of warfare, if not better. The Asuras succeeded because they were united by a common purpose, unlike the Devas who had too many divisions.’
‘Then why did the Asuras eventually decline? Did they become soft? How were the Devas able to defeat them?’
‘As it often happens, the very reason for your success, over a prolonged period of time, can lead to your downfall. Shukracharya united the Asuras with the concept of the Ekam , the One God. All who worshipped the One God were equal in His eyes.’
Ram frowned. ‘But that was hardly a new idea! Even the Rig Veda refers to Ekam , the One Absolute . To this day we call him the Sum of all Souls , the Parmatma . Even the followers of the feminine principle, like the Devas, believed in the Ekam .’
‘There is a nuance that you’re missing, Sudas. The Rig Veda states clearly that while the Ekam is the One God, He comes to us in many forms, as many Gods, to help us grow spiritually, in the hope that we will eventually understand Him in His original form. After all, variety is what surrounds us in nature; it is what we relate to. Shukracharya was
As his gaze travelled beyond the idol, he could vaguely make out the figure of Ram on his knees, prising open with a metal bar a heavy stone that covered an ancient inscription on the floor. Just as he succeeded, Ram sensed Vashishta’s presence.
‘Guru ji ,’ said Ram, as he dropped the tool and stood up immediately.
Vashishta walked up to him, put his arm around his shoulder and gently sat him down again as he bent down to examine the inscription that Ram had uncovered.
‘Can you read what it says?’ asked Vashishta.
It was an ancient, long-forgotten script.
‘I have not seen this script before,’ said Ram.
‘It is particularly ancient, banned in India because the Asuras used it.’
‘The Asuras were the great masculine empire you mentioned today, isn’t it?’
‘That’s obvious!’
Ram gestured towards the inscription. ‘What does it say, Guru ji ?’
Vashishta ran his forefinger along the words of the inscription. ‘“How can the universe speak the name of Shukracharya? For the universe is so small. And Shukracharya is so big.”’
Ram touched the inscription lightly.
‘Legend holds that this was his aasan , the seat that he sat upon as he taught,’ said Vashishta.
Ram looked up at Vashishta. ‘Tell me about him, Guru ji .’
‘A very small minority still maintains that he probably was one of the greatest Indians that trod the earth. I don’t know much about his childhood; apocryphal accounts suggest that he was born to a slave family in Egypt that abandoned him when he was but an infant. He was then adopted by a visiting Asura princess, who raised him as her own, in India. However, records of his works were deliberately obliterated and the ones that remained were heavily doctored by the powerful and wealthy elite of that time. He was a brilliant, charismatic soul who transformed marginalised Indian royals into the greatest conquering force of his time.’
‘Marginalised Indian royals? But the Asuras were foreigners, weren’t they?’
‘Nonsense. This is propaganda spread by those with an agenda. Most Asuras were actually related to the Devas. In fact, the Devas and Asuras descended from common ancestors, known as the Manaskul. But the Asuras were the poorer, weaker cousins, scorned and half-forgotten members of an extended family. Shukracharya remoulded them with a powerful philosophy of hard work, discipline, unity and fierce loyalty for fellow Asuras.’
‘But that would not add up to a recipe for victory and dominance. So how did they succeed so spectacularly?’
‘The ones who hate them say they succeeded because they were barbaric warriors.’
‘But you obviously disagree with them.’
‘Well, the Devas weren’t cowards either. It was the Age of Kshatriya, warrior-like qualities were highly sought after. They were probably as good as the Asuras in the art of warfare, if not better. The Asuras succeeded because they were united by a common purpose, unlike the Devas who had too many divisions.’
‘Then why did the Asuras eventually decline? Did they become soft? How were the Devas able to defeat them?’
‘As it often happens, the very reason for your success, over a prolonged period of time, can lead to your downfall. Shukracharya united the Asuras with the concept of the Ekam , the One God. All who worshipped the One God were equal in His eyes.’
Ram frowned. ‘But that was hardly a new idea! Even the Rig Veda refers to Ekam , the One Absolute . To this day we call him the Sum of all Souls , the Parmatma . Even the followers of the feminine principle, like the Devas, believed in the Ekam .’
‘There is a nuance that you’re missing, Sudas. The Rig Veda states clearly that while the Ekam is the One God, He comes to us in many forms, as many Gods, to help us grow spiritually, in the hope that we will eventually understand Him in His original form. After all, variety is what surrounds us in nature; it is what we relate to. Shukracharya was
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