death of a half-breed, born to an asura whore, against you.’
‘That is all well and good,’ Indra began doubtfully, ‘but even if you are right about Brahmahatya being nothing more than a ruse of the Creator, there is still the ethics of all this to take into account. As of now, Trishiras has done nothing to threaten or harm me. Mostly, he seems to want to steer clear of the power struggles that can make sinners out of saints. Now, if I were to kill somebody like him without prior provocation, my actions would be strongly condemned and rightly so. Even my staunchest advisors would look askance at my killingsomeone simply on a whim. If I were to act upon your advice, my reputation would be in tatters.
‘Take the recent Madhu and Kaitabha slaying for instance… the three worlds are singing the praises of Vishnu and the Goddess Durga for their heroic feats. The latter, especially, has been praised for her adroit manipulating of a situation that had left even Vishnu dumbfounded. She is like a juggler, who successfully balances so many balls in the air for the longest time. My point is that the lustre on the goddess would diminish if she were to begin using her formidable arsenal to kill without any discernible reason. History will never forgive me if, unlike her, I attack and kill at my own discretion.’
Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted and Indra realized too late that he had just praised his wife’s pet peeve. How he dreaded that tongue of hers, which was far more lethal than any weapon in his own fabled arsenal! Sure enough, Sachi was glaring at him in cold fury.
When she spoke, her voice was a spiked whip dipped in venom, ‘There is no history, only stories. And the beautiful thing about stories is that they can always be rewritten to suit the need of the hour. As regards the immediate threat facing you, I cannot comprehend why you are being so squeamish when all you have to do is hurl your vajra at Trishiras, so that we can put this nasty business behind us. Twastha and his wife will be so grief-stricken that they will never threaten you again. Or, if we are lucky, they may just pine away and allow an early grave to claim them. In addition to this veritable trifecta of good fortune, your ruthlessness will serve as a deterrent to future offenders and buy us precious years of peace.
‘It is ridiculous to allow a pestilential conscience to stand in the way of personal well-being. You keep harping thatTrishiras has not injured you in any way, even as he sits lost in meditation, allowing his powers to fully bloom before he can sever your head and have it mounted. In a hunt, it is not advisable to allow the prey to chomp on a body part as a means of demonstrating moral fibre before launching an attack. The good hunter tracks down his quarry and puts an arrow in its heart, regardless of whether it is eating, sleeping or fornicating at the time!
‘All this talk of ethics is most unlike you! Maybe you hope that a hero would emerge from the morass of your need and fight your battles for you. This is what you get for behaving like a vapid princess in a fairy tale and relying so heavily on Vishnu to bail you out, all the time. Your crown jewels have withered away and the precious reputation you care so deeply about is marred by the popular assumption that you are good for nothing, piggybacking your way to glory on Vishnu’s able shoulders.’
Sachi’s words were meant to galvanize Indra into anger and violent action, smashing the lethargy that seemed to have crept up on him. Her husband flushed with repressed fury and his hand clenched the goblet he was holding, as though he meant to smash it over her skull. Sachi met his gaze, coolly daring him to act on his impulse. Indra stared at her for a sullen moment before looking down and lapsing into a morose silence.
Snapping out of her frustration, Sachi sorted out her head. Indra’s ego had already taken a beating and she did not want to leave him too
‘That is all well and good,’ Indra began doubtfully, ‘but even if you are right about Brahmahatya being nothing more than a ruse of the Creator, there is still the ethics of all this to take into account. As of now, Trishiras has done nothing to threaten or harm me. Mostly, he seems to want to steer clear of the power struggles that can make sinners out of saints. Now, if I were to kill somebody like him without prior provocation, my actions would be strongly condemned and rightly so. Even my staunchest advisors would look askance at my killingsomeone simply on a whim. If I were to act upon your advice, my reputation would be in tatters.
‘Take the recent Madhu and Kaitabha slaying for instance… the three worlds are singing the praises of Vishnu and the Goddess Durga for their heroic feats. The latter, especially, has been praised for her adroit manipulating of a situation that had left even Vishnu dumbfounded. She is like a juggler, who successfully balances so many balls in the air for the longest time. My point is that the lustre on the goddess would diminish if she were to begin using her formidable arsenal to kill without any discernible reason. History will never forgive me if, unlike her, I attack and kill at my own discretion.’
Suddenly, the temperature in the room plummeted and Indra realized too late that he had just praised his wife’s pet peeve. How he dreaded that tongue of hers, which was far more lethal than any weapon in his own fabled arsenal! Sure enough, Sachi was glaring at him in cold fury.
When she spoke, her voice was a spiked whip dipped in venom, ‘There is no history, only stories. And the beautiful thing about stories is that they can always be rewritten to suit the need of the hour. As regards the immediate threat facing you, I cannot comprehend why you are being so squeamish when all you have to do is hurl your vajra at Trishiras, so that we can put this nasty business behind us. Twastha and his wife will be so grief-stricken that they will never threaten you again. Or, if we are lucky, they may just pine away and allow an early grave to claim them. In addition to this veritable trifecta of good fortune, your ruthlessness will serve as a deterrent to future offenders and buy us precious years of peace.
‘It is ridiculous to allow a pestilential conscience to stand in the way of personal well-being. You keep harping thatTrishiras has not injured you in any way, even as he sits lost in meditation, allowing his powers to fully bloom before he can sever your head and have it mounted. In a hunt, it is not advisable to allow the prey to chomp on a body part as a means of demonstrating moral fibre before launching an attack. The good hunter tracks down his quarry and puts an arrow in its heart, regardless of whether it is eating, sleeping or fornicating at the time!
‘All this talk of ethics is most unlike you! Maybe you hope that a hero would emerge from the morass of your need and fight your battles for you. This is what you get for behaving like a vapid princess in a fairy tale and relying so heavily on Vishnu to bail you out, all the time. Your crown jewels have withered away and the precious reputation you care so deeply about is marred by the popular assumption that you are good for nothing, piggybacking your way to glory on Vishnu’s able shoulders.’
Sachi’s words were meant to galvanize Indra into anger and violent action, smashing the lethargy that seemed to have crept up on him. Her husband flushed with repressed fury and his hand clenched the goblet he was holding, as though he meant to smash it over her skull. Sachi met his gaze, coolly daring him to act on his impulse. Indra stared at her for a sullen moment before looking down and lapsing into a morose silence.
Snapping out of her frustration, Sachi sorted out her head. Indra’s ego had already taken a beating and she did not want to leave him too
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