That night at the Gurukul,
As everyone was preparing to retire to bed, Guha, one of the senior students at the Gurukul informed Narasimha, "You will be spending two consecutive nights with Guru Dharmagupta. Our Guru will be personally monitoring that you do not evade your punishment."

Narasimha hung down his face. Bhavani was highly outraged, "I just want to know why our friend is being punished for such a small thing? He just needed a little bit more sleep and now you are denying him even that by not allowing him to sleep for two full nights? Why don't you say anything Narsimha?"

Narasimha said, "Your anger is misplaced, Bhavani. Guha was just passing on information. You don't shoot a messenger for doing his duty."

"Whatever!" Bhavani as she backed down from her offensive stance rather irritatedly.

Dilipa casually remarked, "God knows what runs in our Guru's mind! The way he expects such high standards from Narasimha, one would think he was going to be a King or a General of a mighty army at the very least while my friend here is just going to take over his father's business in Vaishali Nagar after his education."

Guha replied curtly, "If you guys are done with your small talk, I'll get going. I was asked to inform and I did that."

"Thanks Guha. I'll leave immediately", Narasimha hastily replied putting an end to this discussion which was threatening to again blow out of proportions.

Bhavani continued, "But Narasimha...listen..."

Dilipa remarked in a highly sardonic tone, "Oh...Kshathrani...stop.....Narasimha isn't listening. He has already left."

Bhavani literally punching into the air with frustration, "God....I hate him for this!....And by the way.....what were you calling me?"

"KSHATHRANI!"

"What?"

"One would think you were one looking at the admirable fighting spirit you possess."

"Now I'll teach you......Are you aware what Kshathranis actually do?"

"What?"

"This!" In a lightening-quick manouver,  Bhavani pulled the rug on which Dilipa was standing from beneath his feet until he landed on his bum. A bit surprised but unfazed by this, he wagged his finger at her, "That's why I call you KSHATHRANI....KSHATHRANI..."

Bhavani, highly infuriated, ran after Dilipa with a pillow in hand, punching him hard while he defended this in an equally adept manner with his pillow.
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In Dharmagupta's chamber,
Dharmagupta was at his desk writing something with his quill. There was also a sand-dial at the edge of the same desk to indicate the passage of time. He paused for a moment when he heard Narasimha's footstep at the entrance, "Lock the door behind you. You may sleep on that mattress there. I have to complete whatever I have started."

Narasimha stood unsure for a moment about how to react. Was he imagining or conjuring up things? Was his mind playing tricks? Or had he heard correctly?

"Yes, you heard it right", Dharmagupta continued. "Yours was a genuine case. But it is not often so. Once I start making exceptions for a particular student, I will have to relax rules and discipline for all. It will lead to anarchy and lawlessness which I don't want to happen in my Gurukul. So in the morning, when I caught you breaking the rules, you had to be punished so that other students don't take your case as an example and start breaking rules. But now in privacy, I can afford to relax the punishment this once. But remember, it is just this once. And you will not talk about this outside this chamber."

Narasimha thanked, "I knew my Guru could never be wrong. I knew you would never punish a student who wasn't truly guilty. My faith in you was right."

Dharmagupta smiled, "Right and wrong are not so easy to discern and differentiate. What is wrong for me could be right for you. It is just a difference of perspective."

"Guruji, my father tells me you have the ability to see into the past, present and future. So were you actually foreshadowing what will come in future today morning?"

"Yes, there will come a time in future, many years later when you have to sit watch for three days and nights without sleeping, eating, or drinking anything. Your near and dear loved ones will rest peacefully under the confidence that you are awake, protecting them. You will be their Kshetrapalaka."

Narasimha's thoughts ran back to his family at Mahishmati- his mother, his father, his people. If this was so, then so be it! He would serve his punishment. It was just two days without sleep. Gradually, he would learn to go without sleep, food and drink for five full days so that when he would have to actually replicate this feat in his real life outside the Gurukul for three days, he would be amply prepared for it.  If this was his real destiny, he would prepare himself for it.

Narasimha said, "I will not sleep Guruji. If I have to do that in future, I will start preparing for that from now itself. If it is my own who will be at stake, I will not rest."

"It just depends on whom you consider you own!" Guru Dharmagupta spoke cryptically.

Narasimha was astonished. So did this mean Guru Dharmagupta always knew from the beginning who he truly was? As though seizing upon the very thoughts that were running in his mind, Guru Dharmagupta replied, "I do, Son. I know who you truly are."

"Really?" asked the incredulous student.

The maestro replied, "I know that you aren't who you are pretending to be here. You are somebody else elsewhere. And I even know who you really are. A truth you yourself might be unaware. A truth which you will get to know when the right time comes."

Narasimha was extremely perplexed. He didn't know what to think or what to speak. Just then his line of vision fell on the handwritten manuscript his Guru had been composing at his desk. It began like this:
"Yedhi Dharmam? Yedhi Adharmam?" (What is good? And what is evil?)

The enthusiastic student spoke, "Guruji since I have accepted my punishment as per your wishes, can I learn something during this while that will make even my punishment a blessing in disguise?"

"Of course! I would never say 'No' to a student who wants to learn. Which topic do you want to discuss?" Dharmagupta said.

Narasimha replied, "The very same that you were writing just now."
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As the night progressed, the maestro and disciple sat discussing this topic for hours.

Dharmagupta: What is good and evil according to you?

Narasimha: If good is white, then evil is black. If good is light, then evil is darkness.

Dharmagupta: Then what about that which appears white but is actually black? What about that which appears black but is really white? What about all that spectrum of colors in between white and black? How would you classify them? Good or evil?

Narasimha: I am a bit confused now.

Dharmagupta: One of the primary duties of any upholder of justice is to distinguish between good and evil. They are often blurred. In real life situations, it is never pure white or black. It is never light or darkness. It is the spectrum of shades in between.

The maestro pointed towards a wooden basket, "That basket came from the village. What do you see in that basket?"

Narasimha went up to the basket, opened it, looked inside and replied, "Food grains."

"Do they contain stones or impurities too?" The maestro asked.

Narasimha replied, "Yes, a few. But it won't be difficult to sift and segregate both before cooking."

Guru Dharmagupta showed a glass that contained water and asked, "What does this contain?"

Narasimha replied, "Water!"

This time, the Guru held a glass of milk in front of him.

The student said, "Milk!"

After this, Dharmagupta mixed the contents of both the glasses into a bigger glass, "Now can you sift and separate milk from water?"

Narasimha was flummoxed.

Dharmagupta continued, "That is how difficult it is to distinguish good and evil in the real world. Ancient wisdom says that only the Hamsa, a species of bird found in this wall of mountains, the Himalayas, can sift milk from water and drink just the milk. We should also learn to be like the Hamsa in real life."

As the last bits of sand trickled from this end of the sand-dial to that, Dharmagupta tilted it once again before saying, "It is almost time for the Brahmamuhurta. You may join your mates."
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All his mates seemed to be waiting for Narasimha very eagerly, especially Bhavani who asked without stopping for breath, "Are you feeling tired?"

Narasimha replied, "I have never felt so refreshed! I going to the lake for my bath."

Her mouth opened wide with astonishment. This boy always eluded the grasp of her understanding.
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The shortest route from the lake to the Gurukul went past the Goshala. While returning after his bath, Narasimha observed some dark and fishy forms slithering behind the plants. He was immediately on his guard. He silently drew his weapon that he always kept near him for self-defense and slowly stalked towards the plants. In a bold and intimidating voice he called out to the intruders, "Whoever you are, come out of there! And don't try anything smart!"
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