Early morning at the Gurukul,
Just after finishing their early morning routine, all the students had congregated at the big, open, square plot of land in front of the hermitage for their first class of the day. All the children enjoyed this class because it was an open-air class. The ascending rays of the sun falling on their bodies; the slight nip in the air and the fresh early morning breeze penetrating and caressing beneath the folds of their clothes; and the sounds of chirping birds leaving their nests and attempting to scale the length and breath of the skies, rewriting a victory song better than the one they sang the previous day-: it was an experience to be savored.

"What is Yoga? Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras says, 'Yogas chittah vritthi nirodah!' Just imagine a carriage drawn by four horses without a charioteer. Each will pull the chariot in a different direction. Ultimately, the carriage breaks under this strain or remains where it is. Our thoughts and emotions are also like that. They have a tendency to run loose in all directions. We have to bring them together and rein them in by our conscious effort and channelize them in the right direction. 'Chittah' refers to mind and matter, 'Vritthi' means lawlessness, distortion, or perversion and 'Nirodah' means solution. The science of 'Yoga' performs the role of the charioteer who reins in these flitting thoughts and emotions that continually keep passing through us like a prism", said Dhatmagupta.

"Guruji, if our mind is so volatile, how can we control it?" asked Jayanth.

"To control the mind, it is imperative to practice Yama, Nigama, Asana, Pranayama, Prathyahara, Dhyana, Dharana, Samadhi" continued the Guru, replying to the question of his student.

"What do these terms mean?" The curious students quipped, eager to learn more.

"'Yama' in simple terms means restraint. There are several principles of restraint that every human being is expected to practice both for his own good and for the well-being of others around him. 'Ahimsa' non-violence and not harming other living beings, 'Satya' truthfulness, 'Asteya' not taking something that belongs to another or not stealing, 'Brahmacharya' practicing chastity, marital fidelity and loyalty, and 'Aparigraha' non-avarice or not hankering for something that isn't yours."

"But Guruji, if I am supposed to practice Ahimsa and not harm anybody, how can I rule my kingdom? How can I punish the wrong-doers?" The Crown Prince of Gandhar, Dilipa said, expressing his doubts and dissensions.

Dharmagupta explained, "What I have outlined here are universal principles that are to be generally practiced in most of the situations. If there arises a contention or issue, we have to understand that these principles will work only when both the sides recognize and follow them. Similarly, each caste has its own Dharma. The Kshatriyas are rulers and administrators. In certain situations like where you have to protect your people, against your enemies, in self-defense and for law enforcement, it becomes imperative to eschew Ahimsa and adopt a violent course of action. This is perfectly in accordance with the Dharma that Lord Sri Krishna expounded in the Bhagavad Gita, 'Dharmo Rakshathi Rakshitah!' You protect righteousness and your righteousness will protect you. I will explain all this in greater detail after a few days. We will continue this discussion then."

Are you going somewhere, Guruji?" Narasimha asked.

"Yes, I have been invited by the King of Himasailam to come to his court. He is organizing a prestigious and nationwide Goshti or conference for the scholars to meet and exchange their views. All the senior students of the Ashram will be accompanying me. The junior students and new admissions will stay back. Upadhyaya Sukruthi has kindly agreed to be a substitute teacher during my absence. I don't want to hear any complaints about you or your behavior when I come back", reiterated Dharmagupta.
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In the village of Saavari on the Himalayan foothills, a few miles away from Guru Dharmagupta's Ashram,
A piercing cry rent through the deafening silence of the night. Oil lanterns were lit and the air kept resounding with the sound of the toms- toms drowning the multitude of cries in its wake. There lay the mangled remains of Lakshmi staring at all of them. This was the fourth death this village had seen.

"The Yeti....It is the Yeti I am telling you" gasped a highly confused and disoriented Damu, recapitulating what had happened before his eyes. "I quickly climbed up ....the pine tree.....I saw it dragging her away before my own eyes and......"

"Oh, come on! The man is half-crazed. He is clearly making this up" spoke one of the disgruntled spectators.

Damu waved his arms in desperation and his eyes were glazed with fear. His speech was also highly incoherent. It was difficult to make out what he was trying to convey. "There must be some truth in what Damu is telling. Only something like the supernatural and legendary Yeti could have knocked the living daylights out of Damu."

The entire village was split up into two factions comprising the believers and non-believers. A few chose to remain noncommittal.

"The mangled remains of Lakshmi? He can't be making that up too?"argued a villager. "What about the three previous incidents?"

A frightened lady pulled her husband by his sleeve and whispered into his ear, "You think those lanterns and tom-toms must have scared him sufficiently. Or is he still lurking around?"

The man shushed her, "The Yeti could be a woman for all that I know. You wouldn't know how scary you look early in the morning with your oily face, disheveled hair and kohl-smeared eyes. Did you by any chance gallivant in the neighborhood like that?"

She gave him a tight tap on his shoulder without the other villagers noticing their little family tiff and gnarled at him in a low voice, "Ha...Ha...Ha...You think that is funny....Come home and I will show you who the Yeti is!"

The man cleared his throat and suggested, "Ganshyam, I think it is better we form groups and patrol continuously for a few days and nights. I...Ahem!....Ahem!", coughing pretty loudly and winking at his glaring wife, "I think I will be safer if I don't go home for a few days"

"Me too, friend!", Ganshyam replied, badly trying to suppress his entirely out of place giggles and smiles.

"If both of you are done with your joking and tomfoolery, this is a serious issue. Nobody in ten generations has seen a Yeti in this neighborhood. But these incidents and deaths are real. For the earlier ones, we didn't have witnesses. But for this one, we even have a witness. We can't take this lightly", reprimanded one of the elders of the village.

"And there is that ancient prophecy that the Yeti would come back to avenge himself against all of us.....What if he is really back?" asked a frightened villager.

One of the girls said, "I agree with Damu. Now that I think about it, I think I too saw the Yeti near the Neelam lake at dusk drinking water. At that time, I thought it was the shadows or a trick my mind was playing. But now I am sure that what I saw was the Yeti!"

"See the tales have begun. Damu says something and the others join the chorus", said a disbelieving villager.

This time, a woodcutter belonging to the village spoke, "I wasn't able to clearly make out. But the last Amavasya night when I was returning home, I spotted a vague contour silhouetted in the clearing between the two mountains in the starlit sky. May be what I saw was the Yeti."

Fear is even more terrible when its form is unclear and when you do not know what and whom you are fighting against. The villagers were all very scared now. They had no way either to confirm or disprove the assertions. They could not run away from what had been their home for generations and generations.

They all spoke in hushed voices as though afraid that the object of their fears would actually appear before them if they spoke any louder. In an attempt to dispel fear and instill confidence, one of the Panches said, "At the first break of dawn, let's go to Guru Dharmagupta's Ashram and seek his advice and counsel. He is very wise and knowledgable. He would know if there is any truth in the old prophecy."