The Gall of Gammon

Disclaimer: This story is my humble attempt to write a fanfiction of the epic Mahabharata. My intention is not to hurt anyone's sentiment.

Aum Namah Shivay!!

Major Jayant Roy, SM is a fictitious character. Any similarity with any living person is merely a coincidence.

Chapter 47

Kundinpuri, Vidarbha Kingdom, Dwapar Yuga

Jayant/ Duryodhana POV

"Mahesham suresham surarati nasham/ Vibhum Vishwanatham vibhutanga bhusham/ Virupaksha..."

I heaved a sigh. Today my mind was behaving like a turbulent stream. I could not focus my mind properly. To tell the truth, I couldn't even sleep properly. From the last two days, my mind was literally covered with a cobweb of thoughts.

Devi Rukmini would not get married with Shishupal. Vasudev Sri Krishna would abduct her.

"Today, he will abduct her.", I thought to myself. But what would I do now?

"You will do nothing, Jayant." Someone replied inside my head.

"Devi Rukmini was the incarnation of Devi Laxmi herself. Who are you to separate Narayana and Laxmi?"

"I know that. But, why my mind is acting like a tornado now? I am standing in the temple of Mahadev in the morning. I am trying to worship. But I can't concentrate my mind. Why?"

Suddenly, I heard a woman's voice behind me.

"If you are going to worship, then you first free your mind and thoughts, Rajkumar Duryodhana."

I turned my head, and saw a beautiful young woman standing behind me. She had a golden platter full of flowers and other sacred equipments. I looked at her face. Suddenly, some memories generated in my mind.

It was the image of Devi Laxmi which generated inside my mind. I saw a young boy, wearing t shirt and half-pant, standing alone in the local Durga Mata temple. It was the time of Durga Puja, and the temple was full of devotees. It was the biggest festival in West Bengal, and each and every local friend of mine was standing with their parents. But I was standing alone. Beside Mata Durga, I saw the idol of Mata Laxmi. The woman behind me had the same face.

"What are you thinking, Rajkumar?"

"Umm...what?" I somehow came back into my sense. Devi Rukmini smiled again. That smile calmed my mind a bit.

"Please, lower your head." She said to me.

I followed her order. She took a small flower from her platter and touched it in my head. Just like magic, I felt my mind was becoming calm.

"How are you feeling now, Rajkumar? By the way, you should inform your friend before leaving the palace. He was worried about you." Devi Rukmini mildly scolded me.

"Ummm...you are right, Devi. I have made a mistake."

Devi Rukmini looked at me then walked towards the idol of Mahadev. I tried to walk out from the temple, but her voice stopped me again.

"Rajkumar, your friend told me that you chant the Shiva Tandav every day. It seems that the routine is broken today. Please, come with me and chant."

I followed her command. There was something in her voice which literally made it impossible to disobey her command. I didn't know why I was feeling like that. Was it the power of Devi Laxmi or was my mind messed up?

I focused my mind and started chanting. Devi Rukmini was silently listening with crossed hands and closed eyes. The mantra calmed my mind. Now, I could organise my thoughts properly.

"Aum Namah Shivay!" Devi Rukmini's melodious voice entered into my ear. She offered a handful of white flowers and wood apple leaves in the feet of Mahadev. She was literally looking like the epitome of purity. Then she took a conch shell in her hands and blew it. A loud sound came from it.

"Was it my ears tricking me?" I thought to myself because I was sure that I heard another faint sound of conch shell for a moment. I turned towards the gate. But before I could make one step forward, I heard Devi Rukmini's voice again.

"Rajkumar, can I ask you something?"

I turned towards her and nodded affirmatively.

"The time has four Yugas. We are now in Dwapar Yuga. The Kali Yuga will come after it. How will people behave in that Yuga?"

I looked at her face. She was having her natural smiling expression. But, something in my mind told me that she knew who I am exactly.

"Jayant, you are an idiot. She is Mata Laxmi herself! Off course she knows your original identity!" I thought to myself.

"Rajkumar, you are the first Kshatriya who thinks this much! But, still I will not leave you without an answer. I have a lot of questions for you." She smiled at me.

"I am not a wise man, Devi. I don't know that if I can give you the correct answer. But, don't you already know the answer?"

"I want to hear the answer from you, Rajkumar."

I looked at her face. She was looking at me with expectation.

"In Satya Yuga, good and evil stayed in different worlds. In Treta Yuga, they stayed in same world but in different places. In Dwapar Yuga, they are staying in the same family. In Kali Yuga, they will stay inside the same person." I said to her.

Suddenly, my mind felt a jolt inside it. It felt same when you could finally solve a mathematical problem after hours.

"Bloody hell! That means that same evil force is inside me! That same evil is trying to mess with my head. Now, most probably, the evil inside original Duryodhana is also in me. But, wait a second, wasn't Duryodhana the incarnation of Kali himself! That means, Jayant, you idiot, you have Kali inside you!"

"Why are you becoming so pale? Are you feeling sick?"

I somehow broke my trance like situation and came back.

"No, I am fine." I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

"Now, it is time for my next question. In which way, you can defeat the evil inside you?"

Devi Rukmini was now directly looking into my eyes. Those eyes were literally looking inside my mind and soul.

"Umm...devotion?"

"No, only devotion is not enough. You need devotion and will force to conquer the evil inside you. Will power is the base of your strength given by your devotion. In front of hardship, it is your will power that will help you to overcome it. The combination of devotion and will force can destroy any type of evil. But you need to channel it properly."

I crossed my hands to her.

"Thank you for this valuable knowledge, Devi Rukmini. I shall be forever grateful to you."

Devi Rukmini started laughing.

"Devi Rukmini? Are you sure that I am who you think I am? As much as I know, you haven't seen her once."

Suddenly, a bright white light engulfed her. In a moment, the woman in front of me vanished like magic and in her place; I saw a form made with white light. The sound of her melodious laughter echoed in the small temple.

"You are a clever person, Rajkumar. But you are not too clever otherwise you could have recognised me. But do not worry, I have no intention to cause you any harm."

Now I started laughing. My laughter echoed in the temple.

"Pardon me, Devi, but I knew exactly that you are not a normal human when you touched the flower in my head."

"No, Rajkumar, you are bluffing me.", the white form again changed into the form of Devi Rukmini. But the smile had gone from her face and shock replaced it.

I crossed my hands.

"Devi, if a non human entity wants to impersonate a human being, then he or she should pay extra attention to the shadow, not in the body. If you want to know the real character of a man, you should look at his shoes first. When I lowered my head, I could not see the shadow of your body, beside my shadow. Although I confess that I thought you are Mata Laxmi in disguise."

The Devi was looking at me with open mouth. She was literally shocked. The shocking expression changed after a few moments and a calm smile replaced it. She held up her right hand in a blessing gesture.

"Ayushmaan Bhava, human from Kali Yuga!"

"Please Devi; bless me with your true introduction." I pleaded to her.

"I am just the energy which is known as 'Maya'. Sri Krishna created me for the sole purpose for confining you here while he can unite with his other half. Your Mitra, Angraaj Karna is now in deep slumber under my influence. But do not worry; he will wake up after a few hours."

Then I heard the loud sound of a conch shell again. The sound felt like divine purity. But suddenly, in a moment, a strange emotion came into my mind. It was a blend of anger, hate and cruelty. My mind was literally flared up.

"Panchajanya!" a growl came from me.

I ran outside the temple and took the trident locket in my hand. In a moment, the motorcycle came in front of me. Yesterday, I had tied the sword of Sahasravahu in my motorcycle. I jumped on it and started, but before I could accelerate, I saw Devi Maya in front of me in her pure white energy form.

"Do not worry, Rajkumar. I will not block your path. Laxmi and Narayana are united now. Rukmi is already defeated. The second sound of Panchajanya was the signal of Sri Krishna's victory and the end of my purpose. You heard the first sound, I guess, though I tried to suppress it with my conch shell."

"Yes, I heard that."

"Rajkumar, I know about the hatred in your mind for Sri Krishna. I just want you to remember the conversation which we had in the temple. Devotion and will power can destroy any type of evil, you just have to focus it properly. Now, it is my time to leave."

The white form changed into small white lights and in a few moments they mixed up in the atmosphere. I heaved a sigh, and turned towards Kundinpuri.

"Now I can understand, her influence made me travel a large distance from the city."

While coming closer towards the city, I heard the sound of battle. I increased the speed of my motorcycle. Suddenly, I felt that the land under me was shaking violently. I somehow balanced both myself and the motorcycle. Then I looked in front of me.

A tall figure was standing in front of me. He was a young man with a huge mace in his right hand. His skin was fair, similar to molten gold. The land under me trembled because he had landed a vicious blow on it with his mace. The man was dressed in armour and blue dress.

"On your guard!", The man shouted. In a moment, with the speed of lightning, he hurled his mace towards me. I saw the huge mace was coming towards me, just like a guided missile.

So, this is chapter 47.

Can you recognise the fair skinned, blue dressed mace fighter?

Please read, vote and especially comment.