Shiva was shocked to see that many people did not have any deformities. He saw many of them cradling Naga babies in their arms.

‘What are these non-Nagas doing in Panchavati?’ asked Shiva.

‘They are parents of Naga children,’ said Kali.

‘And they live here?’

‘Some parents abandon their Naga children,’ said Kali. ‘And some feel a strong bond with their progeny. Strong enough to overcome their fear of societal prejudices. We give refuge to such people in Panchavati.’

‘Who takes care of Naga babies whose parents abandon them?’ asked Sati.

‘Childless Nagas,’ said Kali. ‘Nagas cannot have natural children. So they readily adopt the abandoned children from Meluha and Swadweep and bring them up as their own. With the love and attention that is the birthright of every child.’

They walked in silence to the city centre. It was here, around the five legendary banyan trees, that all the communal buildings were situated. These edifices, to be used by all the residents of Panchavati, had been built in the grand style of Swadweepan buildings. There was a school, a temple dedicated to Lord Rudra and Lady Mohini, a public bath and a stadium for performances, where the fifty thousand citizens met regularly. Music, dance and drama were coveted lifestyle choices and not paths to knowledge.

‘Where is the secret?’ asked Shiva, getting impatient.

‘In here, Lord Neelkanth,’ said Ganesh, pointing to the school.

Shiva frowned. A secret in a school? He expected it to be in the spiritual centre of the city, the temple of Lord Rudra. He walked towards the building. The rest followed.

The school had been built in traditional style around an open courtyard. A colonnaded corridor ran along the courtyard with doors leading into the classrooms. At the far end was a large open room. The library. Along the side of the library was another large corridor leading to the playground beyond the main building. On the other side of the ground were the other facilities such as halls and practice laboratories.

‘Please keep quiet,’ said Kali. ‘The classes are still on. We would like to disturb only one class and not all of them.’

‘We will disturb none,’ said Shiva, walking towards the library, where he expected the secret of the Nagas to be. Perhaps a book?

‘Lord Neelkanth,’ said Ganesh, halting Shiva mid-stride.

Shiva stopped. Ganesh pointed to the curtained entrance of a classroom. Shiva frowned. An oddly familiar voice was expounding philosophies. The voice was crystal clear behind the curtain.

‘New philosophies today blame desire for everything. Desire is the root cause of all suffering, all destruction, right?’

‘Yes, Guruji,’ said a student.

‘Please explain,’ said the teacher.

‘Because desire creates attachment. Attachment to this world. And, when you don’t get what you want or get what you don’t want, it leads to suffering. This leads to anger. And that to violence and wars. Which finally results in destruction.’

‘So if you want to avoid destruction and suffering, you should control your desires, right?’ asked the teacher. ‘Give up maya, the illusion of this world?’

Shiva, from the other side of the curtain, answered silently. Yes.

‘But the Rig Veda, one of our main sources of philosophy,’ continued the teacher, ‘says that in the beginning of time, there was nothing except darkness and a primordial flood. Then out of this darkness, desire was born. Desire was the primal seed, the germ of creation. And from here, we all know that the Prajapati, the Lord of the Creatures, created the Universe and everything in it. So in a sense, desire is the root of creation as well.’

Shiva was mesmerised by the voice on the other side of the curtain. Good point.

‘How can desire be the source of creation as well as destruction?’

The students were quiet, stumped for answers.

‘Think about this in another way. Is it possible to destroy anything that has not been created?’

‘No, Guruji.’

‘On the other hand, is it safe to assume that anything that has been created, has to be destroyed at some point in time?’

‘Yes,’ answered a student.

‘That is the purpose of desire. It is for creation and destruction. It is the beginning and the end of a journey. Without desire, there is nothing.’

Shiva smiled. There must be a Vasudev Pandit in that room!

The Neelkanth turned to Kali. ‘Let’s go to the library. I want to read the secret. I will meet Panditji later.’

Kali held Shiva. ‘The secret is not a thing. It is a man.’

Shiva was taken aback. His eyes wide with surprise.

Ganesh pointed at the curtained entrance to the classroom. ‘And he waits for you in there.’

Shiva stared at Ganesh, immobilised. The Lord of the People gently drew the curtain aside. ‘Guruji, please forgive the interruption. Lord Neelkanth is here.’

Then Ganesh stepped aside.

Shiva entered and was immediately stunned by what he saw.

What the hell!

He turned to Ganesh, bewildered. The Lord of the People smiled softly. The Neelkanth turned back to the teacher.

‘I have been waiting for you, my friend,’ said the teacher. He was smiling, his eyes moist. ‘I’d told you. I would go anywhere for you. Even into Patallok if it would help you.’

Shiva had rerun this line in his mind again and again. Never fully understanding the reference to the land of the demons. Now it all clicked into place.

The beard had been shaved off, replaced by a pencil-thin moustache. The broad shoulders and barrel chest, earlier hidden beneath a slight layer of fat, had been honed through regular exercise. The janau, the string signifying Brahmin antecedents, traced a path over newly-developed, rippling muscles. The head remained shaved, but the tuft of hair at the back of his head appeared longer and better oiled. The deep-set eyes had the same serenity that had drawn Shiva to him earlier. It was his long-lost friend. His comrade in arms. His brother.

‘Brahaspati!’

...to be continued.