The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi Read Free Book Online Page A

he must have been a powerful figure. He looked unnaturally tall, at least eight feet, with a musculature that would terrify even the demons. His hands were unusually brawny with long nails, making Shiva think that just the Lord’s bare hands must have been a fearsome weapon.
    But it was the Lord’s face that stunned Shiva. His mouth was surrounded by lips that were large beyond imagination. His moustache hair did not flow down like most men, but came out in rigid tracks, like a cat’s whiskers. His nose was abnormally large, with sharp eyes on either side. His hair sprayed out a fair distance, like a mane. It almost looked as though Lord Narsimha was a man with the head of a lion.
    Had he been alive today, Lord Narsimha would have been considered a Naga by the Chandravanshis and hence feared, not revered. Don’t they have any consistency?
    ‘Consistency is the virtue of mules!’
    Shiva looked up, surprised how someone had heard his thoughts.
    A Vasudev Pandit emerged from behind the pillars. He was the shortest Pandit that Shiva had met so far; just a little over five feet. But in all other aspects, his appearance was like every other Vasudev, his hair snowy white and his face wizened with age. He was clad in a saffron dhoti and angvastram .
    ‘How did you...’
    ‘That is not important,’ interrupted the Pandit, raising his hands, not finding it important to explain how he discerned Shiva’s thoughts.
    That conversation... another time... great Neelkanth.
    Shiva could have sworn he heard the Pandit’s voice in his head. The words were broken, like the voice was coming from a great distance. Very soft and not quite clear. But it was the Pandit’s voice. Shiva frowned, for the Pandit’s lips had not moved.
    Oh Lord Vasudev... this foreigner’s...impressive.
    Shiva heard the Pandit’s voice again. The Pandit was smiling slightly. He could tell that the Neelkanth could hear his thoughts.
    ‘You’re not going to explain, are you?’ asked Shiva with a smile.
    No. You’re certainly... not ready... yet.
    The Pandit’s appearance may have been like other Vasudevs, but his character was clearly different. This Vasudev was straightforward to the point of being rude. But Shiva knew the apparent rudeness was not intended. It was just a reflection of the mercurial nature of this particular Pandit’s character.
    Maybe the Pandit was a Chandravanshi in another life.
    ‘I’m a Vasudev,’ said the Pandit. ‘There is no other identity I carry today. I’m not a son. Or husband. Or father. And, I’m not a Chandravanshi. I am only a Vasudev.’
    A man has many identities, Panditji .
    The Pandit narrowed his eyes.
    ‘Were you born a Vasudev?’
    ‘Nobody is born a Vasudev, Lord Neelkanth. You earn it. There is a competitive examination, for which Suryavanshis or Chandravanshis can appear. If you pass, you cease to be anything else. You give up all other identities. You become a Vasudev.’
    ‘But you were a Chandravanshi before you earned your right to be a Vasudev,’ smiled Shiva, as though merely stating a fact.
    The Pandit smiled, acknowledging Shiva’s statement.
    Shiva had many questions he wanted answered. But there was a most obvious one for this particular Vasudev.
    ‘A few months back, the Vasudev Pandit at the Ramjanmabhoomi temple had told me that my task is not to destroy evil, but to find out what evil is,’ said Shiva.
    The Vasudev Pandit nodded.
    ‘I’m still digesting that idea. So my question is not on that,’ continued Shiva. ‘My query is about something else he said. He had told me that the Suryavanshis represent the masculine life force and the Chandravanshis represent the feminine. What does this mean? Because I don’t think it has anything to do with men and women.’
    ‘You can’t get more obvious than that, my friend! You’re right, it has nothing to do with men and women. It has to do with the way of life of the Suryavanshis and Chandravanshis.’
    ‘Way of