Undesirable

The Temples of Ved

Through the clouds, around the mountains and gale, the wingless beast soared beyond where the world was more than alive, but there was living nobody. An untouchable globe of esoteric art, there remained the unfathomable and static force, and Aaramaan perched at the center of it; on a pointed roof of a temple without walls and pillars.

The silver floor was dazzling like a diamond, though the shade confined that gleaming to be escaped. The ivory marbles beside the temple cast off the beauty around it. Neither the sound of anything nor a glimpse of other than silver was evinced. There was no breeze, no rain as if the animation of the domain was incomplete, but the wanderers sighed in relief, and the beast uttered, 'It is rudimentary to see the plain. It is adequate. No matter how far you see, you can only find curiosity about its making. But only if there is any corner for that concern. Nonetheless, your vision will betray you, and you do not remain the honored one to the wisdom of this temple...'

'I am not undesirable because the world cast me off,' said Joy, keeping his foot on his knees and lying on the beast. 'I simply forsook it! So you do not need to tell me whether this plain rejects me or I must see the vividness in its flairs. And I do not go anywhere I am not interested in!' He suddenly picked up his toes. 'Let's get going underneath! I want to learn the wisdom of the beginning! I want to meet the honored one to understand what I should have become of me!'

Before the beast would descend; before there was trembling in the surroundings or of any harkening, there appeared a man in the white thread and dhoti. He seemed to be an early human as his grey hairs were flying from the top of his head to his waist and from his face to his chest. He had wooden wear on his foot and a small staff on his hand. By the look, he was a very old man, but the way he was flying, he defined himself as an immortal sage of wisdom.

Standing in the air, the sage uttered, 'For the wisdom of truthfulness or the wisdom of revival, I should say you are late in the temple. If you wish to join the discipline, then be disciplined. It starts with controlling your time of work and rest!' And he disappeared all of a sudden. Ved was his name, an old sage with the wisdom of everything on Esdelir, and he called it the middle of Ananta.

It was not like Ved rejected Joy from entering, but it was he who decided to stay up until dawn. In waits to show his competency along with his patience. When the dawn approached, he saw two sages walking to the horizon, and at another shade they stood, holding their hands against the rising star. He saw them raising a small pot and serving the ivory water down on the marbles and marking their forehead with tilak as if it was the ritual to start the day. By the look, he did not seem smug but curious with his eyes wide open, meeting the gaze of the third sage, who was standing on the second temple.

The boy decided to go down, but before he could move an inch, the sage flashed before him and uttered, 'The discipline is absolute, but you lack not just that but determination and dedication...moreover, the patience and humor to be a human. You are not the honored one yet...' and he disappeared again.

Joy did not understand it, but he remained calm and observed them during the day. He noticed them smiling less often, but staying calm with closed eyes, and when they opened their sight, they read; they did not speak more often, but when they opened their mouth, they talked wisdom of what they learned from the page they read; their breath made sound less often, but when they filled their heart, they smiled and relaxed their shoulder as if they were letting go of some sort of burden from their mind. When dusk approached, they went to the second temple and meditated with Ved.

The very next day, two more joined them, and they all five followed the same ritual Joy had witnessed on his first dawn. They followed the same routine, and then after meditation, they drank that ivory water. They walked until they lost sight of the center temple, and then only two who seemed to be new came back.

After waiting for seven days and observing them, on the eighth, he decided to make a move, but Ved appeared in front and uttered, 'The discipline does not begin with the beginning but the ending...' and he vanished to his temple.

The boy saw him glaring at him, but he started being himself and said, 'I am not the honored one. I can never be, because I am not related...I am an Undesirable. I can break in whenever I want. But I do not want to increase the trouble of the disciplined people. I am simply distant from humans even though I look alike...'

Before more pessimistic words could be spoken, Ved approached him at dusk and replied, 'When you lose I to we, you will understand we all are the same but joined for one aim we call the discipline to attain our higher self. And therefore, you are not the honored one yet. But you can become once you see what it should be to find peace. More than that, establish it in between chaos. But discipline does not mean fame...it does not mean staying up all the time to destroy your own self. It is all about peace with your own spirit regardless of accepting what you can become...without any force including emotions.' When Ved saw the puzzled face was more than impassive, he added, 'It is all about to follow...being a devotee to something. So tell me, can you bow to something that you do not know?' and before Joy could answer, he continued, 'If you say yes, I will not teach you anything...if you say no, you must not go any further than here...I will not allow you.'

The beast meddled, saying, 'We are here to free our land from evil.'

'But the evil ahead, you cannot defeat without kneeling to her...' said the fourth sage named Bodhin. 'As the protector, we seven remained untouched and plain to every eye seeking something beyond their vision.'

And the fifth, Sumedh, added, 'But once you see the colors in this nothingness, I will let you go ahead of this place.'

'Meanwhile, I am seeking your reason!' said Ved.

Joy was silent, and even seemed untroubled. He simply turned back and whispered, 'I am just who I am...' He climbed on the dragon, saying, 'If you cannot acknowledge me, then show the way to the dungeon. I will happily wander in the greatest despair to grow my wit. I will be either a vagabond or the sage of the new generation. But when I come back, you will see who I would become...'

Ved, without showing any emotion, torched a white wood gate and said, 'If your beast can have a face like you, I will let him join you. But since his vessel is broken, you are all alone!' And he bowed, showing the way on his left.

The white gate was not just white when torched, it diminished to transparency, and when joy entered, the both of the he could possibly behold would be none other than the silver realm as a path to the dark ahead, while on the other side, Ved stood tall after the lad and the gate were not visible. He said, 'You seem to be familiar with the Esdelir. Tell me, what breed of dragon do you belong to?'

Aaramaan turned smaller like a cat and replied, 'I am one of the Celestial Dragons that four brothers of the Nothingness trained long ago. I am dead, yet alive in the Despair, seeking enlightenment for revenge.'

'Then go north,' said Ved. 'Bet your life to frost and wind...and the evil you want to defeat. If you get lucky, you will see the next dawn shining with peace. And we will be again connected to the Ananta to save it from the golden terror!'

The bowed beast turned huge, and with a sharp look, he said, 'I will not be hasty. I want to learn your wisdom to establish the peace in your manner.'

All three sages turned back. They walked in different directions leaving one choice to the dragon, saying, 'You cannot become strong if you do not face strong. Likewise, you cannot become wise if you cannot be defeated and keep no grudge but determination to stand again... the choice will be yours to make. But I am not willing to see you tomorrow morning, moaning on your mistake.' And all sat on the floor, drank the water, and slept, though the silver shine of the world did not even blunt.        

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Thank You!