Chapter 13

                                    

                                          
Ashwin could not comprehend the location of the White Lotus, the symbol of Ma Saraswati. He thought and pondered over it, but he could in no way find any pinpointed location anywhere in that world.
                          
Meanwhile, Swati and Nandita were discussing how to navigate through the ocean towards Cambodia.
                          
‘I think we must set sail through Borneo,’ said Swati.
                          
‘No, it will be foolish. We must move to Cambodia through the Indian Ocean right away!’ exclaimed Nandita.
                          
Ashwin felt he was being selfish and he opened up his gift, Hamare Sanskaar Va Icchaen.
                          
He flipped over the page to Kambaj, the old power of the gods. He read out an interesting passage to the others.
                          
‘Hey, hear this. Cambodia is one of the countries in the SAARC. It is a country filled with marvellous forests and ancient temples to all our lords. Mainly, the people of this region follow Buddhism, and the area around the ancient temple of Angkor Wat houses more than a hundred Hindus. Geographically, Cambodia is divided into two by Tanyakoa River, which is underground, and is mythical. This river is the channel to Cambodia from 12.2778° N, 93.8583° E, that is, our modern Barren Island.’ He said this slowly, so each and everyone could comprehend.
                          
‘So, we have to find this Tanyakoa River?’ asked Swati.
                          
‘The real Indian name of this river is Tanyakaveri River, so you must just find a water source which is like a river around here.’ 
                          
‘D’you have any idea where this river would end up?’ asked Nandita.
                          
‘According to Ma, it ends up right in the Kanyo and Koulen forests, in the heart of Cambodia. That is about fifteen miles to Angkor Wat.’ 
                          
Ashwin thought he had overstuffed everybody with facts, but he had no other choice but to inform them.
                          
‘What about the first line of the second prophecy?’ 
                          
‘Yeah, what about it?’
                          
‘My goodness, haven’t you guessed? Four of us must appeal Chandra, and make him help us in this quest for surviving!’ said Ashwin, exasperated.
                          
Nandita looked serious, and thoughtful at the same time.
                          
‘We have to find it, no other go.’
                          
Swati suddenly exclaimed.
                          
‘Oh no! I think we have a whirlpool below our ship,’ she said.
                          
Swati was right. The ship lurched forcefully to one side, and then to another. There was a huge plunge hole right in front of their ship.
                          
Swati looked like she had had a heart attack.
                          
‘That whirlpool, it ends up somewhere in a lake… I think it is the Tanyakao River… which else river would teleport us somewhere else?’ she said.
                          
Ashwin looked determined.
                          
‘We must will the ship to get inside. The power of the river won’t be enough to break this ship, I know. Swati, do it now.’ He said it with such command; Swati obliged and forced the ship.
                          
Jasnoor and Madhumita screamed together, as they plunged deeper and deeper into a field of dark blue…
                          
******
                          
Ashwin was the one to wake up first. He found that all of them were unconscious, and that the ship was sailing peacefully through a calm river, and Ashwin craned his neck up, to see a deep tube-like structure in which water flowed, like a pipe.
                          
He willed himself to walk to the fridge and take out ice-cold water.
                          
He went to Swati and spilt five really cold drops on her eyes.
                          
She shook, and then opened her eyes.
                          
‘I feel like I hit a brick wall,’ she said, clutching her forehead.
                          
Ashwin thought that Swati was the best simile speaker, because that was exactly how he felt, too.
                          
Swati now aided him in waking up all the others, who groaned and held their temples as though they too experienced the same feeling.
                          
‘Cosmovelocity,’ said Vignesh.
                          
‘What?’
                          
‘Cosmovelocity occurs when you enter an impossible world, according to physics, and your human side faces pain, whereas your god side remains healthy. You experience slight pain on your forehead,’ explained Vignesh.
                          
Ashwin gestured everyone to come to his cabin. He went inside, the others followed, and he closed the door.
                          
He went to the TV, switched it on, and opened surveillance CCTV.
                          
‘What do you want to do?’ asked Madhumita.
                          
Ashwin remained silent. He selected the deck camera, and hit enter.
                          
All of them gasped, except Ashwin, who still seriously stared at the screen.
                          
‘How on earth is the moon visible?’  asked Swati.
                          
The moon was visible, even though they were in a cosmic world.
                          
‘Nandita, Swati and Parvati, come here. Repeat after me,’ he ordered.
                          
‘Chandrasya srunu naamaani, shubadhani mahee pathe,
                          
Yani sruthwa narodukhan muchyathe nathra samsaya.
                          
They repeated properly. Swati clasped her mouth when they saw the Moon getting bigger and bigger, and finally, a young man of about twenty descending from it. He wore a silver pyjama-kurta and had a warm smile. He walked onto the ship, and the moon’s brightness seemed to follow him.
                          
Knock. Knock.
                          
Noises came from the door. Ashwin went and answered the door.
                          
‘Svagatam, my lord. Welcome to our abode. I really enjoy your sheetal company. Please help us in navigating through this river,’ Ashwin said,
                          
Chandra Devta smiled and raised his right hand. He blessed them, and disappeared.
                          
The ship started sailing faster.
                          
Swati noticed the speed and spoke:
                          
‘How are we getting faster? I am not doing anything,’ she said.

                          
 ‘Tides, Swati… the moon has blessed us with high tide!’ said Vignesh.
                          
Vignesh had kept quiet through the meeting. He whimpered behind the curtain all the time when Chandra spoke.
                          
Ashwin somehow became cheerful.
                          
‘One burden over! Two more to go,’ he said to himself.
                          
Ashwin opened the door of his cabin and sent everybody to their cabins and told them to sleep. They were puzzled like Ashwin, because they could not believe they were out for twelve hours and day had become night?
                          
Ashwin opened his book.
                          
‘O Ma, please give me the power to find our location. Please shower your knowledge on us too,’ he said.
                          
The book glowed white, and Saraswati appeared.
                          
‘Son, you are the cleverest I have met. You understood the value of Chandra on your trip. I of course want your success, but I myself do not have any way to find my own Shweta Padma. If you have to find it, you must, as a hint, think how we churned Amrit,’ she said, and disappeared, leaving Ashwin more disturbed than ever.