CHAPTER 22 :ADVENT OF THE ASURA KING

Ravichandran escorted him to his chambers and made him sit on a couch. He asked Rajaveera if he would have anything to eat. The King of asuras denied by raising his hand. Aryaman entered the chambers in the form of a small ant and took his place near a spot where both the royal members sat.

“Pray tell me what I can do for you!” Ravichandran offered.

“It has come to my notice that an extraordinary person, Aryaman, resides in your kingdom. Who is he?” Rajaveera demanded in an imperative gesture.

“I do not know his origin, Maharaj! He never speaks about himself. However, he is indeed extraordinary!” Ravichandran exclaimed.

“Tell me about his exploits!”   The King of asuras commanded.

As Ravichandran narrated to him all he had heard and seen about the exemplary feats of Aryaman, the demon King listened intently. Then, he observed, “While we, asuras, are quite adroit in maya tactics, the devas are superior to us in warfare. From what you tell me about Aryaman, he appears to be a great mayaveer and an equally excellent archer. When even good archers struggle to release the Varunastra even once in their lifetime, he did that twice in a matter of moments! Incredible indeed! O King! My solemn goal in life is to win over Devaloka, the abode of the devas. Sadly, that has only remained a distant dream until now. It could be that if I can get Aryaman’s support, this dream can become a reality! However, before I do that I want to convince myself beyond doubt about my decision, for the devas are all too powerful. I need to test Aryaman’s prowess to the tilt. It is only then that I will take him along with me!”

Ravichandran thought for a while and then revealed to his visitor that Aryaman was a supporter of love, not war. He informed the King about the last conversation he had with Aryaman. “….Maharaj, if you can somehow change his mind and make him side with me in a battle against Chandrashekar, then it would not be beneficial to me but would also give you an opportunity to gauge his prowess. Agreed that it may be quite easy for him to fight against mere mortals but you shall certainly get an insight into the enormity of his powers.   Thereafter, it is your choice!”

Rajaveera pondered over this suggestion and then conceded, “Okay! When would he return from Sumegha?”

“Anytime!” Ravichandran replied and then escorted the King of Asuras to the resting chamber.

Aryaman quickly moved out of the palace and as soon as he came across a secluded spot, he instantly assumed his normal form. His face reflected that he was very disturbed by all that he had heard in the recent conversation. He flew and landed in the jungle where he had once saved the life of Ravichandran from a raging fire. This jungle had been his home all along. He walked to a huge coconut tree that had a round basement below which had always served as his resting place. Sitting on it, he placed his head on the tree’s trunk and closed his eyes. After some time, he opened them and still appeared to be very upset and restive. He flew away from the jungle not having any definite aim about where he was heading. Soon, he reached the spot where Aditi and her friends played in the morning. Not finding anyone there, he landed and sat below the shade of a tree. He again closed his eyes. After a while, he suddenly felt a touch on his shoulders.