THE GHOST
-10. Mahirat Meets Pariketu

Two months passed by and finally the day of reckoning arrived! Although Mahirat had passed a sleepless night, he did not feel the exhaustion owing to his growing anxiety! Will Sage Pariketu liberate him from the curse? Or still unsatisfied with his conduct, would he extend the spell of the curse on him? This thought disturbed him and he shunned it from his mind. He decided to have a positive outlook like his Queen and set out to the jungle of Champa on foot. After a very long and tiring journey, he finally reached the outskirts of the jungle. Instantly, he began to have reminiscence of that fateful day when that beautiful deer had time and again managed to give him the slip only to lead him to the sage and then the subsequent curse that changed his life! He quickly made his way inside the jungle. For the occasional howl of the jackal, the menacing roar of the lion and the chirp of flying birds there was an eerie silence which prevailed in that jungle. The sky, too, was scudded with clouds and there was intermittent lightning all of which added to the tense moments the King was undergoing at that moment.   And then, the time arrived when the King found the sage sitting in that same elevated stone a couple of months ago! He felt relieved to see Pariketu and hurried towards him. The King fell at his feet and the sage not only helped him to get up but also embraced him! Thereby the sage escorted the King to his seat on the raised stone and made Mahirat sit by his side. Although the King was taken aback by this hospitability, he observed that the sage was looking quite downcast and worried. Was this an ominous sign, he wondered?

“I am glad to see you, Maharaj. I must compliment you for the conscientious manner in which you have conducted yourself in these two months. I am sure that you must be eager to rid yourself of this curse. Isn’t it?”

“Certainly, O Sage!” the King replied with folded palms.

“Before I tell you about your next move, I want to acquaint you of something you should know.”

As the King listened intently, the sage began, “As you must be aware, your Queen Mandira is my disciple. One day when she was playing with her other friends near the ashram pond, one of them accidentally slipped and fell into the water. As the victim did not know swimming, she started drowning and called for help. While the others watched the unfolding tragedy perplexed, it was Mandira who showed presence of mind by jumping into the pond and saving her life. Later when I learnt about her act of bravery I was so pleased that I offered her any boon she desired. She shied away from asking anything then. I told her if at all she ever desired to have a boon anytime in her life, she could just invoke me in her mind and seek her boon. Her wish will reach me and I will grant it to her.

That eventful evening when I cursed you, O King, you implored me to spare a thought for your Queen. Incidentally, at that time Mandira invoked me in her mind and asked me her boon! She wanted me to reform you and give her back, her once noble and faithful husband.   I was in a terrible dilemma! In my anger, I had cursed the very person who was to benefit from the Queen’s boon! I even forgot that you were the husband of one of my most favourite pupil! At that juncture, I had only two objectives in mind. One was to somehow get the means to release you from this curse and secondly to minimize its impact on you as long as it lasted. That was the reason I gave you those relaxations from the curse which was well within my reach. As I knew that achieving the first objective would be time-consuming, I fixed the period of the curse for a minimum two months. After you departed, using my powers I peeped into your future and discovered that my curse would help in bringing about the change in you that Mandira desired from her boon. However, it would be unfair if the Queen was not able to herself witness the change in you that is not possible as long as you are encompassed by this curse. Thus, O King, I hope you realize as to why it is all the more important that you get liberation from this curse.”

Mahirat nodded in understanding. He began to get this strange feeling that the sage was trying to inculcate in him the necessity to get rid of his curse as if he already did not have the urge himself! The sage, then, continued, “Later, I spent my time in meditation to find out some ruse wherein I can achieve this objective and it was only yesterday I got the solution!”

“What is it, O Sage?” The King asked eagerly.

“Before I tell you about it, you must promise me that you will do as per my bidding.” The sage intoned.

“If what you ask is within my limits to deliver, I will surely do your bidding.” The King replied cautiously.

“Please promise me, Maharaj!” the sage insisted.

“O Sage, it would be highly improper if after giving you a promise I am not able to fulfill it. I can only assure you that if it is within my jurisdiction, I will leave no stone unturned to do your bidding.” The King maintained.

Pariketu knew that he could not make the King give him the promise he wanted. Still, he continued, “Both me and my guru Punyaarti enjoy the power to communicate through the mind. Yesterday when I was meditating, he communicated with me through this mode. He reprimanded me for losing my temper so intemperately that evening despite being a sage. He gave me a mantra by which I can take your curse on me provided you permit me to do so!”

Mahirat was shocked to hear this. “You mean that while I would regain my normal self, you would become invisible?”

The sage agreed. “There is no other option, O King. As long as you are alive the impact of this curse cannot be obliterated although its victim can change by virtue of this mantra. Believe me when I say that my life is not going to turn upside down if I get under the spell of your curse. I can do mediation in peace and continue to survive on simple food. My disciples are there to spread among the people all the knowledge I have gained. If you still hold me in some respect, please allow me to take your curse on me!”

The King folded his palms before the sage, “That I hold you in high respect were never in question. Even on that day when I insulted you, I had deep veneration for you. It was only my arrogance which killed my sense of reasoning and I misbehaved with you. After re-kindling noble qualities in me, you should not expect me to agree to this, O Sage! If I can successfully spend two months of my life under this curse, I can certainly spend even the rest of my life with this curse as my companion! As for the Queen, please tell her that her boon has been granted. So what if she is not able to personally witness the change in me? She will feel proud when she realizes that her divine force is none other than me. She will learn to survive with this reality sooner or later. O Sage, I am sorry if I am once again hurting you but I cannot fulfill your wish. Please pardon me.” So saying, the King touched the feet of the sage and moved away from there. Pariketu looked at him helpless and speechless.