The Krishna Love (Wattpad India Awards Winner)

Chapter 57 - Breaking Labyrinth

"Why did you allow him to participate in that debate competition?" Gopal, a fellow monk and Braja's best friend snapped. "How long has he been practicing spirituality? One year? Two years? Not even a full year!"

"You know I don't go about ordering anyone around," Braja said, he wasn't looking in the eyes of his friend but the floor.

"But this time you should've!" Gopal raised his forefinger along with his voice. "We have no idea what the boy could say, he can mess up or worst become deluded."

Braja parted his lips to speak but stopped when a young boy came running. "Braja! Braja!" The young boy, Omkar, stopped running when he reached the monk and put his hands on his knees, wheezing and spluttering.

Braja sprang up and held the boy with shoulders. "What happened, Omkar?"

Omkar stuck out his cellphone at Braja, it was streaming live telecast of debate competition held in Manor Hall. The brown pupil of Braja's eyes reduced in size to focus on the bright video. "Give it to me," he said and sat on the ground. Gopal and Omkar bent on their knees and leaned forward to watch the video over Braja's shoulder.

"Oh Krishna," Gopal exclaimed, "Sid is face to face with that shrewd doctor. Please help him, Lord."

Braja didn't say anything, somewhere within in his heart he trusted Sid. With a grave look, three of them kept on watching the video.

*****

Sid stared back into the penetrating look of Dr Nayak, the boy didn't blink and stood tall. Their eyes were already debating with each other; however, not a single word came out for verbal battle.

The audience felt their tummy couldn't hold the excitement. Not everyone, however, kept the same enthusiasm. The fans of invincible three couldn't stay saints, half of them began to say chaff.

"Now a kid will save them from the hall of shame," someone scoffed with a burst of laughter.

"He's just a boy." "Go home, kid, mama's waiting!" "It's not a child's play, off you go."

All this slander didn't sunder Sid's confidence, but a lingering rage formed in his heart which he nipped it in the bud. His gaze, however, couldn't resist from falling on boohooers, some presented him with a press-lipped smile; a few sported cold look, their nostrils wheezed during the exchange of glances. The boy could tell they stored nothing but contempt for him.

"Kid, I must say you have commendable courage," Dr Nayak, at last, broke the silence which felt like an eternity. A grave but confident look plastered on Sid's face. "So what do you have to say?"

"Oh!" Sid felt a burning desire to share his journey. His eyes professed naivety of his heart. "I follow the teachings of Lord Krishna, you see. I was having my journ-"

"Which means," the doctor interrupted by sticking out his palm at Sid. "You are going against Shrutis, the direct word of God, as I explained earlier."

The doctor went on to quote several verses from Shrutis.

"They know Me as the unborn, not begotten, without beginning. The Supreme Lord of the worlds." [Yajurveda 32:5:3]

"He cannot be seen, neither above, nor across, nor in the middle. He is beyond grasp. No image is true to His form." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]

"His form is not visible. The eyes cannot see Him." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]

"God has no parents or Lord." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]

Sid skipped a beat, it was as if his life-giving organ constricted with fear. This one almost got me, he thought, that's a heck of an argument one wrong move, and I'm trapped. His fingers came in contact with his palm, and it was already sweaty.