Dahana

3. The Second Test

"Checkmate," said Mahendra, moving his elephant forward. His opponent stared at the board, dumbfounded. He was in a travelling-house, a resting place on his journey. He had been playing chaturanga in a wide open room in the center of the place with a rich-looking man—the owner of the establishment.

"Bring out the money," said the man, resignedly, to an attendant.

"I don't need any money," replied Mahendra. "Just tell me if you've seen a woman around here. About this high, looks kind of like me?"

"What's the matter, boy? Your sister's eloped?"

"Just answer the question."

The man scratched his chin. "As a matter of fact, I have. I thought it as soon as you came in—you look exactly like her."

Mahendra slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. Some of the pieces on the board were knocked over. "You have?! Where did she go?"

"I have no idea, kid. I don't track where all my customers go. All I can say is, she came in with a suspicious looking man. Never thought they were eloping though."

"The man... he had a scar on his left cheek, looked thin, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks?"

"That's the one."

"That was a woman," said Mahendra, biting his cheek.

"A woman? I could've sworn..." the other man leaned his head back, as if to remember some detail he had forgotten.

He had asked around after that, but no one knew where they had gone. His last lead was a success, but it might as well have been another dead end. He was no closer to finding her now. That had been six months ago.

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"What are you daydreaming about?" asked Suryaketu, looking at Mahendra. The sound of his voice jolted Mahendra back to his senses. He only had to pass a few more tests, and he would be that much closer to fulfilling his promise.

All he had to do was solve a simple puzzle.

At the center of the clearing was the armored monkey, watching them with unkind eyes. He wore the gem around his neck, along with a rudraksha. There were five white circles drawn in the clearing, each equidistant from the central throne. Each of the five circles had a letter drawn in it—'ta', 'da', 'aa', 'a', and 'sa'. The question was written under the throne, before the feet of the monkey.

"What do I lack?" it asked.

The answer was simple, thought Mahendra. He headed over to the 'a' circle, and brushed off the dirt. There was no indication of what he should do next, so he drew his sword and prepared to bury it in the center of the circle.

"Wait!" called Suryaketu. "What are you doing?"

"The answer to the question," explained Mahendra, pointing at it. "It's asking what quality the monkey lacks. So, the five qualities of a righteous person are tapas, dana, arjavam, ahimsa, and satyavacana. That is, ascetism, charity, straightforwardness, nonviolence, and truthfulness. The monkey carries a rudraksha—something used to pray, which satisfies tapas. He wears expensive armor, but carries no extraneous jewelry, indicating that he has given it away, so dana is out. Being a beast, he is naturally straightforward. I think the same can be said for truthfulness. But, he is armed, so ahimsa, nonviolence, is out. So, I think it is the answer to the question."
The monkey watched him as he spoke. It seemed almost as if a smile played on his face. Mahendra wondered if monkeys even smile like humans. He buried the sword in the 'a' circle. Suddenly, a great light shot out from the throne into the ceiling, like a pillar of flames.