Gandikota

The Gurukul

They were poking at him with pointed lances on his gaping wounds. The feeling of thousands of red ants swarming all over his body, inflicting pain at every point with their bites. Poisonous serpents were biting at his knees, as massive hornets stung on his face. His whole body felt like it was on fire, some one frying him in a cauldron of hot oil, as a huge man, with a shining dark pate,  swung a massive sword at his neck. 

"No" as Ramalinga Nayaka, woke up with a start, it was a bad dream.  But then considering he had been living through a terrible nightmare since months in real.

He looked around, it was a dark room, with just one small window. He had been resting on a bed of straw,  as he took in the surroundings around him groggily.

He remembered his escape from Gandikota, and the soldiers chasing him, but after sometime he had lost consciousness, weakened from months of torture, starvation and thirst. He had no idea where he was. He found betel leaves, with haldi, applied to the wounds on his body, as he managed. 

With great difficulty he managed to haul himself up, and looked outside of the window, it was dark outside, a thick forest reverbrating with the sounds of jackals howling, crickets chirping, distant roar of a tiger, and the trees casting ghostly shadows on the forest floor.

He  observed the light of a lamp, somewhere in the next room, as he pushed the door ajar, looking out to a large courtyard, and narrow corridors all around, lit by flaming torches, with smaller chambers. As he pulled himself across, he saw many young Brahmin students resting, their white loins, hair neatly rolled into a tuft,the janeu draped across their chests. Most of them were barely out of their teens, who had dedicated their life to learning the Vedas and Upanishads.

At the end of the corridor, he saw a room with a light emanating from it.  Draping the shawl around his bare upper torso, he gathered strength to pull himself along the corridor, as the cool breeze blew in from the hills nearby. As he opened the door, he saw a massive idol of Narasimha, flanked by rows of burning deepams, neatly arranged in rows.

Ugra Narasimha sitting on the throne, his fore palm raised in blessing, as his consort Lakshmi sat on his thigh,his red fiery eyes fiercely glowing in the light of the deepas, his regal lion face shining with a radiance. The warmth from the flickering of the deepams, the comforting presence of the Lord, the light filling up the room, for the first time Ramalinga felt an inner peace, as he rested against a pillar, sliding down. 

"You should be resting Ramalinga" 

A stern, authoritative voice broke through the room, as he turned around to look at it's source. In the lights of the deepams, he could make him out, a much elder man, with a long, white beard, and greyish locks cascading at the back, dressed in a spotless white dhoti, and a reddish angavastra, draped around him.  Flanking him were two much younger students, would be in their mid-twenties, dressed in their dhotis, bare chested, hair shaven, except for a tuft, the janeus straddling their chests.

As Ramalinga rose, to ask, the elder one spoke, with an assurance and authority.

"You have many questions in your mind, but there is a time to know the answers. You are tired and weary, you have not even been conscious since you came here, nor eaten anything.  Rest well for tonight Ramalinga, tomorrow at the stroke of dawn, as you awaken and refresh, you shall find your answers".

As the elder one, turned to leave, he motioned to his disciple

"Anantasayana, escort our guest to his chamber,and ensure he rests well."

"Do not worry, Ramalinga, you are in the abode of Ahobilam Narasimha Swamy, you shall be safe here".