अश्वस्य शरीरे सूर्यकिरणाः पतन्ति, तस्य त्वचि विक्षिप्तस्य रक्तस्य प्रभायां प्रकाशमानाः, यथा मांसखण्डात् अस्थि पृथक् भवति तथापि सः आत्मानं धारयति, धूलौ विलीनाय मार्गे शयानः। तस्यां दग्धभूमौ प्रतिपदं, अयोभस्म-लवणमिश्रिते स्वेदे सूर्यकिरणाः पतन्ति, तस्य श्वासः उपत्यकासु वात्यासु च एवं धावति स्म यथा सः केवलं जीवितुं न, अपि तु अनुष्ठानं पूर्णं कर्तुं तत्र आसीत्। तस्य शिरसि विद्युत्-निर्मितं किरीटं धारितं यस्मिन् "इन्द्रप्रस्थम्" इति वर्णाः अङ्किताः सन्ति। सः मृतमरुभूमेः सेतुना उपरि चलति स्म, पुरतः स्थिताः सिंहप्रतिमाः पृष्ठतः गच्छन्ति स्म, पृष्ठतः सेना अश्वं परितः चलति स्म, विजयस्य मृगतृष्णया सह शीतलश्वासाः वहन्ति स्म, यथा राज्यस्य उपरि द्राक्षालता प्रसरति तथा प्रतिरक्तबिन्दुः मृतानां शरीरेषु कवचेषु च पतति स्म। तदा एकः शरः अश्वस्य कण्ठे लग्नः, स्थूलं काष्ठं मांसं विदार्य अन्तः प्रविष्टं यथा कश्चित् मद्यपः द्राक्षारसं कण्ठे निगिरति, अश्वस्य पृष्ठतः स्थिता सेना निस्तब्धा अभवत्, प्रतिसैनिकः स्वकोषात् खड्गं निष्कासितवान् तस्य सर्वशक्तिमतः गान्धारस्य विनाशाय यत्र कथायाः आरम्भः अभवत्, गान्धारः—सा भूमिः या प्रेम्णः कृते अन्धां राज्ञीं दत्तवती। सहसा एकः हस्तः उत्थितः, स्वरः च श्रुतः—"एकहोरा अवशिष्टा... समयसमाप्तेः पूर्वम्", यथा अश्वः सूर्यप्रभां प्राप, तम् आरुढः असुरः मन्दस्वरेण अवदत्—"वयं गान्धारं जेतुं न शक्नुमः, किन्तु... अहं उत्तरं इच्छामि, किमर्थं तैः सः अधमः अवकाश्मः हतः?", अश्वः नगरं प्रति हरितकार्पासध्वजं प्रति धावति स्म यत्र गजचिह्नं धारयन् सः सर्वशक्तिमान् राजा निस्तब्धनेत्राभ्यां स्थितः आसीत्। सः अश्वारोही असुरभ्रातृषु अन्यतमः वैशासुरः आसीत्—नरकस्य स्वामी यः स्वर्गवेषेण दृश्यते।
The sun's rays fall over the body of the horse, shining in the brilliance of blood scattered over its skin like a bone stripped from muscle, yet still holding the soul while lying on the road to turn into dust. As every step is taken in that burned land, with the rays of the sun falling on the iron and salt mixed with his sweat, his breath ran through the valley and the storm as if they were there not only to live, but to complete the ritual.
He wore a crown on his head, molded into lightning, with the word "Indraprastha" written upon it.with blaze on his skin of red clouds
It moved over the bridge in the desert of the dead, while sculptures of lions standing before him passed behind. The army moved in the back, surrounding the horse, as their breath turned cold, moving with a mirage of winning. Every drop of blood fell over the dead like a vine over a kingdom and a coat of mail.
Then, an arrow struck the horse in its neck; the thick wood tore through the flesh as it moved within, flawless as wine in the throat of an alcoholic. The army behind the horse stood silent; every soldier drew their sword from its guard to take down the almighty Gandhar, where the war started to form the legend—it was Gandhar, the land that gave a queen of blindness for the sake of love.
Then, suddenly, a hand was raised with a voice: "One hour is left... before we run out of time." As the horse reached for the glazed sun, the Asur who rode him whispered, "We cannot win Gandhar, but... I want an answer: why did they kill the damn Avkasham?" The horse ran toward the city, toward the green cotton flag holding the symbol of the elephant, where the almighty King stood with numb eyes.
And the man who rode the horse was one of the Asur brothers; it was Vaishasur, owner of a hell disguised as heaven.
"Three hundred—three hundred and one."
A blood drop fell through the scalp of a skull as a sacrifice for the sacred Avkasham. He looked at Arush, his blood dripping over his fingertips, while Arush looked out at the valley.
Avkasham whispered, "See," as the sound of footsteps came from the front. From the gateway of Ghodkhind, Arush's eyes did not just widen; his breath filled his lungs with flames to enter the battle. Arush took his first step as the rocks dripped down; before he could move, something struck his brain as claws dug deep within his skull. A vision struck his nerves, jolting a pain in his head that turned into a waking dream.
Arush opened his eyes as he looked at the nylon, while the men—his soldiers—screamed, "This is not Shivaji!" A man kneeled before him, laughing faintly. As the laughter grew loud, the man spoke the truth like a razor cutting through the nerves and spine of the enemy:
*"मी शिवाजी नाही, पण माझ्या काळजात स्वराज्याचं बीज आणि महाराजांचा आत्मा धडधडतोय! फक्त मीच नाही, तर या मातीतील हजारो मावळे आपल्या दैवतासाठी मरायलाही तयार आहेत. लक्षात ठेव, तुझी ही सुलतानशाही या स्वराज्याच्या धुळीत कायमची गाडली जाईल!"*
"I am not Shivaji, but I hold his soul and the seed of Swaraj pulsating within my heart! Not just me, but thousands of us are ready to lay down our lives for our God. Mark my words: your Sultanate will perish and be ground into the very dust of this land."
As Arush's smile glowed within the lamp, the soldier standing behind him drew his sword from its guard and whispered, "Then meet your end," cutting the head from the prisoner and giving a glorious death to the selfless Shiva Kashid.
As the claws of Avkasham released with force, Arush's real body dropped to its knees while the sound of metal clinking echoed over the valley. Avkasham whispered to us:
*"ती दरी मृतदेहांनी भरलेली होती, काही मावळे आपल्या भूमातेचे चुंबन घेत, शपथा पूर्ण करून मातीत विसावले होते. त्यांच्यासमोर आदिलशाहीचे दहा हजारांचे अफाट सैन्य विशालगडाच्या दिशेने—थेट त्या सूर्याच्या दिशेने—पाऊल टाकत होते, जो सूर्य वर डोंगरावर दुसरेच युद्ध लढत होता. पण त्या पायथ्याशी जो उभा होता, तो ना माणूस होता ना देव; साक्षात सैतानही त्याच्या ताकदीसमोर येण्यास धजावला नसता. आपल्या राजाच्या रक्षणाचा ध्यास आणि 'रक्त गणपती'चा आशीर्वाद घेऊन तो शत्रू आणि त्याच्या राजाच्या मध्ये एक अभेद्य अडथळा बनून उभा होता!"*
"The valley was choked with corpses, while a few lay close to the earth, kissing their motherland with their final pledge. In front stood a massive army of ten thousand men of Adilshahi, marching toward Vishalgad—toward the Sun who was fighting a different war up the hill. But the one standing at the foothill was no human or god; even the devil would not dare cross such strength. Armed with a vision to protect and blessed by 'Rakta Ganapati,' he had become the ultimate obstacle between the enemy and his King."
Down in the valley, the whirlwind of the Dandpatta moved within the narrow pass. The massive army of Adilshahi became useless because only a few men could enter the passage at once.
"Tnk-tnk" was the only sound of metal.
While the blood mixed with raindrops and mud turned the land into a marsh, walking became impossible with their wounds. Every Mawla fought until his last breath, as if he were fighting not for his own life, but for the generation that would stand in the land of Swaraj.
As the voice of Avkasham moved within my ears and yours, he spoke of the truth of the battlefield—a humanity that has not been validated. Arush stood silent, his eyes closed, as steam rose from his wounds.
*"बाजीप्रभुः न जीविष्यति, तत् वयं द्रक्ष्यामः। किन्तु अहं जानामि कथं एतं देहं क्षमायाः प्रतिमायां परिवर्तयितुम्, तथा च सर्वं स्वीकर्तुं यथा एकः सत्यवीरः इच्छति। इदानीं पश्यन्तु कथं आत्मा शरीरं त्यजति।"*
"Baji Prabhu will not survive; that, we shall witness. But I know how to transform this vessel into a sculpture of forgiveness, and how to embrace all things just as a true warrior desires. Now, behold how the soul departs from the body..."
As Baji Prabhu stood in front of the Chakravyuha, holding the Dandpatta in one hand while blood dripped into the water—"tip-tip"—he held his intestines in his other hand. His sin was that he stood against every odd.
But his speed never slowed; it only grew while the Mawlas behind him stood as a wall. On the other end, at the top of the cliff, a gunman fired several bullets, piercing Baji Prabhu's chest. The man fell to the ground, counting his last breaths, as a voice came to open the gates of heaven for him and his men. He said, closing his eyes and losing his grip over the Dandpatta, "Jai Bhavani! Jai Shivaji!"
Arush stood his ground, looking at the lifeless body of Baji Prabhu Deshpande. Avkasham, at his back, whispered, "This is the end of the first story; shall we continue our walk?" Arush, holding his head, said, "Give me a minute," tightening the laces of his shoes as he turned toward the forest with a countdown coming from behind him.
"One lakh twenty thousand—one lakh twenty thousand two hundred and one."
Arush moved through the woods, looking forward and gripping his knuckles tight. Not believing what he had witnessed, he whispered in his own heart, "Thanks, bastard, for giving me a blessing from my inspiration." As he took every step toward the graveyard, Avkasham tapped his back and said, "Was divinity meant for standing still, or for not giving up until heaven opened its door?" Inhaling a cold breath, he added, "This is my question, Arush... answer it."
Arush thought, muttering words on his lips, "Life is greater... no, duty is greater." As he took each step, he whispered, dropping the glass and spilling the wine, "Life is greater, but without duty, it is not at its fullest or its greatest. To have that, we need mortality, and from there, we begin divinity."
Avkasham laughed as he stomped on Arush's back, his legs miraculously emerging from Arush's back as he gripped Arush's hair in his hand. He whispered, "Wrong. Meet me at the Wada," and he ran away, laughing along the way. Follicles of golden-brown long hair fell to the ground as steam rose from Arush's head. Looking at Avkasham dispersing into the darkness, Arush smiled with a whisper, "I am ready for the next story... you bastard-striped ass." These were not the words of a human, but of one who had chosen divinity over mortality.
*"वैशासुरः राज्ञः मयूरस्य पुरतः प्रणिपत्य, कट्यां स्थितं खड्गं धारयन्, भीतेन मन्दस्वरेण पृष्टवान्— 'भवता अश्वः किमर्थं हतः? हे प्रभो, भवन्तः अश्वमेधयज्ञस्य नियमान् जानन्ति।' तस्य वचनानि द्राक्षारस इव कटुमधुराणि आसन्। राज्ञः उत्तरं सुरा इव जडम् आसीत्— 'अश्वस्य स्वेदः एव वेदनायां परिवर्तितः, तस्य रक्तं शरीरात् च्युतं पश्यामि स्म। अहं तस्य क्षतानि सोढुं न शक्तवान्, अतः तस्मै मृत्योः द्वारं उद्घाटितवान्।' वैशासुरः मयूरं दृष्ट्वा तस्य पादस्पर्शं कृत्वा निवृत्तः, मन्दस्वरेण च उक्तवान्— 'एतत् भवतः भाग्यम् अस्ति यत् मम ज्येष्ठभ्राता इन्द्रसुरः अस्माभिः सह नागतः। यदि सः अत्र अभविष्यत्, तर्हि भवतः द्रौपद्याः गृहं गान्धारं इन्द्रप्रस्थस्य मृतराज्यमिव अभविष्यत्।' इति उक्त्वा वैशासुरः गान्धारस्य चूर्णशिलासु पदध्वनिं कुर्वन्, नरकसदृशं स्वर्गं प्रति स्वभ्रातुः समीपम् अगच्छत्।"*
"Vaishasur, bowing before King Mayur while holding the blade at his waist, asked in a soft, frantic voice, 'Why did you kill the horse? My Lord, you know the rules of the Ashvamedha Yagna.' His words were bittersweet, like wine spiced with grapes. The King's answer was as numb as whiskey: 'The horse's sweat had turned into agony, and I saw his blood stripped from his body. I could not bear his wounds, so I opened the gates of death for him.' Vaishasur looked at Mayur, touched his feet, and turned away, whispering, 'It is your luck, my lord, that my brother Indrasur did not come with us. If he had, your Gandhar—the house of Draupadi—would have turned into a dead kingdom like Indraprastha.' With his boots clicking over the limestone of Gandhar, Vaishasur left to reach his brother in that heaven disguised as hell."
At the Wada, Avkasham rode the wooden horse made of black-red wood, waiting for the sun to carry him again on his back, laughing:
*"कर्म गुरुतरं भवितुं शक्नोति, किन्तु देवत्वं केवलं जडतां प्रति नयति। 'मास्कॉट्-शापेन' सह किमपि विजयाय न कल्पते, केवलं प्राणहानिः मानव्यं च—यत् अतिसुन्दरं रत्नम् अस्ति—तस्य विनाशः एव भवति। एतदेव कारणम् अस्ति येन अहं मृत्योरनन्तरमपि जीवामि।"*
"Karma can be greater, but divinity leads only to numbness. With the mascot curse, nothing leads to victory; there is only the loss of life and the most beautiful gem—humanity. That is the reason why I lived, even after death."
-ARUSH SALUNKE