CHAPTER 20

Attack on Mandar

‘How are you, my friend?’
‘What the hell am I doing here?’ asked a starded Shiva.
He found himself sitting in the Brahma temple in Meru. Sitting in front of him was the Pandit
whom he had met during his first visit to Meru, many months back.
‘You called me here,’ said the Pandit smiling.
‘But how and when did I get here?’ asked Shiva, astounded.
‘As soon as you went to sleep,’ replied the Pandit. ‘This is a dream.’
‘I’ll be damned!’
‘Why do you swear so much?’ asked the Pandit frowning.
‘I only swear when the occasion demands,’ grinned Shiva. ‘And what’s wrong with
swearing?’
‘Well, I think it reflects poor manners. It shows, perhaps, a slight deficiency in character.’
‘On the contrary, I think it shows tremendous character. It shows you have the strength and
passion to speak your mind.’
The Pandit guffawed, shaking his head slightiy.
‘In any case,’ continued Shiva. ‘Since you are here, why don’t you tell me what your people
are called? I was promised I would be told the next time I met one of you.’
‘But you haven’t met one of us again. This is a dream. I can only tell you what you already
know,’ said the Pandit, smiling mysteriously. ‘Or something that already exists in your
consciousness that you haven’t chosen to listen to as yet.’
‘So that’s what this is about! You are here to help me find something I already know!’
‘Yes,’ said the Pandit, his smile growing more enigmatic.
‘Well, what is it that we are supposed to talk about?’
‘The colour of that leaf,’ beamed the Pandit, pointing towards the many trees that could be
seen from the temple, through its ostentatiously carved pillars.
‘The colour of that leaf?!’
‘Yes.’
Frowning strongly, Shiva sighed, ‘Why, in the name of the Holy Lake, is the colour of that
leaf important?’
‘Many times a good conversational journey to find knowledge makes attaining it that much
more satisfying,’ said the Pandit. ‘And more importantly, it helps you understand the context of
the knowledge much more easily.’
‘Context of the knowledge?’
‘Yes. All knowledge has its context. Unless you know the context, you may not understand
the point.’