C15 The Mansion

The next day, Sri Latha decided to go round the mansion. She wanted to start from the sixth floor and go down to the ground floor. She was waiting for Sarala who was to be her guide. She had chosen a green chudidar with a matching dupatta. It was comfortable yet flexible enough to move freely and looked dignified too. As the heir, she didn’t want any of the staff or other guests who she might come across to point a finger at the professor’s choice.

As she waited, she pondered over the entrances to the rooms on her floor. There were ten rooms on this floor and each room seemed to indicate one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu. She had read that each of the Ten Avatars indicated the sequence of evolution of life on planet earth.

The first form of life had evolved in water which was indicated by the Matsyavatara – a fish – which dwelled in water. Though appropriate legends were in vogue as to why Lord Vishnu had to take the form of a Matsya or fish, she had read that the main intention of the ancient rishis or Scientist sages was to impart knowledge to the masses. Unfortunately the scientific knowledge got lost in religious fervour.

The second avatar was Kurmavatar – the Turtle. Legend has it that when the Suras and Asuras were churning the ocean for Amrutham – the exlixir that gave immortality, using Mount Mandara as the stick and the serpent Vasuki as the rope, Mount Mandara was slipping away and so Lord Vishnu took the form of a Kurma or turtle and took the Mountain on his back. The scientific explanation was that life evolved from a water dwelling organism to an amphibious life that could survive both in water as well as on land.

The third Avatar – The Varahavataram – a Wild Boar, indicated transition from an amphibious life form to that of a land-dwelling organism. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu took this form to rescue the earth from the seas and to restore it to her rightful place in the universe.

The fourth Avatar was the Nrusimhavataram – Half man, half lion. As per the legend, Lord Vishnu had taken this form to kill the demon Hiranyakashipu who had a boon that he couldn’t be killed by humans or animals, inside or outside a house, in the sky or on the land, during the day or in the night, or by weapons – divine or normal. Lord Vishnu had fulfilled all these conditions by killing the demon during dusk on the threshold of the house at dusk using his laws as weapons taking the form of Nrusimha who was half lion and half human. The scientific explanation was that this avatar indicated the next level of evolution of life from pure animal form to semi-human form.

The fifth Avatar – the Vamana – was the first human form. Lord Vishnu had taken this form to teach a lesson to King Mahabali who was known for his charity. Lord Vishnu had taken the form of Vamana – a dwarf man. He asked for three paces of land which King Bali granted despite opposition from his guru Shukracharya. Vamana then grew to a huge giant covering the heavens and the seas in two steps. Unable to offer the third pace, King Bali showed Vamana his head. Now the science behind this is that Vamana avatar indicates the transition of life from a semi-human form to a fully human form.

The sixth avatar was Lord Parasurama, son of Rishi Jamadagni, who was bestowed with a divine axe as his weapon. He is considered an immortal. The scientific explanation is that this avatar indicates the first fully developed human form. The next four avatars namely Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki were all human avatars and indicated various levels of development in humans.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” The door opened and Sarala came in dressed in a cream coloured saree. She looked very homely yet dignified in her outfit.

“Ma’am, shall we start the tour of the house?”

“Yes, whenever you are ready.”

“Please follow me.”

Both ladies walked the corridor to the stairs at the far end which gave them the chance to see each room clearly. They went into the first room that transported you to an Aquatic world. Everything in this room indicated a marine life. Sri Latha was attracted by the painting in the far corner of the room.

This painting had been split into two parts; the first part showed the story of Matsya avataram. The second part showed the life cycle of a fish in particular and the evolution of a single celled organism into a multi-cellular organism. She was really impressed that one could teach so much using a little creativity. If this room was an indication to what was to follow, she knew she would find the ten avatars on this floor – one room dedicated to one avatar with all the religious and scientific knowledge behind that avatar.

“Wow! This is so amazing! There is so much to learn in this room! I never imagined history, religion and science could be blended so beautifully in a single room. Very impressive.” She couldn’t hold back her praise which made Sarala beam with pride and pleasure.

They completed the inspection of all the ten equally spectacular rooms on that floor which had only one occupant – Sri Latha. It was a bit disappointing to find that she would be alone on this floor. But, did it really matter? She didn’t have many friends who she could rely upon with total faith. At least she had a wonderful place that could stimulate her brain.

They had to rest a bit and refresh themselves with snacks and tea that was delightful. Everything in this mansion seemed to be so divinely exquisite in taste, decor and well.... creativity. It offered a wealth of knowledge even to the illiterate. Why did anyone need to be literate if you could learn so much just by watching the vast knowledge depicted on the walls of each room? One had to be really blessed to be here.

“Are there names for each floor?” Sri Latha was sure that there would be something to indicate the theme of each floor.

“Yes, ma’am. The seventh floor is called The Heavenly Abode. It is reserved for the lord of the House. The Sixth floor is known as The Dasavataram depicting the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu as you have seen. This floor is for the immediate family and heirs of the Lord of the house. The fifth floor that we will see next is named Shakthi peetham.”

“Wonderful! Don’t tell me the fifth floor has 18 rooms!” Sri Latha squealed in excitement when Sarala nodded in confirmation. “Yaaaayyyyyy! What a piece of luck! Now, I will be able to know about the Ashtadasa Shakthi Peethams.” She almost ran down the stairs to the fifth floor in her excitement prompting a look of anxiety and concern on the older woman’s face. She was afraid Latha would fall down the stairs and hurt herself. She followed the excited woman as fast as she could.

The floor had an ornate arch at the beginning of the staircase. “Please leave your footwear here ma’am.” Sarala said. “Footwear is not allowed in the fifth and fourth floors.” Sri Latha nodded, removing the heel less shoes she had chosen to wear.

“Makes sense, considering how holy these shrines are.” She went up the stairs with her hands folded as if she were visiting the Shakthi peethams. She had been told that it was the presence of the shakthi peethams and the jyotirlingas that was keeping Bharat safe and prosperous. She was excited to see why these peethams were so famous and what made them so powerful.

Her expectations shattered as soon as she entered the first room on this floor. She had expected to see a shakthi peetham or at least a Puja mandap in the room. But the room was totally bare devoid of any kind of furniture. She stood stunned unable to believe what she saw.

She heard footsteps and turned back to see Sarala enter.

“Why is this room bare?”

“It has always been that way ma’am.”

“But why?”

“Ma’am, installing a Shakthi peetham is not a joke. It requires a lot of rituals and regular puja as defined in the Vedas. Any deviation or neglect can result in total disaster. Besides no house can have all the Shakthi peethams in it. It is impossible.”

Sri Latha looked around and saw that these rooms were also painted beautifully depicting the origin and history of the Shakthi peethams. She read the shloka written by Shri Adi Shankaracharya in praise of the 18 Shakthi peethams:

Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure

Pradyumne Shrinkhala Devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane ॥

Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika

Kolha pure Maha Lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika ॥

Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika

Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike ॥

Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari

Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika ॥

Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati

Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham ॥

Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatru vinashanam

Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham ॥

She folded her palms in devotion to the deities. She needed the professor to decipher the sloka. She was sure that there was more to these places than met the eye. She could not believe that these peethams were just places of religious importance. Though the room depicted the history of each peetham in explicit detail, there was no scientific explanation at all. Was it done intentionally or was there no science behind it?

She visited all the rooms on that floor hoping to find some sort of explanation that could answer the doubts buzzing through her mind. She needed to consult the professor on this. He was the only one who could give a proper answer. She decided to confront him as soon as she could.

The last room led to another staircase to the fourth floor. “Can’t we go back?” she asked Sarala.

“No ma’am. This is the only way to the fourth floor. It is a structural design.”

“Who would design a one-way path from the fifth floor to the fourth floor? It’s crazy!”

Nevertheless, she followed Sarala who led her through a narrow staircase that shook with each step they took. It seemed that it would collapse any minute due to the sheer weight of both the women.

“Don’t worry ma’am.”

“Don’t worry? Are you crazy? Look how it’s shaking! If we fall, we would be bedridden for a fortnight with broken bones.”

“Trust me ma’am. This staircase has been like this since I joined this household as a housekeeper. I am the oldest serving member of this house and know this house like the back of my palm. This staircase is a lot sturdier that it appears.”

The words had no effect on Sri Latha as she nervously climbed down the shaking staircase. She even started praying to all the gods she could think of to keep her safe. She didn’t want to be injured on the first day of her stay.

The fourth floor had another majestic arch that proclaimed – “Dwadasa Jyothirlinga Vaisisthyam – the importance of the 12 Jyotirlingas”. Her experience on the fifth floor had prepared her better but she still was blown away by the intricate art on display. Each room inspired not only devotion but also amazed the viewer by the care taken to depict each minute detail skilfully. It was an artist’s paradise where nothing but the art remained.

“Why are there no names of the painters and sculptors on these two floors?” she asked. “Don’t they want their art to be recognised in this era of patents?”

“No ma’am. They chose to remain unknown glad to have their art survive millions of years. It’s the epitome of humility and devotion to their art ma’am.”

“It’s mind-blowing. How can such geniuses of art not want fame and recognition?” she shook her head in disbelief and decided to return to her room. She needed some alone time to digest what she had just seen.

“Why would a professor who did not believe in prayer and devotion to god, build a house like this?” she thought as she lay on her bed. “Why? What would he gain by this? He himself has said in many of his lectures that he is a sworn atheist. Was that a lie to mislead the public?”

Sri Latha closed her eyes. The professor or her so called uncle seemed to be as mysterious as the house. Why had he brought her here? What purpose did she serve in his scheme of things.

She fell asleep with these thoughts into a tired sleep. The emotional rollercoaster involving the trip to the fifth and fourth floors had tired her more than she thought was possible.

The next day she resumed her tour of the house. Sarala accompanied her again to the third floor that seemed as normal as a carpet. There was nothing special on this floor to remember or anything that resembled refined art. It was plain, simple and austere beyond comprehension. The rooms were furnished – barely.

“Is this a mad house?” she thought. “Which moron designs a house like this? There is not a single occupant in any of the rooms on this floor and yet these rooms are furnished. I will go mad if I have to go through rooms like this.” She turned towards Sarala who was keeping a respectful silence through her tirade. “Is the rest of the building as crazy as this?”

“No ma’am. The servants’ quarters are quite comfortable, well designed and perfectly normal.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Why does this wing look like it was designed by a madman?”

“I – don’t know ma’am. I assumed it was because it housed the Master and his family.”

Sri Latha didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She could understand the desire to be different. But being different to the point of insanity? That was too much! She slunk into one of the sofas unable to take it all and was immediately engulfed in a thick cloud of dust. She ran out the room coughing and sneezing violently.

“I am so sorry ma’am. So, sorry! Please forgive me.” Sarala was in tears as she helped clear the dust and restore her charge to normalcy. She was shaking like a leaf as she helped Sri Latha catch her breath and calm down.

The older woman was nowhere near calm and collected. She appeared extremely agitated and terrified as she apologised again and again profusely that again shocked Sri Latha.

“Why are you so terrified? It was I who decided to sit on that sofa. How could you have known I would do that? It’s okay. It’s not your mistake.”

“I should have told you that these rooms have not been cleaned for the past 325 years. Please, master. Forgive this mistake of mine.” She rattled off kneeling down on her knees and pleading to the invisible master.

Sri Latha wondered what the professor did to make his staff cower in terror at the slightest mistake. Was he such a tyrant that his staff lived in constant fear of getting punished? If he was such a monster, why was he so soft with her? Why did he treat her like a princess? What did he gain by that? And if he was a dictator terrifying his servants, why did they say she was in the safest place in the empire?

Had she made a mistake coming here? What would happen to her? What was this new research job the spoke of? What was he going to do with her? Was she really as safe as the staff said? Should she try to escape?

She caught her head with both hands in despair.