"My knowledge comes from the worn-out books you have seen in my personal library, which I collected when I traced our ancestors. All those books are written in the Language of Gods, generally used in rituals. Most of those books are in different scripts, making it almost impossible to understand them. But whatever I could understand gave me the knowledge and belief I have."
"But why did you trace our ancestors?" Shambhu asked with a puzzled look.
"Just like you, I also wanted to know the truth." Satya began reminiscing about his past. "My father, Kris, passed down the birth class system and some broken knowledge about Dharma and Karma. He told me that this knowledge was supposed to be passed down to future generations. But he couldn't give reasoning neither for the belief system nor for why to pass it to the next generation." Satya was speaking slowly as he was reminiscing about the past.
"Punda Mote and I were classmates in a school here in Prayag. We had the same beliefs then, and I was not planning to pass this knowledge to my children or anybody else. But my belief was shaken after a cruel accident." Satya's voice became heavy.
"After taking a proper oath of being a Seeker, I was on travels to preach Dharma. During my stay at a certain village, the village itself was attacked by some evil cultists in the night. When I opened my eyes from sleep, I saw flames on the far end of the village. Those cultists had slaughtered elders and people capable of fighting and then lit their houses on fire. They were approaching my side of the village. Then I saw people standing beside my quarters. They were in Protector's clothing, and they also had weapons. I urged them to save the villagers, but what they said was shocking. They said they were there to teach martial arts, so they were technically Seekers, and it was not their duty to protect and fight. At that moment, something clicked inside me." His voice was now laced with anger. "If classes are what you choose for yourselves, then humans will generally choose what is comfortable for them. Why didn't those people, who were clearly in Protector's clothing and knew fighting, fight? The answer was fear. They don't develop enough courage because they don't root their profession as their innate nature and duty which they must follow and fulfill. Rather they change their duties as they wish to fit their comfort."
"I ran away from there to save my life. Being a seeker, I did not learn how to fight in any way or form. It was after that incident that I learned unarmed combat arts. I couldn't learn any higher fighting forms or become a proper fighter because I was seeking the truth to ease my heart. But my real search was whether or not a seeker should, because I, who have lived a life of a seeker his whole life, wanted to fight and protect. And in those books, I found that answer. Finding out about our ancestry was an additional benefit of this quest."
Shambhu was listening seriously, and the term "evil cultists" had struck him. He asked out of curiosity, "Father, do we know who those evil cultists were and who they worship, if not God?"
Satya was pleased by his son's question. He answered with a smile, "Son, 500 years ago, after a great war, a renaissance happened. That was when some ancient texts were unearthed, and the current system of awakening and power came into existence. The books you have seen in my library are probably older than 500 years because the same things are not in the books available from that time. People again started worshipping God, seeing the power that came from the system brought forth by the unearthed texts. But along with good came bad too. Some cults formed, and they started worshipping some evil entities. Their forces are now in this kingdom too, working in secrecy. Whom I witnessed were the same forces. They don't just oppose Dharma; they do the opposite of whatever is propagated by Dharma."
"I understand," Shambhu nodded. "But if you were already sure that classes are decided from birth, then why did you let me choose?"
"Because our lineage is of Protector, not Seeker," Satya dropped the truth bomb without changing his expression.
"What?" Shambhu exclaimed with an open mouth and wide eyes.
"Yes. The truth is somewhere between now and 500 years ago, one of our ancestors chose to become a seeker, probably so that he would not have to fight. His cowardice got ourselves exiled from our community. But we are originally protectors by blood," Satya said nonchalantly.
"Then why didn't you tell me about this until now? I wouldn't have been so much troubled about my decision if I had known this," Shambhu asked, perplexed.
"Why did you choose to be a protector anyway?" Now Satya questioned.
"Well, I chose it according to my nature. I love martial arts more than books. I love to practice it more than I like to study. So I thought, why not just follow my instincts?" Shambhu said. "At least that's what went into my mind at that time. It was the first time I had any option of choosing, so I just went by instinct."
"And those instincts come from one's innate nature."
Now Satya started speaking, "Dharma is duty originated and aligned with innate nature. Just like water will put out fire even if it is hot, a protector would be compelled to protect if he has Protector's blood running in his veins. It compelled me the same way it did you, but for me, it came too late."
"Son, I have seen you grow up. Something about you was different than me: liking martial arts, learning them in just one demonstration, protecting others even after putting yourself at risk. These were the qualities, in addition to your physique, that indicated you having the nature of a protector," Satya was now explaining.
"But I had also seen people who chose to become Protector just to enjoy power, and this power corrupts them. I taught you Dharma to the core to instill in you what should be done and what should not. And to know Dharma, a Seeker's way is the best. I knew you would choose to be a protector the first chance you got. So I taught you what you should protect and what you should fight," Satya explained in the same calm manner a guide should.
"But what if I didn't choose to be a Protector?" Shambhu asked again.
"That was almost impossible. But in that scenario, I would tell you the truth at the right time and ask you to try to find a real Protector in our future generations," Satya said. "To revive our lineage, a person who is Protector from body, mind, and nature was needed. I think that's why this knowledge about classes was passed down in our family."
Satya took a pause and then spoke again, "And I will tell you about the Aapaat Dharma."
"What's that?" Shambhu asked.
"That's Dharma followed during an emergency. If an innocent life is at risk, one should protect it by doing whatever he possibly can is one of the examples of such Dharma. I will teach you about it in detail once we are at home." His voice again changed to that of slight angst. "Even if they were real Seekers, they shouldn't have abandoned their humanity in the name of Dharma. They wore a fake mask to hide their weakness and fear. But I would have taught you about it so that you can't use Dharma as an escape route by being a Seeker," Satya spoke.
Shambhu had gotten his answers. Now he had to come to peace with reality. But he asked a last question to be sure, "So, Father, are there other scenarios where Aapaat Dharma should be followed, or is this life-threatening situation the only one?"
"I like your curiosity, Son. I will teach you completely about it once we get back home. But now it's time to sleep. You know we have to go to the Eastern Zone tomorrow," Satya said with a laugh.
The lesson ended, and Shambhu was now in thoughts of how to become strong so that he could fulfill his duties. He had always fulfilled his duties, and now it was time to become a protector, a man who will stand for righteousness and DHARMA. For that, he needed to become much, much, much stronger than he was now. He went to bed thinking about what to do in the future, while Satya went to make preparations for the trip ahead, as they were planning to stay in Prayag, and the longer stay zone was the Eastern Zone.
The next morning, Shambhu's family was again in the hall, and Punda Mote was there too. Ananta was making some constipated faces, looking at him. It was clear he was trying to suppress his laugh. Shambhu noticed this and asked him, "What happened to you, little trouble?" He used to call his brother "little trouble" as he was just seven and too troublesome. The exact opposite of Shambhu, Ananta was as mischievous as Shambhu was sincere.
"Big bro, we are staying in this building for two days. You still didn't notice Punda Mote had just missed the chance of being a sphere," Ananta said with a face that seemed to say, "Why are you so slow?" "What do you mean?" asked Shambhu. Ananta replied with the same face, "Well, his height is about 5 feet, and his waist is about 60 inches. That is as symmetrical as a cylinder can be. But I was thinking, what if he was a dwarf? Just a few more inches short, he will become a rolling ball," Ananta said with a conclusive smile. Their mother spoke before anybody else got to listen to Ananta's mischievous thoughts "Then he will roll over you to make a chapati out of you. Now, shut up, he is coming towards us."
"When did you take his measurements?" murmured Shambhu with furrowed eyebrows.
"Who do I need to measure him? I have got a brain for such works. He is taller than me by just over a foot. And I just measured the couch he was sitting on in secret. I think you should also use the thing above your shoulders," Ananta said with a smirk.
"Ok, I will keep that in mind in the future, but let me give you a pat on the back for such great work," Shambhu said with a smile. Ananta hid behind his mother. That was his go-to move after annoying his brother to escape his wrath.
Punda Mote came to them and started talking to his friend, Satya. "Old friend, we met after a long time, but I was too busy. Sorry I couldn't give you enough time. But where are you going now?"
"We plan to stay here until the Aquas fair ends, so we are planning to move to the Eastern Zone, as that zone is designed for people who will stay for a relatively longer time," Satya explained.
Punda Mote prayed with a concerned look, "May God be with you." Satya asked with a questioning look, "Is there a problem?"
"I have heard that some dubious cults have come to this place this time. They might as well be here to increase their powers. As you know, occult practices are on the rise from the last two decades. We fear that there might be some seriously dangerous practices going on in secret," Punda Mote explained.
Hearing this, Shambhu's mother became tense. She asked her husband, "Do we really need to stay in Prayag and go to the Eastern Zone?" "Don't worry, dear. We will stay vigilant. Moreover, these are just suspicions, and I believe it will be good for us if we spend some time here, in this sacred land and at this auspicious time," Satya consoled her, then turned to Mote, "Thanks for warning us, friend. But I have to stay here as I have already booked the bus and a place to stay for us."
Punda Mote again said, "May God be with you," and they separated with last greetings. A bus was already at the gate of the building. The family boarded the bus, and it started moving silently.