‘This will draw your limbs closer, aiding you to see the breath you inhale move towards every part of your body.’

I can definitely see my life move out of every part of my body. ‘How long, Acharya?’

‘Long? Did I not say it is a Sleeping Tortoise pose? You will sleep in this pose. Simple.’

Sleep in an asana? Nala could see why they called him the Mad Priest. She almost suspected he had gained the title ‘Bane of Ksharjas’ not for killing them, but for torturing them with yoga.

Seeing misery writ large on Nala’s face, Parshuram stopped. ‘See Nala, I could say your body is as stiff as that of a pig, but that would be offensive to pigs. So let me try this way. Tell me, what do you think is the singular goal of all the yoga disciplines you have learned?’

‘To be flexible?’ Nala ventured.

Parshuram took a deep breath and then exhaled softly to stop himself from beheading his pupil. ‘To learn the magic of the Chakras.’

‘Chakras?’

‘You think you will become a proficient apprentice on the strength of your looks? Activation of the chakras is essential to what we do, and for that you need to open your body and your mind. To be able to summon Dhyāna at will. Body, through the asanas I teach you. Mind, by solving the mandalas I give you.’

‘But Chakras have no power now. They are useless.’

Parshuram threw her a glance of disdain. ‘The use of Chakras for Elemental Binding was just a side effect of their activation.’

It seemed rather high handed to Nala that he termed the magic Mortals had used to defeat the Daevas a side effect.

‘Chakras are more a tool of self-discovery, to unlock the doors of our true potential. An average Mortal uses only a portion of his soul power in his entire lifetime. Chakras are the keys to unlocking the doors to higher levels of power. No Chakra, no Shadow Dancer.’

Nala nodded. She had studied Chakras as a history lesson, never as biology, though she had a faint idea of what the Acharya spoke of.

Parshuram’s cane touched the crown of her head. ‘The Thousand Petalled Chakra: The Crown,’ he said. ‘Violet invokes it. Your goal has to be to wangle the snake out of your spine against the force of gravity, to reach your crown. It stands for…’

‘I understand.’

The cane slid to the space between her eyes. ‘The Third Eye. Powerful. Indigo helps in its accentuation. Stands for: I see.’ He pressed the cane to Nala’s throat. ‘Which is this?’

‘The Space Chakra.’

‘Invoked by?’

‘Blue.’

‘Hm. It is the purest Chakra of the lot. I speak. Which Chakra is invoked with green?’

‘The Heart Chakra I Love.’

‘Which is the Jewel City?’

‘The Yellow Chakra. I mean, the Solar Plexus Chakra. Invoked with Yellow. I Do.’

‘Which Chakra activated in you when you saw the woodcutter chopping firewood?’