‘The Brahmastra is the weapon of absolute destruction, my friend; a destroyer of cities and a mass-killer of men. When fired on some terrain, a giant mushroom cloud will rise, high enough to touch the heavens. Everyone and everything in the targeted place would be instantly vaporised. Beyond this inner circle of destruction will be those who are unfortunate enough to survive, for they will suffer for generations. The water in the land will be poisoned for decades. The land will be unusable for centuries; no crops will grow on it. This weapon doesn’t just kill once; it kills again and again, for centuries after it has been used.’

‘And people actually contemplate using a weapon such as this?’ asked a horrified Shiva. ‘Panditji, using such a dreadful weapon is against the laws of humanity.’

‘Precisely, great Neelkanth. A weapon like this can never actually be used. The mere knowledge that one’s enemy has this weapon, can strike terror in one’s heart. No matter what the odds, one will surrender; one cannot win against the Brahmastra.’

‘Do you think the Vayuputras will give this weapon to me? Or am I being too presumptuous? After all, I’m not one of them. They think I’m a fraud, don’t they?’

‘I can think of two reasons why they may help us. First, they have not tried to assassinate you, which they would have, had a majority of them believed that you were a fraud. Maybe a strong constituency amongst them still respects your uncle, Lord Manobhu.’

‘And the second?’

‘Lord Bhrigu used daivi astras in his attack on Panchavati. It was not the Brahmastra, but it was a daivi astra nevertheless. Even if it was fabricated from Lord Bhrigu’s own material, he broke Lord Rudra’s laws by actually using one. That, I suspect, would have turned the Vayuputras virulently against him. And an enemy’s enemy...’

‘...is a friend,’ said Shiva, completing Gopal’s statement. ‘But I’m not sure these are reasons enough.’

‘We don’t have any other choice, my friend.’

‘Perhaps... How do we get to the land of the Vayuputras?’

‘Pariha is at a substantial distance towards our west. We can march overland, through the great mountains, to get there. But that is risky and time consuming. The other option is to take the sea route. But we will have to wait for the Northeasterly winds.’

‘The Northeasterlies? But they begin only when the rains stop. We’ll have to wait for one or two months.’

‘Yes, we will have to.’