Shiva turned to the chief Vasudev. ‘I was thinking that the primary source of Evil is human greed. It’s our greed to extract more and more from Good that turns it into Evil. Wouldn’t it be better if this was controlled at the source itself? Can we really expect humans to not be greedy? How many of us would be willing to control our desire to live for two hundred years? The dominance of the Somras over many thousands of years has admittedly done both Good and Evil, but it will soon perish for all practical purposes. Isn’t it fair to say then that it has served no purpose in the larger scheme of things? Perhaps it would have been better had the Somras not been invented. Why embark on a journey when you know that the destination takes you back to exactly where you began?’

‘Are there any journeys which do not take you back to where you began?’

Shiva frowned. ‘Of course there are.’

Gopal shook his head. ‘If you aren’t back to where you began, all it means is that the journey isn’t over. Maybe it will take one lifetime. Maybe many. But you will end your journey exactly where you began. That is the nature of life. Even the universe will end its journey exactly where it began – in an infinitesimal black hole of absolute death. And on the other side of that death, life will begin once again in a massive big bang. And so it will continue in a never-ending cycle.’

‘So what’s the point of it all?’

‘But that is the biggest folly, great Neelkanth; to think that we are on this path in order to get somewhere.’

‘Aren’t we?’

‘No. The purpose is not the destination but the journey itself. Only those who understand this simple truth can experience true happiness.’

‘So are you saying that the destination, even purpose, does not matter? That the Somras had to just experience all this; to create so much Good for millennia and then to descend into creating Evil in equal measure. And then to have a Neelkanth rise who would end its journey. If one believes this, then in the larger scheme of things, the Somras has achieved nothing.’

‘Let me try to put it another way. I’m sure you’re aware of how it rains in India, right?’

‘Of course I am. One of your scientists had explained it to me. I believe the sun heats the waters of the sea, making it rise in the form of gas. Large masses of this water vapour coalesce into clouds, which are then blown over land by monsoon winds. These clouds rise when they hit the mountains, thus precipitating as rain.’

‘Perfect. But you have only covered half the journey. What happens after the water has rained upon us?’

Shiva’s knowing smile suggested that he was beginning to follow.