Chapter 24: chapter 24

The Legend of the Brahma RakshasaOnce upon a time, in a village near Ratnagiri, a boy called Shambhu lived with his parents and blind grandmother, Rakhmabai.Shambhu’s parents would work on the farm all day. While his parents were gone, Rakhmabai took care of Shambhu. Although blind, Rakhmabai was an intelligent old woman.It was said that a strange thing happened in the villages in that area. On a dark new moon night, every quarter of the year, the rakshasa Tadasur would arrive hollering, whirling and stamping outside a house and demand that the family hand over all its rations, farm produce, money and jewellery to him.If the family were too poor, Tadasur would storm into the house, snatch the kids and take them to his lair to eat up. Many poor residents in these villages had lost their kids to Tadasur.Once, Shambhu’s parents were to travel for some work before a new moon night. They were worried that Tadasur would land up at their place when Shambhu and his grandma would be alone and defenceless at home.‘Why are you worrying? We will be fine. I am blind, but I have dealt with Tadasur many times before,’ Rakhmabai assured her son.‘I am worried that if Tadasur arrives at our doorstep, he may not find your offering sufficient. He may take Shambhu away. So please don’t try any smart moves. Just give him whatever he wants and let him go,’ Shambhu’s father told Rakhmabai before he left.Shambhu had pretended to be brave in front of his parents, but he was secretly petrified. Rakhmabai, meanwhile, had plans. She wanted to get rid of Tadasur once and for all, with help from Shambhu.She told her grandson, ‘Remember, the devil only pursues the most fearful one. But if you are brave and help me, I assure you Tadasur will never trouble anyone in this village again.’‘How will you do that, Aaji?’ asked Shambhu, scared but excited.‘Leave it to me. Just follow my instructions,’ said Rakhmabai.First, she made Shambhu go out and ask the village chief for his bullhorn or bhopu and then collect bamboo sticks, metal pots, red paint, drumstick vegetables left in the sun to dry, rakes and shovels, and some old clothes. When Shambhu returned with the stuff, she gathered it all up, tinkered around in the loft and made a few scarecrows. The old woman separated the head of a rake from its wooden handle. She splattered red paint on the floor and walls of the loft and even drew some bloody footprints. Then she came down, turned off the lights in the house and taught Shambhu how to burn oil lamps at sunset.They ate their dinner by the oil lamp and waited for Tadasur. Rakhmabai knew that Tadasur would first come to a dark house to loot it.Soon there was a whirlwind. Shambhu heard a loud rumbling sound. Slow, loud, sure footsteps followed. As the sound became louder, Shambhu and Rakhmabai realised Tadasur was about to visit them.Rakhmabai quickly took Shambhu’s hand, and the two rushed to the loft upstairs. The oil lamp at the back of the loft made their shadows look large, crooked and looming on the wall and ceiling above the staircase.Tadasur was at the doorstep now, but he could see shadows lurking around.‘Saavdhan, saavdhan (beware, beware)! Tadasur is here. Saavdhan.Hand over your valuables now or give me your kids in daan [charity]!’When no one replied, he repeated his demand louder.‘Accede to my demand. Else I will step in and ransack the house,’ Tadasur warned angrily.Shambhu started banging a big round metal plate. Rakhmabai picked up the bullhorn, stood in the soft pool of light in the loft and hollered loudly:‘Who dares to challenge the Brahma Rakshasa?Think twice before you take a step up these stairs.The residents of this house lie in my stomach.Turn away now unless you also want to be eaten up!’From the doorway, Tadasur could see the long shadow of a strange creature flickering on the wall. He stood up a little straighter.‘I am the great Tadasur, who has come to devour this village. Stand in my way at your peril,’ he warned and stepped into the house.Rakhmabai hid behind a wall and waved a scarecrow in the light while Shambhu pretended to scream in pain. The shadows made it look like the scarecrow was torturing a human child.‘I am the Brahma Rakshasa, the most powerful of all rakshasas. I am indestructible. You are interrupting my meal of four humans. I wouldn’t mind eating a rakshasa, too,’ said Rakhmabai in her loudest voice.Tadasur took a step forward. He could now see splotches of blood and footprints all over the room. He had heard of the Brahma Rakshasa but was seeing one for the first time.He challenged, ‘How do I believe you? Come and fight me.’‘I dare you to come up,’ said Rakhmabai. ‘But here, this is my finger and some of my teeth. Maybe you’ll think twice about challenging me when you see them.’ She flung a dry drumstick and then dipped the head of the rake (which she had removed from its wooden handle earlier) in red paint and sent it rattling down the staircase.Tadasur was shocked to see such a big scaly green finger. Then came a set of sharp bloody teeth. He took a step back.‘How will you eat those humans you have there if you have no teeth?’ he demanded.‘I have a thousand teeth, and I feel no pain. You are very disobedient. If you choose not to run away this instant, prepare instead to get crushed under my feet,’ Rakhmabai bellowed while jumping and swaying in front of the light, gesturing as if she were eating Shambhu.They quickly sent a few large metal pots tumbling down the stairs. That was followed by the wooden handles of the rake and shovels, which looked like human bones.Tadasur saw the large, shapeless shadow swaying wildly on the wall amid the cacophony and decided to retreat before it was too late. He didn’t want to test the strength and anger of the Brahma Rakshasa.As he took off hastily, Rakhmabai roared, ‘Do not return in a hundred years. I will be the master of this area from now on.’Tadasur whirled away, never to look back. Shambhu realised that his grandmother was right. The devil only pursues the most fearful one.