Novice

The sound of heavy footsteps in my room startled me. I had gone to sleep not before 2 a.m. My body was too tired to move itself. Before I could gather the strength to get up; the sound stopped. Thinking of it as my imagination, I decided to go back to sleep. After some time, I heard the same sound again. It was definitely not my imagination. I tried to get up and see where the sound came from.

Although I was now fully awake; I could not move my body. It seemed as if somebody had tightened me with a rope. The more I fought to free myself; the more it hurt my flesh. My eyelids seemed to be stuck together with the strongest glue available. I could not move my own body except for the heavy breathing.

“If you are done with your workout, maybe we could talk.” came a man’s flat, low voice. I stopped still from my efforts. Someone had entered my house, a thief perhaps. But then, why would a thief want to talk to me when he could easily rob my house?

“Now that’s better.” I heard a clicking sound. Although my eyes were closed, I could sense that he had turned on the lights.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked, trying to sound like I was not afraid.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I have come to meet you for a purpose, Mr. Novice!” he replied as if he could read my mind. There was something unique about his voice. His words were spoken at the same pitch, not revealing any kind of emotion.

“Untie me!” I shouted loudly.

“I can’t, Novice” he replied again in his same flat tone. “You need to do it on your own.”

I wondered why he was calling me a novice. I made one last effort to remove the grip of the ropes. But, to my amazement, I could not feel it around my body anymore. Quickly, I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying on the bed; untied.

I looked at the intruder sitting comfortably on the chair in front of my bed, smiling at me. I sat opposite the man and observed him. Probably in his late twenties, he had a lean figure; not well built but not too thin either. His height; just about the average height for men. He was wearing my favourite brand. A navy blue Van Heusen shirt on a matching brown chino. Grey coloured frameless spectacles added to his charm. Even at this hour, he was dressed as if he had come in for an interview. He looked familiar to me, but I could not recall where I had seen him before.

“Before you ask me; let me answer it. You were not tied at all; rather, you were bound by yourself. Your mind restricted you to be free, in the same manner as it has always been during your life.”

He was starting to get on my nerves. I did not have any time for any chit chat with an idiot. Yet, I tried to remain calm. “Pardon me, but I am unable to understand whatever you are trying to say and your purpose to enter my house at this hour in the night.”

“I am here to answer your questions, Novice.”

“What questions?” I shot back, barely controlling my anger now.

“Anything that you would want to know. But please do not ask me the reason for calling you ‘Novice’. I will answer that too; at the right time though.” He continued smiling as if enjoying my hatred for him.

“And what if you cannot answer my questions?”

“Then I will take your leave immediately.”

“What is your name?”

“Ah! You do not want to know that. Do you? It is not going to help you in any manner. Ask me something that you really want to know.”

I thought of throwing him out of my house. But his confidence impressed me and I tried to test him.

“What is better and why? Sympathy or apathy?”

“You think sympathy is better. But apathy is what one should choose. Sympathy leads you to nothing. In fact, it burdens you. You see a beggar on the street, sympathise on his state and move on. Why? You could help him financially or take him to your house. You meet your elderly neighbour every day; sympathise that her children do not come to meet her. But have you ever tried to sit and talk with her; cheer her up? You have been busy in your own life.”

I did not know what to say. I have known Sunaina Aunty since the last five years. She always smiles and wishes me a good day when I leave for office in the morning. I have always thought of spending a Sunday evening with her, listen to her talks and make her happy. But delay it for some or the other reason.That one Sunday evening has not arrived yet.

He continued, “It is not your responsibility to help the weak and the poor. When you cannot help them, you question your own abilities. If you really cared for them; you would have done something for them by now.

“Apathy is not the opposite of sympathy. It means you do not associate yourself with things and actions you cannot do. When you sympathise and still do not help them; you invite a failed attempt on your part. Respect the way they are; either help them or pray for them and move on.”

His reply left me numb for a while. He was correct. Until and unless I do not do anything; there is no difference between me and the others.

I did not know how he came to know about Sunaina Aunty. I could have asked him; but right now I wanted answers to some more important questions.

“If I positively wish for something, will I achieve it?” I asked him my next question.

He laughed. “You have wished for so many things. Have you achieved them? The correct way is not in positively wishing for it to happen; but positively working towards it. Hard work and passion is required to achieve your goals. You lack passion, Novice.”

“How can you say that?” I knew he was right but it’s difficult to digest a bitter truth thrown at your face by others.

“Let me give you a simple example. You cannot devote half an hour from your day for exercising, even though it is going to benefit you. You want to have a good physique; but are too lazy to exercise. When you cannot work towards such a small task; how can you think of achieving your bigger dreams?”

How this person knew about my failed attempts at exercising; I was unaware of. Who could he actually be?

“Even if I ask you who how you know so much about me; you would not answer it. So my next question is - what is it that can break the strongest of persons?”

He paused for a moment and then replied, “The answer is loneliness. No matter whatever you possess, if you do not have anybody to share it with; it is of no use. We always need someone to share our feelings, secrets, thoughts and imagination. No soul can live alone in this world. You want to see how a weak a person can be, make him or her lonely.”

“What is the most valuable thing in the world?”

“That is an easy one. Have you heard of the idiom ‘Time is money’? You will give your time to those whom you value. The more you love a person; the more time you want to spend with them. Isn’t it?

“Also, things that you achieve within a shorter span and less efforts do not hold dear to you. But when you achieve it after investing a good amount of time, you cherish its value. Even now you are sacrificing your time because you value my knowledge.” he replied pointing at the clock on one of the walls.

This man was answering my questions as if he had come prepared for it. Questions to which I had not got satisfactory solutions. Even the best of learned men would not be able to respond with such ease and poise. His age defied his knowledge.

And as usual, he looked and smiled at me as if he could hear what I was thinking.

“Why did you say my thoughts were restricting me?”

“I was waiting for that question. The reason to that is - you doubt yourself. You fear failure. That stops you from taking new challenges and uncovering better opportunities. You were scared when I entered, scared if you would be able to face the unknown. You were fighting against yourself, rather than fighting for yourself.”

His answer was a bit direct and pinching. But, he was not wrong. Having had a great academic career throughout my school and college, there were expectations that I would crack up something big in the coming years. Yet, here I was; working under someone in a company. I was not satisfied with my work, yet dragged myself in it. I had started doubting my own capabilities. I was going back rather than moving ahead. It was not that I did not have the knowledge, but I did not know where and how to use it.

“Don’t worry Novice. You will be fine. You are a special child of God. He won’t let you fall.” He tried to reassure me, and for the first time, I saw him with respect. I smiled at him.

“Why are people becoming greedy, selfish and uncompassionate?” I got back to business.

“Lack of patience! They want to get their hands on everything available within their reach as soon as possible. Nowadays, people only care for their own selves. Who has the time to help others? This is depleting the aura, the strength of the world.”

“So, do you have any suggestions on how we can make the world a better place?” I enquired.

“Oh yes! You can. ‘You’can lead the world on the right path,” was his reply accompanied by his all-knowing smile. His response confused me. I could not understand what he meant to say. The emphasis he gave on the word ‘you’ was too hard to ignore.

“What do you mean? How can I lead them? Nobody can do that. It requires a miracle. And we are all mere mortals, incapable of doing it.”

The expressions on his face changed the moment I finished my sentence. He gave me a threatening look as if I had committed a huge crime.

“So you mean to say, it is only God’s work to make the world a better place? You do not have any responsibility towards it? Remember Novice, there is no such thing as a miracle. When you do something for which others do not have an answer to, they declare it as a miracle. But the simple reason is; that you were capable to do it.”

This man was a genius. The way he saw everything was totally different from my vision.

“Why are you giving me this invaluable knowledge?”

“So that you can share it with others.”

I was contemplating what to ask him now. My mind was tired due to his heavy talks.

Before I could ask him, he got up from the chair.

“Now it is my turn. I will ask you only one question. If you do not answer it; I shall leave.”

This was something which I had not expected. From the time he had entered my house unannounced; I wanted to get him out. And now when I was enjoying his company, he turned the table in my direction.

“Are you ready to face it?”

“I do not have any other option.”

“Have you figured out my true identity?”

His question hit me hard. I was not sure what I had just heard. His true identity? How could I know him in the matter of a couple of hours? I remained silent; repeating his last words in my head.

“You have one more minute. If you cannot figure it out; I will walk through that door.” He said with a serious tone and I realised he had started speaking normally all this while. His flat voice was gone long ago. But the change in his voice was not relevant right now. I had something more important to think about.

He had come into my house like a thief. But he was surely not one. He knew things about me which could be known by people who knew me closely. He had a great personality, a unique charm, possessed great knowledge and as per his saying; he had come here to help me.

“Who are you? Why do you look familiar? Where have I seen you?” I screamed inside my head.

He began walking towards the door.

Just then, a thought struck me. “Could it be Him?” I asked myself. Maybe, this was my only hope.

“Wait!” I shouted. He stopped his stride. His fingers inches away from the door’s handle.

“You, are God!” I said with all my energy just when the time struck 4 a.m. The last ten minutes had drained me completely. I let out a big sigh, thankful that I had recognised Him.

I was ecstatic. God had come to meet me. What more would His child want?

“No, my friend. You are wrong. How can I be God? Because, I am not even human.” He said with his back still turned towards me. I wondered if he would go away.

But surprisingly, he turned. Then, it hit me. Now I knew where I had seen him. He was always with me. He, was me.

“I am your conscience. I had the duty to awaken, enlighten and to give you, your true identity.

“The world and all the people are similar to lost travellers in a desert. All they see around is nothing but an endless path. Their journey goes onwards without any direction or purpose and yet, they expect to reach somewhere. Let me tell you, a soul without goal is like a headless chicken frantically running around, creating chaos for them and others nearby. They have failed to differentiate between whether what they are seeing is real or a mirage. Material attractions, ego, pride, greed are all examples of mirage that have devoured millions and yet humans have not learnt from it.

“Imagine if they were lent a helping hand by someone who teaches them the true meaning and essence of life? Who is going to make them realise that a life full of fears is worse than death? There are so many things they need to know but instead waste their times behind materialistic stuff. All this can be corrected with your support. They need your guidance, my friend.”

There was a rush of emotions in my brain. “Then why were you calling me a novice? I am not a newbie or an inexperienced person to be called so.” I argued back, still not believing him.

“You are mistaken. You did not hear it correctly. I referred you as ‘Nu-Viz’, not ‘No-Vis’. The word is made of two syllables. Interchange them and you get?”

I spoke carefully to get the correct pronunciation. “Nu-Viz becomes...” I stopped the moment I said it in my mind.

“Viz-Nu.”

“Viz-Nu.”

Vishnu!

“Yes! You are Vishnu! His tenth incarnation; whom the world refers to as the ‘Kalki Avatar’.”

The person I had been talking with disappeared and I was not sure if it was truly my conscience or some other entity. I was standing in front of the dressing table, looking at myself in the mirror. Slowly, a faint set of light started emerging around my face and then around my head. It gradually took a golden form around my entire body, with its glow being so strong that I could only see myself in the form of light instead of my physical self.

I could not understand what was happening. Is it real?

Then, the world stopped. I teleported to an infinite space; through the multiverses and alternate realities. When I came back in a millisecond, I realised my purpose on Earth.

The evil is at its peak, the indication for beginning of my work. Am I here to destroy the world and its inhabitants? The event called as ‘Vinash’?

No. Mankind has misinterpreted the Kalki Avatar.

I am here to destroy the negativity and vices within us.

I am here to impart a new life.

I am here to transform this very place into the golden era – Satyuga.

The next morning is going to be a new awakening for mankind. Their wait, is over.