2Hey guys!
This just came to mind a few days ago…so I decided to pen it down.
Do leave me your thoughts :)
A long, long time ago...
Gadhrakuta...
Ode to the virtuous mortal maid and her noble Asura lord...
Up to the Holy Peak of the Vulture,
where the fully awakened one was known to dwell,
Journeyed a most curious Asura Lord.
One who had traveled far, far from his Clan's fold.
Breathtaking he was;
His skin the color of the brightest honey.
His wild locks, the color of flame and sun twined
His scarlet eyes, more hued than the richest of rubies combined.
Upon a glorious blood red steed he rode,
Faster than ten thousand winds, it was.
They called him the 'mighty wild one'
One who bowed to no one
Proud, cunning and ferocious he was,
A warring Asura who served none.
As it is in the ways of the immortals,
He was one who despised the mortal mire,
Yet found himself drawn by an inexplicable desire,
A strange desire, a unknown knowing, a calling which beckoned.
So strong that it proved impossible to expel
So the noble Asura embarked upon a quest;
Hoping to find the source of what drew him, called him,
A relentless itch, a ceaseless need
Which he had vowed to dispel.
Fate can be cruel, fate can be kind
Yet can it be both?
could it be both?
That, some would say, is impossible to define.
Folly or irony?
That was soon to be determined.
And so irony it was, that when that day dawned,
All his resolutions cracked.
And folly it was when he broke his vow,
As did his very world.
By a forest stream he first saw her,
Dark of hair, gentle of manner
A mortal girl among many.
But he only saw her, only noticed her.
For she alone shone,
With this strange inner light.
Twinned were their souls.
From first sight he knew it.
One were their hearts;
Pounding to the same beat, they proved it.
A mortal, who should have been but a speck of dust,
An ant, lesser than a blade of trampled grass,
A piece of crushed twine,
To him, was suddenly, was his blood's destiny defined.
But would this infatuation lead to a fortunate fate?
Something which was so strange.
Was it a miracle?
Or an unholy debacle?
Ponder he did not;
At this rarest of miracles
As he beheld her clear fearless gaze,
And her serene demeanor.
Such was the heat in his gaze
The very air, for miles was warmed by it.
So strong was his passion,
that the very rocks for leagues, would shake when
When dwelt upon his ardor.
He observed her, He shadowed her.
Followed her, trailed her
Morning, noon and night.
For he was determined to have her
Even when he knew she would fight.
Mortal as she was, she was no simple maid.
Far seeing, far knowing.
She was always a step ahead,
And he, always a step too late.
She was poor in wealth, family and friends
Yet rich in something far more precious than any of them.
For noble was her immortal soul;
Pure was her eternal mind.
She fought against herself, and the illusion that was life.
For she was attained, highly attained,
Her mind close to that everlasting light.
Stealthily he approached her, his manner charming, his form perfection.
Craftily he adored her, bathing her in promises, vows of eternal admiration.
Gently she rebuffed him, her words kind and soothing.
Her tone light, her manner unchanging
Nothing she wanted, save his goodwill and peace.
I shall go beyond, she said, so you can go on and leave.
Gently he countered, his words smooth and seductive.
Why fight what was right? he asked Why deny what could be?
Arrogantly he laughed, devilishly he disdained.
Her simple life, and her vows for life.
Why choose to suffer like this? He cried.
When you can have all that you desire?
Why do you just give in, and spare yourself the agony?
Lady, come with me. I promise you all my fire
We belong together, I will always take care of you!
I give my Arya word
For I am a noble Asura lord, not some common liar.
Still, she refused, she shook her head,
Her manner was mild, yet her refusal firmly held.
My Lord, she said;
It cannot be. I am ordained to the highest purity!
My vows are eternal, as they were in a life before.
This life is just one of many
Just like the one before
Destined to pass in virtue till I live once more!
Saying so, she retreated,
Not in arrogance, but rather, compassion,
And try as he might, he could not follow
His considerable abilities were nulled, his incredible might felled
Not one he could use against her well.
For her attainments were vast,
Shielding her, protecting her,
Her vows of greatness aiding her power
Safe she was, as her mind was untainted
By the common defilements
which in this cycle of ceaseless existence were endless.
The noble Asura at first was amused, then displeased
Then came frustration, and anger when the maiden did not cease.
He threatened, he cajoled.
He swore, he praised.
Yet his indifferent muse
Continued as she always had.
Undaunted, unaffected, wholly unafraid.
Never had he come across a female so enticing,
Yet so stubborn
And so determinedly not enamored.
Weeks turned to months, and months to seasons.
Yet still he stayed, determined to be the victor.
Seasons passed, years flew by
Yet still he stayed, determined to win her.
He saw her not; shielded as he was.
Never too far did he venture,
Silently he watched, hoping to snare
Patiently he waited, hoping to to catch her unawares.
Then finally, the day came.
When he felt her powers, always so strong, weaken.
He sensed her shielding falter, its strength wane.
In savage joy he arose, in happiness he crowed
She will finally be mine!
Soon shall be more than fine!
And in jubilation he set out to meet her.
He found her waiting,
By the forest stream where he had first seen her
At first she appeared as she had,
A slender youthful maid,
till he neared and saw the true picture.
Time had passed, it was all too clear.
And so had its unkind ravages.
Which, upon the mortal body were too much to bear.
The mortal maid was young no more,
Her once shimmering midnight locks were now snowy white
Her supple youthful skin now cracked with age.
Her clear sight, now covered with a cloudy film.
Her once steady hands now trembled at their own whim.
Bound by her mortality; and time which would not be caged.
Yet he was as youthful as he had ever been
As if not a day had touched him,
As if time itself had forgotten him.
Mighty, powerful, beautiful immortal he was,
Who felt powerless as he faced what time had forgotten not.
You have aged. He sighed. The curse of those bound to time.
Is that why your powers fail? Are you at the end of this short life?
I am. She replied. As I have been before.
My powers fail not; I simply wanted to see you once more.
Why now? Why after all this time? He shook his head. It matters not.
Holding out his hand, he smiled.
You were stubborn, my lady, but that is fine.
That bodes well for me, our passion will burn bright.
Take my hand, it is not too late.
I will burn your mortal taint away!
Come away with me, and be my bride.
She just smiled a gentle smile, a smile which struck him deep.
Sweet, with an edge of happiness and agony.
Then shook her head, ever so simply.
I cannot, my lord. That is not why I called out to you.
My soul will soon leave this plane,
My life ended, this feeble body drained.
The Asura Lord laughed, the Asura lord denied.
That will not happen as long as I still breath!
Your body can be strengthened,
The bloom of youth revived!
Such is my power, my Lady
So come now, and stop this insanity!
I allowed you freedom, I even allowed you to age,
I allowed to time, I agreed to wait.
Yet mortal as you are, this game has to end.
It has been fun, but now, it is late.
So he reached for her; determined to end the fight.
Yet the instant he touched her, he found himself immobilized.
Frozen he fell, into her arms.
Carefully in the thickest grass, she lay him down,
and settled beside him, her eyes bright as the whitest of stars.
My powers never faded, My Lord, she teased.
I wanted to talk before my final journey did begin.
Her smile faded, her gaze grew intent
As she stared down at the inhumane being
Who had haunted her since she was but five and ten.
I did not feel regret at my choice, My lord. She sighed.
For my path is one such which allows not your promises, nor their delights.
Yet you made me doubt,
and yearn for something I should not even think of.
Your soul calls to mine, that is clear
I feel what I should not feel
the remorse of these lost years.
My path was determined, long before we met
My vows to the great illumination eternal
Promised to be kept.
To strive to quell suffering, strive to end fear
Then why do I feel regret, and this strange fear?
I hold not grudges, I respect your will. He replied.
So release me now, and all will soon be fine.
We need each other, it is fine.
Why strive for this illumination when you can live for all time?
At his words, a lone tear slid down a weathered cheek,
Dripping right onto the palm of the Asura Lord,
Who stared at it, with a strange emotion, one yet undefined.
In a voice of weary compassion, she replied.
My Lord, I live not for myself, but strive for the sake of others.
Birth, suffering, death and decay,
Stumbling in sensation, lost in every way.
Caught in the unforgiving wheel of life we all suffer,
Over and over, life after life.
Mortal life may tiring,
but it is fleeting, gone in the blink of an eye
Yet you immortals with all your beauty, strength and power
Are free as the lowest of time bound mortals.
Made worse with the curse of such long lasting lives
It is not blessed, My lord, nor it is desired
You are born to the most dangerous of fates.
A path which leads, more often than not,
To the darkest of Avici's flames.
Who cares for what may come, He countered.
Why should you care?
When you can have all than a mortals desire?
I have waited for you, waited centuries, millennia!
Why do you deny your heartmate
His only desire?
Another tear dripped down that aged, weathered cheek.
Once again he caught it, his expression that of agony.
For he could feel her fading.
Fading too fast, too soon
And for all his might he was utterly powerless
Unable summon his strength, let alone move.
Explain it to me then! He cried. Why can't you leave?
Surely you feel it too!
Tell me why this cannot be!
Tell me why you cannot come away with me!
She shook her head, her manner weak, her voice morose,
My Lord, I feel bitter that I leave you so.
Suffering, in pain, something I never wished upon you.
I can feel your pain, hear it sing.
Something I created, which I wish didn't exist.
Our paths shouldn't have crossed;
Yet fate is cruel that way
An immortal Asura whose soul bonded a mortal maid's.
I wish you well, I wish you life.
What life! He roared. You who abandon me like this.
What pain? When you choose to die, not live!
Her head bowed, and a trembling hand reached out.
Gently she stroked the immortal brow,
Tenderly was her touch, reverent, almost.
The Asura lord froze, as he felt the fragile, callused human fingers
Weak as they felt; they were curiously warm
They brushed his very soul, he could've sworn.
Your pain is caused by me;
so I must be the one to set you free
And so I shall impart my final wish.
A wish to you, a promise to be fulfilled
One which comes from a heart which,
In this life, I was not free to give.
But this life is almost gone, this form already fades
Nothing can be done about it, as my choice was long made.
But to leave you in agony, makes me despair, leaves me afraid.
I meant to harm you not, but our destiny was such
I was bound, and you came too late to come...
Little did I know, never did I dream,
that my passing would cause you so much agony.
Never did I think this would come to pass.
This strange destiny I had foreseen;
Yet it's power not
Nor had I foreseen the heart's agony which bleeds from thee.
I knew not then, but now I can see
What was formerly hidden to me.
For death draws near; letting me see through the veil
And the timelessness which is the formless plain.
I can see the future, I see the ebbing light.
I see the growing darkness manifesting with delight.
I see you change, your heart hardened with death.
I see rivers of blood flow, a your countless command,
Which makes me very afraid.
For you; for your agony will burn bright.
It will burn many, destroy many, lives
And thus it shall come to pass,
Lest I make it right.
Hence I a chance I will give; for I know you will persist.
To win what you couldn't; the future which still exists.
So I shall leave you a clue which you can follow
For I am attained, and see what will come
As before, I will appear on this mortal plain again
And it is my dearest hope,
That our paths cross again.
Before I meet with my ordained fate,
Perhaps, perhaps,
You shall be able to find me, before its too late.
I go against all that I know, all that is right,
For I cannot bear the suffering in your eyes.
You may not understand, and you may not want to.
But know that I do this, keeping you in mind.
The Asura Lord sighed, for she was but a hair's breadth away
For the specter of Death, which was now clear as day.
He knew she spoke the truth, for she could not lie
Yet his pain blinded him, made him unwise.
Thus, in bitterness he spoke,
his words cold, his manner ice.
You render me powerless, weak as a babe,
Unable to save you from this mortal disgrace.
Human you were, yet did I care?
Say what you want, it now falls on deaf ears.
Regret is too late, I no longer care!
The Lady stilled, her breath catching,
But the Asura lord was still talking,
his voice now mocking,
As if delighting in deride.
Fine, you may die as you wish,
Follow this insanity, and ungratefully perish.
I shall wait. And wait till the time is right.
Till I feel your presence,
And know it's time.
But remember, when I find you again,
It will not be the same.
Your tears of pain will flow, and each one I will cherish
Your suffering, that, I will relish!
Gently she smiled, then bowed her head.
Her tears a trail of silver, a sight he found hard to bear.
So he looked away, in denial, in fear,
And barely had he done so that Death touched her with his
It happened so suddenly, it happened too fast.
Her breath suddenly caught,
Her hand from his brow fell
Her lips parted.
Her heart suddenly beat, one, twice...and then thrice, but not again
And he waited, he waited for that next beat.
That precious sound, of his beloved lady.
Yet only silence followed, and soon she was cold as ice.
With a cry of despair, he drew her to him
For gone was her power, just as she was gone from him
In despair he embraced her, trying to deny
Unseeing, unbelieving, devastated and grim.
How long he waited, how long he knelt,
By that stream bed, he knew not.
Days passed, weeks turned to months,
He refused to move his beloved one.
The humans nearby grew alarmed, then more terrified.
By the unearthly visitor who knelt by a river,
Unmoving, unseeing, as if petrified.
In fear they called out to the Great One's disciples,
Beseeching them to drive out the strange demon.
The attained ones came, they tried to help,
Tried to talk, to reason,
But the Asura never responded, but simple knelt,
Lost in my pain, there was nothing he saw, and there was nothing he felt.
It was then, the great Illuminated one decided to come,
After having heard of a mad Asura who feared no one.
In great compassion he surveyed him,
So great was his love that he even knelt.
In his universal sight, he knew all
In his unending light, he could see all.
The past, the present, the future all combined.
Coupled with great pity, which was so great that it could even shake time.
Such was his power that even the Asura lord finally unfroze
Only to see the great one sitting beside him, his gentle glory aglow.
Child of the Immortals, why does your heart bleed? He sighed.
Come now, abandon the remains you hold, she is already gone, as all beings go when they die.
Stop this, and waste not time
Honor her words, do what is wise.
The Asura Lord looked up, and his agony soared.
So much time had passed; that his beloved was now but a few bones.
In one hand but a skull he held, over his arm a pale thigh bone was draped.
So lost to anger and pain he had been
He had become lost to time's relentless debauchery.
Looking up he snarled;
She may be gone, but why are you here?
She followed your path
She forsook me for your sake
Why wake me, do you feel no fear?
The Illuminated one smiled, yet his smile was not one of joy
It was one of understanding, healing and compassion combined.
Child of the long lived ones, you dwell on a path of blood
One which promises to drench the world in crimson floods.
It is a path which can only bring you more pain,
And should you continue on it, it will surely drive you insane.
Voice softening, he held out his hand.
His voice was calm, cool with a hint of sad.
Your destiny did no wrong, she did only right
For if she broke her vows
She would never be able to meet you in any life
She was wise, and so she could see
What the future held and even your past and destiny.
Stop being bitter, stop being sad
Now was not your time, so leave it at that.
Hearing this, the Asura lord shook.
With rage, with sadness, he finally stood.
What do you mean? The Asura Lord cried. Human as she was, I accepted her with all of me.
I swore to treasure her, to treat her higher than a mortal queen!
Yet what did she do?
How did she repay me?
She rejected my hand, she disdained being my wife.
The foolish wench abandoned me to a cursed half-life!
She chose to follow you; to die.
Not live and rejoice with me, delighting in delights!
The Awakened one shook his head, for he had seen this before.
The anger, pain, the suffering, whose roots he had wanted to wrench from the core.
Child, he replied. Believe in cause, believe in effect.
Believe in time, which completes the circle of life, makes them manifest.
You two met, and that was destined.
A vow was made, a cause which seeded the action
If now was not the time, the future will be so
If this was not the life, then the next one may be so.
And it was so, and thus it shall be.
As you continue to live in samsara's eternity.
The Asura lord felt hope, for the Awakened one only spoke the truth
His brilliance was unmistakable, his very being was proof.
Of one who had transcended the evils of all time
Had gained the bliss, the power of one who had achieved the Bodhi mind.
And thus he spoke, thus he decried:
She will appear, though she will wear a different face.
She will take time, time will have to pass through many an Age.
She will be born to the clan of the enemy, yet her mind will be the same.
Your paths will surely cross, you will meet her as you wish
Though in love or anger, that remains still to be seen
With hope, the Asura lord exclaimed:
Will she remember me? Will she remember her vow?
Or will she try to forsake me again, just as she did now?
The Awakened one smiled, this time in joy
For he could feel the Asura Lord finally start to heal.
So he spoke thus;
That may be, that may not be.
As that depends on your own will and ability.
Should you continue on this path of darkness, of blood,
Her vow shall lose it power as it was birthed in love.
What does that mean? Asked the Asura lord. Will she meet me or not?
What must I do to ensure what I want the most?
The great one spoke, his words still calm, still as benign.
Yet there was a strange shadow of pity when he looked upon the Asura;
Who was listening with all his might.
Should you dwell in your anger and regret,
Give power to your bitterness and make hatred your friend
Lost you will be to her who gave up her sacred vows
Chose to give up her power of countless lives,
her very liberation which was within sight.
Chose to give it up out of compassion
To embrace you, and cherish you,
Despite your dark and tormenting nature.
I do not follow you, answered the Asura Lord, Nor do I want to, and nor I shall.
Yet in your words I sense the power,
A noble truth which seems to foretell.
Of a future, so far, that it seems to be but a vague dream
Of she, who will appear there,
My lost destiny, who there, prevails.
It is so, it will be so,
The Awakened one warned. If only you do right.
It is by way of your past that you suffer now.
Cause follows affect and effect follows cause
And it is your present which will determine your future.
So when harm comes to mind, allow it to manifest not!
Dwell not in hatred, delight not in what harms
For evil follows evil,
As surely as day follows night.
Saying thus, the Illuminated one left.
Leaving behind a proud Asura lord who no longer knelt.
For after this talk, he found himself wondering
About the future foretold
Where she who he missed so, so much would be appearing.
And so, when the humans dared to come across the stream again
The found it empty,
There was no sign of the strange demon,
Who had knelt there for decades.
All they found, were the remains of a human long dead.
Interred in a small hill,
A mound, of a magnificent white jewel,
Which in the day blazed brighter than the sun's light
And which shimmered like stars each and every night.
Soon miraculous things happened, great things were reported.
A prayer made at the tomb was said to fulfill all wishes.
A blade of grass was said to make all sorts of evils retreat,
A twig from a tree was said to dispel all disease.
that place became sacred, and soon was seen
As a holy being's final abode, a place of great merit.
And every year, on a certain month's day
The strange jewel-tomb would shimmer and sparkle in a different way.
The humans learnt not to visit the tomb that day,
They stayed away, and instead, prayed in a different way.
For they had heard the stories,
Passed down through the generation,
Of a great demon lord.
Who fell in love with a virtuous mortal maid
And lamented when she passed way.
And so it was said,
That on the day of her death,
The Tomb would feel different
Than it usually felt.
And so it was believed that it was then when he would come;
The mighty lord, the one who had loved
The mortal maid, who had not loved him in return.
The humans were ignorant, yet they were not wholly unwise
Their leaders decreed the tomb to be closed for that whole night.
And the next morning, the tomb would be fully covered
With the most beautiful violet flowers,
Roses with a scent so divine, which lasted for months.
Roses which were found in no mortal land,
Whose origins were known to none.
And so it was so, and thus time would pass.
The memories of the humans would weaken,
But some stories would last.
The myths and the legends,
Of those days of old.
Still have power, for they still live on.
Our time is short, so we forget faster
Yet the immortals remember - for their lives are longer.
What doesn't change, is the fact of the matter.
The past did happen,
And so, it matters.
I used wonder, and I wonder still
If the noble Asura Lord is still out there,
Thinking of his lost maiden he lost to Death's scythe.
Or did he already find her?
Or did he search for her still?
Did he heed the Illuminated one's words
And did his best to control his dark will?
I wish I could know,
Even the tiniest of hints would be fine.
For I wish them both completion, contentment,
And a happiness so great,
that it would be impossible to define.
So I hope, I pray,
That they found each other
And are happy together,
Forever in a land of great delights...
A/N:
Now, to say if it's connected to GSW or not…
...who knows?