35053668-Empire-of-the-Soul-Paul-William-Roberts

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EMPIRE OF THE SOUL
vehemently, insisting six thousand years was more accurate. The
dom raja looked wearily from one to the other, then shrugged at
me. Anyway, Harischandra was renowned as a generous and godly
man, always giving to the poor, always devout. Naturally, such a
man aroused the interest of the gods. Indra decided to test how
genuine he was.
Give me all you have, demanded Indra. Harischandra immediately,
happily, handed over everything he owned. It’s not enough, said Indra.
I need more. So Harischandra sold his wife, then his son, handing over
the money to Indra. Uh-uh, said Indra. You can do better than that – I
still need more.
By this time ruined, destitute, his kingdom in tatters, reviled by
his subjects, Harischandra set out to get himself a job. Whether he
was overqualified or underqualified, we don’t know, but no one
would give Harischandra a job. Except Kalu Chaudri, the
Untouchable in charge of the cremation grounds. The pay was
probably as much of an insult as the job: you earned nothing, and
the whole of society spat on you to boot.
This must have been the nadir of humiliation, because Indra
was finally satisfied that Harischandra really was a decent guy,
according to the dom raja, and he made him a god or better.
There was some discussion about what might be better than
being made a god, but the raja seemed unconvinced by his courtiers,
and left the specifics up to me. The big point, however, was that it
also occurred to Indra that Kalu, the cremator, wasn’t a bad sort
himself, having given the king a break. Everyone smiled at what was
obviously their favorite bit.
Godhood wasn’t for Kalu, of course, but Indra did give him a
runner-up’s token: a sacred fire. Anyone cremated with a flame from this
fire, the god announced, will achieve eternal salvation. The original Kalu
Chaudri kept that fire burning, and so did his descendants.
‘How long has the fire been burning now?’
‘Since Harischandra’s time,’ Amar replied.
‘When was that?’
Up to me, seemed to be the final answer. Since Harischandra
belongs more to myth than history, the answer was definitely a long
time. All present assured me of this.