Invincible Naga

Chapter 5 Herbal Remedy

'There're little variations from mine,' Pakirappa remarked, asking Senan to recline on the cot. Since the snake was not so venomous, Bairu allowed Senan to return after a few hours.

Through a pair of binoculars, the Dhani had been admiring the beauty of the neighboring hills, with slight variations in their green hues, on which white, smoky snow had begun to cast thick veils. Innumerable cloudlets were about to ascend over some hills. The Dhani pretended that he had nothing to do with all that went on with Senan and was engrossed in discussions with Bairu, which had been less audible to Senan. He had to listen to Pakirappa and Bairu's assistants. Above all of this, his predicament and uncertainty conquered his instincts.

'How do you feel now?' Pakirappa raised his head and asked Senan.

'That medicine is running all over my body. It'd turn my blood green. I can feel it even running in my head,' he murmured madly and continuously.

Pakirappa did not want the Dhani to hear it. The Dhani would be offended. So, Pakirappa ruminating gravely on something, repeatedly pressed his jawline hard. And told Senan, 'We should always keep in mind that they found the plant adventurously, even at the risk of their own lives.'

Since Senan had been eager to know about it, Pakirappa said, 'It's interesting how they found these antivenomous plants.'

Like snakes, mongooses were also found there. Mongooses sneaking out of the forest were larger than those seen in populated areas. After a long fight with deadly snakes, they flee into the far interiors of the restricted forest. Once, a white cobra brutally attacked and struck a mongoose. Instead of falling dead, the mongoose hobbled to the forest. The Malakudiyas thought it would die there.

However, the mongoose returned a few days later. Men could identify it as it had lost the hair on its forehead. The then-chief's father asked his people to pursue the mongoose that set out to the deep woods after such fights.

Since then, they have followed such mongooses adventurously. They found that the mongooses, who either rushed or hobbled to the forest, consumed two wild plants. They developed the herbal remedy from those plants as antivenom for snake poisoning.

According to the Malakudiyas and the locals, it's forbidden to harm snakes. Whenever they notice snakes, they'll stop moving and fold their hands. Thus, the snake goes away without causing any harm.

After a few hours, Senan's discomfort subsided, and felt more confident. After checking the affected area on his leg for a while, Bairu looked into his eyes, and said, 'I must tell you that you should never harm any snake.'

'Yes, yes. As he is not a native, he doesn't believe in it,' Pakirappa intervened. His words shivered at some points.

'I didn't offend it anyway. I don't know why it struck me,' Senan said.

'I'm not blaming you. My intuition says that you've got some mysterious connection with snakes. Have you ever felt so? Any miracle?' Bairu asked enthusiastically.

'No, nothing yet,' Senan replied abruptly, and he was much worried about it.

'He doesn't dare to kill anything, anyone, not even a wild rabbit,' the Dhani said loudly for the women behind the doors and windows to hear. He had been keen on drawing their attention to him. Then he giggled uncontrollably, turning all into mute spectators, who had to do nothing with it.

'That's out of sympathy or love for the animal. There's a big chance for him to kill ferocious animals. Am I right?' Bairu asked Senan.

Senan stood with his stooped head as though he were the culprit for the verdict in a court of justice. Pakirappa stammered and tried to say something that did not emerge, seeing Bairu's glance.

'It's true to him. He knows it, yes, but only to an extent. But he hadn't tried to grasp and accept it completely. I know, it's well-written in his horoscope,' Bairu said, placing Senan's leg carefully on the ground and getting up.

Bairu then received water from his assistant to clean his hands. He turned towards the Dhani and continued, 'My intuition says he has some bondage with snakes, perhaps from his previous life. However, he should be careful while dealing with them. At any cost, he should not harm them.'

'Is it dangerous for him?' the Dhani asked, frightened, as Senan used to accompany him everywhere in the farmland.

'No, usually people are attacked by snakes. It's not so in his case. Spiritually, they protect him.'

Interrupting Bairu, Senan said in an embarrassed tone, 'Protect me? It bit me.'

Although Senan was already aware of it from the astrologers, he concealed it because he strongly disbelieved it. The Dhani was dissatisfied with Bairu's revelation. He seemed unwilling to accept something great for his mere laborer.

'The time decides everything. It unfolds the reality, the truth, which we shun and fear,' Bairu concluded in a meditative tone.

His pupils stopped at the meditative position in his eyes. He raised his folded hands toward the sky and bowed his head before the universe. He bent down and touched the earth to show his utmost obedience and reverence.

(to be continued...)