Dadhichi's bone

Dadhichi’s bone

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                           My magic

Bhuban often visits my house, knows about my latest hobby of performing magic and posting those in YouTube. He is one of my side kicks who arranges knick knack for magic tricks.

The other day he narrated his experience with magic.

 You know that day from your house I straight went to Howrah station to catch a local train to Guskara. I got a train after waiting for half an hour, the train started and all kind of hawkers started selling their wares. After a few stations a boy got up and started showing magic, I remembered about you. He showed a vanishing trick, the passengers happily gave him money for providing entertainment; I too gave him a rupee. I stuck friendship with him; his name was Dilip .I started enquiring.

“Who taught you the magic?”

“My guruji , he lives in my village.”

“Where is your village?”

“Next station is my stop, my village is about 3 kms from the station.”

It was afternoon time and I had time to spare so I thought why not go with that boy and meet his Guru. I was thinking about you and your hobby of magic. Thought can get some magic related idea from that Guru of his.

“Can I come with you to meet your Guru? Will he be there?”

Dilip said,” Yes, you can come but be ready to travel by cycle van. There is no bus service.”

We got down at the next station, walked out. It is a small town, we took a van rickshaw for his village . After a kilometer the rickshaw came down from the metaled road to a muddy road leading to his village. It took us about 40 minutes to reach the village.

I paid for the rickshaw, taking the dirt road we walked in the quint village. There were thatched roof houses, trees and ponds. I did not see any people or animals in the village. It looked like a picture post card village without any life, it was eerie.  Within five minutes we reached a brick house with a small garden in the front. Dilip opened the wicket gate and invited to come with him. I followed him to the back of the house. A gentleman in white dhoti and kurta was reclining on an easy chair with a book. Dilip coughed to indicate his presence; the gentleman smiled at him and looked questioningly towards me.

“Guruji, here is Bhubanda ,he wants to meet you. He is from Guskara.”

“Please come and sit here.” He gestured towards a vacant space on the running verandah. Smilingly he produced a guava from the air and offered me to eat.

“Why do you want to meet me?”

I was impressed by the guava trick and so enthusiastically told him “Dilip’s magic attracted me to you. I am quite impressed that you could train him so well that he can confidently show magic at this tender age. That too bang in the midst of passengers, without any stage to prepare for the tricks.”

Guruji smiled and said, “Not only Dilip I have trained some more boys of the village. A few are performing regularly in functions.”

“That’s impressive!” admiringly I said.

“Guruji, show him the magical power of that bone of some rishi.” Dilip requested.

Guru raised his hand and started levitating, then produced a bone from the thin air, aimed it to a tree in the courtyard. I saw a flash and small explosion on the trunk of the tree. I was nonplussed by his levitation and the power of the bone.

“This is Dadhichi’s bone.” He said.

“You mean Dadhichi whose mention is there in Puran.”

“Yes the same Dadhichi. You may know his story but let me repeat it for the sake of Dilip. When Lord Indra was driven out of heaven by Vrutrasur then he went to Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar for help. He was advised by Vishnu to make Vajrashtra with the bones of Dadhichi. So Indra went with devas to Dadhichi on earth and requested him to donate his bones to make Vajrashtra so that the same can be used against Asura. Incidentally this Asura was a Brahmin who turned against Devas. Dadhichi did the ultimate sacrifice by dying and donating his bones for making weapons. Indra and devas won the war by using the Vajrashtra made by Dadhichi’s bone. ” He held up the bone lovingly.

I was skeptical; I did not believe the story but had watched the power.

“This sounds a bit far fetched.” I said.

“This bone has great power, I got it from a Rishi. It has destructive power. I generally don’t show this to anyone but you came with my favorite disciple so showed you. "Guru went on outwardly unflapped by my remark.

Then I thought if I can get that bone for you then you will have one more trick in your bag.

“Is this the only one you have or you have some more, may be a small piece?”

“I may have a small one but have to perform some puja to activate it.”

I requested him to keep one ready for me.

“Ok,you come next full moon day, I will keep one ready for you ,of course for a price.”

Bhuban looked at me for my approval for that venture of getting the bone of Dadhichi from that Guru in some unknown village.

I said, “Ok”

After a fortnight Bhuban came to me with a crestfallen face. I immediately knew that he has failed in his mission but allowed him to say.

Yesterday I took a train to that station, as Dilip was not there so I went alone by taking a cycle van like last time. I took the same dirt road but could not find the village. Surprisingly the villages I came across were all having small brick and mortar houses made by the government. That quaint village with trees and ponds has just vanished.

I consoled him, “Don’t worry. Next time when you come across Dilip then go with him.”

Bhuban couldn’t meet Dilip so far though he took almost all the local trains going towards that direction, the other hawker boys too could not recall Dilip. But Bhuban still sometimes gets down at that station and goes by cycle van in search of that illusive village.

                                    Magic by Dilip in the train