The Celestial Sight

THE CELESTIAL SIGHT
(Short story)

Dr. KETHU VISWANADHA REDDY
(Translated from the original in Telugu by K. S. S. Seshan)

“Look, I accept your doubt. Will you believe at least now? Did I not take three ‘runs’ in these three days? You know that I got three ‘brackets.’ You may ask me how I could get. This is a scientific game. No less and no more. So, you now think of it with your Mathematics M. A. brain. If only, you were not a Doubting Thomas, you would have had just like me some ten to twelve thousand rupees in your pocket. Can you dream of getting that much money from your 20 acre land and by always looking up to the clouds invoking rains?”
Krishnaiah went on telling his brother-in-law Parthu with unbounded enthusiasm. Parthu is his wife’s brother and he could always take liberties with him.

The Matka numbers started moving before the eyes of Parthu. Thousands of rupees which he missed, started appearing in visions.

Parthu remembered how his senior paternal uncle throughout his life was making searches for hidden treasures in old and dilapi­dated temples. He knew well that whenever a long bearded recluse devolved on the village, the paternal uncle would immediately enter into league with him and connive to make gold out of leaves and herbs. Though he was not destined to get any fortune or gold, the family property got melted. The junior paternal uncle was no less. He too spent lavishly, to get the lakhs of rupees found in various puzzles.

But Parthu soon thought of his father who with no such vices, but still in debts, clinging to his ancestral farm; his two younger sisters who were to be married off and the younger brother to whom education was allergic. He pondered on his own condition in the village with the problem of unemployment even after doing Post-graduation.

“The jewels that father bought after selling the land have been lost in Matka by your brother-in-law.” His sister wrote pathetically. Parthu was sent by his father to chide the brother-in-law. But the brother-in-law on the other hand within the three days bet three fifties and all the three days won eight times of what he paid. This has happened before the very eyes of parthu.

The past experiences, the enthusiasm that was surfacing, the greed for huge sums of easy money, the unknown fear from within–­all appear to have shaken Parthu.

Krishnaiah took advantage at the silence of Parthu.

“If at all there is a head over the neck, you can earn thousands. What is wrong in this, tell me. Moreover, several hundreds of people in the ‘Company’ and the ‘Beaters’ are shown jobs through this. This is an industry trying to solve the unemployment problem.”

Parthu heaved a sigh and said:

“If you get bettered, it is enough.” He could not add the word “somehow.”

Krishnaiah got, bold to speak out what was in his mind.

“It is my wish that all of us should get ourselves bettered.”

Parthu remained silent.

That very night, showing her new jewels on her person, Parthu’s sister with happiness writ on face told him:

“I wrote you the letter by my folly. Your brother-in-law did not like the old-fashioned jewels that father gave earlier. He has given them away in the jewellers shop and got new ones made. There was undue delay. Tell this to father. How do you like the present ones?...”

The flood-gates to the world of experience got wide open in Parthu after seeing the happiness of his sister.

He took leave from his brother-in-law and sister and reached his place.

“As he is my sister’s son, I gave him my child in marriage. But never for a moment I thought he would burn down the mane this way. Will he be careful at least from now? Did he tell about the gold?” asked Parthu’s father on entering the house. “They are living better than us; and the gold has not gone anywhere,” said Partbu. His father did not further press with “how” and “why.”

Parthu pulled out the Matka chart that he secretly brought from Tadipatri. For few days he spent with multiplications. Made searches for numbers. Calculated the stars and tried to apply them to the days and weeks. He pondered over the “opening”, “closing” and “brackets.” He thought of the respective numbers for the “runs” and their opposites. He felt gratified that his M. A. Mathematics, though not for any employment, was highly useful in these calculations. He concluded that Matka was nothing but a organised science of Mathematics.

The only man who cautioned against this education was Chennakesava, who, like Parthu, was an unemployed but an oratious reader of books. But the talk given by Chennakesava which started off with the words “In a capitalistic society ....” did not convince Parthu. Even in the university, his sermons were on the same lines. Parthu thought that he had enough of his talks for two years when they were room-mates. He stopped moving with Chennakesava. The urge in Parthu is not to be curbed. He craved for experience.

But Parthu had a practical difficulty to confront with in his home village. From his remote village, to reach the nearest Matka centre, Simhadripuram, one has to walk about four miles before getting into a bus to cover the remaining eight miles. On enquiry, in a very confidential way, Parthu came to know that a “Beater” regularly visited the village and took the numbers. Parthu was still wonderstruck when he was told that even old grannies of the village betted from the savings they made by knotting small coins at the saree ends. As though for fun, Parthu gave quarter a rupee or half a rupee to his friends to send on his behalf for Matka. In turn, he earned a hundred or two hundred. Soon he became a Matka boss to young amateurs of the village. But this did not satisfy Parthu. He was hesitant to go for high bids staying in the village. At times same runs were not giving good results. After getting the results, he used to find some excuse or the other for the “Bracket” that has come. This has become a big problem for Parthu. One fine morning somebody carried to Parthu the news that, his brother-in-law Krishnaiah bagged forty thousand rupees in Matka.

“Anyhow he is a worldly-wise fellow.” When his father uttered these words to Parthu, he thought for himself,” Will I not get a good time far myself.”

Parthu happened to visit Tadipatri to attend a marriage. He found his brother-in-law very exhuberant. There was lot of change in his attitude. He asked him appreciatively: “Look brother-in-law; as you said, it is really a scientific game. But sometimes even the ‘sure’ numbers are missing. Those numbers that have come, are to be found in the ‘chart!’ How is this possible?”

Krishnaiah’s first question was: “How far it has come?” “No, no, with all my interest in Mathematics, I am only studying this game.”

“Tell me the truth.”
“I have not come to your level.”
“How much you bet?”
“It has come to two hundred. But as I said earlier, there are some difficulties.”
“Oh” Krishnaiah contentedly laughed. He felt as though he had a disciple to listen. He went in in a sermonising tone:

“In every science there are blames. To tell you, there is no science which is free from it. To solve the principles of blame there are people with supernatural powers. If you want you can see this with your own eyes.”

With great suspense, wonder and enthusiasm, Parthu followed his brother-in-law Krishnaiah. Both of them walked past the Bugga Ramalinga temple on the southern banks of Penna, and also the nearby temple ofChintalaraya.

“He should be here. But not to be found in both the places” Krishnaiah told as if to himself.

“Who?”asked Parthu. But before he could get any answer to his question, Krishnaiah happily shouted “There” looking to a distant human figure.

On the sands of the river-bed an old man in rags, with empty looks and thickly grown beard was seen sitting. Evidently he appeared, as an insane. They approached him.

“Swamy, Namasthe. I am...I am Krishnaiah” said Krishnaiah.

“Krishna-Arjuna,” said the man in rags and immediately went into silence.
“Let us go now” Krishnaiah said to Parthu as though his work was over.
Parthu did not understand anything. On the way Krishnaiah confided to Parthu– ­

“Today we are lucky.”
“How?” asked Parthu innocently.

“I told you that the, principles of blame are solved by man with supernatural powers. That old man whom you saw is known in this region as Matka Swamy. He speaks with some mystic numbers; or he will scold with bad terminology. He who is scolded by him, is a lucky fellow for that day. Do you know what has happened? Once, one Jani Basha, a lorry driver of this place, went to the Swamy. He scolded him as “the son of a pig.” Jani Basha, who was a regular visitor to the Mosque, was much hurt and in turn abused the Swami. He paid two thousand that day on some number and lost all the two thousand. But one Malik Khasim who was with Jani Basha spotted a pig and its five young ones. Lo, ‘opening’–1 , ‘closing’–5; ‘bracket-15.’ He paid three hundred after pawning all the vessels, on the numbers and he pocketed twenty-four thousand! Jani Basha wept for his folly. There are a number of such instances. If I got recently the forty thousand, it was due to this Swamy alone. But there is a problem with Swamy. Normally he will not talk with others. Generally, he will stay at the spot where Parasurama did penance in the Ramalingeswaraswami temple or he will be found at the tall Gopura of Chintalaraya temple. He will be always in trance. You can test my might today.”

Parthu did not completely understand the speech of Krishnaiah charged with great enthusiasm.
Parthu wanted to call that old man as “mad”, but did not collect enough courage.
“What did he mean in telling Krishna–Arjuna? Parthu enquired.

“What was the order of birth for Lord Krishna?”

“Eight.”

“Arjuna?”

“I heard that he was third.”

“That means 83 ‘Bracket’ is sure. You look to the ‘Chart’; that ‘run’ must be there.”

Krishnaiah pulled out the chart and hungrily looked at the run.

“But today there is 38 ‘run’, Parthu said disappointedly showing the numbers.
“That means it is only the opposite. The number you pulled is the blaming number.”       
Parthu did not believe so easily, He wanted to tell: Our names are also the same as what Swam, said. But Krishnaiah emphatically declared,

“Doubts will always drench us, Do you know who he is? He is every inch a sage.”
Parthu asked, swallowing every doubt that was arising:
“To which place he belongs?”

“Who knows? He is to be seen here for more than a month. People say that he disappears in the nights......Let us go. It is getting time.....

Krishnaiah made hurry. Parthu’s confused mind now became confounded.

At the Matka company there was brisk activity. The popularity that Krishnaiah commanded there appeared enviable to Parthu, Krishnaiah paid two thousand for the number 83. Parthu obsessed with fear and anxiety bet one hundred on 83, another hundred on 38; and got emptied his pocket.­

That night, to his utter surprise, he saw his sister personally serving drinks to his brother-in-law. On compulsion, Parthu also joined Krishnaiah and shared the drink. After a sumptuous dinner, both ofthem reached the Matka company around 9 p. m. The opening number arrived. It was Eight. Parthu was perturbed. Three may be the “closing” number; ormay not be. Krishnaiah looked at Parthu with a sense ofgreat pride.

“By the daybreak brother-in-haw will have one lakh and sixty thousand. For me a meagre eight thousand; yet let us see.” Parthu thought in himself. His doubts did not die.

“We shall go for a picture; and come in the middle,” said Krishnaiah.

Parthu did not follow the picture.

Around 12’o clock they walked out from the theatre and sat near the company. Krishnaiah finished another “quarter”. Parthu with all anxiety looking at his brother-in-law on one side and the groups of people gathered on the other, had puffed two packets of cigarettes. The closing number arrived exactly at the “Zero hour.” Three was the “closing!”

Krishnaiah’s joy knew no bounds. Parthu was much depressed.

“We shall meet Matka Swamy again tomorrow,” told his brother-in-law.

The next day the Swamy was not to be spotted. More than Krishnaiah, Parthu was very much disappointed. He wanted to refer to the “chart” to find out what “runs” were in store for the next day. But in the meantime, Parthu remembered that the next day was a Sunday. He wanted to try after reaching his place.

Parthu had lost nearly ten thousand over few months. His father, who was already loaded with debts due to failure ofrains, got upset with the fresh debts that the son had incurred. With no employment, with no prospective father-in-law coming forward to offer his daughter, the position of Parthu angered his father who called him by names. He divided the property and declared that no one should give his son any loan.

Parthu felt dejected. He went and told his condition to his friend Chennakesava.

“We are educated. That too we studied science. Are we not to think ofit before plunging headlong? Please do not think bad of me for speaking on these lines. Why are so many people getting into this muddle of Matka? They have an inflinching faith that they can make a fortune. They are not aware that this system is bursting the very men who are engaged in. Anyhow we are not going to get jobs shortly. Even if we get, do not think that they will transform our present lives. What we have to think of is a lift that seldom depends on luck.”

Parthu for the first time, tried to understand the agony in his friend Chennakesava.

Parthu received a letter from his sister. She wrote that the brother-in-law has become mad. He was asked to go at once. Someone who had gone to Tadipatri on Matka work brought all the details. According to the news he gathered, Krishnaiah, without being satisfied with what he got by betting on Matka, opened a Matka company by himself. He invested all the money he got earlier. He used all his intelligence and did not send up some numbers though there was great “load” on such numbers. When those numbers were successful, Bombay did not take the responsibility, and Partbu fell into debts. Soon his company was closed. He became a drunkard. With debts and liquor he became mad. He may even lose his job.

Parthu along with others in the family at once reached Tadipatri. Krishnaiah ran away from house. Several people said that they saw him here and there. In a bid to bring him home, everyone was on the roads.

Parthu at once remembered the places where the Matka Swamy was seen. He thought that his brother-in-law might be with him there. With fear writ on face, he went towards that side.

Exactly at the place where the Matka Swamy was earlier used to sit, was a figure completely naked and shouting loudly. Parthu started shivering with fear. He wanted to get to fetch few people to verify whether it was his brother-in-law. But he took courage and moved forward alone.

The person was none else than Krishnaiah! The one who was madly shouting was his own brother-in-law Krishnaiah!

“O fool, who are you? Look at my figure which is growing brighter than the Matka. You cannot see yourself as you are an earthling. I am granting you the celestial sight. You try to look with it. I am the Bombay Matka. I am the Bezwada Matka. Just as the light worms are running into the burning owen, all the people are running into my mouth. Look here, I am licking their blood.        ‘Opening’, ‘Closing’ ....... trusted business ....... ‘ opened’ ....... ‘Big load’ ....... investment....... ‘closed’ ..... Chinthalaraya Ramalinga ..... Matka Swamy......I am Matka Swamy.....”

Krishnaiah started walking away beating the sand with his legs heavily. He was waving the hands in every direction and with blood-like red eyes, with his mouth wide open and the tongue protruding, he presented a fearful sight.

Parthu had the Viswarupa Sandarsana, the celestial sight–the Divine vision–for the first time in his life.

That celestial figure was the one bound with no sign of any duty.

The words of advice that Chenaakesava gave started to work now in the mind of Parthu.