The Promise Between Brothers

Journal of Abhavi

The first story you should know about these brothers is their beginning. What follows is a story my mentor, the great brahmin Agastya, heard directly from the source, the demon brothers themselves. And Agastya, who had the ability to see through any deception, told me he detected no lie in any story the brothers told.

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Ilvala and Vatapi grew up in a forest far away from both brahmins and other rakshasas. They lived with their father and mother. Their mother was very sick and had been for as long as they could remember. She never left the small, one room hut that was their home. Even though she needed extra care, she still taught her two boys how to read and write. At her bedside, they also heard stories about brahmins and rakshasas in which either one could be evil or good. Their father, when he was home, taught them a variety of survival skills such as the use of a bow for hunting and flint and wood for fire-making. When he was not home, he was hunting for deer, boar, pheasant or any animal he could bring back as food. During these times, Ilvala and Vatapi would wander and explore the forest while picking fruits and nuts for their mother and themselves. If their father was gone longer than a few days, they would catch and cook fish as well. They were not old enough to hunt on their own yet but they still put their father's lessons to use. They would catch fish with a rope tied to the end of an arrow. They would wait patiently to spot a fish and then Ilvala would shoot the arrow and Vatapi would pull the fish up from the river with the rope. This was how their normal days passed.

However, one day their father returned home and, instead of a lesson, he told the boys to go play. Although they always looked forward to his lessons, Ilvala and Vatapi did as their father asked. They wandered into the forest exploring and foraging as was normal for their free time. But this day, when they returned to the only home they had ever known, it was empty. Their mother was gone and their father was nowhere in sight. The brothers called out for their parents over and over but only the birds responded back. They went searching for any sign of what might have happened but found nothing, only a soft rectangular area of ground, a piece of red fabric and a broken pot near a small river. There was nothing else. They were completely alone. Their hearts were thudding in their chests and they could hardly think. Their mother had never left their small home and her being gone felt like an ill omen.

They decided the only thing they could do was wait. They went back and sat against the wall of their home in silence. They sat with their sides pressed together so closely that they could feel the other shivering with shock and worry. They had no idea what happened and there was nothing they could do but wait. And so they waited and put their skills to use to keep themselves fed. They would even cook a portion of food for their parents in case they returned.

They waited and waited and waited until weeks had gone by. Eventually they realized their mother and father were not returning. They would never see them again. In their hearts, resentment grew from being left alone and they swore an oath to each other. Both brothers swore they would rather die than abandon the other and they would fight against anything to stay together.

Then they gathered their bows and left the only place they knew behind. They traveled so far they even left the forest behind.

At the edge of the forest, Ilvala and Vatapi found a small town. But when they walked into the town to greet those living there, the villagers turned them away in fear and disgust of their kind. Some of the men even chased after them with pitchforks and other farming tools in hand as weapons. The next town gave them the same treatment, and the next one after that. Ilvala and Vatapi were unwanted everywhere they went for they were rakshasas. The brothers had no one to turn to so they turned to each other for answers.

“We mean them no harm. Why do they turn us away in fear?” Vatapi asked with confusion and hurt in his eyes.

“It’s because we’re different.” Ilvala paused, took a deep breath and continued in a harsh tone, ”We can’t believe in our mother’s stories anymore, Vatapi. No human, villager or brahmin will welcome us.”

Vatapi responded to this with a strong conviction, “That doesn’t matter, brother. We will always have each other. No matter what!”

And this was true. The brothers could always rely on each other but they still continued on with resentment and crushed hope in their hearts. They traveled together and watched each other’s back feeling all they had in the world was each other. But, from meeting a brahmin, this would change and they would discover a new purpose.