The Lives of Monks

Charu Singh’s debut is about good versus evil, but with a Buddhist backdrop

‘A moment of intense silence followed and then the Rigden spoke up, his voice even: ‘Lama Nyima Ozer, Prince Narasimha Miyi Senge, Prince A-Karo, the Golden One, Yeshe Nam Lha and last, but not least, young Tashi Thendup! You have all been called today before the sacred court and from now, in every breath, in every heartbeat, in the shadow of every moment, in the intensity of the thoughtless state, in life, and in not-life, in physical or subtle form, we declare you our emissaries, our sacred envoys to the world of men. Shambhala has a task for you. For you will be Shambhala’s hand in the age that is now upon men…’

Mythology has always been one of the oldest inspirations of storytelling, full of fantastical parables and life lessons of epic proportions. Charu Singh’s debut novel Path of the Swan, part one of The Maitreya Chronicles, is merely one more in a string of myth-based narratives, this time drawing from Mahayana Buddhism.

The book, as summarised on its back cover, tells the story of two monks—Lama Ozer and his novitiate Tashi— who leave the hidden monastery where they have lived all their lives in order to answer a call from the kingdom of Shambala. That the call is made to the lama while he is deep in trance only adds to the drama. The book then follows the travels of Ozer and Tashi as they leave the monastery to make this life altering journey. Battling the freezing cold and many dark forces that try to get in their way, they journey through the highs and lows of Sikkim and Tibet before arriving at the Silver Fortress, which is in the most remote part of western Tibet. They then shed their corporeal forms in order to meet otherworldly, divine and dark beings, including the golden Dakini, Yeshe Nam Lha, daughter of the Goddess Tara; Prince A-KarO, heir to the Lha Empire; and Prince Narasimha, heir to the Rigdens and the Shambala legacy. Both the princes are Yeshi’s guardians and suitors and she must travel with them to Earth, where it is decreed that her child, Maitreya, the saviour, will be born. (Maitreya is, of course, another name for the Buddha.)

The danger with prophesies in both literature and mythology is that they are extremely hard to fulfill. In order to fulfill their destiny, Ozer and Tashi—the former a link between Shambala and Earth and the latter his confidant—must battle the Asurs and the dark prince Arden and rescue Yeshe so that she can meet her fate.

At its core, the book, like all religious myths, is nothing but a story of good versus evil. The narrative is influenced by the tenets of the mythology on which it is based, and relies heavily on the value of compassion and forgiveness.

Tantric Buddhism, on which the book is based, is a fascinating world, full of vivid and dark mythology, complete with alternate myths of creation, its own powerful feuding gods and goddesses, sacred secret rituals and prophecies. The source material promises a plot made in fantasy literature heaven, but somehow the writing does not match up to the ambitious premise. The reinterpretation of a myth requires an easy flow. Path of the Swan, however, is staccato in parts and does not make for easy reading. This is its greatest weakness— its inability to transcend the exercise of story telling and thus create an alternative universe.

Although it draws heavily from mythology and will in all probability be picked up because of its uncanny resemblance to Amish Tripathi’s series, it is clearly no Immortals of Meluha. Not just because it lacks the effortless ease of Tripathi’s storytelling, but also because of the complexity of its subject—which is a lot less riveting and relatable than the tale of Shiva, who has become something of a pop culture phenomenon. To make it easier to relate to a subject that is a little alien to the average Indian reader, the author takes pains to etch out detailed backgrounds for each setting and character.

Though it may never attain the same cult status as Meluha, the Maitreya series is likely to be of interest to those who love mythology and detail. It could also prove itself a great reference point to understand the lives of monks and those who inhabit Sikkim and Tibet.

Charu SinghmythologyPath of the Swan