"You are mad!" These words simultaneously came out of Narasimha's friends' mouths at the same time.

"I don't think whenever I see anybody in danger or trouble. My rational brain just stops thinking. It's as though a voice within me constantly keeps telling me to rush headlong to their help. I don't know why......But I just cannot help it...", explained a highly conflicted Narasimha.

"Okay....so this voice tells you to steal from your own preceptor as well?" Dilipa shaking his head at his friend's thoughtlessness. "Have you thought for yourself? It is afternoon now. It will be evening in a few hours, and night a few hours later. We are in the middle of a No-Man's land. Our food and water resources will not last beyond the next meal. We don't have a roof over us for nightfall. We exactly don't know where we are headed except for that magical thing which shows three different things to three different people. All three of us may never reach the Buddhist Monastery trudging the way we are. After reaching there, we may never find what we are looking for. And after this entire escapade, you may be sure we will not be allowed to set foot in the Ashram. Gopal stole a container of milk and Upadhyay Sukruthi hit the roof top. Now you seem to have stolen an occult and magical heirloom of some sort. You think he will let this go?"

"Dilipa, I think you are being too harsh and pessimistic", Bhavani intervening between the two friends. "Narasimha didn't do anything on purpose."

"Try to be realistic, Bhavani. Goodness isn't everything. What does it matter whether he did it on purpose or not? God help us from such friends!"

"Don't say such words, Dilipa. I will die before I let harm befall my friends", Narasimha said.

Dilipa instantly softened down his stance, "It's okay. Don't talk about dying. I bless you to live a hundred years with this Kshatrani."

Bhavani punched Dilipa's abdomen. He howled in pain, "Ouch! People don't kill friends Kshatrani."

Narasimha and Dilipa hugged and reconciled with each other. All the arguments and issues between them were forgotten. Bhavani stood beside them, tears of happiness in her eyes. As both of them looked towards her, she asked, "Can I join you two?"

Narasimha and Dilipa extended their hands from either side to take Bhavani in their group of threesome.

Just then, they espied a merchant caravan. Narasimha's face brightened up, "If we run fast, we will catch up with that caravan. They are headed the same direction we are. We can tag along with them for some while. We will have company. They might even lend us a few horses, amenities and a place to stay for the night if we pay them."

Narasimha looked towards the faces of his friends to gauge whether they were in favor of this proposition, "Shall we race? Let's see who reaches there first!"

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Bhavani replied as all three friends began chasing the caravan shouting, "Caravan....Ahoy! Ahoy! We need help."

The leader of the merchant caravan saw the three children running towards the caravan. He held his hand to temporarily stop the caravan, "Wait! We will resume after five minutes. Maybe those youngsters need our help!"
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Narasimha explained to the leader of the caravan their predicament of being stranded here without resources. He scrupulously left out mentioning any details about the Brown Chest he was carrying or the magical map. He concocted a plausible story explaining their presence here, "We were part of a big group headed to the Buddhist Monastery of Ashkora. We got separated from the rest. Please help us so that we can rejoin our group."

"I see! That's how all three of you are here. We aren't headed so far. We are headed to the nearest village for the 'Budhwari Mandi' (The Wednesday Fair) to be held tomorrow at Tipli. You can come along with us and stay there for this night. It will take another half a day along steep paths and inclines to reach Ashkora. I can explain the route, lend you three horses, food and drink to last you till you reach. But I can't do anything more", the leader of the merchant caravan said.

Narasimha replied, "This sounds good! Thank you for helping us."

The leader of the caravan got into a friendly and cordial conversation with Narasimha, Dilipa and Bhavani, "I wish I could do more for you youngsters. Previously, scouts and guides used to be ready to guide people on the path between Tipli and the monastery. These last few days, tales of the Yeti returning are doing the rounds. People have gone missing from all the neighboring villages on the foothills. So none of the guides and scouts are willing to venture into the wilderness for their very lives."

"Why you amaze us, Sir? Is the 'Yeti' for real?" Dilipa asked taking care not to betray his extreme interest in the topic of their conversation.

"I really don't know. But people aren't traveling these routes as frequently as they used to. The paths are deserted. People are disappearing pretty frequently. We also travel in big, armed and heavily guarded groups these days as a preemptive measure. I don't want to send you three youngsters off alone on your own but you have your own people to rejoin..."

Narasimha nodded his head, "We understand, Sir. You have your own compulsions. We will manage on our own."

"I must say you three are a bunch of daring and fearless youngsters!" The man exclaimed.
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That night was pretty uneventful. They got piping hot rotis (a kind of flat bread) with curry to eat and a comfortable bed to sleep. The next morning the three friends bid goodbye to the merchant caravan. Just as the leader of the caravan had promised, he provided them with horses, food and water.

Bhavani who was riding in between Dilipa and Narasimha turned towards Dilipa who was riding in the rear and asked, "Dilipa pass me the water you are carrying. I am very thirsty."

While Dilipa was handing over the pouch in which he was carrying water, it slipped out of his hands and went tumbling down the dale. His hands instinctively darted to catch it but in vain. Bhavani, though very thirsty, resigned herself to the situation. A couple of hours elapsed. By this time, all the youngsters and their horses were very tired and badly in need of a drink.

Dilipa and Bhavani were panting for breath. "I can't go anymore. I badly need some water", Dilipa said.

"You should have been careful with that pouch in that case", Bhavani reprimanded.

"You see no wrong in whatever Narasimha does. But you keep scolding me even for my small mistakes", Dilipa complained.

Narasimha looked back to his two bickering friends and said, "Hush, you two! We might very well have been at the monastery if you two didn't waste time fighting. You will get all the water you want there."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Very funny! Why don't you look into that Brown Chest you are carrying. Who knows! It might have something useful", Dilipa said.

Narasimha was stuck by these accidental words spoken by his companion. He quickly rummaged within the chest when he came across two scrolls. The writing in the scrolls suddenly started shimmering and glowing as though it had been activated. On top of the first scroll, the letters, 'Bala' shone with the brilliance of a thousand suns. On the second scroll, the letters representing the word 'Athibala' got energized. Narasimha read the words in both the scrolls slowly within his mind.

Unsure about what to do, Narasimha timidly extended his hand towards those letters. He was enveloped by a pulsating and electrifying experience passing through his veins. It was as though a flash of lightening had passed through him making his body as a medium for some occult energy. Narasimha beckoned his friends to touch his palms and keep holding them continuously. After a minute or so, this energy had passed between all the friends.

"What was that?" A shocked Bhavani asked.

"Don't know except that I don't feel sleepy, thirsty or hungry anymore. What was that, Narasimha?" Dilipa said.

"'Bala' and 'Athibala' are two ancient esoteric spells in the Ramayana that Sage Vishwamitra gave to Rama and Lakshmana to ward off hunger, tiredness and thirst", Narasimha said after a long pause.

"You don't mean they are those legendary spells?" Bhavani excitedly exclaimed.

Narasimha replied, "Yes, they actually are!"

"But how did you know that this was what you had to do to unlock those spells to their full potential?" Dilipa still perplexed and confused about how his friend had managed to accomplish that feat.

"I can't explain it in words. It was as if those spells were calling out to me to decipher and unravel them. You know what....I think our Guru and his blessings are completely with us. Though not with us in person, he was and is guiding us in every step on this difficult path astrally. We wouldn't have made our way till here without his blessings and guidance."

"Yes, very true", replied his friends.
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