Ivan Yefremov - Thais of Athens

“Then why do the Jewish priests shout at us, calling us idol-worshipers and hating our laws and notions?”

“There are Eulokhian writings of high wisdom. There are also writings about an all-powerful god occupied only with the affairs of men, like a supreme ruler of Earth. Those writings were composed five hundred years later. The purpose of the latter religion is preservation of an ancient but small nation surrounded by enemies. In it you will find first of all the notion of sin, with which you Helenian and we Indians are equally unfamiliar. The sole purpose of love for procreation is considered to be one’s sacred duty among our people. Since the ancient times our women were never separated from men, and have always been equally free. That is what our sacred Vedas tell us. How can we consider impure a passion that is as natural as life itself, in whose fires future generations are born?”

“Then why do your gods keep scholars from rising into the higher world? Why do they send apsaras, the heavenly hetaerae, to interfere with them?” Thais asked, and pointed up, making both priests smile.

“We call it the higher world not because it is located somewhere up above, but because of its nature compared to our world,” the dark-skinned priest said. “I have already started telling you about the two different paths one must follow to achieve perfection. Again, the first path is that of clarity of thought, the elimination of all physical desires, including one’s desire to live. But the ancient dark-skinned people of India, from whom I originate, developed a different path. It is a philosophy that is the origin of all Indian learning, and is particularly useful during the modern era of ignorance, jealousy and anger, called Kali-Yuga. It contains the deepest knowledge and the most powerful ability to control the powers of the human body. It is called Tantra. Briefly, its essence is that a man must experience all of life’s primary desires to their fullest in order to live through them and become free of them in the briefest time.”

“Are you a follower of Tantra?” Thais asked.

The priest nodded.

“And are you now free of all temptations and desires?” she asked, giving the priest such an expressive look that all muscles of his powerful body became strained.

He took a full breath and continued. “Tantra does not deny desire, especially Eros. Rather it recognizes it as a moving power of life and an opportunity for spiritual elevation. We never deny others in this elevation, remembering the story of Brahma.”

The Indian told them a charming legend about the love of a heavenly apsara to Brahma, the main god of the Indian trinity. Occupied with observation and enlightenment, he did not respond to her call. Then the apsara cursed him, predicting that he would receive less respect from the faithful than all other gods. Brahma went to the other god of the trinity Vishnu and the latter explained to him that a grave sin had been committed. In order to correct it, he would have to become the apsara’s lover and carry out thirty other acts of purification, because a woman is the greatest treasure and the working hands of Nature-Shakhty. A man denying a woman’s passion, no matter who she was, commits a grave sin. That was why the followers of Tantra worshiped Shakhty and were greatly advanced in Eros.

“Both men and women?”

“Indeed,” the priest replied. “Action is vital. Desire alone is not enough. In order to reach the great spiritual elevation that frees one from one’s brief primitive desires, those who carry out the ritual, both he and she — or at least one of them — must undergo long preparation of body and all senses.”

“We also go through a long training,” Thais noted.

“I do not know what it is like,” the dark-skinned priest said. “If you watch the serpent’s kiss you will realize the power of our Tantric ways for yourself.”

“When can I see it?” Thais asked impatiently.

“As soon as now.”

“May I send for my friend?”

Thais, Lysippus and Eris descended down a narrow staircase into a large cellar under the tower. The interpreter remained upstairs. The Helenians knew the Persian language tolerably well, and the Indians spoke it fluently.

In a spacious square room, brightly lit by the smokeless Indian torches, they were greeted by two pale-faced and one dark-skinned, short and stocky young woman of about thirty, who looked much like the elder priest.

“My sister,” he said, guessing his guests’ thoughts. “She is our Nagini, the ruler of serpents.”

“Is she initiated into Tantra?” Thais asked.

“She would die without,” the priest replied sternly. “She will not only carry out the ritual, but all the required preparations. Sit.”

They settled onto a cool stone bench near a wall. A fourth girl appeared, carrying a large, flat bowl filled with warm scented milk and a handful of fragrant herbs. The ruler of serpents shed her clothes, then rubbed down her entire bronze colored body with the herbs soaked in the milk. She pinned up her hair and put on a soft leather apron that covered her from collarbone to knees.

Never looking at the visitors and keeping her expression calm and serious, the ruler of serpents approached the heavy metal door carrying a golden cup filled with milk. At her sign, a grate was lowered, separating her from her assistants and guests.

The girls started playing instruments similar to flutes. One played the quiet, melodious main theme while the other punctuated it with a rhythm of whistling sounds. The short dark-skinned priestess started singing in a high-pitched voice, making a sharp vibrating whistle in place of a refrain. She opened the door and spread out her arms, still holding the cup. The black emptiness of a cave loomed behind the door, though a gap glowed faintly at the other end of it, indicating a narrow passage to daylight. For some time the priestess sang, accompanied by the flutes. Or rather it seemed like a long time to Thais, who was waiting for something terrible to happen.

Suddenly the dark-skinned woman leaned forward and placed the cup beyond the threshold of the door. The flutists stopped playing. Everyone could clearly hear the rustling of a heavy body sliding over a stone floor. A wide, flat head peeked out from the darkness of the cave. Two clear eyes tinged with crimson looked over everyone carefully, as Thais had imagined they would. The head with square scales, similar to a soldier’s chest armor, briefly dipped into the milk and the priestess called with a melodious, whistling sound.

A giant male serpent slipped into the cellar. He was twenty elbows in length with a greenish black back which became deep olive on the sides. The usually brave Athenian felt a chill run down her spine. She sought and found Eris’ hand, who responded with an anxious squeeze of her fingers.

The serpent coiled himself up, directing his pitiless and fearless gaze at the priestess, who bowed to him respectfully. Continuing to sing, she raised her arms high above her head with her palms folded together. She raised onto her tiptoes, then started rocking from side to side, flexing her sides, her legs pressed firmly together, maintaining incredible balance. The rocking movement increased in frequency. The enormous serpent matched it as he slithered and coiled on the floor, raising his head until it was level with the priestess’ head. Only then did Thais notice three ribbons braided into the woman’s hair, each of them armed with rows of polished, glittering needles. The serpent rocked in rhythm with the priestess, approaching slowly.

Suddenly she held out her right hand and patted the monster’s head, dashing with fantastic swiftness away from the opened maw that struck at the spot where her face has been only a fraction of a second prior.