Free The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

both Plato and Megasthenes lived around the same time? Isn’t it possible that Plato was not referring to the Greek mythological figure of Heracles but to the Indian deity Krishna?’ asked Saini.
    ‘Are you trying to say that the story of Atlantis was actually the story of Dwarka?’ asked Chhedi.
    ‘Think about it,’ said Saini. ‘The term pillars of Heracles may not be a reference to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, but may instead refer to the sixty pillars of the original Dwarakadheesh Temple that had been built by Krishna’s great-grandson Vajranabhji in Dwarka. Although the present temple is relatively modern—having been built during Emperor Akbar’s rule—it is at the same spot at which Vajranabhji’s original temple stood and it would have been right there during the visit of Megasthenes!’
    ‘The hypothesis is sound,’ said Chhedi. ‘But where is the corroborating evidence?’
    ‘If I recall, Plato had said that in Atlantis there existed a confederation of kings, of great and marvellous power, which held sway over all the island, and over many other islands also and parts of the continent,’ recounted Saini. ‘The Yadavas were a confederation of eighteen clans with several chiefs and a single governor—a structure very unique in those times. Isn’t that another tantalising clue?’
    ‘But did both cities get destroyed in the same way?’ asked Priya.
    ‘In the context of Atlantis, Plato says that at a later time there occurred portentous earthquakes and floods, and one grievous day and night befell them, when the whole body of warriors was swallowed up by the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner was swallowed up by the sea and vanished. On the other hand, the Mahabharata tells us that ,’ replied Sir Khantothe sea rushed into the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up everything in the city. The beautiful buildings were submerged one by one. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the city. Dwarka was just a name— just a memory. Incredibly similar stories, wouldn’t you say?’ asked Saini.
    Sitting inside the secretary’s office, Inspector Radhika Singh was listening to every word that was being exchanged with rapt attention. She continued counting her beads as she watched the meeting proceed inside Chhedi’s office.

    My cousin Arjuna wished to use his time in the forest wisely, and decided to pray for Shiv’s divine weapon — the Pashupat. In a clearing he installed a smooth oval stone that represented a lingam, offered it flowers and then sat before it, his mind entirely concentrated on Shiv. Quite suddenly, a wild boar rushed towards him and Arjuna was forced to open his eyes and shoot a single arrow to stop the animal in the nick of time. When Arjuna walked up to examine the dead boar, he noticed that it had two arrows protruding from it. Next to the boar stood a hunter who claimed that he had shot the boar first. A duel followed in which the hunter defeated Arjuna. Dejected but determined, Arjuna went back to his prayers, only to wake up to the fact, barely a moment later, that the hunter had been none other than Shiv! Arjuna fell at the feet of the god, who now stood before him, and Shiv blessed him with the divine Pashupat.
    ‘But myths around great floods have been around for aeons,’ argued Chhedi. ‘There are over five hundred legends centred on floods around the world. Ancient civilisations—including those of China, Babylonia, Wales, Russia, India, America, Hawaii, Scandinavia, Sumatra, Peru, and Polynesia—all have their own versions of a giant flood. And that’s not surprising, since most of these myths coincided with the end of the last ice age.’
    ‘True. But the most famous story among them is that of Noah, who built the magnificent ark in order to save all living creatures from extinction,’ said