The Conch

Disclaimer: This story is a stop gap serving!! Lenghty. Very! I wrote this in 2004. Almost unedited and prone to lots of mistakes ;) I took a lot of time to write this story unlike my other stories on this blog, coz I googled a lot and spoke to many people to gather information (which I've included in bits in this story). It is all about the Conch. Read on. If you have any opinion on the information shared (which is ofcourse from different sources) or have other information of your own to share, please don't hesitate!

Note: If you are intrigued by this post, read Arun's blog for some real good facts.
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The sea delivered the sun, with all its fervor throwing bright rays of orange filling the sky with festive spirit. A new day was born. The waves perched a kiss on the shore time and again. And then, one large wave surged to pounce on the shore. It quickly receded. It left behind a conch on the shore.

A white conch, spiraling down to the right. It gleamed. It was half buried under the sand. The next wave came and made the conch more visible, gave it more shine.

Siddarth was jogging by the shore. He jogged passed the conch. Having realized that something was hidden just to be uncovered by him, he jogged back. He looked at the half-buried conch. As he placed his hand over it, the waves rushed in as if to prevent him from picking the conch. He stood up waiting for the waves to recede. When the waves were gone he bent down to pick the conch and it wasn’t there. He looked around and it wasn’t seen anywhere. He cleared the sand at the place where he had seen the conch. His fingers ran over a smooth surface. As he dug his fingers deeper, he felt the conch. He dug harder to hold it fully and as he was grabbing it, the waves rushed in again, with more force this time.

He held the conch tightly. The waves jolted him for a moment and receded with more force as if to pull him into the sea. He had the conch in his hand. Pristine. Clean. White. The sun’s rays fell on it and the spark hit his eyes. He loved it.

He began to walk with it. He had never used a conch before nor felt it that way. He was happy to have found it and had the joy of finding a treasure. He walked home and all through he kept looking at the conch. He did not try blowing it, as it never struck him. He loved its color, its shape and the smooth surface. Something haunted him from the very first look of it.

As he walked inside the house...

“Amma, look what I found by the shore”, he showed the Conch to his mother. Thud! She dropped the bucket in her hand, on the floor.

“Shiva shiva”, she patted on her cheeks quickly as if to plead innocence.

“Why did you bring this home?” she asked sternly.

“Look how beautiful it is. I got it from the sea. It looks beautiful and I found it like a treasure.” He was proud about picking the conch and bringing it home.

“Ok. Throw it in our well now. We don’t need this in our house.”

“But why? This is just a conch. Why shouldn’t this be inside our house?” he argued.

“Stop arguing with me and listen to what I say. Throw it into the well right now”, she said and walked into the kitchen.

Siddarth walked into his room with the conch. He hid it under his pillow.

As he walked out of the house to clean his bike, he noticed the white object at the doorway. It was buried at the entrance of the house. He has been looking at that right from his childhood.

“Amma. Amma”, he called out to his mother.

“What is it now? You found a starfish? Sea horse?”

“What is this?” he asked showing the white object half buried on the floor.

“That is a small-sized conch”, she said. “Now don’t tell me you haven’t seen this before in this house”, she added.

“Why do we have this at our doorstep when you do not want to have the conch that I picked, inside the house?” he asked.

She was silent. “I’m not sure why this conch was placed at the doorstep when we built this house. It must me some kind of vaasthu shaastra”, she said.

“You can have this at the doorstep even without knowing the reason properly, but can’t I have the conch? It is so beautiful. It would have cost almost 300 rupees. I’m going to keep this at home” he was stubborn.

“You never want to listen to my words. As you grow old, you think whatever you say is right. These days young ones act like elders and treat old people like kids” his mother started the sermon.

“The same sermon… every morning… every night…. Amma, do you have something interesting to talk or whine about? Something like… oh Siddarth kanna, we are looking for a bride for you…. You can choose any girl whom you like…” sighed Siddarth.

Siddarth sat down for breakfast.

“Few years ago, when we were having a pooja at home, your dad blew the conch. We do this for every pooja at home. That day, as usual, your dad blew the conch. Our neighbor, who had just moved in, took it for a bad omen. They thought somebody passed away at our place. They informed everybody in our street. As we finished the pooja we saw a huge crowd outside our house. Some women were already wailing. From then, we never blew the conch in the house. We have one inside our pooja room. It was gifted by my parents on my wedding” his mother said as she was serving food.

Siddarth broke out laughing. “How funny can something get? Why do you have to stop blowing the conch? Just because somebody goofed up?”

As he was riding to the office, thoughts kept flowing in his mind.

“Why do they blow a conch? Why did the neighbor take it as a bad omen when my parents used it for the pooja?”

www.google.com > conch and its significance

Siddarth’s search began.

>> “Vishnu, and his conch bears the name of Panchajanya, meaning 'having control over the five classes of beings.”

>> “Arjuna's mighty conch was known as Devadatta, whose triumphant blast brought terror to the enemy”

>> “The thicker-shelled bulbous one is thought to be the male (called purusha), and the thin-shelled slender conch to be the female (called shankhini).”

>> “The smooth white conch represents the Brahmin caste; The red conch the kshatriyas (known as the warriors); The yellow conch the vaishyas (known as the merchants); The grey conch the shudras (known as the labourers)”

>> “Shells which spiral to the right in a clockwise direction are a rarity and are considered especially sacred. The right-spiralling movement of such a conch is believed to echo the celestial motion of the sun, moon, planets and stars across the heavens.”

At the lunch table…

“Varun, what do you know of a conch?”, Siddarth asked.

“The warriors of ancient India would blow conchs to announce battle. The war of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharata started with blowing of the conch”, Varun said.

At the coffee table…

"Try holding a conch shell to your ear, the sound of the ocean humming gently can be heard. It is actually the natural vibration or cosmic energy of the earth that gets magnified on entering the conch shell. These unique whorls are directed clockwise in perfect synchronization with universal harmony. That is why a conch shell is blown during sacred rites to get rid of negative energy. The vibrations from these conch shells can dispel evil forces from the earth and also clear environmental pollution including healing the hole in the ozone layer which causes global warming!", Namitha said.

That night, Siddarth went to bed early. As he switched off the light, he pulled out the conch from under his pillow. He held the conch near his ear. He heard the ocean humming. He could also vaguely make the continuous chanting of the OM mantra. He had goose bumps all over.

“Is it science or is it nature’s marvel?” he wondered.

He ran his fingers over the conch. It was smooth. He slowly ran his fingers into the conch and held it on his right hand. He brought it close to his mouth and placed his lips on the conch. With all his might he blew it. It made a weird noise and he immediately placed it under the pillow and went to sleep.

Middle of the night, he heard somebody moan beside his bed. He woke up with a start. He looked around, but nobody was visible. He looked under the bed to double check. Nobody was around. He fell on his bed again. He ran his hand under his pillow as if to hug it. He felt the conch. He held it and went to sleep.

“You have brought home a unique conch” he heard the voice again. This time he did not wake up, he closed his eyes and continued to listen to the voice.

“This conch is special, but you need to be careful. You should never blow this conch until the full moon day. If you blow the conch the evil will engulf you until death. You must blow this conch on the very next day after the full moon day. When the sun rises after the full moon night, you need to blow this conch for a miracle to happen in your life. If you do not blow this conch on the very next day…”

Knock knock. Somebody was at Siddarth’s door and the voice stopped. Siddarth pulled out the blanket and ran to the door. It was his mother.

“It is 5.30. Wake up. We need to go to the temple”, his mother said.

“Amma, I heard somebody talk to me” he gasped.

“True. It was me who just spoke to you. Get ready in 10 minutes”, she said and left.

Siddarth locked the door behind and looked around his room. The sun was yet to seep through those windows. It was still dark. He walked over to the bed and lifted the pillow. The conch was there, bright as ever.

At the temple…

“Swamiji, what do you know about a conch?” Siddarth asked the priest at the temple.

“Long, long ago, a demon named Shankhasura, whose name literally means ‘one who dwells in a conch’, sent many mud-dwelling creatures from the bottom of the sea to capture the Vedas and thus destroy their content. And as the dark waters swallowed the knowledge of the mantras, the higher values of life also sank into the depths. People forgot the difference between good and bad and could no longer distinguish between right and wrong.

The Devas, fled to Mount Kailas and hid themselves in the surrounding caves. The sages approached Lord Vishnu, the supreme force of protection and nourishment for help. Lord Vishnu took the form of a fish and vanquished Shankhasura.
This is one story that comes to my mind now”, the priest said.

“This reminds me of the elixir story. What is the real story behind the elixir which is related to the maha kumbha mela?” Siddarth was intrigued.

“Once during a time of material prosperity the higher virtues fell into decline, and as a result the elixir of life almost vanished from this earthly realm. All living beings and all aspects of nature became weak and pale. The Devas pleaded with the Creator to recharge creation with fresh vitality, but were told that the elixir of life now lay buried in the depths of the ocean. The Devas reported this to all living beings, and so it was that gods, demons, and humans of all races and faiths joined forces to find and recover the elixir. They set out to churn the entire ocean (which would cause the elixir to rise to the surface), and churn they did, laboring night and day. But to their dismay the first fruit of their labor was not the elixir they were seeking but a vial of poison so deadly that if it were released from its container it would scorch all creation. The search could not go on until this menace was removed, yet no one had the capacity or the wisdom to dispose of it except Shiva-who came forward and drank it at great risk to himself.

The churning resumed. But when the vessel containing the elixir finally appeared, everyone rushed for it, and to prevent it from falling into the hands of those who would keep it for themselves Dhanwantari, the primordial physician, snatched the vessel and fled. In maneuvering to escape, however, he dropped three drops of the elixir: one fell on the town of Ujjain, one on Nasik, and a third on Haridwar. At Prayaga Raja the crowd caught and overwhelmed Dhanwantari, and in the melee all of the elixir spilled out and disappeared as soon as it touched the ground.

Yet all was not lost. Because Prayaga Raja is a holy place, the elixir manifests its life-giving properties every twelve years when the Sun is in the House of Capricorn. And because the elixir was originally contained in a kumbha (vessel), and the land itself now serves as the vessel, this twelve-year gathering at Prayaga Raja every twelve years is called kumbha mela, "the spiritual gathering around the vessel."”, the priest narrated.

That evening…

Siddarth was with his friends Rishi, Ram, and Neha at the terrace of his house. He told them about the conch and the voice.

“Interesting. Hey, can we make a short film out of this?” Rishi was cynical.

“Shhh… don’t tease. I find it interesting. Look at Siddarth’s face. Don’t you see the brightness? Oh yeah, and the halo behind. And also, look at those eyes, some sparkles.” They broke out laughing.

Siddarth was silent. He kept looking at the sea.

“Somehow I do not want to take all the mythological references. Even the priest had interesting stories to tell. It was good to hear them but I really don’t know if it can really be true. But something tells me that the voice was true and it wasn’t just a dream. I really heard the voice. It was husky and strong”

He ran down the terrace and came back with the conch.

“Wow. It looks beautiful” Neha said as she took it from him.

“Hey, you know what, I had been to this temple called Tirukkalukundram, a Lord Shiva temple located on top of a hill. Below this hill temple is a larger Shiva temple with a tank, which is said to have healing powers. Every 12 years, a conch is found in the tank. A large collection of such conches is kept in the temple”, Rishi said.

“Maybe somebody would mark the date and drop the conch into the tank”, Ram laughed.

“Maybe, maybe not. But why should the person do it every year? He wouldn’t benefit out of that. Nobody would be paying him to do that. And after he is dead, would somebody continue to do it? No. There should be more meaningful reasons”, Neha said.

“Why don’t you try blowing the conch?” Ram asked.

All the 3 looked at Siddarth.

“You think I should. Now?” he asked.

“No Siddarth. Let us not take chances” Neha said.

“Oh come on, it is just a conch. Just by blowing it, you are not gonna die” Ram said.

“Yes Siddarth. Let us see what happens. Just blow the conch. Do you want me to do it?” Rishi said and grabbed the conch from Siddarth’s hand. He slowly placed it on his mouth.

He took it off again and “How do you blow the conch?” he asked innocently.

The other 3 hit him with whatever they had in hand.

That night at the dinner table…

“Amma, when is the next full moon day?”

“Day after tomorrow. Why?”

“Nothing. Just like that”

“In the nearby temple, sankabishekam is taking place on the full moon day at 6 PM. Do you want to come?”

“What is that now?” Siddarth asked.

“Sankabishekam is a ritual that involves the bathing of the idol with water held in conches. It is done using 108 or 1008 conches. Sankabishekam is indicated as the highest order of ritual bathing of idols in the ancient Hindu scriptures. It is said that, as the water leaves the coils of a conch and falls on the granite idol, the stone is gets a certain electrical energy. With time, the idol acquires psychic energy.” she narrated.

“So much for a conch. Phew!”

“Do you know about Kalki avatar?” his mother asked.

“Yeah. It is the last avatar of Vishnu, the 10th one technically”

“Correct. But this avatar is yet to be taken. In various avatars, Vishnu has used all weapons to destroy evil forces. Only the conch shell and the sword remain. He will use these two in the present yuga on donning the kalki avatar” she said.

“Maybe I’m the Kalki avatar. I found the conch and when I use it, miracles are going to happen” Siddarth laughed.

“So you still have the conch at home?” his mother asked.

“No amma”, Siddarth gave the innocent smile of his.

After dinner, Siddarth’s was at the terrace, with the conch in his hand. He got into a conversation with his neighbor Vinay and then noticed his neighbor’s grandmother walk over to the terrace for some fresh air. Siddarth decided to start a conversation with her about the conch.

“Conch is where Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth resides. We place rice in that conch and perform pooja to it in our pooja room. Also, in those days, the conch was used mildly to wake up the babies” as Siddarth was hearing this, he heard Vinay laughing.

“They use conch to wake up a baby? That is funny. If somebody would use a conch to wake me up I would have peed in my pants” he laughed.

“These days the kids think that all vedas, mantras, and Holy Scriptures are bogus. They do not understand that these things have helped to build the humanity. If they weren’t there, we would have still been barbarians roaming in forests. Each geographical location had a specific religion and each religion had its own preaching which has helped mankind build a better world”, she said.

“Better world? I would attribute it to science and technology and not religion” Vinay snapped.

“See. I told you. These days…”

“Is it bad to blow a conch?” Siddarth asked.

“No. In most Hindu households, the conch is blown three times a day to the chant of Gayatri Japa. It is good to have a conch at home”, she said.

Late at night, Siddarth was still at the terrace. He looked at the empty streets and the sleeping city. He could hear the waves although he couldn’t see the sea. He was curious to blow the conch.

“Would something really happen if I blow the conch? Will I die? Will it cause any mishap to my people, this city? What am I thinking? It is just a conch” thoughts ransacked his mind.

He was determined to blow the conch. He held the conch on his mouth. He looked up the sky and took a deep breath. Thud! His mother walked up the terrace. “What are you still doing here?” she screamed. “It is 1.30 AM and the doors are still open”, she continued.

He hid the conch behind quickly and stammered… “Sorry amma. I was… just outside…”

The next day, at work…

He received a call from Rishi.

“So did you blow the conch?” he asked.

“No. I was about to blow the conch last night and my mother intruded. Every time I try to blow it something hinders. Do you think it is a good omen to prevent the bad omen?”

“You are paranoid. Do you want to go to the doctor this evening? The bill is on me”, Rishi laughed.

At the lunch hall, with his boss…

“Do you think the conch has significance only in India?”

“No. It has its own significance in every part of the world. In Tibet the conch shell is used in Buddhist rituals, both blown and as a receptacle for holy water. The conch has been used ritually in other parts of Asia as well, and still today in Japan as a spiritual aid and in Korea for military fanfares. The Minoans reputedly used the conch for rituals, and their later Greek neighbors believed Triton, the son of Amphitrite and Poseidon, blew the conch to control the magnitude of the waves. The conch has been widely blown in the Americas, as well as traded as a commodity. Conch shells became carving tools, drinking cups, medicinal containers, jewelry and of course valued as sacred ceremonial objects. Hawaiians use a ceremonial conch shell that can be heard as far as two miles away. Today the "Pu," a special ceremonial conch, is used to announce the opening of the Hawaii State Legislature.”

“Phew! That is interesting”

It was the eve before full moon day. Siddarth was confused. His mind played a rebel and asked him to blow the conch but his heart kept him in control.

That night as he was settling down to sleep, he ran his hand under his pillow. The conch was missing. He sprang out of bed and looked around his room frantically for the conch. It wasn’t around. He thought his mother would have found it and dropped it in the well or given it to somebody. He rushed out of his room and woke his mother.

“Where is the conch?” he asked.

“You hid it from me” she was angry.

“Amma, it is just a conch and please don’t make an issue out of it. Just because of a silly reason you do not want to keep it in our house?”

“After the Tsunami, did you read about a girl who had come to Chennai from the north for a tournament here?”

“Yeah, she had missed her camera in the water and somebody found it at the beach. The camera revealed the last few clicks taken before Tsunami hit”

“Right. But did you read about the conch. This girl had blown a conch right before Tsunami hit the shore. She even claimed in the newspapers that the thunderous vibrations from the conch could have been one good reason for the huge waves”

“Amma. I’ve already had a good day. Please do not crack new jokes to make my night brighter. Thank you very much! Give me my conch”

“I’ve already dropped it in the well”

Siddarth’s face drained. He did not expect this to happen. His mother saw the disappointment in him. He walked back to his room. He couldn’t sleep that night.

“What if I had blown the conch after the full moon day? Some miracle might have happened. Now everything is gone”, he dozed off.

Next day… the full moon day…

It was a beautiful evening. Siddarth was getting ready to go to the beach and catch up with his friends. He did not speak to his mother the whole day. As he sat on his bike his mother walked out with the conch in her hand.

“I did not throw it in the well. I had it in the pooja room. Now, give me that million dollar smile”, she said.

Siddarth was overjoyed. He grabbed the conch and fled to the beach.

The waves were rough. The full moon added the vibrant hues to the sky. The weather, the sea, the sky, everything was rightly charged with the full moon energy.

“You got only today to test the conch and prove everything wrong”, Rishi said.

“Do you want me to try?”, Ram asked.

“Siddarth, you have waited for a couple of days. Why don’t you wait until tomorrow’s sunrise to blow the conch?”, Neha said.

“What is the thrill? Man, you got to take chances to make life spicier”, Ram said.

Siddarth looked at the conch that shone brightly under the full moon.

“There is something behind this. Some kind of energy. I can feel it. Listen to the waves by keeping this conch on your ear” he offered it to Ram.

“Every conch will be the same. When you place the conch on your ear, you can hear the waves and also the syllable ‘OM’”, Ram said.

“True. Isn’t that magnificent creation of nature?” Siddarth said.

“Yes. But what you are trying to correlate is some supernatural powers and nature”, Rishi said.

“Why don’t you blow this tomorrow morning in a temple?” Neha said.

“So that no evil will attack him?” Ram laughed.

“Shut up Ram. This is no joke. You need to be careful”, Neha said.

Ram plucked the conch from Siddarth. Before anybody could react he placed it on his mouth as if to blow. Just then a huge wave rushed into where they were sitting and pulled Ram inside. The others sprang into action and held him by his hand. After few moments of struggle, they dragged him back to the shore. Ram was shocked and paranoid.

“Where is the conch?” Siddarth asked. The conch was missing from Ram’s hand. It was dark and nothing was visible. Siddarth panicked.

“Forget it Siddarth. Take it for a good omen that the conch is lost” Rishi said.

Siddarth did not pay attention. He continued to search for it.

“Let it be lost Siddarth. I think it is something” Ram said softly. Rishi and Neha were surprised. Siddarth ran frantically. He searched for it as though a treasure was lost. And then, as another wave receded he found the conch. He ran to it and pulled it out. The other three saw him helplessly.

The last night with the conch. Tomorrow would be different. It was 11 PM. Just one more hour for the full moon day to cease. If he needed to prove the voice wrong, he should blow the conch within that hour. If he wanted the fortune, he will have to blow the conch the next sunrise.

He was standing by the seashore. The waves hit him time and again. He stood there looking at the rising sun. He took out the conch from his bag and placed it on his mouth. He blew it. It produced a thunderous sound blaring the sky. Nothing happened. He stopped blowing. He wasn’t sure if he needed to blow it again. After a while he placed it on his lips to blow it again and then a huge wave rushed in and pulled him in. Within few seconds he drowned. After almost an hour his dead body was washed ashore. His friends were around him looking at the lifeless body.

Siddarth woke up with a start from his bed. He looked at the clock. It was 4 AM. He couldn’t sleep any further. He tossed and turned on his bed until 5.00 AM. And as he saw some signs of brightness he jumped out of his bed and quickly rode down to the beach.

The sun began to rise in its own pace. The first rays fell on him and he felt totally charged. Show time! The miracle was to occur in his life and the lives around him would change forever, after he blew the conch. He gently slid his finger into the conch and placed it on his lips. He felt as if his heart was on a roller coaster. He began to sweat profusely. His life was to change forever. He quickly took off the conch from his mouth and flung it high into the sea. The conch fell into the water. He sat down with great relief. He looked at the rising sun.

“I don’t need a conch for miracles to happen in my life,” his mind read. Yet another beautiful day had just begun.