Time Travelers

“It’s like a parallel universe. Except that what you are seeing has already happened in the past. It’s not happening now.”

          Mister G paused for a second to take a sip of hot chai tea. The elderly man sat comfortably in his favorite recliner, and he was attempting to explain to the two young cousins exactly how their time travels worked. The looks on their faces, however, told him they were growing more confused.

          “But we’re experiencing it now,” said Zammie “Not now now, but now then. When we were there.”

          “How can it be another universe?” asked Kyla. “You mean like the Milky Way?”

          “Milky Way’s a galaxy,” said Zammie. “It’s inside the universe.”

          “Oh, yeah. So how can there be another universe? Wouldn’t that be inside this universe, too?”

          “It’s not another universe outside of this one,” said Mister G. “You aren’t leaving earth. You are still here. Just at another point in time. A point in time that has already left its mark on the world.”

          “So we can’t go into the future?” asked Zammie.

          “No. At least, I don’t think so.”

Mister G had given the metallic Arjuna doll to Zammie as a reward for being such an astute history student at school. It was a doll that he had owned since he was a child growing up in India. It had been given to him by his father who had, in turn, received it from his father. He wasn’t exactly sure the age of the doll, but if he were to find out that it was over a thousand years old it would not have surprised him in the least.

The doll, which was made in the form of an ancient Indian archer, had magical properties that gave the owner the ability to travel back into time. Typically, based on what Mister G’s father had told him, users of the Arjuna would travel back into time and only have the ability to see the past for short moments, like looking through someone’s window into their living room for a few hours. They could not interact with the people. They couldn’t talk to them or even be seen by them. It was similar to Scrooge’s journeys in A Christmas Carol. When Mister G first used the statue as a child, however, he discovered that he could interact with the people in the past. He could talk to them, be understood, share their food, and by all other standards live in the past just as the actual people in time did.

When Zammie and Kyla told Mister G that not only could they interact with people in the past, but they could bring back objects from their time travels as well, he was shocked. He had known of no one who had been able to do that, not even him. For whatever reason, the Arjuna doll reacted strongly with the two young cousins, giving them the ability to experience the past unlike anyone else he knew.

“Can we grow old in the past?” asked Zammie.

“Can we die?” asked Kyla.

          “It’s difficult to say. It’s almost as if the rules of the doll are being rewritten for you. In my experience, no, you cannot grow old. I once went back to see Gandhi in India. I was there for nearly nine months, and I never even had to shave my beard. But your experience is different from mine. I also do not think you can die, but I wouldn’t test it. Don’t be taking on unnecessary risks.”

-- Opening of 

Time Trip #3: Witness to the First Thanksgiving 

"The First Thanksgiving" by J.L.G. Ferris (early 1900s)

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

Arjuna in Action

Out in the hallway, Kyla had her ear pressed close to the door handle trying to listen. She could hear the grinding gears of the doll which meant that Zammie had let it unwind. She remembered the first time they did this that it only took a few seconds before they woke up outside on that hill in Greece. She continued to wait when she noticed a bright, white glow coming from underneath the door. She took a step back and watched the light grow stronger before it quickly flickered out.

          At that moment Kyla realized how quiet the house was. The only noise she heard was the subtle ticking of the large antique clock Zammie’s parents kept in the living room. The light from inside Zammie’s room had gone out so she decided to open the door. She cracked it open a couple inches and peered inside but every light in the room had gone out and she couldn’t see anything. The light switch had somehow been flipped down so she switched it back on and saw Zammie passed out on the bed. His feet were dangling towards the floor.

          Kyla walked up to him to get a better look. He appeared to be taking a nap.

          “He is just sleeping,” Kyla whispered to herself. “So it really is like a dream.”

          Kyla looked around the room to see if anything else looked out of place. Everything appeared as it had before. Nothing else had changed so Kyla was about to leave the room and let Zammie sleep until she noticed the Arjuna’s eyes were still glowing. Or had they just started glowing? The head of the Arjuna turned towards her. Its mouth curled into a grin.

          “What are you looking at?” Kyla asked the statue.

          She started to walk out of the room when the door slammed closed before she could reach it, trapping her inside. Before she could formulate another thought Kyla felt the room beginning to spin around her and a bright light appeared forcing her to close her eyes. She fell back onto the edge of the bed and lost consciousness with the two small almond-shaped red eyes of the Arjuna still staring straight at her.

-- The Arjuna in Action

from Time Trip #2 (Chapter 2)

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!  

Arjuna the Warrior Prince

          He walked over to where the children were eating and placed a metal figurine of an ancient soldier with six arms on the table. The figure stood about a foot tall, and the arms were jointed and bendable. Two of the arms were holding an elaborate bow and arrow. Zammie noticed that the arms were moveable and were connected to a series of small gears that could be seen on the inside of the figure.

          “How does it work?” he asked.
          Ramesh pressed all six of Arjuna’s arms down to its side then twisted the figure at its waist. When he let go, the gears began to turn causing the arms to move around like tentacles.
          “Cool!” said Zammie. “You’re giving this to me?”
          “Sure. It’s supposed to help children learn about history,” said Ramesh. “It helped me do well in school when I was a boy. Maybe it will help you too.”
          “How does he help?” asked Zammie.
          “You just wind it up and let it run right before you do your homework, and then let Arjuna work his magic.”
          “Magic?” asked Kyla.
          Ramesh gave a small laugh, “Yes, magic. But you have to really concentrate when he’s moving. Look deep into his eyes, and when he’s done waving his arms you’ll be able to write even more wonderful papers about history.”

          “Thanks!” said Zammie. “Can I go try it out now?”
          “Of course, but be sure and share with Kyla too,” said Ramesh. “Maybe it will help her with her schoolwork as well.”
          “Let’s go, Kyla!” Zammie grabbed the little Arjuna and took off to his room. Kyla followed close behind.
          “You wanna do homework now, Zammie?” complained Kyla.

-- The Arjuna Statue

from Time Trip #1 (Chapter 1)

The short film above is a modern day Chitra Katha in animation that celebrates the intricate form of this historic hand printing craft, that was handed down from generation to generation, until it got lost somewhere in the advent of machine printing. Arjuna the Mythological Archer adorns this first ever handmade version of The Great Indian Yellow Pages, in a vivid story that simplifies online yellow pages and encourages online transactions through the life of Arjuna in 2008 AD.

Arjuna is one of the most celebrated human heroes in Hindu scripture. Wholesome, devoted and magnanimous, he bears many noble qualities of human beings. His theological significance is also immense. In his dialouge with Lord Krishna in the Bhagavadgita, wherein the nature of the universe is unraveled for him, Arjuna embodies the qualities of the ideal student. His willingness to accept the word of Krishna, even though it involves raising his weapons against his kinfolk, illustrates his ideal devotion to God. Together, the inseparable friendship between Krishna and Arjuna represent the cosmic inseparability of Brahmanand atman, or the essence of the universe and the soul, one of the fundamental ideas of Hinduism. In a more general sense of comparative myth, Arjuna also stands as the archetypal reluctant hero, who is called to a task of great import and initially shirks his duty, only to reconsider and perform his task with unmatched effectiveness. As such, Arjuna is a hero not only for Hindus but also for the entirety of humanity.

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!  

Arjuna Revisted

Ramesh came back into the house. He walked over to where the children were eating and placed a metal figurine of an ancient soldier with six arms on the table. The figure stood about a foot tall, and the arms were jointed and bendable. Two of the arms were holding an elaborate bow and arrow.
“Wow!” said Zammie.
“What is that, Ramesh?” asked Zammie’s mother.
“It’s an old Arjuna doll,” answered Ramesh. “Arjuna was a great warrior, a wise student, and he had an amazing gift for concentration.”
“What’s that mean?” asked Kyla.
“It means he was good at paying attention,” said Zammie.
“That’s right,” said Ramesh. “Figures like this were thought to help the children of India with their studies or their training, but that was a long time ago. I’m not sure if anyone really believes in Arjuna anymore. But this doll also has historical importance so I thought Zammie might like it.”
Ramesh pressed all six of Arjuna’s arms down to its side then twisted the figure at its waist. When he let go, the gears began to turn causing the arms to move around like tentacles.
“Cool!” said Zammie. “You’re giving this to me?”
“Sure. It’s supposed to help children learn about history,” said Ramesh. “It helped me do well in school when I was a boy. Maybe it will help you too.”

-- Zammie receives the Arjuna 

from Time Trip #1 

 (Kindle Locations 196-209, 215-220).

The multi-armed goddess Durga

Hindu deities are often portrayed with multiple arms, especially when they are battling cosmic forces. The multiplicity of arms emphasizes the deity's immense power and ability to perform several acts at the same time. The portrayal of a deity in human form but with multiple arms is the artist's attempt to express the deity's superhuman power. Demons are frequently depicted with multiple heads to convey their superhuman power as well.
From The Asian Art Museum. 

Although the Arjuna of Hindu tradition was not worshiped as a god, in the Time Trip universe, the doll that Ramesh brings to Zammie combines several features from the legends including the bow and arrow of the warrior prince and the multiple arms of the Hindu deities. 

And somewhere, somehow, this doll was was also given the power to transport those it deemed worthy on magical adventures across time. How it can do this and for what purpose we will have to wait to find out in future volumes of the series.

Statue of Arjuna in Bali, holding the famous bow called the Gāndeeva.

The eighteenth chapter of the Mahabharata: The Bhagvad Gita or The Song of God tells the story of the God Krishna, the embodiment of divine love, as he instructs Arjuna, who represents mankind. Krishna describes skill in action, presenting it as a practical discipline, suitable for all people, a middle way that avoids the extravagances of asceticism on one hand, and sensuality on the other.

The content of the The Bhagvad Gita is the conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna which took place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra war. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma about fighting his own cousins, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and a prince. During the discourse, Lord Krishna reveals his identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam Bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of his divine universal form.

Krishna acts as Arjuna's charioteer as they ride into battle.

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 4

KILLING FOR COUNTRY  

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 1

THE JOURNEY TO ANCIENT GREECE 

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 2

A RIDE ON THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

Available at Amazon.com!

TIME TRIP ADVENTURE 3

WITNESS TO THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 

Available at Amazon.com!  

Who was Arjuna?

In Indian mythology, Arjuna was the greatest warrior on earth and a key historical figure in the Hindu scriptures. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' was such a peerless archer that he was often referred to as Vishnu the Unbeatable. Arjuna was also a skillful student who had an amazing gift for concentration and focus.

In the Time Trip universe, the small, animatronic statue given to Zammie by Mister G holds wonderous powers for teaching. In addition to learning about the past through first-hand experience, Zammie and Kyla must also figure out how the Arjuna's magic works, why it works differently for different people, and how they can control it.

Photo of the Arjuna statue in Indonesia from Flickr.

The Time Trip ebook series begins this summer . . .