​Change can be hard sometimes, especially if it is unexpected.  The following is a story told within the story of Second Thunder that gives a broader perspective on the transitions that happen in our lives. It was a chilly evening in the Himalayas and Edg and the narrator of First Thunder (also appearing here in Second Thunder) were discussing the latter’s troubling visions.  An old hermit, who was an Ishaya, came to sit next to them. The three of them began discussing Gana and his role as the Destroyer. The central character asked how an aspect of God could be destructive, and the old man then told the following story. 
 
Once Indra, the king of the gods, was cursed by an Ishaya to forget who he was. Indra was at once reborn as a wild boar. 
 
The gods were frantic without their ruler -- the upward current of creation was everywhere dammed up and subverted by the demons and Rakshasas. They searched everywhere for their king but found him nowhere. 
 
Finally, Agni, the God of Fire, recognized Indra wearing the body of a pig. The gods approached him and beseeched him to return to his throne. But Indra was not interested in their words: having forgotten everything of his past, he told them he was perfectly content with his life as a boar -- he adored his pig wife and pig children; what use did he have for their words of glory? They had no meaning in his life.
 
From desperation, the gods decided they had no choice -- Yama, Lord of Death, was dispatched. One by one, everything Indra loved was taken from him -- his sons and daughters, his wife, everything he cherished was destroyed. And yet still he clung stubbornly to his life as a pig.
 
It was only when Yama killed the body of the wild boar that Indra awakened from his peculiar dream. Only when every attachment was broken did he reawaken to his true status. Joy for himself and the Universe dawned that day. Destruction led to Heaven for him, you see. (p. 185-186)
 
 
This is a simple, cute story that seems to come with a clear message.  However, though we may see it as cute, it is definitely not perceived this way from the perspective of the pig.  And that’s the point. When reading the story, it’s easy to be on the side of the gods and want the pig to wake up, since we know that he’s actually a god – the king of gods for that matter – and, really, who wants to live a life of a pig, when they can live as a god?  But to the pig, he has a great life. He knows nothing of this godliness. To him, his life is all there is: his pig life and his pig family.  That, is the parallel to us as humans -- it is showing us our own ignorance. It’s a pretty stark point, actually, to compare our lives to that of a pig.  The contrast is effective, though, in that we can plainly see the difference in the lives we may currently be creating and what our potential really is. And, that is the role of the Destroyer aspect of God -- to destroy illusions and ignorance so that we can continue to awaken to greater Self-awareness. This story is being told to the narrator at an important time, since in the next scene his own world is turned upside down by the death of his beloved. This is a very autobiographical part of the book as well, as the author also experienced a similar destruction in his own life (as written in “About the Author” in First Thunder), which served to awaken major transformations.  The Destroyer aspect destroys false and limiting beliefs, and though they are illusions, they can feel very real. And, if we are not aware of any other potential that exists, we can become very attached to these illusions, thus defining our lives by them. As ignorance sets in, we may need something drastic to wake us up. Therefore, any kind of challenge or loss in our lives can be viewed as an opportunity to break attachments that no longer serve us. What a lesson! To see that there is an all-conscious, benevolent, Supreme Being, if you will, helping us to grow and expand at all times!
 
In the story, the gods had to actually kill his pig body, since even after taking everything else away he still refused to see his true nature.  Only then was he finally able to see the illusions he had created. We don’t need to wait until death to wake up from our dream. It is possible to sever our attachments to the things and people in our world in this lifetime and connect to the Truth. As we build a relationship to that greater part of our Selves, we no longer need to depend on others, our jobs, fame or money to define us and prove to us that we are loved and accepted. Change and losses can still cause emotion, but as we connect to the presence that never changes, it can be less of a debilitating experience, and more of an awakening one. When the protagonist loses his beloved in the next scene, he does go through a period of turmoil and confusion, but he persists and carries on. Meanwhile, he has teachers that are always guiding him along the way, showing him the purity and perfection of the Universe, and that nothing is truly lost. It is all just a matter of perspective. 
 
Here again, MSI’s book is masterfully written, weaving stories within stories with the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, effect of inspiring us to wake up. 

The Supporting Cast of Second Thunder: Fays, Elementals & Celestials
Second Thunder is a rich, visionary work; and woven into this story of unique worlds and heroic pursuits are the elementals and the celestials.  The book is speckled with these characters throughout, and they are actually quite an important part of the landscape of Second Thunder.
As we immerse into the story, we may run across: Darien the wind celestial who loved a minstrel woman who could hear and see the celestials; the three wood elves who flew in a triangle and finished each other’s sentences; the shy, yellow flower elemental who found the courage to deliver an important message to Gana; the celestial warriors and the celestial army fighting the big battle at the end to tip the scales of darkness to light.  The list goes on: spring elves, fall sprites, water nymphs, wind spirits, brownies, pixies, naiads, dryads, gnomes, dwarves, the humanoid faces in the Guardian Mountains and the ruler of the entire mountain range, the High Lord of the Fays, the Celestial gardeners.  Many of these are just briefly alluded to, leaving one curious of the worlds that are out there, while others play a larger role.  The underlying message is that there is a whole other level of perception that most are not aware of.  As the character Almira mentions, “Each and every grain of sand has a unique existence, an individual reality in the One’s light... All natural laws maintaining the integrity of Narain’s Dream have humanoid counterparts. Even if never seen, they have always existed. And always will, even if the ability to know them be one day lost.” (p. 207-208)
Here is an excerpt that illustrates this magical world: “Engrossed in thought, the adan stretched out his arm to touch a small, crimson snap-dragon. It seemed particularly lovely, more alive than the others. It took Gana several moments to realize that he was not staring at a flower but a small humanoid figure, clothed in the colors of its stem with its leaves as arms . . . this delightful little creature had been invisible a moment before solely because his senses had been too narrowly defined. Gana stared entranced until he noticed some other peculiar motions near his feet. Looking around, he saw that all the flowers were now also human. Even the blades of grass had humanoid shapes, with their arms raised above their countless heads, bending now this way, now that in the gentle breeze. Every plant was human! Every one different, every one unique, every one beautiful.” (p. 207)
We all have the ability to perceive this subtle level of creation. Though many have lost this ability, Second Thunder reminds us of a time and place where these beings were our allies and worked closely with us for the good of all of creation.
Surya Ishaya