yth (or religion) and reality. His name means "man of scriptures" . He possesses ancient wisdom which seems to perfectly frame everything that is going on in the novel. He is the one who draws the comparison between Vasu and the Rakshasas. As well, he is the one who seems to be in charge of Nataraj's "inner sanctum" at the press. He performs pujas early on in the book, and makes pilgrimages to holy sites near the end. He is the one who puts Vasu's death (and the death of all demons) into perspective by saying "...every demon carries within him, unknown to himself, a tiny seed of self-destruction" . On page 105, Sastri seems to predict the astrological cataclysm that will occur due to the aspecting of Jupiter. He says "If a fly settles on your nose at a crucial moment and annoys you, you may treat it as an astrological setback worked off" . This does not appear to be something cataclysmic, but the mosquito which lands on Vasu's head at an inopportune moment has a very large impact on the outcome of the story. He is also the one who discovers the truth of how Vasu met his end by asking Rangi (or Krishna, as her name denotes) how he met his end. In that respect, as in many others, Sastri is the finder of truth.The figure of Rangi is a very interesting one for several reasons. She is the temple prostitute, and in being a woman of the temple, she is technically married to the god of that temple, who is in this case Krishna. Yet her name means Krishna itself, and she plays the role of Krishna in the death of Vasu (with respect to the death of Bhasmasura). She is both the highest woman and the lowest woman. She is openly looked down upon, yet she merits at least a name, unlike Nataraj's wife. An contrast emerges between her and Vasu when the light creates a "halo" around her and contrasts Vasu's halo of black hair. This also seems to suggest that she is some sort of angel, if Vasu and his black halo represent a demon, creatin...
