The Death of Vishnu

mountains, and beyond them even, the trinity, with Brahma reclining in the chariot of the seven swans, and Vishnu rising in all his brilliance into the sky, and Shiva at the edge of the world, getting ready to do his dance.

    D URING THE NIGHT , Mr. Jalal had a vision. A vision that seemed much too intense to Mr. Jalal to have been a dream—a vision he was convinced was a revelation, a visitation. Mr. Jalal spent part of the night tossing and thrashing in its throes, and as he rolled about, the sheet and dupatta covering Vishnu’s body were pulled off and wrapped around Mr. Jalal instead.
    In his vision, Mr. Jalal was sitting on the step above the landing, still dressed in his pajama suit. Vishnu, looking quite recovered, was seated next to him. Between them was a bowl of walnuts.
    Vishnu picked up a walnut from the bowl and set it on the landing. He brought his fist down and smashed the shell, then sifted through the pieces to extract the kernel.
    Mr. Jalal tried the same, but his walnut did not break, and his fist bounced back painfully from the shell.
    “It’s not so easy,” Vishnu said, laughing. “Only I can do it.” He thrust some of his walnut bits into Mr. Jalal’s hand, who stared at them uncertainly. “Don’t worry, they’re safe. I’m quite well now—you won’t catch anything from me.”
    Mr. Jalal put the pieces in his mouth. They tasted very nutty, as if fried in oil to bring out their flavor. He looked at the bowl and hoped Vishnu would break open some more, even though it probably wasn’t a good idea to eat walnuts so close to bedtime.
    “I see you’ve come to sleep down here tonight,” Vishnu said, smashing open another nut and handing over the entire kernel to Mr. Jalal. “Tell me, what do you hope to find? Besides walnuts.”
    Mr. Jalal felt the soft crispness of the kernel under his teeth. Thick walnut juice oozed out and coated his tongue. He tried to recall why he had come.
    “Enlightenment,” he said, remembering. “I’ve come for a sign.”
    Vishnu laughed. “And what do you think—this enlightenment that you’re seeking—it comes in a nut? That it’s waiting for you in one of these shells—for me to crack open, and you to swallow?”
    Mr. Jalal bristled. “I’ll have you know I’ve been sleeping on the ground for months now.”
    “And look, you even came down tonight without a pillow. Surely that merits something.” Vishnu broke open another walnut and offered it on his outstretched palm. “Here, maybe this is the one you’ve made your pilgrimage for.”
    Mr. Jalal’s face turned red. “I’ve starved myself. I’ve beaten myself. I may not be the Buddha, but that should count for something.” He pushed away Vishnu’s hand. “All I’m asking for is a sign, not an entry into heaven.”
    “If signs were so easy, people would be lining up and down the stairs for these nuts. I would be selling each one for a fortune.”
    “You don’t understand,” Mr. Jalal said. “You don’t know. How long I’ve been trying. I’m not just any person, you know—all this time, I’ve thought of nothing but this.” Mr. Jalal’s voice rose to a whine. “If anyone deserves enlightenment, it should be me.”
    “You and a million others. It’s not so simple. I’ve already told you. Maybe you should come back some other time. Perhaps in a few more years. Yes, come in a few years. Maybe you’ll be more ready then.” Vishnu brushed the nut residue off his hands.
    Something flared inside Mr. Jalal. “And who do you think you are? Who are you to decide? I didn’t come here tonight to listen to you, you drunken fool. Who even asked you anything?”
    “Such anger. You know it will only cloud your vision. Not that it makes any difference to me.” Vishnu started humming. “Though what a shame that would be, if you were too angry to notice.” He began examining the walnuts in the bowl, flipping several over, like a fruit vendor arranging his wares to bring the most unblemished specimens up to display.
    “Notice what? Are you going to show me something? A sign, perhaps? You’re from heaven, is it? Come to distribute magic walnuts?”
    “Calm down,” Vishnu said. “Calm down and pay attention. Or you may miss what you’ve come for.”
    “I will not calm down. I will not keep quiet.” Mr. Jalal stood up. “ This is what I think of your sign.” He kicked the bowl of nuts, sending it flying into the air. “What I think of you and your walnuts.” The bowl