Along their route, the pilgrims learn that Chaos governs the many Greek deities, the Muslim’s God Allah has 99 names, the Zoroastrians believe in one God, an Evil (who shows his ugly head once in a while) and three principles of a worthy life. Across the Himalayan range, they get a lesson in Buddhism: enlightenment comes from within, not from the superpowers of one God or many gods, nor that there is an Evil around. However, there are four principles of life and eight paths to get to Nirvana, the state of inner peace and happiness. True, it may not happen in one life, but it will in future reincarnations.
But at Buxa Sanctuary, right before crossing the Sambatyon, they meet these athletic, handsome people living naked in full harmony with just the nature. Thus, they believe that rivers, boulders and trees have a soul and could give them good guidance in life; afterall, these things have been around for a long, long time and must know better.
Every Thing Has a Soul in Buxa Sanctuary.
On a windy afternoon, a naked man prays at the base of a big tree. He asks The Mother Tree why had he only daughters, whom by custom he has to give to their mothers. He needs also sons, to raise them for hard work and good hunting. Leaves rustling, the tree answers that some girls had asked just for that, to be boys alike. He’ll have to ask his woman to let him raise the new baby girl, if that’s what she’s going to be, as a boy.
The pilgrims were passing by and, although curious about the naked man, keept walking to avoid disturbing him. A bit further down the road, Boron and Kyot look back and see the man running to catch up with them; he is eight feet tall, athletic and handsome. In a Germanic language, he invites them to follow him on a head trail leading into the forest. He talks about his community but stops while walking by a big boulder; he bows at it and, in his mind, tells the boulder that these people are welcome although not all of them seem very healthy; the boulder acknowledges with a deep crackling sound. In a clearing with cabins built on stilts, naked, very tall, athletic and good looking man and women either chat or go about the daily choirs. Their ethnic varies from Caucasian to Asian and African. Some of them go up or down the ladders, others just climbing the ropes to their cabins; younger man and kids play or help the grown-ups. Boron and Rabbi Solomon try not to look at the naked women, while The Poet and Kyot are beaming smiles while looking around.
The handsome man invites the pilgrims to join a group of people chatting and laughing, sitting in a circle on the ground. He gently elbows aside two men who were tickling the belly of a pregnant woman. Sitting by her, he recounts to all his discussion with The Mother Tree. Baudolino translates to the pilgrims then asks why is the tree important, is it talking to them? One woman answers that many things like trees, rivers and stones have a soul and since they had lived much longer than them, they should know things; and yes, they give good advice, sometimes. A tall man approaches the group and offloads a deer from his shoulders. The others keep a moment of silence in prayer while the hunter acknowledges that he had asked the deer to sacrifice himself from the herd, and that the deer agreed.