The Enchantress

28. Last rites

Madhavi and Om were helped all along by Mahamaya and her family. The person Mahamaya knew as Raj was still there, even though his men had gone to clean up the dead bodies, because they needed to know whose men had attacked them.

Om had scolded Madhavi for cursing an innocent girl like Mahamaya, who was the victim of their son's craziness and Madhavi agreed, but a curse is like a released arrow. It can't be called back, no matter what.

"I need to tell you something, Maya," Mahesh said, looking at his daughter. His daughter looked delicate and beautiful but instead of like a flower in bloom, she was looking like a dying flower. For an instant, he cursed himself for hiding something so vital from her, that marrying her could kill Aarav. If he hadn't, maybe Aarav could have been alive today.

Mahamaya nodded but Mahesh looked at the man standing far away, the man who had saved his daughter and Mahesh signalled him to come closer as procedures and paper work regarding Aarav's dead body were in progress.

The man, whom Mahamaya knew as Raj, nodded and followed the father daughter duo till the exit of the hospital. Mahesh was looking dishevelled. The curse that his daughter had gotten should have been directed towards him instead. He had stopped his wife from telling his daughter about this. However, he was done playing with fate.

He took his daughter's soft right hand and then he took the right hand of the young man he barely knew, as he slowly placed her hand in his, signalling his acceptance of their marriage.

Mahamaya pulled back her hand, as if she was burnt by the hand but Raj looked overwhelmed. He couldn't disagree that he fell in love with Mahamaya and he had just vowed to keep her safe, considering that she had killed the mighty Vardhabhai. However, he never deemed himself right for Mahamaya and had given up on the thought of ever marrying her.

Mahamaya's eyes almost burnt like fire, as the glow of the SuryanArAyana (Sri Vishnu, the presenter deity, in the form of sun) himself seemed to have entered her eyes. She looked at her father and asked furiously, "What is the meaning of this, father? Do you think marriage is a joke that you can give away your daughter to any random person? Or do you think of this daughter of yours as more of a liability than a blessing? Do you want to get rid of her?"

Mahesh was scared to see his daughter like that. It felt like she would burn him with her gaze, as if she was Goddess BhavAni (a destructive form of feminine energy) herself. He was now feeling afraid of revealing the reason but he knew he had to.

He gulped down his saliva and looked her straight in the eyes, before he said in a firm voice, "I hid something from you. If you marry anyone whose birth chart doesn't match with yours, mother nature will do anything to break that marriage, even if she has to kill him. We believe that's what killed Aarav. Indrayani wanted to tell you this but I didn't want her to. I didn't want to," he looked at the man in front of him, before he gulped, his voice thick with emotions, "to give my daughter's hand to a criminal but he saved you and I think we shouldn't fight fate anymore."

The coals in the eyes of Mahamaya seemed to cool down as Raj's heart danced with joy. However, did his birth chart really match with hers? He had to make sure but right now, he had to give an answer.

Raj nodded to the middle aged man, before he said, "I have no hurry of marrying. I will give you the details of my birth and you can check if my and Mohini's birth charts match or not. If they do, I will send my mother to ask your daughter's hand for marriage. I will take my time courting your daughter because she deserves it and then if she likes me, she can then marry me."

Mahesh's features visibly relaxed. Mahamaya felt like everyone around her was getting crazy as she mumbled, frustrated, "I think this is neither the right place nor time for this discussion."

Mahesh looked around and slightly blushed in embarrassment. She was right. He was being stupid for bringing this up at a hospital of all places.

A few days passed and the small family of three helped the old couple in carrying out the last rites of Aarav. It took thirteen days to complete them. After all that was done, Mahesh held hands of Om and said firmly, "I know he was the sole earner in your family. If you or sister-in-law (Madhavi) need any monetary or any kind of help, please do not hesitate to contact us."

Om's eyes watered at the offer as he quickly hugged Mahesh, sobbing on his shoulder. Mahesh rubbed his back and whispered gently, "Maybe it was not in our fate for our children to be married but I would be happy to get a brother from all this."

These words made Om cry louder as many members of Madhavi's family had visited and did the rituals for his son's death but none of his brothers or any family member came from his side, because of the soured relations over property.

Om was glad he had a brother who did the rituals with him. Om, Madhavi, Mahamaya, Mahesh and Indrayani thus travelled to Tirupati BAlAji temple and as per the rituals, Mahesh and Om shaved their hair and donated them to lord Balaji.

The couple felt extremely overwhelmed by the support the trio had shown to them, to the point that even Mahesh's and Indrayani's family paid them a visit.

Finally, it was weeks past Diwali when the little family of three had to finally return to Mumbai because Mahesh and Mahamaya still had to work.

The one whose name they had assumed to be Raj was actually VirAj, who had been named by his father, VardhAbhAi. The name which was suggested in his birth chart was however Vishnuyasha. As they had expected, even their Pandit Ji (priest) was surprised to see that they were born at different time and day but yet, all of their gunas (qualities) matched perfectly...

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A/N:

I know, nothing much happened here in this chapter. I didn't really know what to write here too. I only remembered how when my great grandmother had died, my grandfather had shaved his hair in Tirupati Balaji and the most I know about the last rites is cremation. I knew nothing so writing this chapter was difficult. I hope you guys don't mind ❤️

Best wishes to everyone on the eve of Shiv Jayanti. This was the day, 19th February, 1630 when the sun of Maratha Empire, Chhatrapati ShivAji MahArAj was born and he's so close to me, that I struggle with remembering dates but I don't have to struggle with remembering his birth date or year. He has been root or basis of many stories I heard or read in my childhood.

He is known as the father of Indian Navy of present day India. The Navy he had built was not to attack other nations but to keep an eye on the growing influence of the Portuguese and Britishers and now, after so many centuries, we know just how much right he was about the dangers these foreign traders posed to the sovereignty of BhArata, of India.

Ganesh chaturthi and Shiv Jayanti were two occasions which were used by the freedom fighter LokmAnya Tilak so that people could gather with the excuse of celebration, plan and execute revolts against the British rule. So, even after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had died, his birth and his stories still helped us in fighting those wars which we faced in the future.

His stories in the form of songs in local Marathi language, known as powadAs were popularized. I'm attaching one such powada from a MarAthi film and sadly it's in Marathi but if you have basic Hindi knowledge, then you can understand what's going on and people are acting there, it's not just singing, so you can still understand a little. This incident had happened when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was about sixteen years old.

Lastly, I would conclude with just the words, Jai BhavAni, Jai ShivAji!