Like a gust of wind extinguishing a flickering candle, a deep sadness washed over the faces of the Panchsundaris. Their eyes, once filled with a radiant glow of hope, now shimmered with tears of anguish.
"Kya hume aise hi jeena hoga ? Narayan kya hume nahi milenge ?" One of them voiced, as the grief sank deep into their hearts as they grappled with the fact that there was no sign of him returning. Already the days had turned into weeks and weeks into months and months into years.
"Nahi milenge." They heard a divine voice.
Suddenly a rush of divinity filled the room, intertwining the air with a sense of awe. The five maidens looked at the entrance of the room and saw, Ganesh, Amarsri and Srinav, all three of them radiating an aura that combines might and grace.
"Kyu nahi mil sakte ?" One of them asked with an offended expression.
"Yadi aapko Narayan chahiye the pati roop mei, tab aapne Samudramanthan ke samaye kyu nahi kaha ? Aapne Lakshmi Narayan ka vivah kyu nahi roka ?" Amarsri asked, with a stoic countenance.
The Panchsundaris said nothing. Their silence shrouded in the atmosphere of unease and tension.
"Kyuki aap sabhi ko pata tha Devi Lakshmi hi Narayan ki patni hai. Aapko pata tha ki Narayan ke vamang par aapka sthaan nahi hai. Kintu matsarya, vyakti ki buddhi har leta hai, sahi aur galat mei bhed karne ki kshamta ko ksheen kar deta hai." Amarsri said.
"Devi Amarsri, aapse inn shabdo ki apeksha nahi thi. Kya aapke Vidyashree avatar ne Bhargav ko praapt karne hetu tapasya nahi ki ? Humne bhi wahi kiya hai." Said one of them.
"Maine apne pati ko punah praapt karne ke liye tap kiya tha ! Kisi aur ke pati hetu nahi !" Amarsri exclaimed at the audacious comment, "Maine tapasya ki jisse Shreeshaktiswar ki smritiya laut aaye ! Na ki unhe sab vismaran karane ke liye ! Tumne jo kiya hai woh kapat hai ! Apne hi behen ke vishwas ko chhala hai tum sab ne !" She said clearly, her once composed countenance revealed a hint of disdain.
The eyes of Panchsundaris darted around, avoiding direct contact, as they search for an escape or a way to deflect the mounting pressure.
"Humne koi chhal kapat nahi kiya hai ! Humne tapasya kar Narayan ko praapt kiya hai." Another one of them said.
"Deviyo," said Ganesh, "Yadi aap bina matsarya ke bhaav se tap karti, toh aapko Narayan swayam ke bheetar hi mil jaate. Woh toh sarvavyapi hai, kan kan mei vyapt hai."
The once confident demeanor of the five maidens dissipates, replaced by a somber and withdrawn countenance. Their silence, like a veil, simultaneously hid their shame, that had started to seep into them.
"Aap sabhi ne jisse manga woh kaun hai ? Shrishti ke palanhaar. Aap ne Narayan ke vastavikta ko jana hi nahi. Unse unki smritiya bhulwakar aapne unhe na sansaar ka rehne diya aur naa hi apna bana payi." Srinav said.
The Panchsundaris stayed silent, as they gazed at each other. In that moment, it became apparent that their silence was their admission of guilt.
"Aur ab aap ke karan mere mata-pita bhi alag ho gaye hai." Ganesh said.
"Kaise ?" One of the sisters asked, they all looked at the vighnaharta with confusion.
"Narayan jisse lad rahe hai woh aur koi nahi apetu Mahadev hai, unhone Vrishabh roop dharan kiya hai taki Narayan ko unki smritiya mil jaye." Ganesh said.
The weight of their wrongdoing pressed upon the conscience of the Panchsundaris, causing their troubled gaze to descend, seeking refuge in the ground beneath.
"Kya iska koi hal nahi ?" They asked.
"Do maarg hai, pehla ki sab aisa hi chalta rahe aur shigreh ek din yeh shristi ka annt ho jaaye." Ganesh said.
The maidens looked at each other with wide eyes, they couldn't fathom something that drastic to happen because of them. "Aur dusra maarg ?"
"Aur dusra maarg hai ki aap apna swarth bhula de aur Narayan ko vachan mukt karde, jisse sansaar ko unke Vishnu bhagwan mil jaye aur Mahadev bhi Mata Parvati se mil jaye." Srinav said.
The Panchsundaris nodded in agreement, it was an acknowledgement of their transgressions, a recognition of the pain they have caused and the trust they have shattered.
--------
Narayan was still struggling to free himself from the grasp of the astra. But no matter how much he tried he couldn't. Suddenly the sound of footsteps fell on his ears, he slightly turned his head and saw the five maidens coming towards him.
"Aap yaha kya kar rahi hai ? Aap log jayiye yaha se mai abhi iss Vrishabh ko parajit kar ke aata hu." Narayan said.
The sisters looked at each other, sadly and then back at him. He noticed how their eyes were glistening with tears.
"Kya hua ? Aap sab sakushal toh hai na ?" Narayan asked.
"Nahi. Yeh bodh ho jane ke paschat ki humne humare swarth hetu sansaar ko uske palanhaar se vanchit kardiya hai, humara man glaani se bhar utha hai." The first sister said.
"Hey Narayan aap samast sansaar ke hai, aur hum apne sukh ke liye sansaar ko dukh nahi pahucha sakte." The second sister said.
"Iss liye hum aapko vachan mukt karti hai." The third sister said.
"Vachan ?" Narayan asked confused.
"Aap mukt hai swami." The fourth sister said.
"Ho sake toh hume kshama karna." The fifth sister said with joined hands.
Narayan looked at them with an unreadable expression. He closed his eyes, and the memories stored in the back of his head, revealed themselves. The smile of his, that was capable of calming any turbulence in the hearts of his devotees, returned back to his face as he once again reached the peak of his consciousness.
Suddenly Amarsri felt a wave energy pulsating through one side of her body, the energy that seemed to have hidden itself once again coursed through her veins.
She smiled knowing that now Narayan had remembered everything. She looked at him, who was now standing tall free from the bondage of the astra, in his four handed form carrying shankh, chakra, Koumodiki gada and lotus flower.
"Mahadev ?" Narayan said looking at Vrishabh who smiled, that held the power to dispel darkness and ignite the light of knowledge and spirituality.
Mahadev came back to his Kailashpati form, he too became free from the bondage of the divine weapon. His countenance radiated both peace and power, perfectly capturing the harmony of his divine nature. The Panchsundaris bowed down to him in reverence.
"Ha Narayan. Maine hi yeh Vrishabh roop dharan kiya tha taki aapko apni smritiya mil jaye." Mahadev said.
"Hey Mahadev mujhe kshama karde, itne dino se aapne prayas kiya mujhe meri shaktiyo se parichaye dilane ka kintu mai anabhigya raha aur nirantar aap par akraman karta raha." Narayan said.
"Hey Narayan, aap ke aur mere yudh se yeh punah siddh hogaya hai ki hum dono samkaksh hai, koi kisi ke aadhin nahi koi kisi se shresht nahi." Mahadev said.
"Satyavachan." Narayan smiled, and then looked at Srinav, "Putra, maine tumhe bhi bahut kuch bol diya."
"Uski chinta na kare Narayan." Srinav said with a smile that had a glint of mischief in it, "Uski chinta Mata Lakshmi karengi."
"Nahi putra !" Narayan said, "Chanchala ko na kehna. Tum toh jaante woh apne santaano ko leke kitni rakshatmak hai."
Their faces illuminated with sheer delight, lips curled upwards, and cheeks flushed with mirth. And in that collective heartbeat of recognition, a synchronized eruption of laughter spontaneously burst forth.
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A/N
*Coughs* Narayan aur Srinav..... Your Krishna and Satyashree are showing *coughs*
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HARIHARESHWARI 13 : DVOU PADOU VRISHABHAH
Historical FictionThe age of Treta yug has ended, Vedas and sacrifices went into a decline and the lifespans of humans decreased, with the advent of Dwapar, the third yug. Now humanity is not plagued by external threats from demons or other supernatural forces but fr...
