Beyond Times

Chapter 46 - Devarshi and Chandrahasa

Tiasha sat in front of the small hut, lost in her world of thoughts. Vati slept on her lap as she absent-mindedly stroked her soft far. 

-"Narayan! Narayan!" 

The chant of Narayan's name and the sound of Kartal startled Tiasha. She saw an extremely fair man standing in front of her with a somewhat mischievous but pleasing smile on his face. His black hair was tied on the top of his head with a Rudraksha mala, a garland of white flowers adorning his neck. Vina on one hand and Kartal on the other the man was not unfamiliar to those who have read or at least heard the Stories of Ramayana, Mahabharat and the Puranas. 

Tiasha carefully placed Vati on a cushion beside her and stood up to greet the travelling Muni, who had the knowledge of every other gossip in every corner of the world. 

Tiasha kneeled in front of him and touched his feet. 

The man jumped two steps back, "Narayan! Narayan! Devi Kaushiki, what are you doing? The mother of the creation, kneeling in front of this mere Individual!" 

Tiasha still touched his feet and said, "You can't deny me the right of seeking blessing from you Munivar."

The man muttered under his breath, "You are the perfect partner in crime for Shree Krishna, I see."

-"Narada Muni's Pranam to you Devi Kaushiki." He folded his hand and bowed down. 

-"Please take a seat, Devarshi." Tiasha said as she placed an Asana for Narada to sit. 

Sitting down Narada asked, "Devi, may I have some of those delicious sweets you make, with coconut and jaggery?"

Tiasha nodded and sprinted inside the kitchen to bring the sweets. She brought a plate full of those sweets, a big glass filled with milk and placed them in front of Narada.

-"It's my great fortune you came here Munivar, Is there any special reason for your visit?" Tiasha asked as she sat down with him Narada Muni.

-"As Rishi Vishwamitra has gone out of the Ashram for a few days, and I was passing by, I thought why not give you a visit? I will have Darshan of Devi Kaushiki and You won't have to be all alone for some time." Narada replied taking a bite out of the sweets.

Tiasha took a deep breath in. Looking into the deep forest she said, "I like the solitude here, it's peaceful and ideal for immersing yourself in your Sadhana." She then smiled at Narada and continued, "Although I am not all alone..." She stroked Vati's soft fur, "...but thank you for visiting me Munivar, it's my honour to meet you finally."

Narada Muni smiled back and said, "The pleasure is all mine, Devi. I would be lying if I said I only came to give you some company. I came here for these sweets too."

Tiasha laughed, "Have as much as you would like Munivar, I will make more before Gurudev returns."

Narada continued eating. Tiasha watched with a smile as Narada Muni ate with a blissful smile on his face. 

-"Devi, do you know what is happening in Hastinapur?" Narada questioned.

-"No Munivar, I don't have any news of the outside world since I came here nine months ago."

-"Rajkumari Dushala got married off to Sindh raj Jayadratha. Rajkumari Dushala and Rajkumar Duryodhan sent an invitation to Dwarika, they wanted you to be present at the wedding. But Shree Krishna got married to Devi Satyabhama at the same time so he refused the invitation."

Tiasha went numb for a moment. She shook her head and hit the ground beside her, a frustrated sigh left her lips. 

-"And I wasn't there to do anything, my poor little sister is going to suffer in the hands of that pathetic excuse of a man. I can't believe the elders of the Kuru family agreed to this. And Duryodhan, didn't he know what he was putting Dushala into?"