Yaduvansham

Four • Not My Father

Days flew like wind, swiftly yet sweetly in Dwaraka.

Once, Krishna sat in the gardens besides Satyabhama, who in all radiance, offered him company in the peaceful vicinity of Nature along with Bhanu engaging in a chat.

The beautiful flowers greeted them with their enchanting fragrance. The grass as soft as cotton caressed their feet. The swift breeze pushed their hair behind and the sun warmed their bodies. Butterflies entertained them with their dance and the trees swayed on the tunes of the wind.

They say besides a small lake, that was enriched with a waterfall. The gurgles of water reminded them of the beach by the sea. Ripples would run away from the fingers when they met the serene water. One could simply perceive through this that Nature was the purest portal to inner peace!

Away from their daily routine of managing the kingdom, the trio embraced Mother Nature by taking a few breaths of relief, even Krishna as well, though he wasn’t exactly supposed to do that.

He was supposed to kill Asuras, fight great wars, establish Dharma, vanquish Adharma, save the needy, help the innocent, guide the lost, protect the Earth, and all that. So he knew that these breaths of relief won’t be long lasting. Someone would come asking for help or guidance. He mentally counted those seconds in which a call would come for him.

Three…Two…One…And...

“Trahimam Prabhu, Trahimam.”

It was Indra, the King of the Devas. He occasionally visited Dwaraka, and even established their court, Sudharma, which was named after his. But today was different. He had come for help, help against some major problem.

He hadn’t come in his grand self, today. Instead, he had come without his crown. Mud and dirty was splattered all over his robes. His divine lustre that differentiated him from the other gods was lost. His Vajra, his thunderbolt wasn’t with him either. He looked like some mere King instead looking like the Leader of the Gods.

The problem looked serious!

“Devaraja? What brings you here in such a state?” Satyabhama immediately asked. Her brows frowned in worry. Indra wasn’t someone to arrive like this. He prided in his glory and was always accompanied by a few other Gods.

“Narakasura Maa.” Answered Indra in his state of devastation. He joined his hands and fell to their feet. Bhanu was used to such divine interventions, but backed of in utter shock. Anyone could mistake him for some mortal King who had lost all his wealth and Kingdom in a big war.

“Narakasura?”

“The Ruler of Praygjyotisha. The Son of Prithvi.” Indra explained, not raising his head. He knew the only hope to have his kingdom, his possessions back was Krishna, “Blinded in power he attacked Amaravati. Defeated the Suras. Snatched Varuna’s divine umbrella. Took away my mother Aditi’s earrings. And also captured sixteen hundred heavenly nymphs.”

Indra narrated as quickly as possible, not explaining anything in between the lines. But that brief description was enough to flare the rage of all present there. Krishna’s face darkened and Satyabhama tremble in fury.

“How dare he!”

“I have come to Prabhu to regain all that we have lost. He is that last flickering flame of hope left for us.” Indra put his head on Krishna’s feet. That invoked pity within them. How the Asuras perform severe penance and please the supreme deities and then caused menace to the Devas and the entire Universe, when they were supposed to do something productive with those boons! “He will help us, won’t he?”

“Of course I will.”

“I will go as well.” Declared Satyabhama all of a sudden.

“Will you?”

“Do you doubt my skills with a bow or a sword, Swami?”

“No I don’t. Neither do I remember questioning your skills.” Krishna stared at the blue sky. Seemingly out of nowhere where an eagle sored in the infinite ether. It was Garuda, Lord Vishnu’s Vahana. In Dwaraka he helped those who sought the blessings of Krishna with a pure heart to reach their destination. He was like a firefly who guided the lost in the Yadava City. He sometimes even served as a messenger to the Yadava family.

Garuda landed on Krishna’s shoulder and let out a screech that pierced the wind. He took off again and turned into a giant eagle from a normal sized one that could carry multiple people.

“Bu the way, Airavata, kindly stop plucking the flowers.”

Behind Indra, stood Airavata, his magnificent, white elephant with four tusks. After offering his greetings to the deities, he engaged himself in the plants, plucking a few intresting flowers.

At Krishna’s words, he covered his face with his trunk like a small boy who had been scolded. As his apologies, dipped the flowers in the lake and placed them in Satyabhama's hair through his trunk. Satyabhama giggled a bit.