Chapter 27

Third Person P.O.V

Arjuna stood on the same place numb, staring where Lord Shiva was standing a while ago. It was at the moment he heard the first strains of unearthly music. Once more, the mountain Mandara shone supernaturally. He saw someone coming towards him, he heard an ocean roaring on the mountain, the wash of waves. The sound was coming from the God itself, his eyes widened as he couldn't believe if it was a dream or a reality. God Varuna walked down from the sky, Seaweed was his hair and he wore a crown with a pearl as big as a man's head set in it.

A chariot flashed down out of the sky: a vimana swift as thoughts, silent as petals. In it rode Kubera, Lord of treasures and his skin was like molten gold: the hue of the Jambu river. Around Kubera were the fierce and strange yakshas, whose master he is. In another vimana, faceted like a diamond, came Surya's son Yama, the Lord of death, who takes all the living; and he was terrible to behold. In his hand, he held his inexorable danda, the staff of retribution. And he came surrounded by the spirits of the dead, the manes. At last, not in a vimana, but mounted on a white, four-tusked elephant, Airavata who trod air, came the king of the Devas: resplendent Indra, his queen Sachi beside him, lovely as heaven. The other Devas, all glorious Lords of light, flew behind Indra in their flitting vimanas: Agni, Vayu, Dharma and the rest.

Varuna, Kubera, Yama and Indra were the rulers of the quarters: west, north, south and east. Pandu's son looked at them in awe, his mouth opening on its own accord.

Yama stepped forward, his dark hand raised in blessing. He said in a voice deep as the sky, "We are the Lokapalas, the guardians of the directions and we bring you gifts. I am Yama".

This bring hopes in Prince as he looked at him in enchantment. He kneeled at his feet taking blessing from lord of death himself. The Deva of death proffered the danda, his blazing staff and Pandu's son received it. Yama whispered the mantra for the danda and when Arjuna repeated it, the weapon was his to command. Yama blessed Arjuna and stepped back from the kneeling kshatriya. From the west, Varuna came toward Arjuna and his pale lambency enfolded the Pandava. In a voice in which dim waves echoed, the Lord of the sea said, "I, Varuna, rule the west. I am the master of the ocean and the rivers." In bright hands, their fingers elegant as wavelets, the Deva held out a mysterious noose to Arjuna. Arjuna knew this was the fabled paasa of the Sea God, a primeval weapon as powerful as Yama's danda.

"Take my paasa. I killed a thousand asuras with it during the war against Tarakasur, which we fought for Karttikeya in ancient times" God Varuna said. He whispered its mantra to Arjuna. The fluid noose vanished from sight; but it was with Arjuna from then. "Not Yama could escape my noose of tides if you sent it after him" God Varuna said, giving his blessings to Arjuna.

Kubera came forward, Arjuna was kneeling on the ground with folded hands, "I am Kubera, master of treasures. I rule the north. I, too, have a weapon for you, Partha. But first, let me bless you that you and your brothers will have all the wealth of this world, after you win the war. Here, take my antardhana" he said in his velvety voice. Kubera held out a weapon of fire to Arjuna and it was as if a sun-flare was trapped inside it. "I burned a million asuras with my antardhana, when my Lord Siva once destroyed the Tripura. Now you burn Duryodhana's evil legions with it!" he added, he taught Arjuna its mantra and that astra, also, melted into the Pandava's body.

Arjuna was overwhelmed with the meeting, he touched the ground with his face and bowed down thanking the Gods again and again.

"I am proud of you, my son. No mortal man of this yuga has received the astras from the Deva's own hands. And for that, the weapons shall be twice as powerful with you. But you must come to Devaloka with me now. There is something I want you to do there and there I will give you my astras" Indradeva said coming forwards and putting his hand on his son head in caring gesture. Arjuna stood up from the ground, his hands were still joined in respect.

"My sarathy Matali will bring my vimana for you" Indradeva said.

One by one, Guardians gave one last smile to Arjuna and vanished from the view leaving him alone and dazed. Suddenly a glint of light caught his eyes, he looked up at the mountain, he saw an incredible ship of the sky, a disk even more dazzling than those that had just left him. Softly as flowers, it flew down to the ground, door open at its side and a flight of steps flowed out from it. A small bright being came smiling down those steps. He came right up to the Pandava and embraced him warmly.

"I am Matali!" cried that extraordinary one. "I have come to fetch you to Indra's kingdom".

"I am going to Devaloka without performing any yagya, or even dying. Matali, I must purify myself before I enter your vimana; for your craft is a high way of dharma" Arjuna murmured amazed. He quickly went to the river Ganga and took a bath to clean his body. He came back where Indra's ship was.

"Shall we go now?" Matali said gently.

"You go first, Matali. I am not worthy of going before you into this ship".

Matali mounted the stairway. Bravely, Arjuna climbed after the sarathy. It was another world inside the ship, the light inside the vimana was not of the sun, the moon or fire, but of another order.

"We will fly in a moment and we shall go swiftly. But there is nothing to fear, enjoy what you see" Matali said showing him where to sit. Arjuna quickly took the seat and nodded his head eagerly. Matali held golden reins in his hands and they yoked five green horses whose skins shone like moonlight. Then they flashed up steeply into the sky and in a moment were high above Indrakila and the earth, among the clouds. The chariot flashed on quicker than ever and the colors around them grew blinding.

Matali laughed softly beside him and Arjuna was speechless. He wondered if he was dying. They flashed through the cleavage in the sky and left the dimension of the earth behind them. They were in Devaloka, in what men call heaven.

"My Lord Indra's domain" murmured the sarathy.

***

Prakriti sat in the wilderness, her hands joined in worship to attain her true self. Blood was dripping from her body where thorns struck her. Slowly the wound heal in itself, a green light appeared in front of her closed eyes. Prithvi Devi appeared in the Amarnath cave in front of nature herself, she smiled looking at creator of world. She joined her hands together in greeting gesture, "Mata, I was waiting so many years for you to call me, finally you are here, my heart is filled with gratitude and happiness now" she said, Prakriti didn't respond anything as she was too engrossed in the worship. "Finally, my time has come to join with you and fulfill my destiny" she smiled and a bright light comes out of divine body merging into nature.

She flicker her hand and all the flowers, plants, tree, everything vanished from the view leaving the cave as it was before. "We are eagerly waiting for your leela now, Mata" she said one last time, bowing her head and vanishing from the view. Nature could feel the change in herself. She could feel connected to her elements, she could sense her surrounding very well. Time flew by as she didn't open her eyes even for the food. Her only food was in the form of air. Slowly air starting to get thick, she could feel it in her lungs but she knew it was another test which will bring her to her true self so she sustain herself and continue her tapasaya. At one point, she didn't need air to be alive even in her human form. Suddenly, Svasti, wife of Vayu Deva, she is also the essence of the nature appeared in front of Prakriti, her eyes shine with happiness when her eyes fell on the Mother Goddess. She bowed her head in front of her in respect.

"I am ready to join with you, Mother" she said in her sweet voice, her voice is like a whisper moving towards Prakriti. A white light get out of the goddess body flowing around, it made its way to the destination and integrated itself in nature, finally founding her true form. The air around the cave went back to normal and with final bow, Svasti disappeared from the place.

Mahadeva was watching the scene with a soft smile on his face, his Adhi sakti is close to finding herself. She made this division for the well-being of the world, now she has to attain her true form for the future because the war for dharma will need her the most, she has to make so much difficult choices in the near future. She has to choose the path and on her decision the future will change. Time is coming near when he got to see his Parvati after so many years in his true form.

In the Amarnath cave, Prakriti was enthral in her Tapasya, only one elements remain, Ether, after that she will attain the form of Panchamahabhuta. She could feel her body lifting from the ground, space around her changing, all of a sudden, she wasn't in the cave, she was floating in the space with billions of stars scattered around her, their light almost blinding for the human eyes. Slowly they started joining themselves and formed a bright light which unite with the nature finally completing her form and making her whole.

A glow was around her body, all deities were hailing in happiness from above as they watched the Tapasya finally being complete after so many years.

After all this years, Prakriti slowly opened her eyes and found herself in the same cave. A soft smile was lingering on her lips, she could feel the pure connections being established between her elements. She could the power in her veins. She could feel ever calmness in herself. She looked at the shivlinga in front of her and bowed her head. "Prakriti" she heard a voice, a godly voice from behind. Her breath hitched and her heart skipped a bit, she slowly stood up from her position after so many years, she doesn't even know how much time has passed since she went into Tapasya. She turned around and gasped, Mahadeva was standing in front of her in ascetic form, Lord Siva had the crescent moon in his hair and the Ganga. He was Vyalin: coiling cobras were his ornaments. He wore a deerskin and carried the trisula in his hand. When he looked at the Adhi Sakti, he gave a calm smile to her, he was waiting for this day to meet her in his true form. Now she has attain herself, she can bear the true form of Mahadeva, Nature looked at God in awe, she was intrigued and happy to see him.

She joined her hands together and bowed her head "Mahadeva" she uttered, her voice made Mahadeva contented. "Your Tapasya is complete now, you have found yourself" he said smiling, Nature nodded her head in delight, she could feel it inside her, the changes.

"I know you don't need anything but I visited you because I am pleased by your Tapasya, you deserve a boon from me" Mahadeva said with his dazzling smile, his serene smile which always stayed on his face. Prakriti shook her head "I did the worship and got what I deserved, I don't want any boon, my Lord" she said bowing her head. Her selfless decision made Mahadeva more happy.

"No, Devi, it is your right, ask any boon from me and it will be yours"

Prakriti couldn't defy the Mahadeva decision so she accepted the boon.

"I want-----"