2."The Date Was January 1, 2014. Happy New Year"

[PUNE, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA]

[1 January 2014]

Inside a cozy one-BHK apartment in a five-story building, the early morning light began to seep through the window, casting a soft glow over the room. In the hall, an elderly couple and two young boys slept soundly. The gentle rays of the sun began to stretch across the floor, heralding the start of a new day.

Suddenly, the piercing sound of an alarm clock broke the silence, echoing through the apartment. A minute later, a woman emerged from the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She walked purposefully towards the bathroom, turned on the geyser to heat water for a shower, and then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Fifty minutes later, she returned to the bathroom to check if the water was heated. Satisfied with the warmth, she went back to the hall. Her gaze settled on the two boys sleeping near the elderly couple. She focused on the boy who appeared to be around 14 years old and spoke softly, yet firmly, "Hari, wake up. It's time for school."

When Hari didn't stir, she tried again, her voice a bit more insistent. "Hari, it's time to get up. You don't want to be late for school."

Still, Hari remained unmoved. Growing frustrated but trying to remain calm, she said, "Hari, if you don't wake up now, I'll have to get your father up." saying that she shook him gently.

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[HARI'S POV]

After I lost consciousness, the familiar darkness surrounded me once again. For a while, it was silent, but then, faintly, I began to hear a woman's voice calling someone. I felt a gentle shake, and my senses slowly started to return. My eyes fluttered open, and as the blur of sleep faded, I saw a woman standing beside me, looking down at me with concern.

For a moment, confusion washed over me. Who was this woman? Why was she here? Panic surged through me, and before I could stop myself, I let out a startled shout. My heart pounded as I quickly pushed myself backward, retreating against the sofa's edge.

The woman looked at me in surprise, her brow furrowing. "Hari, what's wrong? Why are you shouting so early in the morning?"

I blinked, trying to piece everything together. My voice came out shaky as I stammered, "Who… who are you?"

Hearing my question, the woman's expression shifted. The surprise on her face gave way to frustration, her eyes narrowing. "Hari, it's too early for these kinds of jokes. We're already running late. Get up and take a bath. If you don't hurry, I'll have to wake up your father, and you know what that means."

Her tone was firm but familiar, as if this had happened countless times before. My mind raced, still trying to catch up with what was happening. Who was she? And why did it feel like I should know her?

Hearing the woman's words, everything suddenly clicked. I remembered my conversation with Krishna. So, it's true… I've been reincarnated. The woman standing in front of me is my mother in this new life. As the realization settled in, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions—disbelief, confusion, and the faint stirrings of something familiar.

Before I could dwell on it further, my mother's voice broke through my thoughts again. "Hari, get up!"

Snapping out of my daze, I looked at her and quickly blurted out, "Y-Yes! I'm getting up!" I scrambled to my feet, still feeling a little disoriented, and began to glance around the room.

Noticing my actions, she sighed in mild exasperation. "Hari, what are you doing now?"

"Uh... the bathroom. Where's the bathroom?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She let out another sigh, this time tinged with a hint of amusement. "Seriously, Hari? When are you going to let go of this childish behavior? You're 14 years old now. The bathroom's right there." She pointed toward the door, her tone softening as she added, "Go take a bath quickly and don't disturb the others."

I nodded quickly, feeling a mix of embarrassment and relief. "Right, right." Without another word, I hurried toward the bathroom. My heart was still racing from the realization, but I tried to calm myself. I couldn't afford to act too strange.

As I approached the bathroom, I started removing my clothes. It felt strange—my mother was nearby, watching me—but oddly enough, I didn't feel embarrassed. Maybe it was the disconnection from my past life, or maybe this body wasn't used to such feelings yet. I left my shorts on and pushed open the bathroom door, the cool air hitting my skin as I stepped inside.

I glanced at the row of toothbrushes. My heart sank. Oh no... which one is mine? Panic crept in as I stood there, staring blankly at the brushes, trying to piece together a memory that wasn't there.

Before I could decide what to do, my mother walked up behind me, clearly noticing something was off. "Now what's the problem?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

I hesitated for a moment, feeling a little foolish, but I had no choice. "Uh... Mom, which one is my toothbrush?"

There was a brief silence. I could feel her eyes on me, her concern deepening. Her expression shifted into something between confusion and worry, as if I had said something truly bizarre. "Hari... now you're scaring me. Are you okay? You've been forgetting the simplest things. Let me call your father—"

Hearing my mother's concern, I quickly blurted, "Don't call Papa, Mom. I'm fine, really. It's just a little headache, that's all. I'll be okay."

She looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Are you sure?"

I forced a smile, trying to reassure her. "Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. No need to worry. Just tell me which one's my toothbrush."

For a moment, she simply stared at me, her expression torn between suspicion and concern. But then, as if something clicked in her mind, her gaze softened, and a small smile crept onto her face. She reached out, gently ruffling my hair. "Okay, okay," she said, her tone suddenly light. She handed me the toothbrush, her mood having shifted so quickly that I couldn't help but feel a little confused.

I watched her walk back toward the kitchen, still trying to process the change. What just happened? One second she was worried, and now she's happy? I glanced down at the toothbrush in my hand, my mind racing. Wait... could it be because of Krishna's charm?

A sudden realization hit me, and I couldn't help but wonder, Do I have his charm now?

My heart skipped a beat at the thought. If that's the case, what did I even look like now? A strange curiosity began to bubble up inside me. Am I more handsome? Did I inherit some of Krishna's charisma?

I looked at the mirror above the basin, staring at the face reflected back at me. It was... mine, but at the same time, it didn't feel like mine. I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. My eyes narrowed, studying every detail, and the longer I looked, the stranger it felt.

Without thinking, I quickly slipped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I leaned against it for a moment, heart racing, before sliding down onto the cold floor. My hands instinctively went to my face, touching it, feeling the softness of my skin. What the hell is this face?

"This... this looks so feminine and cute," I whispered under my breath, my mind racing. Where was the beard? The mustache? Even if I was 14, there should have been at least some stubble, right? I mean, that's how I looked in my past life. This face was all wrong. It felt wrong.

Wait... based on my name and the language my mother used earlier, I should be in Maharashtra. So why do I have this soft, almost delicate face?

I frowned deeply, confusion gnawing at me. This is weird. This face feels wrong...

As those thoughts spiraled in my head, a sudden sharp pain pierced through my skull. My vision blurred, and I clutched my head, trying not to scream. I didn't want to wake the others. My breath came out in shaky gasps, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the pain would fade.

But instead, memories started flooding in—fragmented, blurry, yet vivid at the same time. My past life... and this one. Faces, voices, moments from this new life flashed before me like an old film reel playing too fast to catch. I saw a young boy's laughter, his struggles at school, his parents' warmth.

The pain intensified, and I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back the scream building in my throat. My fingers dug into the floor as I struggled to make sense of it all.

As the flood of memories from this life rushed through my mind, something else began to take shape—knowledge. It wasn't just ordinary memories anymore. It was like someone had unlocked a library inside my brain, and suddenly, I was filled with things I'd never studied before. Science, history, politics, business... even the fine arts—painting, music, dance. It was all there, as if I had spent years mastering each subject.

I blinked in shock, unable to process how much information was cramming itself into my head. It wasn't just the knowledge, though. It was the understanding, the depth of it. Each subject felt like a universe of its own, expanding inside me.

I touched my nose and felt something warm. Bringing my fingers back, I saw blood. Great, I thought bitterly, of course this would happen. My body was clearly struggling to handle all this.

A smile crept onto my face despite the pain. "So... this is why Krishna said one percent is impossible." My voice was barely a whisper. Even after receiving just a fraction of that knowledge, this much was happening. My head felt like it was splitting apart. If he had really given me one percent of his essence, I'd be dead for sure.

The pain was unbearable, throbbing through every nerve in my body, and I could feel myself slipping. My vision started to blur, and my mind was screaming, I can't take this anymore. I'm going to die.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I felt something cool, like a gentle breeze, wrap around my neck. It was soft, almost comforting, and within seconds, the pain that had been tearing me apart was gone. Completely gone.

I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I tried to calm myself. I reached up to my face, wiping away the last bit of blood. My nose had stopped bleeding. The throbbing in my head had vanished, replaced with a serene clarity. Everything was sharp now—my thoughts, my awareness, even the sounds around me. It was as if my mind had been reset, cleaned of all the chaos.

I sat there for a moment, breathing heavily. My body still felt weak, but my mind was... calm. Incredibly calm. I glanced around, half-expecting Krishna to appear and crack some joke about me not being able to handle it. But there was nothing. Just the faint hum of the bathroom fan and the soft drip of water in the sink.

What the hell just happened?

After another minute, everything seemed to return to normal. The pain was gone, the knowledge still there, but it no longer felt overwhelming. I exhaled slowly, my heart still racing from the ordeal.

I glanced down at my neck, catching sight of something unfamiliar. Hanging there was a Tulsi Mala—a garland of sacred basil beads—and attached to it was a small locket shaped like a peacock feather. My fingers reached up to touch it. The texture of the Tulsi beads was familiar; I knew about them from my memories of this life. But the locket—it wasn't something that belonged to me before. No, this had just appeared.

A soft smile tugged at my lips. Krishna's little gift. It made sense now. He hadn't left me completely unarmed for this new life. The pain I'd just experienced, the flood of knowledge—it had nearly broken me, but this locket... It had calmed me.

I held the mala in my hands, the coolness of the beads grounding me. My mind flickered back to everything I'd learned about the Varkari tradition in this life. In Maharashtra, the Tulsi Mala wasn't just an accessory. It carried deep spiritual significance, especially among the followers of the Varkari Sampradaya. These devotees of Lord Vitthal, a form of Krishna, wore the Tulsi Mala as a symbol of their dedication to a simple and pious life, centered around the path of devotion—bhakti.

For the Varkaris, it was more than just a religious token. It was a way of life, a reminder of their devotion, purity, and humility. The garland represented their connection to the divine, their surrender to Lord Vitthal. Wearing the Tulsi Mala meant carrying the weight of devotion around your neck every day, living by the principles of love and surrender.

As I thought about this, I couldn't help but wonder—Was this Krishna's way of reminding me to stay humble? I looked at the peacock feather locket again, tracing its intricate details. Peacock feathers... Krishna's symbol.

I glanced at the Tulsi Mala in my hand, mulling over the fact that in this life, I was now a Varkari. "So, I'm a Varkari in this life," I mused, "and that's fine. I was a vegetarian in my past life, so this aligns with that. At least I don't have to adjust too much."

As I tried to piece together my new reality, I remembered that I was currently 14 years old, and the date was January 1, 2014. Happy New Year, I thought. The timing felt peculiar. Why 2014? What's so significant about this period? Krishna must have had a reason for choosing this specific year.

I continued to sift through the memories that had flooded my mind. I was in Maharashtra, Pune, living in a modest one-BHK apartment. 'Great,' I thought, 'still poor, just like in my past life.' The small space was home to my father, mother, younger brother, and grandparents from my father's side. I also had an uncle who lived nearby with his own family wife and two boys, just like me. The sheer number of relatives was overwhelming. 'Why so many?' I wondered, shaking my head with a sigh. 'This is going to be interesting.'

My name in this life was Hari Gadkari. My father was named Vasudeva, and my mother was Devaki. I couldn't help but chuckle at the coincidence of having the same names as in Krishna's parents. My younger brother was Kartik.

With a renewed sense of urgency, I reminded myself not to waste time. My mother's patience isn't endless, I thought. I quickly brushed my teeth, the bristles feeling foreign yet familiar against my gums.

I hurried into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping under the warm spray. The water felt rejuvenating, washing away the remnants of my confusion. As the steam enveloped me, I thought about the day ahead. The memories I had received were a mix of everyday details and significant information.

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