Authormonica

Author: Monica Gupta

  • Lord Vishnu’s reassurance to Narada Muni

    Lord Vishnu’s reassurance to Narada Muni

    “Narayana! Narayana!”

    Hearing the words and recognizing the speaker, Lord Vishnu’s faint smile broke into a grin as he lay rested in Vaikunth. Narad Muni walked in and paid his reverence. Knowing of Narad muni’s notorious nature, Vishnu used his divine power to peep into his mind to know of the purpose behind his visit. After having received an insight, Vishnu placated and pampered him with his words,

    “You look restless and disturbed, Narad. Who has dared to bother my most favourite devotee?”

    Hearing the phrase, ‘most favourite’ brought a spark in Narada’s eyes.

    “You are calling me your favourite devotee! Look below, all over the Earth, humans are building Hanuman’s temples. Every temple of yours is complete when his statue is placed near your feet. They are calling him, “The Parm Bhakta”. No one remembers me! They don’t see that I recite your name, Narayana, with every breath. They are calling Hanuman your most loving Bhakta!” He shrugged his head in dismissal.

    Lord Vishnu was moved by his words. He could sense his baseless insecurities. He was used to such instances when his devotees got into similar comparisons among themselves. He loved them all equally and knew the art to tackle their temporarily affected state of mind.

    Lord Vishnu eased him,

    “Yes! You certainly are my loving, favourite devotee Narada. But so is Hanuman. Isn’t this comparison like cheese and chalk? Tell me, the wise one. Everyone who recites my name with reverence shares the same place in my heart, there aren’t any pedestals there, my dear.”

    “Yes! It may be, my Lord. But why aren’t I so glorified as Hanuman on Earth?” sulked Narada.

    Laughing at the childlike behaviour of Narada, Vishnu reasoned,

    “This is because while I incarnated as Ram with a purpose to establish the new Dharma, I needed people to support me in that cause. I was born as a human, hence I wasn’t self-sufficient. When I was roaming like a nomadic in the forest in search of Sita, Hanuman came forth and guided me. He utilized his superpowers to support a worthy cause. He used his network of Vanar community to build an army to bring down the mighty Asura, Ravana. His courageous choice

    of actions had to be glorified, to exemplify the strength in unity, and how one must use his talents and power for a higher cause. Also, the new Yug had to be presented with new personality traits for the formation of a wholesome society.”

    Forgetting his insecurities for a while, Narada prompted,

    “And what were they?”

    Vishnu continued,

    “Hanuman was a personification of the extraordinary quality of inner-self-restrain. It reflected in his practice of Bal Brahmachari, attained with the practice of meditation. Despite being a supreme power himself, Hanuman was the most humble and modest person. His selflessness had to be showcased. He never expected any returns or glorifications for his favours and work. He simply chose to be with me forever, to be my backbone, to be the land underneath my feet. That’s humbleness and selflessness. These traits of his had to be exemplified so that humans would imbibe them.”

    Vishnu’s words evoked feelings of respect for Hanuman in Narada’s heart.

    “Hanuman is indeed godly in doing so and being so!” Praised Narada.

    “And so are you my dear!” added Vishnu.

    “Hanuman guided me while I was on Earth. And you when I was in Vaikunth, as a Trimurthi, as the sustainer of life. You roamed around in the Triloaks (three worlds) repeating my name, “Narayana, Narayana”. If not that, how would my popularity become a reality among Devas, Asuras, Manav (human) and every other living entity. You travelled along with my stories everywhere, sang songs of me, and repeated my name before all. Thus making me famous and establishing me as the Palanhaar of the universe. If not by you, who would know Narayana, the Vishnu, the Preserver, my dear? Coming to temples, they are structures built to keep humanity reminded of its human duties and follow the right path to perform their Karma. You reside in my heart Narada, that’s your temple. Everyone who bows before me, bows before you as well, Munivar.”

    Vishnu’s words assured Narada of his position and glory. He clicked on his Khartal (musical instrument) and struck the strings of his Tanpura and resumed on his journey merrily singing and reciting, “Narayana! Narayana!”

  • Bhanumati shares her heart with Lakshmana (Daughter)

    Bhanumati shares her heart with Lakshmana (Daughter)

    From the squint of her eye, Bhanumati could see through Lakshmana’s heart. She bore much resemblance to her father, Duryodhan. Just like him, her gait spoke of her emotional state. Holding her wrist, and running a loving palm on her cheeks, she asked,

    “What thought is keeping my daughter so occupied that she doesn’t even see her mother in the chamber?”

    Lakshmana’s eyes ran over Bhanumati’s face. Devoid of adorations, pristine and white. She lowered her eyes, feeling the pang of the void that the death of her father had left in their heart.

    “Maa! Life has been very difficult for you and it still is.” empathized Lakshmana.

    Faking a smile Bhanumati asked,

    “What makes you say that?”

    “Maa, the world saw my father, Duryodhan, as a villain. The history of Hastinapur and Mahabharata writes him as an antagonist, adharmic. His death is grieved less and more joyed. It must have affected you, right?”

    “Yes, it did! It did for a while. It affected the queen of Hastinapur, not his wife. He was an Adharmi in the eyes of the moralists. He was a villain in the eyes of his enemies. He was an antagonist for those with whom his ideologies were in a clash. History writes him only through the ink of his political career, his defeat and his misdeeds.”

    “And how do you see him, mother?” Lakshmana prompted.

    “I see him through the eyes of a wife. He was the most loving man. A man with tough shoulders and a soft heart. When he had forcefully abducted me from the Swayambar, I was furious and hated him to the core. But when he politely bared his heart, expressing his love for me at first sight, when he had reasoned that my abduction was the only resort left to him and that he didn’t want to lose me to anyone, I was able to see his intentions and not judge his actions. He married me only after winning my love. He had wooed me for days, had won my trust and promised to be a one-woman man all life. And he did too. He was a gentleman, true to his love and soul.”

    “You call him a gentleman, even though he called Mata Draupadi names and mistreated her publicly in vulgar ways?”

    “Yes, I was angry, very angry. I had lashed at him for doing this to a woman. My blood had boiled. But he had sternly reasoned that it was a political move, an act of vengeance against her mocking and bullying him, calling him a blind man’s son. A repercussion Draupadi faced for using her tongue loosely.”

    Bhanumati continued,

    “Lakshmana, however, the history might portray him, but to me, his wife, he will always be a hero, the victorious king of my heart. Although the world saw him as an egoist, I knew that his ego was a defense against the unfair world. Also, your father was merely a pawn in the hands of his maternal uncle Shakuni, who harbored grievances against Hastinapur and Pitamaha Bhishma and used your father to seek his revenge.”

    “Didn’t his short temper or reactive nature ever scare you and keep you edgy?” intrigued Lakshmana.

    “Initially it did. When I saw him behave like that with others, it feared me. But as years passed, I realized my fears were irrelevant. For he was never that to me or to the people he loved. I recall this incident. Once he was away at war for a few days. He had asked Karan to keep me company and take care of me. I and Karna were lost in playing a game of dice, I was on the losing side. So I was irritated and got up to leave for quits. But Karan grabbed my wrist to stop, asking to complete the game. In doing so my long pearl necklace, entangled in his hand and it broke, scattering the beads all over. At that instant, your father entered. I and Karna were taken aback. We felt Duryodhan may misunderstand and misjudge us. But to our surprise, he picked up all the pearls and joked, “Should I bead them too?” after that incident, my fears were gone. I had a glimpse of his heart that was filled with faith for his wife and his friend.”

    Seeing her father through the eyes of her mother, Lakshmana realized that a man can never be painted in just black or white, that there were reasons to justify his father’s actions. She hugged her mother tight. Her chest bloated with pride for her father. She walked out of her mother’s chamber with a light heart, as silent tears of love trickled down Bhanumati’s eye.

  • VED VYAS’S REASONING TO VRISHKETU

    VED VYAS’S REASONING TO VRISHKETU

    “Pranam, Gurudev!” Vrishketu reverentially bowed before Ved Vyas, the legendary author of the epic Mahabharata.

    “Gurudev, the world is well versed with my father, Karna’s story. Today, I am his only surviving son. I have seen my father and all my brothers killed in the Kurukshetra war. I also saw how my father’s death was brought about. Gurudev! You are an immortal, the witness and the writer of this epic tale of Hastinapur. I seek the light of your wisdom to clear the darkness of confusion that looms over my father’s demise.”

    Ved Vyas raised his hand to bless Vrishketu. As if he could read his mind and preempt the questions that bothered him, he nodded with a faint smile,

    “Ask Vatsa (disciple)… Tell me what confuses you?”

    “I don’t understand why was my father cursed even when his intentions weren’t bad? He hid his identity from Lord Parshuram only in the quest to learn, to gain knowledge. And as we know, the cow was killed by him accidentally, not intentionally. And yet he was cursed with words that eventually led to his defeat and death. Isn’t this unfair and unreasonable? And how can someone’s words be so powerful that they bring down someone’s life, that too, a legend’s life?” Vrishketu asked in anger and sadness.

    After a thoughtful moment, Vyas replied,

    “Putra, there are two paths to reach the answers to your question. One is, the understanding that it was – Karna’s destiny. Destiny always designs the path as per the chosen destination. And to do so, it paws on people and circumstances. Karna sided adharma, he stood by the Kauravas. Pandavas, on the other hand, represented dharma. And as you know, to establish dharma, adharma had to be abolished. Although Karna was a divine child of the Sun God and an outstanding and a skilled archer, he supported adharma. Hence, destiny had to remove him. To do so, it used Lord Parshuram’s and the Brahmin’s curses as its medium. This is one way to understand why things turned against your father. It was destined!”

    “So that means, we mortals are like puppets tied to the hands of Destiny. And what is the second explanation behind his defeat?” asked Vrishketu, listening attentively.

    “The second path to understanding the tragedy of your father is to analyse his personality. Karna’s persona and choices led him to his doom. Ever since his birth, he was unable to build a strong personality. His persona was developed based on others’ perceptions and opinions of him. He was greatly affected and moved by how the society saw him and spoke of him. That’s why he rebelled against everyone – whoever called him a ‘Sut Putra’. He made Arjun his biggest rival for no personal reason, but because he always felt that Arjun was more popular and more loved by all. Resulting in jealousy and envy. He blindly pivoted his life on defeating Arjun to prove himself to the world.”

    “What’s the harm in centring one’s life to one goal?” interrupted Vrishketu.

    “Life is like a wheel. For its smooth momentum, the weight should be evenly distributed. But like Karna, when an individual exerts all the pressure on just one aim, the wheel of his life is bound to get stuck at some given point. Just as it happened during the Kurukshetra war, the wheel of his chariot was stuck in the mud. It symbolised the fact that Karna had put the weight of his entire life to defeat Arjun. Consequently, when the most awaited moment of life arrived, the feeling of overwhelm lead to a blackout. He had eagerly waited for the moment to defeat Arjun. And when it happened, his mind went blank; because after that moment would have passed, Karna’s life would become purposeless.”

    Choked with emotions, Vrishketu asked,

    “And how were his choices responsible for his tragedy, Gurudev?”

    “He always chose to see the darker shades of his life. He hung on to people’s mockery and indulged in self-pity that eventually generated frustration. To explain better, I will draw a parallel example of Krishna. Even Krishna was given away by his parents. His birth was shadowed by death. Although born a prince, he was raised as a cowherd. Even he was accused and mocked often as a Makhan chor, and as a shrewd politician. He didn’t master in any major weapon skills. But unlike Karna, his strength lay in acceptance, in swimming with life’s flow. And that’s what his weapon, Sudarshan Chakkar is symbolic of. The movement of life’s chakkar is the strongest weapon to fight against any challenges. To flow and not resist. Karna’s inability to laugh at life, to accept circumstances, to see the brighter side made him bitter. Unlike Krishna, he was driven by emotions and not objectives. He chose Duryodhan based on emotions, not reasons. And that was a wrong choice.”

    Deeply contemplative, nodding at the insightful reasons cited by Ved Vyas, Vrishketu touched his feet and walked back with much more to ponder upon.

  • Ahilya in a tete-a-tete with her grand-daughter (Draupadi).

    Ahilya in a tete-a-tete with her grand-daughter (Draupadi).

    After having shed her human form and entering the world of souls, Ahilya was relaxing in Swarg Lok. It was a place without the manifestation of time and space.

    “Look! What I got for us, Dadi.”

    Draupadi walked in holding a tray with two glasses of refreshing drinks. She looked at Ahilya with admiring eyes.

    “You are the masterpiece of Lord Brahma. Your beauty is flawless. Your facial features and body, well-shaped and sculpted, so apt to your name, Ahilya. You are certainly the most beautiful woman Earth ever had,” she complimented her grandmother.

    Cupping Durapadi’s chin in her palms, Ahilya praised her,

    “And the tej of your face still makes you the most radiant one. The perfect symbol of fire.”

    Hugging Ahilya, Draupadi continued, in a reflective mood,

    “You know Dadi, though we were born in different yugs, related as cousin grandmother and grandchild, somewhere our journeys were filled with similar challenges. Our destinies subjected us to the same atrocities by society.”

    “And what makes you say that, Draupadi?” Ahilya sounded intrigued.

    “Your character was tainted with infidelity. Your short encounter with Lord Indra led to severe punishment of several years by Maharishi Gautama. He accused you of vanity. You were turned into a stone. You had to practise rigorous penance for purification. You were looked down upon for years. Everyone turned away their eyes from you as if you were invisible. Why didn’t your creator, Lord Brahma, come to your rescue even once? If not that, at least he could have come to hear your heart. To share his part of the fault- of marrying away his most beautiful creation, an innocent girl, to an old ascetic. To acknowledge his failure, to see that this mismatch could lead to such incidents in the future. Even he was at fault for being thoughtless. It was only Ram who could see you as a human. Humans who could falter and be flawed. Only when his feet touched you and when he accepted your hospitality did everyone begin to acknowledge you. Only after he saw you, did you become visible again. Isn’t this a bit too harsh treatment from our loved ones?”

    Draupadi continued as Ahilya listened silently,

    “Similarly, I was married to the Pandavas, became the wife of 5 husbands. A choice I didn’t even make. I was character assassinated various times, by numerous people. Everyone called me names, either aloud or in hushes. They looked down at me. Saw me as an angry fireball. Despite being a wife of 5 yodhas, a daughter in law of magnanimous Kingdom of Hastinapur, before powerful ancestors, I was humiliated, my dignity was raped publicly. And like in your case, who came to my rescue? Krishna! It was Govind, who dared to stand against all. Only he came forward and wrapped a bandage around me. Only he saw me beyond what everyone could and accepted me as a Sakhi (friend). Just like Ram, he saw the human in me. Isn’t it strange Dadi that our loved ones, nearest and dearest ones can’t see us the way strangers can?”

    Heaving a sad sigh, Ahilya replied,

    “Yes, it’s strange. But it’s also a reinforcement of God’s presence. In whatever humanly form.”

    Mata Lakshmi, who was overhearing the conversation outside, walked in. Taking a sip from Ahilya’s glass, she joined in the talk,

    “Shri Ram came and rescued Ahilya, for he had to show the world that forgiving is a Godly act.”

    Then taking her gaze over to Draupadi, Lakshmi continued,

    “Lord Krishna never judged you for being a wife of five husbands and accepted you as a Sakhi. Because in the new Yug, he had to set the norm of gender equality. If men could indulge in polygamy, so could a woman, if needed. He also had to introduce a new relationship. Of that of a friendship between a male and female.”

    Mata Lakshmi’s words, sealed the conversation well. Happily, gulping down the thoughts and drinks, Lakshmi, Ahilya and Draupadi giggled and posed for a selfie together.

  • KARNA’S ARROWS OF QUESTIONS ON KUNTI

    Karna’s Arrows of Questions on Kunti.

    Karna pleaded in a broken and an acidic tone,

    “Tell me Rajmata Kunti, how do you have the right to call yourself my mother? Why should I see you as my Mata? What have you done so far to deserve this title?”

    Kunti collapsed on her knees, for she had no answers to this child’s questions. Although a grown up legendary warrior now, his questions were revealing a toddler….. His oddity was justified….. No words came out of her mouth. Only guilty tears flowed.

    He continued brashly,

    “Even Krishna was born out of Devaki and raised by Yashodhra. Yet he is addressed as Devaki Nandana. You know why? Not only because she held him in her womb for months but also because she let go of him for his safety, and not for her own protection. That is a courageous act, isn’t. But you, Pandu Jananni, were coward to accept me, and more coward to not kill me. Instead of discarding me away in the river, you should have killed me. At least my birth wouldn’t have been shamed. That death would have been better, than this life filled with dilemmas about my belonging and birth.”

    Kunti retorted,

    “YES! YES! I was a coward. I still am one. That is exactly the reason why I come to meet you in hiding even today. I accept your accusations Putra. But please for god sake, please come to me now. I am standing here with open arms to embrace you, ready to face all. I want to announce you as my first born, my eldest son.” Pleaded Kunti.

    “DON’T! PLEASE don’t call me your son. I am Radhey. Radha MA’s son. My heart is filled with memories of her. It was she who ran her fingers on my cheeks to wipe the tears. Those were the hands that ran on my forehead to sooth the creases of tensions. Her delicacies have built these muscles. And above all, those were her prayers which were filled with my name. It makes me wonder Rajmata, how do these tears flow from your eyes? Is your mind conditioned to evoke emotions when it hears the word Mata? Don’t fake it Rajmata. Motherhood isn’t an entitlement. It’s a journey to be lived and felt and above all to be shared. Without knowing the dharma of a mother, without performing any Karma of a mother, you want to be my Mata now. Please call me Karan, that’s my name for outsiders.” Karna shrugged her as a mother.

    “I was a young girl putra. I didn’t have the courage to face the world as a single, unwedded mother. It was my curiosity that led me to test Rishi Durwasa’s divine mantra. That I could summon any God with the Mantra jaap. I didn’t know what to do my child. I am sorry! I am really sorry!” Kunti sobbed.

    Hearing her reasons, Karna mocked,

    “So I am actually a result of an experiment. Right? Isn’t this too harsh to hear Rajmata? And now after years you want the entitlement to the result of that experiment. Standing at the threshold of Kurukshetra war, you suddenly want to accept me as a son. Isn’t this far from truth? Doesn’t this request display your love for your five sons and not me? Why are you here? To accept me as a son…..give me the throne of Indraprastha or to save your sons from being killed by my arrows…. Please go away Rajmata. This Daanvir Karna has nothing to offer you except the rain of his questions.”

  • SITA SPEAKS TO HER SAKHI (FRIEND)

    Standing before the mirror, Sita ran her fingers through her cascading hair.

    “Look at that lovely hair! I have always envied you for them.” Joked Sita’s Sakhi as she walked into her chamber in Swarg loak.

    Surprised by the unannounced arrival, Sita reached out to hug her beloved Sakhi. Seating with her on the couch she bemused,

    “What a pleasant surprise! How have you been Sakhi?”

    “What can possibly be wrong with me, who has a friend like you?” Sakhi replied with pride.

    Having met after a long time, they both exchanged pleasantries, enquiring about each other’s well-being. Sakhi then stood up and walked around the chamber thoughtfully. Sita’s gaze followed her. Comprehending that her Sakhi had something to say but was hesitant to do so, Sita touched her Sakhi’s shoulder.

    “Sakhi, please speak your heart. You can share anything with me, dear. Isn’t that how friends are?” Eased by her words, Sakhi placed her hand on Sita’s.

    “Sita, we all know that during your exile years with Lord Ram, you were abducted by Asura Ravana. We all know about the atrocities inflicted on you. The trauma you went through. But there has been a thought that has always made me wonder. Was it really an abduction or your will in disguise?”

    Stirred by the question, Sita began fidgeting with her dress. She countered it with another question.

    “What makes you see my abduction as a disguised Will Sakhi?”

    “At the tender age of 9 years, Sita you could lift the supreme Pinaka (the bow of Shiva). The same bow, at your Swayambar, Mahabali Ravana, in his prime and powerful youth, couldn’t even move, forget about lifting it. Isn’t this evidence enough of your Shakti?… Of your supremacy over him?….. And when he came to kidnap you, all you did was push him?…. You were obviously more powerful. Then why did you allow it to happen? You could have easily reduced him to dust there and then. Even after having read all the scriptures on Ramayana, written by great sages, this mystery remains unresolved. Only you can open your heart and answer this. I am here to hear it from you.” Smiling as her Sakhi’s smartness, Sita replied,

    “Yes! It was a disguised will. For my Dharma then, was not to fight but to be the Shakti of Lord Ram….  For it was not my purpose of descending on Earth…. That purpose was Ram’s, Vishnu’s avatar to abolish the asuras, and lay the foundation of a cultivated form of society…. To kindle the new Dharma of righteousness….. My purpose was to be the reason behind the action, not the action itself Sakhi. If I had not been abducted, 

    How would the legendary Jatayu prove his devotion to me and Lord Ram? 

    How would the Vanaras (The animal community) rise above their animal instinct and fight for justice? 

    How would Vibhishana practice the choice between right and evil? 

    And above all, how would Lord Ram, born as a Kshatriya find a rightful reason to annihilate demon Ravana? 

    For according to Kshatriya Dharma, without an evil deed, a weapon can’t be raised against an enemy. So my dear friend, though I was a Shakti, the manifestation of my power lay, in supporting my Lord Shri Ram. To amalgamate my powers with him and fulfill our purpose of incarnation.”

    Having received a satisfactory answer to her burning curiosity, the Sakhi happily hugged Sita. Her eyes glistened with tears of undying love and pride more than ever.

  • ” Illuminating Darkness” Book release by Hon. Governor of Gujarat, Shri O.P. Kohli ji in April 2019.

    ” Illuminating Darkness” Book release by Hon. Governor of Gujarat, Shri O.P. Kohli ji in April 2019.

    ” Illuminating Darkness” Book release by Hon. Governor of Gujarat, Shri O.P. Kohli ji in April 2019.

  • His excellency reviews, narrates and throws his insightful perception of the book.

    His excellency reviews, narrates and throws his insightful perception of the book.

    His excellency reviews, narrates and throws his insighful perception of the book.

  • A soulful book of poetries, musings and quotations written by Monica Gupta.

    A soulful book of poetries, musings and quotations written by Monica Gupta.

    A soulful book of poetries, musings and quotations written by Monica Gupta.

  • AKHILANDESHWARI- THE GODDESS OF NEVER NOT BROKEN

    On the dark skin, the unruly hair covered her face partially and flew in the wind like smoke. The Shakti’s eyes were oozing wrath today.  Her anger was
    inducing havoc on earth causing destruction. All of sudden, her wrath changed to grievous sob, resulting in a downpour of rain. The land flooded, washing away people, flora and fauna. She sneezed, the air got infected with diseases. Holding a trident in hand, adorned in dark coloured clothes, driven by her unruly emotions, with broken energies, Shakti moved around the earth.  Her moods, manifested on the earth’s condition, for she was a Parvati’s Swaroop (form), known as a Shakti.

    One day, Shakti with her usual wavering mind was strolling beside a river.
    Water splashed behind her. A huge crocodile emerged from water to sun soak on land. Driven by her uncontained reactions, fearsome, she immediately charged her trident, piercing the animal to death. Seated in his heavenly abode, Lord Shiva’s forehead wrinkled. He felt disturbed, witnessing the scene, the state of Earth and more so this form of Parvati’s Shakti. After a thoughtful moment, Shiva made a pair of earrings with a chakkar design on it.  Descending on Earth, the Shankara (earthly name of Shiva) gifted the earrings to the Shakti, seated her on the bank of Cauvery River and proposed.

    “Devi! Please sit in the Sat-Chit-Ananda pose until I return.”

    The chakkars on the earrings trapped her energy and by the mellowing effect of the suprema’s voice, she did as asked for. She sat in this yogic mudra for months. She travelled within, with this practice. Years passed, Shiva looked below at the Shakti. Her raised eyebrows had eased. The creases on her forehead disappeared. The dark-skinned face bore a serene look. The cheeks looked fresh, without the dried tears. The earth was flourishing.  It was time to meet her once again.

    Seated facing each other, like a teacher and disciple, Shiva awakened her from the trance.

    “Devi please open your eyes.”

    After paying her reverence, she looked around the transcended earth. It was matching her inner world. It was flourishing, at peace. In an enlightened voice, she shared,

    “I have acknowledged my fears, my broken energies. Now I neither fear them nor let it control me. I accept them as my own. I also know now, that the concept of the whole and absolute are illusionary. Like the world, even we are in a constant state of flux. Hence instead of resistance, we must be driven with acceptance. This acceptance now compels me to flow. This brokenness is my whole. I am at peace now.”

    Just as she finished speaking, a crocodile appeared in the water. Unlike her
    previous self, driven by fear. This time, the Shakti dived into the water. She
    swam with the flow of water. She saw the bodily movement of the beast,
    matched her motion with it. Hence by doing so, she stood atop it. Like a
    victorious goddess, she rode across the river, balancing herself on it.


    Shiva smiled at the sight.

    “Hail! Akhilandeshwari. The Goddess of never not Broken.”

    Written By Monica Gupta