Third Person POV
The walk through the inner sanctum of Kailash continues... it was not like walking on Earth. Here, the ground didn't just support one's weight; it seemed to hum back in recognition.
As Rudra walked behind Nandi Ji, his head bowed. The more he looked at the shimmering trees and the impossible beauty of this place, the smaller he felt.
A heavy, cold knot of guilt began to tighten in his chest.
Who am I? I thought. I'm just a student who likes stories. I haven't fasted for years. I haven't meditated in caves. I haven't done anything heroic. Why me? Why did Mahadev and Mata Parvati look at me with such... love? What have I done to deserve it? Am I even worthy of this boon?
Beside him,
Nandi Ji walked with a heavy, rhythmic grace, each hoof-beat sounding like a distant drum in a temple.
They did not need to turn Their head to know the storm of doubt brewing in the young man's mind. To a divine being, mortal thoughts were as loud as a shout in a silent canyon.
Rudra's POV
I felt like a thief who had accidentally stumbled into a palace and was being treated like a prince.
The reverence I felt for the figure walking in front of me was overwhelming, but it was mixed with a sense of "unworthiness" that made me want to hide.
Nandi Ji stopped abruptly. They turned their massive, muscular frame around, and those deep, ancient eyes locked onto mine.
"And do not revere me at the level of the Gods," they said, their voice echoing with the strength of a landslide.
"I am merely a servant and a bhakt of my Mahadev. My pride lies in the dust of their feet, not in the height of my own status." Because they could feel it, Rudra's entire being was radiating reverence, at the level of worship, and they don't care about that; it's not what their entire being craves. They only want to remain by Mahadev's side.
Hearing Nandi ji, learning about what they thought of themselves, how they behave and their words.
Rudra felt a jolt of electricity go through him.
It wasn't a scolding, but that line reached me. Something within me shifted, clicking into place like a key in a lock.
I felt it, that's how a pure devotee should be, not like me, who waits for one change meeting with his God and asks for boons instead of their love and a place near them.
If Nandi Ji, a being who could probably move mountains, capable enough to bear the weight of the supreme God, saw themselves as a simple servant, then my own greed and even the "pride" of my guilt were a distraction.
While I was still in deep thought, I heard them speak.
"Come," They said, the golden bell on their ankle chiming softly.
Nandi Ji then turned and gestured for me to follow them deeper into the valley.
"Let us walk while we talk." And finally, they asked him,
"And tell me... what do you truly think of my Lord's decision to grant you a wish so freely? Why do you keep thinking the same thing again and again in your mind? Do you really think that the Heavens are a vending machine that gives out boons to anyone who passes by?"
I fell into deep thought and remained silent. The lush, glowing grass felt soft beneath my feet, but I barely noticed it. I wasn't even surprised anymore that they could hear my thoughts; I just looked at Nandi Ji's broad shoulders and began questioning everything.
And I said to them,
"Sir, I truly haven't done anything worthy of such grace. Back in my world, people endured countless hardships, walked barefoot for hundreds of miles, and spent lifetimes in prayer just to catch a glimpse of the Divine. And here I am, having a wish granted that would change the very nature of my existence. Am I allowed to have such a grand gift given to me just because I asked for it? When I haven't done anything."
I went silent, head bowed...
The joy I had felt earlier when Mata Parvati smiled at me slowly faded, replaced by a suffocating doubt that won't go away.
Am I really worthy of this? Or is this all some cosmic mistake that will be corrected the moment I leave this mountain?
Seeing my expression, the silence and the conflict were clearly written on my face like ink on a page.
Nandi Ji understood my thoughts before I could even finish forming them. They spoke before I could sink any deeper into that dark well of self-pity.
"Do not overwork that tiny brain of yours, child. It might burst," they said, and I could hear a distinct hint of humour in their voice, like the low rumble of a contented bull. "Do you truly think the Gods act without reason? Do you think my Lord would grant a wish simply for amusement? As if the Weaver of Fate would pull a thread just to see it dangle? You are wrong, child. Deeply wrong."
I hesitated, my voice coming out as a dry whisper.
"But sir, I have not done anything particularly difficult," I said honestly, looking at my hands.
"I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time. It was luck, wasn't it?"
Nandi Ji stopped by a tree whose leaves looked like beaten copper. They nodded slowly.
"Luck did play its part, and in the eyes of the Divine, luck is merely the name mortals give to Grace. That itself is no small thing. But surviving a space collapse is also an achievement of the soul. Had you not read the Shiv Kavacham with a heart of pure intent, my Lord would not have been able to bridge the gap to protect you. And without complete, unwavering belief in those words, you would have vanished into the void long before you reached this peak."
They continued walking, their hooves clicking against the silver-veined stones.
"These small moments, a child's faith, a student's prayer, a sudden moment of danger; they stack upon one another like stones in a temple. Together, they led you to this moment. I do not believe you would have been granted such grace if your mind and soul were not pure enough to reflect the light of Kailash. Besides,"
They added with a faint, knowing smile,
"Your wish is not all that grand, is it? To be a witness? To see the Truth? That is the wish of a seeker, not a conqueror. And seekers are always welcome here."
Listening to Nandi Ji's words, I felt the ice around my heart begin to thaw.
The heaviness inside me, the "guilt" that told me I didn't belong, slowly lifted. Maybe I wasn't here because I was a Great Hero, but maybe I was here because I was a Sincere Child.
As we continued strolling, I felt a growing connection with Nandi Ji. The silence between us was no longer awkward; it was comfortable, like walking with an older, much stronger elder.
Soon, we reached the shore of a lake that seemed to defy the laws of optics. It was vast and beautiful, tucked between two jagged, snow-dusted peaks. Its waters were not blue or green; they were a pristine, luminous white, as crystal clear as liquid diamonds.
Just looking at the surface filled me with a calmness I had never felt, not even in the deepest meditation I'd attempted back home. My pulse slowed. My mind became as still as the water.
Seeing me captivated by the sight, Nandi Ji spoke, their voice dropping to a respectful tone.
"This is part of the river Ganga. This is where Ganga Ji resides in their purest celestial form, and from here, their journey upon Earth both begins and ends. You are standing at the source of all purification."
Hearing this, my entire focus shifted to the lake.
The water, which had been as still as glass, began to bubble at the centre. Gentle ripples spread outward in perfect concentric circles. From the depths, a form started to rise, though it wasn't a person climbing out of water; it was the water becoming a person.
I watched in breathless awe as the liquid gathered, defying gravity, shaping itself into a humanoid figure. Skin formed from flowing currents; hair trailed down like misty waterfalls.
Soon, the figure took the shape of a lady of such ethereal beauty that it felt like my eyes were being blessed just by looking at Them.
They bore a striking resemblance to Goddess Parvati, sharing that same divine, maternal energy, yet their essence was different. Like the Mother Goddess, they wore garments of pure white, while Mata Parvati wore jewellery made of living flowers. This Being wore ornaments of white gold that were translucent, like ice catching the morning sun.
Their presence carried a chill, but not the kind that numbs the bones or makes you shiver. It was a soothing, life-giving coolness, like a gentle mountain stream that quenches a thirst you've carried for a thousand years. They stood upon the surface of the lake, their feet not even sinking, looking at me with eyes that held the depth of every ocean.
The air around the lake began to shimmer with a fine, silver mist that tasted like the freshest rain. Every droplet in that mist seemed to hold a rainbow, casting a prismatic glow over the entire shore. I realised that the silence here wasn't empty; it was a "living" silence, full of the ancient memories of the Earth.
The water didn't just look clean; it looked as if it were made of liquid light, flowing with a purpose that transcended time. I stood there, rooted to the spot, feeling somewhat weight i carried in my heart, and my shoulders vanished. I was finally washed away from my spirit, replaced by a clarity that was both terrifying and beautiful.
I was no longer just a student from a village; I was going to be a student of the Universe.