Chapter 2: The Weight of Boons
The radiance around Mahādeva remained unchanged, yet the soul felt as though the weight upon its essence had deepened.
The silence was no longer empty.
It was listening.
The soul gathered itself and spoke, slowly, carefully—each thought weighed before it was offered.
"Mahādeva…"
Its glow dimmed, not from weakness, but reverence.
"From what you have spoken… my understanding falters."
"This age I lived in was Kali Yuga."
"Yet you speak of Dvāpara Yuga… of the Mahābhārata."
The soul bowed inwardly.
"If that great war has already passed, how am I to follow your will?"
"And if it is yet to come… then by what right does a soul of Kali Yuga walk into the age of heroes?"
The soul hesitated, then continued with honesty that bordered on pain.
"My Lord… even after your words, my heart does not release its judgment."
A faint tremor passed through it.
"Among all my lives, the last clings to me the most."
"Compared to other lives i spend, my lives of kāliyuga are very drastic. I see only one truth in myself—'pāpi'."
The soul lowered itself in shame & remorse.
"If this blindness offends you, forgive me. I do not deny your wisdom. I simply… have not escaped myself."
Mahādeva regarded the soul in silence.
The crescent moon upon his matted locks glowed softly, and the space itself seemed to breathe.
"Your struggle is not ignorance,"
"It is honesty."
The Lord's voice was calm, yet vast.
"You are correct."
The soul stilled.
"The Mahābhārata of your universe has already dissolved into memory."
Mahādeva lifted his gaze—not upward, but beyond.
"But understand this, child."
"Yugas do not belong to a single world."
The void shifted.
Not violently, not suddenly—but as though a veil had been gently drawn aside.
"Creation is not singular."
Mahādeva spoke as one stating truth, not teaching.
"What you know as a universe is but one breath of creation."
"Within it exist solar systems, galaxies, and rivers of galaxies."
" Countless universes arise and dissolve."
"Each complete within itself."
The soul felt immeasurably small.
"Each has its own Brahmā."
"Its own devas."
"Its own cycle of yugas."
Mahādeva's gaze returned to the soul.
"But Viṣṇu and I…"
A subtle pressure filled existence.
"…are not bound in such multiplicity."
The serpent upon his neck stirred.
"Across these universes, we place our origin manifestations—not copies, not illusions."
"Extensions of our will."
The soul trembled.
"To preserve what must endure."
"And to dissolve what must end."
Mahādeva's voice grew heavier.
"In one such universe, Dvāpara Yuga has deviated from its course."
The word deviated echoed like a fracture in destiny.
"There, a man sought freedom not from suffering…"
"But from death itself."
The space darkened slightly.
"He stood before Viṣṇu and demanded a boon."
Mahādeva's eyes burned with quiet fire.
"He asked that no being of his yuga be capable of killing him."
"That only one born in the next yuga—Kali Yuga—could end him."
The soul felt a tightening within.
"But even that was not enough."
Mahādeva's voice lowered.
"He demanded that his end come from one steeped in sin."
"Not an empty sinner."
"But one who carries remorse of those sins."
The silence grew unbearable.
Mahādeva looked directly at the soul.
"Child…"
The soul's glow flickered violently.
"You are that soul."
The words did not strike like thunder.
They settled—heavy, undeniable.
The soul froze.
"Me…?"
Mahādeva nodded.
"You committed sins for survival."
"You committed sins for others."
"And when you sinned for yourself…"
His voice softened.
"You paid for them through regret."
The soul's glow wavered violently.
"Your good deeds erased your selfish sins."
"What remains are sins borne for others—and the weight of conscience."
Mahādeva stepped closer.
"Only such a soul can end him."
The soul bowed so deeply its light nearly vanished.
"Mahādeva…"
Emotion surged—not pride, not fear, but a heavy, aching gratitude.
"Thank you… for trusting even a pāpi like me with knowledge of creation, of other universes, of Viṣṇu and your manifestations."
A tremor ran through it.
"I am honored… and ashamed."
The soul steadied itself.
"Honored that I am needed."
"Ashamed that you had to come to a pāpi one like me."
"But my Lord… you have not spoken his name."
Mahādeva's lips curved faintly.
"Names are veils."
"When the time arrives…"
"You will know."
Mahādeva raised his trident slightly.
"You shall be born the same year as Karṇa."
The soul's glow flared at the name.
"For your journey,"
"You may ask for boons."
Mahādeva's gaze hardened slightly.
"Anything—except immortality."
The soul hesitated.
For the first time since its meeting with Mahādeva, uncertainty surfaced—not doubt of the Lord, but fear of its own desires.
"Mahādeva…"
Its glow flickered nervously.
"Thank you for allowing this."
Then, bowing deeply—
"But I am a pāpi."
The words came softly.
"And I carry many wishes."
The soul lowered itself further.
"Please hear them first."
"If you find me unworthy… punish me."
Mahādeva laughed softly.
Not mockery—warmth.
"A child asks from its parents."
His voice became tender.
"I am both God and Father to all mortals."
The space itself felt like an embrace.
"If your wishes do not disturb the balance…"
"I shall grant them."
Relief washed through the soul.
It spoke slowly, carefully.
"You may ask for boons."
Mahādeva's gaze hardened—not cruelly.
"Anything but immortality."
For the first time since its meeting with Mahādeva, uncertainty surfaced—not doubt of the Lord, but fear of its own desires.
The soul exhaled its fear and spoke.
"First…"
"Please grant me dominion over plant and life, without the curse of hunger or weakness."
Mahādeva inclined his head.
"My second wish…"
The soul's glow strengthened.
"Let my hard work always bear fruit."
A tremor passed through it.
"In my last life, I feared effort was meaningless."
"This fear broke me more than failure."
"Please remove that fear."
Mahādeva's eyes softened.
"My third wish…"
The soul hesitated, then spoke with quiet resolve.
"Let my body be born of plant, earth, water, and sunlight. Shaped and created by your own hands. "
"In many lives, I disappointed my parents."
"This time… I do not wish to burden any."
The space felt warm.
"My fourth wish…"
Emotion surged.
"Please incarnate me near the home of Karṇa's adoptive parents."
The soul glowed warmly.
"I admired Karṇa."
"This time, I wish to walk beside him."
"To reduce his misfortune… and injustice."
Mahādeva watched silently.
"And my fifth wish…"
The soul's glow trembled—not with fear, but longing.
"Once every year…"
"For one day…"
"Please come to me as a little child boy."
The void seemed to still.
"On that day…"
"Be my brother."
"My father."
"And my guru."
Silence followed.
Then Mahādeva smiled—fully, openly.
"So be it."
Mahādeva's trident touched the void.
"Bear your boons."
"Bear your burden."
Light closed around the soul.
"Your journey begins."
End of Chapter 2