Entanglement With Fate (Part 2)

20. Astras

I thought of Raj, Yashasvi, Kanika, Mayura and Videshi. They were good people just born in a different race. Also, dad wasn't the kind to burn up things in revenge. He was the kind to get the actual person responsible kind. But, fine. I guess his point is different.

I sat up and nodded with seriousness. I too was ready to start preparing to face Virat. This time around, I'm not going to let him take control. I want to emerge as the player and not the pawn. I was done playing the pawn sacrificing itself for the good. I am going to be the deciding player.

"I'm ready," I assured.

"Good. Come with me." I followed Mamashree downstairs. It was maa's meditation hall. A chakra was drawn on the floor. Specific marking. It was a yantra. An energy circle. There was a central large circle. In specific places, there were four pots. One had fire lit. The second had water. The third had soil. The fourth was empty. I guess it was air. They were all marked in colours. Earth had brown. The fire had orange. Water had blue and the air was grey. "Sit there in the centre."

I carefully went into the centre circle without disturbing any part of the yantra.

"I'm sure you have been given the basic knowledge of elements. So, you have to build your own power to control these elements. That is achieved by meditation. You have received several powers from your parents. Your mother in form of Bhudevi has given you natural control over the element of earth. The peak of it is being able to convert regular metal into another as you wish. You have shown the ability to control illusions. You have to learn what are your powers and then manifest them to a state where you can use them as you wish."

I nodded, listening to him carefully.

"Close your eyes and chant the mantra I tell you." He gave me the mantra gyaana. This will be the core of the tapasya I will be doing. It was important to pronounce each and every vowel and consonant properly. Mantras are a powerful source and if done incorrectly will do a lot worse than good.

I repeated the mantra so that he is assured that I got it correctly. He nodded and urged me to chant the mantra.

I sat down in the padmasana pose and chanted the mantra with closed eyes.

Chanting a mantra for the first hour is difficult because your mind is not at peace. It is like being in a water body. The first thing you come across is all the nonsense and waste. The second-hour passes and the dirt starts to clear. The third-hour passes and the mantra reaches your mind. In the fourth house, you start being able to picture the deity of the mantra. The deity in the mantra that he gave me was Durga.

I could picture Devi. Holding the trident. Her long hair was braids. A crown over her head. She appeared to me a battle form. An armour over her chest, shoulder and arms. She wore a saree. The lion right next to her. I bowed down to the Devi. The vibrance of the goddess was such that it would make you bow down to her glory.

The grip on her trident was smooth but good enough to jump into action any moment. Her forehead had large Kumkum bindi. Almost as if it covered her third eye completely. Kali's third eye which destroyed all the universe and caused fear was covered by the loving, calm and softer nature of Durga. She wore her nine yards saree in a way that was near her feet, it was like a dhoti but the perfect plaids of a saree too came down. The softest of her feet had stepped on the harshest of demons and turned into dust.

Kali's raging look in her eyes which was out on the look for those who wanted to harm her children, the same eyes toned down into a calculative manner like that of a Queen. She doesn't look enraged but the look would have you be wary of your action. A soft smile on her lips. Sun and moon as her nose ring but still falling short at the glorious smile on her lips.