Entanglement With Fate (Part 2)

20. Astras

"There are two ways to earn them. An easy one but would take long time. A shorter one but more difficult. Tapasya is the easy way but pleasing Vishnu through it for these astras are far more difficult than pleasing Shiva. Vishnu is not easily swayed by just tapasya. It has to come with devotion, empathy and sacrifice. The shorter way is to please Vishnu. One you may take but it is far more difficult. He would give it to you through barter."

"Barter?"

"Yes. Once you decide on it, you have to fulfil his conditions and his missions. At the end of which, he may offer it to you. This is difficult because convincing him for this is not as easy. Your soul is judged by Yama first before it begins. You have to please Yama and Shani. The meaning is that you have to cleanse yourself before you move ahead to even fulfil his conditions and part-take on missions on behalf of him. Pleasing Yama and Shani are through you clearing all of your back-karmas. Which is not so easy. Generally, when Yama and Shani judge karmas, they do not take in actions done during the age of ignorance. Which means till the age of nine. Until 9 years of age, you are considered ignorant and don't suffer for those actions. Past that, you suffer all your karmas. But when you wish to please them and cleanse yourself, even the actions done in a toddler age are considered. Whether you had knowledge or not, they will count. You have to clear them."

This may sound easy but I'm quite sure it is super difficult. Firstly, you have to cleanse all your karmas. Like all the karmas done by you will be judged. Unless all of your karma has been cleared, you don't even qualify for the part.

Also, not everyone can get through this easily. Like unless he thinks that you are even at least one per cent of his great devotees, this doesn't even begin to come. Then even if we somehow manage it, dad's missions aren't going to be like teeny tiny missions like retrieving Vijaya from Patala. No, they're going to really huge. Some super hard missions.

"Actually, both of them sound super hard. Like in both ways, you are judged based on your karma merit. No merit, no opportunity. Like will I even qualify?"

He looked at me. "You're Vishnusuta, there are wrong things you've done?"

"Does almost pushing a human in an ongoing traffic count?"

He almost choked and coughed hard. He recovered from it and looked at me like I have kidnapped children.

"You almost tried to murder a human???!!!"

"Well, in my defence, the human is a highly terrible one. Like he gets on my nerves so much. He is by no means a good person."

"Still an attempt to murder." Shukracharya rubbed his temples. "Here I was assuming that at least you can get started on it. Clearing yourself from an 'attempt to murder' charge is not an easy task. This is no Indian Judiciary where you can get away with it through bribery. Yama and Shani are as honest as dharma. Trust me, they aren't going to take this easily."

He sighed.

"You expect me to get through?"

"Of course!!!"

"Mama, I wouldn't get through AIIMS and IIT if I write those exams. Do you think I'll qualify to write Yamaraj and Shanidev's exams? Like what the hell is the syllabus?? Karma. Yeah, Karma is the syllabus. I can't even by-heart stuff this exam to pass it."

"And I was beginning to think that at least one of my students might somehow get there." He sighed.

So, we know enough that Virat does not have Vaishnavastra and Narayanastra. 

I took an empty astra arrow and tried to charge the arrow with the mantra. As I chanted the mantra, a bright red swirl followed and circled the arrow. Bhumirasaastra. A brown colour swirls around the Bhaumastra. Green colour following in the Parvatastra. 

I had to admit, astras were quite enchanting. The power they vibrated with was quite an odd pleasing feeling. The astra vibrates on the same level as the mantra's syllables. 

I had used an astra before. Though it was an already invoked astra connected to maya. Arjuna had used a sammohanastra on such a large level that it captured everyone in its maya except Bhisma. That was his own power that made the astra that powerful. 

Now, I just had to build strength that work empower the astra further.