Chapter 56: The River's Lesson
The celestial plane of Kailash shimmered like a dream, its air alive with divine warmth. Rudra Pratap, King of Mahishmati, sat cross-legged beside his big brother Ganesha, who was munching modaks with a mischievous grin. Across the glowing meadow, Kartikeya, his other elder brother, twirled his spear, challenging Rudra to a sparring match.
"Chhote, you're dodging my questions like you dodge my spear!" Ganesha teased, his trunk flicking a modak at Rudra. "What's got you so quiet? Spill it!"
Rudra caught the modak, chuckling. "Bhaiya, you're worse than Ishita with the interrogations! I'm just… soaking it all in. Being here with you, Bhaiya Kartikeya, Maa, Paa—it's like my heart's finally catching its breath."
Kartikeya smirked, vaulting over with his peacock mount trailing sparks. "Soaking it in, eh? Let's see if you can soak in my next move! Come on, little man, show me that Mahishmati fire!"
Rudra grinned, leaping to his feet. The spar was a whirlwind—Kartikeya's spear clashed against Rudra's staff, their laughter echoing as Ganesha cheered, tossing modaks like confetti. For a moment, Rudra forgot the questions clawing at his soul: Purpose kya hai? Why this world? Why me?
"Putron!" Parvati's voice rang out, warm as sunlight. "Enough roughhousing! Annapurna's feast awaits!"
Rudra's stomach growled, and Kartikeya laughed, slinging an arm around him. "Saved by Maa, Chhote. Let's go before Ganesh eats it all!"
The divine dining hall was a sight—golden plates piled with steaming rice, dal fragrant with spices, and sweets that sparkled like jewels. Parvati, radiant in her red saree, served Rudra with a mother's love, while Shiva lounged at the head, his trishul glinting. Ganesha stuffed his face, and Kartikeya teased him mercilessly.
"Rudra, beta," Parvati said, her eyes soft. "Eat more. You're too skinny for a king!"
Rudra laughed, his heart swelling. "Maa, if I eat any more, I'll roll back to Mahishmati!"
Shiva's deep chuckle rumbled. "Good. A king needs meat on his bones to face what's coming."
The meal was pure joy, but as Rudra savored the last bite of kheer, his mind drifted. Why was I reborn? Why the Mahabharat? Have I done right by Niyati, or am I breaking it? The questions, always there, gnawed at him. He'd changed so much—saved Karna, united Krishna and Radha, built Mahishmati—but was it enough? Was it right?
After lunch, Rudra wandered to a quiet corner of Kailash, sitting by a crystalline stream. The questions swirled like a storm. I've been running since I was reborn, fighting, building, changing the world. But why? What's my purpose? He thought of Krishna, whom he'd once guided through doubt, now facing his own turmoil. Even gods struggle to answer their own hearts. Am I any different?
"Rudra!" Shiva's voice boomed, cutting through his thoughts. "Come, beta. Walk with your Paa."
Rudra found Shiva by a roaring river, perched on a boulder, his matted hair swaying in the breeze. The Mahadev's eyes sparkled with cosmic secrets, but his grin was pure fatherly warmth.
"Sit," Shiva said, patting the stone. "You've got that look again—too much thinking, not enough living."
Rudra sat, his saffron robes pooling around him. "Paa, I… I'm trying to live. But my head's a mess. I've done so much, changed so much, but I don't know if it's right."
Shiva's gaze softened, fixed on the river. "Right, wrong—it's a mortal trap, beta. Tell me, what's really eating you?"
Before Rudra could answer, a sharp cry pierced the air—like a kitten's wail, desperate and raw. He spun, spotting a tiny white creature thrashing in the river's current.
A cat, its fur soaked, claws flailing as the water dragged it under.
"Paa!" Rudra gasped, pointing. "That cat—it's drowning! Save it!"
Shiva's voice was calm, almost distant. "Maybe it's the cat's Niyati to drown in this river, Rudra. Who are we to interfere?"
Rudra's heart lurched. Niyati? Destiny? The word stung, echoing his doubts. But the cat's cry was too real, too urgent. He didn't think—he couldn't.
"No way I'm letting it die!" he shouted, diving into the icy water.
The current was brutal, slamming him against rocks. His lungs burned, his robes dragged like chains, but he swam, arms slicing through the foam.
The cat was close, its eyes wide with terror. Rudra lunged, scooping it into his arms, and kicked toward shore.
Come on, come on! He stumbled onto the bank, gasping, cradling the trembling creature.It wasn't a cat—it was a white tiger cub, its fur matted, its tiny body shivering.
Rudra grinned, relief flooding him. "You're a tough little thing, aren't you?"
A faint chuckle reached him. Shiva stood above, his eyes glinting. "Maybe its Niyati was to be saved by you, beta. Who knows?"
Before Rudra could reply, Parvati appeared beside Shiva, her presence a warm glow. She knelt, touching Rudra's wet cheek. "Beta, you didn't think. You acted. That's who you are."
Rudra clutched the cub, his voice shaky. "Maa, Paa, I've been tearing myself apart. Why was I reborn? Why this world? Every change I've made—Karna, Krishna, Mahishmati—is it against Niyati? Am I doing it wrong?"
Shiva's voice was a low rumble, like thunder rolling soft. "Niyati's not a chain, Rudra. It's a river, like this one. You don't break it—you shape its flow. Every change you've made, every life you've touched, it's because you thought it was right."
Parvati's eyes shimmered with love and a hint of sadness. "But beta, you've been so busy changing the world, you forgot to live in it. You're our son, Rudra, not a puppet of some grand purpose. We sent you to this world to be happy, to love your family, to laugh with your sister, to honor your parents."
Rudra's chest tightened, her words cutting deep. "Maa, I… I've tried. But I've been so caught up, I—"
Shiva raised a hand, his voice firm. "You told Krishna that Rama faltered as a husband. But what about you, Rudra? Have you been the son your parents deserve? The brother Ishita needs? The grandson your dada—Vijay Raj, the same soul from your past life—longs to know?"
Rudra froze, his breath catching. Vijay Raj… my grandpa? The truth
, he'd known, deep down, but buried it under his mission.
Parvati's voice softened, her hand on his shoulder. "Your parents let their three-year-old roam the world, Rudra, because they believed in your greatness. They sacrificed enjoying the childhood of their only child? Your sister craves her Bhaiya's time. Your grandpa yearns for his grandson's laughter. And you, beta—you're still Umesh Kumar in your heart, not fully Rudra Pratap. That's what hurts us."
Tears stung Rudra's eyes, the cub nuzzling his chest. "Maa, Paa, I didn't realize… I thought I had to fix everything, be the perfect king, the perfect warrior."
Shiva's grin returned, fierce and warm. "The Mahabharat will come, beta. A war to end Adharma is Niyati's pulse in every Yug. But this war isn't the one you knew before. You've changed it, and that's your power. Live your life, Rudra. Love your family. Let Niyati dance with you, not lead you."
Parvati smiled, her form fading with Shiva's. "Close your eyes, beta. Ask yourself—have you followed your Dharma as a son, a brother, a grandson?"
They vanished, leaving Rudra by the river, the cub purring softly. He closed his eyes, their words echoing. They didn't send me for a cosmic mission. They sent me to live, to love, to be Rudra.
The haze in his mind cleared, tears streaming down his cheeks. He saw it now—his parents' quiet pride, Ishita's longing, Vijay Raj's knowing smiles. He'd been so paranoid, so driven, he'd missed them.
"No more," he whispered, his voice firm. "Umesh Kumar is gone. I'm Rudra Pratap, son of Mahishmati, brother to Ishita, grandson to Vijay Raj.
"I'll give them every moment they deserve."He opened his eyes, smiling through his tears. The cub looked up, its blue eyes sparkling, cute as a button.
Rudra laughed, scratching its ears. "You, little troublemaker, you started this. You're the first friend who cleared my head. Wanna stick with me?"
The cub yipped, nuzzling him. Rudra grinned. "Alright, you're Sumeru—my mountain of clarity. Let's be pals."
Sumeru bounced, tail wagging, and Rudra's heart swelled. He knew this was leela of his Maa.
Parvati, ever worried her son was too alone, had gifted him this clever, brave cub.
Thank you, Maa.
As he stood, Sumeru at his heels, Kailash glowed around him. The Mahabharat loomed, but Rudra was ready—not as a cosmic pawn, but as a man, a king, a son. He'd live, love, and let Niyati unfold.