Hey Guys!!!!

The Thirty sixth chapter.

I don't own Mahabharat.

Happy Durga Puja!!

This one is not edited. Sorry!

Happy Reading!!

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-- flashback—

Ananya and Karn were sitting in a room remembering meeting the divine couple, who visited them yesterday.
Their Gurudeva, had been very proud of what they proved. He was happy that the kids had such pure heart to impress Mahakal and Mahakali themselves.

"What do you think she meant by 'cheating with destiny' when we asked for a mother figure?" Ananya questioned Karn, out of blue.

"No idea." He shrugs looking down at his best friend, who at the moment was swinging on a branch of banyan tree.
"Strange, this all is." He further says.

"What do you think Mahakal will teach us?" Ananya, looks up at her friend as she moves back in her branch swing, kind of lying down, there.

"I am not Mahakal, ask him when he comes." Karn snaps.

"You are hungry." Ananya states.

"No, I want to know what Mahakal will teach." Karn says sarcastically.

"I have heard he is a great story teller." Ananya says, a giddy excitement in her tone.

"And who gave you this vital piece of information?"

"Gurudeva, of course." Ananya scoffs.

"When did he say that?" Karn asks, his face turning in to a sweet frown.

"When you were most probably sleeping in his lessons, again."

"Hey! I don't sleep in lessons." Karn says offended. And Ananya giggles.

"Yeah Whatever." She waves it off. "But the point is that Mahakal is an unexcelled story teller."

"I do not believe it, until I see it." Karn says.

Ananya looks at him in dis- belief, "But Gurudeva said it."

"He also said that a person should believe what he sees with his own eyes." Karn reasons with his best friend.

"So, you do not believe that I am a good story teller?" A voice says from behind of where the kids were.

The kids turn their head in a whiplash to see Mahakal standing in front of them.

"Mahakal, Pranipatra!" They greet.

"Ayushman bhava. Chiranjeevi bhava." Mahakal blesses them smiling.
"Not tell me, what was this all about?"

"Mahadev, I have heard that you tell wonderful stories." Ananya states.

"Mahadev, I do not mean any offence but I do not believe it." Karn says in a apologetical tone. "I believe on what I see."

"So, you mean you will not believe on something, I say?" Ananya questioned.

"I will." Karn says instantly. "But only if you have seen it yourself."

"Does that mean, you do not believe that the earth is round?" Ananya questions. "Or that there is more than one country in this world?"
"Or that Shri Ram was born on earth, and he was the form of Vishnu Ji?" Ananya started to question Karn constantly.

Mahadev's laugh, was what stopped her. And she blushed.

"Say, Karn? What answer do you have to Anna's questions?" he asks.

"Well, they are universal truth, I can't change it." Karn shrugs.

"If Lord Shiva here, is a good story- teller. Is it not a universal truth? You can't change his way of telling things, right?"

Karn looked thoughtful. He didn't have an accurate answer to that.

"Why don't we do it like this." Lord Shiva intervenes. "I will tell you a story and you can say what kind of story teller, I am. Is that, ok?"

"You can do that?" Ananya asked amazed.

"Of course, No work there at this point of time." Lord Shiva shrugs.

"Yay!" Ananya shrieked excitedly jumping from her place on the branch, to down on the ground.
She hastily wipes an area on the raised end of the platform of banyan tree, with her Angvastram.

"Please sit, Lord Shiva." Ananya motions to Mahakal.

"Thank you." He smiles as he sits on the place wiped by Ananya.
And the two kids, sit near his leg on the ground.

"Should we begin?" He asks.

"When ever you wish." The two kids' chores together.

"Great, so I will tell you the story of Nav- Durga, the nine forms of Devi Parvati. Durga- Puja has begun, right?"

The two kids nod at his words.

"The first day, of the Nav- Durga is about Shailaputri." Mahadev begins. "She is a form of Adi- Parashakti who was born in the house of Parvat- Raj Himalaya, Himavant. Who is the king of Mountains, which got Shailaputri the name of Parvati and Hemavati."

"Parvati also happens to be known as Sati Bhavani, because she n her earlier birth was born as a daughter of Daksha Prajapati. Then her name was Sati and she was married to me. But in a sacrificial ceremony organized by her father Prajapati Daksha, her body was burned in the yogic fire, because she could not bear the insult of her husband, me, by her father Prajapati Daksha in the sacrificial ceremony.

In her next birth she became Goddess Parvati, the daughter of Parvat Raj Himalaya. Because she married me in her last birth, again she married me, in the form of Parvati Because of what happened last time, Parvati was born to parents who respected and worshipped me with pure heart." Mahadev says.
"Parvati was a very kind-hearted, gentle and ambitious girl from childhood. She was known for her valour and courage. Being a princess of a kingdom, she was very down to earth." A soft smiled formed on Lord Shiva's face.

"Parvati used to take cattle's to graze every day with friends on the foothills of Himalayas. Parvati one day took her cattle's to a ground near a small forest. The forest was known for a demon living in that area named as Khandakasur. He was a stone look-a-like demon. In the form of a giant moving stone. The people from the nearby village informed Parvati about the demon. Parvati kept her cattle away from the forest to graze and went to the Shiv Mandir in the nearby village.

Khandakasur, heard the sound of cattle's and came out of the forest in the search of them. Khandakasur, started turning all the cattle's into stone. Looking her calf turning into a stone, the cow got worried and ran in search of Parvati. The cow went to the lake where Parvati was fetching lotus for the temple visit. The cow pulled Parvati's clothes directing her towards the cattle. Parvati and her friends ran towards the cattle, by then Khandakasur turned almost all the cattle's into stone. Looking the stoned cattle's, Parvati got angry." Mahakal continues.

"In rage she took the cattle-stick from her and went running towards Khandakasur. She raised the stick and hit the stone but of no use. Khandakasur got amazed that Parvati didn't turned into stone. Khandakasur curiously asked Parvati asked about this. Parvati courageously said 'I'm Shailaputri, the daughter of the King of Mountains. I am made with the power of many stone, no one can turn me into stone.' Listening to this Khandakasur laughed and said, 'No, one can kill me.' Listening to it Parvati kicked Khandakasur, stabbed in the centre and killed him into pieces of stone. Death of Khandakasur made all cattle alive. The cow thanked Parvati for her deed by going behind and rubbing her back. The Villagers and Parvati's friend saw this deeds of Parvati and named her as Devi Shailaputri." He finished the story off. 

Mahadev looked at the kids in front of him, a shine in his eyes, "Parvati is the embodiment of the power of Brahma, Vishnu and I, she rides the bull, Nandi and carries a trident and a lotus in her two hands. She also has a crescent moon on her forehead. In fact, she has torn the egotism of various Deva's. Of course, her power is such that even us Tri- dev can learn from her."

"She is Devi of the root chakra, who, upon awakening, begins her journey upwards. Sitting on a cow and making her first journey from the Muladhara chakra. As from her father to her husband – the awakening Shakti, beginning her search for me or making a move towards her Shiva. Shailaputri is the Muladhara Shakti to be realized within Self and sought for higher depths, in the yogic meditation. It is the rock of spiritual standing and the whole world gets strength from the Shailaputri aspect of Purana Prakriti Durga." Mahadev smiles as he finishes with his story.

"What do we offer her, Lord Shiva?" Ananya questions.

"Devi Shailaputri likes color orange and is offered Hibiscus. She is worshipped on the first day of Navratri, because she is worshipped by the beginning of Ghatasthapana, a ritual that symbolises women power.

"Now repeat after me, Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah (ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥)"

The two kids join their hands and close their eyes, saying, "Om Devi Shailaputryai Namah (ॐ देवी शैलपुत्र्यै नमः॥)"

"What is happening here?" A voice questions. 

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What do you think?

I am thinking of updating every day till Durga Puja ends! 

Do you have the answer to Ananya's first question? 

They are kind of fighting, again !!

Do you think he is a nice story- teller? 

Whose voice is that?

Do Vote and comment.

Thanks for reading!

(1555 words.)

--Sxxxxx