Page 23 of Sumanika

“But right now, we should head back. It’s getting dark,” he said. I glanced at the sky, which was slowly turning a deeper shade of dark blue, adorned with layers of twinkling stars.“We won’t make it in time. It’s far,” I replied, as he touched my shoulder.“There’s a temple nearby. We should wait there,” he suggested, and we both began walking down the mountain. The trees surrounded us; it was dark, and the scent of wet soil filled the air. The sounds of insects and lurking predators echoed not far away.

“There,” Eklavya said, and I looked at the small cave carved into the mountain. We both quickened our pace toward it. By the time we entered the cave, it had grown intensely dark.

Thankfully, fire torches illuminated the space, and we inhaled deeply, trying to fight the dropping temperature as we walked deeper inside.

A priest sat with long, dried locks of hair cascading to the floor. He faced away from us, and I watched him chant prayers to theShivlinga.

“Pranam, pandit ji,”I intoned, joining my hands and lowering myself to sit behind him alongside Eklavya, bending our heads to touch our foreheads to the ground in the holy embrace ofMahadev.

Silence lingered until he completed his chant and slowly turned to us. While his face may not have been friendly, his aura was comforting. I could feel the depth of his spirituality and devotion.

"Rah bhatak gaye ho,"“Lost your way,” he said, and I gulped nervously as I struggled to respond.“Um, no, but it’s dark now, so we are searching for a place to spend the night,”

He shook his head and looked at me with an intense gaze.

“Nahi, tum jeevan ki rah bhatak gaye ho,”“No, you have lost your way of life,” he said, and I felt a slight shiver run down my spine.

I tried to ask, "What do you mean?"

He blinked silently for a moment before replying,“Stop running.” I blinked, confused, waiting for his next word.“Stop running from your past; it’s haunting your future,” he said, and I shook my head slowly, lowering my gaze. Now, I understood what he was implying.

“I can’t. The fear has occupied so much space within me that nothing else can coexist,” I replied, and he chuckled.

“Redo the calculations, child.” His words didn’t quite make sense to me. But I nodded.

I didn’t understand why; the memory of her sitting before me that night flashed through my mind. Silent. Hopeless. Scared. Then came the memory of her tied to that pyre, on the verge of being burned.

"Panditji,"I called, gazing at him as he raised his eyes to meet mine—a faint smile on his lips.

“I want to ask you something,” I said, speaking low, and he nodded.“A few weeks ago, I did…” I shared everything that happened with her, and his smile grew unexpectedly.“And now she’s scared. She’s having nightmares. Can you help me with something? Like a mantra or anything?” I asked, and he extended his hand. I looked at his palm in confusion.

“Your hand,” he said.

I shifted closer and offered it. He touched my wrist and untied the thick black thread I wore. I did not know how long it had been there. Every year onShivratri, my Bhaisa would replace it with a new one. He told me my mother tied it around my wrist when I was born. Everyone believes it protects me from harm because when my mother died, I fell weak and struggled to survive. That was another reason my brothers loved me to the moon.

He untied the thread and held it in his hand, chanting some prayers before placing it back in my palm. "Tie it around her left arm. It should remain covered," he instructed, and I nodded. "Okay,"

I looked at Eklavya, sitting in disbelief.

Rolling my eyes at him, I looked back atPandit Ji.“You both can rest there,” he said, pointing toward the inner part of the cave. We both touched his feet before walking away to sit in the corner.

“You could’ve asked if we would win or not, but no, you asked how to get rid of her nightmares. Seriously?” Eklavya said, giving me an intense look.

The jealousy was visible on his face.

“Winning or losing depends on our actions, and she needs help,” I replied, and he mimicked me.“She needs help.”

I immediately kicked him in the leg, causing him to fall to the floor.“Ahh, I need to rest,” he groaned, and I lay down on the floor as well, keeping the thread-safe in my possession.

We both woke up and receivedPanditji’sblessings before starting our journey again.

On our way back to Mehrangarh, I realized I had done something foolish.

“Ugh, yesterday was the Ganguar festival. We had to be back on time,” I said, looking at Eklavya with irritation. He glanced at me.“What? I’m not getting married,” he replied.

I inhaled deeply and said,“But you could have reminded me. Bhaisa will kill me if he ever finds out,” he smiled and replied.

“Then keep it to yourself. He will not find out about this huge thing either.” I landed another punch on his back, causing him to growl in pain.“You should stop punching me,” he stated, and I chuckled.

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