LOVE: To Infinity And Beyond

*HER NEW DEITY*

Good morning dearest readers,

And a very happy Janmashtami!
So, this is a piece I had written about a year back for a collab book. Now that I'm assuming that book is down and I really wanted to share it with you all on this special occasion. Hope you like it...

Hare Krishna 🙏

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HER NEW DEITY

Revati, Balrama’s wife and Krishna’s elder sister-in-law, has seen many sides of her dear younger brother-in-law. She has heard of the tales of his Leelas; she has been witness to his valour, his wit, his intellect, his fame -- especially amongst women, and even his mischiefs.

She has been the golden witness to the naughty little Kanha behind the facade of the matured and revered Hero-turned-God of Aryavarta. What she had never ever witnessed before, was this vulnerable grief-stricken lover, behind the dazzling mask.

At the moment, she was in a deeply forested area just out of the premises of golden Dwarka. A few minutes back, she had spotted Krishna sneaking out of the palace through a secret backdoor that none of them knew existed. She had been too curious to not follow him.

She followed him quietly, keeping a safe distance in between. And, she has ended up reaching here, astounded by the scene playing out in front of her.

It was a small clearing amidst the woods, and her dear brother-in-law is sitting, leaning against a tree-trunk, thankfully, with his back to her front. She moved silently through the foliage and reached a more comfortable position, to his side, from where she could catch a better view
of his profile, but, hopefully, he couldn’t see her.

His legs were folded up in front of him, his hands resting on his knees, and they held his flute. He wasn’t playing it, just staring blankly at it -- as if looking through it into some distant memory. Slowly he brought it closer to himself and Revati thought that maybe he would start playing -- that would also provide a valid reason for his unexpected visit to this secret place. But he just placed its lips softly on it,
lingering there, as if trying to stop time right at that moment. The quiet kiss seemed to spark up a pile of painful memories stocked up and locked up within his heart.

He hardened his grips on his flute, as if trying to forcefully pull that memory into the realm of the present; and she could almost hear his breathing accelerate and become louder. He was almost panting
as if trying to deal with the burning agony that came along with the memories. But, soon the panting gave way to a dry sob, racking out of the core of his body. And, soon enough streams of tears began flowing incessantly out of his damp and probably now-burning eyes.

Revati was shaken to the core. What could this possibly be about?! What horrible past could possibly ever lead to her jovial brother-in-law being this crestfallen and heartbroken? This wasn’t even heartbroken, this was as if someone had cut out half of his very soul and left behind the other half to just let him survive anyhow.

He clutched the flute tightly to his chest, and finally Revati noticed that it was not the usual golden flute that he used to play on people’s requests on occasions. This was a wooden one, but…. Wait a moment! It's a HALF flute! Not a whole.

For a moment, Revati felt as if this flute was the representation of his halved soul. She was shocked by the force of the reality hitting her hard. She was physically shaken, as if she was just touched by the Divine Ardhanareshwara; a shiver ran up her spine.

She had seen him launch the Sudarshan once, she had been a fortunate witness to a few of his Leelas too. But This was beyond just Divine. She took a step back and stepped on a twig, which cracked under her foot, breaking her hypnotic stupor. But didn’t seem to affect Krishna the slightest bit.

He was lost in his own world, where only two people existed - he himself, and someone else who was yet unknown
to Revati. He continued to stare ahead blankly into the distance, sensing nothing in his original surroundings. The tears were flowing incessantly out of his, silently; he wasn’t sobbing loudly anymore.

Then suddenly a single word escaped his lips, “Radha…” Revati strained her hearing even more, she had to know who this was. “I am so sorry.. I truly didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to leave you like that… Trust me I am dying as much as you are, and it's not just you who’s waiting for that day… Please... Just please keep your promise. Don’t leave me from that far away; do come to me. I know you will and that hope of seeing you once again is what keeps me going. Physical distance doesn’t matter between us, you know that right?

Because we are always together, and yes.. Don’t forget to bring that adhesive that Maiyya makes. We’ll need that to join these two parts back together. I won’t give you two broken parts to take along..”

A damp chuckle escaped his mouth as he spoke the last two lines. He finally wiped off his tears, closed his eyes and sat back quietly for a few tranquil moments.

He needed this outbreak. He needed to let these tears flow. It’s not the first time. He has let these tears flow a few times before as well. He sometimes needs this - this helps him keep the dazzling mask intact in front of the world. He could sense his Bhaabi kneel down on the forest floor, behind the wall of foliage. He knew all throughout that she was here. He knew that she had just watched his breakdown - she had seen him in his most vulnerable state.

But, honestly, he didn’t care much. He knew she wouldn’t reveal a word about this to any of his Ashtabharyas or to anyone else - that is what truly mattered for him.

Revati, on the other hand, was washed by the ecstasy of this discovery of hers - she has discovered the true source of power of Shri Krishna .. His Radha. She has discovered why his eyes dampen every time he plays the flute; where the magical melody of his flute comes from…

His Radha...

Revati mentally chanted the name again and again, as she hurried back
to the palace. This is probably the name of her new deity.
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Radhe Radhe