Romantic Revenge

Chapter 12(Aditya)

I cruised around the village in my car to look for her. She was just so intoxicating, no man could resist her charms. However, there was something odd about her the scent of her was earthy something which no woman would smell off....

Somehow, I was distracted by what I was planning for years revenge....Sweet revenge.....I alighted from my car and stumbled upon a Shiv temple.

It looked really ancient with carvings of strange dancing poses and snakes crowding around a carved Shivling. I entered the temple to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva, forgetting all about Chandra and my entire revenge.

The interior was even more intricate, with paintings depicting the ancient times when us, Hindus believed that gods roamed the earth once which was an everyday sight to every human being. Today, we believe he exists within miracles only.

Suddenly, I stumbled upon a painting on the wall whereby, A boy who looked no younger than the age of sixteen hugging the Shivling while, a dark man riding a buffalo cast a rope which falls on the Shivling. Whereby, a Man who is muscular and broad behind the Shivling holding a trident which was about pierce the man who was on the buffalo.

I recalled the story behind the painting, it was the story of a young boy named Markendya. A sage and his wife yearned for a son and they prayed fervently to Lord Shiva. He gave them two choices a Son with low intelliegence but long life or an intelligent son with relatively short age. They chose the latter. 

Markendya, the son grew up to be the great devotee of Lord Shiva. However, as prophercy would have it that he would not live past the age of sixteen. On his sixteenth birthday he was deeply immensed in his worship with Lord Shiva that, Yama, the Lord of death's servants could not take away his life. 

The Lord of death himself came to whisk the boy's life away. When he cast his rope on the boy who was hugging the Shivling the, noose fell upon the Shivling instead of the boy. Lord Shiva emerged from the shivling thereby, battling for the life of Markendya. 

Lord Shiva emerging victoriously from his battle, revived the Lord of Death himself from death and blessed Markendya with a long life.

I wondered then, if Lord Shiva protects his devotees why did he not appear on the day that my parents were being killed at his own temple infront, of him?

I moved to the next painting which looked like continuous story however, the painting looked very diffrent and strange. What is was more strange was that I felt even more connected to the painting.