Kaal Chakra

3. करूणा

करुणा - Meaning compassion

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Dwarka

Chaturdashi, Phalguna Krishna Paksha, 5000 BCE

The first thing she noticed upon gaining consciousness was the burning, itchy feeling on various parts of her body, mainly on her hands and legs. Grumbling, she lifted her left hand and was about to scratch her right palm when she noticed the white cotton cloth tied around it.

"What the heck?!" She muttered, moving her hand closer to her face when her eyes fell on the ceiling above and her jaw dropped. She had never seen this type of exquisite architecture before for no amount of words could describe it's beauty. For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming, for the finesse with which the marble was carved into intricate designs was simply unreal. The accuracy with which each groove, each curve, each shape was chiseled would put the latest architectural technology to shame.

The whole marble surface was carved into one of her favourite gods ever, the Lord of New Beginnings, Wisdom and Luck, the remover of all obstacles, Lord Ganesha, her Ganapati Bappa, seated on a lotus with his trusty Mooshak at his feet.

"Bappa, please help me. I don't know whether whatever I saw was real. Did I really see him?" She murmured, looking at his carving inlaid with precious stones. She was so engrossed in looking at the elephant headed God that she didn't even notice a delicate hand coming to rest on her shoulder until its fingers pressed down with a little bit of pressure.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, jumping with fright. But the moment she did so, the right side of her abdomen flared up in  protest and she hissed, curling into herself to minimise the pain. She felt the mattress dipping as someone sat down beside her and she turned to look at them with a blurry vision.

The person in front of her was a woman, whose appearance screamed royalty. Heavy ruby red silks embroidered with gold threads with tiny gems sewn in between the delicate designs were draped on her willowy body. Her thick raven black tresses were braided back in a single braid which was tastefully accessorized with a heavy mathapatti inlaid with diamonds and a delicate  maangtika lay on the centre of her forehead. Big bunches of jasmine flowers weaved together to form a garland was wrapped around her hair and a jadanagam decorated her long braid. Exquisite earrings adorned her earlobes and an elegant nose pin was fixed gently on her nose. Necklaces made embellished with the finest rubies hung around her swan-like neck and bejeweled armlets and bracelets adorned her slender arms.

Her beauty was unparalleled.

"Is she an apsara?" She thought dazedly, moving her gaze to the woman's face.

Round in shape and with a clear fair complexion, she was what people would call chandramukhi for the serenity and calmness of the moon was clearly seen on her elysian face. She had dark brown doe eyes which were framed by long dark lashes and elegantly lined with kohl. While looking into them, Lakshmi saw a familiarity in those brown irises in the way they shone with love and compassion, just like him.

Breaking their gaze, her eyes travelled upwards to the finely shaped eyebrows framing her eyelids and then resting on the vermillion bindi right in the centre of them. After a few seconds of staring at it, she moved down to the bridge of her slender nose, past her soft cheeks and stopping at her rosebud lips.

They were moving but the girl from the future couldn't hear a single thing what she was saying. It was as if a glass wall separated them and she was just able to see what was on the other side. All she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeats, as if she was submerged completely under water.