Kaal Chakra

13. संस्क्रिया - २

संस्क्रिया - Meaning preparations

                             *******

Dwarka

Amavasya, Phalguna Krishna Paksha, 5000 BCE

"Wow." Lakshmi murmured as the royal jeweller began to lay out a number of round brass trays on the wooden table, each filled with different types of glittering gold jewellery.

Gulping, she lightly tapped Rohini on the arm to catch her attention and then leaned closer.

"Yes, putri?"

"Mata,erm, do we have to choose from this collection itself?" She asked in a low voice and Rohini's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Are they not to your liking, my dear?" She asked in concern, cupping Lakshmi's cheek.

"No, that's not the reason, Mata. The ornaments are gorgeous, really, but aren't.. aren't they too heavy? And too precious?" Lakshmi mumbled.

To her bewilderment, Rohini started laughing softly.

"Lakshmi, putri, you are going to be the princess of Dwarka. No jewel is too precious for you." She told her and Lakshmi blushed.

"However," The older woman began, carefully observing the maiden's face," Why do you feel that this jewellery is too precious for you?"

"Back in my time, I didn't wear any ornament on my body except for a pair of small gold earrings. I..I have only seen precious gemstones from afar in shops since even though my parents could technically afford them, my mother was a simple lady and never bought any of those heavy lariats. And I myself am not very interested in expensive silks and costly gold embellishments, so, I guess that is why all this feels too valuable for me." Lakshmi confessed and understanding filled Rohini's eyes.

"My child, we didn't even realise that the future has changed so much from our current time. If this part of the preparations is going too fast for you, we can stop this right now and you can choose lighter ornaments for yourself at a later date. None of this is more important than you, do you understand? Your comfort is the only thing that matters to us." Rohini said, a motherly warmth seeping into her voice.

"Mata, I am very grateful for your concern and to be very honest, I am very much tempted to choose the lightest jewellery and the simplest robes that are available. But I am going to be a princess of Dwarka, Mata. I am not going to be just Lakshmi, the girl from Kaliyuga who fell from the sky in Prabhasa. I am going to be Maharaja Ugrasena's granddaughter, I am going to be Vasudeva-nandini, Devaki -Rohini suta Lakshmi. I am going to be Yadu kuldeepak Krishna- Balarama's bhagini Lakshmi. I am going to be Agrajaa Lakshmi to Subhadra. From now on, how I behave, how I dress, how I walk, how I talk will reflect on the royal family of Dwarka. Kanha said that my honour and respect is now the honour and respect of Dwarkawati. And I will not tolerate any slurs, disrespect or criticism thrown on this glorious clan because of me. I know that my thoughts and views are very distinct from those of this time period, but I accept the challenge. I promise you, Mata, that I will accept every change that comes my way wholeheartedly." Lakshmi said, her eyes blazing with fierce determination and Rohini felt immense pride bubble up her chest.

"Lakshmi, my child, I am so proud of you." The older woman whispered, cupping her face with both palms and the dark-haired maiden smiled, tilting her head in gratitude.

"Mata? How is this necklace? It is beautiful, isn't it?" Revati chimed in after noticing that their mini conversation was over. Upon hearing her, the duo immediately turned their gaze to the said ornament in her hands.