Beauty and the Beast

39.

As per the wishes of Narasimha, the idol was worshipped with offerings of sandalwood. For the most part of the years, the idol was always covered with layers of sandalwood. It always ended up resembling a Shivlinga.

Far away in the small village of Tiruvatturu, Srutiyasha, and his wife Kamala went into the forest to fetch the wood for the day. They were the firekeepers in the small village. Every morning, the couple fetches wood to light the fire for the agnihotra in their house. Then once their agnihotra was lit and the morning rituals were done, the fire was given to everyone else for their use.

They heard soft growling as they reach the place in the forest where they collected the wood for their havan.

A tigress was nursing a human baby. It instantly shocked the couple and they almost had felt their heart jump out of them. She surprisingly was letting the baby drink her milk. Especially with her own cubs being their. She growled loudly to warn them.

They moved back. Fear had picked up in them. The couple quickly climbed up the tree to get out of reach of that wild animal. Far away from the animal but still could see the human baby next to the tigress. Just like the cubs, the baby too was crawling on four limbs.

"That's a girl..." Kamala told her husband.

"Swami!!! What is this unusual sight? A tigress nursing a human baby girl?" He exclaimed in shock.

"We have to save the baby. How far can the tigress take care of her? She's not like her tiger cubs. The moment she uses her mouth to pick up the baby, the girl will die immediately."

"Let the mother go to hunt for food. We'll get the baby and leave." He closed his eyes and prayed to Durga to lead the tigress away from them so that they can save the baby.

After a while, the tigress got up and left in the opposite direction with her cubs in hiding.

The two couple carefull picked up the little baby girl and left the forest with the wood they collected.

When Kamala held the baby girl in her arms, she was overwhelmed with motherhood. No matter how many times they tried, they couldn't have children. No matter how many homams they did, no matter how many temples they visit, they could not conceive a child. Even the vaidh had declared that they wouldn't probably have a child.

"Kamala, don't. The baby is someone elses. We shouldn't develop and attachment."

They went to the King and reported that they found a baby girl in the forest. He had it announced in the whole Kingdom if someone lost their baby, they should come and take the baby back.

One month turned into two and two into four, no one came to take the baby. After five months, a saadhu came to their home.

"This girl is a divine child. Assume her to be the blessings of Adi Shakti and raise her as your own child." He instructed the couple. "Narayana Narayana..." He chanted and left.

Having told thus, the couple grandly welcomed the baby girl into their family. The girl had turned their home into a festive place.

It was always alive with something or the other. The ritualist, Srutiyasha had continued his work of being the one to keep light of fire on for everyone. His little girl on the other hand claimed about greatness of Deva instead of being a ritualist.

"All that is great, little one, but tell me from where does your Deva find proof of his existence. Veda. Hence, Veda is greater than Deva. Purva Mimamsa before Uttara Mimamsa. Without Vedas, you wouldn't even have proof of Deva."

"Whether Veda is there or not, Pitashree, Deva is always there. Veda is the sound of Deva. So, Veda is itself reliant of Deva."

"Hence, without the Veda, there is no Deva because without the sound the experience is also not there."

"Nada will exist with or without a medium. The sound of Deva will exist. Veda is only the medium. Not the goal. Rituals do not lead to Moksha. Only Deva doesn't. So says the Sruti itself." She claimed.

"Without that medium, one will not reach Deva at all. Hence, this bridge is the most important one."

Simhavalli laughed at the silliness of the idea. "You need the bridge only as long as you are over the water and on the shore. Once you reach the other shore, you do not carry the bridge with you. The intelligent must extract from Veda what will lead him to Moksha and leave the rest."

Srutiyasha covered his ears at the blasphemy. "Aiyooo.... May my ears be purified from hearing." He exclaimed.

She chuckled in surprised. "Where will the rituals lead you, pitashree? What is the use of rituals without surrender or bhakti or gnana? Rituals are pure symbols without Vedanta backing it. Just blind ritualistic thinking will some day fall away without Vedanta backing them."

He laughed at her foolish idea, "Oh, if your swami is so easily attained without rituals of Vedas then show me your divya Simha without my Purva Mimamsa."

"So be it. My Narasimha is everywhere. My emotion reached him even with the great distance!!! When I make the call, he will take me there himself."

Simhavalli, named because she was found near the tigress, gathered all her friends.

"May this be your proof, Pitashree. This chandana I prepare will reach my Swami with my surrender and bhakti." She claimed.