𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐔𝐒

32: MADHAV

"यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत । अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्। धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥"

"Whenever there is a decline in righteousness
and an increase in unrighteousness,
O Arjun, at that time I manifest Myself on earth."

...

"Ah, welcome back to the world of the living," he whispered. "How are you feeling?"

Cien blinked. "I...I'm not sure," he admitted.

"What happened?"

"The last thing I remember, I jumped into the sea..." Cien's head spun at the man's words. He dimly recalled running through the palace corridors, away from the clutches of Theron until the only way out was the sea.

The man nodded. "You indeed jumped into the sea, got caught in a great storm and sank. I found your body washed up on our beach, more dead than alive. I tended to your wounds as best I could. It appears you will survive."

"Thank you," he managed to say, his throat dry as the sand. "What is your name? I am Cien."

The man flashed another brilliant smile. Rising gracefully to his feet, he tucked the flute in the waistband of his dhoti and approached Cien. "I am Madhav, cowherd of these lands. At your service." He executed a courtly bow, then reached down to help Cien to his feet.

In a moment of revelation, Cien’s eyes sparkled. "I... I can talk!" he exclaimed, disbelief and excitement dancing in his voice.

Madhav's face broke into a wide grin. "Of course you can, Cien. In my land of Dwarka, everyone can speak their truth, tell how they truly feel."

"You said your Dwarka? Is this on the other side of Lysidamus?" Cien asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Madhav smiled, his ancient face creasing into a thousand lines. "Ah, yes! The two islands were born from the churning of the cosmic seas, Cien. Born of life and death, entwined in an eternal dance."

Cien's eyes widened as a flicker of remembrance sparked in his mind. "Cosmic seas? Samudra Manthan? I've heard of that, somewhere..." He shifted through his memories, and suddenly the face of the old man, Mr. Martin, swam into view.

"Mr. Martin told us a story... About how the gods and demons worked together to churn the cosmic ocean, to extract the vial of immortality, the Amrit. But they fought over it and were decreed by... by Akupara, the tortoise god, to never attain salvation and be doomed to an eternal cycle."

Madhav nodded, his charm radiating. "A fine memory! But tell me, do you know what followed the churning?"

Cien shook his head, anticipation building. "No, I don’t... I never heard what came next."

"Well then!" Madhav clapped his hands together, a mischievous spark in his gaze. "The churning birthed two magnificent islands that rose from the depths. One, Lysidamus, became a sanctuary for the forces of life. The other, dear Dwarka, where we stand, evolved into the realm of death itself!"

Cien's eyes went wide with shock, his mouth falling open. "What? What do you mean? I came from Lysidamus, but... but I thought it was just a name... until I saw it for myself."