Artha Shasthra

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"Alright, let's see..", Jagathnath rubbed his hands together as Kaurvaki brought forth the bag which contained items from the market.

"You got everything right?", her father asked.

He would always joke how EVERY TIME she would forget something.

She panicked because in the rush she had gotten everything, there was bound to be something missing. 

She looked nervously at him.

"So I'm guessing that's a 'No'?"

She sighed. "Baba! It's hard to remember EVERYTHING you say. But I'm pretty sure I got everything anyway."

He chuckled, "Alright, alright..." He put his hands in and carefully brought out the things one by one mutter 'good' each time he saw what he wanted, and also 'bad' a couple of times when something random came out.

"Oh!" He pulled out a bundle of brown rough sheets neatly tied together with twine.

Kaurvaki looked in shock.

"This is a book!", he looked questioningly at Kaurvaki.

"Baba..."

"What on earth were you thinking? Kaurvaki, there is no way we could have afforded this! Your curiosity is getting the best of you!"

"Baba I promise--"

"You don't even know how to read, so then why?!"

When her father got angry...Kuarvaki would feel the entire earth trembling.

Her voice remained calm, "Ok Baba, I did NOT buy that!"

"That is no explanation for how it just magically appeared here!" He knew his daughter very well, and though this wasn't expected of her, he could quickly believe that she was capable of doing such rash things.

"Baba I promise." She thought of how possibly a book could get into that bag? It wasn't the time to be excited, but find a way to answer her father's question.

She lighted up, "Wait! I think I know what happened!"

"What..."

"I had bumped into someone, and then some of the things fell out, and then they had left by the time I turned around--also to add that they never apologized--and then I put things back in...and..." She caught her breath. "I must have put that book they dropped back in!"

Jagathnath raised an eyebrow, and Kaurvaki raised her hands, "Baba! I'm serious! You can ask the aunties!"

"They were here during the incident?"

"Yes! I mean no...I mean"

"What Kaurvaki!"

"I was going back to the group when it happened, but I told them! You can even ask them yourself!"

He looked at her skeptically, then examined the object in his hands. It had some lettering that he wouldn't be able to read as he was illiterate. It didn't seem of much value like those books encased in elegant bindings.

He realized how his daughter was eyeing it, and contemplated on what to with this new possession.

 Kaurvaki doesn't ever ask for anything...

"Kaurvaki"

She tensed, "Yes!"

He looked at the book warily, then handed it to her, "You can keep this secure until we figure out what to do with it, but REMEMBER, no fooling around with this understood?"

She nodded with full sincerity. "Yes, Baba".

He seemed satisfied, and it was already night by now. 

"Alright, I'm going to sleep."

He went to his cot on the other side of the room to sleep. "Remember to turn the fire off once you've washed the bowls.

"Yes, sir!"

He was glad to see his daughter in a happy mood, and he rested his eyes peacefully.

Once Kaurvaki had finished her remaining chore, she made sure her father was in deep sleep. Then she pulled the book out and looked at the title.

"Artha Shastra."


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