Arjunsangini - An Ardi Novel

The Hymn of Creation and the Quiet Girl

"How did creation start?" Drona asked sitting in a lotus position, his right hand placed over his left, both facing the sky.

"I hope that is rhetorical Guruji!" said Madhav grinning.

"And would you like to tell the whole class why you say that?" Drona asked an amused expression on his face. If there was someone who would not fall in the trap it was him.  He loved his conversations with the teenager. He would prove him wrong whenever he could but not demean him while doing that. Madhav learned from him and he learned from Madhav. A true union of knowledge. 

Madhav recited the verses of the last two verses of the hymn of creation.

को अ॒द्धा वे॑द॒ क इ॒ह प्र वो॑च॒त्कुत॒ आजा॑ता॒ कुत॑ इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टिः। अ॒र्वाग्दे॒वा अ॒स्य वि॒सर्ज॑ने॒नाथा॒ को वे॑द॒ यत॑ आब॒भूव॑॥

इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टि॒र्यत॑ आब॒भूव॒ यदि॑ वा द॒धे यदि॑ वा॒ न। यो अ॒स्याध्य॑क्षः पर॒मे व्यो॑म॒न्त्सो अ॒ङ्ग वे॑द॒ यदि॑ वा॒ न वेद॑॥

Who really knows, and who can swear, how creation came, when or where? Even gods came after creation's day! Who really knows, who can truly say?

When and how did creation start? Did He do it? Or did He not? Only He, up there, knows, maybe; Or perhaps, not even He.

"You are right Madhav. The Nasadiya Sukta in the 10th book, Mandalam of the Rig Veda clearly states that we can't possibly know, how or what creation was. And that is the subject of discussion today. Creation. Can we understand it? Even if we can, do we need to?" Drona declared.

Parth smiled at the exchange of knowledge remembering a hymn he had read somewhere.

युक्ति युक्तं प्रगृह्णीयात् बालादपि विचक्षणः । रवेरविषयं वस्तु किं न दीपः प्रकाशयेत् ॥

The wise should learn to accept wisdom from anybody, even from a child.

Doesn't the small night lamp light up things which the sun can not?​

- : -

"How was practice?" Parth asked a sweaty Prishati.

"Good!" Prishati said grinning.

"That good, huh?" Parth asked not wanting to grin as he knew she had just come from practice with the one and only Charvik, but he automatically became happy when she was.

"Yes, I finally got out of his hold!" Prishati said obviously happy with herself.

"Hold?" Parth said obviously clueless. Prishati did go on for hours about her manoeuvres but as much as he wanted to understand them he was at a loss but he didn't hold it against her as he knew he bantered about archery too, so it was even. But now Parth, mercifully unnoticed by Prishati was keener on her practices as Charvik in a matter of year had made it clear that he was definitely interested in Prishati. Parth knew he had to preserve his Prishati from him. He had never seen Prishati the way Charvik did but he was sure he wouldn't let anyone do that either. He would choose a husband for her who wouldn't mind staying with him and Prishati.