"Swami, aap kuch kehte kyu nahi ?" One of the Panchsundaris asked, gazing at the face of Narayan, who was sitting silently as if trying to contemplate something, while caressing his heart.

In the depths of his being, he felt an unsettling sense of emptiness. It was a void that stretched beyond the limits of his consciousness, an ache nestled within his heart.

"Aapka chup rehna hume accha nahi lag raha." Another sister said.

"Kshama karna deviyo....." Narayan looked at them before gazing back at his chest, "Mujhe kuch vichitra sa lag raha hai." He said.

"Tatparya ?"

"Aisa lagta hai ki mere andar Jo hridaye hai, woh mera nahi hai, kisi aur ka hai. Aur iska spandan bhi kisi aur ka hai." He said.

The Panchkanyas looked at each other with apprehension and unease, before they looked back at Narayan, putting fake smiles on their faces. Their carefully curated deception seemed to be fleeting like clouds.

"Aisa lagta hai ki har kshan, chaaro dishao se koi na koi toh mujhe sadev pukarta ho." He told.

"Lagta hai aapko vishram ki awashyakta hai, swami." They said.

Seeing them with their divine sight, a sigh escaped the lips of Amarsri while Srinav shook his head.

"Narayan ka hridaye toh Devi Lakshmi ka hai. Aur unke hridaye ki spandan Mahadev ki hai." Amarsri said.

"Aur bhale woh apne sabhi bhakto ko bhul gaye ho, kintu unke bhakto ka svar unn tak pahuch hi raha hai." Srinav smiled sadly, "Ab dekhna hai ki Mahadev kya karenge." He said.

They both gazed back at Patal Lok, where the Panchsundaris were trying to entertain and serve Narayan, to divert his mind from his worries. They joked around and played musical instruments. The laughter of the maidens echoed around him, mingling with the cacophony of life, but it failed to fill the void in his heart.

His heart, like an unfinished puzzle, seemed to contain fragments of longing that he couldn't fully comprehend. It felt as though faint whispers of shared laughter, stolen glances, and intimate conversations danced on the edges of his consciousness, but weren't able to reveal themselves.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, a panicked guard rushed in, he was panting heavily, his wide eyes were displaying his fear.

"Kya huya ?" One of the Panchsundaris asked.

"B-Bahar.... Ek vishaal Vrishabh hai... Woh atyant hinsak aur atanki hai..." He said.

"Ek sadharan se Vrishabh ke karan, tum Narayan ki vishram mei badha daaloge !?" Another maiden scolded agitated.

"Woh koi sadharan vrishabh nahi hai.... Woh Asuri- Nahi Nahi ! Daiviya- Pata nahi woh kya hai kintu woh sadharan nahi. Woh atyant vishaal hai. Atyant shaktishali hai !" The guard said.

"Toh bandhi banao usse, yaha kyu aaye ho ?" The third maiden asked.

"Usne humari sampoorn Sena ko paraast kar diya hai." The guard said.

"Kya-" Before the maiden could speak, all of them got startled from a loud thud that shook the very foundations of the palace.

"Yeh wahi Vrishabh hai !" The guard said.

A frown appeared on the face of Narayan, who was silently listening to the description of the bull from the guard.

"Mai parast karunga use." He said, and without wasting a moment walked out of the room, before the Panchsundaris could even utter a word.

When he reached in front of the Vrishabh, Narayan felt a strange connection with the creature. He didn't know how or why ? Or what exactly this connection was but he felt something strange looking at him. Little did he remember the bond which was older than time and existence.

But seeing how the Vrishabh had ravaged frontyard and how badly he had injured the guards, Narayan summoned a mace and threw it at the divine bull. The mace hit the bull, but the pain was felt not by him but by Narayan, who clutched his heart, which was gripped by a sudden pain.

"Yeh.... Yeh kaisi maya hai ?" He muttered.

"Jo sabhi ko maya se mukt karte hai, woh swayam ab swayam maya aur satya mei bhed nahi kar paa rahe ?" The Vrishabh said in a gruff voice, grabbing the mace that had fallen on the ground, "Yeh ashobhaniya hai !" He exclaimed hurling the weapon at Narayan's direction and hitting his guts.

Narayan grunted and before anyone knew both the supreme gods engaged in a battle. Their weapons clashing against each other, neither of them able to overpower the other, and neither of them were going to lose.

But the impact of their battle, could be felt across the cosmos, especially by Amarsri. With each strike and bolt of celestial power, she writhes in unbearable physical pain, the clash of energies reverberating through her very being.

Hugging herself with head buried in knees, she felt the pain of every strike that Hari and Har caused to each other. And if there was someone that was in more pain than her was Srinav, who was crestfallen for he was unable to alleviate her suffering.

As the Amarsri convulsed in pain, Srinav drew her tenderly into his arms. He held her closely, allowing his divine presence to envelop her, offering solace in his embrace while hiding the profound agony of witnessing his wife endure such torment while being unable to offer relief was an anguish that cuts deep, gnawing at his very core.

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A/N

Narayan forgot everything but is still able to feel the prayers of devotees....

I think we bhaktas can finally sing 'Adhura hoke bhi, hai ishq mera kabil' 🙃😂