King of Devas

"Ah, I see. That explains it."Indra smiled faintly. His expression remained composed, but deep inside, he couldn't help but grumble.

"Here I was, fulfilling my duties, fortifying Svarga and growing in strength through righteous labor, when suddenly I am expected to counsel Vishnu simply because Devi Lakshmi is concerned for the One who alleviates the burdens of all beings across Triloka and throughout infinite cycles of time?"

Wasn't Vishnu himself a master of psychology? Hadn't he been the one to orchestrate the marriage of Shiva and Parvati? And now, of all things, Devi Lakshmi wanted Indra to help someone through an emotional crisis.

He was good at tricking people, but was not good at persuading people, and had a change of heart. If something serious happens, Mahadev himself would intervene for sure. He had no intention of getting involved.

"Honestly, I think Lord Vishnu can handle this himself. There's no need for us to interfere better to let things unfold naturally." Indra's tone was lighthearted, but his stance was firm.

As the three of them walked through Svarga, the atmosphere buzzed with divine energy. The grand halls and celestial streets were filled with the hymns of Gandharvas, their melodious chants weaving through the air. Everywhere they passed, the devas paused their work to offer their respects.

"Pranam, King of Svarga!"

"Pranam Suryadev! Pranam Garuda, the fastest in Triloka!"

Their voices rang out in reverence. The Gandharvas toiled diligently, their spirits high. After all, if the King of Svarga himself was taking part in the labor, how could they do any less?

Garuda, however, remained unfazed. His expression was serious, his golden wings shifting slightly as he walked.

"This is a task entrusted to me by my Devi, and it is for the Lord Vishnu as well." His words carried weight, his brows furrowing in determination.

Indra let out a short sigh before turning to Surya with a raised brow. "Tell me, has your son ever died?"

Surya blinked, momentarily thrown off. After a brief pause, he sighed and said, "Yeah… he died. But then he became the King of Yamaloka."

Indra's gaze sharpened. Ever died, huh?

Surya's son, Yama, was once a mortal. When he met his end, he became the first to tread the path beyond death, crossing into realms unseen. In doing so, he transcended his human limitations and emerged as the ruler of Yamaloka, the Dharmaraja who upholds cosmic order. He had died, yet in that very death, he took on his true role.

But did that even count?

Indra tilted his head slightly. "And tell me… how did that feel?"

His voice carried a quiet intensity, the question lingering in the air like a distant thunderclap.

Upon hearing Indra's words, Garuda's gaze shifted toward Surya. If anyone could understand the Lord's emotions, it was he.

Surya hesitated, his lips parting slightly. "It's sorrowful… painful…" he murmured.

Indra narrowed his eyes. "Is that all?"

Surya lowered his head slightly as if embarrassed by his own thoughts. His voice was hesitant and uncertain. "Well… there was also a thought… a question, really. Why only my son? Why must he be the one to meet his death? And in that moment… I wanted the whole world to suffer with me. I wanted to destroy everything."

His words lingered in the air, raw and unfiltered.

Indra blinked, then gave Surya a long, scrutinizing look.

What a human-like emotion and turmoil for a deva.

"Anything else?" he asked.

Surya fell silent, struggling to articulate the depth of what he had felt.

Of course, there was more. The emotions were too complex to fully express. He could use his divine power to let the Lord Vishnu see his memories firsthand, but would that even help? If anything, it might only deepen the Lord's sorrow.

Garuda, meanwhile, looked increasingly impatient. He wasn't here to decipher emotions; he had a mission to complete. "Enough of this. Let's go already! There's no need for all this discussion."

He shot Indra an anxious look, but despite his urgency, he didn't dare outright interrupt. Instead, he could only attempt to push things forward.

Indra, however, merely glanced at him, unimpressed.

Does this guy still think he can take me anywhere?

If Garuda was going to insist on dragging him into this mess, Indra might as well drown him in philosophy first. Spreading his hands, he looked at Garuda with exaggerated patience and launched into a speech filled with the kind of theoretical nonsense that only the truly enlightened or the exceptionally lazy could wield with confidence.

"Everything is Brahman. Everything is Maya."

"Our emotions? Mere illusions limited by our perceptions, bound within the web of Maya. How then can we hope to grasp the true essence of Brahman?"

Indra's voice took on a rhythmic cadence, almost as if he were chanting scripture.

"The Lord is the protector of the world. He is the master of Maya, the weaver of illusion. The sun, the stars, all beings, even Nagas, even you, Garuda, all of existence are but reflections of his will."

Garuda squinted at him, his expression caught somewhere between deep contemplation and complete bewilderment.

"I… don't get it."

He shook his head, utterly lost in Indra's words. And yet, somehow, it all sounded profound.

"But what does any of this have to do with not going to Vaikuntha and helping the Lord?"

Indra explained.

"Madhu and Kaitabha defied the cosmic order, plunging the world into chaos." His voice grew heavy. "And Vishnu… he had no choice."

He exhaled, as though the weight of the thought itself bore down on him.

"As the Preserver, he had to destroy them. Yet as their Creator, he had given them life. Their karma was already bound to him." He paused, his gaze shadowed with understanding. "To protect the world, he was forced to unmake his creations."

His voice softened, almost uncertain. "Even as one of the Trimurti, he still feels. He still grieves. He may be beyond mortal attachments, but that doesn't mean he is untouched by them." A solemn breath. "He is Vishnu… but he is not without sorrow."

Indra cast a glance at the two beside him. Both had fallen into deep thought, their expressions distant as if lost in a realm of contemplation.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a slight smirk.

Just like that, I've sidestepped the problem. If even these two were now caught in the web of philosophical musings, he was off the hook. He could finally slip away to some quiet corner, take a well-earned nap, and train in peace.

But then "Nara… his human part…"

Garuda's voice broke the silence, murmuring as if speaking to himself.

"Nara…?"

Indra's smirk faded.

Nara?

In Sanskrit, Nara meant "man," a being of the mortal world.

Surya, still deep in thought, lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I think I understand… As the Protector of the World, the Lord is an extension of the universe itself."

Then, as if a missing piece had suddenly fallen into place, Surya's breath hitched.

"…What about Narayana?"

His words lingered in the air.

Nara is the human essence, the embodied soul.

Ayana, the ultimate refuge, the path to the eternal.

Narayana is the supreme foundation, the cosmic source from which all existence arises and into which it dissolves.

Indra blinked. His mind raced. Nara, Narayana…?

Those names... they were…!

"Nara-Narayana?!"

The words left his lips before he could stop them.

"A whisper, yet it rippled through Svarga. A murmur, yet it pierced the void. It echoed beyond the celestial planes, beyond the vast cosmic ocean, carried by the unseen winds of divinity until, at last, it reached the sacred heart of Vaikuntha."

Upon the coils of Ananta Shesha, within the eternal serenity of Vaikuntha—

Vishnu's eyes fluttered open. A faint smile, warm and knowing, curved his lips as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

By his side, Devi Lakshmi turned, her luminous gaze searching his face.

She did not yet know what had transpired, but she could see the shift in his presence, the subtle sorrow that had long lingered in his divine heart now softened, as though an unseen burden had been lifted.

With effortless grace, Vishnu rose from the coils of the great serpent.

And the universe responded.

The very instant his presence stirred, a breath of renewal swept across creation. The winds carried the scent of a thousand blossoms, whispering hymns of devotion. Dormant buds, as if called from slumber, unfurled into radiant bloom. The rivers shimmered in divine brilliance, their currents weaving a melody of cosmic harmony. The earth, which had waited in silent reverence, now pulsed with vibrant life.

A celestial rhythm awakened.

Vishnu pressed his palms together in a gentle anjali mudra, his expression serene, timeless.

"Indra."

As the words left his lips, golden light blossomed from his hands, rippling outward like waves upon the cosmic sea.

At that moment, Vishnu spread his hands, and two radiant streams of golden light flowed forth from his palms. The luminous energy drifted down before his celestial throne upon the coils of Ananta Shesha.

As the divine brilliance settled, it took shape, coalescing into two figures.

Both bowed with hands pressed together in anjali mudra, their forms mirroring Vishnu's divine radiance.

Not only were their physiques identical to his, but even their features bore an uncanny resemblance. Yet, there were distinctions subtle yet profound distinctions.

The figure on the left, draped in immaculate white robes, bore flowing black hair that cascaded over his shoulders. His presence was tranquil, embodying the stillness of deep meditation, serene yet boundless, like the silent depths of a vast ocean.

The figure on the right, clad in robes of crimson, stood with his powerful arms exposed, radiating unwavering strength and divine resolve. His very stance spoke of cosmic will, unyielding, relentless, the force that upheld Dharma itself.

Both were resplendent. Their faces are luminous, their eyes imbued with the wisdom of eternity. Broad shoulders, strong waists, the very embodiment of divine perfection.

"Nara… Narayana?"

Devi Lakshmi's delicate brows lifted in surprise, her lotus-like eyes widening as she beheld the manifestation before her.

Vishnu's gaze shimmered with warmth as he looked upon his two newly born incarnations. A quiet joy flickered in his celestial smile.

"Nara represents the individual self," he explained, his voice like a sacred hymn woven into the fabric of creation. "Narayana, the universal self. Two facets of the same truth."

"Like two hands clasped in Pranam. Inseparable."

He turned then, his divine vision resting upon Devi Lakshmi. Without hesitation, he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers with effortless grace.

"My beloved, it was your devotion that brought this into being."

Lakshmi blinked, caught off guard. "Because of… me?"

Vishnu chuckled, his celestial voice a melody of affection. "Of course. It was you who sent Garuda to Svarga, guiding Indra and Surya to reflect upon the nature of existence. Their realization resonated across the cosmos. Thus, Nara and Narayana emerged."

As the weight of his words settled upon her, Lakshmi's expression softened with understanding. A revelation unfolding like the petals of a lotus in the golden light of dawn.

Vishnu's gaze turned outward, his voice carrying across the boundless expanse of creation.

"From this moment forth, when the world calls upon me, let them speak the name… Narayana."

His declaration resonated, rippling outward like waves upon the cosmic ocean, echoing beyond Vaikuntha, beyond the sea of milk, reaching the farthest realms where the Vedic hymns eternally resounded.

And thus, the name of Narayana was etched into the very essence of existence.

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