"We can still talk this through…" Agni turned slowly, sweat sliding down his brow as he swallowed hard. His voice was low, forced into composure as the enormous shadow behind him closed in.
Vajranga approached atop his pale warhorse, a vision of annihilation, like the final incarnation of destruction heralding the world's end.
He said nothing. Only silence. Then, without ceremony, he raised his mace.
Zhhh!
Blue light burst from the weapon in sharp beams, like bindings made of lightning and judgment.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The radiance twisted through the air like divine nooses, latching onto Agni, Surya, and Soma in the blink of an eye. The war mace flashed with ruthless purpose, its grip sealing around them, suppressing their divine energies, suspending them mid-air like trophies of war.
"This… are the proud devas that claim to protect the Svargas?"
Vajranga's voice was a low murmur, almost disappointed.
"Pathetic."
A wicked smile crept to the corners of his mouth. Slowly, he lifted his head to the starless sky above. His eyes gleamed with red malice, glimmering like blood beneath moonlight.
Next stop: Svarga and the seat of absolute, unchallenged dominion.
Svaraga. The court of the King of Svarga.
Rishi Brihaspati stood frozen before the divine mirror, its surface glowing with visions of the battlefield. His expression darkened the moment Agni's defeat became clear.
"In the end, Agni… still lost."
The attending Rishis, troubled and unsettled, began to pace with agitation, their once steady mantras dissolving into unease. They had placed their hopes on Agni, at least enough to stall Vajranga. But the match was over too swiftly. The balance had tipped.
"What do we do now?!"
Even Rishi Brihaspati, for a moment, seemed stricken with uncertainty.
Then s soft light descended.
A gentle radiance formed in the space above the temple altar, and from it emerged a figure, a silhouette of divine perfection.
He appeared with calm grandeur: one head, four arms, wielding the chakra, the shankha, a massive mace, and a blooming lotus. His presence brought stillness, his smile shimmered with infinite serenity.
"Pranāma, Lord Vishnu!"
"Pranāma to Narayana!"
The assembled rishis joined their hands in pranam, voices trembling in awe.
Vishnu nodded softly. "Do not worry. Seek out Indra. He is in deep penance. Wake him. He must rise to face Vajranga."
He spoke not in haste, but in certainty. "The boon that empowers Vajranga in Svarga is formidable, yes, but not absolute. There are paths even now to defeat him."
As Vishnu's voice echoed through the chamber, the air shimmered once more.
A new figure emerged from the light, older, earthbound, yet still divine.
Rishi Kashyapa.
He stepped slowly toward Vishnu, staff in hand, every motion filled with urgency and quiet sorrow.
"My Lord… Please… grant Vajranga one more chance."
He bowed deeply, voice laced with pleading. "Let me speak to him. Let me try again. If he refuses to turn back this time… then I will not stand in your way."
Kashyapa's eyes glimmered with emotion. He knew how the Devas felt about Asuras, especially those who rose in power. But Vajranga… Vajra was still his kin. Still redeemable. He couldn't let this end without trying.
Vishnu's gaze lingered on Rishi Kashyapa. Long. Measured.
Then he smiled, faint but sincere.
"Rishivar, I honor your resolve. But know this: if Vajranga turns from dharma once more, the consequence will be his to bear."
"Go."
"Go now, and lead him back to dharma."
Vishnu's blessing flowed in his words, soft yet iron-clad.
For even if the world believed him partial to Devas, the Lord of Preservation would always grant one final chance to choose the path of truth.
He turned his head slightly, eyes calm as they locked onto Rishi Brihaspati.
"I've told you where he is. If Vajranga insists on walking this path… then go to him yourself."
The words had barely left his lips before the golden light surrounding Vishnu began to fade, dimming softly like the last warmth of a dying sun.
"Pranāma to Narayana!"
"Pranāma to Narayana!"
Their voices echoed as the chief priest and Rishi Kashyapa bowed in unison. The divine radiance vanished completely, and with it, Vishnu's presence dissolved from the sacred halls of the celestial temple.
Court of the King of Svarga.
Silence blanketed the air, brief, heavy, and absolute.
"Hahahaha!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"
An arrogant laugh suddenly erupted through Svarga, echoing like the voice of a tyrant drunk on conquest. It reverberated through the clouds, loud enough to crack the calm and rattle the heavens.
BOOM!
Black clouds swirled ominously outside the temple, thunder crashing like war drums. Lightning split the sky as a terrifying roar of thunder shook the pillars of Svarga.
BOOOOM!
Rishis and Rishi Kashyapa exchanged grim glances. Their faces were cold, solemn.
Vajranga was here.
Brihaspati turned, brows furrowed. "Rishi Kashyapa… can you truly persuade him to turn back?"
Rishi Kashyap stood silent for a breath, then slowly shook his head. "I don't know. But I must try, one last time."
Gripping his wooden staff tightly, Kashyapa stepped forward and walked out of the temple. His lone figure shrank into the distance, a silhouette framed by stormlight, an old man against the tide of fate.
The Asuras had entered Svarga.
Vajranga rode at the front, mounted atop the white horse Uchchaihshravas, whose ears twitched as divine energy surged around them. Vajranga opened his arms wide, eyes closing for a moment as he inhaled the celestial air.
He could feel it. His Blessing. Unparalleled Power.
"Svarga… is mine now." His cold gaze sharpened, and his hand clenched into a fist.
Behind him, the Asura army surged forward like a tidal wave.
Trailing from Uchchaihshravas were divine cords of light, glowing restraints that dragged behind them five battered figures: the Devas.
Soma, Surya, Agni, Vayu, and Varuna stood with disheveled hair, shattered armor, and bowed heads. They hung like broken relics, stripped of dignity, bound and humiliated.
Raktaksha, his crimson eye glinting beneath a cracked helm, threw his head back and roared."Hah! The realm of cowards and hypocrites welcomes us once again! Let them tremble!"
Bhimasura, hulking and scarred, dragged a chained Gandharva by the neck and sniffed the air like a beast."Still reeks of polished pride and stale incense. Just how I remember it."
Krodhan, lean, vicious, with black tattoos spiraling down his arms, barked a laugh as he struck a gong with the pommel of his axe."Ten thousand years of silence, and now they'll sing for us till their throats bleed! That's justice!"
Shambaraka, dressed in scavenged Deva armor, shoved a captured Rishi to the floor, then knelt beside him mockingly."Look at you now, 'Rishivar~' divine wisdom can't stop a boot from crushing your spine, can it?"
The Asuras laughed louder, the kind of laughter that no longer feared punishment, retribution, or karma. They had returned not as invaders, but as conquerors reclaiming what was once denied.
They jeered as they marched, dragging behind them the remnants of Svarga's defenders. Gandharva warriors were bound and limping, Rishis shoved forward by kicks and whips. None could resist.
None dared.
At the gates of the court of the King of Svarga, Vajranga reined in his horse.
His gaze rose, locking on the three towering stone statues that stood at the place's threshold, massive, carved in solemn reverence.
"Oh…?" His eyes narrowed as he read their faces. "Hiranyaksha… Hiranyakashipu… Hayagriva?"
His brow furrowed. "Why are these three Asuras still honored here?"
Confusion tingled in his mind.
With a sharp tug of his reins, Vajranga dismounted. His cape billowed behind him, a blood-red banner flaring against the storm-lit sky.
He stepped forward, slow, deliberate, and ascended the temple steps.
"Vajranga!"
The name echoed threefold, carried by a deep, resonant voice from within the temple. It rolled across the storm-swept skies like a divine bell tolling in judgment.
In an instant, the Asura army fell silent. The clamor of boots and laughter ceased. One by one, they lifted their heads, eyes turning toward the entrance of the celestial sanctuary.
There, standing against the light of the sacred hall, was Rishi Kashyapa.
Vajranga's gaze shot upward and froze.
"Father...?"
He blinked, startled for a moment, but then a smile slowly bloomed across his face. It was wild, genuine, and full of boyish pride.
Throwing back his head, he laughed.
"Hahaha! Look, Father! I have finally reached Svarga! I told you, one day I'd reach this place. And now, it's mine. This is my Svarga from now on."
He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the sky itself.
But Rishi Kashyapa did not smile. He shook his head softly, mournfully. "No."
His voice rang with clarity, sharper than thunder. "This is not your Svarga. Svarga belongs to the upholders of dharma. It is the reward for those who live with virtue and sacrifice. Any soul, whether Deva, Asura, or mortal, if they walk the path of righteousness, they may dwell here."
Vajranga faltered. The flame in his eyes flickered. "That's... nonsense."
His voice was lower now, not defiant, almost wounded.
"It doesn't matter. This place is mine now."
He didn't want a lesson. Not here. Not now. Not after everything he'd endured. He didn't want the truth. He wanted Svarga.
Rishi Kashyapa stood firm, the weight of grief in his gaze.
He slowly raised a hand and pointed toward the three towering statues that watched in solemn silence at the temple's edge.
"Son… Do you see those statues?"
...
Triśaṅku, born as Satyavrata of the Ikṣvāku (Same as Rama) dynasty, was a mortal king with an impossible desire: to ascend to Svarga in his physical body. This wish defied all established dharmic law, as Svarga was a realm for the pure spirit, not the flesh.
He first approached his guru Vasishtha, who refused the request outright. When Vasiṣṭha declined, Triśaṅku turned to Vishvamitra, Vasiṣṭha's rival in spiritual power and pride. Driven by a desire to surpass Vasishtha, Vishvamitra accepted the challenge.
Vishvamitra performed an extraordinary yajña, invoking unparalleled tapas to raise Triśaṅku bodily to heaven. The devas were outraged. Indra himself hurled Triśaṅku down from the threshold of heaven, denying him entry.
But Vishvamitra, in fury, created an alternate Svarga in the sky, complete with stars, planets, and a parallel Svarga. There, he stationed Triśaṅku, suspended upside down, trapped between the Svarga and the earth, a symbol of violated cosmic order.
Yudhiṣṭhira is the only man said to have ascended to Svarga in his physical body while consciously accepting death.
...
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