As time went on, the mark on Rudra's forehead was perfected and settled down.
After some time, Rudra opens his eyes...
Rudra opens his eyes; his vision was blurry for a moment, but it clears, and what he sees first is Devi Manasa looking down at him.
He gazes at her until his vision clears properly and asks her,
"Umm... wasn't I uh with Devi Narmada, just right now?"
He pushes himself from the ground, sits on and looks around, and then he starts remembering what was happening before he fainted.
He looks back at Devi Manasa, who was sitting just beside him, close to him.
She comes closer and pushes his hair that was covering his forehead aside and leans down to get a better look at the mark on Rudra's forehead.
Then she helps him off the ground and gives him once over, she looks up and down and gives a nod.
"Yep, that's definitely a good thing. Congratulations, Rudra, you have gotten yourself more amazing potential as a gift. Again. Your luck is something else, if I say so myself."
She counts on her fingers,
"Boons from the siblings, elements, a body, mind and even your soul, all these strengths of yours will help you reach even higher heights now, even better than before. Congrats."
Rudra blushes somewhat and, with a short bow, replies,
"Um... So, I can say that I have gotten an element of space and inherited it properly. Its power and all that."
"Yes, and many more." Devi Manasa smiles at him and,
"But for now, it's lesson time, so the rest of the talk can wait until dinner."
"Yes, obviously, as you say." Rudra agrees readily. He wanted to know what she meant by 'many more', but he thought it could wait, or maybe he could get his answers during lesson time.
"Hmm... yes, so." She stood up, walked back towards the tree and sat under it. And Rudra follows her back.
And as both settle down, the atmosphere changes, and her vibe with it or maybe as her vibe shifted, so does the atmosphere.
"First, Rudra, I think you are already ready, so no need for me to ask that, right? About first to talk during our lesson is just like others, the part of your Mantra, and with that you will have your complete mantra, and you could start your journey properly."
"As for a token of our bond… as teacher and student…"
Her voice softened, carrying a quiet weight.
Devi Manasa closed her eyes, and the earth beneath her palm responded. A small portion of soil rose gently, as if drawn by her will, gathering and shaping itself within her hands. With slow, deliberate movements, she began to carve into it—her fingers tracing patterns that seemed to form on their own.
Serpents emerged first, coiling and intertwining with an elegance that felt both protective and watchful. Above them, she etched a delicate crescent moon, resting as though it governed the rhythm of all beneath it.
When she opened her eyes, she studied the bead resting in her palm for a brief moment… then smiled.
It was not a smile of pride, but of quiet acknowledgment.
Her gaze lifted to Rudra, and without a word, the bead dissolved—its form breaking into fine motes of light. In the next instant, it reappeared, seamlessly joining the others that adorned the bracelet on Rudra's wrist.
The bracelet seemed to adjust itself, as though welcoming the new addition… not as something separate, but as something that had always belonged.
"This," she said softly, "is not merely a mark of bond… but of remembrance."
Her eyes held his.
"So that wherever you walk… a part of this moment walks with you."
"And now for the part where I give you your Mantra, this word is the last of the Mantra that my siblings and I have chosen for you."
She gestures for Rudra to come near her, which he did and sat on the ground.
She leans down, ruffles his hair a little and closes her eyes.
Then she leans down and with her face near Rudra's ears she whispers,
"The word is YA", she whispers it three times, and at the same time, Rudra speaks it in his heart, and once in a whisper.
She moves back and, with a smile and tender eyes, says to him.
"You see, Rudra in essence,
At its core:
YA = The Self (Atman)Not the body… not the mind… not even the breath.
It is the one who experiences all of them."
"So, once one is grounded, stable, as well as knows who he is, who is he, and why is he, and realises his self, that is the time when he understands what YA is.
After Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and then it is Space/Ether/Life spirit."
"So, Shi (Fire) → reveals truth, Va (Wind) → carries life, movement Ya → the one who witnesses both"
Rudra listens with complete focus and in a trance.
In simpler terms, one who burns and one who breathes. Who is it? One who knows this, that is what and who we can call as YA."
"He who does not act, yet he experiences it all,
He who does not change, yet he lives in change,
He is not a man but Shiv/Universe itself."
"So, YA in spiritual terms would be,
ATMAN (Self) in individual form,
Reflection of Paramatman (Supreme Consciousness)
The Bridge between SHIVA (Pure Awareness) and SHAKTI (Movement)"
So,
Shi → Truth, Va → Life, Ya → The one living that truth.
"Shi reveals… Va moves… Ya experiences."
"And YA as space, as Akasha or Ether,
You see, Rudra, Space/Akasha is not just a word, a space you think of.
It is the field in which everything exists
The container of all elements
The subtlest of all... beyond touch, beyond form."
"Without it,
Fire cannot burn.
Wind cannot move.
Water cannot flow.
Earth cannot exist
So, Akasha is not 'nothing' …
It is the possibility of everything."
"So, you can say that,
The Atman and Space are one and the same.
The Self is like space.
It contains everything but is untouched by anything. It allows all experiences… but is never altered by them. It is everywhere… yet feels like it is within."
Got it… You want flow, not fragmentation. Conversation should breathe, not break every second. Let me reshape it properly—clean paragraphs, smooth dialogue, still immersive.
A quiet silence settled after Devi Manasa's words, but this time it was not empty. Rudra remained still, his gaze lowered, as if something within him was slowly rearranging itself. After a moment, he lifted his head slightly.
"Devi… if YA is the Self… the one who experiences everything… then why do I not always feel it?"
Devi Manasa did not answer immediately. She watched him for a moment, then gave a faint smile. "Because you are too busy becoming everything else. You become your thoughts and forget the one who is thinking. You become your emotions and forget the one who is feeling. YA is always there, Rudra… but it is quiet, and you are often not."
Rudra absorbed this, his brows drawing together slightly. After a pause, he asked,
"Then how do I remain aware of it?"
"You do not hold awareness," she replied calmly. "You remove what distracts from it. When the surface of water is disturbed, you cannot see your reflection. Do you try to force the reflection to appear?" Rudra shook his head. "No… You let it settle." She nodded. "Exactly. Awareness is not created… it is revealed when disturbance fades."
Rudra's expression softened, but another question followed. "If YA does not act… then who is it that acts through me?"
Devi Manasa's eyes sharpened slightly, pleased. "Your body acts. Your mind decides. Your breath sustains. But YA… witnesses." Seeing the confusion on his face, she continued, "When you say 'I am walking,' it is the body. 'I am thinking,' it is the mind. 'I am breathing,' it is the life force. But when you ask, 'Who is this I?'… that is where YA begins."
Rudra fell silent again, then asked more quietly, "Then… is YA… me?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Which you?" she asked. "The one who speaks? The one who thinks? The one who feels?" Rudra hesitated, unsure. She nodded softly. "YA is not the you that changes. It is you who notices change. When you were younger, your body was different, your thoughts were different… yet something has always remained the same. That… is YA."
He exhaled slowly, as if something inside him had loosened. After a moment, he asked his final question. "If YA is like space… and space holds everything… then why do I feel limited?"
This time, her expression softened. "Because you see yourself as the container, not the space within it. This body is a vessel. The mind is a tool. Life is a journey. But you… are not confined to any of them. Limitations belong to what you use… not to what you are."
Rudra did not reply immediately. His questions had not vanished, but they no longer pressed against him. They had settled… like water after movement. And in that stillness, something quiet and steady began to take root.
Devi Manasa watched him for a moment, then gave a faint, knowing smile. He had not learned everything… but he had begun to ask the right questions.
And it won't be long before he understands it completely, because from now on, elements are one with him, and they will see to it that he learns in the best way possible and the fastest way possible.