Mahabharat: Shiva's Last Variable

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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The Valari was an ancient curved throwing weapon, deceptively simple in appearance but extremely dangerous in the hands of someone who understood how to wield it.

Its peculiar shape allowed a skilled warrior to throw it with tremendous force and accuracy, and depending upon its construction and the technique of its wielder, the weapon could follow a curved trajectory and return toward its thrower after completing its flight.

It was a weapon designed around motion rather than brute strength.

Devara slowly rotated the Valari in his hand.

He could already imagine the possibilities.

A warrior could throw it toward an opponent, allow its curved trajectory to carry it beyond the target and, with the correct technique, bring it back toward himself.

In battle, such a weapon could strike from unexpected angles and then return to the hand of its wielder, making it particularly dangerous when used by someone sufficiently skilled.

Devara’s eyes practically sparkled.

Yami noticed it immediately.

"So you like it,"

she said with an amused smile.

Devara did not even look away from the weapon.

"I like it very much."

Suyodhana’s chest practically swelled with pride.

"I knew you would."

Devara finally looked at him.

"Where did you find this?"

Suyodhana stepped forward enthusiastically.

"I bought it from a merchant who had come from the Pandya kingdom. He had several weapons, but when I saw this one, I remembered that you like collecting different kinds of weapons."

Devara chuckled.

"I suppose you have been paying attention."

"Of course I have,"

Suyodhana replied immediately.

The young prince knew his great-uncle’s fascination with weapons very well.

Devara possessed divine weapons capable of devastating armies and Astras that belonged to an entirely different realm of power.

Yet despite possessing such extraordinary weapons, he had always shown an unusual interest in ordinary weapons as well.

Swords, spears, axes, bows, maces and strange weapons from distant kingdoms fascinated him precisely because they had been developed by mortal craftsmen using knowledge, experimentation and skill.

To Devara, an ordinary weapon did not become meaningless simply because an Astra existed.

Every weapon had a story.

Every culture developed its own methods of warfare.

Every blacksmith had their own understanding of metal, balance and edge.

And Devara loved discovering those differences.

Suyodhana had noticed that.

That was why he had chosen the Valari.

"It wasn’t the most expensive weapon the merchant had,"

Suyodhana explained proudly,

"but when he told me what it could do, I thought you would like it. I also asked him about the metals used to make it. He said the craftsman who made it had combined several different metals instead of using ordinary iron."

Devara looked at the blade again.

"That explains its balance."

He gave it a small movement through the air, testing its weight.

"It is beautifully made."

Suyodhana smiled.

"I knew you would say that."

Devara looked at the young prince for a moment before reaching out and placing his free hand on his head.

"Thank you, Suyodhana. You chose this because you knew what I liked rather than simply choosing something expensive."

Suyodhana’s proud expression softened into a genuine smile.

"I wanted to give you something you would actually use."

Devara laughed.

"I certainly will."

He looked at the Valari once more, his curiosity already getting the better of him.

"I want to test its returning motion later."

Suyodhana immediately became excited.

"Can I watch?"

"Of course."

Bhima, who was still nearby with the Pandavas, looked toward the curved weapon with curiosity.

"Can I try it too?"

Devara and Suyodhana both looked at him.

Devara’s expression became amused.

"You may watch."

Bhima frowned.

"Why can’t I try?"

"Because I would like the palace to remain standing."

The surrounding children burst into laughter.

Even Suyodhana laughed loudly.

Bhima crossed his arms, clearly offended by the accusation, while Arjuna quietly examined the Valari from a distance with the unmistakable interest of another young warrior.

Devara smiled as he looked at the Kauravas.

The citizens had given him gifts from their hearts.

The Pandavas had carved a statue with their own hands.

Bhishma had entrusted him with a life.

And now the Kauravas had given him a weapon chosen specifically because they knew something he loved.

The wedding gifts were becoming less like a collection of possessions and more like a collection of memories.

Devara carefully held the Valari at his side, already looking forward to the day he could take it onto the training grounds and discover exactly what the unusual weapon was capable of.

After the Kauravas finished presenting their gift, another familiar presence stepped forward.

Yama had been watching the entire exchange from a short distance away, and there was a quiet satisfaction in his expression as he looked toward Yudhishthira and his brothers.

The young Pandavas had impressed him.

Despite being children of royalty, Yudhishthira in particular had remained remarkably humble throughout the celebration, approaching his elders with respect and choosing a gift for Devara based upon affection rather than wealth.

Yama’s gaze lingered upon the eldest Pandava for a moment longer before he finally stepped forward.

There was a complicated feeling hidden beneath his calm expression whenever his thoughts turned toward Kunti.

He still carried resentment toward her for abandoning his brother Karna, a wound he had never completely forgotten.

Yet he had no intention of allowing that personal pain to poison a day that belonged to Devara and his newly married wives.

Whatever feelings he carried toward Kunti, he kept them carefully concealed behind the dignity expected of the Lord of Yama Lok.

He looked toward Devara.

"Brother in law,"

Yama said, his voice carrying naturally through the gathering,

"I too have brought something for you."

Devara smiled hearing Yama calling him brother in law.

"Then I am honoured."

Yama slowly raised one hand.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

A strange energy began gathering around his palm, and moments later an Astra materialized within it.

The weapon looked nothing like the beautiful swords and ornaments that had been presented earlier. Its very appearance carried something ancient and terrifying.

The structure resembled bleached bones fused together into the shape of a divine weapon, while pale violet energy and dark currents continuously oozed from its surface.

The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier the longer Devara looked at it.

Several mortals who happened to glance toward the weapon instinctively stepped backward.

Devara’s eyes narrowed with interest.

"Samvarta Astra."

Yama nodded his head hearing Devara guessed correctly.

"Yes."

Even some of the gods became more attentive at the sight of it.

Yama held the Astra carefully, his expression becoming serious.

"This is not an ordinary weapon, Devara. Samvarta Astra possesses enough destructive power to erase millions of beings within a moment. Once unleashed, its destruction does not depend upon the strength of ordinary armies. It simply consumes."

Devara’s expression became more solemn.

But Yama was not finished.

"The most dangerous aspect of this Astra is not even its destructive capability."

He looked directly into Devara’s eyes.

"The souls of those who perish beneath its power do not pass through the ordinary cycle. They become permanently bound to Yama Lok."

The surrounding conversation ceased completely.

"They remain chained there,"

Yama continued,

"becoming soul-bound servants under my authority. That is why this Astra must never be used carelessly. Destruction on such a scale carries consequences far beyond the battlefield."

Devara stared at the strange weapon for several moments before slowly nodding.

"I understand."

Yama’s expression softened slightly.

"I trust you to understand. After all, the woman who chose you is my sister."

His gaze briefly shifted toward Yami.

She smiled faintly.

Yama returned his attention to Devara.

"I have confidence in the man my sister has chosen."

The Astra dissolved from his hand, its pale violet and dark energies fading until nothing remained.

Devara inclined his head respectfully.

"I will treat your gift with the responsibility it deserves."

Yama smiled hearing Devara’s words.

"That is all I ask."

Before Devara could say anything more, another divine presence approached.

Lord Shani.

Unlike Yama, however, Shani did not immediately look toward Devara.

His gaze remained fixed upon the ground.

There was a profound silence surrounding him, one that had nothing to do with the celebration.

His heart was heavy.

His sister Yami had stood beside him during some of the darkest moments of his life.

She had remained beside him even when his own mother, Chaya, and his father, Surya, had opposed him at some point of his life.

She had defended him when others had misunderstood him, and she had never treated him as though the circumstances surrounding his existence made him less worthy of love.

Now she was standing only a short distance away, newly married and smiling beside Devara.

Yet Shani could not bring himself to look at her.

The pain was too deep.

He knew that if he raised his eyes and met her gaze, all the emotions he had been suppressing might come rushing out.

And along with it the curse of his wife will take effect.

Beside him stood his two wives, Neelima and Dhamini.

They had noticed his silence immediately.

Neither woman said anything.

Instead, Neelima gently took one of his hands, while Dhamini took the other.

Shani remained still.

Dhamini’s expression carried guilt.

She knew better than anyone why Shani carried the burden he did.

The curse that prevented him from looking directly at those he loved had been connected to her actions, and even though time had passed, she still carried regret over what she had caused.

Her fingers tightened gently around his hand.

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(Author note:)

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