Prakriti (Mahabharata)

Chapter 27

Third Person P.O.V

Arjuna stood on the same place numb, staring where Lord Shiva was standing a while ago. It was at the moment he heard the first strains of unearthly music. Once more, the mountain Mandara shone supernaturally. He saw someone coming towards him, he heard an ocean roaring on the mountain, the wash of waves. The sound was coming from the God itself, his eyes widened as he couldn't believe if it was a dream or a reality. God Varuna walked down from the sky, Seaweed was his hair and he wore a crown with a pearl as big as a man's head set in it.

A chariot flashed down out of the sky: a vimana swift as thoughts, silent as petals. In it rode Kubera, Lord of treasures and his skin was like molten gold: the hue of the Jambu river. Around Kubera were the fierce and strange yakshas, whose master he is. In another vimana, faceted like a diamond, came Surya's son Yama, the Lord of death, who takes all the living; and he was terrible to behold. In his hand, he held his inexorable danda, the staff of retribution. And he came surrounded by the spirits of the dead, the manes. At last, not in a vimana, but mounted on a white, four-tusked elephant, Airavata who trod air, came the king of the Devas: resplendent Indra, his queen Sachi beside him, lovely as heaven. The other Devas, all glorious Lords of light, flew behind Indra in their flitting vimanas: Agni, Vayu, Dharma and the rest. 

Varuna, Kubera, Yama and Indra were the rulers of the quarters: west, north, south and east. Pandu's son looked at them in awe, his mouth opening on its own accord.

Yama stepped forward, his dark hand raised in blessing. He said in a voice deep as the sky, "We are the Lokapalas, the guardians of the directions and we bring you gifts. I am Yama".

This bring hopes in Prince as he looked at him in enchantment. He kneeled at his feet taking blessing from lord of death himself. The Deva of death proffered the danda, his blazing staff and Pandu's son received it. Yama whispered the mantra for the danda and when Arjuna repeated it, the weapon was his to command. Yama blessed Arjuna and stepped back from the kneeling kshatriya. From the west, Varuna came toward Arjuna and his pale lambency enfolded the Pandava. In a voice in which dim waves echoed, the Lord of the sea said, "I, Varuna, rule the west. I am the master of the ocean and the rivers." In bright hands, their fingers elegant as wavelets, the Deva held out a mysterious noose to Arjuna. Arjuna knew this was the fabled paasa of the Sea God, a primeval weapon as powerful as Yama's danda.

"Take my paasa. I killed a thousand asuras with it during the war against Tarakasur, which we fought for Karttikeya in ancient times" God Varuna said. He whispered its mantra to Arjuna. The fluid noose vanished from sight; but it was with Arjuna from then. "Not Yama could escape my noose of tides if you sent it after him" God Varuna said, giving his blessings to Arjuna.

Kubera came forward, Arjuna was kneeling on the ground with folded hands, "I am Kubera, master of treasures. I rule the north. I, too, have a weapon for you, Partha. But first, let me bless you that you and your brothers will have all the wealth of this world, after you win the war. Here, take my antardhana" he said in his velvety voice. Kubera held out a weapon of fire to Arjuna and it was as if a sun-flare was trapped inside it. "I burned a million asuras with my antardhana, when my Lord Siva once destroyed the Tripura. Now you burn Duryodhana's evil legions with it!" he added, he taught Arjuna its mantra and that astra, also, melted into the Pandava's body. 

Arjuna was overwhelmed with the meeting, he touched the ground with his face and bowed down thanking the Gods again and again.

"I am proud of you, my son. No mortal man of this yuga has received the astras from the Deva's own hands. And for that, the weapons shall be twice as powerful with you. But you must come to Devaloka with me now. There is something I want you to do there and there I will give you my astras" Indradeva said coming forwards and putting his hand on his son head in caring gesture. Arjuna stood up from the ground, his hands were still joined in respect.