Immortals of Meluha

aide silently brought in two chairs for the royal couple, placed them next to the bed and left just
as quietly.
Daksha, Veerini and Kanakhala, accompanied by two thousand soldiers, had immediately
left Devagiri on hearing the news of Sati’s injury. They had sailed down the Saraswati to the
inland delta of the river and then had ridden night and day to reach Koonj.
‘I am alright, father,’ said Sati, holding her mother ’s hand gently. Turning towards her
mother, she continued, ‘Seriously, mother. I am feeling better than ever. Give me one more
week and I’ll dance for you!’
Shiva smiled gently at Sati as Daksha and Veerini broke into a weak laugh.
Looking at her father, Sati continued, ‘I am sorry to have caused so much trouble. I know
there are much more important tasks at hand and you had to rush here.’
‘Trouble?’ asked Daksha. ‘My child, you are my life. You are nothing but a source of joy for
me. And at this point of time, you can’t imagine how proud I am of you.’
Veerini bent over and kissed Sati’s forehead tenderly.
‘I am proud of all of you,’ continued Daksha looking back at Parvateshwar and Ayurvati.
‘Proud that you supported the Lord in what had to be done. We actually fought back a terrorist
attack! You can’t imagine how much this has electrified the nation!’
Daksha soothingly continued to pat Sati’s hand, as he turned to Shiva and said, ‘Thank you,
my Lord. Thank you for fighting for us. We know now that we have put our faith in the right
man.’
Shiva could say nothing but smile awkwardly and acknowledge Daksha’s faith with a slight
nod and a courteous namaste.
Turning to Ayurvati, Daksha asked, ‘How is she now? I was told she is on her way to a total
recovery.’
‘Yes, your Highness,’ said Ayurvati. ‘She should be able to move in another week. And in
three weeks, the only memory of the wound would be a scar.’
‘You are not just the best doctor of this generation, Ayurvati,’ said Daksha proudly. You are
in fact the best doctor of all time.’
‘Oh no, your Highness,’ cried a flabbergasted Ayurvati, holding her ears gently to ward off
the evil spirits that might get angry at an undeserved compliment. ‘There are many far greater
than me. But in this case, the miracle was by the Lord Neelkanth, not me.’
Looking briefly towards a visibly embarrassed Shiva before turning back to Daksha, Ayurvati
continued, ‘I thought we had lost her. She got the terrible fever after we pulled the agnibaan
out. You know that there are no medicines to cure the agnibaan fever, your Highness. But the
Lord refused to lose hope. It was his idea to give her the Somras.’
Daksha turned to Shiva with a grateful smile and said, ‘I have one more thing to thank you
for, my Lord. My daughter is part of my soul. I wouldn’t have been able to survive without her.’
‘Oh no, I did nothing,’ said Shiva, self-conscious. ‘It was Ayurvati who treated her.’
‘It is nothing but your humility speaking, my Lord,’ said Daksha. ‘You truly are a worthy
Neelkanth. In fact, you are a worthy Mahadev!’
An astounded Shiva stared at Daksha, his expression serious. He knew who the previous
Mahadev, the God of Gods, was. He did not believe he deserved to be compared to Lord
Rudra. His deeds did not qualify him for that.
‘No, your Highness. You speak too highly of me. I am no Mahadev.’
‘Oh yes you are, my Lord,’ said Kanakhala and Ayurvati almost simultaneously.