Immortals of Meluha

Parvateshwar looked on, silent.
Not wanting to press the issue as Shiva disliked being called Mahadev, Daksha turned
towards Sati, What I don’t understand is why you jumped in front of the Lord to take the arrow.
You have never believed in the legend. You have never had faith in the Neelkanth like I have.
Why then did you risk your own life for the Lord?’
Sati did not say anything. She looked down with an uncomfortable smile, embarrassed and
ill-at-ease. Daksha turned to Shiva to see him wearing the very same sheepish expression as
Sati’s. Veerini looked at her husband intently. She waited for him to rise and speak to Shiva.
Daksha suddenly stood up and walked around the bed towards Shiva, holding his hands in a
formal namaste. A surprised Shiva got up and returned Daksha’s namaste formally, with a slight
bow of his head.
‘My Lord, perhaps for the first time in her life, my daughter is tongue-tied in front of me,’
said Daksha. ‘And I have come to understand you over time. You will always give to others but
never ask anything for yourself. Hence I am going to make the first move here.’
Shiva continued to stare at Daksha, frowning.
‘I will not lie to you, my Lord,’ continued Daksha. ‘The laws classify my daughter as a
vikarma, because she had given birth to a still-born decades back. It is not that serious a crime.
It could have been due to the past life karma of the child’s father. But the law of the land is that
both the father and mother be blamed for the tragedy. My darling daughter was put in the
category of a vikarma, because of this incident.’
Shiva looked at Daksha, but his expression was clear that he thought the vikarma law unfair.
‘It is believed that vikarma people are carriers of bad fate,’ continued Daksha. ‘Hence if she
marries again, she will pass on her bad fate to her husband and possibly her future children.’
Veerini looked at her husband with inscrutable eyes.
‘I know my daughter, my Lord,’ continued Daksha. ‘I have never seen her do anything even
remotely wrong. She is a good woman. In my opinion, the law that condemns her is unfair. But I
am only the Emperor. I cannot change the law.’
Parvateshwar glared angrily at Daksha, upset that he served an Emperor who held the law
in such low esteem.
‘It breaks my heart that I cannot give my daughter the happy life that she deserves,’ sobbed
Daksha. ‘That I cannot save her from the humiliation that a good soul like her suffers daily.
What I can do, though, is ask you for help.’
Sati looked at her father with loving eyes.
‘You are the Neelkanth,’ continued Daksha. ‘In fact you are more than that. I genuinely
believe you are a Mahadev, even though I know you don’t like to be called that. You are above
the law. You can change the law if you wish. You can override it if you want.’
An aghast Parvateshwar glowered at Daksha. How could the Emperor be so dismissive of
the law? Then his eyes fell on Shiva. His heart sank further.
Shiva was staring at Daksha with undisguised delight. He had thought that he would have to
convince the Emperor about Sati. But here he was, quite sure that the Emperor was about to
offer his daughter’s hand to him.
‘If you decide to take my daughter ’s hand, my Lord, no power on earth can stop you,’
contended Daksha. ‘The question is: do you want to?’
All the emotions in the universe surged through Shiva’s being. His face bore an ecstatic
smile. He tried to speak but his voice was choked. He bent down, picked up Sati’s hand gently