"Devas!"
The shouts of the two Rishis collided, amplifying one another, echoing through the golden skies of Svarga in powerful, crashing waves. Their wrathful cries vibrated across the heavens, laced with ancient authority, and in the next instant, their auras surged with the unmistakable tension of a curse taking form.
They were about to strike.
Suddenly, a wooden staff cut through the air.
With a shrill whistle, it flew across the open sky like a lightning bolt, trailing divine wind in its wake, and halted inches before the furious Rishis. The force of the wind howled through the air, lashing their robes and sending their long beards whipping behind them.
The two Rishis staggered slightly as the wind slammed against them, caught off guard by the sudden interruption.
"Silence!"
The voice boomed like the roar of the sacred Ganga at full flood, its rhythm crashing again and again into the ears of all present. It carried not just command, but divine weight. The very air tensed.
Around them, the other Rishis turned in stunned silence. The duo's mantras ceased. Their hands, once raised in ritual gestures, slowly fell. They looked toward the figure standing calmly at the edge of the clearing.
It was Rishi Kashyapa.
Eyes wide, Rishi Brihaspati stepped back and stared at him. The Devas turned toward him as well, their expressions caught somewhere between astonishment and reverence.
Surya blinked in disbelief. His voice came as a whisper.
"Father..."
Agni exhaled deeply, his divine flames dimming into quiet embers. His hands pressed together instinctively in prayer.
"Father," he murmured.
Even Indra turned, eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the light fading from his own vajra. The divine weapon had begun to form behind him, responding to his tension. But now it shimmered once and vanished, its threat no longer needed.
Rishi Kashyapa had spoken.
Indra felt his body relax. His shoulders eased, and a slow smile returned to his face. He brought both hands together and watched quietly.
"Father," he whispered again.
Kashyapa's cane remained lifted before him, unmoving, as his eyes locked onto the two offending Rishis. His presence, normally calm and collected, now radiated fury held in check.
His son had just saved the Svarga. The Rishis were alive because of that choice. And still, they came to curse?
His voice came, slow and deep.
"I know who you are."
The Rishi on the left frowned, the red still in his face from the force of the wind. Kashyapa turned slightly, eyes sharp.
"You, Tejavrata. Your fire is strong, but your judgment burns too quickly."
He shifted to the other, whose expression was still cold.
"And you, Mantravaaka. Your words may shape rituals, but your heart must remain grounded."
"You are Brahmins. You are sages. Yet look at what you were about to do."
The two Rishis exchanged glances, offended and proud.
Tejavrata's voice trembled with anger. "Rishi Kashyapa. We were imprisoned by the Asuras. Agni failed in his sacred duty. The Devas left us to suffer. And now you raise your hand against us for carrying out the Dharma?"
Mantravaaka followed, his voice sharp and composed. "Is this justice? That we, the humiliated, are silenced while the ones who allowed it remain unpunished. Since when are the guests treated like this, Svargaloka? "
Kashyapa did not respond immediately.
Instead, he stepped forward. His cane struck the marble with quiet strength. The crowd parted as he walked into the circle of Rishis, his voice calm yet firm.
"Sacrifice, charity, austerity, truth, restraint, patience, sacred chant, and freedom from attachment, these are the steps of Dharma."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"Perform them without pride. Uphold them without vengeance. Let your tapasya not be led by ego. Let your fury not cloud your inner fire."
His voice rose, steady and unwavering.
"Practice them not for pride. Do not wield them like weapons. Let not your penance be consumed by anger, nor your devotion tainted by ego. It becomes adharma wearing a holy face."
Then Kashyapa turned his gaze, eyes sharp with controlled fury, and looked directly at Rishi Tejavrata and Rishi Mantravaaka.
"Tell me," he said, his voice cutting through the air, "In all your days spent in Svarga, did you offer a sacrifice each morning? Did you recite the Vedas? Give alms? Did you uphold your tapasya with discipline and restraint?"
"Speak! What have you truly done?"
The words struck like a staff to the chest. His tone held no doubt, only accusation.
Around them, many Rishis lowered their heads. Their expressions were clouded with guilt. No one could deny it. During their days in Svarga, they had lived in comfort. Too much comfort. There had been indulgence where there should have been austerity.
Tejavrata's face darkened, his teeth clenched. Beside him, Mantravaaka's expression hardened as well. Yet, they refused to retreat.
"We may have strayed," Mantravaaka said, his voice low and bitter, "but the failings of the Devas are not a lie."
"Their mistakes are real," added Tejavrata. "They abandoned us to the Asuras."
Kashyapa's eyes narrowed.
His voice deepened, every word deliberate.
"If one does not restrain desire, he can never gain wisdom. Only by releasing attachment to wealth and indulgence can sorrow be broken."
He took a step closer, staff in hand.
"You call yourselves Rishis, yet you were seduced by comfort. The result you face is not misfortune. It is karma. The reward of your own actions in this very world."
He paused.
Then he raised his head, and his voice sharpened like the edge of a blade.
"Tejavrata. Mantravaaka."
His eyes blazed with fierce authority as he spoke.
"You are brothers by blood. You shared the same wealth of knowledge, yet your greed drove you apart."
He turned his gaze to Tejavrata.
"You envied your brother's greater penance. You whispered curses behind his back, sowing doubt in others' minds."
Then he looked to Mantravaaka.
"And you hoarded your wisdom, pretending it was righteousness, while feeding your pride."
"You both failed to restrain yourselves. You were consumed by ego and blinded by desire."
He raised his staff high.
"I curse you."
The words rang out like thunder, echoing through Svarga in terrible waves. The force of his voice shook the heavens, and the marble beneath their feet trembled with its power.
Boom!
A surge of lightning exploded from the sky.
Tejavrata and Mantravaaka recoiled as if struck by the heavens. Their bodies stiffened, their eyes wide with disbelief. They stood frozen, stunned, the curse upon them.
The Rishis who had once murmured in support now fell silent, awe in their eyes. Some pressed their palms together. Reverence filled their faces.
One younger Rishi watched with shining eyes, inspired beyond words. He silently vowed to rededicate himself to the Vedas. To become a Rishi like Kashyapa, or the King of Svarga himself.
The Devas stood frozen for a moment, then realization dawned. Relief bloomed across their faces.
A moment ago, they had feared a devastating curse. Now, the storm had been turned on their would-be accusers.
The change had come so quickly that some were still blinking in disbelief.
"Thank the Trimurti, Father stepped in," Agni whispered, emotion thick in his voice.
Vayu, Varuna, and Surya all brought their hands together in silent respect, their eyes fixed on Kashyapa.
Indra, too, raised his hands in a solemn gesture. A smile crept across his lips, half impressed, half surprised.
Rishi Kashyapa had acted decisively.
He was not just a rishi, but one of the Saptarishis, a Prajapati, and a father of devas, asuras, nagas, and mankind. One of the first beings in creation, his tapasya was immeasurable. Just his accumulated karma was vast enough to shake the skies and drown the Triloka in its weight.
Boom!
Another crash of thunder split the air.
Tejavrata and Mantravaaka flinched, their faces pale and terrified beneath the divine punishment. The light of the heavens fell upon them like judgment.
Kashyapa raised his staff once more, pointing directly at them.
"Mantravaaka! You who hoarded sacred speech and cloaked pride in piety, let your form reflect your burden."
"Become an elephant. Mighty and proud, but trapped in flesh, bound to roam the earth without a higher purpose!"
Boom!
The thunder roared louder, growing more rapid and deafening, yet everyone's attention remained locked on Rishi Kashyapa.
The old rishi turned once more, his gaze sharp and unwavering as it settled on Tejavrata.
"You," he said, voice booming like judgment itself, "shall become a turtle and wander the waters for eternity."
As his words thundered through the air, lightning split the sky.
Boom! Boom!
Before their eyes, Mantravaaka fell to the ground, his body twisting and reshaping. In a flash of divine energy, he transformed into a colossal elephant, six yojanas tall and twelve yojanas long, his eyes wide with terror.
Beside him, Tejavrata let out a strangled cry before his form too was overtaken. His body contorted, stretching outward into the vast shell and limbs of a giant turtle. He spanned three yojanas across, his shell reaching a circumference of ten.
"Begone!"
Kashyapa's voice thundered once again, his eyes blazing with righteous fury.
Boom! Boom!
The newly transformed elephant and turtle were flung from Svarga like fallen stars, rolling through the air with the force of divine will. Their massive forms spun like wheels of karma, crashing down toward Bhu Loka, spiraling across the firmament before plummeting into the depths of a vast lake below.
Splash!
The ripples echoed for miles.
Silence followed.
The presiding sage of the sacrifice stepped forward, eyes wide, heart pounding, filled with wordless reverence.
The Devas collectively exhaled. Relief washed across their faces.
They had been spared.
Several Rishis hung their heads low. Guilt lingered in their eyes. Some sighed softly, others muttered prayers under their breath, ashamed of their own indulgence.
Indra, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes, a glint of inspiration sparking in his mind.
"So... knowing someone's past can be this useful in a curse?" he thought. "Blackmail, history, karma. It all ties together. Truly… this is next-level warfare."
He nodded slowly to himself, eyes thoughtful.
"Intel is everything. Narada runs his mouth all across the realms… he must know a few secrets. I'll have to have a word with him soon."
With that, Indra stepped forward, clearing his throat, and brought his hands together in a respectful gesture toward the Rishis.
"Honored sages, please do not be disheartened," he said with a calm, reassuring smile.
"Tejavrata and Mantravaaka were disgraceful exceptions. The Devas still revere the wisdom of the Rishis above all."
He gestured toward Agni with a warm glance.
"Agni will resume his post as the King of Svarga. And the banquet shall continue. I hope you will all remain as our honored guests. There will be no shortage of divine music and celestial dance."
His voice was bright, his words inviting.
But among the Rishis, a few expressions stiffened.
Not again…
A silent shiver ran through the assembly.