'Oh, Goddess!'
'It gives me great joy to be blessed with'
'your divine gaze.'
'Everyone here has made you an offering.'
'But I am just a mere slave.'
'What can I offer to you, Goddess?'
'What gift shall I bring you?'
'Goddess Lakshmi is pleased with your devotion and service.'
'She needs to better gift from you, Garud.'
When a father sees his daughter like this
he is overcome
by a multitude of emotions.
It is overwhelming.
Seeing his daughter grown into a woman
makes a father's heart
leap with joy.
At the same time
the prospect of being separated from her
also pains him.
It is every father's desire and duty
to find a suitable life partner for his daughter.
Although, you stand before me as a daughter at the moment
I cannot overlook the fact that
you are also he nurturer of the universe.
You are a mother to all living beings.
Hence, I am unable to find a worthy life partner for you.
Oh, Goddess of beauty and perfection.
Kindly choose a suitable life partner
for yourself.
Choose a partner?
What for?
Who else in the world could Goddess Lakshmi marry
other than Lord Vishnu? And..
Garud is right, Goddess.
Although you are destined
to be betrothed to
none other than the supreme lord who sustains the universe.
Lord Vishnu himself.
However, I would like you
to make the choice yourself.
'That is a good suggestion.'
Obeying the word of a father
is every child's duty.
My dear
let us meet your suitors.
'Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu are made for each other.'
'Is this even necessary?'
'How can Lord Vishnu let this happen?'
What message?
Tell me!
He narrated a tale to me.
I will try to narrate it to you in the exact same manner
as he narrated it to me.
'Once upon a time, a king made an announcement'
'that in his entire kingdom'
'only spinach will be grown.'
'Only spinach will be sold and bought'
'and all the subjects'
'would only eat spinach.'
'No other grain'
'or any other sort of vegetable'
'will be grown or consumed in the kingdom.'
Anyone who disobeyed the king's orders
would be flogged as a punishment
and at times, sentenced to death.
One day, a great sage visited his kingdom.
'And in his greed to be blessed by the sage'
'the king gifted him spinach.'
'The sage threw the spinach back at the king and said..'
I know all about your past and future actions.
I know your love for spinach
better than you do.
In your past life, you were a poor farmer
who grew spinach in a bed behind your cottage
and after feeding your family
you would distribute the remaining spinach among others.
You earned virtue as a farmer
because of which you were born as a king in this life.
And you are not distributing spinach because the goodwill
of your past life still awake within you.
You are doing this charity
because you want to become an emperor now.
'As long as service'
'is done selflessly'
'is it known as service.'
'Service done with desire'
'of reward or compensation in return'
'is not service.'
'It is a pretence.'
'And pretentious people'
'neither deserve blessing'
'nor a boon.'
'Service done with desire'
'of reward or compensation in return'
'is not service.'
'It is a pretence.'
Lord Dattatreya is right.
Yes, Takhtu.
Mother served Lord Dattatreya
in a greed to acquire his blessing.
And she didn't serve him herself.
She deceived Lord Dattatreya
and made Mother Vinta serve him. - Yes.
This can't be true.
It is a figment of your imagination.
You are using Lord Dattatreya as a pretext
for telling me cooked up stories.
Sister, do you not know me at all?
You know I would never even think of doing that.
You are lying!
Lord Dattatreya did the right thing.
Mother deserves to be treated like this. - Yes, Takhtu.
Mother Vinta was right
and yet, accused her of lying.
That is why, she got a black patch on her face.
Enough is enough, Dhoomal.
Mother must be punished for her evil deeds.
Lord
why does the Goddess need to choose a groom?
I have seen her pine for you.
You are the only one she loves!
Then what is all of this for?
Why are you delaying the divine reunion?
Every girl dreams of getting married, Garud.
And as she grows up, the dream grows with her.
In a woman's life
her wedding is the most important event.
And her most important relationship
is that with her husband.
Much before she meets
a suitor, the one she expects to be able to love
a young woman starts dreaming of him.
She starts building her hopes
and aspirations surrounding him.
Just like any other girl, Lakshmi too
wants to spend her life with the man of her dreams.
And he has every right to choose.
I cannot deny her the right to choose.
No man can
deprive a woman of this right.
However
as I love her too, I can certainly hope
that even if she takes a longer than expected
Goddess Lakshmi will
ultimately choose me, Vishnu.
'Oh, Goddess! What is your divine plan?'
'Why this delay, despite having waited so long.'
'What if some other problem crops up?'
'If Goddess Lakshmi chooses to marry me'
'I would acquire a supreme position.'
'The most befitting place for Goddess Lakshmi'
'is in heaven.'
'She will choose me.'
'What is this strange desire that I see'
'in the eyes of the gods and demons?'
This is Lord Indra, the king of Gods.
A source of immense energy
lord of lightning and thunder
and master of formidable storms.
He is valiant, indeed, Father.
But he exudes a strong sense of insecurity.
This is Lord Surya, the sun god.
His bright rays
nurture life on earth.
Father, there is not only immense brightness
but also unbearable heat emanating from him.
You are right, Goddess.
The Goddess works in strange ways.
The good and bad qualities of the suitors
will be revealed one by one.
Praise be to Lord Narayan!
One can work upon correcting their bad qualities
only when the are aware of these qualities.
Glory to the Goddess.
Glory to thee.
Brother, emotions are beyond good and bad qualities.
Think of Lord Vishnu.
It must not be easy for him to witness this.
His beloved is searching for her husband
in someone else while he watches.
Enduring this pain silently
is no mean feat.
I cannot even imagine how the lord is so calm.
I am so worried, Brother.
My heart wants to believe that there will be no problem.
But until Goddess Lakshmi is united with Lord Vishnu
I shall not be at peace.
This is Lord Agni, the lord of fire.
He is much less bright and hot than the sun.
But if he wants
he can light up a dark night as bright as day.
However, if he goes out of control
he could reduce everything to ashes.
This is Lord Vayu, the God of winds.
He is too fickle.
He cannot stay put at one place.
If I were to travel with him continuously
I would never be able to to work for the greater good.
Let me introduce you
to Lord Varun, the lord of water.
His personality is too fluid.
He changes shapes repeatedly.
Someone who changes shapes so very often
cannot provide any stability to my life.
This is Yamraj.
He is the lord of death.
His devotion to his duty
leaves him bereft of mercy and compassion, Father.
'Lakshmi did not choose any of the gods.'
'This means she will choose a demon?'
My dear
none of these gods
have been able to impress you.
You could select one of the serpents, if you so wish.
I can have it arranged for.
'Lakshmi should not go to the serpents.'
I beg your pardon, Father.
The serpents have always feared their mother.
So much so that
fear has come to be a part of their inherent nature now.
How would I be able to feel secure
in the company of those who live in perpetual fear?
'Kadru is so proud of her sons.'
'I wish she had heard this.'
'I would enjoy her reaction.'
'She should have been here.'
'I wonder what she is up to at home.'
'Our husband bowed down to Lord Dattatreya'
'instead of Lord Vishnu's idol.'
'I beheld Him with my very eyes a while ago. - Impossible!'
What are you doing, Mother?
Get a grip on yourself.
How will feeling dejected help?
If you keep suffering silently
how will we help you?
What is the matter, Mother?
History has repeated itself, Takshak, Kaalia.
I am being wronged once again.
I cannot tolerate this all over again.
I just cannot.
Vinta!
She is so happy today!
I am certain she is hiding something from me.
Before it is too late
I must find out her secret.
But this time..
If she tries to deceive me this time
I will make her suffer so much that
even Lord Vishnu won't be able to save her from my wrath.
Mother
what are those black patches on your face?
What is happening to me?
And most importantly
why on my face?
Why?
Why must I endure such terrible suffering?
Had I not suffered enough mental and emotional pain already
that I must also endure physical agony?
Lord Dattatreya's word has come true.
That is what even I was thinking about.
Our mother has tears in her eyes
while joy echoes in Mother Vinta's voice.
Yes, that would only mean
that Mother Vinta and Garud
are will be free from slavery soon.
Goddess Lakshmi is finding faults with everyone.
It is but natural, Shesh.
She is perfect in every way.
She cannot spend her life with a man
who possesses any imperfections.
But it is this quality that also makes me nervous.
What if she finds a fault in me too?