82 Durga Ashtami
Part 82 Durga Ashtami
The Pooja day
Khushi woke up a little earlier and took a bath as she had to arrange for the Pooja. She came out wiping her hair and saw Arnav up.
"Good morning, Khushi"
"From here on, every morning will be GOOD for us" She smiled.
Arnav smiled brightly. She looked at the clock. It was 5:30 am.
"I'm going to the Pooja room. I don't even have one hour to start the pooja" She said.
Arnav nodded ok.
Khushi came to the Pooja room and found all the needed things there. She huffed in relief. She cleaned the Pooja room which was already clean. She removed the dried flowers from DM's idol and put a garland on her neck. She drew five rangoli in front of the idol. Then she arranged five kinds of fruits in five plates and kept them on the rangolis neatly.
She saw Ratna looking at her from outside the Pooja room.
"Maaji, you should be locked in a room. Let's go"
Ratna nodded yes.
"In which room will you lock me?"
"Naniji's room?"
"No... Amma will sleep tonight there. Didn't you say, the room should not be opened till the next day morning?"
Khushi nodded yes thoughtfully.
"Then which room?" Khushi thought.
"Papa's room" Came from Arnav, who came to Pooja room, finishing his morning bath, wearing a half-white kurta.
Khushi and Ratna smiled at him.
"Is not my PAPAD KA TUKDA looking gorgeous?" Ratna asked with a smile.
"Arnavji, take your mother from here immediately and lock her in Papa's room. If she starts admiring you, then she won't stop. She will do it for the whole day, forgetting the Pooja" Khushi teased.
Arnav rolled his eyes smiling.
"Let's go, Maa" He walked to Arvind's room followed by Khushi and Ratna. Ratna went inside and smiled at them.
"You should not come out of the room, no matter what," Khushi said.
Ratna nodded ok.
Arnav closed the door from the outside and locked it. He hooked the key on the nail that was at the top of the door.
Khushi again came to the Pooja room. She looked at the clock. It was 6:10. Only twelve minutes left for her to start fasting.
"What's the schedule?" Arnav asked.
"Actually, the mantra should be chanted for thousand and eight times. Last time, I did that by separating it into three times. This time, I have decided to chant the mantra five thousand and one times because I have to be up for the whole night"
"Oh... ok... write the mantra in a paper," Arnav said.
"I know the mantra Arnavji. I already memorized it"
"I'm asking it for me"
"For you?"
Arnav nodded yes.
"Are you going to..."
"Get participated in the Pooja... I'm going to keep fasting" Arnav said.
Khushi was shocked.
"Arnavji... it won't be easy... you should be up for the whole night and should not eat anything"
"But I can have PANAK that you are going to have"
"I'm used to it, Arnavji. Keeping fasting is not new to me"
"Let me get used to it"
"Arnavji, listen to me..."
Arnav kept his index finger on her lips.
"Shh... being a son, I think I should do this to my mother. Didn't Guruji say, the result will be more powerful if anyone from our family keeps fasting?"
Khushi sighed.
"Let me do it... give me a chance to be divine..."
Khushi smiled.
"This is a very good sign..." Said Nani who was standing at the doorstep.
She came in.
"So nice to hear, Chotte..."
Arnav smiled.
They heard a calling bell sound and spared a content glance. Nani was about to go,
"Wait, Nani... let me check"
Arnav walked out of the Pooja room. Khushi and Nani also came out to see who came to RM early in the morning. Arnav opened the door and saw Rajesh standing.
"What happened, Rajesh?"
"Sir, they are here to meet you"
Arnav was awestruck, seeing Guruji with a couple standing.
"Guruji, you?" Arnav said unbelievably. He touched his feet, bending down, that, he never did before.
Rajesh left the place, seeing his action. Khushi rushed to him and became more excited.
"Pandit Bhaiya... Siya Didi..." She hugged Siya.
Arnav was surprised. Was he Khushi's Pandit Bhaiya?
"How do you people know each other?" She asked.
"Didn't I say, Siya's uncle is familiar with Black magic? He is the one" Pandit said.
"We already met him"
"I know... he told me"
"But, why didn't you tell us when we met you in the ashram?" Khushi asked Guruji.
"I just got to know you are close to Siya when I talked to her yesterday"
Khushi looked at Siya unbelievably.
"We are here to do a havan"
Arnav looked at Khushi not understanding what was HAVAN.
"Homa, I mean, offerings... Arnavji"
"Oh..."
"It will make a safety ring around your home, not only today but forever," Pandit said.
Khushi smiled at Guruji.
"This is a big deal. I don't want you to face it alone. That's why we are here"
"Thank you, Guruji"
"Shall we start? We have only two minutes"
Khushi nodded ok.
They went to the Pooja room. Guruji and Pandit started arranging for the Havan.
"Light the lamp, beta" Guruji said.
To light the lamp, Khushi looked for the matchbox. Taking the matchbox, he extended it to her. She lit the lamp and made the Pooja room pleasant with incense sticks.
The Pooja as well as the Havan started. Khushi and Arnav started chanting the mantras. They chanted it thousand times for the first installment.
Siya prepared PANAK and gave it to them. Arnav and Khushi had it and sat in the Haven that was extended non-stop. RM filled with Havan smoke. Guruji and Pandit were putting holy sticks in the fire while chanting mantras to grab God's grace. People in RM wondered, seeing their ability. They didn't chant mantras together. If Pandit chanted, Guruji took a break. When Guruji chanted, Pandit took a break. They also didn't have anything other than the panak. The Pooja was going on without any interruption. Neither Arnav nor Khushi felt hungry nor did they feel tired. The Panak kept them all brisk which made them amazed.
The Havan was completed the next morning at 6:22. Khushi and Arnav completed chanting the mantra five thousand times. Everyone from RM got ready to go to the temple with Arnav and Khushi. Though they didn't keep fasting, they took part in the Havan. Nani told them about Maya and Sona and alerted them because she didn't want them to fall into her trap if she tried in any way.
Khushi took the hurricane lamp to the temple to complete the temple process. Guruji, Pandit, and Siya also accompanied them.
After lighting the lamp in front of DM idol, Khushi sat there with Arnav and again chanted the mantra. Arnav made sure his guards were alert around the temple. Siya distributed the Prasad to the pilgrims that she prepared in RM.
Arnav finished chanting. But, Khushi was still closing her eyes which confused Arnav. She always finished chanting faster than him... she did that even if it was for thousand times. Then why hadn't she finished it yet, this time? That too was only a hundred times...
She was sitting straight, keeping her palms on her knees. Arnav saw her pressing her knees. Her nerves became stiffened. He looked at her face, she was tightening her jaws. Arnav looked at Guruji fearfully who blinked his eyes, asking him not to panic.
The Pandit of the temple finished the Harathi and brought the plate to them. Khushi opened her eyes and stood up. Before the Pandit gave her the vermillion, she took it up a handful and applied it on her forehead full.
Arnav looked at Guruji. He touched his shoulder and said.
"She is ready to give the power to the one who is waiting for it. Don't be scared. She will be all right. Don't stop her. Let her do what she wants"
Arnav huffed in relief and nodded yes.
In no time, taking the hurricane lamp, Khushi started walking out of the temple. Arnav followed her with Guruji and Pandit. His guards followed them protecting them from all the sides. Raizadas also followed Khushi by cars.
RM
Hariprakash was preparing breakfast for everyone, especially Arnav, and Khushi. They would eat after breaking the fast, after starving for the whole day.
That was when he heard a calling bell sound. he thought Arnav and Khushi came back from the temple. He opened the door and saw Maya standing. He smiled at her because he knew nothing about her. Maya's eyes fell on the Havan arrangement that was still smoking.
"Where are others?"
"Everyone went to the temple"
"Oh... when did they go?"
"At 6:30"
"Oh, ok... you go and prepare breakfast. They would be hungry" she said as if she was concerned about them.
"Jee..." Hari Prakash went back to the kitchen as he was in a hurry to complete the work.
Maya felt lucky as there was no one in RM. She could complete the work for what she came to RM. She went to the Pooja room to blow the lamps. So that, she could ruin the Pooja easily. But when she kept her leg inside the Pooja room. She was pushed back as she felt a SPARK at the entrance.
She was shocked to the core. Was the Pooja this powerful to stop her? She was alert. She ran to the kitchen. As she expected, HP was boiling milk. She knew it was for Khushi. She didn't know Arnav also kept fasting.
She had cut her finger with a knife and waited. HP went to the self to bring something. She pressed the wound and extended her hand toward the milk to drop her blood in the milk.
Before she did that, a SMOKY HAND clutched her hand and stopped her from doing that.
To be continued...
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen3h.Co