Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion

Dharma

The Present Era:

On the same moonless night, in another part of the country, a bus returning from a medical camp braked to a halt abruptly. The dozing passengers sat up in alertness as the driver switched off the engine of the bus.

"Why did you stop the bus?" one of the passengers asked the driver in sleepy annoyance.

"There is someone on the road... looks injured...." he replied in fearful hesitation, peering at the still figure and not daring to explore alone.

The curious but alarmed passengers alighted from the bus to take a look at the wounded and lifeless form. Unable to see the face that was angled towards the bushes, they noticed the injured arms and legs. A bold youth stepped forward from the crowd and rolled the figure towards them and a collective gasp escaped the onlookers at the sight of the young girl. She looked to be around seven or eight years of age with flawless skin and jet-black short hair.

"How serious are her injuries?" an elderly traveller asked in anxious uncertainty.

A young woman claiming to be a doctor examined the girl, "No internal injuries, and only superficial wounds on the arms."

The women sighed in relief but pitied the plight of the girl.

The head of the group threw instructions, "Someone inform the camp immediately. We will take her there."

One of the men lifted the slender girl and carried her inside the bus. They administered immediate medication. One hour later, after reaching the camp when the girl had still not gained consciousness, they spoke to the head of their township, Jaydev Mohan.

Jaydev and his wife arrived to take a look at the girl and asked, "Where did you find her?"

"Near the road leading to the river... It looked as if she was thrown away from a moving vehicle."

Jaydev frowned at the information and asked the nurse, "What about her injuries? Was she in any way assaulted?"

"No sir, she was not assaulted. Only some wounds on her arms and elbows."

Jaydev's wife uttered in overwhelming sympathy, "The child looks so forlorn..."

**************

The pain behind her eyes was excruciating and her hands felt clammy. She tried to remember where she was but something pushed her into a dark vacuum. She could smell something burning and she hoped that she had not fallen into a burning pit. She had no clue about the time or the day. A vague memory of bidding someone clouded her mind but she again felt some force pushing her into the gushing foam of the ocean. When she tried to focus on the dismembered images, she heard a voice ask,

"What is your name child?" The words spoken in soft query penetrated her consciousness.

She opened her eyes and saw many faces peering at her but what she could not fathom was the sharply indrawn breath of many at the sight of her mesmerizing eyes. The shade of her eyes was hard to describe, a rare combination of black and red-brown. As for the question, she gave them a blank stare.

"I don't remember," she whispered.

Others looked at each other, speculating over the extent of her injuries.

Jaydev Mohan observed the leaf-shaped eyes, the small nose, the pointed chin and the smooth forehead. The short tresses were spread out on the pillow. The nervous girl was chewing on her lower lips while the vacant face tried to take in her surroundings.

One of the people assembled there, asked, "Baba, what do we call her?"

Jaydev thought for some time, studying the girl with concentration.