“You may do the offerings,” the priest said.
The attendants helped us pass the huge plates of offerings to the priest, and he placed all of them before the deity’s feet.
We both joined hands, bowing before the god, seeking blessings.
With my eyes closed, I prayed to Shree Ganesh and Mahadev.
Prabhu! Suman still isn’t over her past, and I don’t think she ever will be. So, if you are to bless me with anything—happiness, prosperity—give it to her first. And if fate has anything bad in store, let it befall me instead. She has been through enough. Please be with her always, and never let her lose faith in you again.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Suman staring at me.
I smiled and asked,“Why aren’t you praying?”
Her eyes softened.“You were busy.”
My brows knit together.
Suddenly, she knelt before me and touched my feet. My eyes widened in shock. I immediately held her hands to stop her.
“Hey, don’t… no,” I murmured.
She looked at me, then turned toward the idol.
“Kshama kijiye prabhu, maine jeevan mein aapka naam to sadeiv suna hai, kintu aapke astitva ka aabhaas mujhe kabhi hua hi nahi. Mere rakhshak to ye hain, ya kadachit inke roop mein aap hi ab tak meri raksha karte rahe hain. Yadi inki pooja karke, inke charnoan mein padkar, hum aapko tthes pahuncha rahe ho, Prabhu, to apni is putri ko kshama kar dijiye. Par ab maine inme hi apne Prabhu ke darshan kar liye hain.”“I apologise, my Lord, for I have always heard your name in my life, yet I never felt your presence in it. He is the one who saved me, or perhaps it was you, in his form. Forgive this daughter of yours if, in bowing to him and praying to him, I have offended you in any way. But today, I have found my God in him.”
She prayed with such soft grace my throat tightened.
I shook my head, looking at Shree Ganesh.
She shouldn’t have said it.
I quickly joined my palms.
“Don’t listen to her, Ganesh ji,” I muttered.“She’s just being emotional, but she loves you and will always pray to you.”
Even the priest smiled at our little exchange.
“Putri,” he said, looking at her.“Bad things happen in life to teach us the value of good. If there were no bad, how would we know what’s good and what’s not? Humans are a mixture of both good and bad. Our prince here has both good and bad within him as well. But certain circumstances in your life led you to see only the good in him and overlook his flaws,” he paused for a moment.
“The same applies to life,” he continued calmly.“We often believe that life is already everything God has planned, yet we forget to thank Him in our prosperous days and blame Him for every hardship we face. Do not make that mistake. Give God credit for blessing you with this man. And never lose hope, because it is the one thing that keeps us alive.”
She nodded.“Ji, Pandit ji,”
Joining her palms, she closed her eyes and turned to the idol, praying with a smile.
After a few moments, she opened her eyes and touched Pandit ji’s feet.
“You shall give birth to the mightiest king that history will ever witness,” he blessed, and the moment those words spilt from his mouth so smoothly, I shook my head in incredulity.
“Pandit ji, please take your words back. We are the youngest in the family. My eldest brother, Rana Rudra Dev Singh, is the King. He will be the one to produce the heir to the throne, not us,” I corrected him, keeping my tone low.
Suman nodded in agreement.
“Ji, Pandit ji, please take back your blessing. The next king will be born from Ranaji and Queen Nandani,” she added.
He shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips.
“Blessings are not something that comes from one’s mouth consciously. They are a message from Him. I cannot take them back, my child,”
