King of Devas

Garuda suppressed his anger, then opened and closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and began to praise the names of the Devas.

"Pranam to Suryadev! Pranam to Agnidev! Pranam to Varundev!"

…

As Garuda's voice echoed through Svarga, pillars of light began to rise in many places. The beams shot straight into the sky and then fell before Garuda, revealing the true forms of the Devas. Surya, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Soma, and other devas and Gandharavas arrived one after another to greet Garuda. 

However, Indra was nowhere to be seen. 

Garuda lowered his hands, his expression stern, and his keen eagle eyes scanned the assembly of Devas. "I have been sent by the Bhagwan Vishnu to invite all devas to meet with Him. Where is the King of Svarga?" 

The Devas exchanged uncertain glances. Finally, Surya spoke up, "Indra is currently engaged in penance. He has expressed the intention to strengthen his resolve through intense penance. Yet, each time he's been ready, his duties and concerns about asuras have kept him from fully committing."

Garuda frowned at this news. He glanced at the palace of the King of Svarga, then stepped forward with a hum of discontent. "This is the Lord Vishnu's invitation, yet Indra chooses to ignore it. His lack of respect for the Lord has led to the current state of Svarga."

None of the Devas spoke; silence fell over the gathering. As brothers, they understood each other's virtues well. Indra, in his eagerness to attend the assembly in Svarga, had neglected Rishis Durvasa's divine Garland. Under similar circumstances, they knew they might have acted the same way.

Arrogance was a prerogative of the Devas, and they felt it should not be too harshly criticized. Besides, if they encounter trouble in the future, it would be easier for everyone to discuss matters openly.

"Don't worry, we can wait!" said Surya, the sun Deva.

"Exactly! Penance and meditation are the dharma of the universe, and everyone must respect that!" Soma, the Deva of the moon, nodded in agreement.

As soon as these two spoke, the other Devas joined in, expressing their support in not disturbing Indra's penance.

"That's true. I agree. Let's wait a little longer!" said Varunadev.

"Me too!" Vayuadev, clenching his fist.

Garuda looked at the Devas with a frown. Despite their agreement, he couldn't shake his unease. He sighed and sat cross-legged on the ground. "Then let's wait a little longer—just a little while longer!"

…

Time flew by in Svarga, where there was no distinction between day and night; moments slipped away like water.

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap echoed through Svarga. Garuda's eyes snapped open, and his previously joyful expression darkened with anger. During his meditation, he had been dreaming of Lord Vishnu, and just as he was about to hear the Lord's words, the thunder disrupted his thoughts and jolted him awake.

"Is there no peace left in Svarga?!" Garuda exclaimed, suppressing his anger. He stood up and glanced around.

As he surveyed the other Devas, he noticed they were either lying down or exhausted. Their garments were tattered and worn, the glory of the Devas faded, and the divine fragrance that once surrounded them had vanished completely.

The curse was worsening!

"How much time have we been waiting for Indra now?" Garuda exclaimed in shock. He realized he had meditated for too long and quickly counted the years with his fingers.

"Two hundred and fifty years!" he shouted, wide-eyed.

The surrounding Devas stirred from their meditative states, immediately aware of their dire circumstances. They turned their gazes to the Adobe of the King of Svarga, where the power of penance was being unleashed. This energy transformed into thunder and lightning that shot out in all directions, filling Svarga with rumbling sounds.

The thunder had come from here!

"Indra, you've truly angered me!" Garuda declared. "If it weren't for your penance, I wouldn't have delayed the Lord's command!"

At that moment, Garuda could focus on nothing else. He flapped his wings and angrily soared toward the King's Palace. The other Devas exchanged worried glances, sensing something was amiss, and hurriedly chased after him.

In front of the King's Palace, Garuda's massive wings blotted out the sun, instantly plunging the Svarga into darkness. A fierce storm of wind whipped toward the shrine, which had been reduced to a thatched house. The surrounding Gandharvas were so terrified that they crawled on the ground, scrambling behind the other Devas.

Boom!

The dark storm obscured the sky and blocked the sun, but it halted just before the thatched house. Indescribable, invisible thunder and lightning erupted, shooting upward into the heavens. The roar of the tempest sounded like the cries of countless dragons and serpents, shattering the oppressive black winds in an instant.

"I have come on the command of Lord Vishnu. Indra, come out at once! I know you are inside!" Garuda bellowed. "You dared to offend Sage Durvasa; now dare to face me!"

With each flap of his wings, Garuda unleashed a whirlwind of divine power, causing the entire Svarga to tremble.

"Stop this at once!" the assembly of Devas shouted, their faces drawn in concern. They clung to one another, pooling their remaining divine energy to form a protective shield against Garuda's tempestuous winds.

"If you have something to say, please do so quickly! We can hardly withstand this any longer!" the Suryadev exclaimed, swaying as he raised his hands in a desperate gesture.

At that moment, the divine power shield was crumbling. The upheaval in Svarga quickly captured the attention of countless beings.

In the Brahmaloka, Brahma, and Goddess Sarasvati sat cross-legged on lotus flowers, gazing down at the commotion below. Above the Cosmic Ocean, Vishnu felt the divine wheel spinning in his hand and looked in the direction of Svarga. Meanwhile, atop Mount Kailasha, Shiva slowly opened his eyes.

Boom!

The storm roared, and the entire dipliated palace was lifted by the tempest, revealing Indra lying on his side, deep in meditation.

"Indra!" Garuda roared once more, the wind howling in response.

However, filtered through the power of penance, the storm's fury transformed into a gentle breeze that caressed Indra's face, bringing with it a refreshing coolness.

Ah hoo~

Indra yawned slowly, scratching his face as he stirred. He swayed and sat up cross-legged, his eyes still heavy with sleep. For a moment, he beheld the swirling black hurricane in the sky.

"Um?" Indra tilted his head and rubbed his eyes, gradually bringing his surroundings into focus. High winds, squalls, and hurricanes filled the air!

And there was Garuda, the half-eagle half-human, staring intently at him!

"Garuda!" Indra murmured, recognition dawning.

"Indra, Lord Vishnu has called for you, yet you choose to ignore him for two hundred fifty years. This disrespect cannot go unchallenged," Garuda said, descending menacingly.

The other Devas quickly stepped forward to intervene. Indra's white elephant, Airavata, charged forward with long strides, curling his trunk and spraying a torrent of water into the sky as he rushed toward Garuda.

Garuda did not flinch; instead, he pressed forward, raising his hand to confront the oncoming threat. But Garuda's hand had not yet touched Airavata.

Uh-huh!

The massive shadow of Airavata suddenly vanished. Indra was taken aback and began to look around.

Where is the elephant? Where is my elephant? How can he just disappear?!

As the Devas stood in confusion, Soma, the Deva of the moon, who was standing next to Garuda, suddenly screamed. His skin became translucent, and then he completely disappeared from Svarga.

Uh-huh!

"Ah?" Garuda exclaimed, staring at his hands in astonishment before glancing around and noticing the horror etched on everyone else's faces.

"Garuda, you can't just kill the Devas by touching whoever you want!" Suryadev cautioned, taking a couple of steps back and eyeing Garuda warily.

The other Devas looked equally suspicious.

"I didn't touch them! I swear!" Garuda quickly retracted his hand, insisting.

Indra blinked and finally pieced it together.

"Airavata and Soma, the Deva of wine and the moon—both are symbols of wealth and auspiciousness. Just as the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi vanished, so too did they, and they've all fallen into the cosmic ocean."

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