King of Devas

"The King of Svarga is right; Soma must be in the Cosmic Ocean," Varunadev stated.

Vayudev and Agnidev nodded in agreement.

"In the Kshira Sagara, Goddess Lakshmi is also present. Our divine power is waning, and if this continues, we may not even have the strength to descend from Svarga," Suryadev lamented, his mouth agape with helplessness.

Indra glanced at Surya. At that moment, Surya's face was not only dark but the whites of his eyes and teeth had also lost their luster, turning an ominous shade. No one could be as dark as he was at that moment!

Garuda, brimming with anger, spread his wings wide, his feathers fluffed up as he accused, "If you, King of Svarga, hadn't delayed me with your penance, we would have met Lord Vishnu by now and sought a solution. Instead, Soma has vanished, and Svarga is in disarray!"

"So what?" Indra retorted, his expression turning icy.

Garuda seemed intent on stirring trouble for him!

"What do you mean, 'so what'?" Garuda pressed. "Is this your excuse for destroying my palace?"

"That's trivial compared to your disrespect towards the Lord. I was sent with the summons of Lord Vishnu and he has been waiting here for ages, yet you've ignored it completely, lost in your penance and meditation."

Garuda fixed his gaze on Indra, the King of Svarga, his demeanor as proud as an eagle soaring through the sky. He rebuked Indra bluntly, his anger intensifying with each passing moment. After enduring great effort to reach Svarga, he found it in ruins. The devas had lost their power, and everything had withered away.

Waiting in vain, he realized that fate had abandoned them!

"Indra, you have committed a heinous crime!" Garuda declared, his wings stirring the air and creating swirling hurricanes. Suddenly, he opened his right hand, and a flash of golden light revealed a massive sledgehammer that materialized in his grip. He strode toward Indra, fury radiating from him.

Indra's eyes widened as he stared at Garuda. This guy… is going to hit me! He was momentarily stunned.

The other devas gasped, their mouths agape, too frightened to move.

Indra's focus remained fixed on Garuda, who was striding forward with the golden sledgehammer raised high, the hammer's shadow looming ominously over his head.

Gulp!

Indra swallowed hard. After years of dedicated training, he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of a beating. He quickly resolved to strike first!

However, he found himself powerless to fight, unable even to summon his weapons. There was only one option left.

"Garuda!" Indra shouted, attempting to save face. He pointed a finger at Garuda, his voice ringing out.

"Garuda! Garuda! Garuda!"

As he called out, the power of his penance surged, sending reverberations throughout Svarga. The air crackled with deafening thunder, and lightning rolled through the clouds.

Boom! Boom!

The entire Svarga trembled as the power of the Svarga King, honed through hundreds of years of rigorous training, erupted, sending shockwaves throughout the realm.

"There can be no two suns in the sky, and there can be no two Kings in a kingdom!" Indra proclaimed. "There is only one sun in this world, only one monarch in a nation, and only one King in Svarga—me, Indra! This is the righteous law of the universe!"

Indra's words momentarily froze Garuda in his tracks.

With unwavering focus, Indra met Garuda's gaze, his voice deepening. "We share the same father, Kashyapa! You are a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu, living close to Him, and enjoying a good and prosperous life. The Lord protects you; you do not need a brother like me. Yet, you summon me on the Lord's behalf only to say, 'Indra, you have committed a great sin.'"

"You show me no respect! You regard me neither as your brother nor as a friend! You won't even show respect to the King of Svarga!"

"Now, not only do you disturb my penance, but you also wish to strike your brother. Your arrogance and anger have clouded your judgment; you have violated the Dharma. I am compelled to curse you!"

"Garuda!" Indra shouted.

At that moment, the power of his penance transformed into a radiant beam of light, piercing through Svarga and into the human world. The light shone down into the Ganges River, causing the waters to boil.

Suddenly, the goddess Ganges emerged from the river, manifesting as a beautiful woman with four arms.

She wore a white lotus flower atop her head and adorned her body with gold ornaments. Her face resembled white jade, and her neck was as pure as snow. In one hand, she held a pristine vase, while the other grasped a lotus flower; her remaining two hands were clasped together in a gesture of reverence.

"Pranam Indradev, the King of Svarga!" the goddess Ganges exclaimed, gazing at the waters of the Ganges rushing toward Svarga. As a holy river, cursing with its water would yield even greater effects!

With a rush of power, the Ganges water traversed the void, crossing countless distances before appearing in Svarga, cascading over Garuda.

As soon as the Ganges water fell, it drenched Garuda completely. The water clung to his wings, and no matter how hard he shook, he couldn't shake it off—he resembled a drowned rat.

…

"Not good! This is the entanglement of Karma, and Indra is about to curse him!"

Vishnu, who hovered high above the Cosmic Ocean, suddenly felt a shift in the Svarga. His calm expression turned serious as he realized something was amiss.

At the top of Kailash Mountain, Lord Shiva sat in meditation. His long hair hung down, and the third eye between his eyebrows was closed. Clad in tiger skin, he sat on a large stone with one leg slightly bent and the other leg relaxed against the ground. Beside him stood his trident, a symbol of his power.

Nandi, the sacred bull and Lord Shiva's mount watched him attentively, his short, low-hanging ears swaying gently.

"Garuda seems to be in trouble!" Nandi spoke up.

"Garuda has sinned arrogance and disturbed the ascetic, one should never disturb those who are in Dhayna. Indra is acting under dharma!" Shiva replied, slowly closing his eyes once more.

Nandi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slowly, reminding himself to exercise caution in the future.

In the Brahma world, Brahma opened his eyes wide, taking in the unfolding scene. It was rare for the King of Svarga to engage in rigorous practice, and even rarer for him to issue a curse. The gods in Svarga were busy with music and dance, hardly dedicating themselves to meditation, not even in this lifetime.

If Indra were to call out a curse, the situation could spiral out of control! Brahma thought to himself and promptly summoned someone to go to Svarga.

…

"Garuda!!!"

At the sound of Indra's echoing voice, Garuda's expression shifted to one of panic as he stared at the King of Svarga in disbelief. The other gods looked on in shock. After hundreds of years apart, the King of Svarga had become angry!

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Garuda, proud as a golden-winged roc, refused to fear any curse.

"Curse me if you must; I won't flinch before anyone's wrath! Especially not yours, Indra!" he declared, summoning his courage.

Indra narrowed his eyes, observing Garuda intently. A sudden smile crept across his face as he spoke slowly, enunciating each word.

"I curse you!"

"You will never see Lord Vishnu again, be it day, night, or twilight. Your Yajana as a believer will not reach the Lord through the sacrificial fire, and your hymns will not enter His ears!"

"You will never sense His presence! You will receive no response from the Lord!"

The air thickened with the weight of the words, resonating powerfully.

Boom!

Garuda felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

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