THE ENCOUNTER

In days long past, ere the firmament was ywoven of the breath of time, there lay a lake most hallowed, its waters deep as the void ‘twixt the stars, wherein were held the whispers of the unseen and the echoes of that which hath been afore the dawn of days. No mere pool of mortal realm was it, but a font of wisdom unfathomed, wherein did all things find their birth and to which all must in time return.

Upon the loftiest peak of Mount Meru, where no foot of man hath ever trod, did dwell Mahadeva, whom men call Shiva, the ascetic, the unmoved, the knower of that which may not be known. Clad not in raiment, but in silence itself, he sat, unshaken as the pillar of the world, his thought unbound of time, his gaze resting upon that which lieth beyond all knowing.

Yet upon a day, long forewritten in the stars, a trembling did break the stillness of that hallowed lake, and lo! The waters, erst so placid, were stirr’d as by the breath of a will divine. From the depths there arose Shakti, she who is the pulse of all things, the mother of that which doth wax and wane. Bright as the first light of creation was she, her form arrayed in radiance as in a woven cloth, her tresses dark as the void ere the forging of the sun. Upon her brow shone wisdom unmeasured, and within her eyes was a flame that neither age nor darkness may quench.

Then did Shiva, he who beholdeth all yet is stirr’d by none, set his gaze upon her, and in that moment, the heavens themselves did hold their breath. No word was uttered, for theirs was a meeting of the kind that needeth no tongue, wherefore the sky, the earth, and the stars themselves bore witness.

In her hands did Shakti bear a bowl most wondrous, forged not of gold nor of any metal known to men, but of that which was afore the birth of fire, graven with sigils whose meaning was lost ere the first dawn did break upon the world.

"Take thou this cup, O Shiva, and bear its gifts unto the children of Earth. Let them drink deep of the nectar of wisdom divine, for it shall guide them upon the path of their awakening.”

Then was Shiva moved, and with reverence did he take the sacred chalice from her hands. He knew full well the burden that came with such a gift, and he swore an oath that he should fulfil the task set upon him.

Thenceforth, he descended from the heights unmeasured, and trod upon the earth, offering unto those who sought the light the holy vessel. And so the bowl became a token of oneness, of illumination, and of the bond betwixt mortal and divine.

As it passed from hand to hand, it did bear within it the resonance of Shakti’s love, the wisdom of Shiva, and the yearning of humankind. It was made a vessel of transformation, a key to unlock the hidden flame within, that those who would heed its call might awaken to their birthright divine.

By the grace of Shakti and the devotion of Shiva, the bowl became the mark of the unseen among men, a whisper of the eternal in the midst of the fleeting. It did remind them ever of the sacred that dwelleth within, calling them to walk in harmony with the music of the spheres.

"Take thou this cup, O Shiva, and bear its gifts unto the children of Earth. Let them drink deep of the nectar of wisdom divine, for it shall guide them upon the path of their awakening.”

Then was Shiva moved, and with reverence did he take the sacred chalice from her hands. He knew full well the burden that came with such a gift, and he swore an oath that he should fulfil the task set upon him.

Thenceforth, he descended from the heights unmeasured, and trod upon the earth, offering unto those who sought the light the holy vessel. And so the bowl became a token of oneness, of illumination, and of the bond betwixt mortal and divine.

As it passed from hand to hand, it did bear within it the resonance of Shakti’s love, the wisdom of Shiva, and the yearning of humankind. It was made a vessel of transformation, a key to unlock the hidden flame within, that those who would heed its call might awaken to their birthright divine.

By the grace of Shakti and the devotion of Shiva, the bowl became the mark of the unseen among men, a whisper of the eternal in the midst of the fleeting. It did remind them ever of the sacred that dwelleth within, calling them to walk in harmony with the music of the spheres. Namaste.