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RISE A JOURNEY CHAPTER 2 MOTHER AND SON
As AJ grew older, his connection with his mother deepened in ways. While other mothers were attuned to their babies' cries—knowing when they were hungry, when they needed comfort—AJ was different. It wasn’t just his mother who could sense him. He could feel her emotions, her very essence. If she was angry, sadness crept into his heart. If she was hungry, an emptiness gnawed at him. His mother was not like others; she was something more, something ancient.
She would often tell him stories, not of fairy tales or happy endings, but of "Great Betrayals." Her voice would drop, eyes darkening with the weight of history as she whispered of empires shattered, kings murdered by their kin, and the world forever changed by treachery. "The most dangerous betrayals," she would say, "come from those closest to you—your blood, your friends, those you love the most."
As she spoke, AJ would be haunted by fragments of his own past, flashes of lives he couldn’t fully recall. Faces of those he once trusted, blood on his hands—his own blood. He saw shadows of his death, betrayal at the hands of those he loved, but the memories were always just beyond his reach, leaving him in a cold sweat.
One day, with a pounding heart, AJ asked her, "Maa, why do you always speak of betrayal? Have you... have you betrayed anyone?"
Her response was chilling. "What can I say, my son? I cannot lie to you. Yes, I have betrayed—countless times. I have killed my own children, destroyed my own kingdoms, and erased entire civilizations." Her voice did not waver, and her eyes held a deep, ancient sorrow. "For the greater good, for the cycle of life to continue, these betrayals were necessary. Even though I knew there were innocents, lives worth preserving, I still did it. I used to tell your father, and he and his associates would decide who would be spared. They, and only they, had the power to save."
AJ's heart stopped. This was the first time his mother had ever mentioned his father. In all his life, she had never spoken of him, and until now, he had never dared to ask. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but one escaped his lips: "Maa, you're just a woman—a human. How could you have killed sons and daughters? I’m your only son, right? How could you have destroyed entire civilizations?"
His mother gazed at him with a smile that sent a shiver down his spine. ""Tell me, my son, what is my name?"
"Durga," he answered confused.
She smiled, a knowing, almost tragic smile. "Yes, Durga. But throughout the world, they call me by many names. Bhoomi Mata. Prithvi Mata. Dhatri. Bhūmi Tāyi. With the slightest shift of my being, the earth trembles. Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes—they all stir at the lightest touch of my daughter Prakriti. And when they come, they make no distinction between the good and the evil, the innocent and the guilty. In that way, I betray my own children, unable to save those who deserve life. I used to tell your father…"
AJ's voice trembled. "Father? Is he so powerful that he could save so many of them?"
She whispered "More powerful than you could ever imagine," who is he, maa?"
A shadow passed over her face,
“Yes, my son. He is called by many names: Dev. Deva. Param Atman." Her voice softened, yet carried the force of a storm. "But these are mere echoes of what he truly is. He is the beginning and the end, the one who spoke the cosmos into existence and cradles it within the palm of his hand The stars themselves are his breath; the oceans bow to his will. He is the creator, the sustainer, and the destroyer of all things."
Her eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge, a knowledge not meant for mortal minds. "He is not just a god, AJ—he is *the* God. The Supreme Being. There is nothing outside of him, for he is the universe. Every life that has ever been lived, every soul that has ever journeyed, moves within him. He holds dominion over time, space, and existence itself."
AJ's heart pounded louder. "And... and he is my father?"
She nodded slowly, the weight of that truth sinking deep into his soul. "Yes. He is the source of all that is, was, and ever will be. And you, my son, are a part of him. One day, you will understand the magnitude of this truth, and when you do, you will realize the power you hold."
AJ’s mind swirled, the revelation too much to process. His whole life had been a veil of ignorance, and now, in an instant, that veil was torn away, exposing a reality he had never imagined. His mother, the embodiment of Earth itself, a force of nature. His father, the creator and ruler of the cosmos.
For a moment, all he could feel was an overwhelming sense of insignificance. How could he, just a young man, hold any meaning in such a grand, cosmic scheme? And yet, if what his mother said was true, if he was truly the son of the Supreme Being… what was his purpose in all this?
“Maa,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, “if Father is the creator of everything, why is the world so broken? Why all this suffering?”
Durga’s gaze softened as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Suffering is a part of creation, my son. Without it, there is no growth, no change. Your father designed the universe not just for life, but for evolution, for the souls within it to learn, to rise beyond their limitations. But that process is painful, and sometimes, it comes at the cost of great destruction.”
Her voice tinged and eyes filled with tears.
Durga took a deep breath, her eyes locking with his. “Because, my son, the time is coming again. The world is tipping once more, and soon, the cycle must begin anew. But this time, it is different. You are not just a part of this world—you are part of the force that can change it. Your father’s blood runs through you, and with it, his power.”
His destiny was beginning to take shape, but the path ahead was unclear. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked, fear and determination battling within him.
His mother’s voice was soft, yet firm. “You must awaken, AJ. Awaken to your true self. Only then will you be able to wield the power that is your birthright. The fate of the world may very well rest in your hands.”
Just then, the door creaked open, and Nurse Clara entered, her presence a comforting balm to AJ’s tumultuous emotions. She had been a silent guardian, guiding him since he first entered this strange world. Her gentle touch on his shoulder was a reminder of the unwavering support he had, even amidst the chaos. As she met his gaze with a warm, understanding smile, AJ felt a renewed sense of resolve.
End of Chapter 2.
© All Rights Reserved
She would often tell him stories, not of fairy tales or happy endings, but of "Great Betrayals." Her voice would drop, eyes darkening with the weight of history as she whispered of empires shattered, kings murdered by their kin, and the world forever changed by treachery. "The most dangerous betrayals," she would say, "come from those closest to you—your blood, your friends, those you love the most."
As she spoke, AJ would be haunted by fragments of his own past, flashes of lives he couldn’t fully recall. Faces of those he once trusted, blood on his hands—his own blood. He saw shadows of his death, betrayal at the hands of those he loved, but the memories were always just beyond his reach, leaving him in a cold sweat.
One day, with a pounding heart, AJ asked her, "Maa, why do you always speak of betrayal? Have you... have you betrayed anyone?"
Her response was chilling. "What can I say, my son? I cannot lie to you. Yes, I have betrayed—countless times. I have killed my own children, destroyed my own kingdoms, and erased entire civilizations." Her voice did not waver, and her eyes held a deep, ancient sorrow. "For the greater good, for the cycle of life to continue, these betrayals were necessary. Even though I knew there were innocents, lives worth preserving, I still did it. I used to tell your father, and he and his associates would decide who would be spared. They, and only they, had the power to save."
AJ's heart stopped. This was the first time his mother had ever mentioned his father. In all his life, she had never spoken of him, and until now, he had never dared to ask. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but one escaped his lips: "Maa, you're just a woman—a human. How could you have killed sons and daughters? I’m your only son, right? How could you have destroyed entire civilizations?"
His mother gazed at him with a smile that sent a shiver down his spine. ""Tell me, my son, what is my name?"
"Durga," he answered confused.
She smiled, a knowing, almost tragic smile. "Yes, Durga. But throughout the world, they call me by many names. Bhoomi Mata. Prithvi Mata. Dhatri. Bhūmi Tāyi. With the slightest shift of my being, the earth trembles. Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, tornadoes—they all stir at the lightest touch of my daughter Prakriti. And when they come, they make no distinction between the good and the evil, the innocent and the guilty. In that way, I betray my own children, unable to save those who deserve life. I used to tell your father…"
AJ's voice trembled. "Father? Is he so powerful that he could save so many of them?"
She whispered "More powerful than you could ever imagine," who is he, maa?"
A shadow passed over her face,
“Yes, my son. He is called by many names: Dev. Deva. Param Atman." Her voice softened, yet carried the force of a storm. "But these are mere echoes of what he truly is. He is the beginning and the end, the one who spoke the cosmos into existence and cradles it within the palm of his hand The stars themselves are his breath; the oceans bow to his will. He is the creator, the sustainer, and the destroyer of all things."
Her eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge, a knowledge not meant for mortal minds. "He is not just a god, AJ—he is *the* God. The Supreme Being. There is nothing outside of him, for he is the universe. Every life that has ever been lived, every soul that has ever journeyed, moves within him. He holds dominion over time, space, and existence itself."
AJ's heart pounded louder. "And... and he is my father?"
She nodded slowly, the weight of that truth sinking deep into his soul. "Yes. He is the source of all that is, was, and ever will be. And you, my son, are a part of him. One day, you will understand the magnitude of this truth, and when you do, you will realize the power you hold."
AJ’s mind swirled, the revelation too much to process. His whole life had been a veil of ignorance, and now, in an instant, that veil was torn away, exposing a reality he had never imagined. His mother, the embodiment of Earth itself, a force of nature. His father, the creator and ruler of the cosmos.
For a moment, all he could feel was an overwhelming sense of insignificance. How could he, just a young man, hold any meaning in such a grand, cosmic scheme? And yet, if what his mother said was true, if he was truly the son of the Supreme Being… what was his purpose in all this?
“Maa,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, “if Father is the creator of everything, why is the world so broken? Why all this suffering?”
Durga’s gaze softened as she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Suffering is a part of creation, my son. Without it, there is no growth, no change. Your father designed the universe not just for life, but for evolution, for the souls within it to learn, to rise beyond their limitations. But that process is painful, and sometimes, it comes at the cost of great destruction.”
Her voice tinged and eyes filled with tears.
Durga took a deep breath, her eyes locking with his. “Because, my son, the time is coming again. The world is tipping once more, and soon, the cycle must begin anew. But this time, it is different. You are not just a part of this world—you are part of the force that can change it. Your father’s blood runs through you, and with it, his power.”
His destiny was beginning to take shape, but the path ahead was unclear. “What am I supposed to do?” he asked, fear and determination battling within him.
His mother’s voice was soft, yet firm. “You must awaken, AJ. Awaken to your true self. Only then will you be able to wield the power that is your birthright. The fate of the world may very well rest in your hands.”
Just then, the door creaked open, and Nurse Clara entered, her presence a comforting balm to AJ’s tumultuous emotions. She had been a silent guardian, guiding him since he first entered this strange world. Her gentle touch on his shoulder was a reminder of the unwavering support he had, even amidst the chaos. As she met his gaze with a warm, understanding smile, AJ felt a renewed sense of resolve.
End of Chapter 2.
© All Rights Reserved
