Devi Narmada looked at Rudra, who was looking at her with deep concentration, and could tell that he was getting it, what she wanted to convey.
"So, Rudra never stops growing and never runs from the change and always tries to reach the heights and move toward the peace and rest within the divine."
Rudra remained still for a long moment… his gaze lowered, not in doubt, but in thought that had no words yet.
The waters around him had calmed… but something within him had deepened.
Then, slowly, he spoke—
"If Mah teaches to flow… to yield… to surrender without losing oneself…"
He lifted his eyes toward her.
"Then how does one know… when to flow… and when to stand still?"
The question did not carry confusion.
It carried weight.
Devi Narmada looked at him… not immediately answering… as if the silence itself was part of what he needed.
Then she spoke—
"Water does not decide in haste."
Her voice moved as gently as the current that circled them.
"It flows… when there is a path."
A pause…
"And it becomes still… when there is depth."
Her gaze softened, but did not waver.
"You think flow and stillness are opposites, Rudra…"
"They are not."
She gestured lightly toward the waters.
"A river flows on the surface… yet in its depths, it is calm."
"An ocean may appear still… yet beneath it, there are currents that never cease."
Then her eyes met his fully.
"The question is not when to flow… or when to stand still."
A faint stillness settled in her words.
"It is… can you remain undisturbed in both?"
Silence followed.
Not empty… but complete.
And in that silence…
The answer did not feel given.
It felt… found.
After the lesson was complete, Rudra asked Devi Narmada more questions and responded to her question, which she asked to check up to which part he understood the lesson.
"Now for a token for our teacher and student bond..." Devi Narmada said so with a smile and closed their eyes and raised their hand in motion it down, palm facing downward.
And with that, she took the lotus on which both were standing back to the ground.
After that,
"Come down, Rudra." She said to Rudra and, with that, left the bounds of the lotus and stepped on the soil.
They smiled at Rudra and pointed at the lotus, and the size of the lotus kept decreasing until it reached the size of a bead.
They took the bead-sized lotus in their palms and closed it.
Inside the palm of Devi Narmada, the lotus petals kept on closing one by one, and it transformed into a lotus bud. After they opened their palms and transformed it into a Rudraksha bead with a Lotus bud as its shape, this Rudraksha was unlike others, as it didn't have a face, but rather it had eight distinct, lotus-shaped petals.
After forming the Rudraksh bead, Devi Narmada looks at Rudra and, with a smile, says,
"Here is our token for our bond," and with that, the bead vanishes from her palms and joins other beads in a bracelet on Rudra's wrist.
After that, Devi Narmada pointed at the floating water and made it come down to its respective position, and with that, the river was formed again.
On the lotus leaves, standing with Devi Narmada, Rudra was feeling at peace.
After a moment, still looking at the calm river flowing smoothly, he asks her,
"So, Devi Narmada, is it time for my next lesson already?"
"Yes and no. Before your lesson with Manasa, I have something to give you, and for you. You need something so that you can learn properly."
Rudra looks back at Devi Narmada, who was standing beside him, too looking at the river water.
She looks back at him and, with a smile, says.
"You can tell Rudra, every part of the Mantra was representing the elements, from the 5 elements, Panch Mahabhuta. But you see, you only have four elements with you right now. You don't have the 5th element, Space."
"From,
Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Space,
You have Earth given by the Devi Aranyani, and Wind from the fruit of Kalpavriksha, Fire from the fire of the Third eye, from Jyoti, Water from the first water of Goddess Ganga.
Four elements except one, and that is space.
You could learn all about your previous lessons and this lesson, given by me, because you already had a foundation. A foundation that is elements.
But what about the next lesson, the lesson that will be connected with not only the 5th element space but also life and soul?
For soul and life, you can rest assured you will have them with the help of Manasa. But to send you unprepared, it would be my fault. As I, too, am your teacher.
That is why, before sending you for your lesson, I have decided to give you the boon of element space, hence completing your imbalance."
And then Devi Narmada looks back at the far end, at distance end of the river. The end that was hidden in the clouds, which connects this Kailash with the Earth, is another Kailash mountain that is situated at Earth.
She summoned those clouds as well as the water from the source, which is in constant contact with the space and dimensions, and it came floating and rested on her palms, floating as if suspended in the air.
She formed ice on her other palm and shaped it into a glass, and that cloud and water were poured into it.
After it was done, she looked at Rudra and gave him the glass of water, mixed with cloud and water.
"Here, drink this, Rudra."
Rudra took a glass of water from Devi Narmada and looked at it.
He could see clouds, lightning, water that was there, and sometimes wasn't. Sometimes he would see this place forming in the glass, where he was standing; sometimes it would show him the Earth from space; sometimes he would see the moon; and sometimes he couldn't tell what he was seeing.
He looks back at Devi Narmada, closes his eyes, and proceeds to drink from the glass.
As Rudra drinks from the glass, he couldn't tell, but the content of the glass didn't enter his body in the way water was supposed to go, from mouth to throat and to stomach. As the content of the glass touched his tongue, it vanished, and with that, the element of space entered his body.
Itmoved towards his forehead, where a mark of Bel Patra, tri coloured leaves with a brown-coloured stalk was. And that leaves a mark twisted into a circle, and just as that happened, Rudra lost his consciousness.
Before he could fall, Devi Narmada took hold of him with forming water below him and proceeded to gently lift him and carry him to his next destination. As they were walking, the sun set and the moon rose above. With a perfect, tranquil night filled with stars and moonlight.