The silence of the chambers that night was a brittle thing, ready to shatter beneath the weight of Pṛthā's newly gifted knowledge. She paced, the mantra a hot coal in her mind, outshining the cautious instructions of her upbringing.
Fear was a sensible, heavy cloak, but curiosity was a needle-sharp impulse she couldn't ignore. Such a powerful secret cannot remain untested, her young mind argued. I must know if the words are truly the gateway to the divine. This irresistible lure of the unknown, the craving to peek behind the veil, eclipsed all reason.
Facing East, she closed her eyes, fixed the divine syllables in her heart, and whispered the incantation into the darkness. She expected a gentle flicker of light, a harmless confirmation.What followed was not a test, but a terrifying invasion.The air instantly thickened, growing intensely hot, like standing at the mouth of a celestial forge.
A brilliant, absolute presence materialized. Surya, the Sun God, stood before her, immense and radiating an ancient, unassailable regality. He was the source of life, yet His presence in this small, mortal room was crushing. Pṛthā scrambled backward, her earlier curiosity instantly curdled into paralyzing, unadulterated terror.
"Pṛthā," His voice resonated, a deep, warm vibration that touched the soul, "you have summoned Me. The boon of Durvasa is absolute. I am here to grant the son you requested.
"Pṛthā choked on her rising panic. "No! Forgive me, Lord! It was a mistake, a foolish test! I am unmarried—a maiden! I retract the invocation, I beg you, retreat!
"Surya watched her distress with compassion, yet His celestial duty was ironclad, written in the laws of the cosmos. His features held an indifferent pity for her mortal plight. "The power of the mantra is boundless, but it is also one-way. It is an act of creation, not a parlor trick to be undone. The spell is cast, Pṛthā. The child must be.
"The weight of this irreversible truth crashed down, replacing panic with utter, crushing despair. A powerful, celestial energy enveloped her, and in a moment that transcended mortal time and space, the boon was fulfilled. Surya paused, His gaze conveying an essential truth, a final mercy.
"Fear not the physical laws, Pṛthā. By my divine power, your maidenhood will remain intact. You shall bear the child, yet your body will be preserved from the eyes of men."With that, Surya vanished, leaving Pṛthā alone in the dark, silent room, trembling, utterly shattered by the secret she now carried. The Sun's light was gone, but His consequence remained.