The evening sky above hidden Kashi glowed with fading shades of crimson and gold. The city was peaceful, yet beneath that peace something restless continued to stir.
I found Maan sitting alone near the edge of the forest.
His gaze was fixed on the horizon, but it was clear he wasn't truly looking at it. His mind was somewhere else entirely.
"You've seemed lost for a long time," I said as I approached him. "Is something bothering you?"
Maan remained silent for a few moments before replying.
"No, Ali. I'm not lost."
His voice carried an unusual heaviness.
"I'm trying to understand my own existence."
The answer caught me off guard.
Maan slowly lowered his eyes.
"You know, don't you?" he continued. "There are many things being hidden from me."
His expression hardened.
"Gurudev knows something."
"Everyone knows something."
"And yet no one is willing to tell me."
A cold breeze passed between us.
I studied his face carefully.
"Why do you think that?" I asked.
Maan let out a quiet breath.
"Because every time I search for answers, I find more questions."
He clenched his fists.
"Whenever I meditate, whenever I try to focus, I feel incomplete."
His voice became softer.
"Sometimes it feels as if my own mind refuses to accept this form."
The words lingered heavily in the air.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I already understood what he was trying to say.
But some truths could not be given.
They had to be discovered.
"Maan," I said calmly, "if you continue to drown in your own thoughts, you'll never find the truth."
He looked toward me.
"Then tell me the truth."
His question was direct.
Almost desperate.
I shook my head.
"My answer won't resolve your confusion."
Maan's eyes narrowed.
"Then you do know something."
I remained silent.
The silence itself became an answer.
A distant expression crossed his face.
"As I thought."
I took a slow breath.
"If you truly wish to remove this uncertainty, then seek guidance from Gurudev."
"Or speak with Hanuman."
"They can help you far better than I can."
Maan stared at the ground for several moments.
Then he spoke again.
"Doesn't it seem strange to you, Ali?"
"What does?"
"That only I am experiencing this."
His voice carried genuine frustration now.
"Why am I the only one feeling these changes?"
"Why am I the only one hearing something calling from within?"
"Why does it feel as though a part of me exists somewhere beyond my reach?"
He raised his eyes toward me.
"Do you really not know the reason?"
The question struck harder than he realized.
Because I did know.
At least part of it.
But this was not my truth to reveal.
I looked away toward the distant temples of Kashi.
"My speaking—or remaining silent—will not solve your dilemma, Maan."
I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Go to Gurudev."
"Ask him."
"Some answers must come from the source itself."
Maan remained motionless.
Yet behind his eyes, I could see something changing.
The questions were growing stronger.
And sooner or later...
The truth hidden from him for so long would demand to be revealed.