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20th Century -
In Rajasthan, a large hospital bustled with activity. The Maharaja of Jaisalmer, Prithvi Raj Shekhawat, was tense, pacing the corridors. Suddenly, the cries of a newborn echoed
through the building. Clouds rumbled in the sky, and rain began to pour as if the heavens themselves were announcing the birth.
A nurse approached Prithvi Raj and said, "Congratulations, Rana-sa! You have been blessed with a daughter. But her skin is dusky. " ( sawla rang )
The king, a little somber, took the baby in his arms, and a smile spread across his face.
"No, she is not just an dawly child-she is the Kali herself. Tomorrow is Shivratri, and in our home, the power of Lord Shiva has been born."
At that moment, Aviraaj Singh Rathore, a friend of Prithvi Raj, entered the room. Seeing the baby in the king's arms, he offered his congratulations. With him was his six-year-old son, Ishan Singh Rathore, who watched everything with wide-eyed curiosity.
"Baba, why are we here? And who is this?" Ishaan asked.
Aviraaj smiled. "Kuwar-sa, this is the future princess of Jaisalmer and your friend'. You will play with her, won't you?"
Ishaan laughed excitedly.
Just then, the nurse spoke again, "Rana-sa, Rani-sa has regained consciousness. You may go to her now." With that, she left, and everyone made their way to Gayatri.
Gayatri held the newborn in her arms, cooing, "My little one... how adorable you are." Aviraaj and Prithvi Raj quietly left the room, leaving Ishaan inside.
Ishan peered at the baby and asked, "Aunty Gayatri..."
Gayatri looked at him with a smile. "Ishaan, when did you start calling me aunty? I've told you countless times-you should call me choti maa."
Ishan grinned, pointing at the baby. "Choti Maa-sa, this is your daughter, right?" He gazed at the newborn intently.
Gayatri replied, "Yes, but... she doesn't look like anyone we know. Whom does she resemble?"
Ishan's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Choti Maa-sa, will you tell me a story?"
"Yes, Ishan," Gayatri said.
Ishan clapped his hands, bubbling with excitement. "Yes! Yes, Choti Maa-sa!"
---
Gayatri smiled and continued the story for Ishaan.
"In the 18th century there lived a princess named Manikarnika - beautiful, dusky-skinned, and a devoted worshipper of the Great Lord. She was to be married and would become the queen of Jaisalmer.
Meanwhile, Vansh Chandravanshi - the powerful king of Rajasthan, a conqueror of many realms and a fierce devotee of Maa Kali - waited with a destiny of his own. Their fates were different, their destinies opposed.
On the day of her swayamvar, Princess Manikarnika went to the Kali temple to pray. There Vansh's eyes fell upon her. The king - who never looked twice at another woman - became lost in her. Consumed by desire, he attacked her kingdom, abducted Manikarnika, and took her to the temple to force a wedding.
Though the wedding was performed, Manikarnika's wrath burned fierce. With Vansh's own sword she cut his throat - condemning his restless spirit to torment. The temple priest told her she could bind Vansh's soul, but only if she sacrificed her own life. Without hesitation, to preserve her honor and avenge her people, Manikarnika gave her life.
Yet on that day the priest saw something strange in the sky - an omen. He understood then what he had only felt before: Manikarnika's task was not finished. She would return again, because her purpose remained unfulfilled."
Gayatri looked down at the newborn in her arms and then at Ishan. "That is why, child," she said softly, "some souls do not end at death. They find their way back - across centuries - to complete what destiny demanded."
Ishaan, eyes wide, hugged his knees and begged, "Tell me more."
Gayatri's voice softened as she held the newborn close. "Ishaan, in Jaisalmer this is the first baby born in our house - and born the day before Shivratri. Who knows... perhaps she is Princess Manikarnika herself, returned."
Ishan's eyes went wide. "Really, Choti Maa? Then I will marry the princess when I grow up!"
Gayatri laughed. "Yes, yes, you must marry her."
Ishan tilted his head curiously. "And where is that king Vansh, Choti Maa?"
Gayatri's smile faded. "He still wanders. He was a devotee of Maa Kali - he cannot sleep peacefully. He will return only if someone wakes him."
Just then, Prithvi entered. "Rani-sa, please rest now. Ishan, come - let Choti Maa-sa sleep."
Ishan ran out, leaving Gayatri alone with the baby.
Outside the storm deepened. In the dimly lit corridor, a shadow moved - a woman slipped past the guards without a sound. She crept into Gayatri's room, lifted the baby from her cradle, and slipped out of the hospital.
Outside in the rain, the woman laughed wildly. "Jaisalmer's princess... I will rewrite your fate. I will make sure no princess survives in this royal line. I will not allow this palace to celebrate for long." She placed the baby inside the back of a moving truck. The truck roared off into the darkness.
Rain poured harder. The woman's laughter echoed in the empty street.
Moments later, Gayatri stirred awake. She reached for her baby but found the cradle empty.
"Rana-sa!" she cried.
Prithvi rushed in, startled. "What happened, Rani-sa?"
'Meri bacchi....meri bachi kha h woh !"
("My baby... my baby is gone!") Gayatri's voice rose in panic.
Prithvi blinked, confused.
"Kha hai "kya mtlb hai aapka ?"
("Gone? What do you mean-?")
"Meri baachi ! Meri bachi kha hai ?" Gayatri screamed, clutching at the empty cradle as the storm raged outside.
(“My child! Where is my child?”)
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Rana sa gave strict orders to search for the lost princess, commanding that every corner of the kingdom be checked. He himself stayed beside Rani sa, who was in a terrible state - her health weakening as she wept.
"I didn't even get to see her properly..." she cried helplessly.
Little Ishaan stood at the doorway, watching her tears. Confused, he tugged at his father's hand. "Baba... what happened?"
Aviraaj knelt down beside him and said softly, "Kuwar sa, someone took the princess away. Don't worry, we will find her."
He then went to Prithvi Raj, who was standing motionless, eyes filled with tears.
"We've searched everywhere in Rajasthan," Aviraaj said. "Every station, every airport - but there's no sign of her."
Prithvi's voice trembled. "We didn't even get time to celebrate her birth... and someone already took her away."
Aviraaj placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't lose hope, my friend. We'll find her. We must."
Outside, rain poured endlessly. Ishaan stood by the window, gazing at the storm. His lips curved into a faint, strange smile. "You just arrived, Rajkumari," he whispered,
"Hum aapko dhoondh kar rahenge, Rajkumari... waise bhi, aap humare liye hi toh aayi hain."
"Aur hum toh aapka intezar 200 saalo se kar rhe hai badi der kardi aapne rajkumari ji " he said with a faded
smile .
(“We will find you, Rajkumari… after all, you’ve come for me anyway.”
“And I’ve been waiting for you for 200 years… you’ve kept me waiting long enough, Rajkumari ji.”)
The six-year-old boy's tone carried an unsettling certainty - the quiet echo of a soul that had lived before. Ishaan was no ordinary child. He was Vansh Chandravanshi rebon
Haan... woh vansh tha.
Vansh Chandravanshi - jiska shareer toh mar chuka tha,
par uski atma...
phir se laut aayi thi ...
Ek naye roop me nayi zindagi ke sath ...
Manikarnika ki chah me ...
(Yes… that was Vansh.
Vansh Chandravanshi—whose body had died,
but whose soul…
had returned once again…
In a new form, with a new life…
Driven by Manikarnika’s desire…)
______________
On the other side,
the truck sped toward Banaras as the storm worsened - a tempest that seemed to announce that some long-promised fate had arrived. At the temple, the priests felt the wind and saw the heavens rage; the storm was fierce, and they hurried inside for shelter.
Then they heard it: the faint cry of a baby. Searching wildly, they found, among the flowers at the temple steps, a newborn wrapped and left to die. Shocked, the priests gathered the child into their arms.
"Hey Mahadev, who would abandon a baby here?" they cried. The child was burning with fever; the priests rushed her into the inner sanctum and rang the temple bells as the rain hammered down.
They tried everything to save her - warming, drying, chanting. One priest spoke aloud,
"Mahadev, agar aaj ke din tune iss bachi ki jaan bachyi toh mai ,vada karta hu yeh bachi sada teri Sevak bnkar rehegi
(“Mahadev, if today You save this child’s life, I promise… this child will always remain Your devoted servant.”)
The newborn's breaths were shallow; the priests begged the gods for mercy. For a moment it seemed she would not survive, and in anger and desperation one priest cried,
"O Mahadev, if you do not return this child's life, I will renounce my service - I will never again call myself your devotee, will not serve your temple."
Then, as if answered, lightning flashed, the baby took a deep, strong breath, and began to cry loudly.
The priests lifted her up, hands joined before the deity, chanting, "Om Namah Shivaya." Grateful and trembling, one of them declared, "
Mahadev tune ise naya jeevan dekar mujhper ek eshaan kiya hai aur Aaj se teri Sevak..ANAMIKA
Na jaane kis ke liye yeh bachi yha par aayi hai par aayi Teri sharn me hai tu hi karta dharta banega iska
JISKE NAAM ME HI DEVI KA SWAROOP HO WOH SHIV KI SABSE PRIYE BNEGI.
BAM BAM BHOLE
(“Mahadev, by giving her a new life, You have bestowed a blessing upon me… and from today, she will be Your devoted servant… ANAMIKA.
I don’t know for whom this child has come here, but she has come under Your shelter. You will be her protector.
One whose very name carries the form of the Goddess will become the most beloved of Shiva.”)
The temple bells pealed joyously, echoing through the rain and the lanes of Banaras as the newborn's wails filled the sanctum - a new life begun under the watch of the gods.
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Manikarnika had already been reborn, but she had diverged from her destiny - she had become a lost princess. Ishaan Singh Rathore, the crown prince of Chittorgarh, was unaware of her past life.
In her previous life, Vansh Chandravanshi - the same soul now reborn as Manikarnika - would search relentlessly for her. Fate had plans to bring them together, but how and when they would meet remained a mystery. The game of destiny was set, weaving past and present into a collision neither of them could escape.
It's continue........
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