Puru covered his yawn with the palm of his hand and went back to cleaning the dried blood from under his nails, as he sat lazily in the heavenly court. The sessions at God King Arya's imperial court were long and tedious, running from eighth sun mark in the morning till eighth sun mark at night. There were occasional excitements when a sage or a demon would come and curse them all or try to torch the entire structure. But their power dwarfed compared to the Gods'.

Puru heard a stomach growl and stole a glance at the God sitting next to him. It was Lord Gajanan.

"No one keeps time like your belly, Lord Gajanan." Puru whispered to his neighbor.

"How am I expected to fathom these hymns, without a grain in my belly?" Gajanan responded in a hushed tone, referring to the sage who was singing songs of praise for the God King Arya, currently seated on his peacock throne.

"Did you not break your fast this morning, my lord?" Puru turned slightly to his associate. Lord Gajanan's trunk sat coiled on his ample stomach. His small round eyes were fixed at the sage spouting his hymns on the assembly floor, while his large ear flaps would occasionally sway, bringing a gust of air.

"In the morning, yes." He answered dryly. Another growl escaped his stomach.

"Then, we must do something about that belly of yours before it starts singing louder than the Sage over there, my lord," Puru said mischievously, causing the half-elephant half-human deity to snort through his long trunk.

Lord Puru turned and swept a glance across the heavenly court. Hundreds of celestial beings attended the heavenly assemblies. Of the three levels of seating, he was seated on the second level from the floor. The older Gods sat on the highest level, while the newer Gods and sacred demons and beings sat on the lower two levels. The assembly was divided into sections by pillars of gold that were carved with reliefs of flowers and leaves, rising from the floor, and disappearing into the clouds. The clouds, in turn, formed a balcony on the edges of the hall from where the ethereal angels showered fragrant blossoms and waved the ceremonial fans.

The walls of the hall were gilded and embellished with floral patterns with emeralds for leaves and rubies for flowers. The beautiful marble floor parted down the hall to form the Pool of Immortality, with small narrow steps leading from the floor down into the pool. Floating on the pool were five stunning Holy Asayan Lotus flowers, with large pink petals bordered by a darker shade of pink. Many aquatic snakes swam in the pond, coiling themselves around the lotus stems.

Puru looked up at Arya, seated on the high throne, dignified and graceful, watching the Sage with kind eyes and gentle smile. His chaste white stole and the white cotton cloth wrapped around his legs, his dhoti, conflicted with the opulent peacock throne he sat on. Three golden peacocks shaped the throne, one on each arm and one on the back, all with their tails fanned out. The thick plumage of the golden peacocks was set in such precious stones as rubies, garnets, diamonds, and other jewels. Lord Arya, himself, looked no more than forty; yet Puru had heard the God King was centuries old and became a God long before Puru's own ancestors roamed the earth.

Puru was a descendent of the family of Agni Asuras. He had heard tales of how God King Arya had slain his ancestor Yaman in a single combat. The fateful moment was etched as a mural on the wall behind Arya's peacock throne. The God King decided to patronize Puru to succeed in what he had failed with Yaman. As if reading his mind, Arya turned and met Puru's gaze with smiling eyes.

Puru's wandering thoughts returned to the matters at hand, as the sage launched into another lengthy verse.

Puru sprang to his legs and addressed the sage, "Pardon, Great Sage Vyom."

Great Sage Vyom jerked his head towards Puru, flashing his eyes, "Who is that insolent being, interrupting my chants?"

"Sage Vyom, this insolent being is Puru, son of Asura Kuru." Puru replied, bowing, with his hands joined in respect.

"Why do you interrupt me, insolent creature?" The Guru blazed.

"I have highly enjoyed your tribute to Lord Arya," Puru spoke has he descended the broad tall steps of the assembly. "Can I request you to write a homage to me?"

"To you? A mediocre demon? How dare you compare yourself to the Great King of Gods, Arya?" The Guru shrilled with rage.

"Pardon my mistake, Great Sage Vyom. I forgot my place." Puru was now standing beside the Sage, his hand resting feather light on the Sage's back. Hidden from everyone's gaze, his finger drew a quick geometric pattern on the back. "Please continue." He said and walked back up to his seat looking content and giving a slight nod to the Elephant God Gajanan.

The Sage shot one last look at Puru's retreating back and turned to the God King Arya to resume his songs. Yet, nothing came out of his mouth! It appeared that his voice was stuck in his throat. He wildly gesticulated, with his finger alternately pointing to his neck and the now seated Demon God. But all was in vain.

A snigger or two could be heard, then a few giggles; before long the entire hall started to laugh and point at the Sage. Sage Vyom shook with anger and humiliation, but he could neither complain nor curse. Seeing the disgraceful reaction of his subjects, the God King finally stood up.

"SILENCE!" The King roared, and silence rippled through the hall. "What a shameful and unbecoming behavior from this court! Each of you owe Great Sage Vyom an apology. Within the next seven days, you will pay him a visit to his cottage and bring him a worldly gift." Then, he turned to Puru. "As for you, Lord Puru, you have dishonored the Sage by interrupting him and confusing him into silence. You will descend to the earth in fifteen days and aid the refugees of the flood in the Eastern Kingdom of Asaya."

"But there has not been any flood in the Eastern Kingdom of Asaya, my lord." A Goddess questioned.

"There will be." The God King said darkly, and the room filled with low hushed chatter.

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