I do not know what I truly am
I roam about, mysteriously fettered by my mind
—Rig Veda

A drongo bird shrieked a raucous warning from the devadaru tree as Ishvari turned the corner of the narrow path leading out of the valley. She skidded to an abrupt halt, sucking in her breath at the sight of the yellow-banded coils of a king cobra lying before her on the sunwarmed path. The king cobra was belligerent, its venom capable of killing an elephant! Fast as lightning, Ishvari clambered sideways on to the rocks bordering the trail, hoping the serpent was too sluggish to give chase. When she glanced back fearfully moments later, the cobra had only raised its painted hood in her direction, its tongue a forked, flickering earthworm.

She resumed...

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