To the earth she fell with one incessant scream,
As she understood what end was near.
Mocking the gods, the enemy who once loved her,
Led the rite of death and fell first upon her.
—The Bacchae, Euripides

In the tumultuous sweetness of loving the mendicant and the mind-numbing pleasure of the drugs she continued to abuse, Ishvari eased the pain of Takshak’s desertion and somewhat pacified the insatiable demon who now ruled her.  

The mendicant’s birth name was Pundalik. Shyly, he confided that his guru had encouraged him to retain it even after he had taken vows—for Pundalik meant ‘lotus’ and his guru believed the name would be a constant reminder of his highest goal as a seeker: just as the lo...

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