sound, but Ishvari hushed him. She brought water to his parched lips, then drank some herself, watching as Mandakini packed pieces of braised venison into cracked wheat bread with shaking fingers and handed her a portion. Ishvari accepted the food, leaning against a tree to eat, while Mandakini fed her husband, stopping every now and then to wipe her flowing tears with the edge of her garment. As Mandakini huddled beside her husband beneath the rustling trees, her eyes swollen with weeping, Ishvari walked the magnificent steeds down to the rushing stream to drink their fill of water before feeding them with the remaining bread. The only sounds were those of the wind circling the trees like a phantom and the mournful notes of water birds.

When Vasudeva stirred a short while later, the women helped him rise and enter t...

Please subscribe to keep reading.