Preface-

Dr. Mini, a psychiatrist with years of experience in addressing the underlying causes of mental disorders, sat in her chair, her gentle face etched with disbelief as she heard the announcement that woke her up from deep slumber.

Dr. Mini, welcome to Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. The local time is 8 am, and the temperature is 55 degrees Celsius. Please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign for your safety and comfort. This will show that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move out. You may use your cell phones if you wish.

She was in her husband’s private jet!

Last night’s conversation with Lord Krishna, the Supreme reverberated in her soul. She couldn't believe he'd spoken to her, but how could she be in Riyadh overnight if it wasn't true, she reasoned. Her phone rang at that very moment. It was Ishaan, her husband. 

“Hi sweetie,” she heard him say as she took the call. “Hope you have landed safely, '' he asked. And before she could reply, he continued, like always. "There is this young girl, Adra. You got to help her, darling. Three therapists have failed to find a solution for her. Her husband Ahmed had written to me about her hallucinations, knowing I run these mental clinics all over the world. He had found out the one in Riyadh is also run by me. He wants his wife to be cured, and I suggested your name knowing you would be best.”  

“Ishaan, you sent me here?” she interrupted him. “I have no recollection. I have a hazy memory of a conversation with the Supreme and him asking me to be here. Was I dreaming it all?”

“You confused me with the Supreme? Do you mean Lord Krishna? This is too much Mini! No wonder you were not opening your eyes when I was speaking to you. It's like this Mini, I noticed you kneeling on your bed with folded hands and calling out for Lord Krishna when I got home from work last night. Not wanting to interrupt your meditation, I whispered the plan into your ear gently. As soon as I finished speaking to you, you went into a deep slumber. Your departure was in an hour. I told you so while packing your belongings and while you continued with your meditation, I got you seated on our Jet. Sweetheart, I hope you're not too exhausted after your twelve-hour journey. A driver would wait for you outside the airport in a limousine. He'll take you to the Salah hotel, where a suite has been reserved in your name. Have a hearty breakfast, dear, because I've scheduled your meeting with this girl, Adra, for around noon. The same driver will take you to the clinic.” And then Ishaan disconnects. 

Mini tried connecting the events of the previous night after Ishaan hung up. She relates that what transpired must have been like this-

 “Hi... Hello... Hello,” she had gone on, her eyes tightly shut, wanting the Supreme Lord Krishna to respond. 

(Ishaan entered the room silently, -she doesn't come to know and while she was praying with her eyes closed, he talked and she thinks it’s Supreme.)

Like he must have whispered in a hoarse voice, playing up as Supreme “The photograph was deliberately placed in the box for you to find. So that you and I could talk. Humans don’t interact with me till I don’t create such situations. So, tell me... Do you want to keep your job and your usual home routine?”

Her reply to which was- “Well... Sort of... My job is important to me, I am a doctor... My patients need me...” She couldn't finish because she was interrupted by his voice again, which seemed to play in her head.

“Up and down, back and forth,... Aren't you fed up with it all? He exclaimed, laughing. (She wondered if this was Lord Krishna, the Supreme speaking to her.)

“All it takes is a simple three-letter word. So, right now, whisper that... See, they're shouting that to you as well,” said the Voice, which she now knew was of Ishaan.

“Who are they that you are talking about?” Mini had inquired, as she opened her eyes slowly. Adjusting to the darkness around, the visual was at first hazy... Mini could only make out the shadows of three people at first, but after a few minutes, the image became clear: Ishaan and their two children stood against a snowy background. Although there was no sound, Mini could read their lips as they said, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" The images of her family faded until they could be seen no more… (Oh my god, those were her family out in the verandah of her room playing tricks with her, she realized as she laughed.)

“OK! YES! Mini had said, almost shouting. Yes, she repeated, yes, she said again and added, Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees. I’m fed up with it all. There I said it. Now make it stop, the up and down, and the back and forth!”(she had begged.)

“That’s a good girl! Because you just admitted so desperately, I’m going to tell you exactly what to do to make the mambo jumbo stop. So listen carefully…”

And the Voice, which was of Ishaan that seemed to play in her head till now, was whispering the plan into her ear. Mini contorted her face with every word she heard: first her mouth, then her eyes, and lastly her nose swelled as amazement penetrated her body even more... And she heard the voice fading off as it said- “You will get up and find YOURSELF in Riyadh!”

And with that, Mini realized she must have fallen into a deep slumber.  With his money, power, and luxury, Ishaan was living in the realm of the ultra-wealthy, controlling her every move. This was supposed to be a huge break in her life, but it turned out to be merely a day's trip to check on a patient.

***

A Random Note from the Author-

Sometimes that's what we think it to be. Just a meeting. But our karmic debts will force much more to happen. Whosoever and howsoever we may be controlled by in this life, the various power relationships, be it, spouse, parents, partner, siblings, or a friend due to our karmic obligations, these relationships will not be able to stop or manoeuvre us from what lies ahead in this life.

***

The Karmic Debt

She stood up to get her luggage and purse and exit the plane. Outside, she saw the chauffeur carrying her placard. A few minutes later she arrived at the Salah hotel, dropped her bags, and was soon on her way to the clinic. The car dropped her in front of the clinic's entrance. At the door, she spotted a nameplate - Clinic for Mind Cure. 

Dr.Mini Mathur, M.B.B.S., M.D. (Visiting Psychiatrist from New York). It read.

She noticed a young girl waiting in the reception area as she opened the door. "You must be Adra," she asked.

‘Yes,” she heard her reply.

"I'm Dr. Mini Mathur. Should we start your session? " Mini asks as she gestures towards the adjoining cabin.

The girl nods and follows her into the cabin where they seat themselves across each other- “What do you do when all you can think of are headless bodies strewn around with blood gushing out of them?” She asks in frustration.

Mini is concerned, yet maintains a steady gaze on her as if she expects her to elaborate.

Getting the hint, Adra takes off from there: 

I saw an older self of me for the first time in a mirror. She was going over several decapitated dead bodies.

The next time was much worse; I could hear voices telling her not to go any farther on the battleground.

Yet again, I saw her seeking for that one body she wanted to cradle in her bosom.

Adra takes a deep breath. She pauses for a while to assess the doc’s reaction. 

“Have you been going through these for a long time?” inquires Mini.

"Ten years!" said a frustrated Adra.

"That's terrifying. War is usually a cause of concern. The headless bodies that you see jolt me to the core of my being. Have you heard any names being called out in these visions that might link to something real? If not, we might talk about anything recurring, something that has disturbed you. ” Dr. Mini asked.

“Yes, there is one moment in particular that disturbs me. In this scenario, I see her collapsing and fainting. She looks sorrowful as if her objective has been defeated, and she directs her gaze towards me. It happens when she walks over the dead. I saw towering guys with spears approaching her from behind, powerful enough to stop her. Those were not silhouettes, but genuine guys like the ones we see around us in real life. When she turns to face them, I notice her face. She's so close to me, that I get this creeping feeling that she can see me as well. For she stares at me from infinite space and urges me to find him. And that’s when she collapses and passes out."

“Did you see anything else?” Asks Mini, not believing it to be a simple case of hallucinations. 

When Adra closes her eyes and thinks, the previous images emerge in front of her, and when the last one occurs, she notices a tent in the background... A chill raced down her spine and she opens her eyes.

She informs Mini of what she has just seen. Five youthful victims lay butchered in a tent, mourned by a dark-complexioned mother. My older self turns and says, "Your boys are all dead," then repeats the words. She continues, "All of the Upapandavas have died." Then she cries, "Where have you gone, Abhimanyu? What happened to your butchered body?” She then falls, reeking of blood, and says softly, "I'll come back to find you."

“Draupadi... Draupadi... You saw Draupadi!” Mini exclaims, her voice was barely audible as she adds-“She was the mother of five children.”

“Who Draupadi? Which of the two women?” Asks Adra.

Mini said, "Draupadi, the one you saw crying over five slain bodies. The Mahabharata is a Hindu epic about dharma. It tells the story of two cousins, the Kauravas (sons of Dhritarashtra and ancestors of Kuru) and the Pandavas, who battled for dominance (sons of Pandu). The feud culminates in a series of epic battles on the Kurukshetra battlefield, which happened about 5000 years ago. The Pandava brothers' common wife was Draupadi, the heroine of the Hindu epic Mahabharat. In the great battle, Draupadi's sons, one from each of the five Pandavas, were slain in their sleep. 

The third Pandava, Arjuna, sought vengeance for the deaths of Draupadi's five sons, known as Upapandavas. The other woman you saw was Arjun's second wife, Subhadra. Abhimanyu, her son, had been cruelly killed only days before.

To be honest, two horrible events—two consecutive occurrences—went down without a hitch—two things that were completely unjustified and in violation of the principle of a fair fight. As a result, Lord Krishna forced Arjuna to put an end to the evil actions by winning the fight by whatever means. Adra, your visions are from the Great War.” Mini was stunned by everything, that she recalled and stated.

"Even though I've seen these sights a million times," Adra says, "I constantly feel chills." She motions to her palm and adds, "Like these goosebumps. But I have never seen anything quite like this before. Now you're telling me that the other woman I just saw was Draupadi and that I'm witnessing a 5000-year-old war... Then you bring up Abhimanyu's mother, Subhadra. If that's the war I'm witnessing, and Draupadi is the character I just saw, then I've been watching Subhadra for years! As she says it all, she stares at Mini in amazement, and then she adds-

Why do these visions appear to me? In these visions, why does Subhadra appear to be an older version of myself? Why do I look so much like her? This is beyond my comprehension! I had a chip put in my brain, so is this related to that? She began sobbing as she said this. Several minutes passed by with neither of them saying anything.

Mini stood by and watched Adra cry, her tears running down her abaya. Mini was enthralled by her attractiveness, and her thoughts wandered; what a lovely young lady Adra was. She wondered quietly whether Subhadra had been reincarnated.

Finally, Mini broke her web of thoughts by responding “I'm sorry to leave you, but I have to depart since I have an evening flight to New York." I feel you should be hospitalized to our care unit for a few days so we can track the duration and frequency of your hallucinations."

"No, I don't think I should be admitted; they are simply fleeting visions. I discovered an alternative remedy when conventional treatment failed." Adra remarked sharply, shrugging and grabbing her bag to go.

“Wait,” begged a worried Mini. “Your session is not yet finished. To be honest, I don't want you to be admitted either. I'd like to get to know you more as a person. But I only have a limited amount of time. Tell me about this alternative cure you mentioned about.” asked Mini.

 “Well, I spotted you browsing through my file. If you will closely study, the previous doctor has scribbled his notes in them. He gave me sleeping pills so that I don’t have these weird visions. I was fed up with his cure. So invented my cure. I go to every party in town, where there are dozens of people and loud music. No one knows I'm a very extreme introvert. But because I realized when I am in noise, no visions come to me, I surround myself with people. On the outside I'm a people's person, finding comfort in a crowd, speaking with strangers, and going out of the way to be friendly. However, On the inside, I simply want to live a normal life, without hopping from one party to another. Free of the hallucinations and images that plague me regularly, making my life unpleasant and unbearable.”

“What triggers these images?” asked Mini. “I don’t see that mentioned in your medical file. Try noting down, maybe you will discern a pattern and find a better cure.” She stated this while smiling reassuringly at Adra.

What if I don’t find a better cure? Will you help? enquired Adra, puzzled.

***

Some helpful notes from the author-

Before Mini answers to Adra, let me give you a backdrop.

The Pandavas' wife, Draupadi, was the mother of five Upapandavas. Draupadi was offered the chance to say no and take care of their children when the Pandavas were going to be exiled after losing a dice game with their evil cousins. She entrusted children care to Subhadra so that she might spend more time with her five husbands. She evoked a karmic debt. An obligation that wasn't returned in her lifetime. Draupadi would be set free if she could bring that karma into balance in her rebirth as Mini. 

It was Karmic for Mini to meet Adra and have an instant connection with her. It occurs to millions of people year after year. If you've ever had a friendship that appeared to have a magnetic connection but turned into a nightmare, you're not alone. In karmic relationships, passion and pain are frequently present in the same instance. And to recognize Karmic relationships while living them is next to impossible. They happen to just pay off the debt. So let’s get back to our story and see if Mini will be driven to pay the debt?

***

Mini assured Adra that it was a responsibility of a doctor to find a remedy. And so she would too. She proposed that she will keep visiting Riyadh frequently. However, Adra wasn’t so sure for she replied “ Flying from one country to the next to heal people is now possible, but why would you do that. A majority of docs wouldn't. They'll be content in their own space? Dr. Mini... I have a sneaking feeling that you and I are connected. My visions have shaken you as if, what's going on with me affects you and if anyone can cure me I am 100 percent sure that it would be you. So I will make it easy for you. I have an upcoming project that requires me to be in New York for some time and I can meet you there. I desperately want this party hopping to stop as much as these visions.” Getting up from where she sat, she exchanged cards with Mini as she walked out of the clinic. 

Mini examined the card in her palm, which read, "Architect Adra." If she told Ishaan she didn't admit Adra, she knew he'd be upset. So she dialed Ishaan's number to inform him that Adra was no longer seeing visions and appeared to be cured. She decided to keep the fact that she would visit her in New York a secret. The repaying of karmic debt was initiated.

Random notes again-

Mini felt compelled to help Adra without telling Ishaan. She'd create a web of exaggerated narratives, secret meetings, and hidden intentions with the secrets and lies, demonstrating that no one knows anybody completely. She would entangle the lives of many people once again. (She did the same as Draupadi-The woman with an indomitable spirit!)

The supreme smiled somewhere between Heaven and hell. Mini was clearly living her life to cleanse the karma she had accumulated. He felt assured that she will go through all of her karmic associations one by one and be finally liberated.