Chapter 368: Chapter 331: Moon God Soma Has a Child, You Go! (Vote for Monthly Tickets!)
In Vighna.
A high platform had already been constructed, surrounded by rows of steps on all sides, with a sacrificial pit at the very top.
Fierce flames roared, illuminating the surroundings with their firelight.
The Ritual Master Immortal was currently immersed in arduous penance, and the role of sacrificial deity was being substituted by the Fire God Agni.
"These pure foods cannot be enjoyed by us alone, they must be offered to the three Supreme Lords!"
Indra said.
As his words fell, he stepped forward, prompting movement among the multitude of Devas.
Indra’s body gradually enlarged, displaying his supreme form, his eyes like the sun, his body golden like butter burning within flames, resplendently shining and descending into the Milk Sea.
He slowly approached the demonic sacrificial offerings, his Divine Cleaver swinging in his hand.
Crack!
The dried soil shells cracked apart, countless bits of dirt falling deep into the Milk Sea.
One by one, the bundles wrapped in lotus leaves, emitting a rich fragrance, floated in the air.
Swoosh!
These lotus leaf bundles emitted a pure radiance, like the white light reflected from atop glittering snow mountains, pure white and striking.
"The chief deity of sacrifice has not yet been decided!"
"Whom shall we worship first?"
Indra thought and instantly excluded Creator God Brahma from the Three Aspects Deity.
Long ago, long before the universe was born.
The Three Aspects Deity were born together.
Brahma and Vishnu once argued over who was born first, and later they discovered a gigantic Agni Linga.
This Agni Linga reached from heaven to earth, such that even Brahma and Vishnu could not see its end.
So Brahma and Vishnu made a bet, deciding that one would ascend, and the other descend,
To see who would find the end of this Agni Linga first.
Whoever did would be the first born!
Brahma flew upwards, while Vishnu plummeted downwards.
As swift as thought, both searched tirelessly for a thousand years but found no end to the Agni Linga.
Upon their reunion,
Vishnu admitted he had not found the end.
Brahma, however, got the ’Dew Thorn flower’ to bear false witness, lying that he had indeed found the end.
Then Shiva manifested from within the Agni Linga, praised Vishnu’s honesty, and punished the senior officer Brahma to not be worshipped, nor the perjuring Dew Thorn flower to be used as a sacred object in rituals.
Since then,
Shiva as the Linga form was worshipped; Vishnu in statue forms was worshipped; Brahma was not worshipped.
Firstly, Brahma was excluded!
"Without Brahma, that makes things easier!"
Indra revealed a smile, contemplating.
Vishnu and Shiva believed in each other, so it was fine to worship either first, as it wouldn’t cause any trouble.
With that in mind, it would surely be Narayana!
Swoosh!
Indra’s massive form moved.
His hands raised, and immediately a giant golden plate as large as a bedchamber appeared in his hands, the lotus-wrapped delicacies placed within, and instantly a ring of burning candles appeared around the plate.
He faced Vighna, supporting the golden plate with both hands, gently rotating it, offering it to Narayana and Goddess Lakshmi.
Other Devas and Gandharva Army also followed suit, making their offerings.
"Praise Narayana~ Praise Goddess Lakshmi!"
"Praise Narayana~ Praise Goddess Lakshmi!"
...
A chorus of offering voices arose.
Swoosh!
The purified demonic beasts in the golden plate instantly vanished.
Soon, Indra led the Devas, tossing the offerings into the Fire Sacrifice, completing the offerings to Vishnu and his consort, Shiva and his consort, and the Goddess of Salasivati.
He distributed two-tenths of each offering to the divine couples.
After all, though Brahma was nominally un-worshipped, he worshipped the Goddess of Salasivati, and these foods were ostensibly produced because of Vidyadhari—so allocating a larger share wasn’t an issue.
Six-tenths were theirs, the remaining four-tenths was their own!
But this wasn’t a problem either!
The Three Aspects Deity, upon receiving the offerings from the Devas, usually reciprocated some of their power.
The Ritual Master Immortal often led them in offering these tributes to gain power.
...
In Vighna, on the Snake Bed.
Vishnu’s eyes were closed as he slightly leaned forward, his mouth slightly moving, savoring these delicious offerings.
"Pure as the snow waters of Girisha!"
"The taste truly is good!"
Vishnu spoke softly with a smile on his face.
"Delicious!"
Goddess Lakshmi also smiled, her pink lips slightly parting as she savored the sacrificial offerings.
...
Girisha.
With Nandi and a host of evil spirits Ganesha crowding around her,
Parvati stood upright, her front shimmering with golden light as a giant golden plate suddenly appeared.
On the golden plate,
A ball wrapped in lotus leaves dripped with oil, fragrant and emitting a pure radiance that spread all around, as if soaked in the ice spring of Girisha Snow Mountain, invigorating the spirit and very appetizing.
"It smells so good! I want to eat it!"
"Is this the offering for the Heavenly Emperor and his consort?"
"It smells amazing!"
Nandi and the Ganesha raised their hands, swirling them around like a band of wild people who had caught their prey, loudly cheering with excitement.
Parvati too showed a joyful expression.
She clasped her hands at her chest, shook her head slightly, her gold-embroidered red silk gown glittering.
"Once my husband awakens, then he can taste it!"
"For now,"
"It seems Antaka can have a taste too!"
Parvati revealed a smile.
...
In Brahmaloka.
The Goddess of Salasivati, cradling the Vina in her arms, her eyes slightly narrowed, shook her head, savoring the taste of these offerings.
Even though she had tasted them before,
She was still very satisfied with this batch of offerings.
Brahma glanced at his wife beside him, his mouth moving slightly and his expression somewhat awkward.
This was an offering from believers.
He wanted to eat it too!
"Cough! Cough!"
Brahma gently coughed twice.
The Goddess Salasivati slightly shifted her gaze, looking at Brahma, and inadvertently revealed a gentle and warm smile.
Brahma’s eyes darted from side to side.
"Let me taste the craftsmanship of this devotee for you,"
said Brahma.
...
Whoosh!
As Indra completed the offerings to the Three Aspects Deity, threads of power wafted from the fire sacrifice, like cotton drifting or fireflies, seeping into the bodies of many Devas and Gandharvas.
These were the powers feedback after worshipping the Three Aspects Deity.
Whoosh!
Threads of white light surged into his body, and Indra also felt a sense of comfort.
He smiled and looked at the remaining offerings.
Next, it was the Devas’ turn to divide them.
"Ten percent for my brothers!"
"Ten percent to the other Devas."
"The remaining two parts for the participating Gandharvas!"
Indra decided in his heart as he held the Divine Cleaver.
He wore a smile on his face.
With several Devas and the Gandharva army here, all they needed to do was sacrifice to the other remaining Devas.
"Give a part to Mother Earth Dhara!"
"A part for Jyeshta!"
"A part each for Yama and Yamini!"
"And a part for Moon God Soma!"
...
Having divided these offerings, Indra immediately cast them into the fire sacrifice.
Boom!
As each offering was thrown into the fire, under the power of the flames, the offerings burned to ash, flowing towards the worshipped Devas.
Just as the offerings were nearly complete, a baby’s loud wail suddenly filled the air.
Whimpering!
This cry was extremely loud and instantly caught the attention of the Devas. Surya and others, who were enjoying the feast, all realized something was amiss.
"This crying seems to be coming from the Moon Temple!"
Indra murmured.
Whoosh!
At this moment, their eyes locked in a firm gaze.
Soma had given birth!
"Let’s go!"
"We should take a look!"
Indra blinked and murmured.
They had all been colleagues for many years, sharing a bond akin to brothers. Now that Soma had recovered, they must go see him!
Just like the offerings that had just been burned, consider it a congratulatory gift.
To compensate Soma!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The Devas transformed into Divine Light, all heading towards the relocated Moon Temple.
"The teachers have all gone!"
"The child of the Moon God?"
Kashigyakya blinked with curious eyes and murmured to himself.
His mothers, the Pleiades Goddesses, were good friends with Anusuye. He had heard his mother mention that Moon God Soma’s family was expecting a child and hadn’t gone out.
Now was the perfect time to meet this Moon God!
"Hua Wei, let’s go!"
Kashigyakya patted the peacock’s back and said.
...
Inside the Moon Temple.
A curtain of pearls fell, hiding the bed inside.
Surrounded by Soma’s mother, Anusuye, and Soma’s wives, they gathered around Soma with joy.
Moon God Soma lay on the bed.
His features were gaunt, but his lifeless eyes shone with a touch of spirit, showing a look of relief as he sighed deeply.
"Finally, I am relieved!"
Soma murmured to himself.
Outside the pearl curtain.
A handsome and strikingly beautiful man stood abruptly in the temple. He was tall and well-built, handsome in appearance dressed in yellow, wearing gold ornaments, and looked like the sun, bearing a strong resemblance to Soma.
"Father!"
"The one who nurtured my life!"
"I bow to you!"
The Son of Moon God joined his hands together, wearing a thrilled smile, looking up at Moon God Soma with joy and reverence.
"What a beautiful child!"
Anusuye blinked and watched her grandson with a smile.
"Yes, this child looks a lot like you, my husband!"
Rukshini looked at Soma. After all, this child was personally given birth by Soma. His child was their child, and they had no choice but to accept him as their own.
Whoosh!
Soma lay on the bed, his gaze shifting subtly to the child, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
This child brought him pain.
But the process of personally nurturing and giving birth to him also filled him with maternal love.
"From now on!"
"Your name will be—Buddha!"
Buddha! Buddha! Buddha!
Moon God Soma slowly spoke.
His voice echoed in the Moon Temple, lingering for a long time.
Buddha looked thrilled.
His father had named him, seeming to acknowledge him as his son.
Buddha couldn’t help but reveal a smile on his face.
However, the next moment, Soma spoke again.
"You have grown up; it’s time you had your own life. Leave here and go to the Mortal Realm,"
Soma said coldly.
Boom!
Buddha’s face instantly showed great shock, as if struck by lightning.
