Aryan couldn't sleep that night.
After everything that happened at the temple, his mind wouldn't shut off. The rudraksha mala in his hand, the strange feeling in his chest, the Pandit's words—none of it made sense. He tried to convince himself it was just some weird experience, maybe stress or a lack of sleep. But deep down, something inside him was unsettled.
He sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "What the hell just happened?" he muttered to himself, running his hand through his hair.
He picked up his phone and scrolled through his emails—work stuff, client requests, routine business—but none of it felt important. His mind kept drifting back to the temple, to the mala.
His mother's message flashed on the screen again.
"Did you get the mala? I hope you understand now. The path is not easy, but it's yours to walk. Trust in it."
Aryan let out a frustrated sigh. His mother had always been into that spiritual stuff—yoga, chanting, meditation—but he never took it seriously. She'd always tried to get him to join, to "find peace," but Aryan had always laughed it off. "I don't need that," he'd tell her. "I've got work to do."
But this… this was different.
---
The next morning, Aryan couldn't shake the feeling. He went through the motions of his usual routine—dressing, eating, checking his messages. He had a meeting with a client at 11 a.m., and then another one in the afternoon. But none of it felt real. It was like he was going through the motions without being present.
At lunch, he stepped outside to get some fresh air. The heat of Bangalore's midday sun hit him, but it didn't seem to matter. The noise of traffic, the honking cars, the bustling of people on the streets—it all felt distant, like he was watching the world from behind glass.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed again. It was a message from his friend, Ravi.
"Bro, how's the business going? We should grab a drink tonight, man."
Aryan stared at the message for a moment before typing a quick reply.
"Same old. Maybe later. I've got some stuff to figure out."
He put the phone back in his pocket and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes for a second. He tried to push the thoughts of the temple out of his mind.
But they kept coming back.
---
By late afternoon, Aryan found himself heading back to the temple. He hadn't planned to, but the urge was there. He needed answers, and the Pandit was the only person who might be able to give him any.
The streets were quieter now, the rush hour traffic building up on the main roads. Aryan walked through the narrow lanes towards the temple, feeling a strange mix of confusion and frustration.
When he reached the temple, the familiar scent of incense and the peaceful silence hit him again. He walked inside, where the Pandit was sitting at the same spot as before.
"Back again, beta?" The Pandit's voice was calm, almost as if he'd been expecting him.
Aryan didn't know where to start. He just said it. "I don't get it, Panditji. Something happened last night. When I touched the mala, it was like... I don't know, like something inside me woke up. I felt this energy, like it was alive. What is it? What's going on with me?"
The Pandit didn't look surprised. He just nodded slowly, as if he'd been expecting these questions. "It's the Kundalini. The energy that flows inside all of us. But it doesn't awaken in everyone. It needs the right time. The right person."
Aryan rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of it. "Look, I'm not some spiritual guy. I don't even know what you're talking about. I'm just a businessman, Panditji. I've got a startup to run, clients to deal with. I don't have time for this."
The Pandit smiled softly. "You think you don't have time, but it's not about that, beta. The Kundalini doesn't care about what you do for a living. It's about what you are inside. It's about your heart and your mind being open to something bigger than yourself."
Aryan stared at the Pandit, feeling a bit lost. "So, what? I'm supposed to just accept this? I don't even understand what's happening. One minute I'm running a company, and the next, I'm having these weird sensations and hearing about ancient energy forces. I don't know how to deal with that."
The Pandit didn't say anything for a moment, just looking at Aryan with quiet eyes. "You don't need to understand everything right now. But what you need to do is trust it. Trust that the energy you feel is real. It's not something to fear. It's something to learn from, something to grow with."
Aryan's frustration grew. "I'm not some yogi, Panditji. I don't know how to 'trust' energy. I've got bills to pay, deadlines, a business to run. I don't have time for this."
The Pandit's voice was gentle. "The energy is already inside you, Aryan. It's not something you can run from. It's part of who you are. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you'll understand what you're meant to do with it."
Aryan shook his head, not sure if he was ready to accept any of this. But deep down, a part of him knew there was no turning back now. Something had changed in him, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he could feel it.
He took a deep breath and finally spoke, his voice quieter now. "Okay, I'll try. But I need more than just these words. I need to know how to make sense of all this."
The Pandit nodded. "And you will. But remember this—there's no shortcut. You can't rush the process. The path will unfold, and in time, you'll understand."
As Aryan walked out of the temple, he felt a little calmer, but still confused. The city seemed to be moving at the same speed around him, but he felt like he was moving in slow motion. The mala in his pocket felt heavier now, like a weight he couldn't escape.
He wasn't sure where this path would lead, but one thing was clear to himself that is life would never be the same again.