As they settled at a table that seemed to be carved from a single piece of moonlight, a holographic menu shimmered into existence before their eyes. It glowed with a soft, golden light, and the text seemed to be written in living starlight.
DIVINE CAFETERIA - ANNAPURNA ANNEX
APPETIZERS :-
•Amrit Shots - Divine nectar in miniature kamandalu
•Indra's Thundercloud Platter - Crispy vadas with lightning essence
•Sage's Enlightenment Salad - Greens from Nandanvan gardens
MAIN COURSES :-
•The Sattvic Special - Ambrosia burger with devotion essence
•Puranic Thali - Rotating platter from different yugas
•Vayu's Wind-Riders - Floating momos from Himalayan meadows
•Varuna's Oceanic Harvest - Ocean fish with primordial tides
BEVERAGES :-
•Soma Ras - Ancient drink of gods and sages
•Ganga Jal Sparkling - Pure water from river source
•Yogic Brew - Herbal tea for soul peace
DESSERTS :-
•Churned Ocean Delight - Moon-essence kheer
•Rasleela Rasgullas - Joyful cottage cheese balls
•Kalpavriksha Fruit Platter - Wish-fulfilling fruits
....
Angat's eyes widened as he read the elegant script.The simple names somehow evoked not just hunger, but a deep, soul-level yearning.
"Woah," he breathed, his voice full of awe. "I got an appetite just reading the menu."
Narad chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "A well-written menu is the first step to a satisfied soul, Vatsa. Now, what calls to you? The Sattvic Special, as I promised? Or do you feel daring enough to try a Puranic Thali and taste the flavors of a bygone age?"
They placed their orders - the Sattvic Special with celestial onions for Angat, and the Puranic Thali for Narad. As the holographic menu dissolved into sparkles, Angat's previously suppressed curiosity burst forth.
"Narad Ji," he began, leaning forward eagerly, "I have to know about the scene I saw at the task hall. Those prehistoric figures in tiger skins, the futuristic beings who looked like they stepped out of a science fiction film - what was that? It was like thousands of years of history all mingling together!"
Narad smiled, his expression turning thoughtful. "Ah, Vatsa, you've asked the very question that lies at the heart of our work here." He gestured around them.....
"You see, the karmic buffer overflow you experienced is not just a singular event. Across the cosmos and multiverse, there are dozens - if not hundreds - of such nexus universes that experience similar disasters."
He leaned closer, his voice taking on a confidential tone. "And for those events where our Hindu pantheon has a major share, we have our own agents of karma who respond before any major karmic buffer overflow occurs. They resolve the major characters responsible - either by eliminating them or, when possible, through guidance that changes their karmic path."
Angat's eyes widened in understanding. "So the different-looking beings I saw..."
"Are our agents," Narad confirmed with a nod. "Some are from ancient times, sent to handle crises in primitive worlds. Others are from far futures, dealing with technological civilizations. Each is perfectly suited for their assigned timeline and reality. The tiger-skin clad warrior you saw? He's probably handling a situation in a prehistoric nexus. The luminous being from the future? Likely dealing with an AI-related karmic imbalance in some advanced civilization."
Just then, their food arrived - floating gently on beams of light to settle before them. The Sattvic Special smelled like peace and contentment, while Narad's Puranic Thali seemed to contain the very essence of different ages.
"Now," Narad said, picking up his utensils, "let's eat while I tell you about the time I had to send an agent to a civilization that worshipped talking vegetables. Now that was a peculiar karmic situation..."
Angat almost choked on his first, blissful bite of the ambrosia burger. "Talking vegetables?"
"Oh, yes. The realm of Verdanthea[1]," Narad began, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "A lush, sentient world where the Broccolarians of Broccolaria were the scholarly, ancient empire, famous for their great living library and a monumental Cauliflower Tree that was the heart of their knowledge. Peaceful, prosperous... and utterly unprepared for the ambitions of the Carotenoids."
"The carrot people?" Angat asked, trying to picture it. The images in his mind were a bizarre mix of epic lore and low-budget fantasy, which somehow made it all feel more real.
"Precisely. The Carrots were always more expansionist. Their big break came during an expedition to the polar ice-caps, where they uncovered a hidden, primordial energy source. They used it to rapidly conquer their neighbors. The central catastrophe was the burning of the great Cauliflower Tree....a karmic shockwave that toppled the Broccoli Empire overnight."
Narad took a sip of his Soma Ras, savoring the memory. "The fallout was immense. Lost knowledge, contested relics, the rise of a Carrot God-King... the whole ecosystem was thrown into chaos. We had to intervene before the karmic imbalance caused the entire vegetable consciousness to wither. I had to dispatch a specialist agent...a sentient, philosophical cactus, if you can believe it....who was perfectly suited to navigate the prickly politics of the situation. He helped a Broccolian hero named Iron Stem and a questing protagonist called Verdea mount a resistance, trying to salvage what was lost."
Angat listened, utterly captivated, his food momentarily forgotten. "So... did the cactus save them?"
...Narad waved a hand dismissively. "That is a story for another meal, and perhaps a side of Vayu's Floating Momos. The point, Vatsa, is the sheer variety of existence. From gods to humans, from broccoli scholars to carrot conquerors...karma weaves through all of them. And it is our duty to ensure the tapestry doesn't unravel." He gestured to Angat's plate. "Now, finish your burger. Your own karmic journey is just beginning, and a satisfied stomach is the first step on any path."
As Angat took the final, satisfying bite, feeling a wave of profound peace, Narad smiled softly and recited a verse, his voice taking on a melodic, timeless rhythm:
"आहारशुद्धौ सत्त्वशुद्धिः सत्त्वशुद्धौ ध्रुवा स्मृतिः।
स्मृतिलम्भे सर्वग्रन्थीनां विप्रमोक्षः॥"
He then translated, his eyes holding Angat's. "It is an ancient truth, Vatsa:
'When the food is pure, the mind and nature become pure. When the nature is pure, the memory becomes steady. And when the memory is steady, one is released from all knots of the heart.'
The hunger of the body and the yearning of the soul are not so different. Both must be fed with what is true and pure."
Angat looked down at the empty plate, which had contained not just a meal, but an experience. For the first time, he understood that his journey was about more than fixing an error; it was about nourishment on every level. The divine meal had settled not just in his stomach, but in his very essence, quieting a restlessness he hadn't even known was there.
The moment of quiet reflection was gently broken by a soft, resonant chime.
Om.. Om.. Om..
emanating from the strand of rudraksha beads around Narad's wrist.
As if summoned by the sacred sound, the holo-assistant materialized before them, its light pulsing gently. "Message priority: Cosmic Administration," it intoned. "Mr. Narad, Lord Brahma await your presence in the Hall of Primordials for the task review. You are requested to proceed within the hour."
Narad's expression shifted from serene storyteller to focused emissary. He gave a slight, acknowledging nod to the hologram, which then dissolved into motes of light. Turning back to Angat, his twinkle was now mixed with purpose.
"It seems the architects of creation themselves have a task review in mind," Narad said, rising from the moonlit table. "Come, Vatsa. It appears your orientation is about to be accelerated. The feast for the soul is over; now, the work for the cosmos begins."
[1] it's an Ai story quite popular you can search youtube about it and google