Siva looks at her and then at Parvati, still clutching the garland at his chest. Slowly he removes her clenched fingers from the garland and holds her hand. As she looks at him, in fear, awe and endless love, he gets up in one swift movement and stands, towering, next to her, looking at the wailing woman. But the woman, radiant, with monstrous red eyes, beautiful even in such despair, is oblivious to all but the heap of ashes that she keeps moving her hands over, as though to revive it.

Siva can also see Ramani, who has run out of the trees and is looking at the unknown wailing woman and the still-flickering ashes in shock. She slowly walks forward and comes to stand right next to the ashes. Neither the wailing woman nor Parvati can see her. Ramani looks at Siva, then stands on the ashes. The flickering embers soundlessly burn her up. Siva’s eyes spark with pain as he sees her burn alive, like his wife Sati whom he couldn’t save.

The wailing woman finally holds out her hands to Siva.

‘Rati,’ he says, ‘I cannot help you. Kamadeva put himself in my path and he is dead. It is his own fault, his own arrogance that has brought him to this. He thought he could control me. I am the Destroyer.’

Rati says with a dignity that Parvati can only admire, ‘He may have been arrogant, but he was trying to help you. It is you and she who have gained. She wanted you, he wanted to help her and he wanted to help you, give you some emotions and make you human. He gave you the gift of love, the gift of reproduction. And you destroy his existence? Is this fair?’

Siva now feels the pressure of Parvati’s flower-like fingers in his hand. He looks down at the fair countenance next to him, looking at him with such love, trust and desire. He looks at his own hand, which is reluctant to let go of those soft determined fingers. Finally, he looks back at Rati, who stands before him suppliant, a sorrowful smile on her face.

He sighs. ‘I cannot give him his form back. I have burnt it and it cannot come back. He angered me with his conceited smugness, he has to face the consequences. But I can give you his soul. His form is you and no one else now. His punishment for eternity is that he can never touch you or any other woman again.’

Rati looks at him, tears glittering in her monstrous red eyes. And she asks him, ‘Siva, you have punished him by taking away his body. Yes, it will be the biggest torture for him that he can never touch me again. But what crime did I commit? He gave you to Parvati, and you take him away from me?’