Riya began to read aloud:

The next morning, when her boss shouted at her for a small mistake, Riya didn’t crumble. She took a breath and thought: Nirbhao. Without fear. The fear tried to rise, but it had no root anymore.

Riya blinked. The noise in her head softened.

“Truth is not your job or your mood,” Grandma said. “Truth is what remains when everything else falls away. Your anxiety? That’s a lie. Your fear of being alone? A lie. But your essence? That is Sat —real, eternal.”

When a colleague gossiped about her, she whispered: Nirvair. Without hatred. The anger flickered and died.