What are boons? God’s blessings? Let us begin our journey with a story. Aristanemi was a royal and a sage. A royal sage. He was “invited to the pleasantness of the heavens” by Indra, which he wanted to decline because he would have to fall back to his existing state after the experience. He wanted, instead, to go beyond happiness and sorrow, life and death as well as heaven and hell. So he went to Sage Valmiki to seek help and guidance on what he should do.