Poets wrote in Sanskrit:
Pushpeshu Jathi; Purusheshu Vishnu:
Narishu Ramba, Nagareshu Kanchi
This means:
Among flowers [the best] is Jasmine, among men is Vishnu,
Among women is Ramba and among cities is Kanchi.
Kundavi was traveling in a palanquin in a city so praised. She was on her way to the temple to offer noon prayers. However, her thoughts were still on the Vijayadasami festivities that she had witnessed in Mamallapuram. She was wondering if her father ensured his place in history through the work he initiated. She realized she was lucky to be born to such a father. She also thought the citizens were fortunate to be ruled by such a king.
Her train of thoughts
was disturbed by a strange sight. A handsome young man of royal bearing was
riding a horse. His body and arms were bound by criss-crossing chains. Soldiers
surrounded him and were holding the chains binding his body. The young
man appeared tired, but did not seem worried. His face displayed rare courage,
despite the situation that he was in. His facial expressions appeared to be
saying, ‘you may bind my body but not my will’.
On seeing him, Kundavi’s
large eyes widened further in surprise. The young man caught sight of the
princess at the same time. Her beauty must have startled him for a moment. It
was all fleeting though. The palanquin and the horse crossed each other.
Kundavi glanced backwards a few times. Perhaps she expected the young man to be
equally curious and turn around for a glance. However, the young man did not
turn his head even an inch. It was not clear if the chains prevented him from
turning back, or if his resolute nature did.
Kundavi was known for
her spirituality just as she was known for her beauty. She used to lose herself
in prayers whenever she visited a temple. This was the case, regardless of
whether the deity gracing the temple was Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti. It was not
the case that day. Her mind wavered, and kept going back to the young man on
the horse, even when she was at the altar. She felt a mixture of thrill and
fear with her newfound sensation. She somehow finished her prayers and made her
way back to the palace. By that time she had given up all attempts to steer her
mind away from the young man. Her thoughts went along these lines – ‘Who might that regal looking young man be? Why was he chained? Where might the soldiers
be taking him? And what crime could he have committed to deserve this
treatment?’. Then she remembered the emperor talking about a conspiracy by the
Uraiyur prince, and about having made arrangements to deal with it. Kundavi
wondered if the young man might be that prince.
Upon that thought, she
felt a pang of anger. She thought, ‘How dare this young man! How can he remain
nonchalant after having conspired against the emperor? People from
faraway lands long to live under Narasimha Pallava’s protection. Just ask the
delegation from Senbaga Islands! Where did he get the nerve to conspire against
such an emperor? And he is a prince of a minor territory! I should ask father
to give him a stern punishment’.
She wavered again. ‘He
does not look like a bad sort’, she thought. ‘He may not have conspired on his
own accord. People around him must have instigated this. It’s those people who
need to be punished. What good will punishing him do? Won’t the chains hurt his
gentle skin? Should father not let him off with a warning? Should I talk to my
father tonight? Isn’t father known for his fairness? He will surely pardon the
Chozha prince, won't he?’.
Kundavi reached the
palace and was looking forward to the nighttime, when her father would return
to the palace after his royal duties. She was counting down to the time of his
return. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions.
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