It was another day of
the sun shining on the currents of river Kaveri, causing a golden glow. Ponnan’s
boat was cutting across the river, generating waves and droplets that glowed
like gems. The boat was going towards the spring palace. The sage was on the
boat too. Valli was standing on the shore and watching the boat go.
The sage asked
Ponnan. “What really happened? How many people gathered to support the
prince?”
“Please don’t remind me
of that hour of shame, your holiness! If only the prince had not commanded me
to go give a message to the queen…”
“What would you have
done? Destroy the Pallava army single-handed?”
“You are mocking me,
your holiness, and I perhaps deserve it. Serves me right for staying alive
after the disgrace. Do you know why I stay alive? Only because the queen
commanded so”.
“Only because the queen
commanded? Think about it. Not out of concern for Valli?”
“Valli is not like you
think, your holiness. She does not value life over honor. After all, she is the
granddaughter of Veerabadra Achari! What can I say about that old man’s courage
and honor!”
“How did the old man get
mixed up in the skirmish Ponna?”
“He did not get there
to fight. He was standing by, watching from a distance. When he realized that
the prince was all alone, he was distraught. We were expecting thousands, even
over ten thousand men to join the prince. In reality, it was just me and five
more peasants from the nearby villages. The peasants were surprised by the
Pallava soldiers arriving from all directions. They lost their nerve and
dropped their weapons. Veerabadra Achari saw this, uttered a war cry and got
near the prince at the blink of an eye. He picked up one of the swords that lay
on the ground and shouted, “Victory to the King! Long live King Vikrama
Chozha!” and started brandishing the sword. His war cry rang out a long way.
The Pallava soldiers surrounded us. What happened after that point was
incredible. I am not sure where the old man’s strength came from - from
wielding the sledgehammer as a blacksmith, I suppose. He moved around rapidly,
wielding the sword. When it was all done, he had killed seven or eight Pallava
soldiers before he fell. The Pallava general was watching all this from a
distance. I heard he was stunned by the valor of the old man. He ordered that
the old man’s body be cremated with full honors”.
“I am not surprised
Ponna. I am an ascetic, and even I get goosebumps hearing of the old man’s
courage. The country may be occupied at this point, but no one can say a
country that begot such a brave man is short of spirit. I am now confident that
the Chozha country is going to regain its glory”, said the sage. After a
thoughtful silence, he asked, “what happened after that?”
“The prince and I were
stunned by the old man’s actions. When he fell, we both ran towards him with
cries of anguish. The Pallava soldiers surrounded the prince. I lost my mind
and started wielding my sword like a man possessed. I heard a command, ‘Ponna,
Stop!’. I turned around and saw that the prince was bound by chains. The prince
said, ‘There is no point in resuming this fight. I need you to do something for
me. Go tell the queen what happened. Also tell her that whatever happens, I
have sworn not to do anything that will bring dishonor to my father’s memory’.
I was still furious at what had happened. I said ‘What sort of man would I be
if I leave you like this?”. I started brandishing my sword again. Someone hit
me at the back of the head. When I regained consciousness, I was in prison”. Said Ponnan.
“Did you go to prison as
well? How did you get out?”
“They freed all of us
the next day. They said the emperor pardoned everyone except the prince”.
“The Pallava emperor
seems large hearted. If your prince had not been so stubborn, he may not have been
deported either”.
“Yes, the Pallava king
is large hearted. King Parthiban and Prince Vikraman are the mean ones!”,
retorted Ponnan sarcastically. After some thought he added, “I have never seen
the Pallava emperor. I want to see him. Will he come to Uraiyar anytime soon?”.
“In fact, I heard that he
will come to Uraiyur soon. Why this sudden devotion to the emperor Ponna? You
were regretting not dying a brave death defending your prince. Aren’t you glad
you stayed alive to learn enough about the emperor and develop a liking to
him?”
“Yes, I have a new sense
of devotion to the emperor. But not just me, this spear is devoted to him as
well. It is longing for an encounter with his chest!”, said Ponnan, and pointed
the spear at the sage.
The sage had a bright
smile on his face. “Now you want to pretend I am the emperor?”
Ponnan dropped the
spear. “Your holiness, it may well be that the Pallava emperor is a noble man,
a brave warrior, and may even have divine qualities. But for me, he is an
enemy. When I meet him…”. He gritted his teeth without finishing that sentence.
The sage, apparently in
an attempt to divert the conversation, asked, “Ponna, did Marappa Bhupathi not
turn up on that day?”
“Please don’t mention
that turncoat in my presence! He encouraged the prince on this mission and
revealed all the plans to Achutha Varman. Why would that traitor appear on the
scene of conflict? One thing though is how right Valli turned out to be. We all
fell for his false promises. Valli had consistently been calling him
untrustworthy”.
“Beyond doubt, Valli is
very smart. She is worthy of being married to a military general”.
“Pardon me, your
holiness?”
“I said she is worthy of
being married to a military leader”.
“Someone else has said
this before”.
“Who is that?”
“Marappa Bhupathi. He
said that when he was the general of the Chozha army”.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Your holiness, I have
this strange thought sometimes. I will share it with you if you promise not to
get angry”.
The sage said, “I am an
ascetic. I should strive for stillness of mind. I have sworn to avoid anger and passion. You can tell me”.
“Sometimes I wonder if
you are Marappan’s agent. I have wondered if he has put you up to act as a sage
and stir up trouble”.
The sage laughed aloud,
and asked, “What does Valli think? Have you asked for her opinion on this theory?”
“She is devoted to you.
She points out that I put my faith in that untrustworthy traitor, and hence it
is not surprising that I suspect a noble soul like you. After Marappan’s betrayal, she
has the upper hand in the domestic conversations. She mocks everything I say”.
“Like I said, Valli is
wise enough to be the wife of a general. But when I said so, I did not mean a
general like Marappa Bhupathi. You would be a worthy general as well, with your
courage”.
“Who knows! When prince
Vikraman ascends the throne of the Chozha kingdom, I might become a General”.
“Both are likely to
happen”.
“The emperor has
concluded that there is no space for our prince in this vast country of Bharat.
Such a ruthless sentence! Sometimes I think a death sentence might have been
kinder”.
“You are mistaken,
Ponna. As long as there is life, there is hope. As long as we are alive, there
is a chance for dreams to materialize, even if the odds look bleak at the
moment. Ask Queen Arulmozhi. I am sure she is relieved that her son is alive.
Oh, look, is that the queen?”
They were nearing the
docks of the spring palace. They saw that the queen was waiting at the pier
with a maid. The queen had her palms together as a gesture of respect for the
sage.
Ponnan turned to the
sage. “Your holiness, please forgive me. What I said came out of ignorance”, he
said with true remorse.
Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..
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