Book 02 - Chapter 21: Valli’s Curse

Art credit: Sundari Thirumoorthy

Marappan was stung by Ponnan’s accusation. If looks could kill, the look that he gave Ponnan would  have burnt the latter. Then he diverted his gaze and stood quietly, with bowed head.

“What do you have to say against this charge?”, asked the Emperor, in a booming voice.

Marappan was unnerved. He was on the verge of tears, having experienced a mixture of emotions, including anger and vengefulness. He finally said, “My Lord, it is a lie, lie, lie! I did not instigate the rebellion. When they conspired, I played along a little to get to know their plans. I had kept your General, Achutha Varma Pallavan informed all along”.

Someone muttered, “Traitor! Sinner” at that time.

The emperor asked, “Who spoke?” and looked around. The sound came from Valli’s direction. When he looked in her direction, she was standing quiet, looking innocent.

Marappan seemed to have gained some confidence. He resumed, “Your Majesty, I had nothing to do with encouraging Vikraman to revolt. If I have your permission, I can tell you who actually did!”.

“Who was it?”

“There is a sage, sporting matted hair and beard. In reality, he is not a spiritual man. He is an impostor. He used to visit the queen and Vikraman often. He sent Vikraman down this dangerous path”.

Kundavi, who was watching the developments quietly, intervened at this point. She asked, “How do you know? Have you seen the sage?”.

“Yes, my lady! I have seen him with my own eyes. This boatman, who claims to be innocent, used to host him during his visits. The conspiracy took place in his hut. I tried to catch the phony sage by his beard and discover his identity. Ponnan and Valli foiled my plans”.

“Bring my name up again, and I will cut your tongue!”, muttered Valli.

The Emperor smiled at Valli and said, “Young woman, your lips move often, but I can’t hear anything. If you have something to say, speak without fear.”

Valli brought her palms together as a sign of respect for the Emperor, and responded, “My Lord, this man is lying. It is not true that the sage incited the Chozha prince to rebel. The Sage is a noble soul. The only reason our Queen managed to stay alive is that he visited often to counsel her. The sage tried to stop our prince but failed. Those who lay false charges on the sage will go straight to hell!”.

The emperor said, “Stop – you have made your case. No need to curse anyone” and turned to Kundavi. “Did you observe all this my child?”

Kundavi said, “Yes father, I heard everything. These two have been enchanted by the sage’s magic spells. It does not appear that anyone here has been entirely truthful. They all seem to have their respective motives” 

The emperor looked at Marappa Bhupathi and said, “You are not entirely in the clear. I will let you go for now. It is futile for you to aspire for the position of Army commander. You still have to prove that you are worthy of that role. Meanwhile, make sure your record is clean. You may leave now.”

Bhupathi left, looking crestfallen.

A messenger entered the court, saluted the emperor and gave him a message on a palm scroll. The emperor read the message and turned to Ponnan. “Boatman, I will deal with you two later. Tell your wife to be careful with that sage. She seems to have been fully enchanted by his powers”.

Strangely, Valli looked shy. The expression soon turned into a smile. She followed Ponnan out of the court, looking at the Emperor through the corner of her eyes. The Emperor, watching them disappear, said, “I have dealt with several women, but this Valli is something else…”.

Kundavi interrupted, “Father, you received a message. What was that about?”

“We were talking about the phony sage all this time. I got word that we will be meeting a real ascetic. We are going out of town to receive him.”

“Who is that real ascetic? Is it the sage Appar, by any chance? I am ashamed that I had irreverent thoughts of him. I have to beg his forgiveness.”

“You are still a child. If you thought ill of him, it does not matter in his scheme of things. He is in a state of bliss, indulging in devotion to Lord Shiva. You don’t need to worry about your past thoughts. However, the sage that we are meeting is not Appar. His name is Paranjothi.”

“Isn’t he your old General, the man who accompanied you to Vatapi and helped you defeat Pulikesi?”

“He did not help me defeat Pulikesi. He was the one who defeated Pulikesi. He was the one who destroyed the swarms of Chalukyas who charged us. That brave warrior is now dressed in a single Dhoti, prayer beads and the holy ash. He has been on an extended pilgrimage. He now calls himself Siruthondar, meaning “one who renders petty services”.

“Why did he leave the position of General? Did he get old?”

“No not at all. I will tell you the reason some other time. Now, we are getting late to receive him. His wife is accompanying him. I am going to meet them on the way and receive them. Do you want to come along?”

“Of course, Father. I have been eager to meet them too”, said Kundavi.

Prev

Next

Click here for the audiobook version

Parthban Kanavu: The Tamil version of the novel is in the public domain. Copyright for the translation is reserved by the translator..

Art by Sujatha, unless otherwise credited.