The boat, with its white sails, cruising in the deep blue sea, resembled a swan. It was cruising west in the calm ocean. It was just before dawn. Mother nature, in anticipation of Sun’s radiant entry, was decorating the eastern sky with spectacular patterns.
The travelers on board appeared
to be merchants. They seemed anxious. They had their bundled
wares ready for arrival. Some of them walked up to the deck and started looking
eagerly to the west.
Among those on the deck was a
young trader. He must have been about twenty or twenty-one. His clothes and the
bundles nearby suggested he was a trader, but his bearing suggested he was
royalty. If he had indeed been a trader, he could not have been a normal one.
He must be one of those wealthy traders who deal in precious gems. The others on deck
looked at him frequently. Their body language was deferential. There was also a
note of worry as they looked at him.
The young trader did not look at
them. He seemed to have eyes only for the western horizon. His face was eager
and somewhat agitated. Why might that be the case? Might he be looking forward
to his return to his motherland? It seemed to be the case, judging from his
reaction when land appeared as a thin green line at the horizon. His face lit
up and blossomed as lotus does at sunrise. The trader stood still as the thin
green line transformed into trees, hillocks and temples. His excitement seemed
to increase manyfold. Meanwhile, the sun rose, starting his daily traversal and
lighting up the eastern sky.
The young trader turned around.
Those on board had been looking at him with rapt attention. They approached him
deferentially.
“Do you remember my
instructions?”, asked the young man.
“Yes your maje…” began one of the
men and stopped himself.
“Is this how you carry out my
orders?”, asked the young man, sounding upset.
“I beg your pardon my Lord”
“Will you keep the instructions
in mind?”
“We will, your Lord!”
“While we are in the motherland,
I don’t want any of you to attempt to contact me. If we accidentally run into
each other, don’t acknowledge that you know me”.
“We remember, your majesty”.
“We meet again at the port on the
next new moon day”.
“We will be there!”
“If you don’t see me, what will
you do?”
“We will ask for information on
Devasenan, the gem trader”.
“Good. Don’t forget any of these instructions!”
The readers must have guessed by
now who the gem merchant is. It was indeed Vikraman, the king of the Senbaga
Island. It had been three years since the incidents described in the last
chapter took place. The Senbaga Island had experienced an all-round growth in
those years. After Vikraman’s arrival, there was exactly one attack on the
island. After hearing what happened to the attackers, no one dared attempt a
raid on the island again. In fact, Senbaga Island went on successful campaigns
to other islands and unfurled the tiger flag in those islands. Vikraman’s fame
spread far and wide. Tribes in adjoining regions, seeking security and good
governance, asked to be annexed to Vikraman’s kingdom.
In these three years, Vikraman
did not forget his mother, or country. Nor could he forget the radiant face of
the young woman he encountered in the Pallava capital. Citizens of the Senbaga
land encouraged him to marry to ensure the continuation of the royal bloodline.
They offered to send emissaries to the motherland to solicit matches from
suitable royal families. Vikraman had not only declined the offer, but had also
expressed his aversion to the idea of getting married. The aversion was perhaps
caused by the memory of the young woman in Kanchi, who knows!
As time went by, Vikraman started
feeling lonely. He felt alone, despite being surrounded by people. Fame,
victory and adulation did not seem to bring fulfillment. There appeared to be a
void in his heart, that kept progressively expanding. ‘How would it be if that
young woman with large eyes were here?’, he thought. The thought brought
pleasure and pain in equal measure. He sighed, and felt as if his heart would expand
and choke him as he sighed.
There was an incident that gave
him a break from this bittersweet cycle. He dreamt of his mother. In the dream,
she wore no adornments worthy of royalty. She wore white clothes, holy ash and
prayer beads, and was chanting the name of Lord Shiva. She looked at him fondly
and bade him farewell.
Vikraman did not understand. He
said, ‘But we only just got reunited! Where do you want to go?’.
She did not reply to his
question, “My child, I came to see you because I need you to fulfill a promise I
have made.”
“What promise, and to whom?”
“I need you to marry Kundavi, the
Emperor’s daughter”.
“Mother, what are you saying?
What do I have to do with the Emperor’s daughter? And whom did you make such a
strange promise to?”
“My child, I promised so to the
sage. Just as Rama helped his father redeem the pledge he had made, I need you
to help me keep my word!”, said Arulmozhi and blessed Vikraman by touching his
head.
Vikraman woke up and was relieved
that it was just a dream. ‘What a strange dream! Why would mother ask me to
marry the emperor’s daughter, after all that transpired? And why would she
make such a pledge to the sage?!”
This strange dream gave Vikraman
a respite from the memory of the Kanchi girl. He wanted to see his mother. He
wondered how she was, and how she might be missing him. He also wanted to see
his country. He started planning a trip to the Chozha country. He planned to
get his ancestral sword, and the palm scroll that this father left him. He
wanted to get his mother along when he returned. He told his ministers of his
plan. They tried to dissuade him but could not.
He had also said, ‘Who knows, I
might bring you a queen when I return!’. He had said it playfully, but it seemed to
have pleased them. They arranged a ship, a crew, a few real merchants
from the Senbaga Island and a bodyguard, who would be disguised as a trader too.
They debated which port they
should dock at. Vikraman’s real destination was Uraiyur. So most of the
advisors felt he should arrive at Nagappattinam. Vikraman insisited on arriving
at Mamallapuram. He had wanted to see the wonderful temples and sculptures of
Mamallapuram. He had regretted missing that opportunity when he was deported
via Mamallapuram. He wanted to have another chance to fulfill his wishes. He had
another motive. He had plans to entice a few sculptors and artists to return to
Senbaga Island with him. He wanted to convert Senbaga Island into a wonderland
of arts. Where else could he find the right talent for that purpose?
In his subconscious mind, he may
have also desired to see the young woman he had met in Kanchi and Mamallapuram.
It is, however, hard to be sure. Who can claim to have understood the mysteries
of the human thought process?
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment