After the boat reached the bank, Ponnan hopped off the boat. Vikraman embraced him. Ponnan shed tears of joy, saying “My king, it's my good fortune that I see you again!”
“Ponna, you materialized just as I was thinking of you. I have
been standing here and looking at your hut for the last day or two. If you had
not turned up today, I might have jumped in the water and tried to swim across
the river to come and see you. Look, the boat is drifting away. Tie it up!”,
said Vikraman.
Ponnan tied the boat to a tree root. They sat down under the tree.
Vikraman asked, “Ponna, tell me your news. Everything starting from the episode
from the banks of the wild river seems like a dream. I still can’t believe I am sitting on the banks of my beloved Kaveri. Tell me everything, starting
when you left me, and why you left me!”.
“My king, I found a country physician to treat you after a great effort.
I can’t describe my emotions when I returned and found you missing!”
“So, you went to get a physician ? Tell me in detail!”
“My king, do you remember that we stayed at the Mahendra mantap?”
“Yes, I find it unpleasant to recall the events of that night.”
“You recall that we had decided to leave the next morning, right?
I woke up the next day, and started. You had a fever and were too weak to walk.
You walked a few steps and returned to lie down. Your fever worsened as time
went. I faced a dilemma. I could not leave you alone, but could not just stay
there without getting help. Finally, I decided to go to find medical help. I found
a physician after a long search. When I returned and could not find you, I almost
went mad with worry.”
“What did you do then?”
Ponnan told him the whole story - meeting the dwarf, hearing
that Lady Kundavi took Vikraman in her palanquin, following the entourage to
Pranthakapuram, reassuring himself that Vikraman was safe there, going to
Mamallapuram to visit the sage, going to Kolli hills with him, finding the
secret passage, and leaving the sage there to return to Uraiyur.
Vikraman was surprised that Ponnan met the sage at the sculpture
house. “Ponna, I met Veerasenan, the spy chief at the same spot. It’s an odd
coincidence that you met at the sage there. I have a suspicion.”
“What suspicion, my king?”
“Is the sage the spy chief?”
“Yes, my king. Veerasenan is indeed the sage. On my way from
Mamallapuram to the sculpture house, I saw someone ride ahead of me. From your
description, I guessed that he might be the spy chief. He went into the
sculpture house and came back out as the sage, with long hair and beard.”
“So the chief of spies knows who I am! Gosh, he is the one who has
been helping us all along. Is he going to betray me now?”
“My king, he is certainly not going to betray you. Although he is the spy
chief, he has met your father in the battlefield, and has sworn to assist you.
You have no reason to fear him. However…”
“However?”
“There is another danger. You may know that Marappa Bhupathi is
now the commander of the Chozha army. He is suspicious. We have to leave soon.”
“I agree that we have to leave. There is a bigger danger here”, said Vikraman.
Ponnan saw an uncharacteristic agitation on his face. “What sort of danger, my king?”
“The danger that lives in the depths of a young woman’s eyes”,
said Vikraman. He stared into the depths of the river, and was quiet for a
while. He then resumed, “I don’t mind confiding in you Ponna. When I was taken
as a prisoner to Kanchi, I saw a young woman. When I was shipped away from
Mamallapuram, she was there, and looked at me with great concern. I could not forget
her during the three years that I spent in Senbaga Island. Here is the
surprising part – the same young woman helped by getting me here from Mahendra
Mantap, and nursing me back to good health.”
“I need to see this young woman and thank her for saving my king.”
“If you listen to what I say, you won’t be that keen on thanking
her!”
“Oh my gosh, what is it?”
“Ponna, a battle has been raging in my mind for the last three
days. I have read in the epics that people have lost themselves in love. I fear
I am going to lose myself too. Have you heard that the sage Vishwamitra lost
his powers because he was infatuated with Menaka? This young woman is
casting her spell on me in a similar vein.”
Ponnan interrupted, “My king, I am illiterate, but if you don’t
mind me taking a liberty, I will give you my point of view.”
“Of course, Ponna! You should speak your mind!”
“You bring up sage Vishwamitra and Menaka. Also keep in mind that
women have motivated their men to do great things. Sita made Ram a nobler man.
Why did Krishna go through the trouble of rescuing Rukmini? Did Subhadra cause
Arjuna’s ruin? Did Murugan lose his focus because he sought Valli out?”
“Good questions Ponna. It's not just these men and women from the epics.
Queen Arulmozhi made King Parthiban a nobler man. Valli helps Ponnan be a
greater man!”
“Exactly! Then why are you speaking as if love for a woman can
only be a bad thing?”
“Ponna, there are people whose love elevated them. They are the
fortunate ones. There are also people who gave their principles up for love. My
love belongs to that unfortunate category. The girl I love is such that I might
give up my goal and principles for her. I have thought of nothing but her since
I recovered. I can’t consider living without her. I might be prepared to forgo heaven for her sake – not to speak of the smaller matter of the independence of a kingdom. At this rate, I might settle for being a vassal for her sake!”
Ponnan was aghast. He recalled the sage saying this might be Vikraman’s
last test. He asked, “My king, is it really you speaking? Do you recall the
pledge you made to your father in the art gallery?”
“I remember Ponna. But I fear I might not remember it in a few
days. My resolution has been faltering with every passing day here. So I have
decided to leave with you. Can we go?”
“We can, my king. But we have some unfinished business here. I
have buried the box that the queen left in my custody here. We can leave after
I recover that box”.
“See? I forgot the box! Another day or two, I might forget
myself. We should recover the box and leave before the girl gets here.
Where have you hidden it?”, asked Vikraman eagerly.
“It is close by, my king.”
“Do we need to dig it up?”
“Yes, I have brought a crowbar and spade for digging”, said Ponnan and
took those out from the bottom of the boat. They went into the mango grove.
After they left, Kundavi emerged from behind a tree. She looked
around and went to the boat. After another furtive glance around, she untied
the boat. The boat moved. Then, tossed around by the torrents of the river, it
picked up speed. Kundavi smiled, as she watched it drift away.
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.
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