Ponniyin Selvan 1-A New Floods Chapter 24 The Crow and the Koel by Kalki Krishnamurthy || Tamil Historic Novel about the Great King Raja Raja Cholan
CHAPTER 24 : The Crow and the Koel
Vandiyathevan slept very deeply and woke only after sunrise. Even after he woke up, he lay in bed, reluctant to
get up. The leaves rustled softly in the wind. A sweet young voice blended with the rustling, singing one of Sundaramurthy Swamigal's thevarams in its pann (ragam).
O golden-hued One!
A tiger skin Your only garment
A konnai cluster adorning
Tour red matted hair
Vandiyathevan opened his eyes wide when he heard the song.
Streams of golden yellow konnai flowers hung on the trees in the garden in front. With a basket in one hand and pincers in the other, Sendan Amudhan sang as he plucked the konnai flowers. He had bathed early in the morning and smeared vibhuthi over his forehead and looked like the young Markandeya, the devotee of Siva. Vandiyathevan got up feeling sad that Amudhan's mother was not fortunate enough to be able to hear the voice of a son who sang so melodiously. Why couldn’t he also spend his life, he thought, happily tending a flower garden in the service of Lord Siva? Why did he have to wander from place to place carrying a lance and sword, always ready to kill or be killed? But these thoughts soon vanished... could everyone in the world be a Siva devotee like Sendhan Amudhan? There would always be thieves, bandits, confidence tricksters and those who delighted in tormenting the innocent. There had to be a government to control these elements and to establish law and justice. Kings and ministers were needed to run the government. The Velakkara troops were necessary to protect people from danger. And people like me were required, he thought, to carry scrolls for kings. Yes... he had to see the Emperor Sundara Chozhar today, before Periya Pazhuvettarayar returned. Perhaps it would not be possible to see him after that.
Vandiyathevan bathed in the lotus pond and dressed carefully, adorning himself with jewels. How could he walk in to see the Emperor dressed casually? We do not know, however, whether he groomed himself only for this, or whether he had in mind the thought that he might meet the Pazhuvoor Rani again that day.
Sendhan Amudhan set out after the morning meal, carrying flowers for the midday puja and Vandiyathevan left to meet the Emperor. Both went on foot. Vandiyathevan had decided not to take his horse into the fort. He wanted to give it time to rest since it was possible that he would have to use it for a hasty journey. Who knew? In any case, it seemed best that the horse remained where it was then.
He engaged Sendhan Amudhan in conversation until they reached the fort and managed to get some more information from him.
“Don’t you have relatives other than your mother?” asked Vandiyathevan.
Sendhan Amudhan replied, “My mother has an older brother and an older sister. The sister is dead. The brother supplies flowers to the Kuzhagar temple at Kodikarai. At night, he lights the lamp in the lighthouse and is its keeper. He has a son and a daughter.” He stopped.
“What about the daughter?”
“Nothing. There’s something strange about our family. Some of them are born dumb, others are gifted with beautiful voices, and sing well...”
“Your uncle's daughter is not dumb, is she?”
“No! No!”
“That means she sings well. Can she sing better than you?”
“What a ridiculous question! It's like asking whether a koel can sing better than a crow. When Poonkuzhali sings, Samudrarajan, the Lord of the Sea silences the waves so that he can listen to her. Cattle, sheep, wild animals, they’re all mesmerized by her.”
“Your uncle's daughter is called Poonkuzhali? What a lovely name!”
“It’s not just her name that’s beautiful.”
“She must be beautiful as well. Otherwise you wouldn’t go into such raptures.”
“The deer and peacock must beg her for beauty. Rathi and Indrani must perform penance for many lives to become as beautiful as she.”
Vandiyathevan realized that Sendhan Amudhan’s mind was not totally engrossed in devotion to Siva. “Then she's a suitable bride for you. Since she's your cousin, it would be in keeping with custom. When will the wedding be held?”
“I don’t think I’m the right person for her. I’m not suitable for her in any way. If, like in olden days, a swayamvara were to be held, kings from the fifty-six countries would compete for her hand. Even the devas from the skies would come, as they did forDamayanthi. But things like that don’t happen in this Kaliyuga.”
“Do you mean you’ll refuse even if she wants to marry you?”
“What a thing to say! If God appeared before me and asked, ‘Will you come to Kailasam with your mortal frame like Sundaramurthy or live on the earth with Poonkuzhali?' I would say, ‘I’ll live with Poonkuzhali.' But what's the use of saying that?”
“Why do you think it's no use? If you’re willing, it's as good as done. Does anyone seek a girl’s consent? Look at Periya Pazhuvettarayar, he married in his fifty-fifth year. Would he have got the Rani's consent before he married her?”
“Anna! Those are people in high places! Why talk about them? Seriously, I’m warning you. You’re going to the fort.
Don’t discuss the Pazhuvettarayars there. It could be dangerous.”
“Why, thambi: Why are you frightening me?”
“I’m telling you the truth. In reality, it’s the two Pazhuvettarayars who rule the empire. There's no one more powerful than they.”
“Not even the Emperor? Doesn’t he have more power than them?”
“The Emperor is ill and bedridden. People say he dare not go against the Pazhuvettarayars. He doesn’t even have the courage to listen to his own sons.”
“Is that so? The Pazhuvettarayars must have enormous influence over him. But they weren’t as powerful two years ago, were they?”
“No. But after the Emperor came to Thanjavur, the Pazhuvettarayars wield limitless power. There's no one to question them. It’s said that even Anirudha Brahmarayar is disgusted and has left for the Pandya country.”
“Do you know why the Emperor moved from Pazhayarai to Thanjavur?”
“I’ll tell you what I heard. Three years ago, Veerapandyan died in battle. At that time, the Chozha armies were supposed to have committed many atrocities in the Pandya country. War is like that, isn’t it? Madurai came under the Chozha empire. They say some of Veerapandyan’s confidants swore they would take revenge and are plotting a conspiracy. It would be impossible to make certain that the Emperor is safe in Pazhayarai, so the Pazhuvettarayars brought him to Thanjavur, where the fort is strong and the security better. Moreover, the physicians feel that Thanjavur is better than Pazhayarai for the Emperor’s well-being.”
“Everyone talks about Sundara Chozhar’s health. But nobody knows what really ails him.”
“Of course they do! He had a paralytic attack and lost the use of his legs.”
“Adada! He can't walk, then?”
“No, he can’t walk. Nor can he travel on an elephant or ride horseback. He's bedridden and has to be taken from place to place in a palanquin. He finds even that painful. So the Emperor never ventures out of the palace. They say he's not mentally alert either.”
“Aha! How Sad!”
“Don’t use the word ‘sad’, Anna. The Pazhuvettarayars could construe even that as treason and punish you.”
Pazhuvettarayar! Pazhuvettarayar! No matter where one was, or to whom one talked, the topic of conversation was always the Pazhuvettarayars! What if they were so valorous? The Emperor should have never allowed them to control the treasury, the granary, the security of Thanjavur and the spies. They are hatching plots against the Emperor now only because they’ve been given so much power. How far would they succeed? We must spare no effort to see they don’t succeed. If an opportunity arises, I must warn the Emperor.
They reached the gates of the fort. Sendan Amudhan took leave of his new friend and went to the Thalikulathar temple.
Building many castles in his mind, Vandiyathevan approached the gates.
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