The three Veerasigamani stayed that night in the palace of the old Pallava emperors in Mamallapuram. After dinner, King Malaiamman heard that the story of Aravan was taking place near the five chariots and went to listen to it. Athitha Karikalan and Parthipenthiran went to the balcony of the palace.
Athitha Karikalan looked at Mamallapuram from the balcony for a while. A few lamps flickered dimly here and there. The streets were mostly silent. The doors of the temples were closed after the Arthajama puja. Near the five chariots, the archer and his troupe performed the story of Aravan and the crowd around them appeared as dark silhouettes in the light of the torches.
"At this old age the old man has gone to hear the story, see! After all, the old people are human beings! Who has their physical strength and mental strength today?" said Athitha Karikalan.
"King! Have you also begun to speak of the glory of the past? What have we not achieved in our time as did the men of old? You haven't heard about people like you who did heroic deeds in the battlefield in their youth, even in stories and epics," said Parthipenthiran.
"Parthipa! You have a sincere heart. I know very well that I have one thing in my mind and not say one thing with my mouth. Otherwise you are not my friend, I will suspect you to be an enemy. So much so that you flatter me. There is nothing that can push a person into the abyss like flattery!" said Athitha Karikalan.
"Sir! It is flattery to invent nonexistent superiority about a person with selfish motives. Mathuranthakan, who is a slave of the Pazhuvertaraiyars in Thanjavur, would be flattering if I went to him and praised him as a heroic warrior. If you ever find me to have done so, kill me at once with the sword in your hand. There wasn't a word of what I said about you? Which warrior in the old days had achieved so many great things at such a young age? Perhaps you can say that your great grandfather, the king on the elephant, is your equal; You can't say he's more than you..."
"Stop, Parthipa, stop! Where is Rajaditya? Where am I? We are not worthy to speak of Rajaditya who with a small army destroyed the huge army of the Rashtrakutas which was rising like an ocean and attained the heroic heaven. Comparing ourselves to him? Let there be the Chola tribe; What great men there were in the Pallava tribe where you were born in the past! Will we ever see Mahendravarma and Mamallar in this country again? Where is Narasimhavarman who defeated Pulikesi who ruled under the shade of an umbrella from Tungabhadra in the south to Narmada in the north and destroyed Vatapi and erected the Jayastambha? Where are you and I? Can anyone in our time or after us create a dream like this Mamallapuram?.... Damn! Take a good look on all four sides, Parthipa! There is a bow song, look there! Were it ordinary people who carved out such rocks and made them in the shape of magnificent chariots? I shiver when I think what a magnificent sight this Mamallapuram must have had three hundred and fifty years ago! Dont you feel that way? Don't your shoulders swell when you think of your ancestors?"
"King! You said you were flattering just now? You have forgotten that sometimes I also point out your faults. Sculpture, painting and art are the madness that wastes their lives. It was because of this madness that all the successes of my ancestors were in vain. Didn't Mamallar go to Vatapi and erect the Jayastambha and return? What did he do then? He was sitting carving stones and carving rocks! What is the result? After a while, the Salukas flourished again. They came again with a large army to take revenge. They destroyed Kanchi and Uraiyur. They went up to Madurai. If Nedumara Pandian had not stopped and defeated the Salukar army in Nelveli, wouldn't the whole of South Nadu have been under the rule of the Chalukas till today?"
"No, Parthipa, no! We have never heard of any dynasty in the world that lasted forever. The Ikshvaku clan, where Rama was born, also came to an end. The Twin Mandalas appeared to defeat the Chalukas. It is natural for kingdoms to be exalted and sometimes degraded. Some kingdoms remain so noble for some time and then they don't know where they were. Look at my ancestors! The Chola kings like Karikalvalavan and Killivalavan were very prosperous. What do we know about them now? Some poets have sung their praises, so we know their names. We do not know whether the bards who sang the poems sang the truth, or whether they had a good drink and sung at will. But Mahendra Pallava and Mamallar created this sculptural and it will prove their greatness to the world for thousands of years. What have you and I done to make up for what they have done? We have slaughtered thousands of men on the battlefield; We have caused blood to flow. What else have we done to perpetuate our name in the world?"
Hearing this, Parthipenthiran was stunned for a while, wondering if it was Athitha Karikalan who was speaking like this. Then he sighed and said, "O king! If you speak of war and valour in this way, what am I to say? Your mind is not in the right position today. That is why you speak like this! Sir! Shall you not tell me what is in your heart? Can't you open your belly a little?" he asked eagerly.
"Parthipa! If I were to open my chest, what would it be in—who do you think would be?"
"That's what I want to know, Swami!"
"There will be no mother and father who gave birth to me. My dearest sister and brother will not be there. You and Vandhiyathevan, my dear friends, will not be there. There will be a deceitful woman in it. Pazhuvur Ilayarani will be in it. Nandhini, who is more deadly than poison, has never opened her mouth and told anyone the song that keeps me from inside my heart. I told you today!" said Athitha Karikalan's words.
"King! Somehow I guessed it. Whenever Pazhuvur Ilayarani spoke, your face darkened, her eyes red and she expressed unspeakable anguish. But how did this unworthy infatuation find a place in their hearts? You come from the tradition of treating all foreign women as mothers. Pazhuvertaraiyar is a long-standing relative of their tribe; He is an old man. Even if they are our enemies today, they are not like that before. How much did your father and grandfather respect him? Such a woman married by Agni as a witness... No matter how bad she is... Do you think of it in your mind?"
"No, Parthipa, no! Do you think I don't know? This heartache is because of knowing. After she married Pazhuvertaraiyar, she did not find a place in my heart. Long before that, her passion had poisoned my heart. I tried my best to get rid of it, but I couldn't. I speak in such a way as to make it seem that all the blame is on her. God knows whose fault it is. In fact, all the blame must fall on our Creator. Or blame the fate that made us meet and then separated!"
"King! Did you meet Nandhini before she became Pazhuvur Rani? Where, when, and how did you meet?"
"It's a long story. Would you like to hear it today?"
"I'd like to ask. I wouldn't have peace of mind if I didn't know it. Are you asking me to go to Ilankai tomorrow? I cannot go there and do my duty properly. Only if I know what the situation is and console you will my heart be at peace somehow!"
"Friend! Are you going to comfort me? There is no comfort for me in this life. It is doubtful whether it will be in the next birth. I am telling you for your peace of mind. You don't have to go to Ilankai thinking that I am hiding something without telling you!"
Saying this, Athitha Karikalan paused. Then he let out a deep sigh and began