The next morning emperor Sundara Chola sent for his beloved daughter. The servant ordered the nurses and the doctor to keep away. He made Kundavai sit beside him and patted her back lovingly. Kundavai knew that he was struggling to say what he wanted to say.
"Daddy! Are you angry with me?"
Tears welled up in Sundara Cholar's eyes.
"Why are you angry with me, mother?"
"For disobeying your order and coming to Thanjavur!"
"Yes; You should not have disobeyed my orders; This Thanjavur palace is not suitable for young women. You know that from what happened last night."
"What incident are you talking about, father?"
"I am talking about the Kodumbalur girl who fainted, how is that girl now?"
"She's all right today, Dad! In Pazhaiyarai too, she often loses consciousness like this. It will be all right in a little while."
"Did you hear her, mother? Didn't she say that she saw or heard anything in this palace that night?"
Kundavai thought for a while and said, "Yes, father! When we all went to the Durga temple, she tried to go to the balcony alone. Then I heard someone moaning piteously. She said it scared her."
"That's what I thought too. Do you know now, child? Ghosts roam in this palace. You don't have to be here. Go away!" said Sundara Cholar and Kundavai noticed that his body was trembling and his eyes were staring somewhere.
"Daddy! Then why should you stay here? Why should Mom be here? Let's all go to Pazhaiyarai! You don't seem to be cured by coming here, do you?"
The emperor smiled sadly and said, "Why is my body going to heal anymore? I don't have that desire at all."
"Why should you be so disappointed? Father! The Pazhaiyarai doctor says they can cure their body."
"Believing what he says, you have also sent someone to bring herbs from Ilankai! I've heard. Daughter! It shows your affection for me."
"Is it wrong for a daughter to be affectionate towards her father, father?"
"There's nothing wrong with that. I am fortunate to have such a longing daughter. There is nothing wrong with you sending someone to bring herbs from Ilankai. But whether herbs come from Ilankai, Javakatheevu or nectar from the celestial world, my body will not be cured in this birth..."
"Oh my God! Don't say that!" said the princess.
"You came here against my orders, Mother! I'm really happy for that. I wanted to open my heart one day and tell you the truth. Now there was an opportunity for that. I tell you, listen! If there is a disease related to the body, herbal medicines will be cured. My illness is not about the body; What is the cure for anxiety?"
"Father, what kind of anxiety can there be for you, the emperor who rules the three worlds?"
"You too speak of the wonderful imagination of poets, my child! I am not the emperor of the three worlds; Nor is he the ruler of the whole world. My kingdom is a small part of a corner of the world. I couldn't bear the burden of it..."
"Why should you carry it, father! Are they not fit to bear the burden of the kingdom? They have two sons. Both were two lion cubs; Heroic soldiers. They can bear any kind of burden..."
"Daughter! Just thinking about it makes my heart sink. Your two brothers are unparalleled warriors. I raised them as eye-to-eye as you are. I doubt whether I would do good if I gave them this kingdom. Would you say that it is better to leave them with a big curse along with the kingdom?"
"What curse can there be for this kingdom? Sibi who gave flesh for a pigeon and Manuneedhi Cholar who gave a son for a calf are the ancestors of our tribe. 'Karikal Valavar and Perunarkilli ruled this kingdom. Veera Vijayalaya Cholar with 90 and 6 sores was seated on this throne. Athitha Cholar who built 108 temples on the banks of river Kaveri and Paranthakar who covered Chittambalam with gold and made it golden expanded this kingdom. This is the Dharma Maharaja ruled by Kandarathithar, who saw me as love and Shiva. What can be the curse of such a kingdom? Father! You are delusional! If you leave this Thanjavur fortress ..."
"You don't know what will happen the next moment if I leave this place! Do you think that I leave the beautiful Pazhaiyarai and am in this Thanjai fortress prison for happiness? Kundavai, because I am here, I am saving this ancient Chola kingdom from being destroyed. Think of what happened last night when we were doing the play! I was watching everything from the porch of the moon. I even thought of stopping the play in the middle..."
"Father! What is this? The play was very good! My heart rejoiced at the pride of the Chola tribe! Why did you want to stop? What part of the play did you dislike?"
"The play was good, girl! I don't see any fault in that. I am talking about the behaviour of those who have seen the play. Didn't you notice the rival slogans raised by the Kodumbalur party and the Pazhuvertaraiyar party?"
"I noticed, Dad!"
"They are behaving like this while I'm the only one here! Imagine what would happen without me! When I left Thanjavur, there would be a fight between the two parties. Just as the descendants of Lord Krishna attacked each other and perished, when they are destroyed, this great kingdom will also be destroyed..."
"Daddy! You are the dictatorial emperor in this Chola empire. Both the Pazhuvertaraiyars and the Kodumbalur Velirs are obliged to do with their heads what they put with their feet. If they transgress, they seek their own destruction. Why should you care?"
"Daughter! For the past hundred years, these two tribes have rendered unparalleled service to the Chola empire. Could the Chola kingdom have multiplied like this without their help? If they are destroyed, will it not be weak for the kingdom?"
"Daddy! If it turns out that one of those two parties is traitors conspiring against them..."
Sundara Cholar stared at Kundavai in surprise and asked, "What are you saying, daughter? A conspiracy against me? Who's doing it?"
"Daddy! Some people who pretend to be their faithful servants conspire secretly against them. They are conspiring to deprive their sons of titles and crown someone else..."
"To whom? Daughter of whom? After denying that your brothers don't have titles, who else are they trying to crown?" asked Sundara Chola emperor excitedly.
Kundavai said in a low voice, "To Uncle Mathuranthakan, father! They are committing such a terrible treachery when you are lying on your sickbed..." She said.
உடனே சுந்தர சோழர் சற்று நிமிர்ந்து உட்கார்ந்து, "ஆகா அவர்களுடைய முயற்சி மட்டும் பலித்தால் எவ்வளவு நன்றாயிருக்கும்?" என்றார்.
குந்தவைக்குத் தூக்கி வாரிப்போட்டது.
"தந்தையே! இது என்ன, தாங்கள் பெற்ற புதல்வர்களுக்குத் தாங்களே சத்துரு ஆவீர்களா?" என்றாள்.
"இல்லை; என் புதல்வர்களுக்கு நான் சத்துரு இல்லை. அவர்களுக்கு நன்மை செய்யவே விரும்புகிறேன். இந்தச் சாபக்கேடு உள்ள ராஜ்யம் அவர்களுக்கு வேண்டியதில்லை. மதுராந்தகன் மட்டும் சம்மதித்தால்.."
"சித்தப்பா சம்மதிப்பதற்கு என்ன? திவ்யமாகச் சம்மதிக்கிறார். நாளைக்கே பட்டங் கட்டிக்கொள்ளச் சித்தமாயிருக்கிறார். அம்மாதிரி தாங்கள் செய்யப் போகிறீர்களா? என் தமையனின் சம்மதம் கேட்க வேண்டாமா?…"
"ஆம்; ஆதித்த கரிகாலனைக் கேட்க வேண்டியதுதான். அவனைக் கேட்டால் மட்டும் போதாது. உன் பெரிய பாட்டி சம்மதிக்க வேண்டும்.."
"பிள்ளைக்குப் பட்டம் கட்டினால் தாயார் வேண்டாம் என்று சொல்வாளா?"
"ஏன் சொல்ல மாட்டாள்? உன் பெரிய பாட்டியுடன் இத்தனை நாள் பழகியும் அவரை நீ அறிந்து கொள்ளவில்லையா? செம்பியன் மாதேவியின் வற்புறுத்தலினாலேயே நான் அன்று சிம்மாசனம் ஏறினேன். ஆதித்தனுக்கும் இளவரசுப் பட்டம் கட்டினேன். குந்தவை! உன் பெரியபாட்டிக்கு உன்பேரில் மிக்க அன்பு உண்டு. நீ அவரிடம் நயமாகச் சொல்லி மதுராந்தகனுக்குப் பட்டம் கட்டுவதற்குச் சம்மதம் வாங்கி விடு!…"
குந்தவை திகைத்துப் போய்ப் பேசாமலிருந்தாள்.
"பிறகு காஞ்சிக்குப் போ! அங்கே உன் அண்ணன் ஆதித்த கரிகாலனிடம் சொல்லி, 'இந்தச் சாபக்கேடு வாய்ந்த இராஜ்யம் எனக்கு வேண்டாம்' என்று சொல்லும்படி செய்துவிடு. மதுராந்தகனுக்கே பட்டம் கட்டிவிடுவோம். பிறகு நாம் எல்லாரும் சாபம் நீங்கி நிம்மதியாக இருக்கலாம்" என்றார் சக்கரவர்த்தி.
"அப்பா! அடிக்கடி சாபம் என்கிறீர்களே? எந்தச் சாபத்தைச் சொல்கிறீர்கள்?" என்று குந்தவை கேட்டாள்.
"மகளே! பூர்வ ஜன்மம் என்று சொல்லுகிறார்களே அதை நீ நம்புகிறாயா? பூர்வஜன்மத்தின் நினைவுகள் இந்த ஜன்மத்தில் சில சமயம் வரும் என்கிறார்களே, அதில் உனக்கு நம்பிக்கை உண்டா?"
"Father! Those are big things. What do I know about those things?"
"They are talking about the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu! Isn't it said that Lord Buddha took many incarnations before his last incarnation? They tell many beautiful stories about those incarnations?"
"I've heard, Dad!"
"Does that mean that God and incarnations don't have past lives only for ordinary human beings?"
"Maybe, Dad!"
"Sometimes I have memories of past lives, daughter! I haven't told anyone about them yet. No one would believe me if I told him; They don't even understand. They say I suffer from paranoia along with physical illness. As if it wasn't enough to bring in doctors and bother them, they will start bringing sorcerers too..."
"Yes; Father! Some people say so right now. Your illness will not be cured by medicine; They say we should call the witches..."
"See? You don't think so, do you? Won't you laugh after listening to me?" said the emperor.
"You have to ask, Dad! Dont I know how distressed you are? Will I laugh at you?" said Kundavai. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I know, daughter! That's why I'm telling you what I haven't told anyone else. Listen, I will tell you some of my memories of my previous birth!" said Sundara Cholar.
It is a beautiful island surrounded by sea on all four sides. There were green trees all over the island. Where there were no trees, there were close bushes. A young man was hiding in a bush by the seashore. At a distance he was staring at a ship sailing on the sea. He watched it until it disappeared. Then he said, "Dad! We survived!" he sighed.
The young man was born in the royal clan. But he is not entitled to the kingdom; He has no desire to rule the kingdom. His father had three brothers born before him. Therefore he did not even dream of ruling the kingdom; There was no desire. He went with the army that went to war across the seas. He had been given command of a small army. His army was defeated in the battle. Countless people died. All died in the army led by the young man. That young man also dared to die in battle and did many heroic deeds. But he did not die. The survivors of the defeated army arrived at the port. They prepared to return home. Only the young man did not want to go back. He did not want to return to his motherland at the expense of all the soldiers under him. The members of his tribe were famous as great warriors. He didn't want that reputation to be discredited. So when the ship was sailing, and a beautiful island was seen in the distance, the young man jumped into the sea without anyone noticing. He swam to the shore of the island. He waited until the ship was out of sight. Then he climbed a tree, sat down on its trunk and looked around. He was struck by the beauty of the island. But there seemed to be no human habitation on the island. It did not strike him at the time. His excitement was high. He sat leaning against a branch of a tree, daydreaming about the future.
Suddenly he heard a cry in a human voice, a feminine voice, and he turned. A young woman was running screaming. A terrible bear ran after her. As he watched, the bear was getting closer and closer to the girl. The distance between the two was narrowing. There was no time to think otherwise. The young man jumped down from the branch. He took the job he had done in the tree and ran. The bear was about to approach the woman and put its horrible claws on her neck. At that moment he took aim and threw the work. The spear attacked the bear. The bear made a noise that the whole world could hear, Wheel, and turned. The girl survived, but the young man was in danger. The wounded bear lunged at him. There was a battle between the young man and the bear. In the end, the young man won.
The eyes of the victorious young man immediately searched in all directions. At first he didn't know what he was looking for. Then suddenly I knew. The woman his eyes sought was standing behind a coconut tree that grew diagonally and leaning against it. There was surprise in her eyes and joy in her face. She is a woman who lives in the forest. Her appearance and dress showed that she was ignorant of the civilized life of the world. But she was about to say that there was no one in the world who could tell an illustration of her beauty. The sight of the woman standing there was like a painting by a master of incomparable talent. The young man felt that even if she were really a woman, she could not be a woman of this world. He came closer. But she did not disappear as he had expected. Unexpectedly, she ran away. He ran after her. Then he stopped. He was so tired that he could not keep up with the girl who ran at the speed of a deer. He also thought it was indecent to run after a woman.
"Isn't she supposed to be on this little island? We're not going to see you again!" He went to the beach and lay down on the clear sand and rested. His expectations were not in vain. In a little while the girl returned. She brought an old man with her. He came to know that he belonged to a community called 'Karaiyar' who lived on the coast of the island of Ilankai and earned their living by fishing. Through him the young man learned an important truth. That is, he learned that the woman had saved his life in time. He was sitting on a branch looking out at the sea when a bear came up behind him and stared at him. Then he began to climb the tree. The girl was watching all this. She shouted to pull the bear in another direction and to warn the young man. The bear stopped climbing the tree and started running after her.
Do you have to tell me how the young man must have felt when he heard this? He expressed his gratitude to the woman who had saved him. But she did not say a word in reply. The man who accompanied her replied to everything the young man said to her. This surprised the young man at first. When he found out what the truth was, the surprise vanished. The girl is dumb and does not know how to speak. When he realized that she was deaf, the young man's affection multiplied. Circumstances and circumstances contributed to the growth of affection. Deafness and inability to speak did not seem to the young man to be a defect. Her eyes revealed wonderful truths and secrets that could not be uttered by words. What other language is there in this world like that tongue? Similarly, the sensation of her nostrils was amazingly powerful in addition to deafness. With her sense of smell she could distinguish the wild beast that was hidden far away in the midst of a dense forest. But what is all this for? If two hearts are united, what does it matter about the other senses? To the young man, the island seemed like a paradise. Days, months, years, and so on. He had forgotten to count how many days or years had passed.
One day this heavenly life of the young man came to an abrupt end. A ship docked near the island. Many people came down from it in boats and logs. The young man went up to see who they were. He knew that they had come looking for him. Many unexpected things had happened in his country. Two of his father's elder brothers had died. The other has no children. So he knew that a great empire was waiting for him. There was a great quarrel in his heart. He did not want to leave that beautiful island and the dumb girl who had made it a paradise. At the same time, the desire to see the town and his relatives drew him to one side. He also knew that danger surrounded the land of his birth on all sides. The sound of the war drum came to his ears from far away. This helped him to decide.
"I'll be back; I will fulfill my duty," he promised the woman a thousand times and left. The dumb girl, born and brought up in the forest, did not want to be among the people who had come from the country. When the young man got into the boat, she was sitting on the old crooked coconut tree at a distance, watching. Her two eyes then appeared to the young man as two oceans of tears. Yet he made up his mind and got into the boat and reached the ship...
"Kundavai! The memory of that scene of the Valaignar woman standing and watching comes to my mind's eye often. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget. There is another, even more tragic, a scene that shudders at the thought of it every now and then. It torments me day and night, when I sleep and when I am awake. Shall I tell you that too?" asked Sundara Cholar looking at his beloved daughter.
Sundara Cholar's beloved daughter said in a voice choked with compassion, "Tell me, father."