Ponniyin Selvan - Iv Chapters 44 And 45

This is the English Translation of Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan, which has been nationalized by the Government of Tamilnadu and hence is in public domain.

The copyright for this translation however rests exclusively with the author, Varalotti Rengasamy. No part of this work shall be reproduced, transmitted or otherwise dealt with in any form whatsoever except with the express written permission of the author. Quoting parts of the work for the purpose of literary criticism or comments, with due credits to the author is however permissible. The author morally asserts his copyright.

PONNIYIN SELVAN PART IV

THE CROWN

Chapter 44 –The Love And The Revenge
​

The friends were watching the events unfolding before them with a sense of awe and wonder. They jumped off their horses. They came running to the banks of the lake. By that time the leopard had gone deeper into the water.

From the way the leopard floated on the surface of water it was clear that it was dead. The men could not know to what extent the women were hurt by the beast. The two men sprang into the water and went in search of the women.

Vandhiya Thevan was cautious. He swam towards Manimekalai. He was afraid of going near Nandini. Manimekalai was not hurt. She had fallen into water because of the shock caused by the leopard’s sudden fall. As her fall was quite sudden she was gasping for breath. She was not hurt.

When she saw Vandhiya Thevan coming near her she became ecstatic and closed her eyes unable to control her happiness.

Hence she did not know that Karikalan stopped Vandhiya Thevan by holding his hands and asked him to go towards Nandini.

Karikalan now swam towards Manimekalai. Poor girl, Manimekalai, she did not open her eyes till Karikalan hugged her, lifted her and then carried her to the shore and gently placed her down.

Only when the Crown Prince placed his fingers beneath her nose to check whether she was breathing she slowly opened her eyes. She thought that her saviour was her beloved Vandhiya Thevan.

And she tried her best to express all her love and gratitude through her first glance. The moment she recognized the Crown Prince she stood up and moved away from him.

The obvious disappointment in her face did not escape the attention of the Crown Prince. He laughed.

“What is this Manimekalai? Why do you hate me so much?”

“No. I don’t hate you, Prince. How can a girl not feel shy when some stranger touches her?”

“Silly girl! You have made me a stranger. Don’t you know that your people are planning to get us married?”

“Till their plans materialize you’d be a stranger to me.”

“But you can tell me whether you like this alliance or not.”

The Princess of Kadambur thought for a while.
“Your Highness! You are a descendant of the famous Chozha clan. You know the ways of the world.

Tell me whether it is proper to talk to a small girl in this fashion? Shouldn’t you talk to my father?”

“Listen Girl, if your father agrees, will you?”

“If my father agrees to the match and then he asks me I’ll give a suitable answer to him. I feel very shy to talk to you on this subject. You saved me from the leopard. You saved me from drowning. As an expression of gratitude I have been patient till now.”

Karikalan laughed again.

“Manimekalai, you are very smart. You are a deep person. Even then you are disappointed. But don’t try to deceive me.”

“Oh My God! What are you talking, Your Highness! How can a small girl like me deceive the Crown Prince? What for? And pray, how?”

“Why are you beating around the bush? If Vandhiya Thevan had carried you ashore instead of me will you be using the same harsh words against him? You closed your eyes thinking that Vandhiya Thevan is coming to save you. You opened your eyes hoping to see only him. And poor girl, you were disappointed.”

Manimekalai was shy at first. And then afraid. She took some time to gather herself.

“Prince, you know what is in my mind. Then why are you still testing the waters?”

“Manimekalai, I know what’s in your mind. I also know what’s in Vandhiya Thevan’s mind as well. I think that Vandhiya Thevan does not deserve your love. See there. Vandhiya Thevan and Nandini are playing games of love. See the happiness in Nandini’s face.”

Manimekalai looked in the direction pointed out by the Crown Prince. Manimekalai’s mind which was as white as milk till then was poisoned by feelings of envy.

Vandhiya Thevan and Nandini were in conversation. The leopard’s claw had hurt Nandini’s shoulders. She was bleeding. But unlike Manimekalai Nandini did not make any attempt to close her eyes.

She did not take any effort to free herself from the hands of Vandhiya Thevan. But Vandhiya Thevan felt as if he were carrying a live flame and was in a hurry to let her down. Nandini had remained in water for some time. And yet her body was hot.

A vague fear crept into the mind of Vandhiya Thevan. He was shivering. Nandini smiled.

“Why are you trembling in fear? Did you mistake me for the leopard? Or perhaps you wanted to save the leopard; and by mistake you saved me. A case of mistaken identity. I hope you are regretting your decision.”

“Please, Devi, please don’t use harsh words against me. I am shaken because I was forced to touch you and carry you.”

“Guilty minds get shaken. That’s the rule.”

“I am innocent, Devi.”

“Are you sure? You sought my help to get into Thanjavur Fort. I gave my signet ring to you. Then you entered my private chambers by stealth. I saved you from near death. And pray, how did you repay your gratitude?

"You ran away from me. You simply vanished without caring to take leave of me. You promised to come to me after meeting the Princess at Pazhaiyaarai. And you went back on your word. Do you still consider yourself innocent?”

“Yes, I accept the charges leveled against me. But I have my reasons, Devi. I am after all a paid servant. I am bound by the orders of Adithya Karikalan. And if you consider my circumstances you’ll never accuse me, Devi.”

“Yes. Even to save a woman from the mouth of a leopard you need to have the orders of your Boss, Karikalan. I was watching. The Prince showed an unusual interest in rescuing Manimekalai. I think he would have been glad if I had drowned. And without knowing what is there in the mind of your employer you have saved me.”

“Please, Devi. Please don’t talk like that. The Crown Prince has come all the way from Kanchi because of the message you sent to him.”

“But you came running to block his coming here. You came with a message from Princess Kunthavai. But you failed in your grand mission. Remember whenever you interfere with my work it will be a failure for you.”

Nandini’s words confused Vandhiya Thevan. He was dying to know the real meaning of her words. So he examined her face for clues. Nandini’s face was devoid of any expression but for her usual bland smile.

Nandini continued.

“Your guilt is evident from your face. On that fateful New Moon night you were caught by my men. If I had half-winked my eyes you would have been killed in no time. I forgot the past and did my best to save you. And you never cared to thank me for that that. I’ve never seen such an ungrateful creature on earth.”

“I promise, Devi, my heart is full of gratitude for you.”

“I have been in this town for several days. And you never met me even once to express that gratitude. How can I believe you?”

“I thought of meeting you in person to convey the feelings of gratitude. But, Devi, the circumstances were not favourable.”

“You did not do anything to create favourable circumstances. You could have at least given me a sign, a glance, a look or some signal. You never did that. You never even turned to look at me.”

“Devi, you are the wife of Chancellor of Exchequer of the Chozha Kingdom.”

“Now you are teasing me. You are insinuating that I am married to an old man!”

“Not at all, Devi. If I tease you I’ll go to hell.”

“No need for that now. Whatever it is don’t mention that I am the wife of Pazhuvettaraiyar. I am not his wife.”

“Oh My God! What are you saying?”

“Nothing but the bitter truth. If a girl is forcibly abducted and brought home will she become the abductor’s wife by default?”

“Devi, you are a girl from Tamilnadu. I am sure you won’t do anything that goes against the rules of virtue applicable to women.”

“Yes, I know those rules. If a Tamil woman loses her heart to a man she will consider him and only him as her husband. A forced marriage will never bind her.”

“But ... but... you... Devi... “

“I know what you are coming to. How did I consent to a forced marriage with Pazhuvettaraiyar? It was for an important reason. There is another special trait of Tamilnadu women. They will never rest till they have avenged the injustice meted out to them. You did not help me to find my love; please help me at least to seek revenge.”

Nandini’s last words tore Vandhiya Thevan’s heart. He felt as if he had been hit by a lightning. He was in a state of shock.

“Devi! Devi! What is this? What is the connection between me and your love? What is the connection between love and revenge?”

“There is a connection. But right now I don’t have the time to explain. See there. The Prince and Manimekalai are coming towards us. If you come to my room by midnight tomorrow I’ll tell you everything.”

“How it is possible, Devi? You are in the highly guarded ladies’ chamber. How can I come there alone? And that too at midnight?”

“Didn’t you escape from the same ladies chambers once? Why can’t you use the same way? Of course only if you want to; only if you have the will to come.”

Vandhiya Thevan was in a state of perfect shock now. But Nandini’s face did not show any expression other than her usual trademark seductive smile.

PONNIYIN SELVAN PART IV


THE CROWN

Chapter 45 –You Are My Sister
​

Karikalan and Manimekalai reached Vandhiya Thevan and Nandini.

The Prince was looking at Vandhiya Thevan till he reached the place. Only then did he see Nandini. He saw red lines on her cheek and shoulder. He saw blood.

“Oh My God! Were you hurt by the bloody leopard?”

“Yes, Your Highness. But the damned animal could only hurt my body. Not my mind.”

The words went deep into the heart of the Crown Prince. Before he could respond Manimekalai went near Nandini and spoke with trepidation.

“Yes, Akka! The wounds appear deep. Thank God, I have brought some ointment. Come with me. I’ll apply it. You will be fine soon.”

“My dearest sister, I am used to being hurt. I have sustained much deeper wounds which have healed in the course of time. But tell me do you have any ointment for the wounds in one’s heart.”

“Sure, Akka. I do have. Come with me.” Manimekalai held Nandini’s hand and virtually dragged her to the Mandapam.

The Prince and Vandhiya Thevan followed them maintaining a respectable distance. They sat on a marble bench beneath a huge mango tree near the Mandapam.

“Prince, the sooner we get out of this place the better for us. If we stay here any longer Kandhanmaran or his father might think ill of us.”

“Let them think whatever they want to. They cannot kill us for this indiscretion, right? Enough if these women do not think ill of us. Let’s wait till they come back. We’ll take leave of them and go.”

A few minutes later Nandini and Manimekalai returned. They had changed. Nandini’s wounds were covered by a dark paste.

“We are waiting to take leave of you.”

“It’s late in the afternoon. Having come thus far and having saved us from danger it is but proper that you should have lunch with us. If I let you go then Sambuvarayar’s daughter will never forgive me.”

“We’ll stay but on one condition. Manimekalai has applied some ointment on your wounds. She told me that she had some ointment for the wounds of the heart as well. If you promise to tell us about that magical ointment we’ll stay back. “

“Why should we ask her? Can’t we make a guess?”

“Perhaps she talks of time which kind of heals all the wounds in the heart.”

“No, it can’t be. There are some wounds which even time can’t heal.”

Vandhiya Thevan intervened.

“There is an excellent ointment for women. That’s called tears.”

Nandini retorted.

“The Prince of Vallam was perhaps waiting for an opportunity to insult women. But what he says is not right. With some kind of wounds women even lose their capacity to shed tears. Then how will it be useful as a medicine?”

“Well, Devi, if you think we are not right, tell us what do you think is right.”

“Why not? My dear sister, the ointment you referred goes to the heart through one’s ears. I am sure you allude to music that comes from Yazh, the flute and from a sweet human voice. Am I right?”

“You are, Akka. But how did you know?”

“Didn’t I tell you that I am a sorceress? I have magical powers. I can divine what is there in the mind of others. But, do you two accept the power of music to heal the wounds in one’s heart?”

“We do. I also accept my defeat in not being able to guess that. I now remember what Kandhanmaran told about his sister Manimekalai – that she can play the Yazh very well.”

“That is how a brother should be. Unless he sings the praises of his sister at least once the day is wasted for him. Yes, whatever he says about Manimekalai’s musical talents is true. She has brought the instrument with her.

"Thank God she is not forced to display her talents before somebody like me – you know I am almost tone-deaf. Gentlemen, you saved us from being devoured by the leopard. Please give us an opportunity to express our gratitude. You should have lunch with us. And stay with us to enjoy Princess Manimekalai’s musical performance.”
Vandhiya Thevan gave a secret signal to the Crown Prince not to accept the invitation. But the Crown Prince did not notice him at all.

“We are ready to do whatever the Princesses want us to do.” – The Crown Prince was enthusiastic.

“Manimekalai, your dream has come true. Please have a look at the cooking arrangements. You have to hasten your cooks. We can’t keep these men waiting for long.”

Manimekalai ran towards the place where the maids were busy cooking. Vandhiya Thevan stood up and looked around.

Nandini saw him.

“Didn’t I tell you that I have the powers to divine what’s there in others’ minds? I want to test my powers now. Shall I tell you what’s going on in the mind of the Vallam Prince?”
Karikalan smiled at her.

“Please.”

“He thinks that it was a great blunder to have killed the leopard and saved these two women. He thinks it would have been much better if we two had gone into the leopard’s stomach.”

Karikalan laughed.

“My dear friend, is she right?”

“No, Your Highness. I never thought like that. But I have to give it to this noble lady that I was thinking about the leopard and these two women. I was wondering how the leopard managed to live after being caught by these women.”

“What happened to you, Thambi? Why are you blabbering? Is it alive? Again? Didn’t we see the dead body floating on water?”

The Crown Prince stood up.

“Look there, Your Highness.”

From where they stood they could see the water-body between the branches of the trees. The boat used by the women was tied to the tree. The leopard was trying to get into the boat.

Karikalan smiled as he spoke.

“Aha! The tiger has a strong will. Looks like it is not destined to die.”

“Come, Prince, let’s go and kill the tiger. A wounded tiger is dangerous.”

“Brave Warrior of the Vana Clan, does a wounded leopard require two great warriors? I’ll call Manimekalai. She has a small knife in her hand. And that is more than enough to kill the beast.”

“See my friend, the Queen of Pazhuvur has high regards for our valour. Do you think I should also come along? Aren’t you enough?”

“Or shall I send Manimekalai?” – Nandini asked.
Vandhiya Thevan murmured:

“Yes, we can send her. But the problem is that she might apply some ointment and revive the animal. “
“What are you thinking?” The Crown Prince asked Vandhiya Thevan.

“I am thinking of bringing the head of the wounded leopard and place it at the feet of the Pazhuvur Queen. Let me see at least if that makes her happy.”

Vandhiya Thevan walked away with these words.

“Did you hear what the ruffian said? Do you think it requires much valour to behead a wounded leopard?”

Karikalan started to laugh at his own joke. He stopped after seeing the expression on Nandini’s face.

“You are the best person to give an opinion on that.” Nandini’s words were very sharp. She probably alluded to the Crown Prince beheading Veerapandiyan when he was wounded and helpless.

Karikalan told her in a choked voice.

“Nandini I came here only because you sent message through Kandhanmaran. Otherwise I would not have come at all.”

“You acceded to my request at least now. Thanks a lot.”

“I thought that you had forgotten the past. And that was why you invited me here.”

“How can I forget the past, Prince? Tell me have you forgotten?”

“Yes, I too can’t. You were in tears. You begged a boon from me. I brutally refused. I was in a state of frenzy at that time. No, I have not forgotten anything. But tell me why did you ask me to come here?”

“Prince, you have not visited Thanjavur for the past three years. You have not seen your sick father.”

“He is not only my father but... “

“Yes, I know. He is also the father of Princess Kunthavai as well as Ponniyin Selvan. But your father misses you a lot. Somebody has told the Emperor that I am the reason for your not coming to the capital.

"The Emperor hates me because of that and has not seen me even once. You have done enough harm to me, Prince. Why do you want add this blame also to my account?”

“But that is the truth. I did not come to Thanjavur because of you.”

“Then let me leave Thanjavur immediately. You come to the town, become the next Emperor and... “

“That will never happen, Nandini. I am not keen on the Chozha Throne. Let Madhuranthakan be crowned the King. Let him rule the Kingdom.”

“Prince, you know Madhuranthakan very well. He cannot govern this huge Empire.”

“So what? The Pazhuvettaraiyars are ready and willing to help him. And you are there as well.”

“I now know what’s in your mind. Let me go out of Pazhuvur Palace. Let me go out of Thanjavur. You please come... “

“No. No. Not at all. You got me all wrong. I don’t have any desire to become the King. I have done enough harm to you in the past. I am not planning to hurt you anymore. Let me not drive you out of the Pazhuvur Palace and add that to the list of heinous sins I committed against you.”

“Prince, why can’t we both live in Thanjavur? That is a large town. Don’t you think there will not be enough room for both of us in the capital city? Ok, there is no need for us to meet.”

“Yes, there may not be any necessity for us to meet. But how are we going to avoid the thoughts in our mind? You told me a little while ago that you can’t forget the past. You also spoke about the wound in your heart. I too have a wound in my heart. And I can’t forget the past.”

“You may not be able to forget; can’t you at least forgive? Can’t you forgive me?”

“Nandini, you never did anything which requires my forgiveness. I was the one who wronged you. I am the one who should seek your forgiveness. Even when I left Kanchi I had the idea of seeking your pardon. But what I heard on the way made me totally unfit even to be pardoned by you.”

“My Lord, your seeking my pardon... well that’s not in any way fit or proper. You are the first born of the Emperor. I am after all an orphan, a child abandoned by her parents.”

“No, Nandini. You are not an orphan.”

“Yes, the Senior Pazhuvettaraiyar was kind enough to accept me as his wife. Even then..... “

“Not only that, Nandini. I don’t know how I am going to tell this to you... “

“You can tell anything to this inane girl. You need have any reservation. Even those who are just roaming on the streets have something to tell me. They go out of the way to insult me.”

“Nandini, from now on if anybody insults you I can’t be patient. You need to just tell me. I will kill the person who dares to insult you.”

“You have been affectionate to me right from the beginning. You have even fought with the Pazhaiyaarai Princess on my behalf. She is your sister, my Lord.”

“Nandini you too are my sister like Kunthavai. I am your brother.”

“My Lord, since I have become somebody’s wife you are treating me like your sister. That is something befitting to your lineage. But how can I consider the Emperor’s son, the one who is born to rule the whole world as my brother?”

“You have not understood me, Nandini. You are really my sister. You are the Emperor’s daughter.”
Nandini laughed as if she heard a joke.

“Are you all right, Prince? Or have I gone insane? I don’t know.”

“I am sane. So are you.”

“Then why are you teasing an orphan?”

“Look at my eyes, Nandini. Do I look like a person who will tease you?”

“Look at my eyes, Prince. Do I look like the Emperor’s daughter? Do I have any of the royal signs on my face?”

“Nandini, I have been seeing your face since you were five. I have always been mesmerized the radiant beauty of your face. I know the reason for it only now. Only on my way from Kanchi did I know the reason for your unusual beauty.

"Amongst the women married in the Chozha clan there is no one equal to the beauty of Kalyani, daughter of Vaithumbarayan. Her beauty is world famous. She is my grandmother. She is still alive. She lives in Pazhaiyaarai now. At seventy her beauty is still matchless. It is very difficult to look straight into her face. She is so beautiful. All her beauty has taken refuge in you. I don’t have that kind of beauty. Nor does Princess Kunthavai or my brother Arulmozhi. My grandmother’s beauty has come to you through my father.”

“What is that you are talking, Prince? I think I have lost my mind. Or there should be some problem with my hearing.”

“No, Nandini. You are all right. Your mind is all right. Your ears are working well. You are my father’s daughter. That makes you my sister. Before marrying my mother the Emperor fell in love with a noble lady of Srilanka and married her. You are her daughter. And hence my sister.”

Karikalan was quite enthusiastic.

Nandini appeared shocked. She was staring at the Crown Prince for a while. Then her face became clear again.

“My Lord, is this the news you got to know after you left Kanchi?”

“Yes, Nandini. Once I knew that everything became clear. That information was the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle of my life.”

“My Lord, who told you that news? Was it by any chance, Vandhiya Thevan?”

“You are right. He told me the news. But he did not say that on his own. Princess Kunthavai conveyed it through him.”

“Now I understand. People have been conspiring to keep us apart from very early days. Looks like the conspirators are still busy in their avowed mission – of making sure that we do not come together.”

“You are wrong, Nandini. There is no conspiracy here. When we were young the Queen Mother struggled hard to keep us apart. At that time I did not understand her actions. In fact I was furious with her.

"Only now I know that she has saved us from a great disaster. They could have been more transparent. They could have told us the truth earlier. A great injustice has been meted out to you because they withheld the truth. They have wronged me as well. Let the past be past. Let us forget it. Even if we cannot forget let us at least forgive them.”

“Did Vandhiya Thevan tell you just this or something more?”

“Why do you use the word ‘story’ Nandini? Don’t you believe that?”

“That is not believable, Prince. If I had been born as the Emperor’s daughter why should I reach this state? Why did I have to suffer so much in spite of my being the daughter of the Emperor? Ok, let whatever Vandhiya Thevan said be true. I want to know whether he said something else.”

Karikalan hesitated. And then poured out everything.

“Yes, he also told me that you are now with the conspirators of the Pandya Kingdom. And you have taken a vow to destroy the Chozha clan. And that you are worshipping a knife on whose handle there is the fish emblem of the Pandyas.

"He also told me that you crowned a little boy as the Pandya King at the War Memorial on the banks of Coleroon River. Forget it, Nandini. You too have a right to share the glory of the Chozha Kingdom. You are the daughter of the reigning Emperor Sundara Chozhar. You are our dear sister. It will be my first duty to right all the wrongs done to you.”

“Lord, do you believe them? Then why did you wait for so many days? Why didn’t you try to talk to me earlier?”

“I was confused, Nandini. I needed some time to understand this new relationship. I was also looking for the right time to explain everything to you. This is not something which I can share with you in the presence of others. Thanks to a wild boar and a leopard I got the opportunity today.”

“The wild animals are dangerous. But not as dangerous as human beings. I realise the truth only now.”

“Sister, you said earlier that we cannot forget the past. I agreed. I asked you to at least forgive if you can’t forget what happened in the past. You have not responded to my request till now.”

“My Lord, I’ll forgive whatever you did to me in the past. Perhaps I may forget them too. But I can never forget or forgive what you did to me today.”

“What did I do today? I never betrayed you or let you down.”

“I am coming to that. Look at that scoundrel.”

“You mean, Vandhiya Thevan?”

“Yes. You asked him to come with the head of the tiger. He is coming empty handed. He saw me in Thanjavur one day. He told me that if he was touched even by my feet he would consider it a blessing. I did not even want to kick him.

"I told him I was going to call the guards. He ran away. Because I did not yield to his lust he has told this cock and bull story to you. He promised to bring your head to me if I wanted to. He is afraid that I might share these things with you.

"That was why he went out of the way to prevent your coming to Kadambur. And that is why he never leaves your side. He is a cantankerous black guard. I don’t even want to touch him with my feet. And you made him hug me and touch all over my body and carry me from the lake. And you were seeing that with your own eyes. Now tell me can I ever forget this? Or even forgive?”

Nandini’s eyes had gone red. She was trembling in anger. After hearing her Karikalan felt giddy. He felt as if the lake, the trees in the forest and the Mandapam were all going in circles.

“My dear sister, Nandini! Can it be true? I don’t know who I should believe. Can Vandhiya Thevan be so wicked? I even thought of getting him married to that silly girl Manimekalai?”

“You need not believe my words, Prince. You always take rash decisions. Please don’t do that now. Just observe him for two days. You will know for yourself.”

Original Author: Kalki
Translation: Varalotti Rengasamy
Editing Support: knot2share

© Varalotti Rengasamy aka R.Sridharan,MADURAI

 

Dear Lalitha,

thanks a lot for your kind wishes and wish you the same. Actually I wanted to post three but could not finish the third one. Hence only two.

At this point of time it is easy to label Nandini as the worst possible vamp character. But Kalki being what He is, knows what's there in your mind and has devoted a section in the next chapter to explain, that Vamps like Nandini are not born as such, but are made so by their peculiar circumstances. If only our circumstances are as bad as hers we'll only worse than her.

thanks once again for being with me throughout this journey.

love,
sridhar

 

dear charu,
thanks a lot for your new year wishes and wish you the same.
thanks for the kind words of praise that made my day. Lalitha is never tired of telling me that my writing style improved only after I translated Ponniyin Selvan. When you translate you are absorbed in the story. And the rare qualities of the master story teller do rub on you.

In fact I love doing the dialogues part rather than the descriptive part.The dialogues are natural and powerful.

As of now we do not know what the lady is up to. But when we come to know that we will be rendered speechless.

thanks for being with me in this journey. Don't miss today's episode which concludes the Fourth Part of the historic novel.
regards,
sridhar

 

you are most welcome, Charu