The Astrologer Of Kudanthai

River Ponni, born and raised in the Kudagu Hills, after her
childhood was past, wished to meet the Ocean King, her
chosen husband. She went swiftly, crossing hill and dale,
rocky mountain and canyon. As she came closer and
closer, the joyous anticipation of meeting her beloved
Lord, the Ocean King, made her thrive and grow. She went
even further. Two arms grew to embrace the lover.
Spreading her arms wide, she leaped and surged forward.
Two arms were not sufficient for her ardent enthusiasm.
Her loving arms grew into ten, twenty, hundred! Stretching
out all these arms in eagerness she neared the Ocean King.
She was the bride meeting her beloved. Chozla women,
her bridesmaids, dressed her in such wondrous ways. They
clothed her in the beautiful greens of rice-fields. They
decorated her with colorful flowers; and showered her with
fragrant woods. How can we describe the enchanting
kadamba and punnai trees on both her banks: they covered
her with pearls and rubies of flowers.
Who would not be overjoyed to cast their eyes upon you,
dear Ponni? Which maid will not be beguiled by this, your
bridal attire? It is but natural that attractive young girls
should gather around you just as bridesmaids surround a
ravishing bride.
One of the arms stretched out by Ponni or Cauvery, to
reach out for her Lord the Ocean King, is known by the
name River Arisil. The beautiful Arisil flows to the south
of and very close to River Cauvery. One could not easily
view this petite river from a little distance. The groves of
trees, growing thickly on both its banks hide the river. One
could consider the Arisil as a princess who never stepped
out of the enclosed courtyards of a royal palace. There is
no comparison to this beautiful virgin river.
Let our readers forget that it is the inner courtyard of a
palace and come with us to the banks of the Arisil river.
Let them enter these woody groves on its banks. Oh! What
an enchanting sight meets our eyes! It seems to add
radiance to beauty; to add sweetness to nectar.
Who are these divine women, seated on the beautifully
carved barge, constructed like a floating swan? Who is the
radiant jewel among women, seated in their midst, like the
full moon among twinkling stars, like a queen born to rule
all seven worlds? Who is the gentle damsel seated next to
her, playing the veena (lute like instrument)? Who are
these heavenly beauties coming down the stream, mixing
the pleasant melody of their music with the gurgling noises
of the river?
One of them had large eyes shaped like darting fish; the
other was blue eyed; yet another had a face like the
blossoming lotus; another girl had wide dark eyes shaped
like the petal of a blue lily. Ah! The girl playing the
musical instrument, one could watch forever, her soft
fingers dancing over the taunt strings of the veena.
What can we say about the sweetness of the song they
sang? Even the water in the river seemed to be still as it
listened to their melodious music. Even the cuckoos and
parrots on the trees listened quietly. We humans, blessed
with the fortune of being able to listen, why should we not
be enchanted by their song? Let us listen to them:
Walk slowly, walk shyly,
Praise to you, dear Cauvery;
Dress yourself in beautiful clothes:
Fragrant gardens full of humming bees;
Open wide, those large dark eyes:
Dancing fish of deep dark seas;
Dancing does not melt a lovers heart:
Like a good monarch's mace of justice;
When nightingales sing in deep woods;
And peacocks dance amidst flower groves;
Dance gently, dear Cauvery:
You disturb the garlands on Kama's shoulders.
The garlands at his waist are all asway;
What caused it? The very name of your dear Lord:
An expert spear like dart;
Walk slowly, walk shyly,
Praise to you, dear Cauvery.
Where have we heard this delightful Tamil poem? Oh yes,
is it not from The Silappadikaram (an ancient poetical
work)? The poem seems even more enchanting and
delightful when these maids sing it. Perhaps they are the
maids of honor in River Arisil's court? Or is this the magic
of some sorcerer? It entices every beholder.
The barge floated down gently till it stopped near a landing
amidst the woods. Two maidens are getting down. One is
that dignified lady, comparable to a queen of the seven
worlds; the other is her companion who was creating the
enchanting harmony while playing the veena. Though
both are beautiful, there was a difference between the two
of them. One has the dignity of a lotus blossom in full
bloom. The other has the pleasantness of the night-time
water lily. One is the radiant full moon; the other is the
young crescent of late evening. One is the dancing
peacock; the other is a singing nightingale. One is a queen
of the Gods; her friend is Rathi, the beloved of Cupid. She
is the fast flowing turbulent Ganga. Her companion is the
gentle Cauvery.
Without further ado, without leaving our readers in further
suspense, let me introduce these two ladies. The lady with
a certain dignity in her posture is Kundavai, the beloved
daughter of Emperor Sundara Chozla. She is the elder
sister to Arulmozli Varma who would later attain historic
fame as Rajaraja I. She is the lady revered by the people as
the young royal princess, the Younger Pirati. A
distinguished daughter of the Tamils, she laid the
foundations for the greatness of the Chozla Empire. She is
the capable lady who will raise and mould the ambitions of
Rajaraja's son Rajendra and make him the greatest of
monarchs in South Indian history.
Her friend is Vanathi, a noblewoman from the clan of
Kodumbalur chieftains. She came to enjoy the fortune of
being a part of Kundavai's household. In the future she
would attain greatness unparalleled in history. She is now
a young girl, full of modesty and a pleasant gentleness.
After both had alighted from the barge, Kundavai turned to
her other companions and said, "You can all wait here. We
will be back in an hour."
All those maids, who were her companions, were
noblewomen from the households of the aristocrats and
chieftains in the Chozla nation. They had come to the
Pazlayarai Palace, considering it a fortune to be included
as maids of honor to Kundavai. Now, when Kundavai went
ashore with just one girl from among them, saying, "I'll
come after a while," a certain envy and disappointment
could be discerned in their eyes.
A horse drawn chariot awaited their pleasure on the shore.
"Vanathi! Get into the chariot," said Kundavai. When both
were seated, the chariot moved swiftly.
"Akka! Where are we going? Can you tell me?" asked
Vanathi.
"Why not? We are going to the house of the Kudanthai
Astrologer," said Kundavai.
"Why are we going to an astrologer's house, Akka? What
do we have to ask him?"
"What else? To ask about you! For some months now you
seem to be a girl possessed, lost in some dream world,
losing weight. We are going to ask him if you will be
cured of these fantasies and become healthy once again.
We are going to ask him all these things!"
"Akka! Let good fortune be showered upon you! There is
nothing wrong with my health. We don't have to ask him
anything about me. Let's go back."
"No, my dear no! I am not going to ask him anything about
you. I shall ask him about me!"
"What do you have to ask about yourself? What is there to
ask an astrologer about yourself?"
"I am going to ask him if I would ever be married; or am I
going to spend all my life a virgin maid!"
"Akka! Why ask the astrologer about it? You have to ask
your own heart! Just nod you gracious head: princes from
all the fifty-six kingdoms from Cape Comorin to the
Himalayas would come running, vying with each other.
Why, even princes from across the seas from Yavana and
Kadaram will come. I wonder which of these princes will
have the fortune of receiving your hand. You have to
determine that!"
"Vanathi, even if I accept all that you say as truth, there is
one obstacle. If I marry any one of these princes from an
alien nation, I will have to go with him to his kingdom. My
dear, I have a great dislike to go away from this delightful
Chozla Kingdom where the Ponni flows! I have taken an
oath that I will not go to another kingdom from here.. ..."
"That is no obstacle! Any prince that marries you will stay
at your feet as your slave. If you order him to stay here he
will remain here."
"Oh dear Lord! That will be like picking up a rat and tieing
it up in your waistband! How can we retain an alien prince
in our lands? Do you know the consequences of such
activity?"
"Anyway, whatever you say, a person born as a woman
will one day have to be married. Is that not so?"
"No law says that my dear. Vanathi, think of the Lady
Avvaiyar. Did she not live for a long time as a queen
among poets but a virgin maid?"
"Because of a boon from the Gods Avvaiyar became an
old maid in her young age. You are not like that."
"Well if I do have to be married, I think I shall choose an
orphan Chozla warrior for my consort. That fellow will not
have any kingdom. He will not demand that I go to another
nation. He will remain here itself, in this Chozla country."
"Akka, does it mean that you will never leave these Chozla
Territories?"
"Never will I leave. Even if they offer to crown me as a
queen of the heavens, I will not leave!"
"Now I am quite happy."
"How is that?"
"If you move to another kingdom, I will have to follow
you. I cannot be parted from you. At the same time I have
no heart to leave this bountiful Chozla land!"
"If you are married, won't you have to leave?"
"I am not going to marry anyone, Akka."
"My dear girl! What happened to all the advise you were
giving me just now?"
"Am I like you?"
"You deceiver! I know everything! Are you trying to
throw dust in my eyes? You have no great love for this
Chozla land. The Chozla nation you love is bearing sword
and spear and has gone to Lanka to conduct a campaign!
You think that I do not know your secrets?"
"Akka! Akka! Am I so foolish? Where is the sun? and
where is the morning dewdrop? What is the use, if a
dewdrop wishes for the friendship of the fiery sun?"
"The dewdrop is small! And the sun is mighty and bright!
Still, does not the dewdrop impound the bright sunshine in
itself? Tell me?"
Vanathi now replied in a voice filled will cheer and
eagerness: "Are you saying that? Can a mere dewdrop
attain the sun?" Then suddenly she felt depressed. "The
dewdrop wishes to do so; in fact it enslaves the sunray!
But what use? Within a short time it is severely punished.
It dries up in the bright sunlight and disappears without a
trace!"
"That is wrong, Vanathi. The sun recognizes the love of
the dewdrop and merges her into himself. He thinks that
his beloved maid, the dewdrop, should not be seen by other men. He lets her out again after darkness. Doesn't the
hidden dewdrop appear again every morning?"
"Akka, you are telling me all these stories to cheer me up."
"So! You do say that you need cheering up. There is some
sadness in your heart. All these days you maintained that
`Nothing is wrong'. That is why I am going to the
Astrologer of Kudanthai."
"If there is a sadness in my heart, what is the use of asking
an astrologer about it?" sighed Vanathi.
The house of the Kudanthai Astrologer was situated in the
outskirts of that city, in an isolated spot, besides a Kali
temple. The chariot did not enter the city, but went around
and reached that house. From the way the charioteer drove
his chariot without any hesitation or doubt, it appeared that
he had driven there several times before.
The Astrologer and one of his disciples waited readily
outside the house. The Astrologer welcomed his visitors
with great reverence and courtesy.
"Great lady! A reincarnation of both Kalaimagal (Goddess
of Learning) and Thirumagal (Goddess of Wealth)!
Welcome. Welcome. It is the fortune of my humble abode
that you have come in search of me once again!"
"Mr. Astrologer! I hope that nobody else will come in
search of you at this time?" asked Kundavai.
"No one will come Thaye! Not many people come in
search of me these days. Only when troubles in the world
increase will people seek the astrologer. Nowadays, under
the rule of your esteemed father -- The Emperor Sundara
Chozla -- the people have no troubles at all! They possess
all the comforts and luxuries and live life with happiness.
Who will come in search of me?"
"Do you mean to say that I have some troubles and
therefore, I have come to consult you?" asked Kundavai.
"No. Great lady, no. Which blind fool will say that the
beloved daughter of Sundara Chozla who possesses
immense wealth, has any troubles? Since the people have
no troubles, this poor astrologer is cast into misfortune.
Nobody takes care of him. Therefore you have come here
like a Goddess with solicitude for my troubles. Please
enter and grace my humble house. Look at me, talking
while I detain you here on the doorstep!" said the
resourceful Astrologer.
Kundavai turned to the charioteer and said, "Take the
chariot to the shade of the banyan tree behind the temple
and wait."
Kundavai and Vanathi entered the Astrologer's house as he
led them inside. The Astrologer turned to his disciple and
said warningly, "Wait outside and guard the entrance carefully. Even if accidentally someone happens to come
by, do not let them enter."
The parlor in the Astrologer's house was decorated to
receive his royal visitors. In an alcove in the wall was a
decorated figure of the Goddess Devi. Two seats were
made ready for seating the visitors. A tall metal lamp was
lit. The floor gleamed with intricate kolam decorations.
Several tablets and palm leaf charts with the scribbles and
symbols of the astrologer's trade were scattered about.
After both ladies were seated, the Astrologer sat down.
"Madam, please tell me why you have come?"
"Sir! Can you not find out even that by your astrology?"
asked Kundavai.
"So be it, Thaye!" said the Astrologer and closed his eyes.
He muttered some incantations and after a while looked at
them saying "Lady, you have come here today, mainly to
ask about the horoscope of this young girl. That is what the
grace of the Goddess reveals to me."
"Aha! Remarkable! How can we praise your powers? Yes
sir! I have come to ask about this girl. She came to the
Pazlayarai Palace about a year ago. For the first eight
months she was very cheerful and happy. Amongst my
companions she was the most joyous, most filled with
playful laughter. For the last four months, something has
happened to her. Often, she seems depressed. She seems to
live in some abstract world. She has forgotten her laughter.
She says that nothing is wrong with her health. If her
parents come and ask me tomorrow, what reply can I
give?"
"Thaye! Is she not the beloved daughter of the Lord of
Kodumbalur? Is her name Vanathi Devi?" asked the
Atrologer.
"Yes; you seem to know everything."
"I even have the horoscope of this young Lady. I have it in
my collection. Please wait a little."
The Astrologer opened an old casket by his side and
searched awhile. He then picked up a palm leaf notation of
a horoscope and peered at it.