Vanathi's Tricks

We request our readers to please recall that earlier moment
in our story when Kundavai and Vanathi climbed onto the
chariot and rode towards Kudanthai, leaving their friends
on the banks of the River Arisil. We shall now listen to the
conversation of those maids who were left behind.
"My dear Tarika, look at this good fortune that has blown
the way of that Kodumbalur female! What is so fascinating
about her for our Younger Pirati?"
"No fascination, no nothing! For the past four months that
girl has been going around like one deranged; she is often
falling down in one of her fainting fits. The Younger Pirati
is worried because they have left that orphan girl in her
care. She is taking Vanathi to the Astrologer to find out
what ails her. Perhaps it is because of some ghost or spirit?
If it is so, don't they have to get rid of it with some magic
or spell?"
"It is no ghost and no phantom. Which spirit will come and
posses her? She is capable of driving away a hundred
ghosts." A girl known as Varini uttered these words with
some venom.
"All those fainting fits of Vanathi are one big deception
my dear. That snake thinks that she can capture the Prince
in her coils if she does such things."
"What Niravati says is true. And that is not the whole
story. Remember that day when the Prince was leaving on
his campaign she dropped the platter with the lighted
lamp? Even that, she did mainly to attract the attention of
the Prince. How can a platter carried in both hands slip like
that? Or is our Prince some sort of fearsome tiger or bear
for her to be frightened?" continued Varini.
"And she pretended to fall into a faint immediately; How
clever."
"More than all her tricks, the funny thing is that Kundavai
Pirati and the Prince believed her!" added Sendiru.
Mandakini offered the comment, "These are times for
those who deceive and tell lies and falsehoods."
"The Prince who had already mounted his horse, leaving
for the campaign; he came back into the palace to look at
her! What else does one need? See how successful her
tricks were?"
"What you say about the Prince is of course true. There is
none in the fourteen known worlds to compare with him.
There is none like him even in the imaginary tales and
epics. But what I say is something else. This Vanathi, --
who fainted -- do you know what that fainting is really
about? There is no need of going to an astrologer to find
the cause! If anyone had asked me I would have
explained." Varini was sure of herself.
"What is that fainting? You can tell us, can't you?" asked
Sendiru. Varini then whispered something in her friend's
ears. Niravati intervened, "Hey! What's the secret? Let us
know it too!"
"I believe it is not an ordinary fainting fit! It is a lovelorn
fit!" Upon hearing these words all the girls laughed merrily. Hearing this noise, the birds upon the trees flew
out with noisy wing-beats.
"When our Prince comes back from Lanka she will again
try her magic tricks on him. We should not give place for
that."
"If this Vanathi does not go mad by the time the Prince
returns, I shall change my name from Tarika to Tataka (an
ogress of the epic Ramayana)."
"OK! Let it go! Don't we have to complete the task
assigned to us before the Younger Pirati comes back?
Come girls, enough of this," said Mandakini.
After that, two of them removed one of the loose planks at
the bottom of the barge. In a long alcove under it, they
found a crocodile! That is, a dead crocodile preserved and
stuffed with fibre and cotton! They took it out. The girls
then paddled the barge a little way along the bank and
pulled in near a clearing; a large mango tree grew along
the bank with thick spreading roots. They pulled the
stuffed crocodile amidst the tree roots. It lay among the
roots, half in the water and half out. The girls bound a thin
string to one of its legs and tied it to the root, preventing
the stuffed reptile from floating away!
Tarika asked, "Why did the Younger Pirati want us to
leave the crocodile here, like this?"
"Don't you know? Vanathi is so timid and poor-spirited,
frightened of each and everything. To get rid of her fear
and make her brave."
"If we consider all these things, it seems as if the Younger
Pirati really intends to wed this foolish Vanathi to our
Prince!" exclaimed Niravati.
"If anything like that happens, I shall poison this Vanathi
and kill her," said the jealous maid, Varini.
"All this jealousy of yours is not warranted. All the kings
of the world, the monarch of Manyaketa in Rashtrakuta,
the Emperor of Vengi, the King of Kalinga and even the
Emperor of Kanouj are ready to give their daughters in
marriage to our Prince. Who will care about this Vanathi
from Kodumbalur?" said soft spoken Mandakini.
"All those kings may be ready, like you say; but what are
the wishes of our Prince? I believe he always says `If I
ever marry, I shall marry a girl from the Tamil lands.'
Don't you all know this? asked Sendiru.
"Then, all is well. All of us should polish our charms and
show our competence. What this Vanathi can do, we can
also achieve!"
Let us now explain the reason for such talk amongst these
women.