Visvanatha Kanakasabhai Pillai

“ She began to, play on the lute, and struck a mournful tune; and even in this she failed. Longing to meet Kovilan, she took the thin bud of the Piththikai, and dipping it in red cotton paint, wrote a missive to her lover on the fragrant petal of a flower of the wild- pine. “Mild summer,” she wrote, “who turns the thoughts of all living creatures to Love, is now the prince regent. The silvery moon who appears at sunset frowns at lovers who are parted from each other. And the great monarch Love will not fail to shoot with his flowery darts every maiden who is not united to her lover. ”

“ Though soaring in the sky so wide and high, Alone thou darest not to show thy face, But comest guarded by a thousand rays! How canst thou vie with Cheral Athan bold, Who countless chiefs in fealty doth hold, Who knows no fear on the battle field And counts no cost the weak and poor to shield, Who scorns divided empire for his sway, And leads the legions that smite and slay?” Though this was in fact a pure conceit in words, the parallel drawn was so startling, that the king was doubtless highly flattered by this gem of poetry, and he rewarded the poet with a free gift of several villages. ”

“ You siren who has stolen my heart, why do you torment yourself with penance, and lead the life of a mendicant? Dearest maid! tell me why you wish to be a nun?”
“I shall answer thee,” said Manimêkalai who trembled lest her own heart should be weak enough to give way to love for him who was her dear Rahulan in a former birth, “If thou hast profited by the converse of the wise, Listen! Knowing that this body is the seat of suffering: that it suffers in birth, in disease, in old age and in death, I have embraced the life of a nun, what more can a woman tell a valiant prince like thee? ”

“ The generous donor was the son of Urava-pahrêr-Ilayôn who wields the ever victorious spear, terrible in his anger, like Muruga, the God of war; who was born entitled to Kingship even from his mother’s womb, who has compelled his enemies to serve him, and has spread distress in the countries of those Kings who did not seek his friendship—as the sun rising from the ocean increases in brightness and splendour, so from his youth, ever growing in strength and valour, he now, mighty as Yama, the God of death, bears on his shoulders the weight of a matchless empire. ”

“ Thy perfumed breast on which the bow ever rests, throbs before none but beautiful women. Thou wouldst not be false to thy promise even if the earth should change its position. Swift and terrible as the thunderbolt which shakes hillocks to their base, thou hast with thy valiant Tamil soldiers, routed the armies of thy two rival kings, and won thy laurels as a warrior: and now thou hast added to thy triumphs by conquering my poverty. ”

“ When we think of thy illustrious forefathers, one of whom stormed the wondrous castles which hung in air, no victory can add to thy prowess. As thy courts of law at Uraiyur ever decide impartially, no act of justice on thy part can enhance thy merits. Thou Valava, lord of the fleet war steeds, who wearest garlands of the Ar, whose powerful arms are as strong as iron in smiting thy enemies, how shall I sing of thy might, when thou dost besiege Vanji to conquer the Vânavan, lord of the handsome high chariot, who has set his flag of the bow on the lofty Imaya mountains which yield gold. ”

“ Furious as the goddess Durga or Kali, a woman who has lost her husband is at the palace gate and seeks an audience holding a golden anklet in her hand.”
“Let her come, bring her here,” said the king. Led by the guard Kannaki entered the hail, where the king was seated on the throne with his queen. Her long flowing hair hung loose and in disorder; her body was covered with dust, and tears flowed fast down her cheeks. The king, who was moved with pity at the sight of her, enquired graciously. “Who art thou maiden, that appearest before me bathed in tears?” ”

“ If Madura was noted for its many mansions and towers, Vanchi, with its flower-gardens and tanks full of crystal water, limpid streams and little islands, shady bowers and parks with artificial hills and waterfalls, was charming to every visitor. Outside the fort resided the soldiers of the Chera king. Ascetics and philosophers also dwelt in the silent and shady groves, far away from the din and bustle of the capital. ”

“ The male elephants that have not been led along with their females to bathe in the lakes outside the fort, nor fed with balls of rice mixed with butter, chafe at the posts to which they are chained, and rolling on the ground trumpet loud as thunder. Children cry for want of milk, women tie their hair without flowers, people weep and wail for want of water to drink. To stay here any longer is, alas! Disastrous! Thou master of fleet steeds! If thou wouldst be just, open the gates and give up the fort to thy King, if bent on war, lead out thy soldiers and fight the enemy. ”

“ Is there anything more pleasant than the friendship of two great Kings like you. Pray, listen to my words. May you be famous for ever! Each of you is powerful enough to contend with the other. But if you do not break your friendship, you would not fail to conquer the whole of this sea girt earth. Therefore be good, be just to each other, and as your ancestors did, listen not to the evil counsels of those who wish to divide you. Let your friendship last for ever, as warm as it is this day. ”

“ If I do not defeat them in a pitched battle and capture them with their war drums, let my subjects curse me as a cruel monarch, who too weak to save them has left them to the mercy of the enemy. May the poets honored by the whole world, chief among whom is the learned and wise Maruthan of Mankudy, quit me and my kingdom as unworthy of their song. May I become so utterly destitute that I may have nothing to give to the poor or to those who look to me for support. ”

“ Like a young lion which in its first chase kills a mighty elephant, so in the first battle on the field of Vennil, he smote the Pandya and Chera Kings. He is the great King called Karikâl Valavan who wars the bright garland of atti flowers.
“If approaching the great King thou worship his feet, he would look on thee tenderly as a cow watching its new born calf. Before be listens to thy song, he will clothe thee with silk, and give thee to drink of wine in cups of gold. ”

“ None tastes the honey collected by the busy bees. No longer the farmers plough their fields. No more is there any festive gathering on village lawns. Like the sun who sets behind the hills, when the full moon rises in all its splendour, our valiant King wounded on the back by a rival Monarch, has laid aside his sword in disgrace. ”

“ EIGHTEEN hundred years ago, the most powerful and civilised empire in the known world was that of Rome. Under Trajan, the last of the great Roman conquerors, it had risen to the zenith of its power, and embraced a great portion of Europe, and all those parts of Asia and Africa which lay around the Mediterranean Sea. In the east, the vast Empire of China had attained its greatest expansion under the kings of the illustrious Han dynasty and extended from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea, and from the Atlas mountains to the Himalayan range. ”

“ One of the most curious customs alluded to in ancient love poems is that of a disappointed lover proclaiming his love in the public streets and committing suicide. When a youth who had fallen desperately in love with a girl, found that she did not return his affections, he took the long stalk of a palmyra leaf and adorned it, like a horse, with a bell and peacock-feathers and garlands, and tying a string to one end of it, in the form of a bridle, he rode on it. ”

“ The king and queen and her ladies burst out laughing at this queer sight, and their merry laughter rang through the park. They invited the deer and mountain goats to come near them; and the king pointed out to the queen, the quails and hares that fled through the shrubberies, frightened at their approach. They ascended the artificial hills and looked at the waterfalls. They enjoyed the balmy breeze blowing around the cool grottoes and romantic fountains, and wandered through labyrinths. Tired with the excursion, the royal party then returned to the palace, and the king entered the throne hall. ”

“ Although a monarch’s power may seem to depend upon his ferocious battle elephants, fleet warsteeds, tall bannered chariots, and fearless soldiers, it has its real foundation on justice. Therefore be not partial to thy subjects nor deal unjustly with strangers; be valiant a the fierce sun, benevolent as the mild moon and gracious as the clouds which shower rain so that there may be no poverty in thy land. ”

“ Thou victorious king who bearest on thy body fresh wounds received in battle! to-day the heads of the slain with arrows sticking to them, kicked by our elephants, lie by the roadside like young palmyra fruits cut open; and our dark. eyed youths, who know no fatigue, have cleared the jungle, shouting at the enemies men and killing them wherever they appeared. To-morrow we shall march, to the beat of drums, and storm the fort. ”

“ This King is the lion of the warlike race of the Panchavas, who, not disheartened by the death of his elders, valiantly protects his good subjects, like the long shoots of the shady baniyan tree, which strike root in the ground and keep the tree alive although the parent trunk is withered; and who though young has speedily scattered his enemies like the thunder bolt which smites whole broods of serpents. ”

“ The sage, who could read by the light of his serene mind the past and future lives of those who stood before him, addressed the nun in the following manner: “Mark my words, thou pious nun! No one can escape the effects of his good or evil deeds. Even like the seeds which are sown and yield a harvest of their kind, our deeds react upon us. Like lights set upon a plain which go out when the wind blows, our souls go out of our bodies. Only those whose minds have been enlightened by the truths preached by Argha can save themselves from this prison of re-births.” ”

“ If I do not attack such men, and destroy them, as a huge elephant tramples under it feet a tender sprout of the bamboo, may I delight in the embraces of harlots with flowing hair, whom the good ever shun. ”

“ The youth therefore left the Brahmin village and came to the great city of Dakshina Mathura, where he begged food from door to door, and out of the food so collected he fed the blind and the lame, the old and the infirm, and himself ate the remainder. At night, he took his bed in the hall outside the temple of Chintadevi, with his alms-bowl for his pillow; a beggar in all else, but rich in his boundless love for all living creatures. ”

“ Alas! the lance that pierced his beloved breast, pierced at the same time the alms bowl of his minstrels, the hands of the poor whom he fed, and the tongues of the learned poets of his court. Dim are the eyes of his dependents, with weeping! Oh! where is he our dear prince? No more are there bards to sing or patrons to reward them. But many are the men who are as useless to this world as the flower of the Pahanrai which blooms on the cool banks of rivers: but is not worn by any one. ”

“ Taking the other anklet in her hand, she walked out of the shepherd’s quarter, with tears streaming from her eyes. She told the people that followed her that her husband was not a thief, and that he had taken for sale one of her own anklets and had been unjustly killed. As she went sobbing and crying through the streets, men and women rushed out of their houses, and gazed pathetically at her, expressing their consternation and horror for the unjust execution of her husband. The sun had set when she approached the place where her husband lay a corpse. ”