"YOU STAND WHILE I SIT"

A long time ago, there was a country called Thuvarapathi.
It was ruled by a very ancient dynasty called the Thuvapathi VELir.
The country occupied a very strategic place in between the major kingdoms of the Pandyas and the Cholzas.

This country was crisscrossed by a network of forts, jungle-barriers, and fortified mountains and hills. In addition it also contained cantonments and ninty-six settlements of several warring communities made up of hereditory warriors.
The land was fertile, being fed by small rivers and an ingenious system of irrigational tanks called 'KanmAys'.
The land also contained settlements of a merchantile class. In fact their chief city, AruviyUr, was very near their capital, KaNNamangalam.

The country was very rich.
And very powerful.

The king bore the hereditary title of Thuvarapathi VELAr. The ruling potentae went
by the name of Kandan MangalA ThEvan ThuvarApathi VELAn.

The dynasty had marital connection with the Pandyas and the presnt Thuvarapathi VEL was the brother-in-law of the ruling Pandya king.

Because of the country's inherent richness and bountifulness, and its martial capabilites and its strategic position, the Thuvarapathi VEL was one of most powerful nobles in the area. In fact, he was even more powerful in some ways than his overlord, who had to depend on the VEL.

The present VEL had a council of advisors and ministers. The chief among them was a very wise man called Thennavan Thamilzadharaiyan. He was known for his ferocity in battle and unflinching courage. All the enemies dreaded him. He never lost any war. He had initiated a great number of public works and made the country very fertile. The people were very happy inspite of the frequent wars. Their army was the best-trained in the whole land. It was said to be able to with-stand the combined armies of the three crowned kings of Tamilnadu.

He was by himself was a war-lord who owned large tracts of lands in the country. His palace in the nearby VeeraPandyanallur was filled beautiful and costly articles that he brought back from military campaigns.

Such a very powerful minister and war-lord............one day went missing.

He did not turn-up for work, was nowhere to be seen and everyone got worried.

The guardsmen were sent everywhere to seek him out.

By mid-morning, small platoon of guards came running helter-skelter.

They had located the minister.

The VEL and his retinue went running out after them.

They went out the citadel, out of the city, out of the suburbs and went northwards towards PaRambu Malai.
When they reached the ancient NisumbhaSUdhini temple which was on the outskirts of the town of PaRambu, by the side of the mountain bordering the jungle, they stopped short.

There, at the bottom of a Ficus tree and perched upon a small platform, was the warlord minister - the fierce and wise Thennavan Thamilzadharaiyan.
He was wearing nothing but a small piece of loin cloth.
No jewelley; no kadayam which stood for his valour; no rich clothes; no weapons.
He was seated in the siddhasana with one leg crossed over the other and his head was bent, with his half-closed eyes cast downwards at........nothing.
Thorugh his half-close eyes, he was looking at nothing.

The VEL and his retinue trod ever so softly after casting off their foot-wear; taking off their head-gears and the upper garments they tied them around their waists.
Folding their hands and bowing in suppliance and total obeisance most humbly, they stood by silently.

At long last, the war-lord minister opened his eyes.
The VEL, touching his own right elbow with his left fingers and putting his right plam just front of his mouth and sheilding it, asked, but one question with great trepidation and temerity.

"Why?".

Upon this, the earstwhile war-lord minister turned his eyes towards his overlord and uttered one small sentence......

"Niir niRka.Yaam irukka"
"You Stand while I Sit

Posted in: