Chapter - 3
Alangara Valli waited outside the room while the physician examined the slumbering brahmin. It wasn't long before the bewildered doctor came out.
Alangara Valli waited outside the room while the physician examined the slumbering brahmin. It wasn't long before the bewildered doctor came out.
"This is the most peculiar case I have ever seen.", exclaimed the amused physician. " This man seems to have had no food or sleep for the past several months."
"How can that be",thought Valli. "How is it possible that a man survives months without resting himself and without having food? Surely this man has great powers. Even when my eyes first set sight on his weakened body my heart bet harder. Something about him seemed to call me. Something far beyond what can be seen."
Even as Valli was lost in her thoughts, the doctor was deeply thinking of how to revive Samudragupta back to his former self. "There is only one way you can awaken this brahmin.", said the doctor. "You would have to boil a lot of rice and massage the body of the brahmin with the rice for three months. If you do this without fail, the brahmin will be restored to his former health and awaken after the three months are over. If, however, you fail to do so, the brahmin shall perish in the sleep that has presently captivated him."
"I will surely have this done",said Valli. She thanked the doctor and then immediately began to make provisions for the treatment. She set the pot to cook and rushed out again to her mistress's house. She told the lady that she had to take care of a unwell relative and so would not be available for work for the next three months. Her mistress was generous enough to allow this and also handed over a few coins to see to it that she fared well during this hard time.
Valli returned back to find the pot overflowing with the steaming porridge. The rice inside had been heated far too much and began to form as a paste. "All the more better",thought Valli. She began to massage Sumudragupta with the rice paste as the doctor had advised her. The frail patient seemed to take no notice of this. He was well content in his world of sleep. A weeks treatment was hard enough, but it seemed to have little effect. Samudragupta was alive but just as frail. By this time, Valli had bought enough rice to sustain the course of the treatment. But her wood reserves had been depleted. She quickly rushed to the nearby woods to collect a few fallen branches and returned to the house.
The weeks went by slowly but surely. Valli felt content that her efforts were paying off. The brahmin's health looked to improve day by day. By the end of three months, Valli was glad a healthy young man now rested in her house.
Sleep felt like an eternal bliss. Samudragupta felt that all the worry in the world could not disturb him. He was happy. He was content. He was asleep. And yet, he was unaware of it. He felt it rather rude that he awoke one day. To his astonishment, his surroundings were strange to him. He could see the cracked ceiling of a thatched house. To his side was a small window which portrayed the vision of a crowded street. The sunlight cut mercilessly almost blinding the bewildered man. Towards a bit more darker portion of the room, he was able to see a young woman busily working by the fireside.
"Where am I?", asked Samudragupta.
The woman dropped the firewood that she was holding. With a slight shiver, she turned around almost as if unwillingly to believe what she was about to see.
"Ahh",she sighed. "You are awake"
Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. She clasped her hands in way that revealed both her pain and joy. Slowly, her round eyes began to swell with tears.
"Yes. But where am I?", asked Samudragupta as he began to scan the area once more.
Valli began to narrate the tale of how she happened to find the sleeping brahmin by the roadside and how she had, as per the advise of the doctor, administered to him for the last three months. Samudragupta sat there as he listened in rapt silence. His heart filled up with gratitude for the young maid who had saved his life. He knew well enough that if it had not been for Valli, he would have had to leave his present life.
After Valli was done with her tale, Samudragupta began to tell his own and told her how he had ended up by the roadside as she had seen him. "My dear woman, you have been extremely gracious to me and I am forever indebted to you", said Samudragupta. " I must now be on my way. I thank you again for your kindness. I do not know how much trouble you have borne on my behalf. If ever there is anything I can do for you in return, please do let me know."
"Wait", muttered Valli."You are leaving? How can you be leaving....just like that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I take care of you. I look after you day and night.", chanted an angered Valli. Her voice growing with every word. "I see to it that you live. When all others called me insane, I took no notice and cared only for your welfare. For three months, I slaved like a mad woman just to see you open your eyes."
She fell silent for a while. Tears poured down her soft cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. Her voice was straining as she struggled to let out the words. "And now...when you find that you are well again....you wish to leave...and leave me alone?"
Samudragupta was not prepared for this turn of events. "What more do you wish me to do?", he asked.
"I had loved you...I had loved you more than my own life...",sobbed Valli. "All these days, I prayed for the day that you would wake up and we would be wed. That is what had kept me sane through all these miserable days.... Even when the neighbors made fun of me and mocked me, I cared not. For I had dreamt many dreams....I dreamt of our wedding day...of our future together....I had dreamt of being your wife........ I took care of you as though you were my own husband......and all that you wish to do is to leave...."
The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the occasional sobbing. The two figures stood facing each other. Samudragupta was at lose of words. He did not know how to console Valli, but surely she must understand.
"How can this be, Valli?",said Samudragupta. "What you have spoken must not take place. You do know that I am a brahmin and as such, cannot marry you. The very gods would enraged that a brahmin be married to a woman of lower caste."
"I did not care for you thinking that you were a brahmin",snapped back Valli. "Nor do I care for it now. I do not know what caste you belong to nor do I know mine. All I know is that I loved you. And, as for the gods that you now spoke of. Where were your gods when you were dying by the roadside? Where were they when your life was being taken away from you? Did your gods come and save you then? No. It was me. Only me."
"I understand what you are telling me, Valli, but this just cannot be.", said Samudragupta, unable to think of anything else to say.
"You have dealt with me injustly, O Samudragupta. But I shall plead for justice. Surely the king would grant me justice.", said Valli. "I shall plead my case to King Chandragupta."
"How can that be",thought Valli. "How is it possible that a man survives months without resting himself and without having food? Surely this man has great powers. Even when my eyes first set sight on his weakened body my heart bet harder. Something about him seemed to call me. Something far beyond what can be seen."
Even as Valli was lost in her thoughts, the doctor was deeply thinking of how to revive Samudragupta back to his former self. "There is only one way you can awaken this brahmin.", said the doctor. "You would have to boil a lot of rice and massage the body of the brahmin with the rice for three months. If you do this without fail, the brahmin will be restored to his former health and awaken after the three months are over. If, however, you fail to do so, the brahmin shall perish in the sleep that has presently captivated him."
"I will surely have this done",said Valli. She thanked the doctor and then immediately began to make provisions for the treatment. She set the pot to cook and rushed out again to her mistress's house. She told the lady that she had to take care of a unwell relative and so would not be available for work for the next three months. Her mistress was generous enough to allow this and also handed over a few coins to see to it that she fared well during this hard time.
Valli returned back to find the pot overflowing with the steaming porridge. The rice inside had been heated far too much and began to form as a paste. "All the more better",thought Valli. She began to massage Sumudragupta with the rice paste as the doctor had advised her. The frail patient seemed to take no notice of this. He was well content in his world of sleep. A weeks treatment was hard enough, but it seemed to have little effect. Samudragupta was alive but just as frail. By this time, Valli had bought enough rice to sustain the course of the treatment. But her wood reserves had been depleted. She quickly rushed to the nearby woods to collect a few fallen branches and returned to the house.
The weeks went by slowly but surely. Valli felt content that her efforts were paying off. The brahmin's health looked to improve day by day. By the end of three months, Valli was glad a healthy young man now rested in her house.
Sleep felt like an eternal bliss. Samudragupta felt that all the worry in the world could not disturb him. He was happy. He was content. He was asleep. And yet, he was unaware of it. He felt it rather rude that he awoke one day. To his astonishment, his surroundings were strange to him. He could see the cracked ceiling of a thatched house. To his side was a small window which portrayed the vision of a crowded street. The sunlight cut mercilessly almost blinding the bewildered man. Towards a bit more darker portion of the room, he was able to see a young woman busily working by the fireside.
"Where am I?", asked Samudragupta.
The woman dropped the firewood that she was holding. With a slight shiver, she turned around almost as if unwillingly to believe what she was about to see.
"Ahh",she sighed. "You are awake"
Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. She clasped her hands in way that revealed both her pain and joy. Slowly, her round eyes began to swell with tears.
"Yes. But where am I?", asked Samudragupta as he began to scan the area once more.
Valli began to narrate the tale of how she happened to find the sleeping brahmin by the roadside and how she had, as per the advise of the doctor, administered to him for the last three months. Samudragupta sat there as he listened in rapt silence. His heart filled up with gratitude for the young maid who had saved his life. He knew well enough that if it had not been for Valli, he would have had to leave his present life.
After Valli was done with her tale, Samudragupta began to tell his own and told her how he had ended up by the roadside as she had seen him. "My dear woman, you have been extremely gracious to me and I am forever indebted to you", said Samudragupta. " I must now be on my way. I thank you again for your kindness. I do not know how much trouble you have borne on my behalf. If ever there is anything I can do for you in return, please do let me know."
"Wait", muttered Valli."You are leaving? How can you be leaving....just like that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I take care of you. I look after you day and night.", chanted an angered Valli. Her voice growing with every word. "I see to it that you live. When all others called me insane, I took no notice and cared only for your welfare. For three months, I slaved like a mad woman just to see you open your eyes."
She fell silent for a while. Tears poured down her soft cheeks as she began to sob uncontrollably. Her voice was straining as she struggled to let out the words. "And now...when you find that you are well again....you wish to leave...and leave me alone?"
Samudragupta was not prepared for this turn of events. "What more do you wish me to do?", he asked.
"I had loved you...I had loved you more than my own life...",sobbed Valli. "All these days, I prayed for the day that you would wake up and we would be wed. That is what had kept me sane through all these miserable days.... Even when the neighbors made fun of me and mocked me, I cared not. For I had dreamt many dreams....I dreamt of our wedding day...of our future together....I had dreamt of being your wife........ I took care of you as though you were my own husband......and all that you wish to do is to leave...."
The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the occasional sobbing. The two figures stood facing each other. Samudragupta was at lose of words. He did not know how to console Valli, but surely she must understand.
"How can this be, Valli?",said Samudragupta. "What you have spoken must not take place. You do know that I am a brahmin and as such, cannot marry you. The very gods would enraged that a brahmin be married to a woman of lower caste."
"I did not care for you thinking that you were a brahmin",snapped back Valli. "Nor do I care for it now. I do not know what caste you belong to nor do I know mine. All I know is that I loved you. And, as for the gods that you now spoke of. Where were your gods when you were dying by the roadside? Where were they when your life was being taken away from you? Did your gods come and save you then? No. It was me. Only me."
"I understand what you are telling me, Valli, but this just cannot be.", said Samudragupta, unable to think of anything else to say.
"You have dealt with me injustly, O Samudragupta. But I shall plead for justice. Surely the king would grant me justice.", said Valli. "I shall plead my case to King Chandragupta."
beautiful!! :)
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