Chapter 31: The Bikshu’s Oath
One night after The Great War of Vatapi drew to an end an extremely sorrowful incident was unfolding at the vicinity of the kabalikas’ sacrificial altar that lay some distance away from the Vatapi Fort. When the rays emitted by the just rising moon in the east streamed through the trees and fell on the bare rocks, those black rocks and their pitch dark shadows resembled huge, dark ghosts, rendering that rocky terrain even more fearful.
A hideous female form was seen walking by the rocks, sometimes in the shadow of the rocks and some other times in the moonlight. That apparition was carrying another body on her shoulder. The stiff manner in which the body lay on her shoulder indicated that it was a corpse. As she walked in the moonlight, her shadow resembled a demoness’. One would have thought that it was a demoness who was carrying her prey for her consumption.
When one observed that female apparition closely, she was more fearful than an imaginary murderous fiend. Her tanned thick skin, short reddened tresses and fiery eyes made her look like a terrifying ogress described in novels. But the male corpse whom that woman carried on her shoulder was not so frightful. He looked regal. Who was it? Probably it was…
When this unsightly fiend turned around the corner of a rock, she was taken aback seeing someone walking towards her. She hesitated. Why was she shocked? Was it fear? Was she too subject to fear? Or was there some other reason? The person walking towards her did so without an iota of hesitation. When he neared her, the bikshu’s voice asking, “Ranjani, is that you?” was heard. Isn’t it surprising that the repulsive monstress had a beautiful name like Ranjani? Nevertheless, in the past the woman did possess a captivating appearance that befit the name Ranjani[i]. It was the bikshu who had transformed her into a repulsive kabalikai[ii].
It seemed as though the kabalikai was even more shocked hearing the bikshu’s voice. Observing her stand shocked like a statue, the bikshu asked again, “Ranjani! Why this silence? Where did you go to hunt?” It seemed as though the kabalikai overcame her shock. “Adigal! Is it truly you?” she asked in a surprised and suspicious tone. “What kind of a question is this? Why do you doubt that it’s me? Who else but me will come in search of you in the middle of the night? Since I could not find you at your cave, I came searching for you! What is that? Whom are you carrying? Which sinner’s corpse are you bearing? Nowadays you seem to have no dearth of preys!”
As the bikshu was speaking in this manner, the kabalikai dropped the corpse she was carrying for so long with a thud. She exclaimed, “What fun!” and let out a terrifying laugh. “What is the fun? Where did you find the corpse?” asked the bikshu. “Adigal! I wept nonstop thinking of you as I walked for two kadu. All my tears were in vain!” said the kabalikai. “Did you weep? Why should you shed tears thinking of me? What kind of a joke is this!” said the bikshu. “It is a big joke. I will narrate the joke from the beginning; listen to me!” So saying, the kabalikai narrated her story.
“I had gone to derive some amusement by watching the war. I was watching the war from the top of a hill that stood some distance away from the battlefield. My God! What a war it was! How many casualties! How many humans were sacrificed! The kabalikas sacrifice one human at this place once a month! That’s nothing! There lakhs of humans and thousands of elephants and horses were sacrificed. The sacrifices continued day and night for three days. Finally one side started fleeing while the other side was pursuing them. I did not even observe who was chasing whom. I took to flight fearing that they would capture me. Today, I surreptitiously walked through the forest during daytime. In the evening, I could hear the sound of a horse galloping. I ran even faster thinking that someone was coming to seize me. For some time, the horse also continued galloping. When darkness had set in, I hid myself behind a tree to find out who was chasing me. The horse that was chasing me suddenly fell down. The man who was mounted on the horse lay immobile; he did not get up. When I went close to the horse, I realized that it was on the verge of death. It seemed that the man who lay on the horse had been dead for a long time. As his legs were fastened to the horses’ stirrups, he must have lay on the horse without falling down. I bent down and looked at his face; it was exactly like yours. Am I not a mad woman? I thought it was you, carried him on my shoulder and came here weeping…”
The bikshu must have been suddenly struck by a thought then. He bent down and stared intently at the corpse’s face in the moonlight. When the bikshu shrieked, “Thambi! Pulikesi!” it echoed across that vast rocky area. “Ranjani! You go away! You leave me alone for some time! Don’t stand here!” said the sobbing bikshu. Hearing this, the kabalikai became scared and walked away to stand behind a rock.
The bikshu sat down and placed Pulikesi’s corpse on his lap. “Thambi! What became of you? Is this how you died? Isn’t it because of this sinner that you were reduced to this state?” said the bikshu and repeated beat himself at his chest and forehead. “Aiyyo! Thambi! Didn’t you pass away thinking that I had betrayed you? My brother, you are dearer to me than my own life! Will I betray you, who lived along with me in our mother’s womb for ten months? I had conspired to wreak revenge on Mamallan! You died before I could divulge my intention to you!…”
The bikshu again punched himself at the chest and said, “You base bikshu! May your anger be doomed! May your love be destroyed! Your Sivakami…! Ah! What will Sivakami do?…Thambi! I did not betray you. Neither did I betray our nation. Had both of us exercised some patience at Ajantha that day, this disaster would not have occurred! I would not have allowed this war to break out! I would have starved everyone from Pallava Nadu to death! I would have slaughtered Mamallan! Aiyyo! Things have come to such a pass…”
The bikshu gently lifted Pulikesi’s corpse from his lap and placed it on the ground. He stood up, lifted both his hands towards the skies and shrieked in a manner that caused goose pimples to the kabalikai hiding behind the rock. “Thambi! Pulikesi! I will avenge your death! I swear by the lotus feet of Buddha Bhagavan! I swear by the vengeful Rudran[iii] who bears a kabalam[iv]. I also swear by the bloodthirsty Shakti Bhadrakali[v] that I will seek revenge on those who killed you!”
[i] Ranjani – In Sanskrit, Ranjani means pleasing / charming
[i]i Kabalikai – Female kabalika (cannibal)
[iii] Rudran – Manifestation of Lord Shiva
[iv] Kabalam – Skull
[v] Shakti Bhadrakali – A ferocious manifestation of Goddess Parvati
