Can two minds operate within a single man at the same time? Yes, they can—this Vandiyathevan learned from his own experience that day.

He was traveling through one of the most fertile regions within the prosperous Chola land. It was the season when the rivers brimmed and surged with fresh, overflowing waters. Through canals, sluices, and tanks, water rushed and gurgled into the channels and fields. Everywhere he looked, the land was awash with water. How fitting it was to call the Chola country “Valanadu”—the Land of Plenty—and the Chola king “Valavan”—the Lord of Prosperity!

But no sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the dangers looming over the Chola land and its king came to his memory. In such a situation, what was his duty? Was it enough to simply deliver the scroll given by Prince Karikalan to the Emperor and consider his responsibility fulfilled? Why should he involve himself in the feverish turmoil and strife of this royal succession? What did it matter to him who ascended the Chola throne? After all, were these not the ancient enemies of his own lineage? Was it not the Cholas, the Gangas, and the Vaithumbas who had joined forces to utterly destroy the Vanagopadi kingdom?

Just because Aditya Karikalan was now gracious to him, would all those injustices be wiped away?… Tch! How could those old events be called injustices? Among kings, is it not natural to wage war against one another? Likewise, is it not natural for victory and defeat to alternate? What use is there in harboring resentment against those who have triumphed? When our ancestors were in power, did they not, too, strike terror into other kings? Did they not seek to destroy them utterly?

Ah! What is that song? There—it comes to mind!

“Making the army flourish, damming the red blood, In the thick mire trampled by elephants—Manabaran, The king of kings, the Vanan, snatched away And danced upon the crowns of the three great kings!”

Thus, even our forefathers committed cruel deeds on the battlefield. The fate of the vanquished in war is always misery. Can all kings be merciful and generous like Rama or Dharmaputra? If they were so, would they not have ended up wandering the forests… They struggled! Though they were men of valor, and though they had the company of warriors, they suffered greatly. In matters of state, there can be no room for mercy. Yet, if one were to look closely, it must be said that the Chola clan possessed a certain compassion. They even sought to make friends of their enemies whenever possible. For that purpose, they would arrange marriages between clans, setting aside their own lineage. Did not Arinjaya Cholan, the father of Sundara Cholan, marry the daughter of Vaidhumbarayan? Is it not because Sundara Cholan and his children are born of that famed beauty that they shine so radiantly in their own beauty? Ah! When one speaks of beauty, the thought immediately turns to that maiden of