The noblewoman, Chembiyan Devi, who shone as if the very embodiment of devotion to Shiva had taken form, continued to speak:

“My son! When your father, Kandaraditha Devar, ascended the throne, the Chola kingdom was plunged into a time of great distress. You are well aware of the glory of your grandfather, Parantaka Chakravarthi. During his reign, the Chola empire stretched southward to the land of Eelam and northward to the banks of the Krishna river. Yet, in his final days, many calamities befell both the kingdom and the royal family.

Like the main host of Ravana’s army, the forces of the twin Mandalams marched upon us. The eldest son of Parantaka Chakravarthi, your great father, Rajaditha Devar—peerless among warriors—set out to confront the mighty armies of the twin Mandalams. In the north, at a place called Thakkolam, a war as fierce as that of Kurukshetra was fought. Hundreds of thousands of warriors perished. Rivers of blood flowed in torrents. The armies of the twin Mandalams were scattered and fled, but in that battle, Rajaditha Devar fell. Your uncle, Arinjaya Devar, too, fought in that war and was grievously wounded. But at that time, nothing was known of his fate.

Arinjaya Devar’s eldest son, Sundara Cholar—a mere child—had gone to war in Eelam. There was no news of him either. In those troubled times, the only one of royal blood who remained near Parantaka Chakravarthi in the Tanjore palace was your father. But your father, even from his youth, had shunned affairs of state and devoted his heart to Lord Shiva. He had no liking for war. He lamented, ‘Why should people perish in battle for the land-hunger of kings?’ He argued this with his father and brothers. He spent his days in the company of great spiritual men, in pilgrimages to holy places, and in temple worship. He did not even wish to touch weapons like swords or spears. He had no training in the arts of war or battle strategies. He believed that kingship was filled with lies, deceit, trickery, disguises, counterplots, and sins like murder.

‘What difference is there between a thief stealing another’s property and a king conquering another’s land?’ he would ask.

My son! By the decree of fate, it came to pass that your father, with such convictions, had to bear the burden of this Chola land. Parantaka Chakravarthi, worn down by the many disasters that befell the kingdom and by the death of Rajaditha, grieved himself to death…” At the expected hour, your father was summoned and told, “You must bear the burden of the kingdom.” Your father, not wishing to further wound your grandfather’s heart as he lay on his deathbed, agreed. The fortunate Veeranarayani Devi, who had married your father before me, had already attained Shiva’s feet by then. As for me, I had not even seen your father at that time. Thus, after your father’s time, your grandfather became anxious about what would become of the Chola empire. By a