When Vandiyathevan entered the house of the Kudanthai astrologer for the second time, a strange and wondrous joy welled up within him. It was within that small house that he had first laid eyes upon the young princess Kundavai. He had stood transfixed, gazing at her lotus-like face and her large, dark eyes widened in astonishment. It was there that her honey-sweet, melodious voice had first fallen upon his ears. All these memories surged and crashed within his heart. Because of them, his ears tingled with sweetness; his heart overflowed with delight; his entire body thrilled with bliss!

The astrologer was just then preparing for his evening prayers. Upon seeing Vandiyathevan, he exclaimed, “Come, my boy, come! Aren’t you the valiant scion of the Vanar clan?”

“Yes, astrologer! Even if your predictions sometimes run ahead or behind, your memory is truly remarkable!” replied Vandiyathevan.

“My boy, to study the science of astrology, memory is absolutely essential. Planets, stars, planetary periods, sub-periods, yogas—there are a hundred thousand possible combinations. One must keep all of them in mind and calculate the year, month, day, hour, minute, even a hundredth part of a second—only then can one make a pronouncement. But let that be; you said my predictions sometimes run ahead or behind—what do you mean by that? Did what I foretold for you not come to pass?”

“Isn’t there a way for you to find that out through your astrology itself?”

“There is, there is! I can discover it through astrology—or even by intuition. Surely, what I told you must have come to pass. Otherwise, would you have returned to this hut?”

“Yes, yes. Your prediction did indeed come true.”

“Say it plainly, then! In what way did it come true, my boy?”

“What you told me happened exactly as you said. ‘If the task you set out for is destined to happen, it will happen; if not, it will not’—that’s what you said, and that’s exactly what happened. Even to say ‘it happened’ is a stretch. The moment it saw me, it turned and ran away!”

“My boy! You are quite the jester!” “It is true, I am a jester! And, in addition, a bit of a hothead!”

“When you enter this hut, you must leave your anger tied up outside.”

“I tried to do just that. But your disciple was not at the doorstep. If I left my bundle of anger on the porch, what if someone took it away? So I brought it inside with me. Where is your disciple, astrologer? I still remember how, last time, he tried to stop me at the door!”

“Today is the new moon day of Aippasi, is it not? For that reason, he must have gone to the banks of the Kollidam.”

“What connection is there between the new moon and the Kollidam riverbank?”

“Today, on the banks of the Kollidam, the great assembly of the Kalamukhas is taking place. My disciple belongs to the Kalamukha sect.”

“Astrologer! I am thinking of abandoning the Saiva faith altogether.”

“Abandon it, and…”

“Your friend Alwarkadiyan Nambi is still around, is he not?”

“You must be speaking of Thirumalai!”

“Yes; I am considering receiving initiation from him, covering my body with the sacred marks, and becoming a fierce Vaishnavite.”

“Why so?”

“I have seen some of these Kalamukha Saivites. Even on the way here, I encountered a few. After seeing them and the skulls they carry, I feel inclined to give up Saivism.”

“Brother! You, who have seen so many battlefields, are you frightened by the sight of skulls?”

“It is not fear; it is disgust. What connection is there between killing enemies on the battlefield and wearing garlands made of skulls?”

“Did not your master, Aditya Karikalan, cut off the head of Veera Pandiyan and parade it through the streets?”

“He did so because of some vow he had taken. He suffered greatly for it afterwards. Even he did not wear the skull as a garland around his neck; nor did he carry it about in his hand! Why do the Kalamukhas do such things?”

“They do it so that they never forget the impermanence of life. You and I smear ourselves with sacred ash, don’t we? Is that all there is to it? This human body is not permanent. One day, it will turn to ash. We wear the sacred ash so that we never forget this truth!”

“It is true that the human body is impermanent; it will burn to ash, or return to dust. But Lord Shiva’s divine body is not like that! Why does Parameshwaran hold a skull in his hand?”

“Brother! The skull in Shiva’s hand signifies arrogance. It shows that when arrogance is conquered, a state of bliss is attained. Isn’t it with the skull in his hand that Shiva performs his blissful dance?”

“How does a skull symbolize arrogance? I do not understand.”

“There are many things you do not yet know, brother! But for now, understand only this: the skull represents arrogance. Once, Brahma and Vishnu became proud. Each claimed, ‘I am the greatest; I alone am the greatest,’ and they quarreled. Shiva appeared between them. He said, ‘Let one of you find my head, and the other my feet. Whoever returns first after seeing them will be the greater among you.’ Mahavishnu took the form of a boar and burrowed into the earth to find Shiva’s feet. Brahma took the form of a swan and soared into the sky to find Shiva’s head. Vishnu returned and admitted honestly that he could not find Shiva’s feet. Brahma returned and falsely claimed that he had seen Shiva’s head! At that moment, Shiva plucked off one of Brahma’s five heads and punished him. Because Brahma quarreled out of arrogance and lied, his head became the symbol of arrogance…”

Vandiyathevan laughed aloud, as if struck by some sudden thought.

“What makes you laugh like this, brother?”

“I am not laughing at anything I see. Something came to mind, and