The moment Alwarkadiyan heard the groaning sound coming from beneath Sendhan Amudhan’s cot, he exclaimed, “Aha! Is that the news? O peerless devotees of Shiva! Have you begun your mischief, just like the old Paramashiva himself?” Muttering thus, he started to climb up.

Poonguzhali swiftly drew the dagger tucked at her waist and brandished it. “Vaishnavite! You, who have blasphemed Lord Shiva, shall not remain in this world for even a moment longer. If you take one more step upward, you will at once reach Vaikunta!” she threatened.

“Mother! Great Shakti! Is there any reply to your words? Attaining the abode of Vaikunta is no easy feat. If you send me there by your own hand, what greater fortune could I ever hope for?” replied Alwarkadiyan.

At this moment, Sendhan Amudhan rose from his cot and said, “Poonguzhali! Enough! Sheathe your dagger! Lord Shiva will not be diminished in any way by this Vaishnavite’s insults. No good can come from evil means. Neither lies nor wickedness will ever yield benefit. Let us tell the truth to this Vaishnavite and seek his help. Is he not also a friend of Vandiyathevan?”

“Then come, let us go! Can mere devotees of Shiva ever deceive me, a humble servant of Krishna Paramatma, the master of all cunning drama? If one surrenders to the compassionate Sriman Narayana, He will surely grant protection. Was it not our Lord Thirumal who rescued the elephant Gajendra from the jaws of the crocodile when he cried out ‘Adhimoolame’?”

“Yes, yes! But before your Thirumal descends from Vaikunta to help, your friend will have already departed this mortal world!” said Poonguzhali, and hurried toward the cot.

The others followed her. They lifted Vandiyathevan, who had been hidden beneath the cot, concealed by a pile of cloth, and laid him upon the bed.

Vandiyathevan lay unconscious. Yet, from time to time, he groaned in pain. Only by these groans could one discern that life still lingered in his body.

Vaani Amma boiled medicinal herbs, mixed them with turmeric powder, and brought them to bind upon his wounds. Azhwarkkadiyan and Sendhan Amudhan held Vandiyathevan’s arms and legs firmly. Poonguzhali and Vaani Amma pressed the hot, freshly boiled herbs onto his wounds and wrapped them with cloth.

The pain from this treatment made Vandiyathevan open his eyes. The moment he saw Azhwarkkadiyan before him, he muttered, “Vaishnavite! You have deceived me! You called me here, and then sent men behind me to kill me?” With these confused words, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

A look of distress appeared on Azhwarkkadiyan’s face. He feared that Vandiyathevan’s half-conscious words would once again arouse suspicion about him in the minds of Sendhan Amudhan and Poonguzhali, so he glanced at their faces.

The smile blooming on Poonguzhali’s lips gave him some reassurance.

“Vaishnavite! Was it you who sent Vandiyathevan here?” she asked.

“Yes, madam! But I did not send anyone after him to kill him.”

“Let that be. Why did you send him here?”

“I sent him so that he could escape. Beside this garden, I had two horses ready for him and his friend…”

“Then, how did you know he did not escape? How did you know he was in this hut?”

“I saw someone else riding away on the horse I had left for him. That’s what made me suspicious…”

“When Vishnu thinks one thing, Shiva thinks another.”

“What riddle is this, madam? How did he get wounded?”

“Vaishnavar! I do not know with what intention you sent him here. But he arrived at the right moment, and before I could become a widow before even being married, he saved me!”

As Poonguzhali was saying this, Azhwarkkadiyan and Sendhan Amudhan both exclaimed in astonishment, “What? What? What?”

Poonguzhali turned to Amudhan and said, “Yes, I did not even tell you. A man was standing outside, aiming to stab you with a spear. At that moment, he intervened, took the blow himself, and saved you!”

Tears welled up in Sendhan Amudhan’s eyes. “Alas! Did my friend face this danger for my sake?” he asked.

“What of that? How much danger have you braved to save him!” said Poonguzhali.

“Ammani! In this world, it is rare indeed for one to immediately repay a good deed with another. If only one does not harm those who have done good, that itself is a great thing. That Vandiyathevan arrived here at the right time and saved Sendhan Amudhan is truly a wondrous deed! But you spoke of marriage just now? And that he saved you from becoming a widow before marriage?”

“Yes, Vaishnavar! Only a short while ago, we decided to be wed. We even received the blessings of Sembiyan Madevi. The very moment Periya Piratti left, within a quarter of an hour, a spear was to be hurled at him. Even I could not have prevented it. If he had lost his life, what would have become of me? Would I not have become a widow before even being married?”

“By the grace of merciful Thirumal, such a thing shall never happen. Sembiyan Madevi’s blessings will not go in vain. You will marry this noble soul and live happily for a long time. But who could be the wretch who tried to kill this supremely virtuous youth with a spear? Did you see him? Did you recognize him?”

“How could I not see? How could I not know? It was that villain Pinagapani, the physician’s son! The very same who abducted my aunt Mandakini from Kodikkarai and delivered her into the hands of a murderer! Such atrocities are happening in the Chola kingdom…”

“What is this injustice you have witnessed? What you have seen is nothing compared to what is about to happen. Tonight, anarchy will erupt in Chola Nadu a thousand times over. A great conflict is about to break out among the minor kings. All across the land, people will fight one another and perish! Unless a great miracle occurs by the grace of Sriman