𝔎𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔦: The virtue of infinite love

Chapter 4

Kothai pouted. "But Appa, you yourself have imparted that Perumal is Bhakthavatsala, and his consort embodies his mercy. She intercedes and seeks forgiveness on our behalf, and in turn, he fulfills our wishes. If my desire is to wed him, will they not grant it?" Vishnuchittar's concern transformed into ire. "That is different! You marrying him is inconceivable! We are mere mortals. You cannot espouse the infallible one. Renounce this idea at once! Complete your devotions and meet me at the corridor near Venkateshwar's Garbhagriha. Today, I shall instruct you in crafting garlands befitting the lord." With that, Vishnuchittar departed swiftly.

Kothai's countenance dimmed, tears welling in her eyes, besmirching her loveliness, as the pristine garland adorning her person became bedewed with her sorrow. She was engulfed in profound melancholy. Her eyes, resplendent as neelam blossoms upon her moonlit visage, shed tears as she ruminated on her father's rebuke. If Kāma beheld her beauty, he would surely cast aside his bow and quiver in awe. Could anyone encounter Kothai's loveliness, akin to a sculpted masterpiece, and depart unaffected? Such a person must surely lack a heart.

Her dear friend Vasanthamālai, who had shadowed her into the temple, concealed herself behind one of the finely wrought pillars adorned with various manifestations of the divine couple, witnessing Vishnuchittar's reproach. Wrought with empathy, Vasanthamālai approached her dear friend, her countenance adorned with precious jewels, and, feeling as if she were submerged in an ocean of tumultuous waves, she hastened to comfort her. Vasanthamālai beheld her friend and tenderly wiped away her tears with her delicate hands, appearing akin to the cool moon alighting upon a lotus blossom. "Thangame," she began, "your garland has lost its luster due to your pure tears. Let us repair to the garden and procure fresh blossoms."

She guided her beloved friend to the garden, where other comely maidens had congregated. At the heart of the garden, a pedestal fashioned in the likeness of a resplendent lotus gleamed with iridescent hues like diamonds, emanating a luminous aura. When flowers were placed upon it, the buds would unfurl into blooms that never withered. If one placed flowers upon the pedestal in devotion to a deity, they would not merely bloom and fade like ordinary flowers but would ascend to the feet of the revered deity. Conversely, should one offer flowers without devotion, they would simply remain inert upon the pedestal. This pedestal, crafted by Indra, the sovereign of heavens, to pay homage to goddess Mahalaxmi upon her emergence from the milky ocean, was designed to confound ascetics who believed that actions bore fruit even when performed without intent, and to uphold those who asserted that actions devoid of intent bore no fruit.

The garden abounded with the blooms of kuravam and marvam flowers, kurundu and kondrai blossoms, thilagam, vahulam, and vetchi plants, adorned with scarlet stalks, flowering punnai trees encircled by narandam and nākam plants, pidavam, talavam, and thorny screwpine trees, kudasam, vediram, and asoka trees with robust trunks, cherunthi blossoms, vengai trees, resplendent shenbaga trees, and ilavam plants resplendent in hues akin to flickering flames. All these floral wonders resembled a tapestry graced with a divine painting.

Sudhamathi and Manimekalai, observing Kothai's despondent mien, inquired of Vasanthamālai. "Our tender-hearted friend Kothai arrived here with a downcast countenance. Could her delicate form have borne the journey unscathed? Would her speech not falter like that of a child? Would her pearl-like teeth not continue to emerge? Would her elongated fish-shaped eyes not extend to her ears? Even Kāma himself would be astonished by her gaze. Why did she depart the temple to come here? Had it been to procure flowers, we could have gladly fetched them for her." Vasanthamālai, bedecked in flowers exuding the essence of honey, felt as though she were confined within a chamber, and relayed, "Our darling recently incurred her father's reprimand. I have brought her hither to lift her spirits." The enchanting maidens gathered around Kothai, their brows furrowed with concern, endeavoring to alleviate her distress.