The once rich country of Konadu was ruled by King Kota-pati. His wife died and he married a second time. From his first wife he had a son named Nigarili, and from his second wife a son named Arani.
Nigarili hunted a lot and traveled around the world. Everywhere he was accompanied by three friends: the son of the royal vizier - Vanavan, the son of the royal commander - Valavan and the son of a noble merchant - Sembiyan.
Nigarili, being the eldest son of the king, was supposed to succeed him, and the new queen wanted the kingdom to go to her son, and therefore did not miss the opportunity to remind the king that Nigarili was a reveler and a restless person. The king had long obeyed his wife in everything, but here he did not want to give in. However, Nigarili himself once addressed him with the following words:
- Father! I like long journeys, and I have good companions. Give us money for expenses and a house where we will stay when we return, but I don’t need anything else.
Seeing that his son's desire coincided with his wife's, the king agreed and declared Arani his heir. At the festival, Nigarili congratulated his brother, and then, saying goodbye to his father and family, he set off on the road with his friends.
In the harbor of Tondi they boarded the ship. Thus began their wanderings. They saw a lot of different lands, islands, forests and mountains, until finally, in the country of Cannip Pott, they had the opportunity to experience an incredible adventure that completely changed their whole lives.
In the country of Kannippotta there were dense, impenetrable forests. The travelers dismounted and, cutting their way through the thickets, slowly moved forward. By evening, the forest suddenly thinned out, and they saw a clearing, in the middle of which stood the dilapidated temple of the goddess Kali. The walls and towers of this once magnificent temple were now so dilapidated that they seemed about to fall.
The friends tied the horses to the trees, fed them, ate themselves, and climbed to a high platform next to the main temple tower, where they decided to spend the night. All four were very tired and wanted to sleep, but it was dangerous to lie down in an open area without guards, and the horses could become prey for some forest animal, so the travelers agreed that each of them would take turns staying awake and guarding them for one night watch.
The roof of the temple was badly destroyed, and from the platform it was clearly visible what was inside: in front of the statue of the goddess Kali, some ascetic hermit sat motionless, immersed in thought and completely detached from the world. His body seemed to consist of only bones, around which blood vessels curled like snakes. His whole appearance indicated that in his asceticism he had already crossed all boundaries accessible to the common man.
During the first guard duty, Sembiyan, the merchant’s son, carried the guard. To keep him from falling asleep, Sembiyan began to count to himself, first to one hundred, then to a thousand. But this did not help - his eyes closed on their own. Then he began to examine the inside of the temple, and his gaze fell on the hermit. Looking at him carefully, Sembiyan noticed that in front of the old man there was some object that looked like a forked stick. For a long time he thought and wondered what it was, until he finally realized that it was a bone, but who it belonged to - a person or an animal - he could not decide. “Why is there a bone in front of the hermit? Why does he need it? Maybe these are the remains of a meal?” - such thoughts occupied Sembiyan for a long time and drove away sleep from him, until the star that the travelers had outlined circled about a quarter of the sky, marking the end of the first watch.
And then the picture that Sembiyan was contemplating suddenly came to life. The hermit opened his eyes, raised his hand, made some gesture with it and muttered something. Suddenly the bone lying in front of him began to knock and move, as if alive. As if in response, a dull noise arose in the forest, which gradually began to intensify.
Sembiyan looked around: bones were rushing hastily from different directions from the forest to the temple. Some of them entered through doors, others climbed walls, others jumped over them, and others crawled through numerous cracks. They all jumped to the first bone and lay down in a heap at the hermit’s feet.
Sembiyan was all about sight and hearing. Captivated by the desire to find out what would happen next, he froze motionless, holding his breath and opening his eyes wide.
But nothing special happened, the hermit returned to his previous state. Meanwhile, the guard ended, and, according to the agreement, Sembiyan woke up Valavan, the son of the royal commander, and he himself fell asleep.
Almost the same thing happened to Valavan as to his friend. He spent most of the guards thinking about how to pass the time, and in the end his attention was attracted by the figure of a hermit and a pile of bones towering in front of him: “Whose bones are these? What animal? Antelopes? Camel? Cows? Buffalo? Boar or bear? - he thought. And while he was thinking about this, the guard came to an end, and the picture he was watching suddenly came to life.
The hermit opened his eyes. Then he raised his hand, made some gesture and whispered something. The bones suddenly came to life, began to fuss, like soldiers who had heard the command to form up, then with a knock they began to pile up one on top of the other in a special way.
Valavan couldn't believe his eyes. The bones, lying randomly in a heap, formed the skeleton of a tiger. Yes, undoubtedly, it is the skeleton of a tiger! Valavan began to wait for what would happen next, but nothing happened, the hermit froze again, and the skeleton of the tiger remained standing in place.
When Valavan's watch time had expired, he wanted to see if anything unusual would happen, but, deciding that the agreement needed to be fulfilled, he woke up the vizier's son, Vanavan, and went to bed.
Vanawan's guard proceeded in much the same way. Only the hermit and the skeleton of a tiger immediately attracted his attention, and he thought: “Did my friends see this or not? In any case, I remember well that the tiger had not been here before. There is undoubtedly some secret hidden in this. Let me take a closer look!”
When his period of wakefulness was already coming to an end, it seemed to Vanavan that a curtain had opened before him. His expectations began to come true: the hermit opened his eyes, raised his hand, made a sign with it and began to whisper something. Lights flashed like lightning around the statue of the goddess Kali. Surprisingly, the tiger's skeleton suddenly began to acquire flesh: muscles, tendons, blood vessels, skin and striped skin, ears, and eyes appeared. It was a real tiger! Vanavan froze, not knowing what to expect next. But that was all over - the hermit returned to his previous state and the body of the tiger remained lying in front of him, motionless, lifeless. Vanavan really wanted to tell his friends about everything he had seen, but he was the son of a vizier and loved order? so he suppressed his desire, woke up Prince Nigarili, and went to bed himself.
Nigarili had slept well by that time, his head was clear, his eyes were not drooping, but what appeared to his eyes could only have been seen in a dream: a hermit frozen motionless in a temple and in front of him the lifeless body of a tiger!
“I remember the tiger, it wasn’t here before. Where did it come from? This lifeless body couldn’t have fallen from the sky. Where did it come from? What is the connection between him and the hermit? Maybe he rides a tiger? But the tiger seems to be dead! If this tiger were alive, wouldn’t he have torn the hermit to shreds?” - thousands of questions crowded into Nigarili’s head. Meanwhile it began to dawn. A trembling ran through the hermit’s body, his eyes slowly opened, his right hand extended upward, and he bent his left. Some words fell from his lips, and the tiger suddenly seemed to wake up, wag his tail, the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. Then he stretched, arching his back, and roared so loudly that the forest shook. The next moment he jumped over the wall and found himself outside the temple.
The prince grew cold with fear, his arms and legs began to shake, but he overcame himself and decided to see what would happen next. But nothing happened. The hermit closed his eyes again and froze, as if everything that was happening did not concern him. From afar, the growl of a tiger was heard, then it died down, mingling with the sounds of the coming morning.
The sun rose. Nigarili and his comrades were already on their feet. They descended from the platform into the clearing and walked towards the forest. When they settled down in the dense shade of trees, the prince began to ask his friends about the events of the previous night. First he listened to Sembiyan's story, then, in turn, to Valavan and Vanavan. Then he himself told about what he saw.
The unusual night incidents, told one after another, came together, forming, as it were, an action of four scenes, the content of which was now completely clear to the friends.
The bone seen during the first watch was that of some kind of tiger. At the end of the watch, by the power of the mantra whispered by the hermit, all the bones of the same tiger that were in the forest rushed to the temple. During the second watch, by the power of another mantra, they united into a skeleton. Then, with the help of the third mantra, the skeleton was clothed with muscles, sinews, skin, skin, and finally, at the end of the fourth watch, the hermit, uttering the mantra of life, revived the body of the tiger, and he ran away into the forest. The friends wanted to know what preceded this action and what would happen next, so they decided to spend the next night the same way as the previous one. This time, everyone tried to firmly remember what they saw and heard and, going to bed, they recalled everything in their memory, as if they were learning a lesson. In the morning, everyone gathered together again and began to talk.
The first bone appeared in the temple with the help of a mantra at the end of the day, but the friends could not figure out what kind of mantra it was. However, this did not matter for the subsequent course of events, and the tiger that appeared in the temple at the end of the last watch, as the day before, rushed into the forest and disappeared. Whether he did this of his own free will, or obeying the orders of the hermit, his friends also did not understand. In any case, four mantras, including the mantra of life, were heard by them, and they decided to test their power themselves. Just not far from them there was a bone lying. Sembiyan placed it in front of him as it lay in front of the hermit, and recited the mantra he had memorized. Immediately, someone's bones came rushing out of the forest from all sides.
Then Valavan got down to business, and the bones were united into the skeleton of an animal, but which one, the friends could not understand - it was only clear that it was not a tiger. Here Sembiyan told his friends that they should be careful and not recite the next mantra for now, because they did not know whose skeleton it was. Vanavan objected to him, saying that otherwise they would never know: “The animal will be lifeless, and then we will decide what to do next.”
Vanavan agreed, said the mantra, and a ferocious forest boar appeared in front of him. His body was covered with growths - thorns, sharp and hard, like an arrowhead; The boar's tusks were the size, hardness and shine of elephant tusks, and the body was huge and black, like a rain cloud. The sight of the monster made the friends shudder. His one movement was enough for his spikes to hit them like dozens of arrows flying from all directions. And the weapons that they had would not have been able to penetrate the animal’s skin, which was as strong as armor.
The travelers - all except the prince - were frightened and decided not to try the fourth mantra, but Nigarili said to them:
- Friends! This is a boar, not a bear. It's easy to escape from him. Climb the tree, and I will read the mantra and immediately join you.
Having waited until his comrades were safe, Nigarili uttered the mantra of life, but before he could close his mouth, the boar growled and bristled with all its thorns. The prince found himself on the brink of death. Seeking salvation, he rushed headlong to the tree and began to climb up the trunk, but the boar still touched him, and drops of blood from the prince’s wound fell to the ground. The boar rushed towards the horses in a blind rage and severely injured them. When he started running into the forest with a loud roar, the friends carefully went down.
Now they knew exactly the power of all four mantras: with the help of one bone they could create a living being, although they were not able to subjugate it. Armed with the knowledge of precious mantras, they set off on their journey. They had to go on foot. They walked for a long time and finally reached the seashore. They stayed there for several days until they saw a ship on the horizon. Having taken off their clothes, they began to wave them to attract the attention of the sailors. The ship approached, and a boat headed towards the shore, which picked up the travelers and brought them on board.
They were carried along the waves of the vast ocean for many days before they saw the land again. By that time, the ship had run out of food and drinking water, so the crew decided to land four travelers ashore. They left the ship and headed inland, excitedly and anxiously awaiting a meeting with the unknown.
Soon a large city appeared before their eyes. To the surprise of the travelers, it was completely empty - no people, no animals, not even plants were visible on the streets. The shops were closed. Chariots without horses or drivers stood near the houses. There were musical instruments lying around the performance areas with no one to play them. The city seemed to be the abode of the god of death - Yama.
The travelers felt uneasy. However, the desire to see at least one living soul overpowered the fear, and they began to slowly move forward. Soon the palace appeared, also deserted. The travelers cautiously entered it and began to walk around the halls one after another. Six halls turned out to be empty, and in the seventh they, to their surprise, saw four princess girls. They warmly welcomed the guests, treated them to delicious food, gave them fresh aromatic water to drink, and then took them - each one they liked - to their chambers. Four friends plunged into a life full of bliss and pleasures. Having completely forgotten all their sorrows, they spent their time in endless pleasures, and whatever they wished for was immediately fulfilled. The only thing they were strictly forbidden to do was ask the princesses about who they were and what happened in this city. At first they were overcome by terrible curiosity, but soon they forgot to think about it.
The name of the princess with whom Prince Nigarili spent time was Kongulamalar. The other girls' names were Vam-barkuzhali, Vandarkuzhali and Mandarkuzhali.
One day the prince decided to ask his beloved about their names.
- Kongu! – he turned to her. “Only you have a special name, and the names of your friends seem similar to me, like impressions of the same seal.” What is the reason for this?
The princess's face darkened. Seeing that he had made a mistake, Nigarili started talking about something else. But the princess, pulling him to her, whispered in his ear:
– Darling, I chose you out of my heart’s desire. You must love me just as much in return and make me your chosen one. Then I can tell you everything. And I really really want to do this.
Nigarili by that time had become attached to Kongulamalar with all his heart. He promised that he would marry her. Then she said:
- My beloved, you are right. My name was given to me by my parents. But those three don't have names. They are witches, rakshasis, and they divided among themselves the first name they came across. My father was a king in this city, and my mother was a queen. It was a rich, prosperous city until these rakshasis came here. They devoured my parents, relatives and friends. In a few days they destroyed all the people and animals. Your friends don’t know anything about this, so don’t tell them anything yet. After all, if the rakshasis suspect something, not only them, it will be bad for both of us. It is not so easy to escape from these creatures, because they can take on any form, their necks can stretch almost half a yojana, and their arms can stretch a whole yojana. And they can move at the speed of the wind.
Every night these rakshasis go somewhere far from these places in search of food, and sleep during the day. You advise your friends to pretend to be asleep one night and look at your friends. They will understand everything right away. And you check me at the same time, and when you see that I am telling the pure truth, without hesitating for a minute, figure out how to escape from here with me.
Nigarili was surprised when he heard this story, but did as the princess advised. His friends began to spy on their lovers at night and saw that they were really rakshasis, and Nigarili himself was convinced that Kongulamalar was a real princess.
One day it happened that the rakshasis slept the whole day. The four friends and the princess had the opportunity to jointly discuss the rescue plan. They decided that they would go to the seashore every day and see if any ship would appear.
And then the day came when their dreams came true: they saw a mast on the horizon. Having tied their clothes to sticks, they began to wave them. They were spotted on a ship and a boat was launched, which swam to the shore and picked them up.
It was already evening. Fearing that the rakshasis would wake up and give chase, the friends begged the sailors to row faster, promising them a generous reward. They leaned on the oars, and the boat rushed through the waves like an arrow.
The friends' fears were not in vain. The Rakshasis actually woke up and began to look for their loved ones. Not finding them nearby, they went to the prince’s room, but neither he nor his girlfriend was there. Then the rakshasis, immediately guessing what was happening, ran to the seashore and saw the prince, his friends and the princess fleeing. Having entered the water up to their waists, they stretched their necks to see them better, and then, stretching out their arms, tried to grab them, but nothing came of it. The rowers pretended to turn back. The Rakshasis believed this, but when the deception was discovered, they became so furious that, returning to the shore, they began to throw huge stones at the fugitives. Fortunately, they did not hit the boat itself, only one sailor was wounded.
In the first bay where the ship anchored, four friends and the princess went ashore. The area was deserted; there were no traces of human habitation around. The friends walked for a long time and finally saw the city in the distance. With joy and hope they headed towards him, but the princess, not accustomed to walking, collapsed from fatigue. Her mouth was dry from hunger and thirst, her eyes were dark, she could not utter a word and only showed by signs that she was thirsty. The prince carefully laid her on the ground and began to fan her with a palm leaf, and sent Sembiyan to the city to get water and food.
In the city of Sembiyan, he decided first of all to find some tavern, satisfy his hunger and have a good rest. He did not even think about returning - Sembiyap treated the princess with hostility. “She must be the same rakshasi as her friends, only more cunning,” he thought. “Apparently, she decided to feast on the prince and us herself.” Can you explain this to my friends? At least I’ll be saved – thank God! But they won’t be alive anyway, nothing can be done. Now I’ll refresh myself a little, rest, and then I need to run away from here somewhere far away.”
The prince waited for Sembiyan for a long time and, without waiting, sent Valavan in search. Valavan also first went to the tavern and met Sembiyan there. He shared his suspicions with him and convinced Valavan not to return.
Again the prince waited for a long time and finally sent Vanavaia to the city. But he didn’t return either. Then he himself went into the city and found his friends in the tavern. They began to convince the prince not to return back. Their fear was transmitted to him, and his confidence in the princess wavered. In the end, the friends abandoned the princess to the mercy of fate and set off on their journey, as before, the four of them.
Once again they wandered around different countries for a long time and finally returned to their homeland. During the time that had passed since the day of their departure, Kotapati died, and the people drove out the queen and her son Arani for many injustices and cruelties and were now waiting for the return of the rightful ruler - Nigarili. Therefore, as soon as he returned, the first minister greeted him as a king and placed a royal crown on his head. Taking his friends as assistants, Nigarili began to rule the country.
And the princess, abandoned in the forest, was saved by one hunter. He fed her and gave her something to drink, and helped her get to the city. There she began to look for the prince and his companions, but only learned that they had left these lands. Overwhelmed by grief, Kongulamalar reflected for a long time on their action and sadly realized that they did not trust her. The thought that the prince also doubted her was especially painful for her. In the end she decided that she should not judge them too harshly, but rather try to prove to them that they were wrong.
The princess knew from the prince about his homeland, family and home, so she boldly set off on a journey to the country of Konadu. Having crossed the sea, she reached Tamil land, then moved for a long time by land, either on foot or in a cart, and finally ended up in her hometown of Nigarili.
She did not want to show herself to her lover who had left her. She decided to teach the friends who persuaded the prince to leave her a lesson. For this, she decided to use all her wealth: precious stones, jewelry, and also the knowledge of many arts that she acquired in her parents’ house, including the art of playing dice.
Having sold some of the jewelry, she bought a beautiful palace, ordered sets of dice made of gold and silver, and began to organize competitions at her place. Taking on the nickname Mistress of Dice, she sent out invitations to famous players, noble people and wealthy citizens. Each player had to bet a large sum of gold, which he lost if he lost. Those of the losers who could no longer pay were to be taken into custody - this was the condition of the game. Kongulamalar obtained permission for it in the royal palace itself, and on the paper given to her was the signature of King Nigarili, who did not even suspect into whose hands this paper fell.
Many inveterate gamblers came to Kongulamalar to play and lost. They lost money, houses, lands.
Her fame grew and grew, and one day she was visited by Sembiyan, Valavan and Vanavan, who considered themselves skilled players. Kongulamalar beat them once, twice. They got excited and played again and again. Their money gradually melted away, and when they were unable to pay the agreed amount, they were taken into custody and sent to a dungeon located in the same palace.
Having learned about this, Nigarili went to help his comrades. The first minister tried to stop him, but Nigarili did not listen to him.
“It’s my duty to save my friends,” he said. “Besides, I have no doubt that I will win.” “And King Nigarili went to Kongulamalar.
The princess first allowed the king to win several games, but then he began to lose over and over again. He lost all his wealth, then, no longer able to control himself, he put his royal dignity on the line and lost again. The moment came when he had to be sent to prison. However, the guards, seeing the king, hesitated, and Kongulamalar, smiling, said this:
- Oh warriors! Of course, it is not appropriate for the king to be here under guard. Yes, however, he has been in prison for a long time, which deprived him of his will and reason, although it allowed him to receive the kingdom and even find friends again.
The guards, not understanding anything, blinked their eyes. And the king did not understand anything, but Kongulamalar said:
- O king! You are firm in fulfilling the law, you do not break vows and promises, and by this you set an example for all residents of your country. But when you go to distant lands, don’t you leave these good qualities at home?
And then the king remembered Kongulamalar, that he had abandoned her without food and water, and a feeling of compassion and grief overwhelmed him.
“Oh beauty!” he said. – What you say is the absolute truth. There was one girl who trusted me, and I broke my word to her. True, this was not deliberate cruelty on my part: after all, she lived with the rakshasis, and I suspected that she was one of them. But this does not change matters: guilt is guilt. And I swear that I will find this girl!
Kongulamalar smiled again. She realized that the king did not admit the guilt of his comrades and, deciding that pride was speaking in him, she wanted, before identifying herself, to open his eyes.
- O king! - she said. - There is no doubt that you are very proud. But even such a proud man as you is not able to act so cruelly with a defenseless woman, especially with one who believes his love and his word! You should have been persuaded to do this by those who, having the rights of friends, saw in your love an obstacle to your friendship. This means that you must first condemn their action, and only then ask for forgiveness yourself.
Nigarili thought for a while.
“No,” he said, “I am a king.” The misdeeds of my subordinates are my misdeeds. And I must be punished for them.
- If so, I free you, king! And the freedom of your friends, like all your subjects, is in your hands. Besides...
- What is it, oh beauty, speak! Whatever you ask, noble one, I will fulfill it immediately!
- Well, well, if so... Know: I am Kongulamalar!
King Nigarili, overcome with joy, embraced the girl and said:
- My guilt is very great. It is great even for a low-born, let alone a king. Forgive me, Kongu. Forgive me, because you are now a queen and have the right to forgive and grant freedom. Free my friends and all the other prisoners yourself!
The guards released everyone who was there from the dungeon. Nigarili's friends admitted their guilt and repented of their actions. And Nigarili and Kongulamalar began to live together. Peace and prosperity reigned in their home. Everything seemed to be going well, but the king often noticed that his wife was sad. He began to ask what was the matter, and one day she told him, bursting into tears:
“Thanks to meeting you, I saved my life.” I again found myself in the royal palace, but I cannot forget my parents, relatives, friends, from whom, apparently, nothing remained except a pile of bones.
The king called his friends, and after consulting, they and the queen set off on a journey to the homeland of Kongulamalar. Having crossed the sea, they found themselves in the country of Kannippotta and soon reached the capital. But they were afraid to enter it: from the shelter they could clearly see the rakshasis walking there. “We can revive everyone with the mantra of life,” thought Nigarili, “but no one will be able to escape from the rakshasi anyway. What should we do?
And then he remembered the hermit who owned the mantra: “This wise old man has the power to give life. So is he powerless to take her? It is clear that he can dispose of the souls of living beings in any way, and he undoubtedly knows compassion for them. We must go to him and tell him everything, without concealment. He will, of course, help us." The friends went to the temple of the goddess Kali and began to wait for the hermit to turn his attention to them.
At noon the hermit opened his eyes.
“Come here, king,” he said affably. - What did you come with?
– Shouldn’t you know, O great and wise one! But since you ask, I’ll tell you everything in order,” the king began and told his whole story. At the end of the story, he pointed to Kongulamalar: “This beauty is the only survivor of the entire population of this glorious country in the past.” Now she is the queen in my state, and we came from there, having made a difficult journey of many days, crossing the sea to revive the country that her parents ruled.
The hermit took a deep breath, then whispered, but so that everyone could hear, a mantra. A small bone appeared from somewhere. Then he uttered four more mantras, and a living antelope appeared in front of him, timidly and embarrassedly looking at the people around it.
“Friends,” said the hermit, “this was the mantra of life that you know.” Now listen carefully. Here is the death mantra that will help you in your business.
He scooped up some water with his hand and, after reciting the mantra, sprinkled it on the antelope. It instantly crumbled into dust. The hermit did not say another word and immediately plunged into deep thought. The friends bowed to him and left.
After waiting for evening, they came to the city. At this time, the Rakshasis were walking in front of the palace. Suddenly the wind brought a human spirit to them. They rushed in that direction and saw the princess, Nigarili and his friends. Filled with anger, they stretched out their necks and arms, intending to grab them. But Nigarili sprinkled water on them, uttered the mantra of death, and the rakshasis turned into three piles of bluish ash.
After this, Sembiyan went in search of bones. After the mantra he recited, others flocked to each bone. Valavan made skeletons out of them, Vanavan clothed them with flesh. Nigarili was the last to pronounce his mantra and revive the bodies. The air was filled with the neighing of horses, the barking of dogs, and the joyful cries of people. Among those resurrected were Kongulamalar's parents, her relatives, friends and maids. They all rushed to hug the princess, and then listened to her story about the king of the country Konadu, his friends and their adventures.
The merry feast continued for many days, and then the king of the country Kannippotta equipped a hundred ships, loaded them with riches and escorted his daughter and son-in-law home. From now on, the country of Konadu, located on Tamil soil, and the distant overseas country of Kannippotta lived in wealth and prosperity.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru