Episode 3: A Long Exile

In this feature, we outline the chapters of The Legend of Ponnivala as we've laid them out in the animated and print series. The sub-story descriptions are those that occur in each episode, and are drawn from our Teacher's Handbook.

A young orphan is treated badly by his clansmen and is forced to run from place to place. The mistreatment continues no matter where he goes, but the boy is a survivor. He summons his courage and has some successes. Finally he sees a new village with a fine temple on the horizon. Fresh hope rises in this orphan’s heart.

The Hero Suffers as an Abused Homeless Waif

The young orphan is sent from family to family. Each household treats him more cruelly than the last. In one home the wife is the meaner one, in another it is the husband. Some families will not have him at all. Finally the clansmen meet and decide to give him a begging bowl, asking him to beg hereafter for food.

A Child with Magical Strength

Five years pass like this while the poor child suffers in extreme poverty, sometimes working as a shepherd to earn his keep. Finally he becomes strong enough to run away. This basic theme repeats. Finally the boy sees the tower of a lovely temple in the distance. Hope for a good home rises once more in his heart. Eventually the little hero finds firewood in a forest. He ties up a huge bundle and lifts it onto his head. Lord Vishnu helps him lift this awesomely big load. A woman sees him and invites him in but when the husband begins to beat his wife the little hero is frightened and runs still further into the unknown.