Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Tamarai - Part II: Her Marriage and Early Years in Ponnivala


  • Tamarai has now grown into a lovely young woman. She is now sixteen years old, but she still loves to sit in her simple garden swing.

  • Kunnutaiya, the servant and shepherd boy who works for Tamarai’s family, has fallen in love with her.

  • Despite Tamarai’s brothers’ objections Lord Vishnu helps arrange a marriage between Tamarai and Kunnutaiya. She is led to the spot in the forest where the wedding will occur.

  • The wedding place is by an old temple. Lord Vishnu, in disguise, leads the way. No family members will be present.

  • Now Lord Vishnu takes on his normal appearance and marries the couple himself.

  • Vishnu magically produces two flower garlands and has the couple place them around each other’s necks, as is the wedding custom.

  • But then Tamarai’s family sends insulting wedding gifts: a dried up old cow and a blind goat, as well as other unwanted things.

  • Tamarai explains the meaning of these gifts to her new husband. They are symbols that say “don’t you two ever come back here.”

  • The two leave on a journey to find Kunnutaiya’s homeland, Ponnivala. They are happily married but sad that they have been treated like this by Tamarai’s family.

  • Tamarai and Kunnutaiya struggle, walking a very long distance in the sun and in the rain.

  • Eventually, after many days, the couple see two temples in the distance. This tells them that they have finally arrived in the land of Ponnivala.

  • Tamarai’s first desire is to clean the old family temple and get it back into a clean and pleasing condition.

  • Next Tamarai helps her husband build a small hut where they will live.

  • Tamarai helps sort the lumber and work out the details of their house design.

  • The women of the area bring Tamarai some of the necessary items for cooking. She thanks the two ladies for their kindness and starts to organize her new home.

  • Finally the house is ready. The couple have even purchased a cow!
[<==Back to Part 1]

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