A gurgling sea still looked
ferocious. It was a complete deluge. The earth shattered, followed by a huge
wave that seemed insatiable. It swallowed the animate and inanimate alike, ruthless
and powerful as it was!
A vain and powerful kingdom lay
submerged, allowing the sea creatures to feast on the once-all powerful
creatures. The tectonic plates had moved causing a huge earthquake that shook
the abode of Lord Shiva. There was a huge gathering and people from all over
the region had gathered to wish Shiva and Parvati on their wedding day. Mythology
has it that since all Gods had gathered at one place causing the colossal upheaval.
“This way!” screamed a voice. Soon
a huge crowd followed the voice. Dodging the fire balls that rolled towards it,
the crowd valiantly moved ahead. Soon they reached a point where the sea had
made major inroads, gulping the greed of men that hitherto thrived in the region.
How were they to cross the watery
grave alive? The leader, a tiny-tall man stood firm, holding a pot-like vessel
in one hand and a beaded chain in the other. He signaled the crowd to stay
calm. Hours passed and slowly the water started to ebb away.
“Once we cross the water and go to
the other side, there are plain fertile lands. We can halt there for a few days
before deciding what to do next”, he said.
“Are you sure that the land can
take all of us? We should split, lest we burden the land more than it can
handle”, a man from the crowd spoke.
“You may be right. We caused this
huge loss to mother earth by crowding at the same place. We should learn from
our earlier mistakes”, the leader spoke.
He called the man from the crowd
and to lead the other faction. People were seen bidding tearful adieus to near
and dear ones. Their paths split, forever and somehow, they all knew it, though
the words that were spoken conveyed the contrary.
After a few days both factions
realized that the split was inevitable as people joined both factions along
their way to safer pastures. The first faction of the Velir clan was led by
Agasthya, while the second was led by Kashyap. The first faction moved
southwards, while the second moved northwards. The entire land form had changed,
and the plains were no longer visible. Agasthya was surprised. The earth grew
before his eyes and the crowd went into a frenzy.
“Run, the earth is going to
swallow us too. Evil forces have joined hands”, shouted a few.
“Death is inevitable. Let us sit
and meditate and think of Shiva and Parvati before our lives are taken away”,
rued some.
Some refused to move ahead, while
some other wanted to go back. Few others egged Agasthya to carry on with those
willing to follow him. Take the able men to protect you.
A wise man stood up with support
on both sides. “Take the women and children along with you. Let the able men
follow. The rest of us will try to keep pace”, he said. The leader agreed and
the crowd progressed further, led by Agasthya. His tenacity urged others to
follow their persevering leader.
Every now and then he called out
to the people, motivating them to follow. He addressed the ever-growing
mountain to stop and allow them to progress. Days rolled by, months passed, the
old and unfit perished, unable to withstand the hardships. After many months Agasthya
reached the top of the Vindhyas.
The crowd that followed cheered
him. “Vindham Adakinon, Vaazhga”, they shouted. The climb down was not
difficult. By now they had seen many hardships and had moved far away from the initial
trauma, though the loss weighed heavily on them. As hey descend, they
assimilate the traditions of the local people and begin to thrive. Many
interesting stories about the survivors and their lives unfurl to entertain
eternity.
One among the many stories is that
of Avvaiyar, a poet beyond compare, a guide par excellence and an advisor to Lords
and rulers.
As Agasthya survived the arduous journey and
appeared victorious atop Vindhyas, crowds on either side cheered him. Once he
descended, the local chieftain, a fisherman, wished to give his daughter in
marriage to Agasthya. Agasthya married her. Soon they had a son who they named,
Perumsagara, meaning the vast sea. True to his name he was wise and sharp. He
married the daughter of the local leader and Agasthya named him Bhagwan. The
intellect and tenacity of Agasthya had spread far and wide. Meanwhile his
wisdom, in the form of stories from the past kept his listeners in rapt
attention. He had overcome the language barrier by formulating the language
that was destined to unite people far and wide and would be spoken by the
generation that followed.
Many detractors mushroomed from time-to-time, but the
power of Agasthya-founded Tamil still stands the test of time. So immensely
uniting and emotionally exquisite was his formulation, that its popularity
spread far and wide. Bhagwan grew up listening to his grandfather’s story. His
penchant to find out the fate of the second faction made him set out on a
journey northward. On route he met his wife-to-be, a girl who he named Aadi.
Aadi gave birth to a girl child. Not wanting to subject the child to the unknown
hardships that she and her husband were embarked on, she left the child in the
care of a local learned man.
From her foster father, Avvaiyar
learnt about her parent and grandparents and decided to unite people all over
the region.
Her skill at poetry and mastery over the language formulated by her
great grandfather Agasthya, helped her achieve her cause.
