Chapter 10
The Curse of the Namboodiri
Believe it or not!
The impact of a sin committed in the darkness is more than a sin committed in the daylight.
The priest came out on bail with the help of a lawyer. Several marks were there on his body as he was being questioned rigorously for investigation in the police station. He was so weak that he could not even talk or walk; the mental pain suffered by him was more than the physical pain.… He went to the temple first.
"Who is doing the pooja for my Bhagavathi?" as he asked, the new priest from the next village came out from the sanctum sanatorium.
"Please be with my Bhagavathi always, don’t ever leave her… Don't miss any pooja for her… she is the most powerful… the reason for what has happened to me is the sins I might have committed. I'm not at all angry with my Bhagavathi for not saving me from this. But, one thing is sure that I have not committed any crime. I know well who has done this and why … I pity him… He has made a great mistake, he will definitely feel for this one day…
My Bhagavathi, I have come to you for justice. They say, ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’. Likewise, those who have stolen your golden trident will find their death with the same trident…
It is my last prayer and request to you, my Bhagavathi!
My Bhagavathi, you came out from this same Neyyar River!
I'll also end my life here… There is no meaning in living after this. I am saying again, priest… please take care of my Bhagavathi with love and devotion."
Kesavan Namboothiri said this and ran towards the Neyyar river as if he was in a trance. The new priest, who was very much shocked hearing his words without knowing what he was doing, ran behind Kesavan Namboothiri…
"Please wait! It is common for all human beings to have problems; with constant prayers, we have to succeed; you should not lose hope. Please stop… stop..."
Kesavan Namboothiri did not stop.
Some village people who were taking their bath in the river could not understand what is happening there. They got baffled seeing both of the priests together, one behind the other.
One of them said aloud, "Friends, these days, we cannot even trust temple priests; they will do anything for money." Hearing this, Kesavan Namboothiri felt like someone has stabbed him from the back with a very sharp knife.
He walked towards that person who said it and told him, "You need not worry anymore, brother, because of me!” Saying this, he walked towards the deepest part of the river where the flow of the river was at its maximum and vanished within no time from everyone’s sight.
People standing on the shore could not do anything, and they could only stand as mere witnesses for that unfortunate event. The new priest who was watching all these cried silently within.
When Paramu heard this shocking news, his first reaction was as if something unexpected has happened, but the very next minute, he managed himself to normalcy and said, "At least that priest has got some self-respect…that is why he punished himself for his crime." Those who believed in this spread it throughout the village within no time.
Parvathi was very angry and upset knowing all these. She thought that this matter would stop with theft, and now it has led to the death of an innocent priest… The next thing that followed was unexpected.
The priest's wife came in search of Paramu with untied hair ferociously like the historical, ‘Kannagi’; she came asking for justice. Paramu didn't expect this...
"What mistake did my husband do to you…? You defamed him that much. We didn't even get his dead body… Why did you do this to him? You will not have a good death! Your entire family will suffer for this…!" as she said, Paramu could not control himself, and he started reacting…
"Hey! You, woman, shut up and go from here… If your husband is innocent and if he doubts me in this matter, he could have said it in the court. As he has committed suicide out of guiltiness, it proves that he is the real culprit. Then why are you blaming me?"
When Paramu said, Neelakandan and Manikandan came to support their father.
"Look! If you need any financial help, ask it straight; if you are planning to blame our dad for your husband’s mistake, then you will also go to jail." Neelakandan said.
"She may have the balance of that gold hidden somewhere in her house; that is why she came here to stage her drama of innocence and put the blame on our dad…" Manikandan said. Seeing all this, Parvathi fainted.
Manikandan’s words made the priest’s wife more furious …
"Are you trying to protect your dad…? Now, listen, even my husband didn't come here and cursed you. But I curse you… You will not have a decent life; you will not have a good death. The trident you stole will follow you wherever you go till your death. If that Puthiyakavu Bhagavathi’s power is true, if my husband is innocent and if you are the people behind this … definitely, all of you will be punished … Let your punishment be a lesson to this village. Oh, my Bhagavathi, please make my words come true!" she took a hand full of sand from the ground and threw it at them, and ran away from there.
After ten minutes, the news came; she stabbed herself with the trident in front of the temple and died on the spot.
Hearing the news, Neelakandan and Manikandan stood as statues!
