Sabari Parinayam

22

"Here, have these laddus." Pedarasi peddamma pushed Partha onto the elevated platform outside her house and dumped a few laddus into his lap.

"Why are you not letting me see her?" Partha had already waited an hour. "I am not allowed to see my own wife?" He questioned. This must be the heights of silliness. He should not have handed this old lady the jewelry. He should have adorned Sabari himself. Most of  the jewellery that Sabari wore that morning for the wedding belonged to his mother.  Partha had a Kasulaperu and a nose ring, especially made for his lovely wife.

Their wedding took place before sunrise, in the palace grounds. King Jaya and the queen had performed the kanya dhanam, while Vrinda, Pedarasi peddamma and chief cook Nalabheema looked on.  Sabari had asked for only these people to be present and for Partha it did not matter if anybody else was present or not.
Until the time he had tied the scared thread around Sabari's neck and he held her little finger to walk around the ceremonial fire, Partha did not realize that the unease he was feeling just before the wedding was actually excitment. He held her hand a little longer than required during the ritual. She was his wife, now. And he her husband. He did not understand which of those thoughts made him more happy.  That he would want to be married is a suggestion he would have scoffed at until a few seasons ago.

"No!" Pedarasi atha stated "You can't see your wife. You can't see the neighbor's wife. You can't see anybody's wife." She teased, raising her hand to stop him from speaking "Just a few more minutes. You have been with her all morning and will be with her for the rest of your life! The sky will not fall if you do not see her for a few ninutes.

"It has been more than an hour." He complained 

"And then it will be 2 hours! So what?! Stop behaving like a teenager!" Atha chided and walked into the house, all the while smiling. Having given up hope on ever seeing her nephew settle down with a family. She could not be any happier than she was now. She looked upwards and sent out a prayer. Destiny takes it time and has its ways,but what is written in ones destiny is bound to happen. She loved her nephew and adored Sabari. Though nobody knew where she came from and her claims were un believable, one cannot deny that Sabari was meant to be with Partha. People had to only look at the two to know that they were made for each other. Tall, dark and handsome, her nephew was. He would tower over any girl, even one as tall as Sabari. And the girl? She was no less than a mystical being from a time un known. Today, dressed in the earthy kumkuma color sari, that Pedarasi atta had made by her weaver cousin, Sabari had looked like a un blemished maiden of the woods. When pedarasi peddamma had adorned her with the gold ornaments given by Partha, peddamma had gasped with the vision that sat in front of her. The amber glow of the oil lamp bounced of the dangling diamond studded nose ring, twinkling like a star in the sky. Pedarasi peddamma immediately rubbed some katuka onto Sabari's temple "May god protect you from any evil eye. Oh my child!! It looks like Paravti Devi, herself walked into my house." Tears welled into the old woman's eyes "I cannot tell you how happy I am, today!" She wiped the tears away "I will not spoil the day with my tears. If I have you sit her one more minute, your mad husband will break my door."

"Of course he won't, amma." Laughed Sabari.

"I would have." Announced Partha walking into the room "Thank the god, atha, you did not lock the door."

"See? I told you your husband is mad. Now, both of you, don't delay the journey to the temple. I will make sure the prasadam is packed and ready to take with us. I will wait near the bullock cart. Do you understand?" So saying, pedarasi peddamma walked out not waiting for an answer.

A silence descended over the room. For a whole minute Partha just stared at his wife. Sabari looked him in the eye first, but as Partha's gaze turned from wonderment to endearment, She had to lower her head to avoid getting emotional. He walked over and tilted her chin up with his finger. Looking into her eyes, he took a deep breath "My wife." He said with all the love he felt for her.
Sabari hugged him around his waist and rested her head on his chest.