Lives of Alcyone

FORTY-SEVENTH LIFE 279
Chart XLVII b
South India (Birth of Mizar) A.D.222
1 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th
It is evident that the tie between Alcyone and Mizar is of an unusual character; for in almost every life they have been associated. They were
were together in the presence of the Lord Buddha, and after the wonderful events which characterised that incarnation, they separated for a
time because the regular interval between their lives was entirely altered in Alcyone's case by the tremendous influence exerted over him by
the Lord Buddha. Mizar was undoubtedly influenced also, but apparantly not to the same extent or perhaps in a less fundamental manner.
We find that he retaiinde the ordinary seven hundred years' interval which was so largely extended in the case of Alcyone; so that while the
latter next appears in A.D. 603, Mizar was born in the year A.D. 222, at a place called Kaveripattanam in the Chola country in the south of
India.
Mizar's name --most unexpectedly--was Lucius Fabius Coculus,a patronymic which it is difficult to associate with the south of India. Equally
remarkable id the fact that he was the son of Roman Senator named Caius Fabius Lentulus. This apparent incongruity had a fairly simple explanation.
Some years before, this Roman Senator had been enjoying position and dignity in his own land; but at this period there were constant
internecine wars between barious claimants for the imperial purple, and Lentulus was unfortunate enough to espouse the losing side in one
of these contests. Claudius Albinus had been proclaimed Caeser by his Legions in Britain, almost at the same time that the same honour
was conferred upon Septimius Severus by those who fought under his standard. Now Septimius Severus was a man of a rough soldier type
while Caludius Albinus was far more aristocratic and refined both in character and in bearing. As Lentulus had been a friend of his, and indeed
was himself a man of similer type, he naturally took his side and openly maintained his rights. After some years of diplomatic fencing the
rivals came to open warfare, and Albinus was defeated and overthrown in a great battle in France. Septimius Severus then thoroughly established
his authority and showed little mercy to those who had been prominent in their support of his defeated rival.
Fortunately for himself, Lentulus succeeded in escaping from Rome and took ship for Alexandria, where he remianed for some little time. Prsently
he discovered that the emissaries of the conqueror were upon his track. Once more he saved himself from them with difficulty, and this
time being thoroughly frightened he determined to fly so far that even the power of Imperial Rome should be unable to reach him. He took
ship down the Red Sea and eventually crossed to India where he landed at this port of Kaveripattanam. This place seems to have been the
principal port of Kaveripattanam and the fugitive was fortunate enough to find a little colony of Roman merchants who were rapidly making
fortunes in this far-away land.
Now Lentulus, though a patrician (or perhaps because he was a patrician) had a fair idea of the relative value of gems and rare silks, and he
also knew precisely what wass the taste of his countrymen in such matters. He was wisse enough to see that in this foreign land it was useless
to stand upon his birth and dignity; so he placed at his disposal his special knowledge and his undoubted good taste. He quickly became a person
of importance among them; he soon entered into partnership with one of them, proved himself indispensable to him and rapidly raised
the profits of the firm to perhaps ten times their former amount. Instead of peddling cautiously and making frequent mistakes, he launched out
into much larger speculations, but always guided them with a sure hand and unerring judgement. In a few years he was one of the richest men
of the kingdom, and his previous acqquaintance with politics enabled him to use wisely the influence which his wealth gave him. He married
Glaucus, the daughter of Iphigenia, an official who held a high position in the Chola court, and our present hero, Mizar, who held a high position
in the Chola court, and our present hero, Mizar, was his first born son. His father gave him the name of Coculus, but his mother gave him
the name of Coculus, but his mother gave him the nickname of Manikyam-which is perhaps after all only a translation into her language of
the pet name given by the father.
Mizar was a precocious child, and seemed to combine within himself the good qualities of both the races whose blood was intermingled in his
veins. He lived in an atmosphere of politics, and it is little wonder that, as he grew up, he began to take a keen interest in them. The country
was in a disturbed condition; for its King, Chenkuddeva, was perpetually at war with a neighbouring King, Ugraperuvalathi, who reigned
over the Pandya country and held his court at what is now Madura. Although there was this constant state of warfare, the common people of
the country were affected by it than one would suppose possible, and the merchants succeeded in procuring their goods and despatching their
vessels almost as regularly as though the land had been in a condition of profound peace. For example, Madura was the seat of a Kind of
University, or perhaps rather a great school of poets and philosophers, which had a wide reputation over the whole of the south of India, and
was considered far better than anything that existed in the Chola Kingdom. In spite of the frequent wars, it never seems to have occurred to
anyone that there was the slightest danger or difficulty in Mizar's attaching himself to the Madura University, which he accordingly did, and
even apparantly took part in certain Court functions in that town, being a person of some consideration in consequence of his wealth as his
father made him an unusually large allowance.
At that court he met the poet Tiruvalluvar, the writer of the Kural, and was present on the occasion when the latter received the public honour
which was adjudged to him because of the excellency of his poems. Tiruvalluvar seems to have been born at Mylapore, within a couple of
miles of our Headquarters, but was a man of low caste--a weaver or something of that sort. Consequently he was not at all well received by
the authorities of the University, and, at first, they declined to allow him to present his poem for the competition which was taking place. He
contrived, however, to persuade one of the authorities to read it before condemning it; and this man was so much struck by its excellence, that
he somehow managed to get it accepted. The judges pronounced it by far the best that had been sent in, but still the terrible caste prejud
ice prevented its author from receiving full recognition. It appears to have been the custom that the successful competitiors should the occupy
an elevated seat where they were the observed of all observers. Because of his low caste, Tiruvallur was not allowed to take his place with