by Sivadasa
The result was that all three suitors arrived at Haridas’s house to finalize the match, laden with gifts for Mahadevi. Naturally, they were shocked and annoyed when they found out that she had been promised to two other men.
‘One girl affianced to three men? How can this be?’ cried the first. ‘But her father agreed to my proposal. I have come a long distance in my flying chariot to marry her. Now you tell me that I am not the only one selected!’
‘Well, I have come here with an assurance from her brother that I am the chosen one,’ complained the second.
‘Her mother agreed that I could marry her,’ said the third, with an angry frown. ‘This is definitely a peculiar state of affairs. How will this problem be solved?’
Mahadevi’s parents and her brother racked their brains, trying to think of a way out of this awkward situation. They somehow pacified the three young men and asked them to return the next morning, promising them an answer. But that very night, an ogre who had an eye on the exceptionally lovely girl carried her off to the Vindhya Mountains while she slept.
When the three suitors arrived at the appointed hour, they were further shocked to hear that the bride was missing. Haridasa thought this was a good opportunity to test who the most deserving suitor was, and also to rescue his daughter at the same time.
‘Can you use your magic to find out where my daughter might have vanished to?’ Haridasa asked the second suitor.
The magician took out a piece of chalk and made some calculations on a slate. ‘An ogre has abducted her and taken her to the Vindhya Mountains,’ he proclaimed.
The archer sprang up, saying, ‘I will shoot an arrow into that vile ogre’s heart and free Mahadevi from his clutches.’
The one with the flying chariot said, eagerly, ‘My flying chariot can transport you there in a jiffy, friend. Please take it and bring Mahadevi back safely.’
The archer climbed on to the chariot and flew to the Vindhya Mountains. Using his ability to hit his target just by following its sound, he killed the ogre and brought Mahadevi back to Ujjaini.
This did not solve the problem, however, because a new controversy had arisen. Each of the three suitors pressed their claim, arguing that their skill had played the most important part in the rescue.
Once again, Haridasa found himself in a state of turmoil. Each has contributed equally to my daughter’s rescue, he thought. To whom should I marry her?
* * *
‘Tell me, O king,’ asked the vetal now, ‘of the three suitors, which one do you think earned the right to marry Mahadevi?’
‘The archer, of course,’ Vikramaditya replied without a second thought. ‘He slew the ogre and rescued her.’
‘Are you sure?’ objected the vetal. ‘All three contributed their extraordinary talents towards her rescue. Why do you say the archer is better than the others?’
‘One used his magic to locate the girl, the other helped out with his flying chariot. Thus they were merely helpers,’ reasoned the king. ‘The archer, however, displayed qualities of daring and courage, quite apart from his skill with the bow.’
Once it had received the answer, the vetal lost no time in gliding back to the sinsipa tree, with the king in pursuit.
Mixed-Up Heads
The king reached the sinsipa tree and brought the corpse down again, and began, once more, to make his way towards Kshantishila.
The vetal, however, was ready with a fresh story. ‘Let me tell you another interesting tale to help your journey pass pleasantly, O king,’ it said. ‘Listen now!’
* * *
Once, in the city of Dharmapuri, reigned a king named Dharmashila. Being an ardent devotee of the goddess Chandika, the king had a splendid shrine built in honour of the goddess. In front of the temple was a quadrangle, with a sacred pool in the centre. Every day, the king would pay homage to Goddess Chandika, and wouldn’t touch any food till he had completed his worship.
Dharmashila did not have a son to succeed him on the throne. For this reason, his prime minister advised him to redouble his prayers so that the goddess might bless him with an heir. The king extended his hours of worship and spent much time chanting the praises of the goddess before her. This pleased the deity so much that one day, she spoke to the king. ‘O noble king, you are the finest among all rulers,’ she announced. ‘Your devotion has touched my heart deeply. Ask for whatever you wish and I will grant it.’
‘Revered goddess, if I have managed to please you with my prayers, I beg you to bless me with a son who is both noble and virtuous,’ the king pleaded with folded hands.
‘You will receive the boon you so desire,’ she proclaimed. ‘A strong and courageous son will be born to you, a hero among men. Perform a special ceremony in my temple, offering flowers, incense and sandal paste, clothes of the finest silk, and as much gold as is within your means.’
The king organized a grand puja and worshipped the goddess, following her instructions. And, as the deity had promised, in time, a healthy son was born to him. When the news spread, his subjects thronged the temple to bathe in the sacred pool and seek her blessings. All their prayers were answered.
As a result, the fame of her divinity spread far and wide, and a young prince from a neighbouring country decided to visit the temple with his friend. After he had finished his worship and was sitting outside in the square, he caught sight of a beautiful maiden, one of the princesses of the land. He lost his heart to her and prayed to the goddess: ‘O most glorious one! If you make this lovely girl my bride, I will offer my head to you in gratitude.’
Having made this vow, he returned home, lost in thoughts of the princess. His best friend noticed his plight and went and informed his father. The king lost no time and went to Dharmapuri right away to approach the girl’s father for her hand. Dharmashila agreed readily. Soon after, the marriage took place and the newly-weds returned to the prince’s home.
After some days, the prince went back to Dharmapuri with his bride, to pay a customary visit to his father-in-law. His best friend accompanied him. When he passed the shrine, he was reminded of his reckless promise.
‘Beloved,’ he told his wife, ‘please wait outside with my friend while I go and pay my obeisance to the goddess.’
He entered the temple and, after he had prayed, he drew his sword and cut off his head to fulfil his vow. When he didn’t come out after half an hour, his friend began to wonder what was taking him so long. ‘My friend has been there for quite some time,’ he told the young bride. ‘I think I should go and see what is keeping him. Please wait here.’
And so when he entered, he got a terrible shock—his friend was lying there with his head severed! The next moment an alarming thought flashed through his mind—that he might be accused of murdering his friend in order to steal his wife.
Frightened, and full of despair, he too cut off his head before the goddess.
When a great deal of time had passed, the young bride began to worry. She stepped into the temple to find out what had happened. At the sight of the two headless bodies, she burst into tears.
‘I must be the most unfortunate girl alive!’ she wept. ‘I’ve barely been married a few days, and have already lost my husband. His best friend, too, has sacrificed himself. What do I have to live for now? I should follow their example and offer up my life too, to this great deity, and thus gain salvation.’
She fashioned a noose out of her uttariya, the garment draped around her shoulders, and was about to hang herself, when the goddess spoke. ‘Do not be so hasty to take your own life, daughter,’ she said. ‘Your courage and devotion have pleased me much. Ask for whatever you desire.’
‘Great goddess,’ begged the young princess. ‘If I have truly pleased you, I pray you restore these two men to life.’
‘It shall be as you ask!’ proclaimed the goddess. ‘Join their heads to their bodies quickly.’
The divine words rang in the girl’s head. Full of excitement, and in a hurry to bring back her husband
and his friend back to life, she quickly attached the heads to the bodies. Only when the two sat up did she get a shock. She had swapped the heads! The prince’s head had been fixed to his friend’s and his friend’s, to the prince’s!
The men were as full of life as ever, but there was a serious problem now. They began to quarrel over her, each claiming to be her rightful husband.
* * *
‘This is a question for you to answer,’ said the vetal with a laugh. ‘Who do you think is her rightful husband, O king?’
King Vikramaditya replied without hesitation. ‘As food is better than any medicine, and as water is the best of all drinks, so does the head rule all other parts of the body. The body with the head of the prince is her true husband.’
Barely had he finished speaking than he felt the weight on his shoulders lighten. The vetal had taken off. The king had no choice but to make the weary trek to the sinsipa tree all over again.
The Right Man
The king went through the same routine of pulling the corpse off the branch and slinging it over his shoulders. As he set off towards his destination, the vetal launched into yet another story.
* * *
The good king Champakesvara ruled over the lovely city of Champaka. He and his wife, Queen Sulochana, had a young daughter named Tribhuvanasundari. She was as good as she was beautiful, gentle in her speech, and always had a smile on her face. Better still, she had never been known to address a rude word to anyone, young or old. Indeed, she was not only respectful to her elders but polite to everyone she met. She was very knowledgeable, too, and well versed in all the arts. As if this were not enough, she also had a great air of dignity about her and possessed courage in good measure.
It was quite natural then, that word of her marvellous qualities should spread far and wide. As a result, she began to be wooed by rich and powerful kings and princes, who would write flattering words in her praise on strips of silk and present them to her, hoping to gain her favour.
Her father, pleased that his daughter was so sought after, asked her, ‘My dear child, do you feel inclined to marry any of these young men?’
Each time Tribhuvanasundari replied, however, ‘No, father dear, I do not feel any one of them is the right man for me.’
‘If that is the case,’ suggested the king, ‘I will have to arrange a swayamvara for you. I will invite kings and princes from far and near to gather in our great hall, and you can make your choice from among them.’
‘Dear father,’ said the princess firmly, ‘I don’t want a swayamvara either. All I want is a husband who is handsome, strong and well educated. Please, can’t you find such a man for me?’
Word now spread about the conditions that any man who wanted to marry Tribhuvanasundari would have to meet. And four suitors arrived at the city of Champaka presently. They were escorted into the royal court, and the king asked them to describe their talents and abilities.
The first suitor boasted: ‘You have three conditions, charming princess. As you can see, I am above the ordinary where looks are concerned. Apart from that, I am so accomplished that I am capable of building five villages in a day. You might ask what I would do with them? Well, I would present one to Brahmins, the second I would offer to the gods, the third would be a gift for my relatives. As for the fourth, it would be for my wives, and the last, I would sell to support my personal expenses. As regards my physical strength, I am so brawny that no man can dare even to come close to me in battle.’
The second aspirant for Tribhuvanasundari’s hand then put forward his suit: ‘Like my rival said, you can see I’m a fine figure of a man. As for my abilities, I possess the unique talent of being able to understand the language of any creature, whether it lives on land or in water or flies in the air. As for my physical prowess, I can challenge any man here to a show of strength and am sure to beat him easily.’
It was the third one’s turn. He, too, claimed to be handsome and stronger than any man present in the court, with great knowledge and mastery of all the sciences.
Last of all, the fourth suitor said, ‘My personal appearance, you can judge for yourself. As for my strength and valour—I never go anywhere without my sword and no man can worst me in combat. I have also studied all the arts.’
The king gave careful ear to all four men but his problem was far from solved. One seemed as good as the other. All four of them possess the qualities Tribhuvanasundari had asked for, he mused. They are equal in every way. Who will prove to be the right husband for her? He turned to his daughter. ‘Dear girl, whom would you like to marry?’
However, the modest and well-mannered Tribhuvanasundari remained silent.
* * *
Once again, the vetal requested King Vikramaditya to answer this knotty question. ‘So whom do you think the princess should marry, O king?’
‘The fourth man—the Kshatriya who is always armed with his sword,’ replied the king without a moment’s hesitation.
‘How can you say that?’ asked the vetal. ‘All four suitors possessed the same qualities. Why is the fourth more suited to the princess?’
‘The first one who said he could build five villages in a day is a Shudra, the one who knew the speech of all the creatures in the world is a Vaisya, the one who was well versed in all the sciences is a Brahmin,’ explained the king. ‘The fourth, being a Kshatriya, is the right husband for the princess, being from the same caste.’
The vetal flew back, as swift as an arrow, to the sinsipa tree, forcing the king to retrace his steps yet again.
King Gunadhipa’s Gratitude
King Vikramaditya had made a promise and he had to keep it. So he trekked back to the sinsipa tree and took down the corpse.
‘Are you ready to listen to another story?’ asked the vetal with a cackle. ‘I will tell you one whether you agree or not, and you will appreciate it in the end.’
* * *
King Gunadhipa ruled the charming city of Malavati. One day, a needy prince from a far-off region came to the city, eager to get a job at the palace. And every day, he came to the palace and walked wearily around the royal gardens, hoping to encounter the king and make his appeal. But many days passed and, as luck would have it, he remained unsuccessful.
A year went by and soon, all his savings were exhausted, but the man did not give up. Even the group of retainers who had accompanied him had eventually lost hope and left to find work elsewhere. He continued to wait, all by himself.
King Gunadhipa decided to go out hunting one day, and rode far out. Lost in the pleasures of the chase, he galloped on and on and ended up separated from his attendants. All of a sudden, he found himself alone, deep within the forest, with no idea how to find his way out.
While he anxiously wondered how he would get back to his capital city, the Rajput warrior who had come searching for work suddenly appeared before him. He greeted the king with a respectful bow.
‘Who are you, and where have you come from, young warrior?’ asked the king, astonished.
‘I have been following you on foot, Your Majesty,’ said the prince.
‘On foot?’ marvelled the king. ‘But you look very emaciated, and unhappy too. What troubles you, my good man?’
‘Your Majesty,’ said the young warrior, ‘I am a man of noble birth, but without means. I have had to struggle to keep myself alive. I arrived in your city, hoping to receive employment, but was unable to gain an audience with you. It is not your fault,’ he said, bowing humbly once more, ‘just the result of my own ill fortune. After a whole year went by and all my attempts to speak with you remained unsuccessful, I was beginning to despair, and that’s when I saw you ride out for a hunt. I decided to give it a last try and followed you on foot. As they say, there is nothing more rewarding for a man than to find a good master.’
‘It is my good luck that you followed me here,’ replied the king. ‘But I am completely famished, young man. It’s been a long time since I ate.’
‘There is no civil
ization around for miles,’ said the Rajput. ‘No place close by to arrange for a wholesome meal. But I can offer you some wild fruits.’
He produced two ripe amlas for Gunadhipa to eat, which appeased the king’s hunger temporarily.
‘Now, will you guide me back to the capital city, my good man?’ asked the king, relieved.
The Rajput led the way out of the forest, and they reached the palace safely. The king immediately took the young man into his employment. He gave him expensive clothes and jewels to wear, as befitted his status.
Pleased and grateful after his experience in the forest, King Gunadhipa began to rely greatly on the young warrior.
Once, he decided to send him to the coastal region of his kingdom to take care of an important task. During the journey, while sailing to his destination, the Rajput glimpsed a temple right in the middle of the ocean. He decided to stop there and offer his prayers.
He noticed a charming lady while coming out of the temple and, completely taken with her, began to follow her. She noticed him and immediately turned around and asked, ‘Why are you pursuing me?’
‘I saw you at the temple, dear lady, and wanted to know where a lovely lady like you might be staying,’ he replied.
The woman smiled. ‘All right, if you want to know, bathe in that pool first, and then enter my palace.’
The warrior saw that there was a beautiful pool close by. He immediately took off his clothes and entered the crystal-clear water. To his immense surprise, he found himself back in a pool in his own city. He quickly sent for some clothes and hurried to the palace. Stunned by this unusual adventure, he was eager to narrate it to the king.
King Gunadhipa was extremely intrigued by the story. ‘I would like to go there and see the place for myself,’ he said. ‘Make all the arrangements without any delay.’
The king and the young warrior boarded a ship and made their way to the temple. As luck would have it, the very same lady arrived there with her companions to offer prayers. She recognized the Rajput, but when she set eyes on the handsome young king, she lost her heart to him.