The Legend of King Vikramaditya
The sage Bhavabhuti- says-after making his initiatory and propitiatory conge to Ganesha, Lord of Incepts, informs the reader that this book is a string of fine pearls to be hung round the neck of human intelligence; a fragrant flower to be borne on the turban of mental wisdom; a jewel of pure gold, which becomes the brow of all supreme minds; and a handful of powdered rubies, whose tonic effects will appear palpably upon the mental digestion of every patient. Finally, that by aid of the lessons inculcated in the following pages, man will pass happily through this world into the state of absorption, where fables will be no longer required.
He then teaches us how Vikramaditya the Brave became King of Ujjayani.
Centuries ago, the renowned city of Ujjayani witnessed the birth of a prince to whom was given the gigantic name Vikramaditya.
The old King calling his two grandsons Bhartari-hari and Vikramaditya, gave them good counsel respecting their future learning. They were told to master everything, a certain way not to succeed in anything. They were diligently to learn grammar, the Scriptures, and all the religious sciences. They were to become familiar with military tactics, international law, and music, the riding of horses and elephants–especially the latter–the driving of chariots, and the use of the broadsword, the bow, and the mogdars & mastered all kinds of Martial Arts. They were ordered to be skillful in all kinds of games, in leaping and running, in besieging forts, in forming and breaking bodies of troops; they were to endeavour to excel in every princely quality, to be cunning in ascertaining the power of an enemy, how to make war, to perform journeys, to sit in the presence of the nobles, to separate the different sides of a question, to form alliances, to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, to assign proper punishments to the wicked, to exercise authority with perfect justice, and to be liberal. The boys were then sent to Guru Ashrams and were placed under the care of excellent teachers & scholers, where they became truly famous. Whilst under pupilage, the eldest was allowed all the power necessary to obtain a knowledge of royal affairs, and he was not invested with the regal office till in these preparatory steps he had given full satisfaction to his subjects, who expressed high approval of his conduct.
The two brothers often conversed on the duties of kings, when the great Vikramaditya gave the great Bhartari-hari the following valuable advice:
“As Indra, during the four rainy months, fills the earth with water, so a king should replenish his treasury with money. As Surya the sun, in warming the earth eight months, does not scorch it, so a king, in drawing revenues from his people, ought not to oppress them. As Vayu, the wind, surrounds and fills everything, so the king by his officers and spies should become acquainted with the affairs and circumstances of his whole people. As Yama judges men without partiality or prejudice, and punishes the guilty, so should a king chastise, without favour, all offenders. As Varuna, the regent of water, binds with his pasha or divine noose his enemies, so let a king bind every malefactor safely in prison. As Chandra, the moon, by his cheering light gives pleasure to all, thus should a king, by gifts and generosity, make his people happy. And as Prithwi, the earth, sustains all alike, so should a king feel an equal affection and forbearance towards every one.”
After being throned as a king, Bhartrihari was lost in worldly pleasures & became so physically attached to one of his two wives that he spent most of the time with her. Vikramaditya tried to make him realize his foolishness, but all in vain. On the contrary on the command of that Queen, Bhartrihari, threw Vikramaditya out of the city.
In the city of Ujjayani, within sight of the palace, dwelt a Brahman and his wife, who, being old and poor, and having nothing else to do, had applied themselves to the practice of austere devotion. They fasted and refrained from drink, they stood on their heads and held their arms for weeks in the air; they prayed till their knees were like pads; they disciplined themselves with scourges of wire; and they walked about unclad in the cold season, and in summer they sat within a circle of flaming wood, till they became the envy and admiration of all the plebeian gods that inhabit the lower heavens. In fine, as a reward for their exceeding piety, the venerable pair received at the hands of a celestial messenger an apple of the tree Kalpavriksha–a fruit which has the virtue of conferring eternal life upon him that tastes it.
Scarcely had the god disappeared, when the Brahman, opening his toothless mouth, prepared to eat the fruit of immortality. Then his wife addressed him in these words, shedding copious tears the while:
“To die, O man, is a passing pain; to be poor is an interminable anguish. Surely our present lot is the penalty of some great crime committed by us in a past state of being. Callest thou this state life? Better we die at once, and so escape the woes of the world!”
Hearing these words, the Brahman sat undecided, with open jaws and eyes fixed upon the apple. After which the Brahman threw away the apple, that the priest was about to toss in his rage the heavenly fruit into the fire, reproaching the gods as if by sending it they had done him an injury. Then the wife snatched it out of his hand, and telling him it was too precious to be wasted. It would be a good decision if we gave this fruit to the palace & get some wealth in return. Then the Brahman went forth, and standing in the presence of the Raja, told him all things touching the fruit, concluding with “O, mighty prince! vouchsafe to accept this tribute, and bestow wealth upon me. I shall be happy in your living long!”
Bhartari Raja led the supplicant into an inner strong room, where stood heaps of the finest gold-dust, and bade him carry away all that he could; this the priest did, not forgetting to fill even his eloquent and toothless mouth with the precious metal.
So does the story goes that Bhartrihari got such a fruit from a Brahmin that would increase his life span. The king did not eat the fruit himself but gave it to his favourite Queen , because he was madly obsessed with her.
The Queen took the fruit and pretended that she was very happy and said that she would eat the fruit after having a bath. The king agreed to this and happily returned. The Queen was in love with other, a horse keeper. She gave the fruit to him. The horse keeper was involved with a prostitute. He presented this fruit in turn to her. The prostitute was a pious women and she decided that she would gift the king with this fruit. Thinking this she proceeded towards the king’s palace.
King Bhartrihari was busy along with his councilors in the court. The prostitute came and gifted the fruit to the king and told him about the greatness of the fruit.
Seeing the same fruit in the prostitute’s hand the king was confused. He immediately, took it and ate it. Realizing the insincerity of the Queen, Bhartrihari felt very sad and gradualy he lost faith in all one he loved
But his other Queen Pingala was very pious ,good natured ,very religious & a Pativrata (husband devoted) woman.
Bhartri hari wanted to test her love towards him so he arranged a drama before her.
In the early morning the King reached Queens Pingala’s Palace and said he is going to forest for hunting and will return before noon, as usual the Queen worshipped her husband and prayed before the Goddess for her husbands safety.
Bhartri hari went forest for hunting but he did not returned even after the sunset , here Queen Pingala was worrying about her husband safety without drinking a drop of water.
The night too passed but Bhartrihari didn’t returned next morning. The King’s body Guard returned the palace without the King.Seeing this the Queen felt suspicious of some terrible news.
With heavy heart Queen Pingala asked the soldiers of the king about welfare of her husband King Bhartri hari, they replied with their faces down that the King was chasing a ferocious Man Eater lion and got lost in the Jungle ,they searched him every where only to found Kings clothes , saying this they showed her the Queen, the Kings clothes.
As soon as the poor Queen Pingala saw the blood stained clothes of her husband Bhatrihari, she fainted and died at the moment.
Bhartrihari who was standing behind was terribly shocked and cried in vain.
This event had such an impact on Bhartrihari that he became detached to this world and starting abhorring material life. He renounced the palace and all the physical pleasures of the king & a normal person and went to the forest.
Then Bhartrihari became a discple of Maha Yogi Shri Gorakhnathji .
Thus the Throne of Ujjain remained empty .To protect the country from invaders Vikramaditya returned to his kingdom and became the King of Ujjaini.
Vikramaditya was a very brave prince. He was also learned in all the Sastras. He was a master of all the arts. When he became king, he made his brother Bhatti his minister. Bhatti was a very learned and wise man. Under their rule, the people were prosperous and happy.
Being a Yogi, Vikram meditated deeply upon what is said of Yogic Tantra and spiritual thoughts:–”A king is fire and air; he is both sun and moon; he is the god of criminal justice; he is the genius of wealth; he is the regent of water; he is the lord of the firmament; he is a powerful divinity who appears in human shape.” He reflected with some satisfaction that the scriptures had made him absolute, had left the lives and properties of all his subjects to his arbitrary will, had pronounced him to be an incarnate deity, and had threatened to punish with death even ideas derogatory to his honour.
He punctually observed all the ordinances laid down by the author of the Niti & Dharma
His night and day were divided into sixteen pahars or portions, each one hour and a half, and they were disposed of as follows:
Before dawn Vikram was awakened by a servant appointed to this special duty
As soon as he had risen several Brahmans rehearsed the praises of the gods.Presently he bathed in waters from Sacred Rivers King Vikramaditya performed Trikal Sandhya
At first sandhya King vikramaditya was consumed in dhyan yoga followed by
worship of his guardian deity Maa Bhadra Kali, again heard hymns& did vedic yagya. After performing his Yogic rituals only he drank a little water.
Then he saw alms distributed to the poor & needy. He ended this watch by auditing his accounts.
Next entering his court, he placed himself amidst the assembly. He was always armed mainly with his legendary sword.
He was surrounded by so many spies and so artful, that of a thousand, no two ever told the same tale.
At the Throne, on his right sat his relations, the Brahmans vedic Scholors. The others were on the left, and close to him stood the ministers and those whom he delighted to consult. A far in front gathered the bards chanting the praises of the gods and of the king; also the charioteers, elephanteers, horsemen, and soldiers of valour. Amongst the learned men in those assemblies there were ever some who were well instructed in all the scriptures, and others who had studied in one particular school of philosophy, and were acquainted only with the works on divine wisdom, or with those on justice, civil and criminal, on the arts, mineralogy or the practice of physic; also persons cunning in all kinds of customs; riding-masters, dancing- masters, teachers of good behaviour, examiners, tasters, mimics, mountebanks, and others, who all attended the court and awaited the king’s commands. He here pronounced judgment in suits of appeal.
Before the second sandhya, or noon, about the beginning of the third watch, he recited the names of the gods, bathed in river and broke his fast in his Private Puja place; then rising from food, he was amused by singers and classical dancers.
The labours of the day now became lighter. After eating he retired, repeating the name of his guardian deity, visited the temples, saluted the gods conversed with the priests, and proceeded to receive and to distribute presents. Fifthly, he discussed political questions with his ministers and councils.
Vikram allowed himself to follow his own inclinations, to regulate his family, and to transact business of a private and personal nature.
After gaining strength by rest, he proceeded to review his troops, examining the men, saluting the officers, and holding military councils. At sunset he bathed a third time and performed the five sacraments of listening to a some verses of the Veda; making oblations to the manes; sacrificing to Fire in honour of the deities; giving rice to dumb creatures; and receiving guests with due ceremonies. He spent the evening amidst a select company of wise, learned, and pious men, conversing on different subjects.
The night was distributed with equal care. During the first portion Vikram received the reports which his spies and envoys, dressed in every disguise, brought to him about his enemies.
This important duty finished he supped, and at the end of the third watch he retired to sleep, which was not allowed to last beyond three hours. In the sixth watch he arose and purified himself. The seventh was devoted to holding private consultations with his ministers, and to furnishing the officers of government with requisite instructions. The eighth or last watch was spent with the Purohita or priest, and with Brahmans, hailing the dawn with its appropriate rites; he then bathed, made the customary offerings, and prayed in some unfrequented place near pure water.
And throughout these occupations he bore in mind the duty of kings,
Thus Maharaja Vikramaditya was ruling his kingdom according to Sanatan Dharma.
One day a sage came to the court of Vikram and gifted him a fruit. The king handed it over to his treasurer. This became a daily habit. The King could not understand as to why the sage prsented a fruit to him every day. But still , he did not find out the reason for this .However, one morning, Vikram noticed a monkey siting on the palace wall and gave the fruit to it.The monkey had started eating the fruit when suddenly a dazzling gem fell out it. The King was very surprised .He immediately ordered his treasurer to get him all the fruits kept in the storage.
The fruits had gone riped but when the King had them crushed, each one yielded a precious gem. The generous King donated all these gems to the poor and waited for the sage’s visit to the court.
The next day ,the sage visited the court of Vikram with yet another fruit. Vikram welcomed the sage and asked him “Your Holiness! Can you please tell me why you have been giving me such precious gifts? Without good reason, I cannot accept any gifts from you”.
The Sage replied, “i need the help of a brave man for a spiritual goal. Will you help me ?”. Vikram readily agreed to this .So the sage said,” o King! please come to the burial ground on the next moonless night. It is at a distance of twenty miles from here. I will wait for you under a banyan tree”.
Vikram agreed to carry out these instructions.
On the said night, Vikram covered his head and body with a black cloth and unnoticed, reached the spot in the forest. The sage was waiting for him and told him,”King Vikram! To the south of this forest is an Cremation ground , there stood an old Tamarind tree on which hangs a corpse upside down. Please bring it to me,” The King immediately followed the sage’s orders and stared the adventurous journey to the cremation ground in the dense dark forest .
The darkness of the night was frightful, the gloom deepened till it was hardly possible to walk. The clouds opened their fountains, raining so that you would say they could never rain again. Lightning blazed forth with more than the light of day, and the roar of the thunder caused the earth to shake. The wolf were hauling their lungs out Baleful gleams tipped the black cones of the trees and fitfully scampered like fireflies over the waste. Ghost and restless spirits were roaming like snow balls and threw themselves upon the ground in their path and obstructed them in a thousand different ways. Huge snakes, whose mouths distilled blood and black venom, kept clinging around their legs in the roughest part of the road, till they were persuaded to loose their hold either by the sword or by reciting a spell. In fact, there were so many horrors and such a tumult and noise that even a brave man would have faltered, yet the king kept on his way.finally reached the Tamarind Tree.
On findings a corpse there, King Vikram cut it loose. As soon as the corpse fell to the it laughed loudly wit a cackling sound. The King realised that it was a Vampire spirit in the dead body.
But the courageous King carried the body over his shoulders and started towards the the place said by the sage.
A short distance later, the vampire left Vikram’s shoulders and escaped to its original spot on the Tamarind tree. The King climbed up the tree .brought down the Vampire and placing it on his shoulders stared walking again. “Who are you?” he asked the Vampire.”Iam Betal “replied the Vampire and in turn asked Vikram.”Why and where are you taking me away?”.
“A sage has requested me to bring you to him”replied Vikram.
Betal did not have any objection to going with Vkram but he laid down a condition.”We have to cover a long distance and to relive the tedious walk.,I will tell you a story.But you should not utter even one word till we reach the destination. Iwill fly back to the tamarind tree and hang by it. Do you agree to this ?” asked Betal. Vikram agreed to this and silently listened to Betal’s story.
The sage Bhavabhuti- says-after making his initiatory and propitiatory conge to Ganesha, Lord of Incepts, informs the reader that this book is a string of fine pearls to be hung round the neck of human intelligence; a fragrant flower to be borne on the turban of mental wisdom; a jewel of pure gold, which becomes the brow of all supreme minds; and a handful of powdered rubies, whose tonic effects will appear palpably upon the mental digestion of every patient. Finally, that by aid of the lessons inculcated in the following pages, man will pass happily through this world into the state of absorption, where fables will be no longer required.
He then teaches us how Vikramaditya the Brave became King of Ujjayani.
Centuries ago, the renowned city of Ujjayani witnessed the birth of a prince to whom was given the gigantic name Vikramaditya.
The old King calling his two grandsons Bhartari-hari and Vikramaditya, gave them good counsel respecting their future learning. They were told to master everything, a certain way not to succeed in anything. They were diligently to learn grammar, the Scriptures, and all the religious sciences. They were to become familiar with military tactics, international law, and music, the riding of horses and elephants–especially the latter–the driving of chariots, and the use of the broadsword, the bow, and the mogdars & mastered all kinds of Martial Arts. They were ordered to be skillful in all kinds of games, in leaping and running, in besieging forts, in forming and breaking bodies of troops; they were to endeavour to excel in every princely quality, to be cunning in ascertaining the power of an enemy, how to make war, to perform journeys, to sit in the presence of the nobles, to separate the different sides of a question, to form alliances, to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, to assign proper punishments to the wicked, to exercise authority with perfect justice, and to be liberal. The boys were then sent to Guru Ashrams and were placed under the care of excellent teachers & scholers, where they became truly famous. Whilst under pupilage, the eldest was allowed all the power necessary to obtain a knowledge of royal affairs, and he was not invested with the regal office till in these preparatory steps he had given full satisfaction to his subjects, who expressed high approval of his conduct.
The two brothers often conversed on the duties of kings, when the great Vikramaditya gave the great Bhartari-hari the following valuable advice:
“As Indra, during the four rainy months, fills the earth with water, so a king should replenish his treasury with money. As Surya the sun, in warming the earth eight months, does not scorch it, so a king, in drawing revenues from his people, ought not to oppress them. As Vayu, the wind, surrounds and fills everything, so the king by his officers and spies should become acquainted with the affairs and circumstances of his whole people. As Yama judges men without partiality or prejudice, and punishes the guilty, so should a king chastise, without favour, all offenders. As Varuna, the regent of water, binds with his pasha or divine noose his enemies, so let a king bind every malefactor safely in prison. As Chandra, the moon, by his cheering light gives pleasure to all, thus should a king, by gifts and generosity, make his people happy. And as Prithwi, the earth, sustains all alike, so should a king feel an equal affection and forbearance towards every one.”
After being throned as a king, Bhartrihari was lost in worldly pleasures & became so physically attached to one of his two wives that he spent most of the time with her. Vikramaditya tried to make him realize his foolishness, but all in vain. On the contrary on the command of that Queen, Bhartrihari, threw Vikramaditya out of the city.
In the city of Ujjayani, within sight of the palace, dwelt a Brahman and his wife, who, being old and poor, and having nothing else to do, had applied themselves to the practice of austere devotion. They fasted and refrained from drink, they stood on their heads and held their arms for weeks in the air; they prayed till their knees were like pads; they disciplined themselves with scourges of wire; and they walked about unclad in the cold season, and in summer they sat within a circle of flaming wood, till they became the envy and admiration of all the plebeian gods that inhabit the lower heavens. In fine, as a reward for their exceeding piety, the venerable pair received at the hands of a celestial messenger an apple of the tree Kalpavriksha–a fruit which has the virtue of conferring eternal life upon him that tastes it.
Scarcely had the god disappeared, when the Brahman, opening his toothless mouth, prepared to eat the fruit of immortality. Then his wife addressed him in these words, shedding copious tears the while:
“To die, O man, is a passing pain; to be poor is an interminable anguish. Surely our present lot is the penalty of some great crime committed by us in a past state of being. Callest thou this state life? Better we die at once, and so escape the woes of the world!”
Hearing these words, the Brahman sat undecided, with open jaws and eyes fixed upon the apple. After which the Brahman threw away the apple, that the priest was about to toss in his rage the heavenly fruit into the fire, reproaching the gods as if by sending it they had done him an injury. Then the wife snatched it out of his hand, and telling him it was too precious to be wasted. It would be a good decision if we gave this fruit to the palace & get some wealth in return. Then the Brahman went forth, and standing in the presence of the Raja, told him all things touching the fruit, concluding with “O, mighty prince! vouchsafe to accept this tribute, and bestow wealth upon me. I shall be happy in your living long!”
Bhartari Raja led the supplicant into an inner strong room, where stood heaps of the finest gold-dust, and bade him carry away all that he could; this the priest did, not forgetting to fill even his eloquent and toothless mouth with the precious metal.
So does the story goes that Bhartrihari got such a fruit from a Brahmin that would increase his life span. The king did not eat the fruit himself but gave it to his favourite Queen , because he was madly obsessed with her.
The Queen took the fruit and pretended that she was very happy and said that she would eat the fruit after having a bath. The king agreed to this and happily returned. The Queen was in love with other, a horse keeper. She gave the fruit to him. The horse keeper was involved with a prostitute. He presented this fruit in turn to her. The prostitute was a pious women and she decided that she would gift the king with this fruit. Thinking this she proceeded towards the king’s palace.
King Bhartrihari was busy along with his councilors in the court. The prostitute came and gifted the fruit to the king and told him about the greatness of the fruit.
Seeing the same fruit in the prostitute’s hand the king was confused. He immediately, took it and ate it. Realizing the insincerity of the Queen, Bhartrihari felt very sad and gradualy he lost faith in all one he loved
But his other Queen Pingala was very pious ,good natured ,very religious & a Pativrata (husband devoted) woman.
Bhartri hari wanted to test her love towards him so he arranged a drama before her.
In the early morning the King reached Queens Pingala’s Palace and said he is going to forest for hunting and will return before noon, as usual the Queen worshipped her husband and prayed before the Goddess for her husbands safety.
Bhartri hari went forest for hunting but he did not returned even after the sunset , here Queen Pingala was worrying about her husband safety without drinking a drop of water.
The night too passed but Bhartrihari didn’t returned next morning. The King’s body Guard returned the palace without the King.Seeing this the Queen felt suspicious of some terrible news.
With heavy heart Queen Pingala asked the soldiers of the king about welfare of her husband King Bhartri hari, they replied with their faces down that the King was chasing a ferocious Man Eater lion and got lost in the Jungle ,they searched him every where only to found Kings clothes , saying this they showed her the Queen, the Kings clothes.
As soon as the poor Queen Pingala saw the blood stained clothes of her husband Bhatrihari, she fainted and died at the moment.
Bhartrihari who was standing behind was terribly shocked and cried in vain.
This event had such an impact on Bhartrihari that he became detached to this world and starting abhorring material life. He renounced the palace and all the physical pleasures of the king & a normal person and went to the forest.
Then Bhartrihari became a discple of Maha Yogi Shri Gorakhnathji .
Thus the Throne of Ujjain remained empty .To protect the country from invaders Vikramaditya returned to his kingdom and became the King of Ujjaini.
Vikramaditya was a very brave prince. He was also learned in all the Sastras. He was a master of all the arts. When he became king, he made his brother Bhatti his minister. Bhatti was a very learned and wise man. Under their rule, the people were prosperous and happy.
Being a Yogi, Vikram meditated deeply upon what is said of Yogic Tantra and spiritual thoughts:–”A king is fire and air; he is both sun and moon; he is the god of criminal justice; he is the genius of wealth; he is the regent of water; he is the lord of the firmament; he is a powerful divinity who appears in human shape.” He reflected with some satisfaction that the scriptures had made him absolute, had left the lives and properties of all his subjects to his arbitrary will, had pronounced him to be an incarnate deity, and had threatened to punish with death even ideas derogatory to his honour.
He punctually observed all the ordinances laid down by the author of the Niti & Dharma
His night and day were divided into sixteen pahars or portions, each one hour and a half, and they were disposed of as follows:
Before dawn Vikram was awakened by a servant appointed to this special duty
As soon as he had risen several Brahmans rehearsed the praises of the gods.Presently he bathed in waters from Sacred Rivers King Vikramaditya performed Trikal Sandhya
At first sandhya King vikramaditya was consumed in dhyan yoga followed by
worship of his guardian deity Maa Bhadra Kali, again heard hymns& did vedic yagya. After performing his Yogic rituals only he drank a little water.
Then he saw alms distributed to the poor & needy. He ended this watch by auditing his accounts.
Next entering his court, he placed himself amidst the assembly. He was always armed mainly with his legendary sword.
He was surrounded by so many spies and so artful, that of a thousand, no two ever told the same tale.
At the Throne, on his right sat his relations, the Brahmans vedic Scholors. The others were on the left, and close to him stood the ministers and those whom he delighted to consult. A far in front gathered the bards chanting the praises of the gods and of the king; also the charioteers, elephanteers, horsemen, and soldiers of valour. Amongst the learned men in those assemblies there were ever some who were well instructed in all the scriptures, and others who had studied in one particular school of philosophy, and were acquainted only with the works on divine wisdom, or with those on justice, civil and criminal, on the arts, mineralogy or the practice of physic; also persons cunning in all kinds of customs; riding-masters, dancing- masters, teachers of good behaviour, examiners, tasters, mimics, mountebanks, and others, who all attended the court and awaited the king’s commands. He here pronounced judgment in suits of appeal.
Before the second sandhya, or noon, about the beginning of the third watch, he recited the names of the gods, bathed in river and broke his fast in his Private Puja place; then rising from food, he was amused by singers and classical dancers.
The labours of the day now became lighter. After eating he retired, repeating the name of his guardian deity, visited the temples, saluted the gods conversed with the priests, and proceeded to receive and to distribute presents. Fifthly, he discussed political questions with his ministers and councils.
Vikram allowed himself to follow his own inclinations, to regulate his family, and to transact business of a private and personal nature.
After gaining strength by rest, he proceeded to review his troops, examining the men, saluting the officers, and holding military councils. At sunset he bathed a third time and performed the five sacraments of listening to a some verses of the Veda; making oblations to the manes; sacrificing to Fire in honour of the deities; giving rice to dumb creatures; and receiving guests with due ceremonies. He spent the evening amidst a select company of wise, learned, and pious men, conversing on different subjects.
The night was distributed with equal care. During the first portion Vikram received the reports which his spies and envoys, dressed in every disguise, brought to him about his enemies.
This important duty finished he supped, and at the end of the third watch he retired to sleep, which was not allowed to last beyond three hours. In the sixth watch he arose and purified himself. The seventh was devoted to holding private consultations with his ministers, and to furnishing the officers of government with requisite instructions. The eighth or last watch was spent with the Purohita or priest, and with Brahmans, hailing the dawn with its appropriate rites; he then bathed, made the customary offerings, and prayed in some unfrequented place near pure water.
And throughout these occupations he bore in mind the duty of kings,
Thus Maharaja Vikramaditya was ruling his kingdom according to Sanatan Dharma.
One day a sage came to the court of Vikram and gifted him a fruit. The king handed it over to his treasurer. This became a daily habit. The King could not understand as to why the sage prsented a fruit to him every day. But still , he did not find out the reason for this .However, one morning, Vikram noticed a monkey siting on the palace wall and gave the fruit to it.The monkey had started eating the fruit when suddenly a dazzling gem fell out it. The King was very surprised .He immediately ordered his treasurer to get him all the fruits kept in the storage.
The fruits had gone riped but when the King had them crushed, each one yielded a precious gem. The generous King donated all these gems to the poor and waited for the sage’s visit to the court.
The next day ,the sage visited the court of Vikram with yet another fruit. Vikram welcomed the sage and asked him “Your Holiness! Can you please tell me why you have been giving me such precious gifts? Without good reason, I cannot accept any gifts from you”.
The Sage replied, “i need the help of a brave man for a spiritual goal. Will you help me ?”. Vikram readily agreed to this .So the sage said,” o King! please come to the burial ground on the next moonless night. It is at a distance of twenty miles from here. I will wait for you under a banyan tree”.
Vikram agreed to carry out these instructions.
On the said night, Vikram covered his head and body with a black cloth and unnoticed, reached the spot in the forest. The sage was waiting for him and told him,”King Vikram! To the south of this forest is an Cremation ground , there stood an old Tamarind tree on which hangs a corpse upside down. Please bring it to me,” The King immediately followed the sage’s orders and stared the adventurous journey to the cremation ground in the dense dark forest .
The darkness of the night was frightful, the gloom deepened till it was hardly possible to walk. The clouds opened their fountains, raining so that you would say they could never rain again. Lightning blazed forth with more than the light of day, and the roar of the thunder caused the earth to shake. The wolf were hauling their lungs out Baleful gleams tipped the black cones of the trees and fitfully scampered like fireflies over the waste. Ghost and restless spirits were roaming like snow balls and threw themselves upon the ground in their path and obstructed them in a thousand different ways. Huge snakes, whose mouths distilled blood and black venom, kept clinging around their legs in the roughest part of the road, till they were persuaded to loose their hold either by the sword or by reciting a spell. In fact, there were so many horrors and such a tumult and noise that even a brave man would have faltered, yet the king kept on his way.finally reached the Tamarind Tree.
On findings a corpse there, King Vikram cut it loose. As soon as the corpse fell to the it laughed loudly wit a cackling sound. The King realised that it was a Vampire spirit in the dead body.
But the courageous King carried the body over his shoulders and started towards the the place said by the sage.
A short distance later, the vampire left Vikram’s shoulders and escaped to its original spot on the Tamarind tree. The King climbed up the tree .brought down the Vampire and placing it on his shoulders stared walking again. “Who are you?” he asked the Vampire.”Iam Betal “replied the Vampire and in turn asked Vikram.”Why and where are you taking me away?”.
“A sage has requested me to bring you to him”replied Vikram.
Betal did not have any objection to going with Vkram but he laid down a condition.”We have to cover a long distance and to relive the tedious walk.,I will tell you a story.But you should not utter even one word till we reach the destination. Iwill fly back to the tamarind tree and hang by it. Do you agree to this ?” asked Betal. Vikram agreed to this and silently listened to Betal’s story.
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