Vikram Vethal, 13. The Unexpected Choice

 
The Unexpected Choice

King Vikram was on his mission again ? the mission to get the corpse (Vetal) for the sage seeking occult powers. The cremation ground was dark and eerie, the moon hid behind the clouds. It rained intermittently. The only source of light was the occasional flashes of lightning. To add to the dread was the howls of jackals, and the laughter of evil spirits. This would scare the bravest of warriors but not the valiant King Vikram.

Undaunted, he made his way to the ancient tree from which the corpse was hanging. Unmindful of his surroundings, he brought the hanging corpse down by cutting the rope with his sword. Slinging it over his shoulder, he began his journey when the Vetal that possessed the corpse said, ?O king, from your perseveration in this difficult and dangerous task, it is evident that you are a dedicated king whose greatest concern is the welfare of his subjects. But sometimes even sincere kings throw their principles to the winds when a question of their greatness over that of their citizens arises. Let me tell you the story of one such king.?

There once lived a king in Vajrapur who had a son called Vir. He was interested in administration right from childhood. He trained in martial arts and picked various nuances of administration from his father. Wise and able, the king often consulted him on administrative issues. Soon the king retired leaving the kingdom in his able son's hands.

Under King Vir's leadership and competent administration, the kingdom flourished and the people were a happy lot. Soon there was pressure on him to get married. Contrary to the usual practice of choosing a bride from a royal family, he decided to marry a commoner. He was looking for a wife who was well educated and intelligent, who could help him with the administration and empathise with his subjects. He decided to hold a series of tests, open to all young, unmarried women of his kingdom. Women of the royal family were debarred from participation. He announced he would marry the winner.

The announcement received an enthusiastic response. Women from all walks of life were tested for resourcefulness, problem-solving abilities, and memory skills. After a series of tests, the competition was between two young women ? Devayani and Shivani

The final decision was the king’s. He called the two women and said, “I understand that you both are very intelligent and capable young women. This is my last task to you. Capture the warrior who has tamed seven horses and bring him to me. Whoever succeeds in this task will be my queen.”

They both thought for a moment. Almost simultaneously, their eyes went to some bowls kept on the table. Each took a bowl and went away. Moments later, they returned and placed their bowls now filled with water, on the table before the king. As the king looked into the two bowls one after the other, he saw the morning sun’s reflection in the water. With both the women having solved the riddle, the king was in a quandary. Thinking for a while, he said, “Tell me about your families.”

Shivani answered without any hesitation. She said she was a daughter of a farmer fromRampur village.

Diwani grew defensive, she said,” What does it matter who my parents are, or where I come from? If you want to assess my calibre, you must do so by conducting another test  not by going into my family background.”

The king looked suspiciously at her and said, “Now aren’t you being secretive. Is there something to hide?”

“Yes, I am not a commoner, but a princess, heir to the throne of Kosala. I love you and wish to marry you. On learning that you intended to marry a commoner and that you were conducting a contest to choose your wife, I posed as one and tried my luck. Was it such a crime?”

The king was dumbfounded. He asked, “In spite of knowing that this contest was for the commoners of my kingdom, was it right for you to participate in it under a false identity?”

“I wanted to marry you and I have proved myself worthy of it, by passing your tests. So, is it proper on your part to reject me, only because I’m a princess? You have insulted me. You shall pay for this someday!” So saying, Princess Devayani stormed out of the king’s chamber.

King Vir stared at her in confusion. The other contestant Shivani withdrew quietly, and returned to her village. Vir had never met Princess Devayani before, but he had heard a lot about her. She was the only child of Amarendra, the King of Kosala and was pampered by her doting father. However, she was very intelligent and capable. She ruled the kingdom, as he whiled away his time playing chess.

On reaching home, Devayani poured out her heart to her father. King Amarendra was saddened by his dejected daughter. He could easily subjugate Vir’s kingdom. But that wouldn’t please his grieving daughter.

So he thought of writing to King Vir. He said in his message: “Greetings to King Vir. My daughter flouted the rules of your competition, I apologise on her behalf. Her love for you got the better of her.

As a father, I request you to marry her. If you do, the kingdom of Kosala will be yours. I know you are a righteous and intelligent king, I can be sure that the welfare of my kingdom as well as my daughter is in safe hands”

Vir was lost in thought for some time and then he sent a reply accepting the proposal. Soon, Vir and Devayani were married. Vir became the ruler of both kingdoms.

Concluding the story, Vetal said,”O king, Vir pretended to be a man of great integrity, but had no compunctions about casting his principles aside when an attractive offer came up. He had announced that he would marry only a commoner. So, wasn’t it wrong on his part to reject the commoner Shivani and marry Devayani who had flouted the rules of the contest? Was it his desire to annex Kosala that prompted him to take this decision, or was it motivated by a fear of reprisal from Kosala’s powerful army? If you know the answer to my question, speak out – otherwise, your head shall shatter into smithereens.”

Without hesitation, King Vikram replied, “It was neither fear nor greed that motivated Vir to act the way he did. He was a king who was fully conscious of his responsibility towards his subjects, and who worked day and night to improve their lot. Selfish considerations had no place in his mind. He was aware of how the people of Kosala were suffering under the reign of an irresponsible king and an efficient, but moody princess.”

“If he became their king, he could do a lot of good for them. Although he was not in love with Devayani he realised that since she loved him, he could certainly count on her help if he married her. Thus, it was a well-thought of decision guided entirely by selfless motives.”

On hearing this, the vampire nodded in approval, before going off into of thunderous laughter. The next moment he, along with the corpse, moved off the king’s shoulder with a jerk and flew back to the ancient tree. King Vikram sighed and retraced his steps towards