The Minister's Ego
King Vikram was on his mission again — the mission to get the corpse (Vetal) for the sage seeking occult powers. He headed for the cremation ground. It was a dark, eerie night. To add to the spookiness, were the moans of jackals, the cackling of spirits and the howling wind. The bravest of warriors would have made their way home but the intrepid King Vikram kept at his task.
He made his way to the ancient tree where the Vetal hung from a branch and brought the Vetal down. Slinging him on his shoulder, he made his journey towards the sage. As he walked, the Vetal spoke, “O king, you are stubborn and fail to see reason. But don’t you worry; I am just as adamant as you. As I told you there are wild and dangerous animals in here and your life could be under threat. Why do you want to risk your life? You have failed so many times but you don’t seem to give up. I admire your patience. However, it’s good to be patient and brave; you must also be wise and practical. Let me tell you the story of a great and brave minister Vajradev, you will probably see reason then.”
Long ago, Magadha was ruled by a great administrator called King Mahipal. Sharp and vigilant, he kept a check on his enemies. He had the help of a shrewd general and a very wise minister. Unfortunately, the general died. Unexpected as his death was, the king was in a lurch. He called on his trusted minister, Vajradev and they decided to call a meeting of all the ministers.
At the meeting, the ministers brought to the king’s notice, the other news from the kingdom. A scoundrel called Bhairav was cheating the citizens of Magadha. Tired of his misdeeds, the people had threatened to kill him and banished him to the forest.
The other news was that kingdom was rife with stories of a rakshasa (demon) belonging to the treta yuga (The yuga in which Vishnu was born as Rama.) having taken shelter in the jungles of Magadha. There were all sorts of stories floating around, of Rama having punished him and then having blessed him. The villagers who believed these stories went to visit the rakshasa but none came back.
The king was intrigued and upset by this story. He told his ministers: “I would like to know what actually is happening in that jungle. I announce that whoever finds out the truth in this matter will be the next general of Magadha’s army. By this, we can solve our problem and find an able commander for our army.” The ministers agreed.
The truth about the treta yuga rakshasa was a clever tale spread by Bhairav himself. While on his way to the forest, Bhairav heard a faint voice asking for water. On looking, he found arakshasa, weak with hunger and thirst, pinned under a rock. He took pity, set him free and gave him some water. The rakshasa thanked him and said that he could ask him for whatever he wished for and if it was in his powers he would surely give it to him. Now the greedy Bhairav looked at the old rakshasa who was quite lame and asked him for money. “But there is no money in the jungle. Nobody comes here,” said the rakshasa.
Bhairav thought for a while and came up with a wicked plan. “Look I will bring the people, you can eat them but you have to give me their jewels. Now, how does that sound?” Therakshasa laughed and said, “Delicious, I love it”. And the story spread, people flocked to the forest, only to be killed and looted.
Now would the king’s announcement throttle Bhairav and the rakshasa’s plans?
Prithvi, a childhood friend of the crown prince, heard of the king’s announcement and decided to try his luck. He went into the forest to find out what exactly was happening. As he wandered about, he saw the place where the rakshasa lived but he did not confront him immediately. He decided to wait and watch. After a while, he saw Bhairav walking towards the rakshasa with a big bag. The rakshasa dug out the jewels and money he had collected and gave them to Bhairav. Prithvi now followed Bhairav, caught hold of him, and took him straight to the king. Bhairav’s wicked plan was now out in the open.
King Mahipal was pleased with Prithvi. He has not just managed to discover the truth but also sort out the problem without using any violence or force. He praised Prithvi and imprisoned Bhairav.
Vajradev, the king’s wise and knowledgeable minister decided to go in search of therakshasa. He searched the forest and was surprised at how frail the rakshasa was. Therakshasa who was making a meal of human flesh, fell prey to Vajradev’s sword. With therakshasa’s head as a trophy, he proceeded towards the kingdom.
The next day, as King Mahipal was making arrangements to announce the appointment of Prithvi as the new general, Vajradev came in carrying the head of the rakshasa. Holding up the head he said, “Your majesty, I’ve brought the head of the wicked rakshasa who was preying on our people and killing them in the jungle.” His supporters cheered him.
King Mahipal was not as impressed. He said, “Vajradev, someone had already solved the problem before you. You have cut off the head of a rakshasa who by himself could not have harmed anybody. Prithvi has caught the brain behind the mischief. And he did it without any violence. I think, by capturing Bhairav and putting him in jail we had solved the problem.”
The king’s words enraged Vajradev’s followers. They protested loudly but Vajradev went away quietly. He was hurt and wanted to prove that he was the king’s confidant. He thought: ‘Prithvi is the crown prince’s friend so the king wants to make him the general. I must make sure that he changes his mind and makes me the general’.
The next day as instructed by Vajradev, his followers kidnapped a few prominent citizens ofMagadha and sent word to the king that unless Vajradev was made the general all those who had been kidnapped would be killed. King Mahipal’s spies worked overtime to find out everything about Vajradev and his gang. It was clear that Vajradev’s treason was the result of his ego. He was trying to sow deeds of discontent and anarchy in the kingdom.
The king, after a long and serious meeting with his ministers, announced that Vajradev would be appointed the general instead of Prithvi. The announcement pleased Vajradev’s followers. They went to congratulate Vajradev but all they found was a note which said: “Friends, I am not worthy of the post of general. I am punishing myself for my misdeeds and for having spread discontent among the loyal citizens of Magadha. I’m leaving this country.”
The Vetal stopped his narration and said, “O king, Mahipal should have punished Vajradev severely because he had committed a treacherous act by conspiring against the king’s orders and spreading rebellion. Instead, he announced that he would make him general. Doesn’t this present the king as a coward? And Vajradev, instead of rejoicing in his victory and gladly accepting the post, chose to run away from the country. Doesn’t that seem an act of a foolish and unintelligent man? After all he would have become the general. If you know the correct answers and yet refuse to speak, your head will explode into small pieces.”
Vikram said: “The announcement of Vajradev’s appointment does not show King Mahipal’s cowardice or weakness but only his political acumen. If he had impulsively sent the army in to capture and destroy Vajradev and his followers, those kidnapped also might have been killed. On the other hand, when Vajradev and his followers, came to the palace, it would have been possible to isolate and arrest them. With this action the king avoided a lot of bloodshed.
“Vajradev was without doubt a brave and noble person. When his followers agitated against the king’s decision, he went away quietly. He was misled by his ego and lost his judgement in the desire to become a general. As soon as he heard the king’s announcement, he came to his senses and realised that he had committed a serious crime against the king and the country. He knew that Mahipal was a wise and just king. He also knew he would be caught if he entered the palace. Therefore, he wisely left the country thereby punishing himself for his wicked deeds.
King Vikram had broken his silence. The Vetal once again took off along with the corpse and disappeared. The king drew his sword and went after the Vetal.
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