The Seeker Of Praise
King Vikram was not afraid. The pitch darkness, the howls of the jackals, and the leering faces of the ghouls would have scared away many a brave warrior, but not him. Once again, he made his way to the gnarled tree from which Vetal was hanging and brought him down with a stroke of his sword. Slinging him astride his shoulder, he had just begun his return journey when Vetal said, ?O king, people sometimes perform dangerous feats for the sake of acquiring some miraculous powers. But later, they simply throw away those very powers! I hope this does not happen in your case. Let me tell you the story of Vitanga of Veerpuri.?
The tale that Vetal narrated went as follows:
Hordes of demons had descended on the kingdom of Vilopadesa and were wreaking havoc, devouring dozens of subjects each day. The king had no idea how he could put an end to the demons? menace. One day, a sage named Nityananda happened to visit his court and the king told him about the problem at hand. The sage pulled out amagic mirror which he had obtained by yogic powers. One could use it to summon anyone from any of the three worlds at will. Through the mirror, the sage contacted Mahabala, the king of the demons, and informed him of the problems his subjects were causing in Vilopadesa.
But Mahabala humbly answered that since human flesh was the natural food for his subjects, there was little he could do to alter the situation. After a moment?s thought, the sage declared, ?In that case, issue a decree that from now on, the demons may kill and eat only sinners. They must leave righteous people alone. If any demon violates this rule, he will be struck down with a terrible stomach ache which can be cured only if a herbal medicine is poured into the demon?s mouth by a courageous human being.?
Mahabala agreed to the sage?s condition. After this, the number of people being killed by the demons came down drastically. The news of the deal spread all over the kingdom. When the people realised that the demons would spare the righteous, they abandoned their sinful ways and became exemplary citizens.
Veerpuri was a village in Vilopadesa. Vitanga was the only son of the rich landlord of Veerpuri. Parental pampering had turned him into a vain, selfish lad. His grandfather, who realised that the young boy was becoming spoilt arranged to send him to Pandit Shardaprasad, the most eminent scholar of Veerpuri, for training.
Vitanga turned out to be an exceptionally bright student. Within a year, he outdid all the other students. Vitanga expected his fellow students to flatter him and when they did not, he would pick fights with them. His fellow-pupils complained to the guru about his high-handed behaviour. Pandit Shardaprasad tried to advise his pupil, but made no attempt to change his ways.
A few years went by. One day, the guru asked his pupils to go to the neighbouring forest to collect some herbs. All the boys, except Vitanga, set out on the mission. A ferocious demon entered the forest. He had eaten a good man a few days ago and was suffering from chronic stomach ache. He was on the lookout for a man fearless enough to pour the medicine into his mouth so that he could be cured.
With this intention, he approached the group of students and requested them to help him. But so terrifying was the demon?s appearance that the pupils fainted when they caught sight of him! When they did not return, Pandit Shardaprasad sent Vitanga into the forest to investigate. Vitanga found the demon sitting morosely beside the unconscious students. On seeing him, the demon asked for his help. Vitanga stuck a deal with the demon that if he poured the medicine into the demon?s mouth, the demon should divulge the Stuteendra mantra which would make everybody around him sing his praises.
The demon agreed and was cured when Vitanga poured the medicine down his throat. Delighted, he thanked Vitanga and taught him the mantra saying, ?All you have to do is to recite it every morning. Everyone you meet that day will praise you, irrespective of whether you do good or bad. You?ll soon earn a name for yourself.? He then went away
The demon was true to his words. Vitanga?s guru and his friends just couldn?t stop praising him. When he went back home after completing his education, he continued to recite theStuteendra mantra and soon became the undisputed leader of the village. Even when he did something wrong, no one questioned him. Under his influence, the village elders also took to vices and started failing in their duties. The misrule in Veerpuri did not escape the king?s eyes. He made enquiries and found out that the cause was Vitanga. Once again, he sought the advice of sage Nityananda.
The sage pondered deeply and finally said, ?Announce that I?m going to meet Mahabala and ask him to send his demons to devour all wrong-doers.? ?But, O sage,? protested the king, ?the problem lies not with others, but with Vitanga! It is he who sins and incites others to sin! What can be done with him?? ?Don?t worry! Issue an edict praising Vitanga and get it carved on stone . Along with that, make a proclamation about the fate that awaits sinners and wrongdoers. That will solve your problem,? said the sage confidently.
The king followed the advice. Within a year, a perceptible change came over Vitanga. He stopped using the Stuteendra mantra and took to honest work for a living. Along with him, the entire population of Veerpuri, too, underwent a change of heart and became law-abiding and the king heaved a sigh of relief.?
Concluding the story at this point, Vetal demanded, ?O King! What caused the miraculous transformation in Vitanga the praise-seeker? Was it a fear of death, or something else? If you know the answer to my question, speak out ? otherwise, your head shall shatter into smithereens!?
Calmly, King Vikram replied, ?It?s true that the fear of death is the greatest of all man?s fears. But for some people, the desire for praise is an even greater motivator than the fear of death. Vitanga was one such person. To save himself, he gave up criminal activities (because the demons were authorised to eat sinners). But if he gave up using theStuteendra mantra, it was because he derived greater pleasure from the edict the king put up on stone for posterity, than from the artificial praise he obtained by using the mantra. Thus, it is clear that there was no change in his basic nature.?
On hearing this, the Vetal laughed thunderously. The next moment he moved off the king?s shoulder with a jerk and flew back to the tree. King Vikram gave a little sigh as he gazed upon the scene. Then, he squared his shoulders and retraced his steps towards the ancient tree.
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