Viswasen’s Ambitions
King Vikram relentlessly followed the Vetala back to the ancient tree. He brought the corpse down from the tree and slung it over his shoulder. As he weaved his way through gliding ghouls, grinning skulls and screeching bats, the Vetala in the corpse spoke up:
“Why do you covet danger, even after I’ve pointed out to you how foolish and risky your effort is? Don’t you know that there are harmful wild animals, ghosts and vampires lurking around? No Kshatriya should endanger himself so foolishly. When I see you toiling hard to catch me, I’m convinced that you are driven by some ulterior motive. Listen to this story of King Viswasen. Just when his dreams were about to be fulfilled, he changed his mind and ruined himself. I’m afraid you too might make a similar critical mistake at a crucial moment in your life”. So saying, the Vetala narrated the story:
King Viswasen of Mithila loved hunting. Nothing could make him miss his hunting expeditions, not even a crisis in his kingdom.
Once he led his troops for hunting as usual. For two days, he and his men enjoyed the chase. On the third day, as he decided to return to his kingdom, he heard two of his men talking about a hermitage in the forest. Viswasen wished to meet the sage who lived there. He told his soldiers: “You may all return to the camp and wait for me there. I shall seek the blessings of the sage and join you before sunset”.
The king walked into the dense forest. The kingdom was reeling under a famine: the monsoon had failed for the second successive year. As he strode along, his mind was preoccupied with the crisis that loomed large over his kingdom, a baby monkey just ahead caught his attention. It fell off a tree in front of him and started wailing in pain. The king hurried forward to lift him, but even before he reached the animal, a female monkey, obviously the mother, jumped down from a nearby tree, picked up the baby and swung off in a hurry.
As she brushed past the king, the mother monkey viciously scratched his arms. This disturbed the king’s mind considerably. Was the mother monkey angry with him?
He soon reached the hermitage and was warmly welcomed by the sage. “You’ve been hunting, and that is something you love very much! And yet you don’t look happy. Why is it so?” asked the sage.
Viswasen sighed and narrated the incident of the monkey. “I was only trying to help the little monkey, and all the mother does in return is to scratch me! Is there no good left in the world?” he wondered. “Don’t we even have the authority to help defenceless animals? If this goes on, one would hesitate to the help a fellow creature!”
The sage laughed. “O king, I think you’re not one of those who think deeply on any issue. For, look at the irony of what you say now. You love hunting and have killed many animals without a thought of what would happen to their innocent orphaned babies. And now you feel pity for the baby monkey you came across. It is indeed surprising! Just look at the condition of your kingdom. The rain god seems to have abandoned us and a famine seems imminent. Have you thought of a solution to this problem?”
The king replied, “O holy one, this situation is not really unusual. The rains fail once in a few years and we face this crisis of famine and drought. My ancestors have gone through this crisis. And I am facing it now”.
“Then what can be done about it?” asked the sage.
“O holy one, there is a solution. And that is, to raise a powerful army, and invade and take over the neighbouring states that are prosperous. The wealth and the granary of these kingdoms can be put to good use for the sake of our own people”.
“Oh, so you wish to garner wealth and power and become great! But there’s another easy way to do it! If you go just four kos from here to the north, you will find some mountains of silver. Take as much silver as you want! It’s all yours”.
Viswasen thanked the holy man and walked in the direction the sage had showed. Soon he saw the silver mountains gleaming in the sun. “O god, what a lot of silver! I shall need hundreds of vehicles to take all this silver home!” he shouted in joy.
As he looked around in wonder, he noticed a hermitage close by. A hermit was standing by, feeding two lovely fawns with tender leaves. At some distance stood a male and a female deer, obviously the parents of the fawns, watching the scene. Viswasen was moved. ‘How beautiful these creatures are! And I’ve been cruelly killing them all along! What a sinner I am!’ he thought regretfully.
He hesitated to move forward and introduce himself. Perhaps his presence might frighten the innocent animals. But the hermit looked up and beckoned him.
“Please join us, O king. How come you’re here in this forest all alone?”
Viswasen paid his obeisance to the hermit and explained all about the silver mountains. He frankly disclosed that he wanted to take back silver to help him buy food for his starving people. The hermit listened to all that he had to say and then commented: “You seem to be satisfied with these silver mountains. But if you go four kos to the north, you’ll come across gold mountains”.
Viswasen was thrilled to hear this. He hurriedly bade goodbye to the hermit and made for the mountains of gold. When he came across the golden peaks glinting in the sun, he was jubilant. “All that gold belongs to me!” he shouted hysterically. “I am the wealthiest king on earth”.
Just then a yogi, who had been bathing in a pond nearby, came into sight. He heard the king’s triumphant shout. “O king!” he addressed him. “If these mountains of gold excite you so much, what will you do when you see the diamond mines that lie just four kos to the north from here?”
Diamond mines? The astounded king thanked the yogi profusely and followed his directions. Just as the yogi had said, he came upon the diamond mines. The diamonds were lying scattered on the ground, sparkling and winking in the sunlight. There were also several cobras which stood guard over the diamonds, with their hoods spread.
Viswasen went mad with excitement. He raved in trembling tones, “My soldiers can kill these snakes. I shall bring camels and elephants, load these diamonds on them and take them home. This wealth will bring prosperity to my kingdom. We shall buy food and all material comforts from all our prosperous neighbours. Why, I can raise a great army and make these neighbours my vassals. I shall become the emperor of the world, the most powerful man on the earth. I shall then be the happiest man in the universe”.
Just then he heard a loud booming voice: “O king, there are many men in this world who are wealthier, luckier and greater than you are! And I am one of them!”
A strange luminous figure suddenly appeared before King Viswasen. He stood rooted to the spot, as if hypnotised.
Then the saintly figure that glowed so strangely, continued: “So your dreams are coming true, O king? You wished to be wealthy, powerful, great! You wished to be a great conquering emperor, the dread of neighbouring kingdoms. The gold, silver and diamonds that you have just found will bring all that you have desired and more. But have you ever thought of the consequences of your foolish actions? How many innocent people will be sacrificed at the altar of your avarice? How much wealth and property will be destroyed!”
Viswasen replied boldly, “O great soul! I’m sure you know that the dharma of a kshatriya, and that too a king, binds him to war and battles. Every king is expected to invade territories and take over other states in the interests of his people”.
The strange man laughed and said: “If every king, in the name of kshatriya dharma, kept invading other territories, can you imagine the misery, tensions and insecurity that the common people would go through? Don’t think you can justify your actions in the name of kshatriya dharma. I’ll grant you one boon – either you can become a great emperor by virtue of your power and strength, or you will, in your lifetime, achieve greatness as a king who paid attention to the welfare of his people. But mind you, you cannot have both!” And the strange figure disappeared.
Viswasen immediately retraced his steps and returned to where his soldiers awaited him. He addressed them: “My men! Henceforth leave your arms safe at home. From now on, your duty will be to tour every nook and corner of our country, and then come back and tell me the conditions that prevail. Right now let’s return to the palace”.
After narrating the story, the Vetala spoke to King Vikram: “Viswasen had always wanted to be wealthy and powerful. His desires looked likely to be fulfilled. He found an immense treasure that would have filled his coffers and brought him name, fame and power. Besides, the strange figure had promised to grant him the boon of becoming a great powerful emperor or of becoming a noble king who cared for the welfare of his masses. Why didn’t he opt for the boon that would have made him a great emperor? If you know the answer and yet choose to remain silent, your head will split into a thousand pieces!”
King Vikram answered immediately: “A man who is ambitious to gain wealth and power need not necessarily be cruel and insensitive to the sufferings of others. Viswasen was moved to pity by the plight of the baby monkey and to remorse when he saw the young fawns being fed by the hermit. Besides, he had just been advised by the strange figure about the evil consequences of conquests and battles. And that is why he decided to take up the cause of his people rather than aspire to be a great conqueror”.
No sooner had King Vikram broken his silence when the Vetala once again gave him the slip and flew back to the ancient tree. Vikram drew his sword and went after the Vetala.
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