King Vikramaditya chased Betal and reached the peepal tree. He found Betal hanging upside down from a branch. As was his practice, the king pulled the corpse onto his shoulder and started walking towards his destination. A little later, Betal in the corpse said, “Vikram, I’m going to tell you a story that will certainly lessen your burden and the boredom of the journey. Listen carefully.”
The king did not say anything, and Betal began his tale:
Long, long ago, there was a king named Samudrasen. He ruled a kingdom called Rudrapur. The king was kind, brave, and an able administrator. Therefore, the subjects of Rudrapur were happy and prosperous. The court of Rudrapur was adorned with many efficient and loyal ministers. One of them was Jatakesh. One day, the minister sought permission from the king to go on a pilgrimage. The king readily permitted him, and Jatakesh set out for a long journey and thus a long leave from the court. He visited many holy places one after another. He was happy that his long-cherished wish was being fulfilled. The pious ambiance of holy places filled the heart of Jatakesh with love and calmness. The joy was so divine that Jatakesh roamed, exploring new places of divinity and devotion.
One day, Jatakesh wandered the whole day, and in the evening, he sat on the seashore to relax. The sight of the unending roaring sea, ready to gulp the sun, and the sky blazing red in anger amazed Jatakesh. He was charmed and decided to spend the night on the shore, watching the changing mood of the vast sea.
In the middle of the night, Jatakesh witnessed a very strange sight. He saw a wondrous tree emerging out of the water. Its leaves were of gold, and its flowers and fruits were made of sparkling precious gems. The tree was glowing as if thousands of lights were lit from within its branches. When the tree emerged fully and settled above the water, Jatakesh saw a very charming young damsel sitting amidst its branches and playing a lyre quietly. For some time, the glowing tree remained there, and then it submerged slowly into the water as it had appeared.
Jatakesh was aghast to see such a sight. He wanted to know whether it appeared there every night, so he stayed there the next night too. In the middle of the night, the wondrous tree appeared again. This time, Jatakesh didn’t waste time and immediately swam up to the tree. He asked the girl who she was and where she had come from. In reply, the young beauty dived into the sea without uttering a word. The tree too disappeared into the sea. The event left Jatakesh thoughtful and surprised. He decided to return to the capital to inform the king about the event.
Upon reaching the capital, he told the king about the incident. The king was so surprised to hear this that he set out immediately for the seashore with Jatakesh. After a long journey, they reached the seashore. The king impatiently waited for the magic moment. In the middle of the night, the tree, bathing in a supernatural glow, appeared above the sea. The king asked his minister to wait by the shore until he returned. He then swam up to the tree. He saw the beautiful girl sitting on the branch and playing the lyre. Such was her charm that the king fell in love with her. He asked the girl who she was, but she did not inform him about herself. She said, “O king, if you want to know about me and are interested in me, then wait until the new moon night. Come here on the coming new moon night, and I’ll tell you everything.”
The king returned to the shore and decided to wait for the new moon night. Jatakesh also stayed with him. On the due night, the wondrous tree appeared again. The king swam to the tree. When he was about to ask the girl her whereabouts, a monster appeared from somewhere and seized the girl in his arms. Seeing this, the king challenged the monster to a fight. The monster was enraged to see the king and attacked him with a big uproar. The king responded bravely. After a fierce fight, the king killed the monster and saved the girl.
The girl was happy and relieved. She said, “O king, I’m a Gandharva girl. My father loved me very much. He was so fond of the food I cooked that he used to eat only what I prepared. One day, I became busy playing with my friends and forgot to cook for him. That day, my father had to remain hungry, and in his anger, he cursed me. Due to the effect of the curse, on every new moon night, a monster appeared and troubled me, pestering me to marry him. However, soon after cursing me, my father repented and, to counter it, gave me a boon that one day a king would come to save me.”
The girl paused to catch her breath and then said, “I guess you are the king, my savior, for whom I have waited so long.” The girl bowed her head shyly. The king was happy and proposed to the girl to marry him, which she readily accepted. The king returned to the capital with the girl and Jatakesh, and he married the girl amidst great celebrations.
However, amidst all those happy happenings, the one person who was not truly happy was Jatakesh. From the day he saw the Gandharva girl, he fell in love with her but kept it a secret. When the king married her, he became very depressed. Unable to tolerate it, he ended his life.
Betal ended his story here and asked, “Vikram, tell me who was responsible for the death of Jatakesh. Tell me, or else your head will be split into many pieces.”
Dear Readers, I call upon you to decide who is responsible for Jatakesh’s death before hearing the answer of King Vikramaditya.
King Vikramaditya said, “Betal, none other than Jatakesh himself was responsible for his own death. If he was in love with the girl and intended to marry her, he should not have gone to the king and told him about her. The girl was a rare beauty, and the king was young and unmarried. Jatakesh should have anticipated this and should not have brought the king there.”
Betal applauded the king for his wise answer and said, “Vikram, you are the wisest, but you couldn’t keep quiet, and so I’m leaving you.”
Saying this, Betal flew into the sky, and the king ran after him desperately, holding a bare sword in his hand.
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