Chasing Betal, King Vikramaditya once again found himself standing in front of the peepal tree while Betal, as usual, was hanging upside down on one of the branches. Reminding himself of his mission, King Vikramaditya proceeded toward the tree, pulled the corpse onto his shoulders, and started walking toward the crematorium.
In the middle of the journey, Betal spoke, “Vikram, sorry for all the troubles, but I am like this only. You have to face my repeated escapes until I get all the answers to my queries. Now, listen to my new story and answer my query at the end. Until then, don’t interrupt me.”
Betal began narrating his story:
Long ago, there was a renowned kingdom of Chola that was ruled by a kindhearted king named Kulottunga. He had a handsome prince named Rajendra. He was a very generous and big-hearted person who cared for the welfare of his people. In the Chola Kingdom, there was a magical tree called “Kalpaka Vriksha” in the courtyard of King Kulottunga’s palace, which had the power to grant the wishes of any person in the world. Once, the compassionate nature of Prince Rajendra urged him to ask a wish of the “Kalpaka Vriksha” tree, and that wish was to remove all the poverty and sadness from the people of the Chola Empire. The magical tree granted Rajendra’s wish and soon started showering gold coins from its branches. Seeing this miracle, King Kulottunga opened the gates of his palace, allowing his subjects to collect as much gold as possible.
The miracle of the ‘Kalpaka Vriksha’ spread far and wide, and the neighboring kingdoms became jealous of the Chola Empire. One such kingdom was the Pandya Kingdom, where King Jatarvarman Sundara began preparing to launch an attack on the Chola Empire. Through Chola spies, the royal family learned that Jatarvarman Sundara Pandya of the Pandya dynasty was planning to attack and overthrow them. Prince Rajendra, being fully aware of the destruction on both sides of these two kingdoms, pleaded with his father, Kulottunga, “For the sake of the people of both the Chola and Pandya kingdoms, let us renounce this worldly life and live a peaceful life as hermits in the forest and attain moksha.” King Kulottunga agreed, and along with other royal members of the family, went to live in the forest. The life in the forest was very serene and calm, and they all realized that this peaceful life was actually a blessing in disguise, away from the materialistic life of the world.
After a few days, the hermit invited the royal family to his ashram for a bhog offering. The royal family visited the ashram, where Prince Rajendra met Vanathi, the hermit’s daughter, and love blossomed between them. Soon, they were married. One morning after their marriage, the couple went for a brisk walk. On the way, Rajendra saw heaps of bones and many human skulls. When he asked Vanathi about it, she explained, “These are the bones of the Naga people, killed by Garuda, the king of eagles.”
The next day, at the same spot, Rajendra saw a Naga mother crying inconsolably as she led her visibly frightened teenage son to the piles of bones for Garuda to consume. Upon inquiry, he learned that the Nagas had to sacrifice one member of their community daily for Garuda, and today it was her son’s turn. Prince Rajendra, known for making sacrifices for his people, was moved by her plight and offered himself to be eaten by Garuda instead of her son.
Just then, Garuda swooped down to snatch its prey. Rajendra stepped in front of the young Naga son, and Garuda seized him and took Rajendra to the top of the mountains to devour him. While Rajendra was being carried away, his bloodied ring fell near his cottage, which was picked up by his wife, Vanathi. Sensing trouble, she rushed towards the mountain top to save her husband’s life.
But Garuda, the king of eagles, reached the mountain top much earlier due to his powerful wings. As he began to consume Rajendra by ripping off his skin and flesh, Rajendra cried out, “For the sake of humanity, let the Naga people live in peace and happiness.” The moment Prince Rajendra uttered these words, Garuda realized that his prey was not from the Naga community. Meanwhile, the young Naga son, for whom Rajendra had offered himself, rushed up earlier than Vanathi and pleaded, “Don’t take his life. Instead, take mine, as I am the Naga, not he. Devour me as your prey.” But it was too late; Rajendra had died a painful death from his wounds. Just then, Vanathi arrived and, seeing her husband’s lifeless body, prayed to Goddess Lakshmi, who brought him back to life. Garuda was moved by this turn of events and Rajendra’s benevolent nature.”
Garuda offered Rajendra a boon, allowing him to ask for anything. Rajendra said, “I want you to stop killing the Nagas, or anyone in human form, and bring all those you have killed before back to life.” Garuda granted his wishes.
Betal ended his story and asked, “King Vikram, tell me, whose sacrifice is nobler?”
Dear readers, use your better judgment to decide whose sacrifice is greater—the Naga boy’s or Rajendra’s?
King Vikram said, “The Naga boy was braver. Rajendra was already kind and used to helping others, so it was easier for him to offer his life. But the Naga boy was scared and still wanted to save Rajendra. That was really brave of him.”
“You are right, I am pleased with your wise judgment, but it’s time for me to leave, and you know the reason why,” said Betal and flew into the sky while King Vikram ran after him to get him back. Vikram knew he would have to continue this chase, but the wisdom he gained from Betal’s stories made the burden a little lighter.
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