Once again, King Vikramaditya reached the peepal tree while chasing Betal and found the corpse hanging in its original place. He lifted it onto his shoulder and walked back to the crematorium.
They had gone a little distance when Betal spoke, “Vikram, I’m going to tell you another story. I hope you’ll listen carefully and answer my query.”
The king was tired and annoyed by the repeated escapes and similar excuses. However, he had no way to check Betal, so he remained quiet.
Betal began his tale:
Long, long ago in the city of Benaras, there lived a learned Brahmin. The Brahmin had four sons who did not like to study or do anything productive. They loved to sit idle and roam around. Besides this, the boys also lacked common sense. The Brahmin was a worried man, seeing his worthless sons. He often preached to them to mend their ways and acquire knowledge, which could provide them a good life in the future. The repeated preaching and persuasion worked, and one day, the four Brahmin boys left their home to pursue higher education. Their father sent them to a reputed Gurukul in Somnath to gain specialized knowledge.
In the Gurukul, the boys acquired rich and intricate knowledge. After completing their studies, the four of them happily set off for home. On their way back, they passed through a Gir jungle. In the middle of the Gir forest, at one spot, the Brahmin boys saw a heap of bones lying. Seeing these, one of them said, “It seems that the bones belong to some wild animal. I must test my knowledge to determine which animal these bones belong to.”
The first Brahmin boy used his knowledge, chanted a mantra, and in the next moment, a large skeleton emerged from the scattered bones lying in front of them. The first Brahmin boy was very happy and proud to see it.
The second Brahmin boy was also eager to demonstrate his proficiency. “I can add flesh to this skeleton,” he said promptly and chanted some magical mantras. In the next moment, the skeleton was covered with flesh. The second Brahmin boy was jubilant to witness the success of his knowledge. The third Brahmin boy, encouraged by his brothers’ exceptional feats, declared, “I can provide skin to this creature with my knowledge.” He whispered some divine mantra, and in the next moment, a lion with lustrous skin was standing in front of them. Its eyes were closed, for it was not alive.
Seeing the dead lion motionless there, the fourth Brahmin said, “You have all proven your talents. Now it’s my turn to demonstrate my knowledge and merit. I must provide it with a soul and bring it to life.”
Saying so, and without thinking further about the consequences, he sat down to meditate. He had barely chanted a few phrases of his magic mantra when the roar of a lion interrupted him. A big, ferocious lion was standing in front of them and was ready to jump on its prey.
The fourth Brahmin boy barely had time to feel happiness for the success of his knowledge when the hungry lion pounced upon him and killed him. Before the other Brahmin boys could react, they too were killed by the lion.
Here, Betal ended his story and asked, “Vikram, it’s obvious that the four Brahmin boys were fools. However, who was the biggest fool among the four?”
Seeing Vikramaditya quiet, Betal said, “O king, if you know the answer, you can’t remain silent. You must reply, or else your head will be split into pieces.”
Dear Readers, whom do you think is the biggest fool among these four? Make up your mind before referring to King Vikramaditya’s reply.
Hearing the ghost’s threat, the king said, “Listen, Betal, there is no doubt that all four Brahmin boys were fools. They knew from the very beginning that the heap of bones belonged to a wild animal, and bringing it to life could be dangerous for them. But in their eagerness to prove their knowledge, they ignored their common sense. One by one, they contributed to the resurgence of the lion. When it became clear that it was a lion, which the first three boys had recreated with their joint effort, the fourth one should have been extremely cautious and refrained from reviving the animal. Instead of considering his own life and his brothers’ lives, the fourth one was eager to prove his knowledge. In doing so, he lost his own life as well as his brothers’. Though all the boys were fools, the fourth one was the biggest fool among them.”
“You are absolutely right,” said Betal, “but you spoke despite my warning, and you know that I’ll have to leave you. I’m going, Vikram!”
Saying this, the mischievous Betal flew swiftly into the sky, leaving the king running after him.
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