Once upon a time there lived a king named Chandrasen who was an able administrator, and was enriched with high human values like bravery, kindness, generosity and justice. His subjects were indeed happy, prosperous and proud under his sovereignty. Besides that, King Chandrasen enjoyed a very warm and harmonious relationship with his neighbours.
One day, when the work was in full swing in the court, a person named Vishnu came to meet the king. After bowing before the king, the man addressed, “Your Majesty, I am a Brahmin by caste. I am quite capable and can be serviceable in many ways. I’ve a good knowledge of weapons. However, presently I am jobless. I have come in your shelter to seek some suitable job.”
The king felt that the man was bright and honest. He asked the man, “Vishnu, considering your claimed abilities, I am ready to bestow the responsibility of my personal security officer on you. What would you like to get in return ?”
“One hundred gold coins per day,” replied the man instantly. “What!” exclaimed the surprised king, “Don’t you think that the sought wage is much more than what it should be ?”
The people present in the court too were stunned to hear such unexpected demand. However, Vishnu was adamant on his demand. “My charges are just,” replied the man, “Once you experience the quality of service provided by me, you’ll never regret your decision.”
King Chandrasen liked the confidence and firmness of the Brahmin. He appointed him as his personal security officer. Vishnu indeed proved himself to be an able, honest and loyal security officer. For him, his work was no less than worship and he performed it everyday with much dedication and devotion. The king was happy and had no regrets on his decision. However, he often wondered what Vishnu would be doing with so much money for he had only four members in his family – wife, a son, a daughter and he himself. The king observed that Vishnu and his family members lived a very humble life.
Out of curiosity, one day the king asked his spies to get more information about Vishnu’s life and his movement. For the next few days, the spies followed Vishnu closely and keenly observed his daily activities. And then the spies returned to the king to unravel the secret, “Your Majesty, after his night duty, Vishnu collects his wages early in the morning from the royal treasury. After leaving the palace, he visits a few temples and a charity organization meant for Brahmins and the poor, donating 25 gold coins at each place for their well-being. He then visits an orphanage for children and a leper colony, donating 10 gold coins at each. The remaining paltry 5 gold coins from his wages, he keeps for his family’s maintenance.”
The king was stunned to hear this. He had never imagined that a man who was not ready to compromise even a bit on his daily remuneration was actually providing selfless services and help to the needy and downtrodden. The king felt a sudden elevation in honour and praise for Vishnu. King Chandrasen was proud to have such an able, honest and kind employee. Now the king had no more doubts about Vishnu.
One night, King Chandrasen was sleeping in his chamber while Vishnu was on duty, guarding outside. Suddenly, the king awoke to the sound of a woman’s wailing. Her moaning was so sorrowful and compelling that Chandrasen could not sleep. He asked Vishnu to inquire about the reason behind her cries. Vishnu immediately went in the direction of the sound and, following the wailing, reached the crematory, where he found a beautiful woman sitting alone, crying in grief.
“Strange!” Vishnu exclaimed upon seeing her. “A lonely woman crying in such a strange place and at such odd hours!”
“Who are you?” asked Vishnu. The woman who was still sobbing replied, “I am Goddess Lakshmi. I am here because evil Saturn has removed me from my place. And now, he is willing to cast his evil sight on those who have been enjoying my grace. I am crying for my devotees. King Chandrasen and his kingdom have been basking under my grace. I feel shattered to see their destruction so near.”
Vishnu was stunned to hear her. He asked, “Goddess, is there any way out to save my master and his kingdom from this calamity?”. Goddess replied, “King Chandrasen and his kingdom can be saved on one condition. If someone sacrifices his own son in the Mahakal temple, the Saturn will be pleased and in turn will not harm King Chandrasen and his kingdom.”
The goddess vanished after conveying her message. The loyal security officer, Vishnu, was quite perturbed to hear such an inauspicious message.
“I must do something to save my king,” thought Vishnu and proceeded homeward.
Back in the palace, the king, who had heard the wailing, was quite anxious. He could not wait for Vishnu and followed him to crematorium. There he overheard the conversation between the goddess and his security officer. However, when he saw Vishnu going somewhere other than palace, he followed him quietly.
On reaching home, Vishnu informed his wife about the impending disaster. The couple discussed the matter briefly and decided that they themselves should do some thing to evade the crisis. They called their only son and apprised him of the whole situation. The brave son of Vishnu came forward and said, “Father if my life can save the king and the kingdom, I am willing to sacrifice it. Please go ahead without any hesitation.” The four of them then left their house for Mahakal Temple. The king who was secretly hearing their conversation, also followed them.
On reaching there, Vishnu beheaded his son in front of the idol. However, Vishnu’s daughter who was standing there felt her grief unbearable. She quickly picked up the sword and killed herself. Now, the poor mother, still coming to terms with the loss of her son, could not bear the death of her daughter. She felt her life worthless and killed herself with the same sword. The painful dramatic turn of the event shocked Vishnu. Considering his life meaningless without his wife and children, he too picked up the sword and beheaded himself in one stroke.
The king, who was observing the whole incident from some distance, was horrified to see the whole tragic event. He was unable to believe his own eyes that an entire family sacrificed themselves for the cause, which was not directly related to them. The king plunged into deep grief and considering himself the reason for the tragedy, he picked up the sword and struck his neck, killing himself instantly.
After completing the story, Betal asked Vikramaditya, “O king, tell me whose sacrifice was greatest among the five ?” If you evade the answer knowingly, your head will split into pieces.”
Dear Readers, before you read the answer, I want you to pause for a moment and use your intellectual capacity to see whether you can match your intelligence and wisdom with King Vikramaditya’s.
The King Vikram replied, “Indeed the sacrifice of all the five was laudable, however the king’s sacrifice was supreme.” Vikramaditya elaborated further, “Betal, the loyal security officer sacrificed his son for he knew that their well being depends upon the well being of the king and the kingdom. Gradually the other three family members sacrificed themselves for they found it impossible to live without each other. However, King Chandrasen had no such compulsion. Therefore, the sacrifice done by the king was greatest of all.”
Betal praised the king for his just answer. However, he left the king for the peepal tree since King Vikram broke the agreed condition of staying silent throughout the journey as decided earlier, prompting the king to run after Betal to catch him again.
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