Vikram once again found himself staring at Betal, who was hanging upside down on a branch of the peepal tree. He repeated the same act of pulling the corpse onto his shoulders and began walking towards the cremation ground of his capital.
On the way, Betal once again offered to narrate an interesting story, the answer to which would need to be addressed by King Vikramaditya at the end.
So, without waiting for the king’s nod, Betal began narrating the following story:
In Ancient India, the Pallava Dynasty was reigned by a benevolent ruler named Mahendravarman I, who made the beautiful city of Kanchipuram the capital of his kingdom. In Kanchipuram, there once lived two good-looking twin brothers named Kamal and Mahesh. Since their parents had died when they were very young, their childless next-door neighbor acted as their guardian and brought them up as their own sons. While Kamal cultivated crops as a farmer on the agricultural land of their ancestral farm field, Mahesh sold those agricultural produce from their farm as a vegetable seller in the market, making them self-sufficient and independent. Soon, their guardian died of natural causes, leaving them to survive on their own. Years passed, and they grew into handsome men, devoted to each other.
One day, the two brothers were strolling in a garden and happened to see a beautiful young maiden who was also taking a morning walk. They followed her and located her house from a distance. Mustering some courage, they managed to knock on the door of the girl’s house. An old woman opened the door, and the brothers inquired about the young lady who had just entered the house. The old lady said, “If you want to meet my niece, you should come and meet her the next morning at the same time and place in the garden.” The brothers agreed and left after thanking her.
On their return journey, Kamal said, “Mahesh, I am in love with that lady. She is the perfect match for me as my wife. I am getting impatient to see her again tomorrow.” Mahesh heard him but said nothing, as he too was in love with the same lady. For the sake of his brother’s happiness, he was willing to sacrifice his own feelings and allow Kamal to pursue the woman he loved the most.
The next morning, an excited Kamal woke his brother Mahesh to accompany him to meet the lady they had seen the day before. However, Mahesh was reluctant and politely declined Kamal’s request. Therefore, Kamal bid him goodbye and went alone to meet the lady he loved most.
At the agreed time and place, Kamal met the girl in the garden and said, “My name is Kamal, and the moment I saw you yesterday, I lost my heart to you.”
Kamal then asked, “Will you grow old with me as my wife?”
The girl replied, “Certainly, why not? But there are a few things you should know about me. My name is Apsara Rani, and I live with my grandmother, who is totally dependent on me. It’s my responsibility to care for her in her old age since my parents died a couple of years ago, and I have no siblings to look after her.”
“Is that all?” Kamal asked.
“Just one more thing you should know about me. Please see my other side, and then decide whether you’re still interested in me or not.” She then wiped off some of her makeup, revealing a face that looked nothing like her beautiful self.
When Kamal saw her without any makeup, he lost interest because she no longer looked as gorgeous as before. Disappointed, Kamal left the place without saying anything to the girl. When he reached home, he narrated the entire incident to his brother Mahesh. Immediately, Mahesh decided to go to the garden to meet Apsara Rani.
In the garden, Mahesh expressed his feelings to her and asked her to marry him. Apsara Rani rubbed off some of her makeup, revealing her less-pretty self. However, Mahesh refused to be disheartened and acknowledged her true self. “My love for you is not based on beauty. I am more in love with your inner qualities and honesty. My feelings for you remain the same as before,” said Mahesh.
With their mutual consent, Mahesh married Apsara Rani. Surprisingly, even after their marriage, Apsara Rani continued to look beautifully gorgeous without any makeup. Curious, Mahesh asked her about the apparent increase in her beauty without makeup during an evening walk.
Apsara Rani explained, “Actually, this is my real self. What I showed to you and your brother was just a trick to determine the true reason for marrying me. I am glad to have a husband who loves me for who I am, not just for my beauty.”
As days passed, Kamal learned about this. He felt cheated, but he couldn’t do anything because Apsara Rani was his brother’s wife. In the following days, he couldn’t resist being captivated by Apsara Rani’s beauty, and his uncontrolled, sinful lust urged him to pursue her at any cost, even if it meant eliminating his brother Mahesh. His wrongful desire completely blinded him to reality and morality.
For a few days, Kamal pretended that everything was fine and that he was genuinely happy for Mahesh and his wife, Apsara Rani, while secretly scheming to eliminate Mahesh and take his wife. Therefore, one afternoon, Kamal asked Mahesh to meet him at an abandoned and dilapidated cave, far from the city of Kanchipuram. Mahesh found this request strange. He was keenly observant and adept at judging people’s intentions. He speculated that it might be about their ancestral farmland and that Kamal wanted to divide it between them. So, while on his way to the cave, Mahesh considered various solutions that would be acceptable to both of them.
Upon reaching the cave, Mahesh found Kamal already waiting for him. Mahesh felt uneasy, sensing that something was wrong with the whole situation, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. As their conversation began, starting with their childhood and adolescent bond, Mahesh noticed a growing restlessness on Kamal’s face. And as the conversation turned to their first encounter with Apsara Rani and Mahesh’s subsequent marriage to her, Kamal’s restlessness erupted into rage. It was at that moment that Mahesh understood the true cause of Kamal’s unease. Mahesh’s intuition prompted him to remain alert, realizing his life might be in danger. Just then, Kamal, in his full rage, drew a sword from its hiding place and lunged at Mahesh. But before Kamal could harm him, Mahesh beheaded him.
Soon, Mahesh was arrested on the charges of murdering his brother Kamal and was produced before the court of Pallava King Mahendravarman I.
Betal ended his story and asked, “O wise King Vikramaditya, tell me what verdict the King Mahendravarman I would give in this matter?”
Dear Readers, do you think King Mahendravarman I should held Mahesh guilty of murdering his own brother? Make your guess.
Vikram replied, “Betal, Pallava King Mahendravarman I is a very wise king. Therefore, he won’t hold Mahesh guilty of murdering his brother. Kamal was attracted to Apsara Rani for her beauty, whereas Mahesh was not interested in her physical appearance but was attracted to her good character and inner qualities. Kamal decided to kill Mahesh solely to satisfy his sinful lust, whereas Mahesh reluctantly killed Kamal in self-defense. So, Mahesh was fully justified in killing his treacherous brother Kamal to save his own life.”
Betal was pleased with Vikram’s answer. However, he was not inclined to accompany Vikram to the cremation ground.
As soon as he heard the answer, Betal flew into the sky, and King Vikramaditya chased after him to bring him back.
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