Vikramaditya reached the tree, pulled the corpse onto his shoulder, and proceeded towards the crematorium. Not very long after he had gone, Betal in the corpse spoke out, “Vikram, I know you are tired and annoyed by my repeated escapes. But this is the way I am. If you want to succeed in your endeavor, you’ll have to listen to my story and satisfy my queries too. I am going to tell you a story, so listen carefully.” Betal then began recounting the tale:
In the city of Benaras, there lived a poor Brahmin. The Brahmin had a young, beautiful daughter named Satyavati. He was so poor that he could hardly make ends meet. The girl had reached marriageable age; however, the Brahmin was unable to find a suitable young man for her marriage due to his poverty.
One night, Satyavati was sleeping in her chamber when she suddenly heard a thud and awoke. She was frightened to find a young man standing in the corner of her chamber.
“Who are you?” she asked feebly.
“I’m a thief. The king’s guards are after me. I saw your window open, so to save myself, I entered your chamber. Believe me, I’m not going to harm you. Help me by protecting me from the chasing guards,” pleaded the man.
Though the man was a thief, she felt inclined to trust his words and hid him under her cot. A little later, the king’s men came looking for the thief. They inquired with Satyavati as well, but she feigned ignorance, thus helping the thief. The king’s guards returned empty-handed.
When the guards were gone, the thief came out of hiding, thanked the girl for her kind gesture, and went away. Satyavati was quite impressed with the truthfulness of his words and his noble behavior. A few days later, Satyavati found him standing near her house, and they both smiled upon seeing each other. Both the thief and Satyavati felt they had developed a soft spot for each other. After a few more meetings, they realized they were in love and decided to marry. Since the young man was a thief, the girl did not inform her father and quietly married him. Hardly had they enjoyed their married life when, one day, the young man was caught by the king’s men while robbing a house. As this thief had been at large for quite some time and caused much trouble, the angry king sentenced him to death. When Satyavati heard the news, she was shattered and worried because she was bearing a child in her womb from her hidden marriage.
Meanwhile, the Brahmin, who was in search of a suitable youth for his daughter, found one. Satyavati was married to the young man, and the secret of her previous marriage remained known only to her. The child she had conceived with her thief husband was born after some time; it was a baby boy. The second husband, unaware of the truth, considered the boy his own child and bestowed upon him love and care.
However, when the boy was still young, his mother, Satyavati, died. The child’s father did not let him feel the void of his mother’s absence and raised him with loving care and attention. After a few years, the boy grew into a fine, handsome young man. When he was old enough to care for himself, destiny took his father from him too. The young man was sad and alone, but he faced his sorrow and loneliness bravely, managing his father’s business well.
Time passed, and the young man became well settled in his life and business. One day, he decided to perform oblations in the name of his parents’ souls. He went to the bank of the Ganga River to carry out the essential rituals and entered the water to offer oblations. Suddenly, three hands emerged from the river to accept the offerings. Quite amazed, the young man asked the first hand, “Who are you?”
“I am your mother, my son,” came a voice from the hand wearing bangles.
The young man offered the oblation to the hand meant for his mother.
The young man then asked to the second hand, “Kindly inform me, who are you?”
“I’m your father,” said the second hand.
The young man then asked the third hand, “And who are you?”
“I’m your father,” the third hand replied.
The young man was quite puzzled by this.
“How can I have two fathers? Can you justify your claim,” he asked.
The third hand replied, “My child, you may not recognize my voice now, but how can I fail to consider you my son, whom I brought up with so much love and care?”
Upon hearing this, the young man turned to the second hand and asked for an explanation against the third hand’s claim. The second hand said that it was he who brought the young man into this world. Hearing both of them, the young man remained stunned, pondering the matter for a few moments.
Here, Betal stopped and asked the king, “Tell me, Vikram, to whom did the young man offer the oblation, and why?”
Dear readers, whom do you think the young man should offer his oblation to? Is it the second hand or the third hand? Make up your mind before reading Vikram’s answer.
King Vikramaditya answered, “If the youth was wise and honest, he would have offered the oblation to the third hand. The claim of his second father was greater than that of his first father. It was the second father who gave him a name and cared for him until he grew up to take care of himself, whereas the first father was merely responsible for his birth.”
Betal smiled and said, “And so, the young man offered the oblation to the third hand, considering him his father.”
“But you broke your silence, Vikram,” said Betal mischievously,” and so I am going.”
Betal flew in the sky, leaving Vikramaditya chasing after him .
- 14 Best Panchatantra stories in hindi
- 15 Best Children Stories in English from Panchatantra 2.0
- 16 Best Aesop's Fables in Hindi with moral lessons
- 17 Best Aesop's Fables with moral lessons for children
- Arabian Nights
- Baital Pachisi बैताल पचीसी in Hindi
- Bedtime Stories for All
- Vikram and Betal series: Riddle Solving Stories
You can join my WhatsApp Channel by clicking the link here
