12th Figure's Story - 12-Padmaavatee
Vikram Saves a Woman

As Raajaa Bhoj tried to sit on the throne again, this time the 12th figure whose name was Padmaavatee burst into laughter and asked him - "Do you still think you are the right person to sit upon this throne?" Raajaa Bhoj again said with courage - "Yes." She said - "First listen to this story and then decide if you can sit on this throne. Listen, One night Raajaa Vikram was sitting on the roof of his palace. Moonlight was spread all over and the weather was very nice. Suddenly he heard a loud cry of a woman. The woman was continuously crying. It seemed to him that she was crying for help. He tried to guess the direction from where the cry was coming, took out his horse from stable, and set off to save that woman.

As he reached there, he saw a woman running away followed by a terrible huge Daanav. Immediately Vikram got off his horse and the woman fell on his feet praying to save her life. Vikram lifted her up and consoled her saying that now he had come and she need not to worry now. Hearing this the Raakshas laughed loudly and said - "A human being like you cannot harm me at all. I can tear up you in pieces in a moment." and he ran towards Vikram.

Vikram was careful, so as he proceeded towards him he hit him with his sword but the Raakshas saved himself. Thus they fought for some time. Once Vikram cut his head. He thought that the Raakshas was killed but suddenly his head joined his body and he got alive again. Besides, there was one problem more - one more Raakshas appeared at the place where his blood fell. Vikram did not get scared, he started fighting with both the Raakshas. Finding an opportunity to kill Vikram, the Raakshas born from the blood punched him but Vikram cut his arms and legs. The Raakshas could not tolerate this pain and ran away from there. Since he was running away from the battlefield Vikram did not kill him.

He came back to the woman. She was trembling with fear. He consoled her saying that she should not worry about anything as the Raakshas had run away. He asked her to come to his palace with him, but she said - "Raakshas has not yet died, he will come again and bring her here after searching her everywhere." Vikram asked her introduction, she told him that she is a daughter of a Braahman and lives in Sinhal Dweep (Sri Lankaa) One day she was taking bath in a pond with her friends that this Raakshas saw her and got attracted to her. He brought her here and asked her to be his wife. She would prefer to die than becoming his wife. And she started weeping again.

Vikram consoled her that he would surely kill him and her problem would be solved for ever. Then he asked the secret of his becoming live again. The woman told him that a Mohinee lived in his stomach, she pours Amrit in his mouth as he dies. She can bring him to life again, but she cannot give life to the other one who is born from his blood, that is why the other Raakshas is dying. Hearing this Vikram vowed that he would not return to his palace without killing that Raakshas. He then asked the woman about Mohinee but she did not know anything about it. He lay down under the shade of a tree.

The then a lion came out from a bush and ran away hitting him on his arm. He was not ready for this, but now he got ready for anything. The lion again attacked him, this time he caught him by both of his hind legs and threw him in the air. The lion fell at a distance and roared loudly. Next moment it changed into Raakshas and both started fighting again. When Raakshas was panting fighting, Vikram pierced his stomach with his sword. His stomach got open and Mohinee came out of his stomach. She ran to bring Amrit. Vikram remembered his two Vaitaal and ordered them to seize Mohinee and bring her to him. They did that.

Raakshas could not get Amrit, so he died. Then Mohinee told Vikram about herself that she was a Ganikaa (maidservant) of Shiv and because of some mistake she had to serve this Raakshas. Vikram came back to his palace. He sent back the woman to her family and married Mohinee ceremonially.