22nd Figure's Story - 22-Anurodhvatee
Vikram Honors a Young Man

As Raajaa Bhoj tried to sit on the throne again, this time the 22nd figure whose name was Anurodhvatee 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, Raajaa Vikram used to honor artists, scientists, learned people etc. He honored ability and there was no place for bribery etc.

Hearing this a young man came to his court. People were listening to music. He waited for the permission to enter the court at the door. He was very qualitative and knew many Shaastra. He had served in many countries. He used to speak truth, that is why many people did not like him and for the same reason he was fired from his job. But in spite of all this his behavior and nature did not change.

While waiting at the door he also heard the music. Hearing the music he muttered - "All are enjoying music but they do not have the knowledge of music. This musician is playing wrong notes on the instrument but nobody is stopping him to do so." The doorkeeper heard his muttering, he got very angry, he asked him to be careful about his speech, because Raajaa Vikramaaditya himself was sitting in the court and he knew many arts. The young man laughed at this and said to him - "He could be the admirer of the art, but the knower of the art, because he is not able to identify the musician's mistake in playing the instrument." He even told him that on which side the musician was sitting.

Now the doorkeeper got very very angry with him and told him that he would be punished if what he was saying was not true. The young man asked him to find out the truth and told him that he was ready for punishment, if he was wrong. The doorkeeper went inside and Raajaa also heard this. Vikram asked to present that young man immediately. The young man came in the court and told even in front of Vikram pointing towards a musician that his one finger was faulty. When all the musicians were examined, one of the musicians' thumb's front part was cut and he had covered it with skin. Raajaa got very impressed of his knowledge of music. He asked his introduction and gave him a place in his court. That man was really had good knowledge so he won the heart of Raajaa.

One day a beautiful dancer came in the court. She was asked to present her dance. All people came to see her dance, that man was also there. Everybody was enjoying her dance. She was performing a very good dance, that a bumblebee sat on her chest. At that time neither she could stop her dance nor she could move the bumblebee. So she cleverly breathed in and breathed out with a great force on the bumblebee. It could not tolerate that sudden thrust and it flew away. Nobody could notice this, but the young man had seen it.

He admired her very loudly and put his own pearl string in her neck from his neck. All courtiers got stunned at his this action, because this was the limit of indiscipline. It was an insult to Raajaa if somebody else rewarded anybody in the presence of Raajaa. Vikram also did not like it, so he asked the man to give a good reason for this reward. The young man told him the bumblebee incident. He told him that the way she flew the bumblebee without disturbing her movements, it was worth rewarding. Since nobody else noticed this, how one could think of giving reward to her? Vikram asked the dancer about this, she also supported it.

Now Vikram's anger was gone, he admired both the young man and the dancer. Now he admired the young man more than before. Whenever he tried to solve any problem his advice was heard seriously.

Once a discussion broke on wisdom and Sanskaar. The courtiers said - "Sanskaar are the outcome of wisdom." but the young man said, "No, They are hereditary." When there was no solution found of this discussion, Vikram thought of a solution. He built a palace far from the city, in a forest. There he appointed dumb and deaf maidservants. He left four newborn babies there, one by one, under the care of those maidservants. Among those four babies, one baby was of his own, another was of his Prime Minister's, the third one was of a Kotvaal (chief police officer) and the fourth one was of a Braahman.

After 12 years they all were presented in the court. Vikram asked - "Is everything all right?" All the four replied differently. The King's son said - "All is well." The Prime Minister's son said - "This world is mortal, then where is wellness?" Kotvaal's son said - "Thieves steal but innocent people are defamed. In such condition it is useless to think about wellness." Braahman's son said - "When this age is decreasing day by day, then where is wellness?"

Hearing the answers of all the four boys, Vikram understood the trueness of the young man's statement. Raajaa's son took everything positively and thus was well in all conditions. The Prime Minister's son's reply was logical. Kotvaal's son's reply was related to justice and Braahman's son's reply was philosophical. Thus all boys' replies were according to their heredity. All were brought up in the same environment but all though differently according to their heredity. All courtiers agreed with the young man's ideas.