4-Severed Nose
A
meanest person can also have humanity
This
time Vikram got very angry with him. He again came after him, caught him, put him on his shoulder and started
walking. Vikram said angrily - "You deceive me, Vaitaal? I will cut your
head. Why do you run all the time?" Vaitaal first didn't say
anything, but
after a while he said - "Why are you so angry?" Vikram said -
"Why do you run away?" I run because of your correct answer. What
was our condition? Do you remember? That you will not speak at all." Vikram said -
"But when you talk about justice, then I have to speak. You know that it
is my nature." Vaitaal said - "Then running away is my
nature." and he laughed heartily. "OK Listen now, I tell you a story just to pass
time." Vaitaal started his story and Vikram listened quietly.
Vaitaal
said - "This time the story is very strange,
and you have to tell me the correct judgment, otherwise your head will
split and scattered away in pieces, you know that. This is my Shaap to you " Vikram
nodded silently.
Vaitaal
started - "Once upon a time, there lived a rich man in Avanteepur.
His name was Gunvant. He was very religious. His wife was very beautiful
but was very wicked. She gave birth to a daughter who was from some other
man, and that is why she was more beautiful. After some time she grew up and
became like her mother. Her name was Ratnaavatee. Her father started
looking a boy for her, but in the meantime, she had illegal relations with
her servant. Hearing this Gunvant sacked his servant. He went away and
started living at another place.
But
Ratnaavatee still continued to see him. She used to go in night and come back
in night. Only her mother knew about this affair. In the meantime Gunvant
had searched a good match for her and married her to him. Thus she went to live
with her husband, but she could not break her relationship with her
servant. She took her maid in confidence and continued to visit him in the
night. The maid helped her brother also to meet Ratnaavatee.
After
a while her husband came to know about this, he sacked the maid. Now it
had been
difficult for Ratnaavatee to meet her lover, but one night she got this
chance. She went there and told him the story. He advised her that
she should wait for sometime, and when the situation is better, she might
come again. Her husband knew everything, so he managed to give that
servant poison.
He took the poison mixed with food and slept. In sleep, he died. On the same
night, Ratnaavatee went to meet him.
On the
way a thief saw an ornament-laden woman going in dark, so he followed her.
When she had entered in the servant's house, he watched her from hiding.
Now, under whichever tree the thief was standing, a Vaitaal lived on that
tree. He also saw Ratnaavatee going inside the house and fell in love with her instantly. He
thought why shouldn't he enter the servant's body and enjoy with
Ratnaavatee. So he entered the dead body of the servant. Ratnaavatee had
come to him. She met with her lover. In excitement he bit her nose with his teeth. After biting
her, Vaitaal went out of the servant's body, but the piece of her nose
still remained in his dead body's mouth.
Ratnaavatee
cried with pain. Besides she saw her lover dead. Seeing her lover dead, Ratnaavatee got
confused and ran
away from there. The thief was also watching, he also got frightened. He
didn't leave Ratnaavatee, he still followed her. Ratnaavatee came back to
her own house and started crying in front of her husband's room. Her
husband got up, his other family members also got up. She said that her
husband had bit her nose. Ratnaavatee's husband was giving explanations
but nobody was listening to him
The
matter went to king's soldiers. Ratnaavatee and her husband were presented
in king's court. There she blamed her husband for her bitten nose. The
king got angry and ordered to hang her husband. When the thief heard this,
he went to the king and told him everything and said - "If you will
see the dead body's mouth, you will find the piece of her bitten nose in
his mouth." The king sent his people there, and indeed they found the
piece in his mouth. The king released Ratnaavatee's husband, and expelled
Ratnaavatee after shaving her head.
Vaitaal
said - "Now you do justice, who was at fault, and who stayed on his
good path?" Vikram didn't reply. Seeing him silent, Vaitaal said to
him - "OK, I tell you another story. In Indraapur named city lived a
very rich religious man named Mahaadhan. He had a son whose name was
Shreedhan. He was very wicked. Fed up with his wickedness, Mahaadhan had expelled him
from his house so he went to Chandra Nagar.
There
lived a rich man named Hemgun whose daughter Chandramukhee was very
beautiful. Hemgun was in the process of searching a good boy for her, and
Shreedhan was in search of money.
One
day he disguised as a poor and went to Hemgun and told that he was robbed by
robbers while he was going for trading. Now he doesn't have a single
penny. The rich man pitied him and let him stay in his palace. Hemgun told
everything to his wife. His wife thought why not they should marry their
daughter to him. She told this to her husband, the man liked the proposal
and he talked to Shreedhan.
Shreedhan
got very surprised to hear this, because he came here only for some money
while that man wanted to marry his daughter to him. He immediately got
ready to marry her. So they were married
and he started enjoying life with his wife. Hemgun had given him lots of dowry.
After some time, Candramukhee asked him - "Will you not go
home?" Shreedhan said - "Yes, I will go. In fact I just forgot
everything in your love."
Shreedhan
started for his home. At the time of going from there, he got more wealth.
He was not a good man, so as he was passing through a lonely forest, he
threw Chandramukhee in a well, and went away with all the wealth. Now
Shreedhan came to another kingdom. There he started gambling with that
money.
Chandramukee
got stunned to see the behavior of Shreedhan. Luckily the well was dry. As
she fell down her head got hurt and she became unconscious. When she
gained consciousness, she started crying. A traveler was passing by, he
heard a woman's cry, but couldn't see anybody around. Then he
peeped in the well and took her out of the well.
Chandramukhee
introduced herself to him and told him that she was going with her husband that
some thieved surrounded them. They took her husband away and threw her in
this well. The traveler was very kind, he took her to her father's house.
She told the same story to her family also what she told to that traveler.
Chandramukhee just started passing her time there, and Shreedhan was enjoying
his money.
One
day came when he had nothing nothing in his pocket, so he started begging. He came to Hemgun's
city. Although he did not want to go to Hemgun but still he tried to find out
about him and his family. He was surprised to know that Chandramukhee was
still alive. He got scared. Later he came to know that thieves took away
Chandramukhee's husband, threw her in a well and some kind traveler
brought her here. He got very surprised at his wife's behavior.
Vikram,
Now you see Shreedhan's drama. He was already poor, he entered Hemgun's house. In
spite of his bad condition, Hemgun recognized him. He was very surprised
to see him. Shreedhan told him that somehow he was coming escaping from
thieves after four days of crossing the forest.
Hemgun
let him stay with respect for some time, and then later bade farewell. e
again gave lots of money to him. This time also he behaved in the same way. This time he didn't
throw Chandramukhee in well, but he killed her and went away with all the
wealth."
Now
you tell, that in these two stories, who is more respectable? The just
king of the first story or Hemgun of the second story? One did justice and
the other one trusted his son-in-law every time."
Vikram
said - "These are not important in any way. In the first story, I
consider the thief honest and great, because if he didn't tell about the incident,
then that innocent man would have been hanged; while in the second story,
Chandramukhee is like Seetaa or Saavitree. She accepted to die by her
husband but didn't say a word against him. That is why these both are
respectable."
As the
king spoke, Vaitaal laughed heartily and suddenly he disappeared from the king's
shoulder and hung upside down from the same tree. The king Vikramaaditya
again got very angry at this. He took out his sword and caught him before he
could reach the tree. Vikram said - "You again ran
away?" "No, I didn't. I am still walking with you." and he
again sat on his shoulder. Vikram started his journey again.
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