5-Three Princes
Whoever
is mighty, only he is the master
Vaitaal
again started speaking - "Listen now, I tell you a story just to pass time, listen to
it." Vaitaal started his story and Vikram listened.
Vaitaal
said - "The princess of Magadh Desh, Chandralekaa was very beautiful.
As she grew up, many princes proposed to marry her, but she refused to
marry anyone. Then one day her mother asked - "Do you want to marry
or no?" "Yes, I will marry, but only when I will get an appropriate
boy." Mother again asked her - "So there is no boy appropriate
for you among them?" "No." "Then who will be the appropriate boy for you?" "Who is mighty and can protect his
wife." Mother said - "OK, Then only you decide to whom you want to
marry." The princess agreed.
After
some time a prince's proposal came, the princess asked - "What is
your quality?" The prince said - "I can see past, present and
future." The princess didn't reply him anything. After that another
proposal came. The princess asked him the same question, he said - "I
have a chariot which can run anywhere - on water, in air, on road, and I
have built it myself." After that another proposal came and the
princess asked him the same question. He said - "I have a sword whose
hit never misses, and nobody can save himself from it."
Some
other proposals also came, but the princess was unable to decide. Her
mother was very worried with this. She told her that she would tell her
her decision next day.
By
chance those three princes, who told her their qualities, came next day. The first prince's name was
Veerendra, the second one's name was Udayaveer and the third one's name was Dhananjaya.
The princess asked them to wait. In the meantime the princess got
disappeared. Everybody got worried about the princess.
As all
the princes were present there, Veerendra was asked to tell where she was. He
did some calculations and told that a
Raakshas had fallen in love with her beauty, has taken her and kept her
in his palace in Araavatee hills. He told the way to reach up to the
palace and drew the map also of that palace.
At
this Udayaveer said - "I can take you right into his palace by my
chariot." Dhananjaya said - "Nobody can save him from my
sword." Now Veerendra and Dhananjaya sat on Udayaveer's chariot and
it soon came to the place of the Raakshas. Veerendra said - "The
princess is in her room and crying, and the Raakshas will be killed by
Dhananjaya."
All
the three attacked on the Raakshas. Dhananjaya killed him with only one
hit of his sword. As he was killed, his Maayaa palace also vanished, and
the three brought the princess back. Now all started claiming the
princess. Veerendra claimed that if he had not drawn the map, both could
not find the princess. Udayaveer claimed that if he did not have that
chariot, those two could not have reached there in this life. And Dhananjaya
claimed that if he had not killed the Raakshas, the address and the
chariot couldn't do anything, that is why the princess was his.
All
were right in their own ways. But when the princess was asked, she told
that she was obliged to all of them. They should decide among themselves.
Now tell, whose right is on the princess?"
Vikram
thought for some time and said - "The princess is of Dhananjaya's.
Because whoever is mighty, only he has the right. The Raakshas was
killed by Dhananjaya. Only he is the true husband who protects his wife."
"You
are right." Saying this Vaitaal again laughed heartily and ran away
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, followed him, took him from the tree,
put him on his shoulder and started walking.
Vaitaal
again started speaking - "O King, You are very courageous. And you
are indeed a just king." He was speaking and Vikram was listening.
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