7-Varmaalaa
A
man is whatever are his Karm
As
Vikramaaditya walked away from the tree, Vaitaal was silent for some distance, but then he again started speaking - "Listen now, To
listen to your justice I tell you a story. It is just to pass time, listen to
it and do justice." Vaitaal started his story and Vikram started
listening quietly.
Vaitaal
said - "There lived a princess in Avantee Desh. Her name was Shashi.
She was very beautiful. As she grew up, many proposals came for her, but
the king of Avantee was unable to decide to whom to marry his daughter.
After a while the princes themselves started coming to the king and ask his
daughter's hand.
One
day it so happened that the king was sitting in his court, that his
gatekeeper informed him that the prince of Chol Desh wanted to see him.
The king called him with respect and asked the reason of his coming. He
expressed his desire to marry the princess. Chol Desh was a very mighty
kingdom in
those times, so the king had to think about it. He said to him -
"Please you stay in our special guest house, we will consult the
princess and then only we can reply you. By the way what is your
specialty?" The prince said - "I am a good archer. I can shoot
"Shabd-Vedhee" (shooting an arrow just only listening by sound) arrow and I don't miss my target." And the
prince was sent to the guest house.
After
this another prince, prince of Vaishaalee, came with the proposal. King
asked him also, "What is your specialty?" He said - "Nobody can
can make a cloth like me. I alone know how to make the best silken
cloth." And he presented a very good silken cloth to the king. All
courtiers got stunned to see the quality and softness of that cloth. That cloth was sent to the princess and the
prince was sent to the guest house.
After
this another prince came with the marriage proposal, he was from Bang Desh.
His specialty was that he was very learned. He remembered all Ved, Geetaa,
Puraan etc books. Anybody could ask him anything from anywhere. The king sent him too
to guest house respectfully. Now came the prince of Chedi Desh. On asking
his specialty, he told that he knew all the body parts and the princess
will never be sick if she was married to him. He was also sent to the guest
house. Thus four princes gathered in king's palace as suitors for
the princess.
Now
the
king said to his daughter - "Dear daughter, Four princes have come
with the desire to marry you. Take this Varmaalaa and put it in the neck
of the prince you like most. The princess came to the guest house with the
Varmaalaa. Now tell to whom the princess should choose as her husband. If you
did not reply in spite of knowing, your skull will split into pieces."
Vaitaal got silent after telling this.
Vikram
was also silent. He was walking fast and he had held Vaitaal tightly. He
knew that he had to reply, he could not be silent, so he said - "Listen O Vaitaal, A man is a
Braahman, or Kshatriya, or Vaishya, or Shoodra by his Karm (actions) only not by
his birth. So the princess should marry the prince of Chol Desh because only
he is a true Kshatriya; others are Vaishya, Braahman and Shoodra
respectively. Only a Kshatriya can be the appropriate husband for a
princess."
As Vikram
broke his silence, Vaitaal said laughing - "You
are right Vikram, only a Kshatriya can be the appropriate husband for the
princess." and saying this he again ran away
from the king's
shoulder. Although the king was attentive still he took some time to
capture him. He again started walking towards the cremation ground.
After
a while Vaitaal said - "You are right, a man is Braahman, or
Kshatriya, or Vaishya, or Shoodra by his Karm only not by his birth, then who will be the
carrier of a dead body?" "Shoodra." And Vaitaal broke into
laughter.
After
a while, Vikram saw a fire burning at one side and a woman was crying.
Hearing this, Vikram stopped. Vaitaal said - "Don't stop, keep
moving. This is a lonely forest. Ghosts and vampires play games here.
Don't even look at that, just keep moving on." Vikram obeyed him and kept
moving.
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