Vikram and Vaitaal Stories-2
- Story 1-3 (Keral
Version)
"Captain
Sir Richard R Burton's Vikram and the
Vampire: classic Hindu tales of
adventure, magic and romance" / edited by his wife Isabel Burton. [etext
Conversion Project, Nalanda Digital Library, NIT Calicut, Kerala State,
India]
1-A Man
Deceives a Woman-3
Vajramukut
Comes Back
Vajramukut
came to the woman's hut where his friend was still waiting for him, at
midnight. They embraced each other very affectionately. His friend could
not conceal his concerns about the prince as what might have happened to
his friend at the hands of such an intelligent princess. But the prince
reported that the princess was very good, it is only that he was jealous
with his love. Even she has given some sweets, that she made herself, also
for him, and he gave those sweets to him to eat.
The
minister's son said - "It is a pleasant surprise for me. How did he
know my name?" Prince replied - "Once I was thinking about you
that she came and asked me why was I sad? Then I told you about you and
your cleverness. Then she told me to come and see you and gave these
sweets for you. She had made them herself."
The
friend said - "You have not done good by taking my name in front of
her, because one should never let a woman know that her secret is known to
a third person; secondly, you should not allow her to think that you
honored your unworthy servant so much. A woman never likes her husband's
friend." Prince said - "What could I do? How could I conceal
from her who is like myself? When I love a woman, I have to tell her
everything."
The
minister's son said - "You will leave this habit, when you are a
little older, when you will understand that love is nothing but a bout, a
game of skill between two individuals, the one seeking gain as much and
the other striving to lose as little as possible, and the sharper will win
in the end. "To remain reserve" is but a habit, practice it for
a year, and you will find it harder to betray than to conceal your
thoughts. It has its own joy also. And now returning to the sugar-plums, I
tell you that they are poisoned."
"Impossible."
the price exclaimed with horror. The friend said - "We can test
them." And he called the dog of the woman, and fed him the sweets and
he died in a few seconds. Vajramukut got very angry at this, he said - "It is
all over." The minister's son said calmly - "Whatever has
happened has happened. In fact I was expecting such thing from such
intelligent princess. None commits such mistakes, such follies, such
blunders as your clever woman. In fact the very clever women cannot commit a crime decently."
This time Vajramukut did not defend talent.
The
minister's son further said - "Now my heart is rest. She has
attempted and failed, and this failure will not let her attempt again.
Just let me ask you one question more, can you be happy without her?"
"No, I cannot." "Better confess, then conceal the facts.
Let us now see her in battlefield and defeat her with her own weapon -
cunningness. I do not like to practice treachery with women, because one,
I don't like it; second, then they start practicing it on me and then I
have to deceive them. Probably she is a good wife, because she tried to
poison me, not you. So tell me, when she has asked you to return to
her?" "As soon as my mind is calm on my friend's matter."
"It means tomorrow. Let me retire now and I will tell you my plans
tomorrow morning." And he went to sleep.
Vajramukut
interrupted - "One thing more, you know that my father has already
fixed my marriage, what he will say, if I take another one?" "In
my humble opinion, the woman is monogamous and the man is a polygamous - a
fact scarcely established as a theory but fairly observed in practical
life. So if he doesn't say anything to you, refer him to what he himself
does."
Vajramukut
Meets the Princess Again
In the
evening, minister's son accompanied his friend and advised him - "Our
purpose is to take the princess. Take this trident, and conceal it
carefully. If she asks about me, tell her that I was not well so I could
not eat her sweets then, but I will eat them tonight. When she sleeps,
take off her all jewelry, strike this trident on her left leg and come
back immediately to me. But if she is awake, then rub this to your thumb
and apply to her nostrils." Vajramukut went to the palace, and his
friend went back to the hut.
The
princess was proud that her treachery was not discovered , so she fell
sleep in her lover's arms. Vajramukut lost no time, he took off her all
jewelry, hit her left leg with trident and ran away from there. Both left
the woman's house and went to a cemetery, where they changed their guise
as an ascetic. Then he gave those ornaments to his pupil (prince) and
asked him to sell them to some jeweler, and let as many jewelers see them,
and if somebody tries to hold him back then bring him to him.
In the
morning, as he went to sell them, he went to the nearest shop and tried to
sell them. But he appeared to be unaware of the price of the jewelry, so
he offered only 1/100th part of the price which prince refused to accept. At
this he threatened him to call king's people. At the same time the chief
jeweler came and recognized them as princess' ornaments. He asked him
where did he get them? The prince said - "From my Guru. Please free
me, I am innocent."
Then
they called his Guru and took them to the royal court. There he took out a
hide, spread it on the floor, took out a rosary of beads as large as eggs
and rolled it between his fingers for an hour, and said - "I went to
cemetery on the 14th of the dark fortnight to accomplish a witch. She came
but I had to chastise her. I hit her left leg with this trident and to
punish her I took off her all jewelry and told her to go wherever she
pleased. That is how I got these jewels." The king asked him not to
leave the palace for a while and he went inside.
He
sent his mother to check with Padmaavatee. She went there and found her
left leg marked with three mark. She told the king that Padmaavatee told her that she met
an accident and a nail hurt her, but she had never seen a nail making such
marks. The king thought, "Since Padmaavatee is a witch, she is no
longer my daughter." He again came outside and asked Guru, "What
punishment is prescribed in Dharm Shaastra for the crime of
witchcraft?"
Guru
said - "If a Braahman, a cow, a woman, a child, or any other person
who is dependent on us, is found guilty, he should be banished from the
country." Hearing this he banished Padmaavatee. In the meantime, Guru
and his pupil changed to their proper guise, came to the hut, rewarded
Lakshmee, and followed Padmaavatee. They had little difficulty to persuade
her to marry Vajramukut at Banaaras. After two days they came back to
Banaaras. His parents got very happy to see them.
Vaitaal
further said - "Now tell me, who amongst these four is to be blamed -
the lover, the lover's friend, the girl or the girl's father?" Dharmdhwaj
cried - "I think Padmaavatee was at the bottom of all this
troubles." Vikram said - "The King Dantavat is at fault."
"Why." "Prince is innocent because he was love-stricken,
therefore is not responsible for his action. Minister's son performed his
duties to his master without considering asking questions. But Dantavat, a
father of eight, should not banish his daughter."
Vataal
said bursting into laughter - "I now return to my tree. I have never
heard a king condemning another king." Vikram followed him and brought
him back and set upon his way.
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