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Vikram Betal
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Inspirational -Moral Stories
Read the stories
of Vikramadithya
King Vikramaditya
In days gone by, Vikramaditya , a
great king ruled over a prosperous kingdom from his capital at Ujjain. Mighty as
the sun - he was a king with immense love for learning as well as for adventure.
King Vikram sat in his court for
hours every day, rewarding the virtuous, punishing the evil doers, and
encouraging scholars, poets, musicians, and artists.
During such sessions, numerous
people came to meet him. They brought for him gifts of jewels, gold or other
precious things.
Among such visitors was a
mendicant who, on every visit, presented the king with a fruit. The king
accepted his humble gift with the same show of courtesy with which he would have
accepted a diamond from a rich merchant.
He used to hand over the fruit to
the royal storekeeper. One morning, the mendicant gave him his usual gift just
when the king was going out to inspect his stables. The king accepted the fruit
all right and went out while playing with it, tossing it up and then catching it
as it came down.
It so happened that after a while
the fruit fell down from his hand. Instantly a monkey who was on a nearby tree
swooped down upon it and tried to crack it with his teeth.
The fruit broke and pop came out a handy ball of ruby. The king's surprise knew
no bounds. He picked up the ruby and sent for an expert.
He examined it and said it was
the finest ruby he had ever seen. "What did you do with all the fruits I have
been giving you?" the anxious king asked of his store-keeper.
"My lord, I threw them all into our store through the window!" replied the
store-keeper. The king ordered him to fetch them, and when they were produced
before him, he was further astonished and delighted to see that each one of the
fruits contained a precious ruby.
When the mendicant came the next
day, the king gave all attention to him and asked him: "Why have you bestowed so
much kindness on me?" "To be frank, I expect you to help me in a very important
work of mine, O king, but of that I'll tell you in confidence," replied the
mendicant.
The king led him into the private
audience chamber. The mendicant then said: " I know how brave you are. Hence I
will ask you to do something which requires courage.
But, for that, you must meet me
under a Banyan tree in the center of the cremation ground beyond the city, at
night, on the 14th day of the dark half of the month."
Vikram hesitated for a while. But
the spirit of adventure got the better of him. He agreed to meet the mendicant
at the appointed hour. It was a dark night with a terrible gale blowing. When
Vikram approached the cremation ground, he was received by the howling foxes and
jackals. As he made his way through the ground, he saw in the flashes from
lightning fearful faces of ghouls and ghosts staring at him or dancing around
him.
But undaunted, Vikram reached the
banyan tree. The mendicant was delighted to see him. "Now, what's the work you
want me to perform?" asked the king.
"At the northern-most corner of this ground stands a very ancient tree. You will
see a corpse hanging from one of its branches. Go and fetch it for me. I am
seeking certain occult powers which I will get only if a king brings this
particular corpse to me and if I practice certain rites sitting on it,"
disclosed the mendicant.
To fetch a corpse that hung on a
distant tree in that stormy night was not at all a pleasing task. But King
Vikram braved the weather and the darkness as well as the menacing yells and
shrieks of ghosts and ghouls and soon reached the old tree. Raising a burning
torch he found the corpse hanging.
He climbed the tree and with a
stroke of his sword cut the rope with which the corpse had been tied to the
branch. The corpse fell to the ground, and gave out an eerie cry.
Vikram, not knowing that the
corpse was possessed by a spirit, thought that the fellow was alive. He came
down and lifted up the body lying sprawled on the ground. At that the corpse
began to laugh.
Surprised, the king asked: "Why
do you laugh?" No sooner had the king opened his mouth than the corpse slipped
away from his hands and hung on to the tree by itself. Six times did King Vikram
bring it down and six times the corpse gave him the slip. At last Vikram
realized that the corpse did the mischief only when he talked.
On the seventh time Vikram put the corpse on his shoulder and began walking
quietly. He had gone only a few steps when the corpse which, in fact, was a
vampire, said: "O King, tiresome is the way. Let me tell you a tale to keep you
amused!"
(Courtesy:
http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/kids/stories/vikrama.htm )
Stories of
Vikram and Betal
The stories of Vikram and
Betal, originally written in sanskrit, have been an integral part of
Indian fairy tales for many centuries. Legend has it that King Vikramaditya (Vikram),
the emperor of Ujjain promises a monk to bring Betal, the vampire as a fovour
promised to him. The condition is that the king should bring the vampire in
complete silence, lest Betal, the vampire will fly back with the corpse to its
abode. As soon as Vikram attempts to fetch the corpse in which the vampire Betal
was residing, the vampire starts to narrate a story. And at the end of every
story it compells king Vikram to solve the puzzle of the story, thus breaking
his silence. The stories thus narrates by Betal, the Vampire forms an
interesting series of fairy tales.
(Courtesy:
http://www.bharatadesam.com/literature/stories_of_vikram_betal/vikram_and_betal.php
)
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