TALES OF KING VIKRAM AND BETAAL THE VAMPIRE

Story -1 "The Exchanged heads"

Once upon a time, there lived a washerman named Dhavala. He once spotted a very beautiful lady at the pond, who happened to be the daughter of another washerman. He instantly fell in love with her and pleaded with his parents to ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

His parents did accordingly and the girl, Madanasundari, got married to him with her parents’ consent. She then went with Dhavala to live with him. Once the brother of Madanasundari, came to Dhavala to invite his sister and brother-in-law to their place for festival season. Dhavala agreed and the three of them were returning to Madanasundari's home.

On the way, they happened to pass by the temple of Durga Devi, the all-powerful goddess of power. Her brother wanted to pay a visit to the goddess and went to the temple. But as soon as he came near the goddess, he wanted to make a massive sacrifice to the goddess. So saying he cut his head off for the goddess.

Madanasundari was worried and she then sent her husband to see what the matter was. On seeing the state of his brother-in-law, the husband was also moved deeply and he decided to offer his own head too to the goddess and cut his own head with his scimitar.

Madanasundari, after a long wait, came and saw both her brother and husband lying on the ground and then decided to take her own life but asked the goddess to get the same brother and husband in the next life.

The goddess was pleased and stopped her from dying and asked her to join their heads and bodies and then she granted them life. In a hurry, Madanasundari exchanged the heads of her brother and husband and was perplexed.

Betaal stops and asks King Vikram asks this question: Who among the two is the husband of Madanasundari?

Vikram replies with a lot of thought, "The body that carries her husband's head is her husband. The head is the most important part of the human body, and the rest of the body is identified by the head."

As soon as Vikram had finished his answer, Betaal disappeared back to the tree.

Story - 2 "The Three suitors"

Once upon a time there was born a beautiful daughter, Mandaravati, to a very famous priest. When the daughter grew of age, the father was worried about her marriage.

Once, three eligible bachelors came to the father and each asked him for the hand of the daughter. Each of them threatened to kill himself lest the daughter is married off to any other of the three. The father decided not to marry her off to anyone.

One day, she caught a very high-pitched fever and died suddenly. All three of them, grief-struck, cremated the body of Mandaravati. One of them decided to stay there and slept on the ashes of Mandaravati. The other took her bones and went to the Ganges. The third became an ascetic and wandered off.

On one of his wanderings, the third one reached a brahmin's house. The brahmin, by the power of a spell, was able to bring the dead alive from the ashes. This was in a book which the brahmin guarded safely. But the third suitor, in the stealth of night, stole this book and went back to the cremation ground of Mandaravati.

The second one had returned from the Ganges with the holy water, and the first one was still there sleeping on the ashes. Then he with the help of the other two, recited the spell from the book and lo Behold!! Mandaravati was reborn! Then the three of them started fighting about whose wife she should be. Each of them claimed the revival was due to his effort.

Betaal stops and asks King Vikram asks this question: Who among the three suitors should be the husband of Mandaravati?

Vikram replies with a lot of thought, "The person who gave her the life by reciting the spell is her creator, it could be her father. The person who took her bones to Ganges shall be her son. But the person who committed himself to the ground and slept on her ashes out of love can be her husband."

As soon as Vikram had finished his answer, Betaal disappeared back to the tree.