The Vetala told King Vikrama"

 

In Varanasi (वाराणसी), there lived a king called Pratapmukuta (प्रतापमुकुट) and his queen Madhavi (माधवी). They had a son named Vajramukuta (वज्रमुकुट). King Pratapmukuta's minister had a son called Buddhisharira (बुद्धिशरीर). The prince and the minister's son were close friends.

 

One day, the prince along with the minister's son, went hunting in the forest. As they advanced into the deepest part of the jungle, they came across a beautiful lake. At the same time, a woman with many attendants stopped at the opposite shore of the lake to bathe. Vajramukuta saw her and gasped. She was ravishingly beautiful. The woman saw Vajramukuta as well. They locked eyes. Vajramukuta was overcome with passion. She said nothing, but she took a lotus flower and placed it behind her ear. She twisted that flower for some time until it resembled the ornament dantapatram (दन्तपत्रम्), or tooth-leaf. Then she put another lotus on her head, and placed her hand on her heart. After doing this, the woman left with her servants. Vajramukuta could not understand any of the gestures she made, but the intelligent Buddhisharira was able to decipher them immediately.

 

Even after returning to his kingdom, Vajramukuta could not forget the woman. He was constantly doused in her memory. He neither ate nor slept well. He grew thinner and thinner. One day, Buddhisharira comforted his friend, telling him that it would be easy to find the woman he was so in love with. 

 

Vajramukuta cried in confusion, "why do you give me false hope when we know neither her name, nor her village, nor any information about her?"

 

Buddhisharira answered, "what are you talking about, friend? Didn"t you understand her actions back at the lake? When she first placed a lotus behind her ear, she meant to say, "I live in King Karnotpala's (कर्णोत्पल) city." As you know, karna means ear. Then by making the lotus into the tooth-leaf ornament, she conveyed, "I am the daughter of an ivory-carver." By placing another lotus on her head, she told you her name was Padmavati (पद्मावती). And lastly, she confessed you stole her heart when she put her hand on her heart. Now, from the daily talk of the people, I know that in the country of Kalinga (कलिङ्ग), there is a king named Karnotpala. I also know that his favorite coutier is a skilled ivory-carver named Sangramavardhana (सङ्ग्रामवर्धन), who has a daughter named Padmavati."

 

Vajramukuta rejoiced. He now had a chance to reunite with his love. He was also extremely impressed with his friend's intelligence. At once, they left for the country of Kalinga. They quickly found the house of the ivory-carver. Nearby, they entered the house of an old woman to stay there for the night. The woman told them that she knew Sangramavardhana well, as she had nursed Padmavati as a child and continues to take care of her now. Vajramukuta and Buddhisharira requested her to secretly meet Padmavati, and convey to her the message that the prince she met at the lake had come to see her. 

 

The woman went and did as she was instructed, but she came back in despair and said,"I told Padmavati about your arrival, but she scolded me. She covered her hands in camphor, and then struck me on both cheeks with her two hands!" 

 

Vajramukuta was devastated, but his sharp friend quickly explained to him, "don"t be upset, friend, for you do not understand her true intentions. By hitting the old woman with ten fingers white with camphor, Padmavati meant to say, "wait ten more days before seeing me because then the white fortnight would end. Meeting then would be more favorable."" 

 

After the ten days passed, the old woman was sent to meet Padmavati again. Like before, she returned to her house in sadness, and explained, "I was hit again. This time, she hit my chest with three fingers dipped in red dye."

 

Buddhisharira immediately understood the meaning of Padmavati's actions, and translated it to the depressed Vajramukuta. "This time, with the three red finger marks on the old woman's heart, she is asking you to wait three more days before visiting her." 

 

Three days passed. The old woman went to check with Padmavati again. Padmavati honored her this time by serving her food, wine, and other entertainments. The woman was about to return to her house in the evening, but suddenly, they heard the people on the streets screaming, "a mad elephant has escaped and is now trampling over men!"

 

Hearing this, Padmavati ordered the old woman, "with this wild elephant, you will not be able to take the public road, so I will tell you of another way to return to your house. We will put you on a seat that is attached to a rope, and then through this broad window, we will let you down into the garden. Afterwards, you will have to climb a tree to cross the wall, and get yourself back down by climbing another tree near your house." 

 

The old woman reached her house in the exact way she was told to go. She explained how she made it back to Vajramukuta and Buddhisharira. Buddhisharira excitedly said to the prince, "we now know the way to enter her house in secret. Tonight, you can finally meet the woman you love!" 

 

That night, both Vajramukuta and Buddhisharira made it over the wall and into the garden of Padmavati's house in the same way the old woman directed them. At a broad window above, some maids were standing. A rope with the seat attached hung down into the garden. When Vajramukuta settled himself on the seat, the maids pulled him up. Once Buddhisharira saw that his friend made it safely into the house, he left back to the old woman's place. 

 

Padmavati welcomed Vajramukuta. She was clad in silk robes and wore gold jewelry. She looked resplendent. They married each other that night itself by the gandharva (गान्धर्व) form of marriage. With all his desires fulfilled, Vajramukuta remained there for several days. 

 

One night, Vajramukuta remembered his friend and said to Padmavati, "my friend accompanied me here. He is staying alone in the house of the old woman who takes care of you. I should go visit him once, and then I will come back to you." 

The clever Padmavati asked, "tell me, my husband. Were you the one to understand my gestures or was it your friend?"

 

Vajramukuta answered, "it was the intelligent Buddhisharira who deciphered all your signs. If not for him, I would have never found you. I owe him."

 

Padmavati replied, "in that case, I too owe a lot to your friend's intelligence. Go at once to him. I will make some delicious sweets for your friend and have them sent over to the old lady's cottage." So, Vajramukuta returned to the old woman's house and shared everything that had happened with his friend. However, Buddhisharira thought to himself, "my friend should not have revealed who actually understood her actions. It might make her jealous."

 

In the morning, Padmavati sent a servant to deliver food to Buddhisharira. The maid told the prince, "all these sweets are for your friend. My lady has made other special sweets for you and wishes to serve you herself." Saying this, she left the cottage. 

 

Buddhisharira was suspicious. He took the sweets and fed them to a stray dog. Immediately, the dog died. He told his friend, "the sweets are poisoned." 

 

Vajramukuta was shocked, "why would Padmavati do such a terrible thing? I don"t want to see her ever again."

       

Buddhisharira replied, "don"t say that. Your wife has discovered that I am intelligent, and since she is deeply in love with you, she tried to kill me because she is worried that I will influence you, and take you away from her. She wants to love you without you being distracted thinking about me. So, instead of being angry with her, why don"t you take her back to your kingdom and live happily together? I will come up with a plan for you to do this."

 

At this time, someone on the street outside the house cried, "alas! The prince has died."

 

An idea came to Buddhisharira's mind after hearing this. "Friend! Return to Padmavati's house tonight. Then, make her drink until she is completely senseless. While she is asleep, take a hot iron spike and make a mark on her hip. Collect all her jewelry and come back. I"ll take care of the rest.

 

Trusting his wise friend, Vajramukuta did as he was told and brought back Padmavati's jewelry. 

 

The next day, Buddhisharira went to a cemetery, disguised himself as an ascetic and made Vajramukuta look like his disciple. He explained the next part of his plan. "Go into the city and try to sell these jewels. If someone asks how you got them, tell them that you received them from your Guru and lead them to me."

 

By this time, the police were informed that the ivory-carver's daughter was robbed the previous night. As Vajramukuta tried to sell the ornaments the police grew suspicious and arrested him. They brought him to the judge of the town. The judge questioned him where he got the jewelry.

 

Vajramukuta replied, "they are not mine. My Guru gave them to me to sell." Buddhisharira was then brought to the court and he was posed the same question. He cleverly replied, "last night, I was in the cremation ground. I saw a group of witches there. One of them had killed the young prince. That same witch tried interrupting my prayers, so I became angry. I heated the prongs of my trident and made a mark on her hip. Then, I took this jewelry from her."

 

The judge reported this information to the king. The king believed that the jewelry the police had found matched with what had been stolen. So, he ordered a woman to check if the ivory-carver's daughter really did have a mark on her hip. The maid investigated and told the king that the mark was true. The king concluded that Padmavati was in fact a witch who killed his son. He went to Buddhisharira, who was still disguised as an ascetic, and asked what her punishment should be. Buddhisharira advised, "O King! She should be banished from the city." The king immediately did as advised. Soon afterwards, Vajramukuta and Buddhisharira found Padmavati in a forest. They consoled her, and took her back to their kingdom, where she and the prince lived happily together. 

 

The Vetala finished the story and questioned Vikrama, "O King! Which of the persons in this story is most to blame? Vajramukuta? Buddhisharira? Or Padmavati? If you know the answer and yet remain silent, your head will burst into a thousand pieces!"

 

The wise Vikrama answered, "of course, it is King Karnotpala who is most at fault."

 

The Vetala pressed further, "why him?"

 

Vikrama replied, "Buddhisharira was being loyal to his friend, so he is not the sinner. Padmavati and Vajramukuta were madly in love with each other, and so had no proper sense of anything. They were carried away by their desires. The king, however, was well versed in administration. He had the duty to uphold Dharma. And yet, he banished Padmavati without properly enquiring the true facts. He punished Padmavati injudiciously. Thus, he is the most to blame."

 

When Vikrama finished speaking, he noticed that he was alone. He realized that by answering, he had broken the promise of silence to the Vetala. The Vetala had flown back to his tree. Vikrama rushed back to the Shimshapa tree in the cremation ground and found the Vetala hanging from it as before. 

 

Vikrama took down the Vetala again, threw it on his shoulder and started walking. And the Vetala started narrating the second story to the king.