STORY SEVENTEEN
The King again went
to the Shimshapaa tree; placed the Vetaala on his shoulder and started walking.
Vetaala spoke to
him again.
“King! I will tell
another story to relax you in your tiring work. Listen!”
There was once a city named KanakaPura. ‘Kali’ (the deity of
the lowest level of Yuga) had not cut off even one leg of Dharma here.
The city was ruled by a king named YashoDhara who as his
name suggested was famed all over the earth. He was extremely courageous and
protected the earth from devastation like the Velaa Mountain
The people knew him as frightened of sin; greedy for fame;
eunuch in the presence of ladies who were married to others; valorous and
generous in character.
There was a rich merchant living in his city.
He had a daughter named Unmaadini (maddening). Whoever saw
that young girl became mad after her instantly.
The merchant who knew the proper way of conduct approached
the king and entreated.
“King! I have a daughter who is a like a jewel adorning
the three worlds ready to be offered in marriage. I do not feel like giving her
off to anybody except your Highness.
In this world Lordship alone is the owner of all jewels.
Please accept her and grace me.”
The king later sent some Brahmins known to him to test her
characters properly. Those Brahmins went and saw that girl who was the most
beautiful of all females in all the three worlds; and felt distressed. They
thought-
‘If the king marries her, he will neglect his duties
towards the kingdom. Infatuated with her, he will never ever care for the
welfare of the people. Therefore we should not tell the king that this girl is
endowed with all good qualities (beautiful).’
Deciding thus, they approached the king and said-
“Lord! She is not endowed with good qualities.”
So the king got her married to his army chief named
BalaDhara (strong one). Unmaadini lived happily in her husband’s house.
As time went by, spring arrived with all its glory.
It was like a lion which on its arrival killed –
the ‘elephant of snow season’ which had destroyed the lotus
groves and was having tusks of jasmine creepers;
it had manes made out of the pollen of blossoming flowers;
nails in the form of mango sprouts; and sported all over the forest.
The festivities of spring were conducted all over the city.
The king went to watch the festivities seated on his elephant. The drummers
announced loudly to the people that all the married women should move off
inside lest they get attracted by the king’s handsomeness. But Unmaadini, who
had felt humiliated when the king had rejected her in the past, stood on the
terrace and showed herself to the king.
The king felt disturbed by seeing her who was shining like
the blaze of passion-fire kindled by the winds of Malaya Mountains
The servants somehow revived him and brought him back to the
palace. The king found out by enquiring his people that she was the same Unmaadini
who had been rejected by him in the past. The king punished the Brahmins who
had mentioned that she was not good looking, by throwing them out of the city.
He spent day and night thinking about her.
‘Aha! When her face without any taint exists in this
world, this idiot moon (with taint) rises daily without feeling embarrassed!
The pair of golden pots is hard; the pair of elephant
heads is harsh; yet nothing can be compared to her huge well-raised firm breasts.
Who will not get infatuated with her ‘hip-region
decorated by the garland of stars of the silken garment’ ‘equaling the head of
the elephant rode by Manmatha’?
Thus thinking about her always, the king getting baked in
the fire of passion, deteriorated slowly day by day. Though hiding his thoughts
from all, he was forced to reveal the cause of his distress to some of his
close acquaintances.
They suggested - “Enough of this torment! Why don’t you
just posses her by force?
But the righteous king did not agree to that.
BalaDhara the army chief came to know of this. He approached
the king; saluted him and said-
“Lord! She is the wife of your slave and so your slave
also. She is not the wife of another man as you deem. I myself will offer her
to you. Accept her as your wife. Or I will discard her in the temple and go
off. Then you can take her into your possession.”
Though the army-chief pleaded with him like this, the king
replied angrily-
“Being a king, how can I do such an unrighteous act? If I
myself transgress the rules of Dharma, then who else will follow Dharma? You
are devoted to me; yet are pushing me towards a momentary pleasure which will
result in great pains of hells after life!
If you discard the wife married through proper rules, I
will not forgive you. How can anybody like me bear such an unrighteous action?
It is better to die than see all that!”
The king sent him away chiding him like this.
उत्तमसत्त्वा हि प्राणानपि त्यजन्ति न सत्पथम्
।
The men of
excellent characters will give up their lives but not the path of Dharma.
All the people got together and pleaded with him to do the
same; but the king would not budge from his righteous stand. Slowly YashoDhara
scorched by the heat of passion, lost his health; and lost his fame. (He
died). The army-chief unable to bear
this tragedy entered the fire.
अनिर्वचनीयं हि भक्तचेष्टितम्॥
The actions of a
devotee are beyond words.
END
After ending the story like this, Vetaala on the king’s shoulder
questioned-
“King! Who is great – the king or the army-chief? Keep in mind my
curse and answer.”
The King said- “I believe the king to be great.”
Vetaala objected to his words and said-
“King! Why not the army-chief be the great one? He was
ready to give off his wife whose company he had enjoyed and relished, to his
Master! He also entered the fire when his Master died! The king rejected his
wife not having enjoyed her company ever.
(His loss is not much).”
The king laughed and said-
“Even then what is special about that? The army-chief is
of a good family. He did it out of devotion. The servant is supposed to protect
his Master at the cost of his own lives.
The kings on the other hand are always beyond control
like musth elephants and break the chain of limitations ordained by Dharma,
being desirous of pleasures.
For those ‘maddened minds’, discrimination flows away
like the waters poured on their head at the time of consecration!
The dust of learning obtained at the feet of the elders,
flow off like the dust by the chowrie winds!
Truth is kept away like the heat of the Sun by the white
royal umbrella!
The eyes blinded by prosperities do not see the correct
course to be followed.
The kings like Nahusha and others though were conquerors
of the world got into difficulties with their minds stuck by passion.
This king, though was the sole ruler of the earth under a
single royal umbrella; though intoxicated by the beauty of
Unmaadini like the unstable Goddess of Wealth, he gave up his lives; but he did
not swerve from the path of Dharma. That is why his courage is praiseworthy. In
my opinion he alone excels.”
Vetaala flew back to its place immediately through its
magical powers. The king followed it without losing the stability of the mind.
आरब्धे सुदुष्करोऽपि महतां मध्ये विरामः कुत
एव इति ॥
Even if the work that
is started proves difficult,
where is the respite
for the noble ones in the middle ?!
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