(5) Who is fit to marry SomaPrabhaa?

STORY FIVE

Raajaa TrivikramaSena again went to the Shimshapaa tree; climbed the tree; cut the rope from which the corpse was hanging; got it down; placed it on his shoulder; ignored the weird noises made by the spirit through the corpse; walked silently without fear, in that dark night, in the cremation ground, only intent on fulfilling his promise to the mendicant.

Vetaala said to him again-

“King! You are a man of determination; you are good-looking too! So let me entertain you with one more story. Listen!”

There is renowned city of Ujjayini ruled by a king named PunyaSena. A Brahmin named HariSwaamy endowed with all the virtues worked for the king as a minister. He had a son named DevaSwaamy from his wife who was very much devoted to her husband. He also had a daughter named SomaPrabhaa who shone with the beauty of the moon as her name suggested and her beauty and charm were well-known among all.

After passing the childhood, SomaPrabhaa blossomed into a pretty young maiden and she was very proud of her charming beauty. Through her mother she told her father and brother –“I should be offered in marriage to a brave man, or a man of wisdom, or a man of great talents. Otherwise if you offer me to anyone else, I will not live.”

The father tried searching for such a bride-groom for his daughter and felt very much worried that no one was up to the mark. Meanwhile he was sent by King PunyaSena as a messenger to some king of the southern region to convey some important message.

After his work was finished, he was met by a Brahmin youth who had heard about the wondrous beauty of his daughter. The young man approached him and asked for his daughter’s hand.

HariSwaamy said to him-

“My daughter does not want to marry any one other than a brave man, or a wise man or a talented man. To which category do you belong? Tell me!”

The Brahmin youth said-

“I am highly talented.”

HariSwaamy said-

“Then show me what talent you have.”

That talented youth immediately constructed a chariot that could fly in the sky; made HariSwaamy get seated in that chariot; flew that chariot to great distances; and showed HariSwaamy worlds like heaven etc; brought him back to same room where he was staying as a guest of the southern king. HariSwaamy was very much satisfied by all this.

He promised the youth his daughter’s hand; fixed the date of marriage after seven days.

At the same time, another Brahmin youth approached DevaSwaamy, the son of HariSwaamy and asked for the hand of his sister. He also informed the youth that his sister will not marry any one other than a brave man, or a wise man or a talented man. That youth introduced himself as a man of great valor. He showed DevaSwaamy his expertise in handling many weapons; his excellence in many types of fights and so on. DevaSwaamy was very much satisfied by his valorous personality and promised his sister’s hand to him. He consulted an astrologer and fixed the day of marriage after seven days, without even informing his mother.

At the same time, another Brahmin youth approached the wife of HariSwaamy and asked for the hand of her daughter. She said to him-

“Son! My daughter does not want to marry any one other than a brave man, or a wise man or a talented man. To which category do you belong? Tell me!”

He said-“I am a man of wisdom.”

Observing his knowledge in predicting the future and past events, she promised to offer her daughter in marriage to him and fixed the day of marriage seven days after that day.

Next day, HariSwaamy returned home and told his wife and son, how he had selected a suitable bridegroom for his daughter. They both told him their stories also. HariSwaamy felt apprehensive about three prospective bridegrooms arriving on the same day to marry his daughter.

On the seventh day all the three youths presented themselves promptly at HariSwaamy’s house. At that time SomaPrabhaa was not there. She had gone out on some errand.

The wise man heard about this and immediately said-

“She has been kidnapped by a demon named DhoomaShikha (one with smoke like hair) and has been carried away to his abode in the Vindhyaa forest.”

HariSwaamy was frightened by this news and asked the talented youth what to do about it. He immediately constructed a flying chariot equipped with all sorts of weapons.

HariSwaamy, and all the three youths sat inside the chariot and reached the Vindhyaa forest within seconds. The wise man told them where the demon was hiding. HariSwaamy and the brave youth reached there immediately. The demon came out angrily when he heard them making noise. The brave man started to fight with him fiercely.

The great battle between the man and the demon using various types of missiles and weapons reminded one of Rama and Raavana’s battle in the past fought for the sake of a woman.

The brave man fought fiercely though the demon was more powerful than him and cut off the demon’s head with his sharp sword shaped like the crescent at the edge. After the demon died, they all reached back to Ujjayini city with SomaPrabhaa in the flying chariot.

After reaching HariSwaamy’s house, a great dispute arose among the three youths.

The wise man said-

“If I had not used by knowledge, how would we have found out the hiding place of the demon? So she should be given to me only.”

The talented man said-

“If I had not constructed the flying chariot, how could we have reached there within seconds like gods? How could the fight have ensued with the demon who came in the chariot otherwise? So she should be given to me only.”

The brave man said-

“If I had not killed the demon in the battle, then would you have brought her home even if you had tried hard? So I alone deserve this girl.”

As they quarreled like this, HariSwaamy stood there bewildered and silent, not able to take any decision.

END

After telling this story Vetaala asked the king-

“King! Tell me who deserves to marry SomaPrabhaa! If you know the answer and yet do not speak out, then you head will burst into hundred pieces.”

The king broke his silence and said-

“She must be given to the brave man only. He risked his life; defeated the demon by the power of his shoulders; and rescued the girl. Other two were just helpers for him ordained by the Creator. Tell me!

Did not the astrologer and the carpenter just help the other man?”

Vetaala vanished immediately from his shoulders and flew away to its place on the tree. The king started walking back towards the Shimshapaa tree tirelessly to bring it back again.