Baital started telling King Vikramaditya another story as he was carrying him:
Once there was a wealthy man. His name was Dhanardhan. He lived in Choorapur. He was a kind-hearted and religious man. But sadly, he had a wife who was of loose character. They had a daughter named Mrignaini. But she too had loose moral like her mother, though she was more advanced than her mother. Dhanardhan was very ashamed of his daughter. so, at the first opportunity, he got her married. He thought maybe she would mend her ways after marriage. But he was wrong, for Mrignaini could not mend her ways even after her marriage.
After a few weeks of her marriage, one of her father’s servants visited Mrignaini during day time.
Now, this servant had been one of her former lovers. But seeing him, Mrignaini got angry. She told him to get out of her house, but the servant did not listen to her. So, Mrignaini made a plan. She began to talk sweetly to him and offered him a drink. The servant drank the drink happily but after a while he died. Mrignaini had mixed poison in the drink. The servant never had a chance. The husband came home in the evening. Mrignaini greeted him very lovingly. She somehow managed to keep her husband away from the dead body of the servant.
Night fell and everyone went off to sleep. Suddenly, Mrignaini began to cry and wail. She shouted, “Help! My husband has killed my father’s servant.” Hearing the commotion many people gathered there. The King’s soldiers were informed about the murder by her neighbours. They came and arrested Mrignaini’s husband on the charge of murder.
The next day, the husband was brought before the King for a hearing. The King heard everything. He pronounced the husband guilty and the husband was given the death sentence by the King. But, something unexpected happened before Mrignaini’s husband could be hanged. A thief came to the court. He said to the King, “Your Majesty, the husband is not the murderer. It is the wife. I had gone to their house to commit theft. But before I could do anything, I witnessed the murder. I was petrified and ran away from the house. When I came to know that you had sentenced an innocent man to death, I felt it was my duty to come and tell you the truth.”
So, the King immediately changed his judgement in the case. He set the husband free.
Mrignaini was sentenced to death. He also sent the thief behind bars.
Baital ended his story here. He asked King Vikramaditya, “Vikram, you have heard the entire story. Now answer my question. Who was the real culprit in the story?” King Vikramaditya replied, “Baital! If the thief had not testified, Mrignaini’s husband would surely have been hanged to death. But the thief helped the husband and he was cleared of all charges. On the whole, it is Mrignaini’s father who was to be blamed. He was the real culprit. He did not tell her husband-to-be about his daughter’s character. He simply married her off. This fault proved devastating for the family.”
Baital said, “You are right, Vikram. But you have spoken again, so I must fly again and go back to my peepal tree.” Thus, Baital flew away despite all the efforts of King Vikramaditya to stop him. A fuming Vikramaditya again followed Baital to catch him once again.
