151 Vikram Baital Tales

Baital began to narrate another tale as Vikramaditya carried him. “A powerful king named Pratapmukut ruled over Benaras. He had a wife and a son. His son’s name was Brajmukut who had a friend named Ratanraj, the son of the state prime minister. One day, both the friends went hunting. The prince saw a deer […]

Baital asked King Vikramaditya, “After hearing the story, tell me who the nobler of the two was–Gunadhip, who was ready to give up his love, or King Shoorsen, who told the girl to marry Gunadhip. Speak up or I will break your head into pieces. Do not be quiet.” King Vikramaditya replied, “Baital! King Shoorsen

Gunadhip could not digest what the girl said. However, a while later, he regained his composure. He said to the King, “Your Majesty! She wishes to marry you only. Please marry her.” But the King said, “This girl will marry you only.” But the girl refused to marry Gunadhip. The King turned to the girl

Gunadhip fell in love with her immediately. The girl also liked him. She asked him, “Do you like me?” “Yes,” replied Gunadhip. She replied, “See me tomorrow at this very place. I shall meet you here at this time only.” Saying so, the girl went away. Gunadhip returned to the palace. He told the King

The King slept comfortably. In the morning, King Shoorsen fetched his horse. Gunadhip sat behind the King. The King asked him to show the way out of the forest to his kingdom. It was around mid-day when they reached the kingdom. The people were very happy to see the King. Everyone rejoiced at the safe

The surprised King asked, “How did you know that I belong to a royal family?” The man replied, “Your dress and your bejewelled sword are clear indications of that.” The King replied, “You guessed right. I am King Shoorsen of Magadha Kingdom. I lost my way while hunting a deer. What is your name? What

It started to get dark. The King also became tired. He was hungry as well as thirsty. But there was nothing to eat. Finally, he gave up hope of finding a way out of the forest. So, he decided to spend the night by resting on the ground. Though there were wild animals on the

As King Vikramaditya was walking towards his kingdom with the corpse, Baital asked Vikramaditya, “What is it in a man that makes him higher than the others?” King Vikramaditya did not reply. Baital spoke again, “Listen to my story related to this and answer my question. If you do not, I will break your head

Baital continued, “Tell me which hand was entitled to receive the paternal oblations. If you do not answer my question knowingly, I will split your head into pieces.” Vikramaditya replied, “The one who brings up a child has the right to become a father. Nobody becomes a father by just giving birth to a child.

Then, he questioned the second hand, “Who does this hand belong to?” “It is your father’s hand,” replied the hand. “Whose is the third hand?” the young man asked confusedly. “It is your father’s hand,” the third hand replied. Now, the young man was more confused. He asked bewildered, after hearing the two hands, each

Days passed into years. The baby grew into a handsome boy. But one day, Leelavati passed away. At that time, the boy was only eight years old. His father looked after him. The boy grew into a handsome youth. But his father also passed away. He was left all alone. He looked after his father’s

Leelavati, in the meanwhile, fell in love with the thief. She confessed her love for him. Soon, they got married. The thief gave Leelavati all that he had stolen. After some time, Leelavati became pregnant. The thief went to some other city to steal. Time passed by but he did not return. When he did

Leelavati woke up immediately. She saw the young man standing in a corner. He seemed to be nervous. Leelavati asked him, “Who are you? What are you doing in my room? Are you a thief?” The young man replied, “Yes, I am a thief.” Leelavati asked, “What do you want from my house?” The thief

King Vikramaditya pulled down the corpse, put it on his shoulder and set out for his kingdom. After some time, Baital who as usual could not keep quiet, spoke to King Vikramaditya, “Remain quiet if you want to. But I will tell you a story to make the journey short and comfortable. And I expect

Vikramaditya forgot all about not speaking and replied, “The thief’s merit is the highest.” Baital asked, “But why is that so?” Vikramaditya replied, “The husband stopped loving her as soon as she told him about the other man. Gurudatta let go off her due to fear of punishment from the King. But the thief had