Princess Shashibala

King Vikramaditya reached the tree, pulled down the dead body and putting it on his shoulder proceeded towards his kingdom. Baital said to him, “I will tell you a story to pass the time. Take note and reply to my questions honestly.” Then Baital told the story as follows:
In the kingdom of Awanti lived a beautiful princess named Shashibala. One day, when the King was sitting in the court, the prince of Chola kingdom came there. He told the King about his wish to marry Shashibala. The King was pleased to hear this, for the Chola kingdom was very powerful. The King needed time to think.

Meanwhile, he asked the prince, “What is your expertise?” The Chola prince replied, “Sir, I am a fine archer. I can shoot only by listening to the sound and I never miss my target.”
The King replied, “That is exceptional. Please do stay as my guest till I make my decision. I will also have to talk with my daughter about this proposal.” So, the prince was taken to the guest house.
The next day, the prince of Vaishali came to the King’s court asking for Shashibala’s hand. The King again asked, “What is your special gift?” The prince replied, “I alone know how to make the best silk cloth. It fetches a lot of money. I keep some of it for my personal expenses, while the rest I distribute among the poor.” Then he showed a sample of his cloth. The King appeared wonderstruck to see the quality and softness of the cloth. The King sent the cloth to the princess. He requested the second prince also to stay in the palace as a guest till a final decision was made.

Shortly afterwards, another prince came to the court of the King. He too asked for Shashibala’s hand. He stated that he was a great scholar. He had mastery of the Vedas and the Upanishads. The King made him his guest as well. Next came the prince of Chedi kingdom. He too asked for the hand of Shashibala. He claimed that he could understand the language of animals and birds. The King requested him to stay in the guest-house too.
The King and the Queen decided that they would leave the decision to Shashibala. The King went to the princess. He said, “There are four suitors for you. You yourself have to decide whom to choose. Put the garland in the neck of the prince you like.” Then, the King called all the four princes in the royal garden to settle the matter. A little while later, Princess Shashibala came there.


At this point, Baital asked King Vikramaditya, “Now tell me, Vikram, whom princess Shashibala chose as her husband. Answer me or I will break your head into pieces. Do not remain silent.”
King Vikramaditya was silent for some time. He held Baital tightly but knew that he had to answer the question.
So, he spoke, “Listen Baital! A man can be a Brahmin, Shudra, Vaishya or Kshatriya by virtue of his actions. A princess is expected to marry a person of a warrior caste. So, Shashibala would have definitely married the Chola prince, as he was a Kshatriya or warrior.”


Baital replied happily, “Rightly answered. Only a Kshatriya can be the right choice for the princess. But you have again spoken in spite of my warnings, so I am going to leave you.” Saying so, Baital flew away with King Vikramaditya following him.

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