Vikram and Vaitaal Stories-2 - Story 1-1 (Keral Version)
"Captain Sir Richard R Burton's Vikram and the Vampire: classic Hindu tales of adventure, magic and romance" / edited by his wife Isabel Burton. [etext Conversion Project, Nalanda Digital Library, NIT Calicut, Kerala State, India]

1-A Man Deceives a Woman-1

Vajramukut Sees the Princess
There lived a mighty prince named Prataapmukut whose 8th son was Vajramukut. One day he went for hunting with his father's prime minister's son. They came upon a large beautiful pond. They were tired, so they dismounted from their horses and tied them with a tree. They washed their faces and entered the temple of Mahaadev. While they were worshipping, a beautiful maiden came there along with a group of maidens. They disrobed and entered the pond to take \ bath."

Vikram interrupted in an offending tone - "Concerning which the less said better." Vaitaal continued - "After taking bath they worshipped in the temple. Then the princess went to take a scroll in the forest. Vikram, he left his friend in the temple and followed her. Both saw each other. The princess said - "Why do you worry me?" The prince could not speak anything.

The princess called her friend, who was plucking jasmine flowers so as not to witness the scene. The friend called a slave and asked him to throw Vajramukut in the pond. But Vajramukut had not stopped there to be thrown. The princess had gone only a little distance, that she turned around to see what happened to him, but found him still standing there. She smiled, bent to pond's water, and plucked a lotus flower.

This she worshipped, next she placed it in her hair, then she put it in her ear, then she bit it with her teeth, then she placed it under her foot, then she lifted it and placed in her bosom. After this she went home. The prince drowned in grief of separation. The minister's son came out of the temple and sat down at the pond. He took out a roll of paper and got busy in reading it. The maidens tried to draw his attention but he did not look at them. he was a philosopher.

But O Vikram, Philosophy, Shankaraachaarya says, is either a gift of nature or the reward of the study. A born philosopher is a man of cold desires and a bred philosopher is he who has survived his desires. A young philosopher is a cold-blooded youth; an elderly philosopher is an old man. The prince came to his friend and told him what happened to him. If he did not get her, he would not survive. The friend did not pay much attention to him. Since night was to fall, so they mounted their horses and came back to their palaces. Vajramukut did not speak at all throughout the three hours of their journey.

Vajramukut Falls Ill

font color="#CC3300" face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">After the second day, Vajramukut grieved so much with the separation of the princess, that he fell ill. He left everything and thought of dying. He constantly painted beautiful face of lotus gatherer, when completed beat his head, tore it and drew yet another more beautiful face. At last the minister's son was called upon. They talked a lot. At last Vajramukut said - "Who proceeds on the path of love cannot survive it; or if he lives, his life is a misery."

Wise men say - "There are three things whose effect cannot be foretold - desire of a woman, the dice-box, and the drinking of spirits. So total abstinence of them is the best rule. Is she the same who appeared to us at the pond?" "Yes." "Did she tell you anything while she was going away?" "Nothing." "Did she make any sign or give any hint?" Then the prince told him everything.

The minister's son said - "Don't worry, I know her name and her dwelling place. When she suddenly plucked the flower and worshipped it, she thanked gods for her beauty." Vajramukut smiled for the first time in the last month. "When she touched it to her ear, she meant she was the daughter of Karnaatak; and when bit it with her teeth, she meant that her father's name was Dantavat who is, by the way, the foe of your father. When she put it under her feet, she meant that her name was Padmaavatee. And when she put it in her bosom, she meant that you lived in her heart."

Hearing this prince jumped out of the bed and requested him to take permission to go there. The minister's son took king's permission on the basis that Vajramukut needed some change of place. They armed themselves, took some jewels and proceeded towards the princess' country.

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