Vikram and Vaitaal Stories-2 - Story 1-3 (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-3

Vajramukut Comes Back
Vajramukut came to the woman's hut where his friend was still waiting for him, at midnight. They embraced each other very affectionately. His friend could not conceal his concerns about the prince as what might have happened to his friend at the hands of such an intelligent princess. But the prince reported that the princess was very good, it is only that he was jealous with his love. Even she has given some sweets, that she made herself, also for him, and he gave those sweets to him to eat.

The minister's son said - "It is a pleasant surprise for me. How did he know my name?" Prince replied - "Once I was thinking about you that she came and asked me why was I sad? Then I told you about you and your cleverness. Then she told me to come and see you and gave these sweets for you. She had made them herself."

The friend said - "You have not done good by taking my name in front of her, because one should never let a woman know that her secret is known to a third person; secondly, you should not allow her to think that you honored your unworthy servant so much. A woman never likes her husband's friend." Prince said - "What could I do? How could I conceal from her who is like myself? When I love a woman, I have to tell her everything."

The minister's son said - "You will leave this habit, when you are a little older, when you will understand that love is nothing but a bout, a game of skill between two individuals, the one seeking gain as much and the other striving to lose as little as possible, and the sharper will win in the end. "To remain reserve" is but a habit, practice it for a year, and you will find it harder to betray than to conceal your thoughts. It has its own joy also. And now returning to the sugar-plums, I tell you that they are poisoned."

"Impossible." the price exclaimed with horror. The friend said - "We can test them." And he called the dog of the woman, and fed him the sweets and he died in a few seconds. Vajramukut got very angry at this, he said - "It is all over." The minister's son said calmly - "Whatever has happened has happened. In fact I was expecting such thing from such intelligent princess. None commits such mistakes, such follies, such blunders as your clever woman. In fact the very clever women cannot commit a crime decently." This time Vajramukut did not defend talent.

The minister's son further said - "Now my heart is rest. She has attempted and failed, and this failure will not let her attempt again. Just let me ask you one question more, can you be happy without her?" "No, I cannot." "Better confess, then conceal the facts. Let us now see her in battlefield and defeat her with her own weapon - cunningness. I do not like to practice treachery with women, because one, I don't like it; second, then they start practicing it on me and then I have to deceive them. Probably she is a good wife, because she tried to poison me, not you. So tell me, when she has asked you to return to her?" "As soon as my mind is calm on my friend's matter." "It means tomorrow. Let me retire now and I will tell you my plans tomorrow morning." And he went to sleep.

Vajramukut interrupted - "One thing more, you know that my father has already fixed my marriage, what he will say, if I take another one?" "In my humble opinion, the woman is monogamous and the man is a polygamous - a fact scarcely established as a theory but fairly observed in practical life. So if he doesn't say anything to you, refer him to what he himself does."

Vajramukut Meets the Princess Again
In the evening, Minister's son accompanied his friend and advised him - "Our purpose is to take the Princess. Take this trident, and conceal it carefully. If she asks about me, tell her that I was not well so I could not eat her sweets then, but I will eat them tonight. When she sleeps, take off her all jewelry, strike this trident on her left leg and come back immediately to me. But if she is awake, then rub this to your thumb and apply to her nostrils." Vajramukut went to the palace, and his friend went back to the hut.

The princess was proud that her treachery was not discovered , so she fell sleep in her lover's arms. Vajramukut lost no time, he took off her all jewelry, hit her left leg with trident and ran away from there. Both left the woman's house and went to a cemetery, where they changed their guise as an ascetic. Then he gave those ornaments to his pupil (prince) and asked him to sell them to some jeweler, and let as many jewelers see them, and if somebody tries to hold him back then bring him to him.

In the morning, as he went to sell them, he went to the nearest shop and tried to sell them. But he appeared to be unaware of the price of the jewelry, so he offered only 1/100th part of the price which prince refused to accept. At this he threatened him to call king's people. At the same time the chief jeweler came and recognized them as princess' ornaments. He asked him where did he get them? The prince said - "From my Guru. Please free me, I am innocent."

Then they called his Guru and took them to the royal court. There he took out a hide, spread it on the floor, took out a rosary of beads as large as eggs and rolled it between his fingers for an hour, and said - "I went to cemetery on the 14th of the dark fortnight to accomplish a witch. She came but I had to chastise her. I hit her left leg with this trident and to punish her I took off her all jewelry and told her to go wherever she pleased. That is how I got these jewels." The king asked him not to leave the palace for a while and he went inside.

He sent his mother to check with Padmaavatee. She went there and found her left leg marked with three mark. She told the king that Padmaavatee told her that she met an accident and a nail hurt her, but she had never seen a nail making such marks. The king thought, "Since Padmaavatee is a witch, she is no longer my daughter." He again came outside and asked Guru, "What punishment is prescribed in Dharm Shaastra for the crime of witchcraft?"

Guru said - "If a Braahman, a cow, a woman, a child, or any other person who is dependent on us, is found guilty, he should be banished from the country." Hearing this he banished Padmaavatee. In the meantime, Guru and his pupil changed to their proper guise, came to the hut, rewarded Lakshmee, and followed Padmaavatee. They had little difficulty to persuade her to marry Vajramukut at Banaaras. After two days they came back to Banaaras. His parents got very happy to see them.

Vaitaal further said - "Now tell me, who amongst these four is to be blamed - the lover, the lover's friend, the girl or the girl's father?" Dharmdhwaj cried - "I think Padmaavatee was at the bottom of all this troubles." Vikram said - "The King Dantavat is at fault." "Why." "Prince is innocent because he was love-stricken, therefore is not responsible for his action. Minister's son performed his duties to his master without considering asking questions. But Dantavat, a father of eight, should not banish his daughter."

Vataal said bursting into laughter - "I now return to my tree. I have never heard a king condemning another king." Vikram followed him and brought him back and set upon his way.

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