As King Vikramaditya carried Betal on his shoulders, Betal began narrating another story.
The Encounter at the Temple
Prince Brijmukta of Banaras went hunting one day with his friend Ratanraj. While chasing a
deer, Brijmukta got separated from Ratanraj and came across a temple. There, he saw a
beautiful princess entering the temple with her friends. Her grace and beauty mesmerized
him, and he instantly fell in love with her.
As the princess exited the temple, she noticed Brijmukta xing his horse’s saddle. She, too,
was struck by his appearance and became intrigued. To convey her feelings, she performed
a series of gestures with a lotus ower she carried: she placed the ower near her ear, bit it,
held it to her heart, and nally dropped it to the ground.
When Brijmukta shared his feelings with Ratanraj, his friend explained the meaning of her
gestures. The ower near her ear indicated that she was from Karnataka, biting it revealed
her name was Padmavati, holding it to her heart expressed her love for him, and dropping it
suggested she wished to marry him.
Encouraged by this interpretation, Brijmukta and Ratanraj decided to travel to Karnataka to
meet the princess.
The Journey to Karnataka
The two friends rested overnight at an inn and continued their journey the next day. Near
the palace, they met an elderly woman who delivered owers to Princess Padmavati daily.
They persuaded her to carry a message to the princess, letting her know that the man she
had seen at the temple had come to meet her.
When the old woman delivered the message, Padmavati slapped her on both cheeks with
hands smeared in sandalwood paste. The woman returned to Brijmukta, weeping, and
claimed that the princess was furious and that the king might punish her.
However, Ratanraj reassured Brijmukta, interpreting the slaps as a message: the princess
had invited him to meet her on the tenth day of the rising moon.
The Meeting and the Deception
Brijmukta met the princess as planned, but he returned disheartened. He informed Ratanraj
that Padmavati’s father, King Dantarsen, had sent her away. Ratanraj devised a plan. He told
Brijmukta to take a hammer and trident when he next met the princess, to leave scratches
on her body with the trident, and to take her jewelry.
Reluctantly, Brijmukta followed Ratanraj’s instructions. When he met Padmavati, he took her
jewelry and made scratches on her body with the trident. Confused and hurt, Padmavati
didn’t understand why he did this.
Ratanraj then sent the jewelry to a goldsmith known to the king. Recognizing it as the
princess’s jewelry, the goldsmith informed the king. Soldiers captured Brijmukta and
presented him to the king, who demanded to know how he had acquired the jewelry.
Brijmukta blamed Ratanraj, who concocted a story. He claimed a demoness had attacked
him, and he had defended himself with his trident, leaving scratches on her body before
taking the jewelry.
The King’s Rash Judgment
To verify Ratanraj’s story, the king secretly sent a maid to inspect the princess. The maid
con rmed the trident marks on Padmavati’s body. Assuming his daughter was a demoness,
the king banished her from the palace.
Devastated, Padmavati wandered into the forest, where she met Brijmukta. He confessed
everything to her, and they decided to leave for Brijmukta’s kingdom together. Eventually,
Brijmukta married Padmavati and made her his queen
Betal’s Question
After nishing the story, Betal asked King Vikramaditya, “Who is responsible for Princess
Padmavati’s su ering? Who should be held guilty for her plight?”
King Vikramaditya’s Answer
After a thoughtful pause, King Vikramaditya replied, “The princess’s father, King Dantarsen, is
responsible for her condition. He should not have acted solely on the words of others. As a
father and a king, it was his duty to investigate thoroughly before making such a grave
decision. By trusting blindly, he failed his daughter and caused her su ering.”
Betal’s Response
Betal said, “Vikram, you are truly wise and just. Your answer is correct—the fault lies with
King Dantarsen. But because you spoke, I must return to the Peepal tree.”
With that, Betal ew o Vikramaditya’s shoulders. Determined to ful ll his promise to the
sage, the king once again chased after Betal to retrieve him