Second Story: Betaal Pachisi Story online
Read the first story Betal Pachisi here
Betal started telling a story to Vikramaditya
A king named Pratap Mukut ruled in Kashi. He had a son named Vajramukut. One day the prince went to the jungle to hunt along with the minister's son. While roaming around, they found a pond. Lotus flowers were blooming in its water and swans were frolicking in the water. There were dense trees on the banks, on which birds were chirping. Both the friends stopped there and washed their hands and face in the water of the pond and went to the temple situated above. They tied the horses outside the temple.
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When both of them came out after visiting the temple, they saw that a princess of another country had come to take a bath with her friends on the banks of the pond. The minister's son remained sitting under a tree, but the prince could not resist. He moved forward. When the princess looked at him, he was fascinated by her. The princess also kept looking at him. Then she took out a lotus flower from her hair bun, put it on her ear, bit it with her teeth, pressed it under her foot and then put it on her chest and left with her friends.
On her departure, the prince became disappointed and came to his friend and told him everything and said, “I cannot live without this princess. But I neither know her name nor her address. How will I find her?”
The minister’s son said, “Prince, don’t be so worried. She has told everything before leaving.”
The prince asked, “How?”
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He said, “When she took the lotus flower from her head and put it on her ear, she told him that she was from Karnataka. Biting it with her teeth meant that she was the daughter of King Dantbat. Pressing it with her feet meant that her name was Padmavati and by pressing it on her chest, she told him that you have settled in her heart.”
On hearing this, the prince was filled with joy. He said, “Now take me to Karnataka.”
Both friends left from there. After roaming around and strolling, both of them reached there after many days. When they went near the king's palace, they found an old woman sitting at her door spinning a charkha (spinning wheel).
Going near her, both of them got down from their horses and said, "Mother, we are traders. Our goods are coming behind. Give us some place to stay."
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Seeing their looks and hearing them, the old woman's heart was filled with affection. She said, "Son, this is your house. Stay as long as you wish."
Both of them stayed there. The minister's son asked her, "Mother, what do you do? Who else is there in your house? How do you manage?"
The old woman replied, “Son, I have a son who is in the service of the king. I was the nurse of the king's daughter Pahmavati. Now that I have grown old, I stay at home. The king gives me food and drink. I go to the palace once a day to see the princess.”
The prince gave some money to the old woman and said, “Mother, when you go there tomorrow, tell the princess that the prince you met at the pond has arrived.”
The next day when the old woman went to the palace, she gave the prince's message to her. On hearing it, the princess got angry, applied sandalwood on her hands and slapped her on the cheek and said, “Get out of my house.”
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The old woman came home and told the prince everything. The prince was stunned. Then his friend said, “Prince, don't be afraid, understand what she is saying. She dipped ten fingers in white sandalwood, so she means that there are still ten days of moonlit nights. I will meet you in the dark night after they leave.”
Ten days later, the old woman again informed the princess, this time she dipped three fingers in saffron colour and slapped her face and said, “Run away from here.”
The old woman came and told him everything. The prince was distraught with grief. The minister’s son explained, “What is there to be surprised about in this? She has said that she is menstruating. Wait for three more days.”
Three days later, the old woman again reached there. This time the princess scolded her and threw her out of the western window. He came and told the prince. On hearing this, the minister’s son said, “Friend, she has called you through that window tonight.”
The prince jumped with joy. When the time came, he wore the old woman’s clothes, applied perfume, and tied the weapons. After two hours of the night, he reached the palace and went inside through the window. The princess was standing ready there. She took him inside.
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The prince’s eyes opened after seeing the condition inside. There were many things better than one another. The prince stayed with the princess the whole night. As soon as the day was about to break, the princess hid the prince and brought him out again at night. Many days passed like this. Suddenly one day the prince remembered his friend. He became worried that he did not know what might have happened to him. Seeing him sad, the princess asked the reason, then he told her. He said, "He is my very dear friend, he is very clever. It is because of his cleverness that I could meet you."
The princess said, "I will prepare delicious food for him. You feed him and console him and then return."
Taking food with him, the prince reached his friend. They had not met for a month. On meeting, the prince told him the whole story and said that I have told the princess everything about your cleverness, that is why she has prepared and sent this food.
The minister's son got into deep thought. He said, "You did not do well. The princess understood that as long as I am here, she cannot keep you under her control. That is why she has mixed poison in this food and sent it."
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Saying this, the minister's son picked up a laddoo from the plate and threw it in front of the dog. The dog died immediately after eating it.
The prince felt very bad. He said, "God save me from such a woman! I will not go to her now."
The minister's son said, "No, now we should find a way to take her home. You go there tonight. When the princess falls asleep, make a trident mark on her left thigh and take her jewellery with you.”
The prince did the same. On his return, the minister's son took him along, disguised himself as a yogi, sat in the cremation ground and told the prince to take these jewellery and sell it in the market. If someone catches you, tell him to go to my Guru and bring him here.
The prince took the jewellery to the city and showed it to a goldsmith near the palace. On seeing them, the goldsmith recognized that these were the royal jewellery of the princess and took them to the police chief. When the police chief asked, he said that my Guru had given these to me. The Guru was also arrested. Everyone reached the king.
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The king asked, “Yogi Maharaj, where did you get these jewellery from?”
The minister's son, disguised as a yogi, said, “Maharaj, I was perfecting the witch's mantra in the cremation ground when the witch came in front of me. I took off her jewellery and made a trident mark on her left thigh.”
Hearing this, the king went to the palace and asked the queen to check if there was a trident mark on Padmavati's left thigh. The queen saw that there was a trident mark there. The king was very sad. Coming out, he took the yogi aside and said, "Maharaj, what is the punishment for bad women in the religious scriptures?"
The yogi replied, "King, if a saint, a woman, a boy or a person living under your protection does something bad, he should be exiled." Hearing this, the king put Padmavati in a palanquin and left her in the forest. The prince and the minister's son were already waiting for her. Finding the princess alone, they took her with them to their city and started living happily.
After telling this, Betal said, "King, tell me who is guilty of exile of the innocent princess?"
If you don't answer even after knowing the answer, your head will be broken into pieces and if you speak, I will again go and hang on the same tree from where you brought me.
Story online
King Vikramaditya said, "The king has committed the sin. The minister's son did his master's work. The police chief obeyed the king and the prince fulfilled his love desire. The king committed a sin by banishing the princess without thinking."
As soon as Vikramaditya said this, the Betal flew and hung on the same tree again. The king went back and took the Betal with him again and went towards the Yogi. The Betal said, "King, listen, I will tell you one more story."
Read the Third Story Betal Pachisi here
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