A Rich girl accepts thief as husband

A Rich girl accepts thief as husband

Betal started with yet another story. Veerketu was the King of Ayodhya. There were lots of thefts in Ayodhya but they failed to catch hold of the thief. The King was very worried for his subjects and so he scolded his guards for not doing their duties properly. A few businessmen told the King that if the situation did not improve they would migrate to another state. The King then took the responsibility to catch the thief himself.

Ratansen’s daughter Mannu was plucking mangoes secretly so that no one caught her. Just then a man came there and helped her get more mangoes. When Mannu asked him who he was, he replied that he was a thief. Mannu told him to teach her how to climb trees. He agreed to do so the next day. That night Veerketu went around in disguise where he saw the thief stealing some thing so even he pretended to be a thief. The thief caught hold of him and gave him a proposal of working together. Veerketu agreed to work in partnership and the two went to many houses to steal. They went inside one house where Mannu was sleeping wearing her ornaments. Veerketu told the thief to take away her ornaments but the thief said that he loved the girl and that if he would not have been a thief he would have married her. Veerketu was shocked to hear this. He then asked him where he lived and why he did not try any theft at the King’s palace. The thief replied that he had been to the palace many a times before because he wanted to become a soldier but the King’s corrupted officers did not let him reach the King. The thief then took Veerketu to his hideout.

There, Veerketu revealed to him his originality and both of them fought for a while but in the end, the thief was defeated and he became captive of the King. Meanwhile Mannu was about to get out of her house to meet the thief but was stopped and questioned by her father Ratansen. She replied that she was going to meet her thief friend who was going to teach her to climb trees and walls and that she was in love with him. Her father suggested that he would go along with her and she agreed to it. Just when they were about to go they saw few men with a captive. As soon as Mannu saw the thief she ran to him and asked him why he was captured. He replied saying that it was all because of his bad habit of stealing and he was now bearing the fruit of his bad deeds. He then told her that he could not meet her in this life but will wait for her in the next life. The thief was taken away by the soldiers. Mannu pleaded her father to do something in order to save him. The thief was then presented in the King’s court. The thief was asked if he wanted to say something in defense. At this he said that he was not worried for a death penalty but asked the King to think about the situations that compelled him to become a thief and eradicate corruption from the system which was a very difficult task and if the King succeeded in doing so, his soul would rest in peace. Veerketu announced death penalty for him and asked the soldiers to take him away. Just then Ratansen walked in and pleaded for mercy as he could not see his daughter in pain. At this, the thief first cried and then laughed loudly. Veerketu rejected his mercy plea. Just then Mannu walked in and requested the King to let her marry the thief before he was hanged as she had already accepted him as her husband. The King was touched by Mannu’s true love and so he freed the thief and also appointed him as army chief since he was courageous and valorous.

Betaal asked Vikram to reason out, why the thief first laughed and then cried when Ratansen came with a mercy plea. As usual Betaal forced Vikram to answer or else he would break his head. Vikram replied that the thief first cried because he was worried that he would be under obligation of the man who is trying to save his life and how he would pay him off for his obligation if he was not left alive. Vikram further said that the thief laughed at his destiny because a rich man’s only daughter who was so beautiful and never liked anyone ever fell in love with a man like him who was a thief. Betaal was very happy with his answer but as Vikram opened his mouth, Betaal flew away.

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