Padmavati and Prince Vajramukti

Padmavati and Prince Vajramukti

Carrying Betal on his shoulders Vikram started walking towards the cremation ground while the narration of another story began. The Prince of Kashi Vajramukti and the minister’s son were best of friends. They used to be together all the time and share everything in life. Once, prince Vajramukti and his friend went for hunting. There in a garden the Prince saw few girls playing blind fold. The girl who was blindfolded struck Vajramukti by mistake. As soon as she opened the fold, Vajramukti asked what her name was, where she was from and what her father’s name was. At this the girl gave him three hints ; she picked up the lotus flower and kept it on her chest hinting that it was her name, then she took out her earrings and put it on her ankle hinting the name of the town she lived in. Lastly she made a sign of plucking out the teeth hinting that, that was the profession of her father. The prince did not understand any of the hints. After coming back, he told his friend about its. His friend solved the riddle immediately saying that the first hint meant that her name was Padmavati, second hint meant that she was from Karnapur and the third hint meant that her father was a dentist. Vajramukti and his friend went in disguise to search Padmavati in Karnapur. There they met an old lady who asked them to stay at her place.

When she asked them if they knew anybody in the town, Vajramukti said that he knew Padmavati. At this, the old lady said that she was the midwife of Padmavati and she was appointed by her father to take care of Padmavati since her mother died when she was young. The old lady then went and told Padmavati that the Prince whom she had met while playing blindfold had arrived and wanted to meet her. Padmavati’s friends told her to meet him but she wanted the Prince to solve one more puzzle (hint), so she applied sandalwood paste with four of her fingers on the old lady’s cheeks and asked her to go. When the old lady came back and told the prince about the puzzle he could not solve it but his friend solved it saying that after four days in the moonlight she would meet him. After four days, the Prince went to meet her. His friend was waiting for him but for three days he did not turn up so he grew impatient. Just then he saw a few guards pulling a lady. He asked the old lady as to why they were doing this. She said that the law in their town was that any girl who was doubted of loose character was thrown out.

Later the friend went to get back Prince Vajramukti. Just when they were about to leave, Padmavati’s father declared that he cannot get Padmavati married to Vajramukti because the King of their state wanted to marry her and he could not refuse him as he was very arrogant. Vajramukti did not want to go leaving Padmavati behind, so his friend thought of a plan. He went and stole Padmavati’s jewelry at night and the next day he went to sell it in disguise of a Yogi. He was taken to the King for this as Padmavati’s jewelry was recognized. On being asked by the King, the friend narrated a fake story that Padmavati came to interrupt his prayers with her beauty and that she was of loose character. The King called for Padmavati and as per the law of the state, ordered for her to be thrown out of the state. When she came out of the state, Prince Vajramukti was waiting for her and then they both met. This way she was saved from marrying the King.

After this Betaal as usual asked a question to Vikram as to who was at fault, the friend, Prince Vajramukti or the King. Vikram replied that it was the King who was at fault because whatever the Prince did was for love, the friend did it for the Prince but the King did not even bother to know the truth and punished innocent Padmavati. A king should always justify his actions, where as here, the king was wrong. Betaal liked Vikram’s intelligence but once more Vikram opened his mouth to speak and Betaal flew away.