Ravina Sewani

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Betal told another interesting story, as King Vikramaditya carried him on his shoulders.Many years ago, there lived a king named Badsa. He was a great ruler and was loved by all his subjects. He had a son named Agni, who was wicked and had many vices. Unlike his father, he would not make a good ruler. This worried Badsa very much.One day, while the king was holding court, Agni burst into the room and announced, “I feel I am ready to take over the throne. You are old and I suggest you step down. If you do not, I will form an army to overthrow you.”Badsa was a peace-loving man and knew his son would go to great extents to take the throne. Ashamed that he was giving up the throne to his son without a fight, he denounced his title and decided he would spend his life in the forest in meditation.Meanwhile, in his kingdom, Angi tormented his subjects and the kingdom grew very unhappy.One day, as Badsa sat in meditation, he heard an old woman sobbing loudly. When he asked what the matter was, she replied, “I have only one son and a demon has vowed to eat him tonight!”Disturbed by what he had just heard, Badsa offered to sacrifice himself to the demon.The old woman and her son tried to convince him to change his mind but the king was adamant to help her out.As per his plan, when the demon arrived later that night, Badsa offered himself. The demon did not think twice before quickly eating the king. Thus, the old woman’s son was saved.Here, Betal asked King Vikramaditya, “What do you think of the old king’s sacrifice?”King Vikramaditya thought for a moment and then replied, “There is no sacrifice here. This was not a selfless act by the king. He felt guilt for leaving his subjects at the hands of his unworthy son and offered himself to the demon in the hope of achieving moksha.Betal replied, “I think you are right in your judgement. But since you have spoken, I will fly back to my peepul tree.”Saying this, Betal flew away, leaving King Vikramaditya to draw his sword and chase him once more. Moral:Always be ready to take accountability of your actions.

This is a story of king, demon, salvation and Vikram Betal.Moral(s) of the story: sacrifice

King Badsa and His Son

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Once upon a time, there lived a rich Brahmin by the name of Vishnuswamin, who was performing a huge sacrificial rite. He had three sons and each was extremely particular about three specific things. The eldest was particular about food, the second about women and the third about beds.Vishsnuswamin wanted a tortoise for his sacrifice. So, he sent his three sons to get one. They did find one, but each of them refused to touch it and bring it back home, as each claimed to be as particular as the other.A fierce quarrel broke out amongst them and they approached the king and requested him to decide who among them was the most particular. The king decided to test them all. He invited the first one to a very special feast prepared very exquisitely. But the first son refused to touch the food claiming that he smelt burnt corpses in the rice. On investigation, the king found that the rice was procured from a field near a cremation ground. The king was truly impressed.He then decided to test the second son by sending an extremely beautiful woman to him. But the second son sent her away saying that she smelt like a goat. On investigation, the king found that she had been fed goat milk in her childhood. The king was impressed by the second’s son’s fine taste in women.Then he decided to test the third son, by letting him sleep in a bed with seven huge mattresses. In the middle of the night, the third son awoke with a lot of pain and a red bruise on his shoulder. It was found that there was a strand of hair in the bed below the seven mattresses.The king was extremely impressed by the sensitivity of the third son as well. He could not decide who amongst the three was best, but employed them in his court and decided to use the special skills of the young men in his own interest.Betaal then asked King Vikram, “Who among the three was the most particular? Vikram replied instantly, “The third son! The bruise on his shoulder was a definite evidence of his sensitivity, while the other two sons could have obtained information from elsewhere too.”As soon as Vikram had finished his answer, Betaal flew back to the tree.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.

The Three Special Brahmins

Once upon a time, there was a king named Vikramaditya who ruled over Ujjain, a prosperous city situated on the banks of the river Godavari. He was famous all over the world for his bravery, generosity and fair judgement.One day, a sage presented himself in the king’s court and gifted a fruit to him. Since, that day, it became a daily routine for him to come and gift a fruit to the king. The king never felt the need of asking the sage as to why he brought a fruit to him daily. He just handed over all the fruits that he received from the sage to his treasurer who used to throw them in a storage room. One day, instead of giving the fruit to his treasurer, the king offered that fruit to a monkey who was sitting on a tree. When the monkey dug his teeth into the fruit, a sparkling diamond fell out of the fruit.The king was extremely surprised, and asked his treasurer about the rest of the fruits. The treasurer took him to the store room and there when they crushed the rotten fruits, they found numerous precious diamonds hidden inside. The generous king decided to donate all the gems to the poor and needy.Next day, when the sage came to offer him the fruit, the king asked the sage the reason behind his gifting him such priceless gems. The king also asked him what he wanted from him in return. On hearing this, the sage requested the help of the king in conducting a ritual that he was going to perform. The sage asked the king to meet him at nightfall on the fourteenth night of the dark moon near the cremation ground.The sage was a sorcerer in reality. When the king reached the cremation ground, the sorcerer asked him to fetch a corpse, hanging from a tamarind tree in the nearby forest. The king agreed to bring the corpse from the forest, but when he tried to bring the corpse down, it flew back to the tree. The king did not take long to realise that the corpse was possessed by a ghost. The brave king did not get afraid, and was determined to fulfill his promise to the sage. He told the ghost about the promise that he had made to the sage and requested him to come along. Betaal consented to come with him on one condition that the king would not speak a single word all throughout the journey. The king promised to be silent, but clever Betaal had some other plans for him. As soon as he attempted to get him down from the tree and put him on his shoulders, he started to narrate a story. And at the end of every story, he compelled the king to answer his question, thus breaking his silence.Every time the king opened his mouth to say something, Betaal flew back to the tree. The king had to go back to the tree and start the ordeal of bringing him down all over again. This happened twenty four times. But the twenty fifth time, the king could not answer Betaal’s question. These twenty five stories are very famous in Indian literature, known as the Vikram-Betaal tales.Vikram was speechless at the end of 25th story as he could not get any satisfactory answer. So, Betaal was not able to escape this time. He cautioned the king that the so called sage, who was an evil sorcerer in reality, was actually planning to sacrifice the king to please some evil powers that he worshipped. He also told Vikram how to get rid of that evil man. The king killed the evil sorcerer in that manner. Before departing, Betaal asked the king to ask him for some boon. The king requested that the stories which were told to him, be told time and again in history.” Betaal granted his wish and vanished in thin air.

The Meeting Of Vikram And Betaal

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.As soon as king Vikram took his first step, Betaal started another one of his stories.Many years ago, King Chandradeep ruled over Kanchannagar. He had a beautiful daughter named Indumati. Being the only child, the princess was brought up like a boy, and given training in the use of weapons and warfare. The princes of many of the neighbouring kingdoms coveted to marry Indumati.When Indumati reached a marriageable age, her father started looking for a suitable bridegroom for her. Indumati put a condition before his father that she would only marry the suitor who would clear all the tests given by her. The king gladly agreed, but when he saw the list of the tests that Indumati had designed for the suitors, he was taken aback. All of the tests were extremely dangerous and hazardous. He said to the princess that no one would risk his life and appear for such difficult tests. But Indumati was adamant on having those tests for the suitors. She thought that the one who truly loved her, would certainly clear all the tests.And thus, a royal announcement about the princess wedding was made and the suitors would have to take certain tests. This announcement was made in all the neighbouring kingdoms as well.A young handicapped man named Kurupshana from Jayanagar heard it. His mother had died soon after his birth. His father had remarried and his stepmother despised him. She ill-treated him and called him good for nothing because of his handicap.Kurupshana decided to go to Kanchannagar. Many princes were gathered there to hear out the details of the tests. The king’s minister came and announced, “Dear all, as you know that you will only be eligible to win the hand of our princess if you clear all the tests that she has laid out for you.The first test is that you have to climb the twenty feet wall and jump down into the three-tiered cage of sharp knives. The important thing is, while doing so, you must not injure yourself. There should not be a single scratch on your body from the blades of the knives. Then only, you would be eligible for the next level.”When the suitors had a look at the high wall and the narrow space between the sharp knives, all of them retreated back to their seats. None of them dared even to make an attempt. It looked as though no suitor was willing to take the test. The king regretted that his daughter had not accepted his advice.Kurupshana was watching all this from his seat. He knew that everybody considered him to be a useless fellow, so even if he died while attempting the stunt, it would not be anybody’s loss. He walked up to King Chandradeep and expressed his desire to appear for the test. The king and the princess’ heart sank when they saw that an ugly and handicapped man was daring to attempt the stunt and wondered what they would do if he really managed to clear the test successfully. The king hesitantly granted permission to Kurupshana.Kurupshana went up the wall, took a good look at the tiers of knives and jumped down. He landed between the knives without getting even the slightest bruise on his body. He then walked towards the king and the princess and said “Your Majesty! Please do not worry. I may have cleared the test, but I do not wish to marry the princess. I only wanted to take the challenge and now I know that I have succeeded in doing what the others could not do. That in itself is a big reward and I can now face life.” He humbly bowed down before the king and left for home.Betaal ended his story and asked Vikramaditya “King! Don’t you think that Kurupshana behaved like a fool? If he had no intention of marrying the princess, why did he decide to undergo the test?” And after having succeeded in the test, why did he not want to marry her?Vikram replied, “Kurupshana was a handicapped young man. He was aware his handicap bothered his stepmother. He wished that she changed her opinion about him. He could now tell her that where people with no handicap had failed, he came out as a victor, despite his handicap. He did not undergo the test with the hope of marrying the princess.” King Vikram further added, “Kurupshana also knew that if he married her, he would one day have to take the reins of the kingdom. But as a ruler, he would not be able even hold a sword in his hand and protect his kingdom. So, it would not be a wise decision for him to marry her. That is why he politely declined to marry the princess. He was indeed a very wise person, not a fool.”Betaal knew that the king will definitely get the answer, so he flew back to the ancient tree carrying the corpse along with him. Vikramaditya drew his sword and went after Betaal. Moral:Be wise enough to prove your point but don’t be a fool and be overconfident.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.Moral(s) of the story: wisdom

Reward of life/true reward

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Once upon a time there lived a king named Chandrakant. He was very popular due to his valour and generous nature.One day, a guard, who was responsible for guarding the main entrance of the palace, came to him and told him, “His Majesty! You must alert our soldiers, as the enemy’s army might attack our country within a few days.” Chandrakant asked him how he could say that beforehand. The guard did not give a proper reply to that and said that it was just a hunch.After a few days, the neighbouring country did launch a massive attack on Chandrakant’s kingdom, but as his soldiers were alert, they were able to counter the attack. The enemies were vanquished and king Chandrakant was able to save his kingdom.Once the war was over, he decided to give a suitable reward to the guard for his accurate information. Next day, the guard was summoned in the court to receive his reward from the king. The king asked him once again that how he could predict so accurately that the enemies were going to attack the kingdom. The guard replied, “Sir I can see things which are going to happen in my dreams. One night, while I was doing my duty, I had a dream about the enemy army attacking us.” After hearing this, the king gave him one thousand gold coins. And then, suddenly he said to the guard in a firm tone, “You are dismissed from the post of the guard,” Everyone in the king’s court was surprised by the king’s decision, but no one dared to ask him why. The guard quietly accepted the king’s decision. He bowed down before the king and went away.After the story, Betaal asked Vikram, “Could you tell me, why the king dismissed the guard even when he had helped him to win against the enemy?Vikram answered, “Betaal, the duty of a guard is to take care of the palace’s gate. As the guard said, he had a dream during his duty, the king got the idea that he was sleeping on duty. So, although he helped him win against the enemy army, he forgot to do his duty. That is why the king dismissed him from the post of the guard.”As soon as Vikram finished his answer, Betaal flew back to the tamarind tree. Moral:Perform your duties and work with full dedication and then pay heed to other things around.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.Moral(s) of the story: dedication

 Reward for the Gatekeeper

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.King Jaipal had three queens. Each of them was very beautiful, sensitive, and delicate.One day, the first queen was wounded when a flower from her hair fell on her thigh. Another night, when the king and his second queen were spending time on the terrace, the moonlight burned her skin. The third queen was also no less. Once, she heard someone weeping in the next room, she turned pale and fainted.Betaal asked Vikram, “Tell me O Wise king! Which among the three queens is most sensitive?” Vikram replied, “The third queen was the most sensitive because in my opinion, those who are sensitive to the suffering of others are sensitive in the real sense of the word.” Betaal was very happy with the answer. He said, “No doubt, you are very intelligent! But, you always make the mistake of breaking your silence. Now, I must fly back to the tree. Goodbye!” Saying this, Betaal flew back to the tree. Moral:Be empathetic towards other and develop the skill of listening and understanding others.

This is a classic story from Vikram betal.Moral(s) of the story: empathy and understanding

The Three Sensitive Queens

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.The ruler of Kishanagar had an extremely beautiful daughter, named Sona. As she was the only child, she enjoyed a lot of freedom. She was intelligent, well read and skilled in the use of weapons. When she reached a marriageable age, the king started looking for a suitable partner for her. The princess coveted to marry a man more skilled than her in every respect. So, she asked her father to make an announcement that she would marry only the person who would be able to defeat her in a fight. The king was very proud to hear his daughter’s views and made announcements in every state, inviting princes to his kingdom.Thinking that it would be very easy to defeat a young woman, many fighters and princes from all over the country came to take the challenge, but none could succeed. As the princess was taking on the suitors one after another, among them was Uday Varma, the prince of Ayodhyapuri. He watched the fight every day, by joining the crowd. He carefully observed her way of fighting. Within a few days, Uday Varma learnt all her strategies, and was fully prepared to fight her and as anticipated it did not take him long to defeat the princess.Uday Varma proudly told the king and the queen that he was able to defeat the princess by closely observing her fighting strategies. On hearing this, the princess suddenly said, “Dear prince, I know that you have defeated me, but I cannot marry you.”The king was surprised by his daughter’s decision and asked her the reason for the refusal. The princess turned towards Uday Varma and asked whether he knew the reason or not. Uday Varma thought for a while and said, “Yes you are right! We cannot get married.” Saying so, he walked away from there.The king and queen were surprised to see Uday Varma accepting Sona’s decision without any argument. They were unable to understand the whole situation.Betaal thus concluded the story and asked King Vikramaditya, “Why did Uday Varma quietly accept the decision of the princess? Tell me Vikram, if you do not speak even if you know the answer, your head will split into pieces.”Vikram replied “Uday Varma had learnt the art of warfare from Sona, just as a student learns it from his teacher. Both of them agreed not to marry each other because they understood that in Bhartiya sanskriti, it is immoral for a teacher to marry his or her student.”Vikram had rightly answered Betaal’s question. Since he had spoken again, Betaal flew back to the tree. Vikram with his sword in his hand, went after the Betaal once again. Moral:Live by your morals throughout your life.

A Promise Not Kept

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.Betal began another story, as he was being carried upon King Vikramaditya’s shoulders.A long time ago, there was a beautiful and intelligent princess named Chandralekha. Many suitors came to offer proposals of marriage to her. She always declined, saying, “My husband should be strong, courageous and talented.”One day, a prince named Virendra came to propose to Chandralekha. He said, “I can tell the fortune of people and have never been proven wrong.”Chandralekha offered him a chamber in the palace to stay in while she made her decision.The next day, Prince Udaivir arrived, wanting to have her hand in marriage. “I have a chariot which can run on land as well as in the sky,” said the prince, hoping to impress her.He too was offered a chamber in the palace to wait.The third day, Prince Dhananjay came to ask for Chandralekha’s hand in marriage. He boasted, “I am an unparalleled warrior. No one can destroy me!”Chandralekha asked him to wait while she chose between the three.The next morning, Chandralekha’s mother was horrified to find her daughter was missing. Scared for her well-being, she called upon the three princes to help find the princess.Prince Virendra closed his eyes for a moment and then said, “As a fortune teller, I can see that the princess has been kidnapped by a giant who wants to marry her.”Next, Prince Udaivir said, “My chariot is the fastest, we can rush to save the princess!” With that, the three princes, rode off in the chariot.Upon reaching the giant’s lair, Prince Dhananjay took out his sword, fought the giant bravely and won.Chandralekha was returned safely to her mother and the kingdom was at peace.“So tell me King Vikramaditya,” said Betal. “Who should the princess choose as her groom?”King Vikramaditya thought and then said, “Prince Dhananjay deserves to be the groom. Even though Prince Virendra foretold where the princess would be and Prince Udaivir used his chariot to take them there, Prince Dhananjay defeated the giant. Without his strength, the giant would have eaten them all!”Betal looked at the king and said, “Right you are, my king. But you have opened your mouth to speak and so I must fly away, back to my tree!” With that, Betal was chased once more by King Vikramaditya. Moral:It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

This is a story of king, prince, princess and Vikram Betal.Moral(s) of the story: bravery and strength

Princess Chandralekha

King Vikram was given the duty of bringing Betal to a tantric. Betal traditionally means ‘evil spirit’. Each time Vikram tried to capture Betal, it told him a story that ended with a riddle. If Vikram could not answer the question correctly, Betal agreed to remain in captivity. But, if the king knew the answer and still kept quiet, his head would burst into a thousand pieces. And if King Vikram spoke, Betal would escape and return to his tree.The King of Adhak tried to help all his subjects to the best of his abilities. One day, an old man came to his court with his two blind sons.“O mighty King, I feel my two sons will be a great help to you in your court. Though they are blind, they are gifted with their other senses. One son is an expert judge of horses, while the other can test any kind of jewel for you.”The King was intrigued and agreed to employ the two young men in his court. A week later, a horse seller came to the court to sell to the King a horse he claimed was very well-behaved. The blind son came forward and began to smell the horse, much to the confusion of the court. When he finished, he said, “This horse will throw off any rider who is not his owner. I sense it.”When a rider from the King’s stables tried to ride the horse, it threw him off and galloped away. The horse seller left the court, feeling ashamed.A few days later, a jeweller came to the court of the King, bringing him the largest diamond the court had ever seen. The second son was called to examine the jewel and took it in his hands. Soon after he had touched it, he dissuaded the King from buying it, saying, “Your Majesty, the jewel has been inauspicious for those who have worn it previously and if you buy it, it could prove dangerous to your well-being.”And with that, the King asked the jeweler to leave his court. News arrived later that a King from the neighbouring kingdom had bought the diamond and fallen gravely ill soon after.The old man returned months later to visit his sons. While he was in court, the King asked him, “I have seen the skills of both your sons, but what is your skill?”The old man replied, “I can tell the reality of a man and yours is that you are the son of a thief.”The King was enraged that the old man had exposed his truth and he and his two sons were banished from his court.Betal then asked King Vikramaditya, “Who was to blame for the banishment of the three men?”King Vikramaditya replied, “It was the King. Though he was offended by the words of the old man, he should have remembered that it is not his roots that defined him, but who he is today.”Hearing those words, Betal flew back to his peepal tree. Moral:It is never too late to change for the good. Do not let your past define you. Develop good and just moral values to live a better life.

vikram betal stories

Stories help in improving a child's imagination. Here are a few interesting ones for you to narrate to your child.