Story 2 : The 3 Travellers

King Vikram climbs the tree again to fulfil his vow to the muni. There he wrestles with the betal and finally succeeds in binding the betal onto his back and starts the long trek back. And the betal, true to himself, starts off with a story and the usual warnings to the king.

O King of kings, in the village of Brahmachakram, there lived a brahmin whose daughter Chinni was the most beautiful of all the fair damsels to walk the earth in that land. 

One fine day, 3 travellers, chanced upon the small village, while on their tour of India and decided to take some rest in that beautiful, peaceful village before they continue their journey. All 3 of them were well educated, well travelled and well mannered. Each had special skills and they were travelling all over India in the search of knowledge and wealth. Little did they know when they stepped in to the small village would their determination to amass knowledge be shaken to the core and their life change forever.

While roaming the local market the next day, all 3 of them happen to come across Chinni and are smitten. Love struck as they were, they do not share that between themselves, as each is aware of the beauty of Chinii and are very sure that the others would be extremely jealous. Each makes his own plan to get Chinni’s hand in marriage.

One of them meet up with Chinn’s father and asks for her hand in marriage. While the father is initially hesitant as the person is a stranger, the traveller convinces the father of his extraordinary knowledge and his wealth and assures that he will take care of Chinni better than the father himself. The father is thus convinced and assures that he will give Chinni’s hand in marriage to the traveller.

The same story takes place with the other 2 travellers as well, however, one with the mother and other with the brother. Each assuring the two travellers Chinni’s hand in marriage to the respective traveller.

All 3 traveller now start making their own plans for their future with Chinni. And instead of travelling on to other frontiers in India, stay back in the small village for some more time.

It is at this time that fate plays a cruel hand. A plague attacks the village and many of the villagers lay prey to the plague. And one of the victim is the beautiful Chinni.

The father, mother and brother are struck with grief and take Chinni’s body to the graveyard where the body is laid down on funeral pyre and set ablaze. 

The 3 travellers, also hearing this, rush to the graveyard. One of them, unable to bear the loss, sits next to the burning pyre and refuses to leave. The second, takes some of the bones and heads toward to the holy river Ganga to immerse, as is the practise of Hindus in India. The third traveller, losing all faith in god, continues his way in to hitherto unheard of places in India seeking alms.

One fine day, the third traveller, reaches a small hamlet and seeks out a house and asks for alms. The lady of the house comes out and “O traveller, i would be great pleasure and privilege to feed such a noble and learned one. Please bear with me as I prepare the food and be seated in the porch.”

While he waits for the food that is being cooked, he notices that there is a child in the house and that it is very naughty. The child keeps disturbing the mother in the kitchen repeatedly. The mother, at first, is very patient with the child and gently chides the child away from the kitchen. But, when the same behaviour persists, the mother loses her patience and holds the small child by it’s leg and pushes the body in to the burning wood, which cooks the food.

The traveller is aghast and petrified. He does not know how to react or what to do. “What sort of a demon mother would throw a child in to the fire and then cook on the same. I will not eat in this house and have to report the matter to the head of the hamlet.” Thinking this, he steps out of the porch.

The mother, at the same time steps out on to the porch with food in hand. “ O noble traveller, where are you going. The food is prepared and we, in the house will only eat once you consume the food. So please be seated and taste the food.”

The traveller, shocked at the way the mother is talking about food “Lady, I am shocked at your behaviour and do not even want to call you a lady. Who, in their proper sense would kill their child, any child, and cook food with the same hands.? Of all the paap(karma resulting out of bad deeds), sisu(child) paap is the greatest and I will not eat food in the house where the lady of the house had just killed a child.”

The mother, now understanding the hesitation of the traveller, goes ahead to explain thus; “ O noble traveller, what you saw is indeed true. I did throw that child in to the fire. And yes, it is my only child. However, I will bring the child back to life in a few minutes.” Saying this, the mother enters the kitchen and utters a mantra and the child runs out of the burning wood alive and well.

The traveller is visibly shaken “O mother of the child that died a few minutes ago in front of my eyes. What magic is this?”. The mother explains “O traveller, a great magician once explained the sanjeevani mantra to me and this mantra will bring back anyone from dead.”

The traveller, immediately remembers Chinni and persuades the mother to recite the mantra to him, which she does.

The traveller, now armed with the knowledge of the sanjeevani mantra, rushes to the village where Chinni used to live. There he finds the first traveller, still sitting next to the funeral pyre of Chinni and grieving her. The second traveller, who had gone to Ganga had also returned.

All three travellers discuss amongst themselves and the third explains the secret of the sanjeevani mantra. The first one and the second then lay the remains and the ashes in the shape of the body and the third chants the mantra. Lo and behold, Chinni raises from the ash.

Chinni, her mother, father and brother are more than happy at being able to reunite.

“Now o King of Kings, riddle me this, of the three travellers, who has the right to Chinni’s hand in marriage?, asked the betal.

Vikram responds ; “ The one who took the remains to Ganga has in essence performed the act of an offspring and hence is like a son. The one who gave life to her, in essence is like a father. The one who was waiting beside the dead body in the burial ground is like a husband and hence he is the only one who is eligible for Chinni’s hand in marriage.”

“Extremely correct O king”, says the beta and takes off Vikram’s shoulders and back on to the tree.