RAJASIMHA
It is another story narrated by Betal. Amaravati was ruled by Rajasimha, a pi King. He was looking after his subjects very well. Every day he was receiving com plaints if any from the people and solving their problems.
One day an old man with his two children approached the King. The children were blind. "O king! I am in need of five hundred gold coins. I request you to give them as loan. I shall return them in six months. I shall leave my children here. They are intelligent. You may take any service from them" the old man said.
The king felt that it would be of no use to keep the blind boys. He told the old man the same. But the old man said that they should not be treated so. One of them, the elder has a better knowledge of horses and the other, the young, is an expert in examining jewels.
"How is it possible? They are already blind" Rajasimha asked.
"O king! They decide by touch and knowing the smell. If you come to know that their decisions are wrong, you may cut off their heads. After I return you may punish me also" the old man replied.
The king agreed and sent him giving five hundred gold coins.
The brothers who were blind were kept in the palace to serve the king.
Once a horse merchant arrived at the pal ace and showed the king a horse of good breed. The horse was running fast. Rajasimha was pleased to buy the horse. But he wanted it to be examined by the elder brother. He summoned him and asked him to tell whether the horse is good one. The merchant laughed at the king.
"O king! can a blind tell about a horse?" he asked. The king told him to wait and see
The blind boy touched the legs of the horse and also examined the smell. The horse mer chant was angry.
"Is this the way to examine a horse?" he blamed the blind.
"O king! Do not buy this horse. You can not ride on it" the blind boy said. The horse merchant lost patience. He told the King to examine the horse. The king summoned a good soldier who was good at horse riding. The soldier rode on the horse. But the horse threw him to a distance. The merchant was astonished. He said that his horse does not behave like this with him.
"Yes yes. The horse do not give any trouble to you. Not only to you. The horse do not harm any cowherd. Did you leave that job?" the blind asked.
The merchant was surprised. "How is that you were capable of identifying me that I am a cowherd?" he asked.
"The horse was born in your house. Even the parents of the horse are with you. You have fed this horse buffalo milk. These points have come to light by the smell of its body" the blind replied. The horse merchant was helpless and returned. Rajasimha was happy.
In a few days a Jeweller approached the king and showed him the pearls he had brought. The king picked up one big pearl and showed it to the younger brother. He asked him to examine it. The young boy rubbed the pearl is and said, "O king! the pearl invaluable. But it is not good to buy. Because it is not sacred. Whoever has this pearl with him, his family would vanish. It has already killed the brother of this jeweller." The Jew eller asked excuse for his mistake and left Amaravati.
After six months the old man returned to Amaravati and gave.Rajasimha five hundred gold coins he had taken. He asked the king to send his children with him. "O man! your sons are intelligent. But what speciality you have. Please tell me" the king asked.
"O king! I can tell about a person, the facts" the old man replied.
"Is it so? then what you have understood about me?" the king asked.
"You are the son of a butcher" he told the fact.
The king got angry and ordered his ser vants to cut off the heads of the old man and his children. Immediately the order was fol lowed.
Betal who narrated the story asked Vikram to tell whether the king has done any crime in killing the three.
"Betal! why not? the king didn't hesitate to kill them. Each one will have the nature of their parents in their blood. It is inherited. The king was really the son of a butcher. But the blame goes to the old man. He said the truth without thinking what would happen. He be came a victim. He was the cause for his death and his children's death" replied Vikram.
Betal glided back to the tree as Vikram spoke.
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