REWARD OF LIFE IS

TRUE REWARD
King Vikram was on his mission to
get Betaal for the sage seeking occult
powers. It was a dark moonless night
and it was raining intermittently. The
only source of light was sporadic
flashes of lightning. Making the
atmosphere more eerie, were the
howls of jackals. King Vikram was
unmindful of his surroundings and
focused only on his aim of carrying
out the sages wish. He mounted
Betaal on his shoulders and started
walking towards the cremation
ground, where the sage was waiting
for him. As soon as king Vikram took

his first step, Betaal started another

one of his stories.
The story was like this: 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 only 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 illtreated 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 kings 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 thought as it
everybody considered him to be a
useless fellow,so even if he dies

while attempting the stunt, it would

not be anybodys 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 His 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! Dont 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.