The Sage Hariswami & The Poison in the Alms Bowl
एकादश बेताल: हरिस्यामी और दान के भोजन में विष
The Eleventh Retrieval & The Starving Pilgrim
ग्यारहवीं चढ़ाई और क्षुधातुर विप्र हरिस्यामी
For the eleventh time, Emperor Vikramaditya climbed the ominous Shinshapa tree amidst the ghastly cremation grounds, brought down the spectral corpse, and hoisted it onto his shoulder in resolute silence.
O King! Your resolve is as unyielding as Mount Meru! To ease your nocturnal journey, listen to the deepest moral riddle of Karma, destiny, and the true nature of sin!
In the ancient city of Padmavati lived Hariswami, a scholar of pure heart and noble conduct. Ruined by a sudden turn of cruel fate, he set out on foot under the blistering sun, seeking sustenance through humble alms.
Weakened by days of fasting beneath the relentless summer heat, Hariswami collapsed upon the threshold of a village home, his throat parched and breath faltering.
O Lord... Is there a pious soul within this dwelling? Grant this dying traveler a sip of water and a morsel of food to preserve his breath...
The mistress of the house, a virtuous and deeply pious Brahmin lady, opened the door. Seeing the collapsed guest at her doorstep, her heart swelled with boundless compassion and sacred hospitality.
Take comfort, noble sage! A guest at our threshold is Narayana Himself. Wash your hands and face; I shall instantly prepare fresh sweet kheer for your nourishment!
The Fatal Gift & The Shadow Above
अमृतमयी खीर और आकाश का काल
The noble lady prepared a rich, steaming bowl of sweet rice pudding with pure cow's milk and fragrant spices, placing it upon a clean stone altar in the open courtyard to cool.
At that very instant, high in the heavens, a mighty eagle soared across the sky, clutching a writhing, deadly black cobra in its razor-sharp talons on its way to feed its brood.
Writhing in agonizing torment within the predator's crushing grip, the dying serpent gasped for breath, involuntarily spewing droplets of virulent venom from its bared fangs.
By the cruel whims of unseen fate, that deadly droplet plummeted from the sky directly into the bowl of cooling kheer, dissolving invisibly into the milk, unknown to any mortal soul!
The Fatal Feast & The Tragic Collapse
प्राणघाती भोजन और आकस्मिक मृत्यु
Refreshed and deeply grateful, Hariswami sat before the feast, offering prayers to the deities and blessing the generous household before savoring the delicious offering.
May the giver of food be blessed eternally! Noble lady, this nectar-like kheer breathes new life into my weary body!
Yet no sooner had he swallowed the first few mouthfuls than the serpent's lethal venom surged through his bloodstream. His veins turned dark indigo and his chest locked in suffocating agony.
Ahhh... What raging fire burns through my throat... My breath... O Narayana!
Within moments, writhing on the hard stone floor, the pious scholar Hariswami breathed his last. The food given as life-saving nectar had turned into fatal poison!
Returning with a pitcher of fresh water, the hostess was paralyzed with horror upon seeing the lifeless corpse. She collapsed beside him, weeping and screaming in sheer bewilderment.
O Heavens! What terrible catastrophe is this! I served him food as an offering to God Himself—how has this calamity struck my innocent roof?!
The Mob
भीड़ का अंधा आक्रोश और कलंक का प्रहार
Drawn by her wails, a furious crowd of neighbors and self-righteous elders stormed the courtyard. Seeing the dead Brahmin, they instantly heaped venomous accusations of deliberate murder upon the innocent woman.
Wicked murderer! You fed deadly poison to a starving, saintly Brahmin! You have committed the unforgivable mortal sin of Brahma-hatya!
The helpless woman wept and pleaded her innocence before the crowd, but the blind and judgmental mob refused to hear a single word, branding her an evil killer of sages.
I swear by Almighty God! I gave no poison! I served pure kheer in utmost devotion! Do not brand me with this false, crushing slander!
Cast out by her own community and stripped of her honor, the pious woman was exiled into the desolate wilderness, sobbing in anguish over the cruel injustice of the world.
A bizarre chain of unintended events had ensnared four souls in the tangled web of fate—the charitable woman, the predatory bird, the agonized snake, and the famished sage!
The Cosmic Web of Karma & The Insoluble Dilemma
कर्म की गूढ़ पहेली और धर्मसंकट
The laws of nature operate by instinct—the eagle hunted purely for survival, while the snake expelled venom involuntarily in the throes of mortal pain. Neither harbored malice toward any man.
Meanwhile, the self-righteous crowd congratulated themselves on upholding morality, having condemned an innocent, charitable soul without a shred of inquiry or truth.
Amidst the ghastly cremation ground, striding past burning funeral pyres, Betal concluded this poignant tale and leaned toward the Emperor's ear.
Betal grinned maliciously, his glowing eyes fixed on the King, preparing to pose the ultimate test of jurisprudence and moral philosophy.
Now speak, O King! Upon whose head does the monstrous mortal sin of this Brahmin's death fall?!
The Riddle, The Verdict, & The Flight
बेताल का प्रश्न, विक्रम का निर्णय और पलायन
Betal issued his customary lethal ultimatum to the silent Emperor.
Does the sin belong to the hostess who served the meal? To the eagle that caught the snake? Or to the snake that spat the venom? Answer truthfully, O King, or your skull shatters into a hundred fragments!
Emperor Vikramaditya declared with unshakeable authority: 'According to sacred Dharma and justice, the essence of sin lies solely in conscious malice and evil intent (Sankalpa)!'
The charitable hostess acted purely out of noble hospitality—she is entirely sinless. The eagle acted purely upon natural predator instinct, bearing no guilt. The dying snake expelled venom purely from reflex in mortal agony, without malice. None of these three bears the sin of Brahma-hatya! The entire crushing weight of that mortal sin falls upon those reckless, self-righteous villagers who falsely accused and persecuted an innocent, pious woman! He who falsely casts slander upon an innocent soul inherits the full karma of that sin!
The flawless declaration of truth shattered the King's solemn vow of silence! With a thunderous cackle that shook the cemetery, Betal dissolved into mist and soared back to the Shinshapa tree.
Matchless justice, O King! The slanderous accusers are indeed the true sinners! But your vow of silence is broken—and I fly! Khehehehe!
Under the ink-black canopy of the moonless Amavasya night, undaunted by the horrors of the cremation grounds, Emperor Vikramaditya drew his gleaming blade and strode back toward the ancient tree to recapture the ghost.
Flee as you will, Betal! You may slip from my shoulder, but never from a king's unbending resolve! I shall capture you once more!