part 8

Emperor Vikramaditya said, "O Jyotipunj, O lamp, companion of the night! I want to talk to you. Answer me if necessary. The night is long, and I wish to tell a story. At the end of the story, I will ask you a question; you must answer it."

Queen Leelavati began to think—wisdom in beauty is not always necessary. This man appears handsome and intelligent, yet he wishes to speak to an inanimate lamp and even expects an answer. Is there no limit to foolishness? Can a lifeless object even speak?

Vikram said, "O guardian of the night, are you ready to listen to my story and answer my question?"

The lamp's flame flickered, and a voice was heard, "O foreign traveler! I must stay awake throughout the night, for until the guardian of light, the Sun, rises in the eastern sky, I must battle darkness. I am a descendant of light. When the Sun retires beyond the horizon, I remain awake. In this world, both the vast and the small hold importance.

For countless ages, I have remained awake every night, spreading my light, yet I have never been able to dispel the darkness beneath myself. Throughout my existence, you are the first person who wishes to stay awake with me and ease my loneliness. I am grateful to you. Please tell your story."

Everyone was stunned to hear the lamp's reply. The princess looked alternately at the man and the lamp with curiosity. She could not understand how the lamp was speaking the language of humans.

Vikramaditya said, "Listen to the story."

The lamp's flame flickered and said, "Tell it."

There once lived a wealthy merchant named Shridhar in the city of Pratishthapur. His son was named Kamadev.

When Kamadev grew up, he married Chandranayani, the beautiful daughter of a merchant from a nearby town. After marriage, Chandranayani went to her parental home and never returned to her husband's house. Every time Kamadev went to bring her back, her father would say, "She is my only daughter, dearer to me than life itself. I cannot send her yet." Kamadev would return disappointed.

Rumors began to spread in the city. Some said that Shridhar's family mistreated Chandranayani, so she refused to return. Others whispered, "Why would she go back? Her husband is impotent."

Shridhar, being a respectable and wealthy man, one day called his son Kamadev and said, "Son, bring Chandranayani back. If her father refuses again, give him a final answer—tell him we will never come to take her again."

Kamadev set off in his chariot to bring Chandranayani home. On the way, he stopped at a goddess's temple. He stepped inside, bowed before the goddess, and prayed, "O Mother! If my father-in-law sends my wife with me, I vow to offer my head to you instead of a coconut."

After making this pledge, Kamadev reached his in-laws' house. Seeing his determined stance, Chandranayani's father realized that refusing to send her would cause irreparable damage and permanently sever ties. A daughter ultimately belongs to another home—how long could he keep her? Finally, he bid her farewell.

On their way back, they once again passed by the goddess's temple. Kamadev remembered his vow. He told the charioteer, "Stop the chariot. I must visit the goddess's temple. Wait here for me."

Kamadev entered the temple, bowed with devotion, and thought—death is inevitable; why should I fear fulfilling my vow? Resolute, he drew his sword, and before the goddess's idol, he severed his own head. The temple floor was drenched in blood.

Meanwhile, the charioteer and Chandranayani waited for Kamadev to return, but he did not.

Chandranayani said, "Charioteer! He has not returned yet. Go and see what has happened."

The charioteer hesitated, "Mistress! The master will return soon. How can I leave you alone and unprotected in this desolate forest? If I go, he will be angry."

Both continued to wait. When Kamadev still did not return, Chandranayani commanded, "Charioteer, I order you—go to the goddess's temple and bring my husband back immediately!"

The charioteer replied, "I obey your command."

He went to the temple and was horrified. Kamadev's head and body lay separate, and the altar was soaked in blood. The charioteer trembled with fear—his master had been murdered!

He thought, "This desolate forest shows no signs of human presence. I will be blamed for this crime. If I am accused of my master's murder, I will be sentenced to death, disgraced forever. And Chandranayani will be deemed impure. What should I do? There is no way out!"

Panicked, he took Kamadev's sword and, in despair, severed his own head, offering it to the goddess.

—To be continued—