VetālPanchavimshati

The finale…

Read the previous part here… “Oh mighty king! The sovereignty of the Vidyādharas,which was desired by the evil ShāntiShila, is now yours, once your life on this earth has come to an end. I have annoyed you a lot, but you kept your patience. I am pleased – ask me for any boon that you …

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The king is triumphant…

Read the previous part here… “To think that you would take up this task at such a desolate place, in the dead of the night!” “It is indeed true, that you are the king of kings, a man of unparalleled courage. You put the interests of others before your own interests. This is indeed the …

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The conclusion…

Read the previous part here… “So, when he asks you to perform the ashtānga-namaskarā, you should reply – “I don’t know this method. Please demonstrate it for me, and I will then do it.” “He will then prostrate on the ground to show you the correct method of the namaskarā, and that is when you …

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The plan…

Read the previous part here… The Vetāla understood that he had finally puzzled the king, and so he laughed to himself, and thought… “The king does not know this answer! If he did, he would surely tell me, since my curse is very powerful.” “I should stop deceiving this valorous king now, and deceive that …

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The twist…

Read the previous part here… “So tell me, o King, about the children who were born in the course of time to the mother and daughter by the son and the father…what relationship did they bear to one another?” “Remember, if you know the answer, and don’t tell me the truth, your head will burst …

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Will King Vikram reply?

Read the previous part here… “My mind is tortured at the thought of your feet, that deserve to walk on flowers, walking on thorns instead. It seems strange that the dust raised by the wind and falling on your faces, makes us pale instead, and the fury of the fierce sun, that falls on your …

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Of convincing and relenting…

Read the previous part here… “Father, don’t speak this way. A man’s house is empty, without a wife. Have you not heard what Mūladeva said? When there is no woman waiting for you eagerly when you return home, you don’t have a house – it is in reality a prison, just that the chains are …

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Of wives and promises…

Read the previous part here… This village was the abode of thieves, people who robbed even their own neighbors of life and property…there was not one virtuous person there. They spotted the king from a distance, clad in his fine clothes and ornaments, and many Śavaras (thieves), armed with weapons, rushed towards him. King Dharma …

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Of cross-connections…

Read the previous part here… “At first he cried because he was sad that he had to abandon his body, one that had grown with him in his many years on earth, one that his parents had fondled when he was a child, and one that he had used during tapasyā to obtain many siddhis…” …

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Crying, and dancing…

Read the previous part here… “So tell me, o King, why did the sanyāsi first weep before entering the young man’s body? And then why did he dance? I am very curious to know the answer…” “Remember, if you know the answer, and don’t tell me the truth, your head will burst into a hundred …

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