The worst mistake of all…

Read the previous part here…

“And when the flesh of any animal has been included on a piece of bone, I can produce the skin and hair of that animal on it.”

The third said…

“And when the hair and flesh and skin have been produced, I can create the limbs of that very animal…”

Illustration by the renowned Karatholuvu Chandrasekaran Shivashankaran

चतुर्थश् च ततो ऽवादीद् उत्पन्नावयवाकृतिम् ।
तम् एव प्राणिनं प्रानैर् युक्तं कर्तुम् अवैम्य् अहम् ॥ १२,२९.३५ ॥

एवम् उक्त्वा मिथः स्वस्वविज्ञानप्रथनाय ते ।
चत्वारो ऽप्य् अस्थिखण्डाय प्रययुर् भ्रातरो ऽटवीम् ॥ १२,२९.३६ ॥

तत्र सिंहस्य ते प्रापुर् अस्थिखण्डं विधेर् वशात् ।
अविज्ञातविशेषाश् च गृह्नन्ति स्म तथैव तत् ॥ १२,२९.३७ ॥

एकश् च तत् समुचितैस् ततो मांसैर् अयोजयत् ।
द्वितीयो ऽजनयत् तस्य तद्वत् त्वग्लोमसंहतीः ॥ १२,२९.३८ ॥

तृतीयश् चाखिलैर् अङ्गैस् तद्योग्यैस् तद् अपूरयत् ।
चतुर्थश् च ददौ तस्य सिंहीभूतस्य जीवितम् ॥ १२,२९.३९ ॥

उदतिष्ठद् अथोद्धूतसटाभारो ऽतिभैरवः ।
स दंष्ट्रासंकटमुखः सिंहः खरनखाङ्कुशः ॥ १२,२९.४० ॥

धावित्वा च स्वनिर्मातॄंस् तान् एव चतुरो ऽपि सः ।
अवधीत् केसरी तृप्तो विवेश च वनं ततः ॥ १२,२९.४१ ॥

एवं ते सिंहनिर्माणदोषान् नष्टा द्विजातयः ।
दुष्टं हि जन्तुम् उत्थाप्य कस्यात्मनि सुखं भवेत् ॥ १२,२९.४२ ॥

And the fourth said…

“When the animal has limbs, I have learnt the art of bringing it to life…”

When they had said this to one another, the brothers ventured into the forest, eager to find a bone on which they can test their skills.

It so happened that they found a bone of a dead lion. They picked it up gleefully, unaware of the animal that it belonged to.

The first produced flesh and blood on that animal, and the second produced the skin and hair on it.

The third endowed it with all it’s limbs, and they beheld the lion that they had just created.

The fourth then gave it life.

Up rose a ferocious lion, with a dense shaggy mane, sharp teeth and large hooked claws at the end of it’s huge paws.

In an instant, it pounced upon it’s makers, and killed them all on the spot. The lion then ran into the forest, glad at it’s newly-found life.

And in this manner, the four brothers perished after giving life to a lion…for who would derive joy by making alive a ferocious animal?

इत्थं चोपार्जितो यत्नाद् गुणो ऽपि विधुरे विधौ ।
संपत्तये न न परं जायते तु विपत्तये ॥ १२,२९.४३ ॥

मूले ह्य् अविकृते दैवे सिक्ते प्रज्ञानवारिणा ।
नयालवालः फलति प्रायः पौरुषपादपः ॥ १२,२९.४४ ॥

If fate is against you, all the skills that you acquire, even with great difficulty and effort, do not bring forth prosperity, but only result in destruction.

And if fate is supportive, the tree of effort (पौरुष) that is tended to by the water of learning (प्रज्ना), and is surrounded by a base of morality (नय)…always yields fruit.


इति तस्यां निशि मार्गे वेतालेनांसतः कथां तेन ।
आख्याय स त्रिविक्रमसेनो राजा पुनर् जगदे ॥ १२,२९.४५ ॥

राजंस् तेष्व् अपराध्यति चतुर्षु कस् तत्र सिंहनिर्माणे ।
यन् न्यवधीत् तत्कॢप्तो वद समयः सो ऽत्र पूर्वस् ते ॥ १२,२९.४६ ॥

The Vetāla finished his story, and then addressed King Vikram and said…

“So tell me, o King, who among the four was guilty of bringing the lion to life? Who made the worst mistake of all?

Remember, if you know the answer, and don’t tell me the truth, your head will burst into a hundred pieces!

King Vikram replied…

to be continued…