This is why he laughed…

Read the previous part here…

“So tell me, o King, why did the boy laugh when his death was imminent?”

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

Illustration by the renowned Karatholuvu Chandrasekaran Shivashankaran

इति वेतालतः श्रुत्वा स राजा प्रत्युवाच तम् ।
शृणु यो ऽभूद् अभिप्रायो हासे तस्य शिशोस् तदा ॥ १२,२७.१२९ ॥

यो नाम दुर्बलो जन्तुः स भये प्रत्युपस्थिते ।
क्रन्दति प्राणहेतोः स्वं पितरं मातरं तथा ॥ १२,२७.१३० ॥

तद्व्यपाये च राजानम् आर्तत्राणाय निर्मितम् ।
तदलाभे ऽपि यद्य् अत्र यथासंभवि दैवतम् ॥ १२,२७.१३१ ॥

तस्य त्व् एकस्थम् अप्य् एतत् सर्वं संजातम् अन्यथा ।
पितृभ्यां हस्तपादं हि रुद्धं तस्यार्थतृष्णया ॥ १२,२७.१३२ ॥

राजा च त्रातुम् आत्मानं स्वयं तं हन्तुम् उद्यतः ।
दैवतं तत्र यद् ब्रह्मरक्षस् तत् तस्य भक्षकम् ॥ १२,२७.१३३ ॥

अध्रुवस्यान्तविरसस्याधिव्याधिक्षतस्य च ।
देहस्यार्थे विमूढानां तेषाम् ईदृग् विडम्बना ॥ १२,२७.१३४ ॥

ब्रह्मेन्द्रविष्णुरुद्राद्या यत्रावश्यं विनाशिनः ।
तत्रैषाम् ईदृशी कापि शरीरस्थैर्यवासना ॥ १२,२७.१३५ ॥

एतत् तन् मोहवैचित्र्यं दृष्ट्वा मत्वा च वाञ्छितम् ।
सिद्धम् आश्चर्यहर्षाभ्यां स जहास द्विजार्भकः ॥ १२,२७.१३६ ॥

इत्य् उक्त्वा विरतस्य तस्य नृपतेर् अंसात् स भूयो ऽपि तद्
वेतालो झगिति स्वकं पदम् अगाद् अन्तर्हितो मायया ।
राजा सो ऽप्य् अविकल्पम् एव पुनर् अप्य् अन्वग् ययौ तं जवाद्

King Vikram replied…

“I will tell you the reason behind the child’s laughter in the face of death.”

“It is well-known that a weak person, when confronted by danger or fear, seeks the refuge of it’s father and mother in order to save it’s life.”

“And if the parents are not alive, then it seeks the protection of the king, whose primary duty is to save the lives of his subjects…”

“And if the king is also not present, it calls on it’s kula-devata (God) for protection.”

“In the peculiar case of this child, everyone was present, yet they acted in a manner exactly opposite of what was expected of them.”

“The child’s own parents held his hands and legs, out of greed for money, and the king was ready to kill him to save his own life.”

“And the BrahmaRākshasa, whose duty it was to protect the innocent, was himself ready to devour the child.”

“And so the child thought to himself – To think that such people should be deluded in this manner, led astray for the sake of a perishable body, one that will not survive beyond a few years. In other words, they have to die one day or the other.”

“So why should they have such a deep longing for such a body, despite knowing the fact of nature that even Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva have to perish…and such is the longing that they are willing to kill others for it!”

“And so the boy laughed out loud, filled with surprise, and joy knowing that he had achieved his objectives, and wonder at beholding the strangeness of their delusions.”

As the king uttered these words, the Vetāla flew off his shoulder, laughing. And King Vikram once more started to walk towards the banyan tree, determined to fetch him.

For…

अक्षोभ्यं हृदयं बतेह महताम् अम्भोनिधीनाम् इव ॥ १२,२७.१३७ ॥

The hearts of great men, like the deep seas, are firm and unshaken.

to be continued…