Boon to Undeserving...

The resolute King Vikramaditya climbed the primeval tree and brought down the cadaver into which Bhethala invoked. No sooner, the King started his journey carrying the corpse on his shoulder the Bhethala in the dead body started speaking to him. Hey King of Kings! Vikramaditya! To ease your journey, I will narrate you a story.

The Bhethala started

Chakradhara, a young man once lived in Srichakra Puram of a kingdom. His granny brought him up, as both his parents left to celestial planes in his early childhood. Being brought up with more love and affection as a child not having parents, he grew reckless and irresponsible. With the turn of uncontrollable time, his granny died of old age and this young man became an orphan.

He was left with a 10-acre stretch of barren field, inherited as property from his father's assets while rest of the things diluted in grooming him. After his granny's death, he started worrying about the ways and means to push his future. The mind-boggling question was how would he live upon with no relatives to look after, not a single crop would sprout on the barren land. Till very late in the night, he had been striking his head to find a solution in vain. He walked up to his field and fell asleep, with a tired mind thinking again and again about the problem. The cool breeze blowing over the land made him more comfortable to get to a snoring sleep.

It was a little time past midnight. Chakradhara suddenly woke up from deep sleep. Shaking his burdened head with over thinking and disturbed sleep he looked around to spot something in the dark. He woke up on hearing some woman singing in the dark night and that too very close. Looking here and there, he found a person wearing celestially shining cloths. Identifying her to be one of the deities from the sub-terrain world of Nagas. He remembered all the stories told and heard from his granny about these divine being and their joyful life. Chakradhara started worrying, Oh God! What an imbalance in your creation. I am down in the dumps of worry and look at this woman, she is singing and dancing with joy in the moonlit night. Pssst all the problems and worries will be for human beings only. What to do?!! So went on his thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Serpent deity reached close to him. She could understand that he is sick in worries and mercy came on him. Young man, you seem to be worry stricken and frustrated from hard life. One thing I can tell you, anyone who holds belief in self and work harder would never get down to dumps. Any way, I feel pity to your situation. Tell me your problem and I will help you to the extent possible."

Chakradhara narrated all his story and explained his worry about his future. Now, you tell me under these circumstances who can stand strong and tall? he questioned her. The celebrity replied in a mercy filled voice Didn't you hear the saying on earth, even ordinary people can scale great heights if they strived hard. You own this land, why don't you till and grow some crop for your feeding?

Of course, this lands is mine. However, this is a barren land. Forget about reaping a crop, not a single seed would sprout on this land. What to do now? Chakradhara humbly asked her.

The divine woman thought for a minute in all silence. Look young man! You are right in that factor, that this is a barren land. If you have faith in working hard, I will give you a boon. Irrespective of the nature of the land and the crop variety, any seed sown with your hand will definitely sprout and give you excellent yield.

She continued, Wait! Don't be so hurried. This boon is bestowed to you on one condition. You should grow flower garden on one side of your land and I will wonder all through your land whenever and however I wish to. You should not object to this, is that alright?

Without any hesitation Chakradhara agreed, that is perfectly alright for me.

With the inspiration of the divine lady, within one month Chakradhara set his barren land in a strategic manner. On one side he had sown commercial crop seeds and on the other, according to the Lady's wish floral seeds. Since then, he started living in the field erecting a hut in one corner of the land. After some days, the barren land started wearing a colourful dressing with the sprouting plants. Chakradhara did all he should do to take care of the crop.

One night, Chakradhara was sleeping in his hut after getting tired with his fieldwork. Suddenly, he woke up with the same melodious voice singing and the waves of her song reaching his ears. He came out of the hut and saw the Serpent deity dancing and singing in the garden and plucking the lovely flowers that blossomed on the barren land. He humbly reached and presented salutations folding hands at her.

Didn't I tell you? she said, there would not be any shortage for people who believe in hard work. I am happy that it is proved once again through your effort.

Chakradhara with all respect filled tone replied, This is all your mercy and blessings Oh Divine woman. Else, one could not even dream that this barren land would become so fertile and give such a good crop.

No, No do not use flattery on me. I had to give you a boon, because this is not a fertile land. Had it been a fertile one, you could have progressed even without my help. One thing should be kept always in mind, be it a fertile land or a barren one, effort and dedication along with strong belief in one self definitely gives you excellent results and she disappeared.

Be it the blessings of the Divine woman or fruits for hard work put in by Chakradhara, a bumper harvest was achieved and he realised a huge sum, which he could not have dreamt in his lifespan. That was the beginning of it.

Counting his bags of money on hand, Chakradhara disliked the hut he was living until that day. Wishing to construct building, he demolished the hut. As he found the space of the hut to be insufficient, he razed off some plants, cut off some trees and started living in the building with all the new comforts' that came into his life. Majority of the site razed off was from the side where floral plants existed. Chakradhara was struck with success and started walking in air leaving the ground. As days were passing so, one night Chakradhara returned home late night attending some work in the nearby city. On his return, he noticed the divine woman shedding tears on the trunk of a cut tree. Not even bothering to pay a courtesy visit to her, Chakradhara straight walked into his building pretending to be ignorant of her presence. A similar sequence happened for some days.

A royal courtier was travelling to a distant place through that village and took shelter in Chakradhara's house. Chakradhara gave a red carpet welcome to the courtier and arranged all the high standing amenities to him. Through him he learnt that, there is a chance of becoming king for half the kingdom.

How? The King is suffering from a wound on his back for the past four years. Every care and cure failed to relieve him from the pain and suffering. A saint who was travelling towards the mighty Himalayas said that it would be cured if the Silver Flower that blossoms at the foot of Himalayas is used for treatment. However, as it was impossible for a human to bring that flower before it dried, the saint wanted a person to accompany him so that he can send seed of that powerful flower plant.

After a year, the person who accompanied the saint returned with a seed of the Silver Flower plant. Unfortunately to the ill fate of the King, the seed decayed to some extent for reasons not known. Under these circumstances, the king declared that anyone who can heal his wound would be awarded with half of the kingdom.

On hearing all this, Chakradhara immediately set off to the capital and visited the King. He promised the king, Oh respected My Lord! I salute you with all the respects. You may kindly grant me that decaying seed of the Silver Flower. I will see that the seed sprouts, flowers and that flower is used for your medication. Your wound would definitely be healed, Sir. The king thought anyway the seed was rotting and will be of no use keeping it shelved, why not give a final try and handed over the seed to Chakradhara.

Chakradhara rushed back home and sowed the seed in the ground close to his building. By the evening, it sprouted, budded by night and by the early hours of the next morning the bud blossomed. Just then, the divine woman was passing by and was fascinated on seeing the Silver Flower. What an amazing happening! The Silver Flower! she stepped forward to pluck this is a rare flower that blossoms only in the Himalayan ranges. I will use this for praying Lord Shiva

Stop!.. a stone hard voice was heard. She stunned and turned around, it was Chakradhara, Stop doing it. I am not going to give this flower to you. It is my key for becoming king for half the kingdom.

She reminded him, it was my precondition before bestowing you the boon that I would pluck any flower that I wish in the whole garden. Don't you remember that?

HAHAHAHAHA Those are all bygone days. Do you know who am I now, the would be king Chakradhara replied her with all the temper. The Serpent deity grinding her teeth said sarcastically, Oh! Is that so! So, you are the would be king that's all right do as you wish and disappeared.

Chakradhara did not bother about the deity and ran to the capital. The moment he stepped into the capital, he saw crowds on the streets mourning about the death of the king. Hearing the death news of the king, he looked at the flower in his hand; it withered as if it was plucked off the plant a year ago. Shocked Chakradhara returned home.

There

Every plant and every tree fell dead on the ground. From that day onwards, not a single seed sown by Chakradhara sprouted.

Bhethala promptly stopped there. Vikramaditya! Why should the Serpent deity be so cursing on the young man for just a rejection of plucking a flower? Is she fair on turning him shelter less? Or is she envious of Chakradhara, as he was about to become a king? If you know answers to these questions and keep quiet, your head would blow to a thousand pieces probed Bethala.

Nothe Serpent deity is neither envious nor cursing Vikramaditya replied, She was very fair. She help Chakradhara to a great extent and she expected just flowers in return. Chakradhara rejected to fulfil the unwritten agreement just because he grew very selfish to become the king. She realised that the boon was given to an undeserving person. This is because, the person who was selfish for giving a flower, to what extent he might push people into troubles if he sat on the throne? For protecting people at large, she withdrew her boon that's all.

Bhethala convinced with Vikramaditya's reply and zoomed off with the corpse back to the treetop.

Bhetala Stories

Boon to Undeserving...