Revathi and Balarama - Part 2 of 2

As the brothers were going to Dwaraka after escaping the fire, they saw the beautiful mountain of Raivataka on the way.

But that was not surprising.

What was, was that there was a ravishing beauty standing beside the mountain and beside the girl, there was an old man – a very troubled looking old man.

Though the old man was troubled, there was no doubt that the man was a king and the jewels that he wore looked like the jewels of very old times.

But the man carried himself like a king and had perfect regal bearings as he studied the two brothers, looking a little worried.

"Who are you, sir?" Balarama asked as he was studying the old man.

The girl was breathtakingly beautiful. So beautiful that Balarama could not even look at her.

"My name is Kakudmi. Some people even call me Revata." The man spoke in an ancient language which was almost forgotten by the locals. Mercifully, the two brothers were able to follow him. "I am the king of the kingdom of Kusasthali."

Balarama was shocked.

"Kusasthali?" He demanded looking like he was unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Yes." That was the first time the girl spoke. She had a beautiful voice and it was definitely haunting Balarama. "I am the princess of that kingdom." There was a slight anger in her voice as if she just could not believe that someone would doubt her and her father.

"You do not understand, my princess," Krishna said with twinkling eyes. "We have only read about the kingdom of Kusasthali. That kingdom is spoken of in the history of the Yadavas. And incidentally, our kingdom of Dwaraka is built on the place where the kingdom of Kusasthali once existed." Krishna told the stupefied princess.

*******

"Why don't you tell us about yourself, king?"

Krishna asked the king, as they had reached the kingdom of Dwaraka.

The moats of the kingdom were drawn in and the princess and the king were treated with utmost respect.

It was only after this that Krishna had started talking.

Balarama for his part was strangely silent.

If Krishna found that odd he made no mention about it. But absolutely everyone could know that Krishna's eyes were looking unduly mischievous. Even more mischievous than he usually looked.

Kakudmi, unfortunately did not know much about Balarama or Krishna and the king saw nothing unusual as he continued.

"As I have told you I am the king of Kusasthali." Kakudmi paused as he studied his beautiful daughter.

She blushed slightly and she looked dazzlingly beautiful as Kakudmi turned to Krishna.

"I wanted to find a good groom for my daughter."

Balarama nearly gasped as he caught himself at the last minute, as the king continued. "I could not find anyone on earth or even among the Devas. So I approached Lord Brahma, the Creator Lord."

"Lord Brahma?" Krishna murmured. "You went to Satyaloka, the realm of Lord Brahma?"

Kakudmi nodded as he realized that Krishna had understood his problem. But for the benefit of Balarama, Kakudmi continued. "When we arrived at Satyaloka, Lord Brahma was listening to the musical presentation of the Gandharvas - the musicians of the Devas."

Balarama frowned as Kakudmi continued. "I waited for the presentation to get over. That proved to be a mistake." Kakudmi said heavily.

"Mistake?" Balarama asked almost harshly.

"Yes." Kakudmi continued. "You see the time in different realms pass differently. A few minutes in Satyaloka, is a few years on earth. Me and my daughter were there for the entire musical presentation. So, by the time the presentation was over, all the people that I knew on earth were dead - even their families were all gone. Nothing remained."

"What happened after that?" Balarama asked and now he was really intrigued.

"At that time that I was talking to Lord Brahma, I did not realize this. I told him of my problem and asked him to suggest a good groom for my daughter." Kakudmi looked at the fierce eyes of Balarama and continued.

"Brahma told me of what had happened on earth during the time that I had heard the musical presentation. After that, Lord Brahma told me another story and then the Lord asked me to come back to Raivataka."

"What story?" Krishna asked, struggling not to smile. He just knew where this was going.

"He told me the story of Chakshush Manu, a powerful king who ruled over the earth." Kakudmi sounded worried as he looked at the two brothers.

"What about Chakshush Manu?" Balarama demanded impatiently.

"Not him." Kakudmi corrected slowly. "Manu's daughter - Jyotishmati."

"Who is Jyotishmati?" Balarama was almost exasperated as he threw up his hands in despair.

"Chakshush Manu conducted a great sacrifice and Jyotishmati was born from the sacrificial fires. She was supposed to be a great beauty. When she grew up, she wanted to marry the mightiest of them all."

"Alright." Balarama said realizing that he had to let the king go at his own pace.

"So, Jyotishmati first approached Indra."

"Indra, the Lord of the Devas? The bringer of the rains?" Krishna asked and he rolled his eyes looking very mischievous.

Kakudmi nodded.

"But Indra said that Vayu, the Lord of the Wind was stronger than him. And he sent Jyotishmati to the Lord of the Wind."

Balarama and Krishna looked at each other as Kakudmi continued.

"Vayu said that he was not strong enough and that the earth was stronger than him and that the Goddess of the Earth would know who was stronger than Vayu."

Now, Balarama realized why Krishna had been smiling the whole time and he nearly blushed.

Naturally, Kakudmi did not realize this, as he continued.

"The Earth Goddess told Jyotishmati that Sesha, the thousand headed Snake on which Lord Narayana rested was even more powerful than the earth because Sesha held up the very earth on his head."

"Sesha?" Balarama nearly croaked as Krishna just could not stop laughing.

"But the story does not end there." Kakudmi said, not realizing the mood of the two brothers. "Lord Brahma it seems, told Jyotishmati, that an incarnation of Lord Sesha would appear on earth. But that incarnation would appear 27 Yugas after she was born."

"Oh." Was all Balarama could manage as he was struggling not to look at the laughing Krishna.

"Jyotishmati was furious with this. That was when Brahma hastily told Jyotishmati that she would cross those 27 yugas and still marry the man." Kakudmi said as he looked at the two brothers a little hopefully.

"I just do not know what this story has to do with me or my daughter."

************

Naturally, Revathi, the daughter of Kakudmi who was Jyotishmathi reincarnated, married Balarama, who was said to be the incarnation of Sesha, the thousand headed snake on which Lord Narayana rests.

(The story of Jyotishmati, the daughter of Chakshush Manu, is found in the Garga Samhita)

Revathi and Balarama - Part 1 of 2

Jarasandha, the King of Magadha, had married his twin daughters - Asti and Prapti, to Kamsa.

Kamsa was a descendant of the King Yadu. Kamsa imprisoned his own father Ugrasena and he usurped the throne and using the powerful army of his father-in-law, Kamsa ruled over all the Yadavas like a tyrant.

Krishna was Kamsa's nephew.

Before Krishna's birth, there was a prophecy that the eighth child of Devaki - Kamsa's sister - would bring about the death of Kamsa.

Enraged on learning about the prophecy, Kamsa jailed Devaki and her husband Vasudeva and Kamsa killed all the children of the couple as soon as they were born.

Balarama and Krishna, who were the seventh and eighth child of the couple were secretly smuggled out of the prison, on birth.

These two children were extraordinarily gifted individuals.

Balarama was phenomenally strong and it was said that he was an incarnation of Aadi Sesha - the thousand headed snake on which Lord Narayana, the Preserver God, rests - and Aadi Sesha is so powerful that he holds up the very earth on his head.

Krishna is said to be the incarnation of Narayana himself. Krishna means black. Krishna was an extraordinarily handsome man and was exceedingly dark in complexion. Hence his name.

Krishna and his brother grew up among the cowherds called as the Gopas.

After growing up Krishna went in search of his natural parents and there he killed Kamsa in Mathura, thereby fulfilling the prophecy about his birth.

After Kamsa's death, the crown reverted back to Kamsa's father - Ugrasena.

After Kamsa, the Yadavas were unwilling to answer to a single monarch and had broken into several factions. The Yadavas were therefore a republic and each Chieftain was allowed to represent his group.

This way the city of Mathura was given to Krishna. Though Krishna ruled only a single city among the whole of the Yadava kingdom he was a very able administrator and a very charismatic personality. He was loved by all the Yadavas and they all respected him.

After Krishna had killed Kamsa, naturally Jarasandha was furious.

Jarasandha collected a huge army and he attacked Mathura, not once, but eighteen times.

Krishna defeated Jarasandha seventeen times and all the times, he spared Jarasandha's life.

In the eighteenth time, Jarasandha joined forces with another king called Kalayavana and they attacked Mathura on two fronts.

Even before this, Krishna had realized that Mathura was no longer a safe place. Using the services of Vishwakarma, the architect of the Devas, Krishna had the the city of Dwaraka built in the land reclaimed from the seas.

During the eighteenth attack, by Jarasandha, Krishna and Balarama had all their people moved to the kingdom of Dwaraka and with a skeletal army, they faced this dual attack.

Using the help of a great king by name Muchukunda, Krishna killed Kalayavana. But then Krishna's problems were only half over with the death of Kalayavana.

They had decimated Kalayavana's army. But still Jarasandha's army were around them. And this time, Jarasandha had mustered a huge army.

Krishna and Balarama, instead of fighting Jarasandha, they ran from the battlefield!

Jarasandha probably did not know the fate of Kalayavana and thought that his plan of attacking Mathura on two fronts was finally succeeding. Gloating with himself, he and his army people gave a chase to the fleeing Yadava brothers. The brothers ran hard and they reached a mountain called Pravarsana.

(In Sanskrit, Pravarsana means the rainy mountains. It is believed that it is always raining at Pravarsana.)

The two brothers looked at the approaching army and started climbing up the mountain.

Jarasandha was gleeful when he saw the two brothers on the mountain.

Realizing that the two brothers were trapped in the mountain, Jarasandha ordered his men to set fire to the mountains on all sides.

Jarasandha and his men watched with a vicious satisfaction as the mountain burned magnificently. They just made sure that no one escaped the mountain. Jarasandha went back to his kingdom, finally satisfied that he had avenged his son-in-law's killer.

*********

Naturally, Krishna and Balarama escaped the fire. (Some Puranas mention that the two brothers jumped from the mountain for a distance of about 11 Yojanas to escape the fire. Incidentally, 1 Yojana is about 14.63 kilometers.)

It is believed that Krishna and Balarama framed their own deaths because they wanted to start afresh in the city of Dwaraka

Dwaraka was an extremely safe city as it was built on land reclaimed from the sea and it was surrounded by the seas on all sides. Jarasandha could not attack them there.

And the reason, Krishna did not kill Jarasandha was that it was important for Jarasandha to live at that time. Though Krishna ruled his own place, he was more of a kingmaker. He was a close friend and confidante of the Pandavas – the heroes of the Mahabharatha. Krishna realized that if the Pandavas had to be powerful, they had to kill Jarasandha and annex the powerful kingdom of Magadha – and that single move could establish the supremacy of the Pandavas in the entire country.

Indradyumna

The epic of Mahabharatha tells the story of the five Pandava brothers who fought a great war against their hundred cousins – the Kauravas. The Pandavas and the Kauravas fought this war for deciding on who would be the ruler of the prosperous kingdom of Hastinapur.

Much before this war, the eldest Pandava – Yudhishtara, played the game of dice with Shakuni – the maternal uncle of the Kauravas.

Yudhishtara lost the game.

Not only was Shakuni a formidable player of the dice and it was rumoured that Shakuni played with a loaded dice - Yudhishtara was an abysmally bad player.

In his continuous foolishness, Yudhishtara bet on his kingdom, his brothers and even Draupadi – the common wife of the five Pandava brothers, in the game of dice and Yudhishtara lost it all.

Worse, Yudhishtara did not play this game once, but twice.

Because after losing the dice game for the first time, Draupadi argued brilliantly and got back the kingdom which Yudhishtara had lost.

Foolishly, Yudhishtara played the game of dice for the second time with Shakuni and this time for losing the game of dice, the five Pandavas and Draupadi were exiled to the forests.

During their exile in the forests, the Pandavas were a dejected lot.

Adding to the misery of the other Pandavas, the third Pandava – Arjuna – went to the Himalayas to obtain divine weapons from the Devas. That was because after their treatment at the hands of the Kauravas, it was obvious that after the exile was completed, there was going to be war between the two sides.

Arjuna was one of the best warriors of the Pandavas and he wanted to be better prepared by getting more celestial weapons from the Devas.

The remaining four brothers with Draupadi were even more unhappy.

So in order to make them happy, many sages came to their hermitage and told them different stories and strange sights that the sages had seen from around the world.

One such time Sage Markandeya came to the hermitage of the Pandavas.

The Pandavas received him warmly.

Markandeya in turn told them lively stories.

Markandeya was a brilliant sage. But he looked as young as a sixteen year old boy. Markandeya was the one who had conquered death by the grace of Lord Shiva.

The first thing that struck the Pandavas on seeing the sage was that the sage looked not a day older than the day he had conquered death - the age of sixteen.

But the great sage's eyes were the only giveaway. The sage's eyes spoke of a man with infinite wisdom and of a man who had seen and heard things that others had not even dreamt of.

As they listened to the stories, the Pandavas realized that the man before them was... ancient....someone who had been there long before them and had seen things they did not even know existed.

Yudhishtara in jest, asked a question to the great sage. "Is there anyone who is older than you, sir?"

Markandeya looked amused at the question as he laughed quietly. "I will tell you a story. Then you can decide for yourself."

The Pandavas were bewildered as Markandeya continued.

"I will tell you something I saw many years back."

Markandeya said looking outside the hermitage with glazed eyes.

‘Once I had just returned from a long pilgrimage and I was back home, when I saw a man suddenly appear before me, out of nowhere. He appeared without any warning. Just like that. When he appeared before me, the man himself looked surprised like he could not believe what he was seeing. The man looked shocked and was muttering to himself.’

‘Despite being shocked, the man looked regal and powerful. He had an ancient aura around him, one that I could not define or understand.’

‘I ran towards him and helped him up.’

‘"Who are you, great one?" I asked.’

‘The man was now looking anguished and sad.’

‘"I have fallen." He mumbled.’

‘I looked at him without understanding when the man continued.’

‘"Long ago, I was a human and I led a good life. I helped people whenever I could. After my death, because of all the good deeds that I had done, I was chosen to go to Indraloka, in the Skies. As you know, after your death, you spend the time in the various realms, depending on the works that you have done. If you do good, you go to one of the swargas – one of the heavens. You can stay there till your good merits last. If you do bad deeds, you stay in the lower realms. The minute your merits get over, you come back to earth for another cycle of birth and death."’

‘The man looked crestfallen.’

‘"It looks like all the merits that I have done have been forgotten. Which is why I have fallen back on earth."’

‘"Who are you sir?" I asked.’

‘"I am Indradhyumna." The man said unhappily.’

‘I looked sympathetically at the man when the man suddenly looked at me with a strange expression on his face.’

‘"You are Markandeya. You are a Chiranjeevi, someone who lives forever. Have you never seen me before?"’

‘I was surprised and shook my head. "I rarely stay in the same place for more than a day. There is no way I would know about you, sir."’

‘The man looked unhappy for a few seconds when he brightened again. "Do you know anyone who is older than you? Someone who may remember me and my good deeds."’

‘I nodded my head.’

‘"In Himavat, there is an owl by name Pravarkarna. He is older than me. He may know you. But he lives far away from here."’

‘As soon as I said these words, Indradyumna changed himself into a horse. Indradhyumna carried me and we reached Himavat very soon.’

‘There we found Pravarkarna.’

‘Indradyumna transformed into a human and asked the owl without any preamble.’

‘"Have you ever seen me before?"’

‘The owl looked shocked for a few seconds and then looked at the man up and down. "I am afraid, I have not seen you, sir."’

‘"Then is there anyone who is older than you?" Indradhyumna immediately asked the owl.’

‘The owl looked at the king for a few seconds.’

‘"What is your name, sir?"’

‘"Indradyumna." The king replied.’

‘The owl looked shocked.’

‘The man suddenly looked eager as the owl continued. "Strange though it may sound there is a lake by name Indradyumna nearby. Near the lake, lives a crane called Nadijangha. He is older than me. He may know you."’

‘Then me, the sage and the owl went to Nadijangha, the crane, and asked him the same question.’

‘Unfortunately the crane also did not know Indradyumna.’

‘But then the crane smiled.’

‘"In this very lake, there is a very old tortoise. The name of the tortoise is Akupura. He is older than me."’

‘Nadijangha turned to the lake and shouted. "Akupura. Please come here. We need to ask you something."’

‘The tortoise came out of the lake and the first person the tortoise saw was Indradyumna.’

‘Seeing the king, the tortoise started trembling with joy and he was weeping uncontrollably.’

‘"I never thought I would see you again." Akupura said looking at Indradyumna. "My king, I am so grateful to you."’

‘All of us looked astonished at the tortoise as it continued. "He is a great king. He was the most generous man ever." The tortoise said looking at Indradyumna with shining eyes. "Do you know how this lake was formed? It was formed from the hooves of the cattle that this king gave away as gifts to other people. These cattle that kept walking in the land, that was what had formed this depression in the land and that created this pond. I have lived here, since then." Akupura finished.’

‘No sooner had the tortoise finished the tale, a vehicle came whizzing to the place as a heavenly voice said. "As long as your good deeds are remembered, you will live in heaven. The tortoise still lives because of your merits. Come. Come back to the higher heavens."’

‘Happily’ Indradyumna dropped me and the owl back at our places and then rode away on the vehicle, going to the heavens, which he deserved.’

Markandeya looked at the Pandavas with playful eyes. "Does that answer your question, my friends?"

Vikramaditya's Throne

Raja Bhoja of the Paramwara Dynasty was a proud man. He had ruled his kingdom well and the subjects of his kingdom were prosperous and happy.

However, recently the people of the kingdom had complained about a man-eater tiger who had started attacking the people at the outskirts of the kingdom. It seemed like the animals of the forests were slowly venturing into the kingdom and this had resulted in loss of life and property.

Immediately the king along with a small group entered into the forest and got about systematically decimating the wild animals in the place.

Once the king and his men were reasonably certain that the wild animals would not cause any more threat to the people, the king started his journey back to the capital.

However, just outside the outskirts of the forests, the royal group saw a beautifully furnished garden. Even looking at the garden made the tired men hungry.

The king ordered his men to ask the owner about buying some of the fruits when they heard a shout from above.

The king looked up and smiled as he saw a man standing on top of a tall platform. The man was evidently a farmer and he was standing on the platform and he was chasing away the birds which were trying to venture inside the garden.

Just looking at the man made the king smile. The man seemed happy - as if he had no worries in the world.

The king was about to open his mouth when the man shouted from the top. "I am Saravana. I am the owner of the garden. All of you seem to be tired. Help yourself with some fruits, sir."

The king's face broke into a surprised laugh as he nodded his head. He signaled his men to go inside the garden.

The group entered the garden when something changed.

The king and his men were unable to explain it, but they definitely felt it.

The world suddenly seemed like a serene place where absolutely nothing went wrong.

A heady feeling came to the king as they feasted on the lovely and juicy fruits in the garden.

They had demolished many fruits when suddenly they heard the footsteps of a man running towards them.

"You thieves! You selfish thieves! You look so rich and you steal from a farmer like me..." The man shouted as he came right in front of them. The man faltered for a second as he saw the man that he had been yelling at, was the king of the land.

But then the man again started yelling. "You claim to be the king and you steal from your own subjects?"

As far as Raja Bhoja was concerned, he was more than shocked.

Because the man yelling at him was Saravana, the same man who had asked them to take the fruits.

The king and his men looked bewildered at each other because Saravana was now almost yelling himself hoarse and calling the king everything from a liar to a thief.

"You asked me to take the fruits." The king said feeling extremely embarrassed as Saravana stopped shouting.

Saravana looked shocked and bewildered. "Me? You think I would ask you to take these fruits? Just like that? I am taking care of this garden with the intention of selling the fruits for money. You think I would just give them away for free? Do you think I am a fool?"

A part of the king was disgusted with the man, but still a lingering doubt remained in his mind.

He pulled out his gold ring and handed it over to the man. "These are for the fruits that me and my men took." He said dismissively as he looked around the garden and he was thinking.

Saravana's eyes literally bulged out from its sockets as he stared at the gold ring. He swallowed once or twice and then nodded his head slowly.

"How long have you had this garden?" The king asked after he was certain that he had Saravana’s undivided attention.

"It belonged to my father, sir. Now I am taking care of it." The man mumbled still looking at the ring.

Suddenly one of Raja Bhoja's ministers came forward. "How on earth, do you have so many varieties of fruits growing in this garden at the same time?"

Saravana shrugged. "I do not know, sir. This field has been a very lucky one for us. None of the crops planted in the field have ever gone bad and we have always had a bumper harvest. No matter what the weather."

Raja Bhoja looked around. He suddenly turned to Saravana. "Would you consider selling the garden to me?"

Saravana looked wary when Raja Bhoja continued hurriedly. "You will of course, be paid. I am willing to pay twice the amount that you want."

Saravana looked like he could not believe what he was hearing. Then he looked at the gold ring in his hand and the stern face of the king and realized that the king meant what he was saying and slowly nodded his head. "I am more than willing to sell my garden to you, your majesty."

Raja Bhoja smiled as he looked at the man. "I want to see that platform that you were standing on, to chase away the birds." The king said to Saravana.

Deciding that today was going to be one of the most inexplicable days of his life, Saravana mutely led the king to the platform.

Raja Bhoja came near the platform when it almost hit him. The feeling of bliss and righteousness. The feeling which was felt mildly all over the garden, was so powerful near the platform that Raja Bhoja felt nothing for a few seconds. He had images of his kingdom as one of the most powerful and prosperous kingdoms in the entire country and he saw himself sitting proudly in the royal court.

Raja Bhoja shook his head to clear the image.

Saravana's eyes also had the same happy look that he had had when he was standing on the top of the platform. "Sir, the price that you have paid me for the garden, is more than what I need. Just give me what is necessary and no more."

Raja Bhoja lifted his eyebrows and he was studying Saravana. "The price that I paid for it, is correct. Please approach my ministers. They will make sure you are paid appropriately."

Saravana nodded and he and the king went back to the ministers. The king studied Saravana as he walked away from the platform. The further away from the platform the man got, Saravana looked like a man who had just woken up to a strong dose of reality.

The king paid the man the promised sum and Saravana departed. The king then turned to his men.

"I want you to excavate this place. Not the entire place. Just the place under which the platform is constructed. " The king smiled to himself. "I think you would be very surprised at what you find there."

If the minister found the behaviour of the king odd, he made no mention of it. He just nodded his head and set about excavating the place with the few people he had.

The king went back to the capital with the other members from the group.

**********

Afternoon passed and the king was impatiently waiting for any news from the minister.

Evening, the king was in for a shock.

The king saw the minister himself rush towards the capital on his chariot. The king saw the minister hurriedly stop the chariot outside the palace and come inside and the minister ignored all the royal guards.

The king went down to meet the minister when the minister started speaking without a preamble. "Sir, you would not believe what we have found."

The king led the breathless minister towards a throne and made him sit down as the man continued speaking.

"There was a throne, your majesty. There was a throne buried under that platform."

The man said gasping.

Raja Bhoja looked surprised. He had expected a lot of things under the platform. But a throne?

"It is not just any throne, your majesty. It is one of the largest thrones, I have ever seen. We have been digging from the morning, since you left and we were able to excavate only half of the throne, till the time I left." The minister said taking a deep breath. "It is made of pure gold. As far as I can see, there seem to be thirty two steps leading to the seat of the throne. The steps are made of pure gold too, your majesty. And the precious stones which are used to deck the throne...." The minister shook his head, his eyes wide. "....I have never even heard of precious stones being that big."

Raja Bhoja looked surprised as the minister continued. "We have not looked at all the steps, but all the steps that we have uncovered has a beautiful female statue at the side. I have never seen a statue so clear and with so much expression. It almost looks like it was a real woman who was affixed to the throne."

The minister’s hands were trembling with excitement.

However he was not yet done with his narration.

"The craftsmanship is what is making me nervous, your majesty. I have read in the Scriptures of thrones being made that way. But till date I have never seen anything like it. I do not think that throne was made on earth." The minister finished quietly.

Raja Bhoja was deep in thought as the minister fell silent.

He had read in the Scriptures about the people in the olden days where the people from the earth visited the Devas in the Skies. But all that was part of myth. Legends. What had he found? Was it really a throne made in the heavens? If so, for whom was it made? Who was the person who had been sitting on the throne?

Raja Bhoja looked at the minister. "Please make preparations for the throne to be brought to the capital as soon as possible. I think it is necessary to perform some rituals for the throne, as well. I think a throne this ancient and which is even capable of influencing the mind of the people around it cannot be an ordinary thing." The king nodded more to himself than to the minister. "Bring the throne to the capital. We may be able to find out more about it here."

**********

Soon the day arrived.

The priests had performed the necessary rituals.

It is said that the throne could not even be moved before the rituals were performed. Only after performing the worship of the throne, were the people able to move it.

The throne then slowly made its way to the capital.

Raja Bhoja looked at the throne when a deep sense of fear filled him.

The throne was beautiful, but it still made the king uneasy. It was an emotion he was unable to explain.

He felt it every time he saw the statues – there were thirty two steps and thirty two statues – one on each step. And it seemed to the king, like all the statues had eyes, with which they actually saw him.

Ignoring his fear, Bhoja decided that the throne had to be installed in his capital in the main court hall. Not only was the throne breathtakingly beautiful, Raja Bhoja decided that if the throne was in the centre of the kingdom, probably all the places in the kingdom would become even more prosperous by the powers of the ancient throne.

Taking a deep breath and brushing aside his fear, Raja Bhoja set foot on the first step.

*******

Everyone in the court was stunned when they heard clapping noises coming from the throne.

Bhoja was shocked as he saw that the noises were coming from the steps of the throne.

Even before he could explain the clapping noise, the palace was filled with melodious laughter.

Bhoja went towards the side of the throne and gasped as he saw the beautiful face of one of the statues glow.

It was the first statue on the first step. The face of the statue still looked golden, but the lips of the statue were moving with laughter.

"Who are you?" The words were out of the king's mouth before he could stop himself. "Why do you laugh?"

"Answer my question first, my king." The statue spoke. "What are you trying to do?"

"I am trying to sit on the throne." The king said feeling very silly because he was explaining himself to a statue.

"Do you know to whom this throne belongs to?" The statue asked with anger.

When the king did not reply the statue continued. "This throne belongs to King Vikramaditya. He is one of the greatest kings in the world. Nothing.." The statue smiled faintly. "...Nothing you have done, matches to even half the glory of that king. Why are you attempting to sit on a throne of which you are not worthy?" The statue asked in a sneering voice.

King Vikramaditya? Raja Bhoja's head almost reeled. Bhoja was supposed to be a descendant of king Vikramaditya. But then so much had been said about Vikramaditya that his stories had almost reached the realms of legend. There was a story of King Vikramaditya receiving a throne from Lord Indra of the Heavens. But these were legends. Stories. The king had dismissed the story as a legend, nothing more.

Today he was going to listen to the story of his ancestor from a statue installed on his ancestor's throne.

Bhoja looked at the statue and he was hesitant. "Who is King Vikramaditya? Tell me, please."

So the statue told the story. It is said that the thirty two statues narrated thirty two stories extolling the greatness of King Vikramaditya.

After the end of every story, King Bhoja acknowledged that King Vikramaditya was greater than him in that particular field.

Finally after hearing the thirty second story, it is said that Bhoja gave up all desire to even sit on the throne. The last statue had told Bhoja that king Vikramaditya had been asked to bury the throne after his death, because there was supposedly no one other than King Vikramaditya who was worthy to sit on the throne.

On hearing this, Bhoja wanted to renounce his kingdom and perform penance because he felt that he could never be that good a king as Vikramaditya had been.

************

It was at this time that thirty two shimmering lights emerged from the throne.

Raja Bhoja looked aghast as he saw the transparent faces of the thirty two women who had been telling him the stories.

"Who are you?" The king asked flabbergasted.

"We are heavenly nymphs – the apsaras and we are the friends of Goddess Parvathi." One of them said. "At one time, when we were in Kailash, we tried.... we tried...." The woman said looking shamefaced. "....we wanted Lord Shiva, the husband of the Goddess, to see how beautiful we were and we hoped that he would fall in love with us."

"Goddess Parvathi came to know of this and cursed us. She cursed us that because we wanted to be admired for our beauty, we would all become statues in the throne of King Vikramaditya, which would be presented to him by Lord Indra. So that people would see us there and admire our beauty."

The lady took a deep breath as she continued. "After cursing us, Goddess Parvathi took pity on us and relented and said that the curse would be lifted if a king from king Vikramaditya's dynasty heard all our stories patiently." The lady smiled as she looked happy beyond words. "And today my king, you have set us free. You have listened to all our stories. For that we would always be grateful. And know this well, you are as great a man as your ancestor. You have the same magnanimity and the humility that your ancestor had. And for that, you may ask any boon of your choice."

"My ancestor – King Vikramaditya was a great man. I wish that his stories always be immortal on earth." Bhoja said with a quiet smile.

The thirty two ladies smiled and nodded their heads as they vanished from there.

Raja Bhoja looked at the throne and then at his people. This time he felt no fear. He climbed the throne with confidence and nothing stopped him.