26th Figure's Story - 26-Mrignayanee
Vikram Kills His Wife

As Raajaa Bhoj tried to sit on the throne again, this time the 26th figure whose name was Mrignayanee burst into laughter and asked him - "Do you still think you are the right person to sit upon this throne?" Raajaa Bhoj again said with courage - "Yes." She said - "First listen to this story and then decide if you can sit on this throne. Listen, Raajaa Vikram was a very qualitative Raajaa. He could do such a severe Tap that he could move Indra from his throne.

Once his people brought an ordinary young man in his court. He was arrested in a doubtful situation - he was going somewhere with lots of money in the night. From his look he was not looking a rich man, that is why his people thought that he might have stolen that money and was running away with that money. Raajaa asked him where he got that money. He replied that he was working in a rich woman's house and this whole money was given to him by her. Raajaa got curious and asked - "Why did she give you so much money? And where were you going with this money?" He said - "She asked me to wait at a certain place. She told me that she would kill her husband and meet me at that place. I have illegal relations with her. We planned to go somewhere far and passed our life comfortably."

Vikram sent his people to check the truth, they came back and informed him that that woman had got the information of the arrest of her servant and now she was crying that thieves have killed her husband and taken away all her money. Now she is preparing to become Satee with her husband to prove herself Pativrataa.

In the morning when Raajaa went there with the young man, he got stunned to see that the pyre had been set and the woman had sat on the pyre. People were about to set the fire to the pyre that Raajaa immediately stopped the people to set the fire to the pyre and asked the woman to get down from it. He showed her all the money and the servant and told her that he had known everything. He asked that woman to get ready for punishment.

That woman kept quiet for a few moments, then said - "First you see your younger queen's character before blaming me for my bad character." and immediately jumped on the pyre. Nobody could save her. Raajaa came back to his palace but her words were echoing in his ears continuously. He started keeping an eye on his younger queen.

One night the Queen thought that the King was sleeping, so she got up and went out from the back gate of the palace. The King followed her quietly. She went to a Saadhu. When he saw her coming he got up and both went inside a nearby hut. Vikram peeped in and he got stunned to see the scene. His queen was naked and was embracing that Saadhu. Raajaa could not see any more. He loved her so much and she was behaving like that. Then he entered the hut and killed both of them with his sword.

When he came back home, he became restless. Now he did not like worldly pleasures, he inclined towards Vairaagya. He thought that he did not follow his Dharm and Karm that is why God has punished him like this. He left his kingdom and went to do Tapasyaa. On reaching the seashore first he did Tapasyaa standing in the water on one foot. Samudra Dev got pleased with his Tapasyaa and appeared before him. He asked something very small from him, that he wanted to do unbroken Tapasyaa on his shore. Samudra Dev blessed him and gave a conch shell and told him that if there is any Divine or natural trouble, blow this conch, it will go away.

He built a hut on the seashore and started his Tapasyaa there. He did Tapasyaa for such a long time that Indra Dev got disturbed. He ordered his clouds to rain heavily to fill the whole place with water and to flow Vikram along with his hut in that water. Immediately clouds started raining. Water would have filled the whole place and Vikram would have flowed in that water if Samudra Dev had not given him his blessings. He drank all the water of that rain and the whole place remained dry and he continued his Tapasyaa as before.

When Indra saw this miracle, he was very surprised, so he called storm to uproot him along with his hut. Vikram felt as if he will fly with the wind, his hut's straws scattered here and there. At the same time he remembered the conch shell given by Samudra Dev. He blew it and every thing became so calm as if nothing disturbed that place. Indra Dev got more disturbed.

Now Indra called Tilottamaa named Apsaraa and asked her to disturb his Tapasyaa. She went there and tried her best to disturb him, but could not succeed. Vikram blew his conch shell and she felt as if she was on fire. She ran away from there. Now Indra' self confidence got shattered and he himself came there in disguise of a Braahman. He knew that Vikram never sent any  beggar empty-handed. So when Indra Dev came to Vikram, he asked him the reason of his coming. He asked him to give him alms and asked the fruit of his whole Tapasyaa in alms. Vikram gave the fruit of his whole Tapasyaa readily. Now Indra was very happy because now he did not have to fear anybody.

He appeared in his real form in front of Vikram and blessed him that there will be no excess rain, or lack of rain, famine, or dry. All crops will give grains on time and in maximum quantity. Thus blessing him he went away.