Betaal Pachisi - Story 8 - Three brothers and tortoise

Vikrama tries again to catch vetala. After several attempts he succeeds and starts taking him to the ascetic. Vetala starts narrating him a story so that they can easily complete the long journey once again but warns him not to speak anything else he will go back to his place again. He begins narrating story about three brothers who were very skilled and fun loving. They used to have fun in the forest without telling about it to their parents.

One day, their mother came to know about the same and complained about the same to their father. Father told them that its good to have fun. So, go to the forest again and bring one tortoise home. All 3 of them readily agreed for the same. Next day, they started for the forest and reached near a river. They saw a tortoise there. All of them went near the same but none of them agreed to pick it up citing that they are too gentle to pick this up. One passerby was watching all this and suggested them to visit the king of this place and let him decide who is the most gentle of all of you. They agreed for the same and went to the kingdom.

King welcomed them and asked them the reason for their visit. They narrated the whole story and king was surprised to know that they have come here to decide who is the most gentle of all three. King asks them to have meal and then he will discuss about the same. All of them were served food. Both eldest and youngest one started eating while the middle one could not eat. Servant informed king that middle brother is not eating food. King asked middle brother why he is not eating food. He told king that he can smell the smoke of dead bodies in the rice. King was surprised by the same and asked his servants. Servants told that near the fields there is one cremation ground due to which he might be getting this smell. King told that he was really very gentle.

After the meal, king invited a singer is his court for entertainment of the brothers. King asked them are they interested in music. Elder brother told that he likes music and can play drum. He sat near the singer. As soon as she started singing he moved far away from her. King asked the reason for the same and he told that he can is getting the smell of goat’s milk from her. Singer was surprised and told that she had the same in her childhood when her mother passed away. King was surprised and told that eldest brother is also very gentle.

Post the music, brothers went to sleep. All three of them were sleeping comfortably when suddenly youngest brother started screaming and got up. King came there and asked him what happened. He told that there is something sharp on the mattress which is troubling him. He had got a sharp cut on his back due to the same. On checking the mattress they found that there was a hair strand under the third mattress which was troubling him. King mentioned that he too was very gentle.

All the brothers were confused that if all all are gentle then who will pick up the tortoise. King gave rewards to all three brothers and sent his servants to drop the tortoise at their home. At the end of the story, Vetala asked Vikrama to tell who was the most gentle among all three of them. Vikrama replied that youngest one was the most gentle as the other 2 brothers gave instances which could not be proved and these could be based on word of mouth as well. Youngest brother had a proof in the form of wound on his back. So, he is the most gentle one. Vetala gets happy with Vikrama’s answer but he again flies back to his abode telling that he could not keep quite. Vikrama runs behind him again to catch him.