1-Birth of Vaitaal-3

The King asked the Yogee - "Tell me, What should I do?" Yogee said - "Two Kos (approximately 4 and 1/2 miles) far from here, there is a corpse hanging upside down from a tree, bring it to me." Vikramaaditya went to bring that corpse in the black dark night.

He saw many ghosts and vampires dancing on the way, many terrible snakes hissing, but he continued to walk toward that tree. After a while, he saw a corpse hanging down from a Peepal tree. King immediately cut the rope, lifted the corpse and put it on his shoulder. As he put it on his shoulder, it started laughing loudly and went again to hang on the tree. King got very surprised to see this.

He went to the corpse again and the corpse asked him - "Who are you?" "I am King Vikramaaditya, but who are you?" He said - "A corpse doesn't have a name or life. But where are you taking me? And who told you my place so you came here?" King said - "I am doing this at the order of one Yogee. I have to take you to that Yogee, that is why I have come here."

King was gazing at him and was thinking "Is he not the same Yogee who wants to kill me?" that the corpse said to him - "I am ready to go with you on one condition. I will be talking to you on the way, so that we can pass the long way easily. I will tell you some stories. You will not speak anything at all in between. If you spoke, I will come back to hang on this tree again. On the contrary, at the end of the story I will ask you a question, if you did not reply it in spite of knowing the answer, your head will split and scatter all around."

The King agreed to his condition. He lifted that corpse, kept on his shoulder and started his journey. Vaitaal started talking - "O King Vikramaaditya, My name is Vaitaal. I tell you one story, you listen to it so that we can pass the time. I will tell you the best stories. I have heard that you are a very just king." King kept quiet. Vaitaal further said - "After hearing the story, you will have to do justice. If you will not do that in spite of knowing everything, I will cut your head by the power of my Mantra."

King said - "Listen Vaitaal, I consider to do justice as my Dharm. If you will talk about justice, I will surely reply you." "Remember your words." King said - "Sure, I will remember that. But tell me, how your name came to be Vaitaal?" Vaital said - "Raajan, Don't ask this." King asked him again - "Are you some Taantrik?" Vaitaal said - "Who I am, you will know it yourself when the time comes."

King was walking down the road. All around was pitch dark. The whole atmosphere was very scary, but the King was walking with confidence. Vaitaal started talking - "Now I start telling you one story. Listen to it carefully. We can pass the time as well as I will know how just King you are." King said - "Vaitaal, You talk a lot." Vaitaal said - "That is my job. Just listen to the story." And Vaitaal started telling the story.

Thus Vaitaal told him 25 stories in all, up to 24 stories Vikram could answer Vaitaal's questions but the 25th story was a little bit difficult so Vikram kept quiet. At the end of the 25th story, Vaitaal warned him to be careful from that Yogee who wanted to take his life. Vikram heard him, and saved his life by following Vaitaal's instructions.

End of the Story of Birth of Vaitaal