Vikram Betaal Story # 3: The Transposed Heads
Late at night, Vikram entered the eerie forest. The wind howled through the trees, and strange sounds echoed around him. Soon he reached the cremation ground and saw the corpse hanging upside down from a tree branch.
Without hesitation, Vikram climbed the tree and brought the corpse down onto his shoulders. But suddenly the corpse began to laugh loudly. The spirit Betaal had awakened.
Betaal said, "O King Vikram! I know you are taking me to the yogi. But the journey is long, so I shall tell you a story. At the end of the story, I will ask you a question. If you know the answer and do not speak, your head will burst into pieces. But if you speak, I will fly back to the tree."
Vikram silently continued walking.
Betaal began his tale.
In a distant town lived a noble young man named Suryamal. He was kind, brave, and well respected in his village. One day he saw a beautiful young woman and instantly fell in love with her. After learning about her noble family and virtuous character, he approached her parents with a marriage proposal.
The woman's parents agreed happily, and soon the two were married with great celebration and blessings.
After the wedding, Suryamal and his bride began their journey to his home. Accompanying them was Suryamal's close friend, who had helped arrange the marriage and stood by him like a brother.
As they traveled through a lonely forest, disaster struck.
A group of ruthless dacoits suddenly attacked them. They robbed the travelers and, in their cruelty, beheaded both Suryamal and his loyal friend before fleeing into the forest.
The bride was left alone in the silent wilderness.
When she saw the lifeless bodies of her husband and his friend, she was overwhelmed with grief. She cried bitterly and decided that life was meaningless without her husband. She was a devoted worshipper of the goddess Durga and prayed earnestly for help.
In deep sorrow, she prepared to sacrifice her own life at a nearby temple of the goddess.
Moved by the bride's devotion, Goddess Durga appeared before her and said, "Your faith has pleased me. I shall grant you a boon. Place the heads back upon the bodies, and I will restore them to life."
The bride was filled with joy and hurried to obey the goddess's command.
But in her excitement and confusion, she made a terrible mistake.
She placed Suryamal's head on his friend's body and the friend's head on Suryamal's body.
The goddess then used her divine power to bring both men back to life.
Moments later, both men stood up alive - but now with exchanged heads and bodies.
Soon a strange question arose.
The bride wondered: who was truly her husband now?
Was it the man with Suryamal's head?
Or the man with Suryamal's body?
Unable to decide, she stood confused.
Betaal's Question
At this point Betaal asked King Vikramaditya:
"O wise king! Tell me, who should the bride now consider as her true husband? The man who has Suryamal's head or the one who has Suryamal's body?"
Vikram answered confidently.
"The man who has Suryamal's head is the bride's true husband."
Betaal asked, "And why do you say so?"
Vikram replied, "The head contains the brain, which controls the mind, memory, and identity of a person. A man's true self lies in his thoughts and consciousness. Therefore, the man who possesses Suryamal's head is truly Suryamal himself."
Hearing this wise answer, Betaal burst into laughter.
"You are indeed wise, King Vikram! But since you have spoken, I am free!"
In an instant, Betaal flew out of Vikram's grip and returned to the haunted tree - forcing the king to begin his task all over again.
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