As King Vikramaditya was walking towards his kingdom with the corpse, Baital asked him, “What is it in a man that makes him higher than the others?” King Vikramaditya did not reply. Baital spoke again, “Listen to my story related to this and answer my question.” Saying so, Baital began to tell the story which ran as follows:
Once upon a time, there lived a king named Shoorsen. He was the ruler of Magadha. He was known all over the world as a very good king. One day, he went hunting in the forest. While chasing a deer, he lost his way. The King tried to find his way out of the forest but could not.
It started to get dark. The King also became tired. He was hungry as well as thirsty. So, he decided to spend the night by resting on the ground. King Shoorsen kept his sword next to him. A little distance away from him, he had tied his horse to a tree.
As King Shoorsen was waiting for sunrise, he heard a voice. “Who are you?” the voice asked. King Shoorsen was happy to hear a man’s voice and asked, “First tell me who you are.” The man replied, “I am a traveller. But I think you belong to a royal family. How did you end up here?”
The King replied, “You guessed it right, I am King Shoorsen of Magadha Kingdom. What is your name?” The man replied, “I am Gunadhip. I am looking for a job. I saw you entering the forest. It was a perfect opportunity for me to meet you and ask you for some work. So, I started following you. This forest is known to me. I will take you out of the forest easily. Have some food that I have with me.” The hungry King enjoyed the simple food.
In the morning, Gunadhip guided the King out of the forest. The people were very happy to see the King. Everyone rejoiced at the safe return of King Shoorsen. The next day, King Shoorsen made Gunadhip his minister. He gave him a palace to live in, many maids and royal servants. Gunadhip thanked the King for his kindness.
One day, Gunadhip went for a round. He reached a lake on the outskirts of the city. There, he was mesmerized by someone. He saw a lovely girl filling water in her pitcher.
Gunadhip and the girl fell in love with each other immediately. Gunadhip returned to the palace. He told the King everything. The King told Gunadhip that he would also like to meet the girl. Gunadhip agreed happily.
He was so excited that he could not sleep the whole night. The next day, King Shoorsen and Gunadhip reached the lake. The girl was already there and waiting for him. Gunadhip said, “He is our King, King Shoorsen of Magadha.” The girl bowed before the King to pay her respects and then said something very shocking, “I would like to marry you, my King.”
Gunadhip was aghast. However, a while later, he regained his composure. He said to the King, “Your Majesty! She wishes to marry you only. Please marry her.” But the King said, “This girl should marry you only.” But the girl refused to marry Gunadhip. The King turned to the girl and said to her, “Yesterday you wanted to marry Gunadhip. But today you wish to marry me. What made you change your decision?” The girl replied, “I have always dreamt of living in a palace. So, seeing you I felt my dream would come true.” The King replied, “Your dream will come true. Gunadhip is my minister. He lives in a big palace. There are hundreds of servants and maids in his palace.” So, the girl immediately agreed to marry Gunadhip.
Baital ended his story here. Then he asked King Vikramaditya, “After hearing the story, tell me who the nobler of the two was–Gunadhip, who was ready to give up his love, or King Shoorsen, who told the girl to marry Gunadhip. Speak up or I will break your head into pieces. Do not be quiet.” King Vikramaditya replied, “Baital! King Shoorsen was nobler than Gunadhip. He was a king. He was supposed to look after the welfare of his subjects. He discharged his duties judiciously. These things place him above an ordinary man and also prove that he was nobler than Gunadhip.”
Baital said, “You are absolutely right. I must appreciate your sense of justice. But since you have broken your promise of keeping silent, I am flying off your shoulder.” Saying so, he flew off King Vikramaditya’s shoulder and took refuge in the peepal tree. Vikramaditya ran after him with his sharp sword.
