King Vikramaditya reached the tree, pulled down the dead body and putting it on his shoulder proceeded towards his kingdom. Baital said to him, “I will tell you a story to pass the time. Take note and reply to my questions honestly.” Then Baital told the story— “In the kingdom of Awanti lived a beautiful princess named Shashibala. She was intelligent too. Many princes from different countries sent proposals to marry her. One day, when the King was sitting in the court, the prince of Chola kingdom came there. He told the King about his wish to marry Shashibala. The King was pleased to hear this, for the Chola kingdom was a very powerful kingdom. The King needed time to think. Meanwhile, he asked the prince, “What is your expertise?” The Chola prince replied, “Sir, I am a fine archer. I can shoot only by listening to the sound and I never miss my target.”
Princess Shashibala
