5 - Kingly duties
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Stories from India,' host Narad Muni, a mythological character with eternal life, narrates the tale of King Vikramaditya and the mysterious Rishi who gifts him mangoes containing precious gems. The story unfolds with puzzles and moral lessons, highlighting the king's wisdom and the Rishi's enigmatic nature. The episode also touches on the differences between betals and vampires, and promises future stories from the epic 'Ramayana.'
Takeaways
- ๐ต The podcast 'Stories from India' focuses on Indian mythology, legends, and folktales.
- ๐ค The host, Narad Muni, is a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.
- ๐ถ Narad Muni is also a traveling musician and storyteller who shares stories through his podcast.
- ๐ The episode features a 'Betal', a creature often likened to a vampire but with distinct differences.
- ๐ The story involves a wise man, or 'Rishi', who gifts King Vikramaditya mangoes that contain valuable jewels inside.
- ๐คด King Vikramaditya, despite a dark backstory, ruled with wisdom and fairness, listening to his people's problems and addressing them.
- ๐ The Rishi's gifts to the king were initially perplexing but later revealed to be incredibly valuable, prompting the king to seek the Rishi's motives.
- ๐ The Betal tells King Vikramaditya a story involving three Rishis, each with heightened sensitivity to different stimuli.
- ๐ King Porus is highlighted as a character who, despite being defeated by Alexander the Great, earned respect and some of his land back due to his dignified stance.
- ๐ The podcast will delve into the Ramayana, one of the two great epics of Indian mythology, in future episodes.
- ๐ Listeners are encouraged to provide feedback and corrections to improve the podcast's content.
Q & A
What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?
-The podcast 'Stories from India' is about myths, legends, and folktales from India, hosted by a character named Narad Muni, who is a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.
What is the significance of the betal in the podcast?
-The betal is a creature in Indian mythology that is often compared to a vampire but has some differences. It is a reanimated corpse that loves to hang upside down on trees and is known for creating lateral thinking puzzles and telling stories.
How did King Vikramaditya become a king?
-King Vikramaditya became a king by having his older brother killed, which is a backstory that might be considered quite dark. Despite this, he proved to be a fair and wise ruler.
What is the role of a Rishi in ancient Indian society as depicted in the podcast?
-A Rishi in ancient Indian society was a wise man who was treated with great respect. Kings would often grant their wishes or listen to their predictions, which were usually vague and meant for the future.
Why did the Rishi give King Vikramaditya mangoes as gifts?
-The Rishi gave King Vikramaditya mangoes as gifts, which initially seemed ordinary, but later revealed to contain valuable jewels inside, symbolizing the hidden value and wisdom that can come from unexpected places.
What was the king's reaction when he discovered the jewels inside the mangoes?
-The king was surprised and immediately called the treasurer to examine the jewels. He decided to distribute the extra wealth to the people and wanted to speak to the Rishi to understand the motive behind the gifts.
What was the Rishi's request to King Vikramaditya in return for the gifts?
-The Rishi requested King Vikramaditya to meet him at the crematorium on the next new moon night, where he would give further instructions.
How did King Vikramaditya manage to capture the betal without it escaping?
-King Vikramaditya managed to capture the betal by not speaking a word, which prevented the betal from becoming less solid and escaping.
What is the story told by the betal about the three Rishis and their sensitivity?
-The story told by the betal is about three Rishis who were sensitive to different stimuli: the taste of rice, the smell from a serving girl's hands, and the presence of a hair under mattresses. The third Rishi was deemed the most sensitive due to the visible physical effect on him.
What is the significance of the story told by the betal in the context of the podcast?
-The story told by the betal serves as a lateral thinking puzzle and a metaphor for the importance of attention to detail and the ability to discern hidden truths.
What is the difference between a betal and a vampire according to the podcast?
-A betal is a reanimated corpse that can fly and talk, often found hanging from trees near cemeteries. It is not a vampire, which is a fictional character made famous by Bram Stoker's Dracula, nor is it a zombie.
Who is the character of the week mentioned in the podcast, and what is known about him?
-The character of the week is King Porus, a great warrior who ruled parts of the Punjab region around the 3rd Century BC. He is known for his encounter with Alexander the Great, where he impressed Alexander with his dignified stance and was treated with respect.
What is the next topic the podcast will cover?
-The next topic the podcast will cover is the Ramayana, one of the two greatest epics of Indian mythology.
How can listeners provide feedback or suggestions for the podcast?
-Listeners can provide feedback or suggestions by leaving a review on the podcast's website, SFI podcast.com, or by tweeting at the handle SFI podcast.
Outlines
๐ต Introduction to Stories from India Podcast ๐ต
The podcast 'Stories from India' is introduced by the host, Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and omniscience. The show's format includes discussing Indian mythology stories and a 'Character of the Week' segment. The host, a traveling musician and storyteller, mentions the episode's focus on the BAL, a creature akin to a vampire but with distinct differences. The story of King Vikramaditya is teased, hinting at his controversial ascension to the throne and his reputation as a wise ruler. The episode also foreshadows a story involving a Rishi, a wise man, and the king's interaction with him.
๐ The Rishi's Gift of Mangoes and the Discovery of Jewels ๐
A Rishi visits King Vikramaditya's court and gifts him a ripe mango, which the king passes on to his treasurer. This gift-giving continues daily, with each mango being stored. Eventually, the king is tempted to eat one and discovers a large ruby inside, not a seed. The royal jeweler confirms its immense value. The king orders the treasury to examine the rest of the mangoes, revealing more precious jewels. The treasurer advises the king to continue accepting the gifts without questioning the Rishi's motives, but the king insists on understanding the Rishi's intentions, leading to a meeting where the Rishi requests a meeting at the crematorium on the next new moon night.
๐ป The King's Encounter with the Bethal and the Rishi's Challenge ๐ป
The Rishi instructs King Vikramaditya to fetch a Bethal from a nearby tree at the crematorium. The king attempts to capture the Bethal multiple times, only for it to escape each time he speaks. The Bethal tells a story to pass the time, involving three Rishis with heightened sensitivities to various stimuli. The story serves as a lateral thinking puzzle, testing the king's wisdom. The Bethal's story within the story involves a king and three Rishis, each demonstrating extraordinary perception regarding rice grown near a crematorium, a serving girl's diet, and a single human hair under mattresses.
๐ฐ Conclusion: The King's Wisdom and Upcoming Stories ๐ฐ
The king correctly identifies the third Rishi from the Bethal's story as the most sensitive due to the physical evidence of his reaction. The Bethal, acknowledging the correct answer, escapes. The podcast concludes with the king continuing to capture and learn from the Bethal in future episodes. The host provides cultural context about Bethals, distinguishing them from both vampires and zombies, and hints at the story of King Porus and the upcoming epic of Ramayana. The host invites feedback and comments, thanks the listeners, and signs off with an invitation to join for the next episode.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กNarad Muni
๐กEternal Life
๐กBetal
๐กVikramaditya
๐กRishi
๐กMango
๐กCrematorium
๐กLateral Thinking
๐กPorus
๐กRamayana
Highlights
Introduction to 'Stories from India' podcast, which explores myths, legends, and folktales from India.
Host Narad Muni, a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of past, present, and future, is also a traveling musician and storyteller.
The episode features a 'Betal', a creature often likened to a vampire, with distinctions to be highlighted later in the podcast.
The story's moral emphasizes the importance of consuming gifts immediately rather than storing them, leading to unexpected outcomes.
Betals are showcased as adept at creating lateral thinking puzzles, adding an interactive element to the storytelling.
The narrative potentially inspired 'The Princess and the Pea' from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.
King Vikramaditya's backstory involves a morally complex path to kingship, including the murder of his older brother.
Despite a dark past, Vikramaditya rules with fairness and wisdom, engaging daily with his subjects' concerns.
A wise man, or 'Rishi', visits the court with a unique request to gift the king, deviating from traditional court interactions.
The Rishi's gift of a mango to King Vikramaditya leads to a surprising revelation of a precious jewel hidden within.
The king's decision to distribute the newfound wealth among his people reflects his just rule.
The Rishi's request for the king to visit the crematorium on the new moon night sets the stage for a mysterious encounter.
King Vikramaditya's repeated attempts to capture the Betal without speaking reveal the creature's unique properties.
The Betal tells a story of three Rishis, each with heightened sensitivity to different stimuli, challenging King Vikramaditya's analytical skills.
The king's correct answer to the Betal's riddle results in the creature's release, adding a layer of moral complexity to the narrative.
Cultural notes differentiate the Betal from both vampires and zombies, providing a deeper understanding of Indian folklore.
The character of the week, King Porus, is highlighted for his dignified response to defeat by Alexander the Great.
Upcoming episodes promise to delve into the Ramayana, one of the two great epics of Indian mythology.
The host invites feedback and corrections, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the storytelling process.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
hello and welcome to stories from India
a podcast where we talk about myths
Legends and folktales from India I'm
your host narad money and I'm a
mythological character myself
I was given the gift of eternal life and
knowledge of the past the present and
the
future by profession I'm a traveling
musician and a
Storyteller so the way I'm doing my job
is by
podcast during each episode we'll be
talking about a story from Indian
mythology followed by a character of the
week
segment a quick note before we start
Today's
show this episode features a BAL
a betal is a creature that has often
been approximated to a
vampire this is probably okay in the
context of today's show but I'll mention
some differences between Beals and
vampires at the
end this week we'll see why when someone
gifts you a fruit it's best to eat it
right away instead of storing it we'll
also learn how Beals are great at
creating lateral thinking
puzzles we'll also hear the story that
may have inspired the princess and the
PE story from Hans Christian Anderson's
fairy
tales King Vikram adiya was a great king
from about 2,500 years
ago how he got to be a king is not so
great
however when he was a prince and second
in line to his father's throne in a move
that might be straight out of The
Godfather he had his older brother
killed he used a poisonous scorpion
according to One Source a very painful
way to die instead of a quick
death despite the nasty
backstory vikramaditya whom I'm just
going to call Wick proved to be a fair
King and he ruled with great
wisdom Wick held Court every day listen
to the problems of his people and did
everything he could to fix them I mean
fix the problems not fix the people
people one day A wise man came to his
court now wise men or Ries were treated
with great respect and Kings would move
mountains to grant their smallest
wish a typical Rishi would go to a
king's court be well received eat good
food and drink sleep well for a few days
and then
leave the payoff to the king would be
that the Rishi would make a prediction
or if he had some special powerups he
would even Grant a
wish the predictions were almost always
wague and were meant for some time in
the future when the Rishi was safely
away from the
scene the wishes were usually vague
enough that it would be impossible to
rule out magic wish
fulfillment so it was a pretty good deal
a win-win for all
involved now the Rishi who came to court
today first ran into to the Royal
secretary do you have an appointment the
secretary
asked I don't said the
Rishi you'll have to take a token and
wait your turn meanwhile you can fill in
this form check here and here for your
dietary requirements how long you'll be
staying and most importantly check here
to indicate your speciality wish
prediction or other please describe fill
in the form and we'll get back to you
with a decision in a day or two sorry to
make you do all this this but we had a
couple of freeloaders last month they
skipped out on us without so much as a
thank you I don't think they were real
Ries I spotted them right away their
ropes were all wrong but who was going
to believe me anyway that's why we have
this process now are you trying to say
something he asked the Rishi the Rishi
who had been trying to interrupt said
yes if I could just have a minute I just
want to give the king a
gift the secretary almost dropped his
clipboard in amazement and then slowly
said
you're passing on the palace day and the
food and the wine and you want to give
the king a gift anyway no quit
proo yes that's right said the
Rishi oh my God this is one for the
record book said the secretary I'm going
to tell my grandchildren all about this
Mac hold the queue he shouted just as
another RI was about to be let into the
courtroom after a 2-day wait we got to
Fast Track this guy said the secretary
indicating the
Rishi the Rishi walked in and the king
and everyone else bowed because that's
how Ries and Kings worked back then the
Rishi without a word presented the gift
to the king a mango it was
ripe M thanks said the king but the
Rishi was already walking
out the king didn't want to eat the
mango so he gave it to his treasurer
because who doesn't keep perishable
fruit mixed in with their
money and nothing further was said about
it the next day the Rishi was
back change your mind about the food
asked the
secretary but no the Rishi wanted to
give the king another gift it was
another mango and again pretty much the
same thing happened and again the mango
went to the treasury
this happened for a number of days until
one day the King was in his garden when
the Rishi arrived and presented the
mango of the
day after he had left the King was
actually finally tempted to eat it his
Minister who was a bit paranoid advised
him not to it could be poisoned he
warned the king didn't seem to think
much of the idea it's a raw mango with
the skin on how could it be poisoned he
asked the
minister Snow White's mother did it said
his
Minister you do have a point said the
king conveniently there's this monkey in
the garden I can't
stand he tossed the mango at the
monkey the monkey picked up the mango
and started eating
it and soon it finished eating it and
tossed away the seed
except it wasn't a seed it was a large
Ruby very shiny and very
real the Royal Jeweler examined it and
declared it to be the most valuable gem
he had ever
seen the surprised King immediately
called the treasurer and asked for the
rest of the
mangoes the treasurer who hadn't been in
the garden was only too happy he had
been wondering if by asking him to store
the mangoes the King was subtly hinting
that he was planning to demort him to
the position of royal grer or
something every mango was sliced up and
every one of them contained a huge
precious
Jewel we've hit the jackpot exclaimed
the
treasurer indeed said the king but we
must distribute the extra wealth to the
people and I must speak speak to the
Rishi tomorrow when he arrives
again no no no said the treasurer you
can't do that what if he stops he's like
the goose with the golden egg we should
keep receiving the eggs and not ask any
more
questions I can't in my good conscience
do that I can't accept anything of value
from people without knowing their
motives said the king he had a point of
course so when when the Rishi arrived
the next day the king bowed before him
and asked what he could do for the Rishi
in exchange for the generous
gifts the Rishi said I have only one
request for you
King on the next new moon night you must
come to the
crematorium I will wait for you there
and give you further
instruction the king readily
agreed while in the back backr the
secretary shook his head and thought to
himself quit Bru after
all and on the appointed night the king
arrived and saw the
Rishi the Rishi had started a little
fire and was chanting some
prayers he paused and instructed the
king to go fetch him a Bethal from the
banan tree on the other side of the
crematorium a Bethal is a reanimated
corpse that loves to hang upside down on
trees like a
bat the king quickly reached the tree
and managed to catch one without much
difficulty but within minutes the Bethal
managed to escape and go back to his
tree this happened a few times until the
king realized that the Bethal only
managed to escape the moment the king
said
something the king's voice made the
Bethal less solid briefly and allowed
him to
escape since I have Universal knowledge
I could try to explain the mechanics
behind how that works but you wouldn't
understand it because some of the
underlying science hasn't been
discovered
yet maybe in the 25th Century when I'm
telling this story to a different
audience I might throw in those
details so anyway on the next iteration
of Capture the Flag I mean capture the
Bal the king did not speak a word
but the Bethal spoke to him
instead he said we have a long way to
go no we don't thought the king but he
wouldn't say it because the king thought
the Bethal was just trying to trick him
into saying something so that he could
Escape back to his
tree the Bethal
continued to pass the time let me tell
you a
story and and this is the story that
follows Once Upon a Time said Bethal
there were three holy men three
rashes they were known to be very
fastidious which means they were fussy
and paid great attention to very Minor
Details they wandered about the land
Palace hopping like many rashis back
then once at the palace of famous King
the first Rishi showed
up he was received warmly and even sat
at the king's own table for
dinner and the food was
rich at least the king himself had never
any cause for
complain however after the very first
bite the Rishi was
offended I refuse to eat rice that is
grown from Ash he
said
everyone was surprised that the Rishi
could discern something like that from
one pite of the
rice the king immediately launched an
investigation it was soon discovered
that the rice did indeed grow in a field
right next to a
crematorium speaking from my unlimited
knowledge I can positively assert that
there is no nutritional difference
between rice grown near a crematorium
and rce grown further away but
psychologically there was a huge
difference the king ordered a change of
supplier right
away the Rishi left and after a while
the second Rishi showed up at the same
Palace he too was warmly
received as he was being served food and
drink he remarked to the serving girl
that she must have drunk a lot of goat's
milk I did didn't said the girl afraid
now because the king might think she had
been drinking out of his
stock the King was curious and had
someone
investigate no the serving girl never
drank goat's milk from the king's
supplies said the
investigators but we talked to her
mother in the girl's childhood she fed
almost exclusively on goat's milk a fact
that the girl herself didn't
recall again everyone was amazed by this
rishi's
Powers he left after a while and then
the third rishy showed up he too was
warmly received but this time dinner
passed by without
incident when it was bedtime the Rishi
was shown to his
room and he had a great big luxurious
bed with seven
mattresses the maid had just laid out
brand new sheets for him and
everything the next morning the king
like the good host that he was stopped
by to ask if the Rishi had slept
well the Rishi said no he hadn't and
showed him a big red mark on his
back again the matter was
investigated and it was discovered that
under the seven mattresses there was a
single human
hair the shape and length of the hair
exactly match that of the mark on the
rishi's
back the king apologized for the
discomfort and the Rishi went on his
way that's the story said the
Bal all three Ries were sensitive to
some sort of
stimulus the taste of the rice the smell
from the serving girl's hands and the
presence of the hair
now Wick can you tell me with certainty
which of the three Ries was the most
sensitive I have already said a number
of times that Wick was smart and here he
proves it the third one said Vick right
away the first two Ries could have
gotten their information about the rice
and the serving girls some other way too
not necessarily from tasting the food or
from the smell of the girl's
hands but the third one had a visible
physical effect on him so I put my money
on
him Bingo said the Bal your answer is
right but also you spoke Sonam
off and the Bal flew off back to his
tree we'll leave it here this week the
king did go back and grab the betal
again and again and heard more stories
but those are for future
episodes a few notes on the show a betal
is not a
vampire a vampire is a fictional
character that was mostly made famous by
Bram Stoker's
Dracula a Bethal is a corpse that can
fly and talk and tell stories and listen
to some
extent it's not a zombie either
it mostly hangs out or rather hangs down
from trees near
cemeteries Wick and the Bethal do this a
number of times 25 in the most common
versions but more or less in some other
retellings the Rishi and King
relationship is an interesting one it is
rooted in cost division in ancient
Indian
Society the there are a few different
terms Rishi sadhu sasi joogi but it's
easy to think of them simply as wise men
though they may not always act
wisely the character this week is a
legend king porus ruled parts of the
Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent
around 3rd Century
BC he was a great warrior and is often
depicted riding an
elephant when a huge Army arrived from
the
Northwest porest did his best to defend
his
land since the Army was that of one of
the greatest conquerors of all
time bis's best was not good
enough Alexander the Great soon had him
in Chains when porus was brought before
him he could see a marked difference
between porus and all of the other kings
Alexander had
defeated seeing his proud and dignified
stance Alexander asked porus how he
would like to be
treated forus answered that he would
like to be treated no different than how
Alexander himself expected to be
treated this impressed Alexander so much
that not only did he let poris go he
even gave him some of his land
back today this incident is what porus
is mostly known
for
next week we'll start on the
ramayan this is one of the two greatest
epics of Indian mythology and I'm so
excited to start
this the character next week is a girl
who abducted a prince so she wouldn't
have to marry his
cousin since I'm several thousands of
years old my memory may not be perfect
at
times so if you see any errors in my
podcast I'd appreciate it if you could
Point them out to me if you have any
comments or suggestions you can leave a
review on the site it's SFI podcast.com
the site is also linked in the show
notes you can also tweet at SFI
podcast the music is from purp
planet.com that's
purple-planet.com as always I'm grateful
to family and friends for all the
support and help and thank you all for
listening the the feedback I have
received has been very
useful I'll see you next
[Music]
week
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