Madhumalathi ( A story for children)

In a town along the Yamuna River, the learned Brahmin Keshav sought an ideal husband for his stunning daughter, Madhumalathi. Three handsome and intelligent young men from Kanya Kunj became enamoured with her at a fair and approached Keshav for her hand in marriage. Unable to choose among them, Keshav left the decision to Madhumalathi.

On the day of the decision, a snake entered Madhumalathi's room, biting her and tragically causing her death. Devastated, the three suitors, deeply in love with her, decided to dedicate their lives to her memory. Each took a unique path – one scattered her ashes in the Ganges and settled nearby, another built a hut at the cremation site and lived there, and the third wandered holy places, cherishing Madhumalathi's memory.

The story takes an intriguing turn when the third suitor witnesses a Tantric reviving a baby from ashes using a magical spell. Driven by the desire to bring Madhumalathi back to life, he steals the Tantric's spell book. The three suitors reunite, and with the magical prayer, holy water from the Ganges, and the preserved ashes, they resurrect Madhumalathi, more beautiful than before.

However, a new conflict arises as each suitor claims responsibility for her revival. The dispute reaches a critical point when Betal asks King Vikram to decide the rightful suitor. Vikram cleverly observes that the one who recited the magical prayer acted as a father, the one who immersed her ashes behaved like a son, but the ascetic suitor, who preserved her ashes and led a life of renunciation, is the true match.

Impressed with Vikram's wisdom, Betal acknowledges the correct answer but also points out Vikram's violation of the rule not to speak. Betal then slips away and returns to the tamarind tree, leaving Vikram in anticipation of the next challenging story.