The Victorious Prince
Long long ago King Ranadhir ruled the land of Vidarbha. He was a great hero. Whoever happened to fight with him was defeated. Songs galore were sung in his praise. Once a number of kings of the neighboring regions came together and led a fierce attack against Vidarbha. The battle went on for a long time. King Ranadhir was an expert at strategy. He formed his army into ever new groups and attacked the enemies from unexpected angles. He also managed to breed distrust among the warring kings. A time came when the combined force of the kings broke down. They retreated. Thereafter they gave up all thoughts of rebuffing Randhir. They continued to pay him tributes. King Ranadhir had no son. His daughter, Princess Shanta, was a charming young lady. All wished that she gets a husband who was as brave as her father. But there seemed to be no prince in the country equal to the King Ranadhir in bravery. Several princes dreamed of invading Vidarbha and marrying the princess by force. But their dreams remained dreams. However, it was different with Vikramdev, the young prince of Gauripur. His father had been defeated by Randhir. From his childhood, the prince was determined to avenge the humiliation. He had devoted much of his time to building up a very strong army.
After his father's death, Vikramdev became the king of Gauripur. Neighboring kings and the nobles of his court congratulated him. But he had no joy. "It is better to be a farmer and live the life of a poor man than to be a king but to live in fear of another king. I am not only going to stop paying tributes to King Ranadhir but also going to teach him a lesson," the young king told the ministers. They appreciated his sentiments. Fully prepared, Vikramdev made a surprise attack on Vidarbha. Randhir had then fallen sick. The news of the attack made him restless. As a result, his sickness was on the increase. Even then he sat up and expressed his desire to lead his army himself. But his minister and his physician did not allow him to do that. The anxious king, however, devoted all his thought and time to devise strategies for successfully meeting the enemy. But when he received reports that his strategies failed, he grew even sicker. The minister saw that Vikramdev's victory was certain. At the same time, the physician told him that the king's ailment had reached a precarious stage and that he was not likely to live for more than two or three days. In this circumstance, the minister decided to keep the king in the dark about the real situation. "My lord, our army is pushing away the invaders. Victory should be ours soon," he whispered. The king recovered his peace. He had a restful night. Consequently, he showed signs of improvement. It was when the Vidarbha army was about to be routed that the king asked the minister in a faint voice, "What is the news of the battle?"