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?"
"My lord, we are about to win, the enemy is now in the defensive," replied the minister. But he wiped his eyes. He was sorry to lie to his king, but he certainly did not want him to die in frustration. The Vidarbha army was totally defeated the same day. Vikramdev's soldiers reached the threshold of the palace. "What causes such hullabaloo?" the king, on his sickbed, asked his minister. "My lord! Our soldiers, after our victory, are making joyous shouts before the palace," replied the minister. "I knew that there cannot be a defeat for us as long as I remain alive," exclaimed the delighted king. "But I must praise the courage of Vikramdev. What I had heard about him- that he is a brave young man-seems to be true," the king commented and then fell asleep. In the meanwhile, Vikramdev entered the royal court. King Ranadhir's commander, minister, and courtiers bowed to him and begged for a truce. The terms for a truce were drafted. It was necessary for King Ranadhir's insignia to be embossed on the document. The minister entered the king's room and tried to remove the signet ring from his finger, bearing the insignia. "What are you doing, my good minister?" asked the king, waking up. "My lord, we are obliging the enemy to sign a declaration of surrender. The document ought to bear the mark of your signet ring," replied the minister. The king felt so much elated that he tried to sit up. "Let me go to court. I wish to meet that daring young man," he announced.
The minister saw dark. He fumbled and said, "Very well, my lord, let me alert the court." He ran into the court. Prince Vikramdev had occupied the throne. The minister knelt before him and suppressing his tear, told him all that had passed between himself and the ailing king. He then said, "O Victorious Prince, you have proved your courage in the battlefield, pray, prove your moral courage by feigning defeat before our sick king. He is to die in a day or two. Do what you like thereafter." It was a queer situation for Vikramdev. However, he could appreciate the minister's love and devotion for the ailing king. He decided to act as requested and left the throne and stood like one who had been defeated. King Ranadhir was brought into the court. He gazed at Vikradev for a while and then said with a smile, "Young man, you are indeed a worthy warrior. You could not have foiled my strategies at the beginning otherwise. Who knows, you could have won a victory had my soldiers not given a fierce fight to save my prestige! But I assure you, there is no shame in being defeated by me. To prove this to the world, I have decided to marry my daughter to you!" There were thunderous shouts of joy. Vikramdev stood silent. The marriage was performed with due pomp and show. King Ranadhir took to bed again. He died a year later - after he had seen a grandson born. But, till the end, he did not know that Vikramdev had defeated his army!
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