Vaidehi: The Guardian of the Road to Heaven
Singhasan Battisi
Vaidehi awoke on the twenty-ninth step. Vikram once dreamed of a golden palace surrounded by flowering gardens. Its rooms held jewels, fragrant water, garlands, fine food, and beautiful music. When he woke, he did not assume the vision promised him ownership. He asked the betals to help him find the place so he could understand what he had seen.
They carried him to the garden and left him at its boundary. Vikram entered alone. A group of musicians stopped when they saw the unexpected visitor, and the ascetic who governed the retreat appeared in anger. He accused Vikram of disturbing a place of disciplined peace and threatened a curse.
Vikram bowed instead of answering anger with force. He explained that a dream and a wish for understanding had brought him there, apologized for entering uninvited, and asked forgiveness. The ascetic’s anger cooled. Seeing that the king had neither stolen nor boasted, he offered a boon.
Vikram asked for the palace itself. The ascetic hesitated, then honoured his promise and departed on pilgrimage. Vikram lived amid its pleasures for a time, surrounded by music, gardens, and abundance. Yet the splendour had been gained through another person’s generosity, and its true test had not ended.
During pilgrimage the ascetic regretted losing his long-prepared home. Another holy traveller advised him to return disguised as an elderly Brahmin and ask Vikram for a place to practise. At the gate he requested a peaceful dwelling where he could complete his discipline.
Vikram recognized neither the disguise nor the hidden history, but he heard the need. “If this place suits your practice, it is yours,” he said immediately. He surrendered the palace as freely as it had been given and returned to Ujjain without resentment.
Vaidehi asked Bhoj, “Can you enjoy a marvellous gift without believing that possession gives you the greater claim forever?” Bhoj stepped back.
Moral: Gratitude becomes complete when we can return shelter and abundance to someone who needs them more.
“Gratitude becomes complete when we can return shelter and abundance to someone who needs them more.”