Betal narrated his first story: (Vikram Betal -First story)
King Chandradeep ruled kanchan Nagar long long ago . His only child was his daughter Indumati. The princess was brought up like a boy, and given training in the use of arms and warfare. It was decided that whosoever wed her would also become the ruler of Kanchannagar. The princes of neighbouring kingdoms always wanted to marry Indumati, who was, besides everything else, extremely beautiful.
Indumati had a special condition for her marriage,“Whoever marries me must be strong and brave . And he must succeed in the tests that I give.” The king consulted his ministers about the tests . The royal announcement about the tests and marriage was made in all the neighbouring kingdoms, including Jayanagar, where a young man named Kurupshana heard it.
Kurupshana was born with both hands stunted. His mother died soon after his birth , and his father married again to another girl. The boy was named Kurupshana, the ugly looking boy . His stepmother illtreated him very much. She never gave him a full meal. She knew that the boy, with stunted hands , would not be of much use to her.
Kurupshana did not protest . But he lamented within himself,’They feel that I’m no good , I must take this as a challenge and show them that I too, can face life.’
He decided to go to Kanchannagar to watch the royal test . Quite a few princes and some young men, too, reached there. They all kept guessing what kind of tests the princess would put them through. Some of them thought it could be wrestling while others thought it could be archery.

Vikram Betal Stories Series ఈ Telugu stories podcast ని మీరు తప్పక subscribe చేస్తారు కదు! Tune-in every Monday and Wednesday for new Telugu Kathalu.By Priya Pulapaka. While Betal Pachisi has stories of Raja Vikram and Betal, the throne is a compilation of stories of King Vikram, also known as Vikramaditya, narrated by thirty-two puppets to King Bhoja. Read: Recover Permanently Deleted Photos from Google Photos (4 Steps).

The time came to announce the details of the tests. The Prime Minister got up from his seat and faced the princely suitors, In this test, You have to climb the wall and jump downinto the three rings of sharp knives. And while doing so, you should not injure yourself. There should not be a single cut on your body from the knives. Whoever is willing to participate inthe test may step forward!”

Vikram Betal Story Book In Telugu

Many princes rose from their seats, and went back to their seats. The wall was too high for them, the cage was placed deep down below, and the space between the knives was very less .
It seemed no suitor was willing to take the test. Kurupshana was watching all this from his seat very keenly . suddenly a thought struck him. He left his seat and walked up to King Chandradeep ,”Your Majesty, can I have your permission to take the test?”
The king was shocked to see this ugly- looking handicapped youth? Suppose he were to succeed in the test? His daughter would have to marry himand , she would have to spend the rest of her life with a handicapped husband!Princess Indumati, too, was in a similar dilemma.
King Chandradeep waited for a moment to know his daughter’s reaction, and then gave the permission to Kurupshana. Kurupshana went near the wall and asked the soldiers to take him to the top of the wall. He then took a good look at the knives cage and jumped down. He landed between the knives unscratched! A loud cheer arose from the audience.
The cage was raised,and the young man came out. He then walked near to the king and the princess, bowed down and said, “O King! Please don’t worry. I don’t wish to marry the princess. I had only wanted to pass the test . That itself is a big reward of my life and I can now face life.” The king felt relieved.

The Betal ended his narration there and turned to King Vikramaditya. ” O King! Didn’t Kurupshana behave like a foolish by not marrying the princess ? What reward did he get when he said he didn’t aspire anything more? If you know the answer and still decide not to speak , beware, your head will be blown to pieces!

The King replied, “Kurupshana was a handicapped young man. He was fully aware of his handicap that bothered his stepmother. He wished that she changed her opinion about him. By passing the test he proved to be better than those princes.That, for him, was the biggest reward he could aspire for.
He decided to undergo the lethal test not with the hope of marrying the princess. If he would marry her, he would one day be called to rule the kingdom. But as a king , he wouldn’t be able even to hold sword. If that was the case, it wouldn’t be proper for him to marry her. That was why he gave up his claim to her hand. It was not his foolishness. On the contrary, it was the decision of an intelligentand wise person.”
Betaal knew that king will definitely speak out the answer , as soon as king finished his answer, he flew back to the ancient tree carrying the corpse along with him.

Vikram Vetal Story

Vetala Panchavimshati (Sanskrit: वेतालपञ्चविंशति, IAST: vetālapañcaviṃśati) or Baital Pachisi ('Twenty-five (tales) of Baital'), is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It is also known as internationally Vikram-Betaal. It was originally written in Sanskrit.

One of its oldest recensions is found in the 12th Book of the Kathasaritsagara ('Ocean of the Streams of Story'), a work in Sanskrit compiled in the 11th century by Somadeva, but based on yet older materials, now lost. This recension comprises in fact twenty-four tales, the frame narrative itself being the twenty-fifth. The two other major recensions in Sanskrit are those by Śivadāsa and Jambhaladatta.

The Vetala stories are popular in India and have been translated into many Indian vernaculars.^[1] Several English translations exist, based on Sanskrit recensions and on Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and Marathi versions.^[2] Probably best-known English version is that of Sir Richard Francis Burton which is, however, not a translation but a very free adaptation.^[3]

Plot[edit]

The legendary king Vikramāditya (Vikrama) promises a vamachari (a tantric sorcerer) that he will capture a vetala (or Baital), a celestial spirit Pishacha, celestial spirit analogous to a vampire in Western literature who hangs upside-down from a tree and inhabits and animates dead bodies.

King Vikrama faces many difficulties in bringing the vetala to the tantric. Each time Vikram tries to capture the vetala, it tells a story that ends with a riddle. If Vikrama cannot answer the question correctly, the vampire consents to remain in captivity. If the king knows the answer but still keeps quiet, then his head shall burst into thousand pieces. And if King Vikrama answers the question correctly, the vampire would escape and return to his tree. He knows the answer to every question; therefore the cycle of catching and releasing the vampire continues twenty-four times.

On the twenty-fifth attempt, the Vetala tells the story of a father and a son in the aftermath of a devastating war. They find the queen and the princess alive in the chaos, and decide to take them home. In due time, the son marries the queen and the father marries the princess. Eventually, the son and the queen have a son, and the father and the princess have a daughter. The vetala asks what the relation between the two newborn children is. The question stumps Vikrama. Satisfied, the vetala allows himself to be taken to the tantric.

On their way to the tantric, Vetala tells his story. His parents did not have a son and a tantric blessed them with twin sons on a condition that both be educated under him. Vetala was taught everything in the world but often ill-treated. Whereas his brother was taught just what was needed but always well treated. Vetala came to know that the tantric planned to give his brother back to his parents and Vetala instead would be sacrificed as he was an 'all-knowing kumara' and by sacrificing him the tantric could be immortal and rule the world using his tantric powers. Vetal also reveals that now the tantric's plan is to sacrifice Vikram, beheading him as he bowed in front of the goddess. Then tantric could then gain control over the vetala and sacrifice his soul, thus achieving his evil ambition. The vetala suggests that the king asks the tantric how to perform his obeisance, then take advantage of that moment to behead the sorcerer himself. Vikramāditya does exactly as told by vetala and he is blessed by Lord Indra and Devi Kali. The vetala offers the king a boon, whereupon Vikram requests that the tantric's heart and mind be cleaned of all sins and his life be restored as a good living being and that the vetala would come to the king's aid when needed.

Variation[edit]

A variation of this story replaces the vetal with a minor celestial who, in exchange for his own life, reveals the plot by two tradesmen (replacing the sorcerer) to assassinate Vikrama and advises Vikrama to trick them into positions of vulnerability as described above. Having killed them, Vikrama is offered a reward by the goddess, who grants him two spirits loyal to Her as his servants.

Other media[edit]

Films[edit]

It was adapted into 1951 Hindi film Jai Maha Kali (Vikram Vaital) by Dhirubhai Desai starring Lalita Pawar, Nirupa Roy, Shahu Modak, Raj Kumar, S. N. Tripathi. It was remade in 1986 as Vikram Vetal, by Shantilal Soni, starring Vikram Gokhale, Manhar Desai, Deepika Chikhalia.

2017 Tamil film Vikram Vedha was a modern-day adaptation of Vikram Betal story with the characterisation of King Vikramadithyan and the celestial spirit Vedhalam derived from that plot. The title of the film was also derived from the two key characters from the folktale.^[4]

Television[edit]

In 1985, the story was developed by Sagar Films (Pvt. Ltd.), as a Television serial^[5] titled Vikram aur Betaal, starring Arun Govil as Vikrama and Sajjan Kumar as the Vetala. It was aired on Doordarshan, the public television broadcaster of India.

A remake of that serial by the new generation of Sagar Films (Pvt. Ltd.), titled Kahaniyaan Vikram aur Betaal Ki, was aired on the Indian satellite channel Colors.

Another 2006 supernatural sitcom Vicky & Vetaal was inspired by it.

A web series titled The Vetala was released in 2009, written and directed by Damon Vignale. The series reveals a CGI vetala character in the final episode.

2018 Hindi TV adaptation Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha was aired on &TV, where actors Aham Sharma and Makrand Deshpande as playing the role of King Vikramaditya and Betaal respectively.

Literature[edit]

The children's Chandamama, featured a serial story titled New Tales of Vikram and Betal for many years. As the title suggests, the original premise of the story is maintained, as new stories are told by Vetala to King Vikrama.

In the novel, Alif the Unseen, a character named Vikrama the Vampire appears as a jinn. He tells how thousands of years ago, King Vikrama had set off to defeat the Vetala, a vampire jinn terrorizing one of his villages. Vikrama won the Vetala's game of wits, but forfeited his life. The Vetala now inhabits his body.^[6]

Recensions, editions, and translations[edit]

Sanskrit[edit]

Both the Kṣemendra and Somadeva recensions derive from the unattested 'Northwestern' Bṛhatkathā, and include the Vetala Tales as a small part of their huge inventory. The recensions of Śivadāsa and Jambhaladatta contain only the Vetala Tales and have an unknown relationship to each other and to the other Sanskrit recensions.

Kṣemendra's Bṛhatkathāmanjarī (1037 CE)

• Anonymous Sanskrit summary of Kṣemendra

Somadeva's Kathāsaritsāgara (1070 CE)

• Somadeva (1862), Brockhaus, Hermann (ed.), Kathā Sarit Sāgara, Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus — Books VI, VII & VIII; and Books IX–XVIII (1866)
  • Tawney, C. H. (1884), The Katha Sarit Sagara; or Ocean of the Streams of Story, 2, Calcutta: J. W. Thomas, at the Baptist Mission Press, pp. 232–360
  • Penzer, N. M. (1926), The Ocean of Story, being C.H. Tawney's Translation of Somadeva's Katha Sarit Sagara, VI, London: Chas. J. Sawyer — Tawney's translation of Brockhaus text, but with corrections and additions based on Durgāprasād (below)
  • Penzer, N. M. (1927), The Ocean of Story, being C.H. Tawney's Translation of Somadeva's Katha Sarit Sagara, VII, London: Chas. J. Sawyer — Tawney's translation of Brockhaus text, but with corrections and additions based on Durgāprasād (below)
• Pandit Durgāprasāda; Kāśīnātha Pāṇḍuraṅga Paraba, eds. (1889), The Kathâsaritsâgara of Somadevabhatta, The Nirnaya-Sâgara Press
  • Ryder, Arthur W. (1917), Twenty-two Goblins, London: J. M. Dent & Sons
  • Van Buitenen, J. A. B. (1959), 'The King and the Corpse', Tales of Ancient India, University of Chicago Press, pp. 11–64 — English translation of about half of Somadeva's Vetala Tales.

Jambhaladatta (11th–14th century CE)

• Emeneau, M. B., ed. (1934), Jambhaladatta's version of the Vetālapañcavinśati, American Oriental Series, 4, New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, hdl:2027/uc1.32106001612602

Śivadāsa (11th–14th century CE)

• Uhle, Heinrich, ed. (1914), Die Vetālapañcaviṃśatikā des Sivadāsa, Berichte über die Verhandlungen der Königlich-Sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig : Philosophisch-historische Klasse, 66, Leipzig: Teubner
  • Ritschl, E.; Schetelich, M., eds. (1989), Die fünfundzwanzig Erzählungen des Totendämons, Leipzig — Translation of Śivadāsa recension.
  • Rajan, Chandra (1995), Śivadāsa: The Five-and-Twenty Tales of the Genie, Penguin Books — Translated from Uhle's Sanskrit edition.

All Rescensions (11th–14th century CE) including the Singhasan Battisi

• • Somadevabhatt, Jabhaladatta (1940), Norman Mosley Penzer; Murray Barnson Emeneau Franklin Edgerton (eds.), Vikram Adittya and Vetaala, London: ?? — Tawney's translation of Brockhaus text, but with corrections and additions based on Durgāprasād, Jambhaladatta's version of the Vetālapañcavinśati, The Tamil Vedala Cadai, and 4 recensions of the Simhāsana Dvātrṃśika ('32 Tales of the Throne', also known as Vikrama Charita: 'Adventures of Vikrama'

Hindi[edit]

Some time between 1719 and 1749, Ṣūrat Kabīshwar translated Śivadāsa's Sanskrit recension into Braj Bhasha; this work was subsequently translated in 1805 under the direction of John Gilchrist into the closely related Hindustani language by Lallu Lal and others.^[7] This was a popular work that played an early role in the development of Literary Hindi and was selected as a Hindustani test-book for military service students in the East India Company.^[8] Thus it became the basis of several Hindi editions, and Indian vernacular and English translations; many of these frequently reprinted.

• Lāl, Lallū (1805), Buetal Pucheesee; being a collection of twenty-five stories ... translated into Hindoostanee from the Brij Bhakka of Soorut Kubeeshwur, Calcutta
  • Hollings, Captain W. (1848), The Bytal Pucheesee: translated into English, Calcutta: W. Ridsdale, hdl:2027/hvd.hxcp5h — Reprinted several times between 1848 and 1921 (some later editions as Baital Pachisi).1884 edition at the Internet Archive
  • Barker, W. Burckhardt (1855), Eastwick, E. B. (ed.), The Baitál Pachísí; or, Twenty-five Tales of a Demon, Hertford: Stephen Austin — A new edition of the Hindí text, with each word expressed in the Hindústaní character immediately under the corresponding word in the Nágarí; and with a perfectly literal English interlinear translation, accompanied by a free translation in English at the foot of each page, and explanatory notes.
  • Forbes, Duncan (1861), The Baitāl Pachīsī; or The Twenty-five Tales of a Demon, London: Wm. H. Allen & Co. — A new and corrected Edition, with a vocabulary of all the words occurring in the text.
    • Munshi, Ghulam Mohammad (1868), The Baitál-Pachísí; or The Twenty-five Stories of a Demon, Bombay: The Oriental Press — Translated from Dr. Forbes's new and correct edition.
    • Platts, John (1871), The Baitāl Pachīsī; or The Twenty-five Tales of a Sprite, London: Wm. H. Allen & Co. — Translated from the Hindi text of Dr. Duncan Forbes.
  • Burton, Richard F. (1893) [1870], Vikram & the Vampire; or Tales of Hindu Devilry (Memorial ed.), London: Longmans, Green, and Co. — Not a translation, but a retelling 'more Burtonian than Indian',^[9] based on one or more of the Hindustani editions or translations.
• Kṛishṇa, Kālī (1834), Bytal Puchisi; or the Twenty-five Tales of Bytal, Calcutta — Translated from the Brujbhakha into English.

Vikram And Betal

References[edit]

1. ^Penzer 1924, Vol VI, p 225.
2. ^Penzer 1924, Vol VI, p 226.
3. ^Penzer 1924, Vol VI, p 227. Penzer goes on to observe 'What Burton has really done is to use a portion of the Vetāla tales as a peg on which to hang elaborate 'improvements' entirely of his own invention.'
4. ^http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Vijay-Sethupathi-Madhavans-film-is-based-on-Vikramathithan-Vethalam/articleshow/51009766.cms
5. ^'Sagar Arts'. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014. The legend says that Vikram aur Betaal has been one of the most popular fantasy shows made for children and had won acclaim and huge popularity during its run on Doordarshan National Network in the year 1985.
6. ^http://aliftheunseen.com/
7. ^Forbes 1861, pp. vii–viii.
8. ^Barker 1855 p vi.
9. ^Rajan 1995 lxii.

External links[edit]

Vikram Betal Cast

• Vikram & Vetaal - containing the Singhasan Battisi and the Baital Pachisi (Annotated)
• Vikram and The Vampire translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton (also available at World Wide School Library)
• Twenty-Two Goblins at Project Gutenberg: Translation by Arthur W. Ryder
• Twenty Two Goblins public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• Original Sanskrit text by Somadeva in Harvard-Kyoto transliteration

Vikram Betal Stories In Telugu Wikipedia