King Vikramaditya

Introduction
- Vikramaditya was a renowned king who ruled India, from his capital Ujjain.
- He was such a glorious king, that his details are described by Vyas in Bhavishya purana.

Family
- King Gandharvasena was a son of Indra, who came to earth as a punishment.
- He married a princess, on the condition that he would return to Indraloka, only after her
death.
- Gandharva Sena, through his marriage with a princess, had three sons. They were
Vikramaditya, Bhartuhari and Parvata.

Glory
- He was born in 102 BC as the second son of Ujjain’s King Gandharvasena, son of Indra.

- Vikram == valor , Aditya == Sun (Son of aditi) , Vikramaditya == one whose valor equals to sun
- Gods showered flowers at his birth.

Growth
- At the age of five, he went to do austere penance (Thapasya) for 12 years.

Hilights
- He was famous for his kshatriya spirit and also great intelligence.
- He had earned name for his wisdom, velour and nobility.
- His encounter with Vetal demon and his special simhasan are well known.
- Bethala or Vethala became his assistant as he sacrificed a treacherous mantrika to Kalika Devi.

Throne
- There was a dispute between Rambha & Urvashi
- In his Judgement, Urvasi's dance was superior to Rambha's because Rambha lost confidence
and her garland flowers became pale as she worried about victory while dancing.

- He received a throne from Indra as he settled a dispute between Rambha and Urvasi.
- The throne (Singhasan) of Vikramaditya was given by Lord Indra and had mystic powers.
- The throne of Maharaja Vikramaditya, known as the "seat of judgment is still located in the
Rudra Sagarlake.
- This throne went missing after the period of Vikramaditya.
- When it appeared in the period of the king Bhoja, he tried to climb it.
- The salabhanjikas (Mystic powers) tested him and finally accepted Bhoja to sit on the throne.

- He also received a boon that he and his descendants would rule the kingdom for 1000 years.

Glory of Gita
- There was a king of the name Vikram, known for his conquer over Vetal.
- One day, when he was going to the forest for hunting, he took his son and two hunting dogs
along with him.
- When he reached the forest he released one dog to chase a rabbit.

- When that dog was chasing it, the rabbit looked and it was flying.
- Running and running, that rabbit reached a beautiful hermitage, which was very peaceful.

- The deer were sitting happily under the shade of the trees.
- And the monkeys were joyfully eating the fruits of those trees.
- The cubs of the tigers were playing with the baby elephants, and
- the snakes were crawling over the peacocks.

- In this forest, the great sage Vatsa lived, who worshipped Lord Krishna by reciting the
Fourteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita ?
- Near the ashram of Maharaja Vatsa, one of his disciples was washing his feet while chanting
the Fourteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita. The earth at that spot became wet.

- Just then that rabbit came running and slipped in the mud.
- Immediately that rabbit attained a heavenly body.
- An airplane came down, picked him up and took him off to the heavenly planets.

- After a moment, that dog arrived there in search of the rabbit, and he also slipped in the mud;
- gave up that dog body and attained a heavenly body and was also taken off to the heavenly
planets.

- Seeing all of this, the disciple of Maharaja Vatsa started to laugh.

- King Vikram-Betal, having witnessed those amusing events inquired from that Brahmana,
“How is it possible that the rabbit and dog went off to heaven in front of our eyes?”

- That Brahmana said, “in this forest, a great sage of the name Vatsa, who has completely
 conquered his senses, is always engaged in chanting the Fourteenth Chapter of the Srimad
Bhagavad-gita.
- I am his disciple, and I am also by his grace always engaged in chanting the Fourteenth
Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita.
- Due to that rabbit and dog slipping in the mud, they both attained the higher planets.

- Now I will tell you the reason why I was laughing; In Maharastra, there is the town of the
name Pratudhak.
- One Brahmana of the name Keshava had lived there. He was the most cruel of men.
- His wife’s name was Vilobbana. She was a loose lady, who always enjoyed the company of
other men.

- For this reason, her husband Keshava became very angry and killed her.

- In her next life she became that dog.

- And that Brahmana Keshava, due to his sinful activities became that rabbit.”

- After hearing the glories of the Fourteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, King Vikram-
Betal also began daily reciting the Fourteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita,
- when he gave up that body, he went to Vaikuntha where he was able to engage eternally in
the service of the lotus-feet of Lord Visnu.

Vikram & Vetal

- King Vikramaditya was a great ruler.
- Each day, a man brought a fruit as a gift for him.
- One day Vikram dropped the fruit and a diamond fell out.

- Vikram thanked the man and asked him, what he wanted in return.
- He asked Vikram to bring Betal, a ghost hanging from a tree in the graveyard.

- Brave Vikram went to the graveyard and pulled Betal down on to his shoulder.
- As he started walking back, Betal said, "I will tell you a story and then ask a question. You
must tell me the answer otherwise I will break you head. But if you speak I will fly back to
the tree." Vikram agreed.

- This was the start of a series of stories Betal told Vikram,

- but each time Betal asked Vikram a question, Vikram answered and clever Betal flew back to
the tree.
Guru Dakshina
- Once more Betal was narrating another story.
- A king took his son to a sage and said, "Take him as your student but make sure that he is
treated like a prince."
- The sage said, "If I am to teach him, he will be treated as any other student."

- This made the king angry. He resolved to teach the sage a lesson.

- When the prince completed his education, prince asked his teacher. "Sir, what gurudakshina
(fees) should I give you?"
- The sage replied,"I will ask for my fees when the time comes."

- When the prince returned, the king asked his men to burn down the sage's ashram.
- The prince got very angry when he saw the burnt ashram.
- He said, " I will kill the person who has done this."
- Hearing this, the sage asked him for his fees.

- Betal asked Vikram, "What did he ask for?"

- Vikram said, "The sage asked the prince to forgive the king."

Conclusion
- Vikramaditya died in 15 AD. He ruled Ujjain for over 100 years.
- His era is known as Vikram Samvat and is still followed in India.
- The title "Vikramaditya" was later assumed by many other kings in Indian history