The King of Ratnagiri, a long time ago, was ruling well and there was peace in the kingdom. He was blessed with three sons, and the princes were soon growing into handsome young men. Realising that one of them would succeed him on the throne whenever he decided to give up his royal duties and spend his time in meditation and worship of the Almighty, the king called them by his side and expressed his desire to them. "From now on, I want you to go round the kingdom and watch how the people lived and fared. Go in different directions and come back by evening and tell me if you have noticed anything unusual."
So, the next morning the three princes set out on foot, carrying the food they would need till they went back to the palace. Rajkirti the eldest took the road on the left; Rajmurti told his brothers that he would go along the road at right; the youngest Rajsnehi said he would take the path that went straight ahead. They promised to get back to the palace before it became dark. Rajkirti walked on and on for a long time till he reached a forest, where he was attracted by the sight of three fine horses grazing near a pond. Not far away he found a yogi sitting below the shade of a tall tree watching the horses as they grazed.
The prince went up and prostrated before the yogi. As he got up, the yogi asked him, "Son, who are you? What has brought you to the forest?"
Rajkirti revealed his identity and told him what had taken him away from the palace. "O holy one! With your permission, may I ride one of the horses, so that I can reach many areas and meet the people there?"
"Take any one of them, but ensure that you come back here before sunset and tell me of your adventures and their significance," said the yogi and blessed him.
Rajkirti got on to one of the horses and rode fast. He did not stop anywhere till he came upon a garden growing vegetables. When he looked around for the gardener who tended the plants so carefully, he was astonished to see the garden all fenced up without an opening on any side. As he watched, he could also not believe his eyes when the wooden spikes of the fence suddenly turned into sickles and began cutting down the vegetables. If he so wanted, the prince could have now entered the mysterious garden, but he dared not.
