Dark was the night and weird the atmosphere. It rained from time to time. Gusts of wind shook the nearby forest.Between thunderclaps and the moaning ofjackals could be heard the eerie laughterof spirits.
But King Vikram did not swerve.He climbed the ancient tree once again and brought the corpse down. However,as soon as he began crossing the desolate cremation ground, with the corpse lyingon his shoulder, the Vetala that possessed the corpse said, "O King, you must have somepurpose in pursuing this mission of yours. There are people who are never satisfied with what they achieve. Let me narrate to you an incident to illustrate my point. Pay attention to my story. That may even bring you some relief.
"The vampire went on: King Chandrapal ruled overthe kingdom of Kamboj. He was known for his interestin literature. Poets and writers received greatencouragement from him. Shravan was a young man who was in love withpoetry. All that he wanted was to be acknowledged as apoet in his lifetime, a dream that would remain unfulfilledif he continued to live in his village. So, he went to thecapital and presented himself before the king.
"My lord, I wish to spend my life writing poetry. ButI need to earn a living." said the young man.
"Can you read out some of your poems to me?"asked the king.
"With pleasure, my lord." And Shravan recited acouple of what he considered were his best poems. Theking looked satisfied and appointed him as one of thecourt poets.
Every evening the king used to listen to recitationsby poets who came from different parts of the kingdom.The king always appreciated their work and rewardedthem with gifts and titles.
