Dark was the night and the sky was overcast with clouds. An eerie silence prevailed after a heavy shower. Once in a while the silence was broken either by the howl of jackals or by thunderclaps.
In the intermittent lightning, sometimes horrible faces were revealed. They seemed amazed at the king's valour. However, they did not come too close to him. But King Vikram advanced towards the lone banyan tree in the cremation ground with determined steps. He climbed it and brought the corpse down.
But as soon as he began walking with the corpse on his shoulder, the vampire that possessed the corpse said, "I wonder if you have undertaken this queer job at the request of some hermit, for hermits are quite whimsical. Take the case of the hermit Somadev. His behaviour towards two kings was rather strange. Let me tell you the story. That might bring you some relief."
The vampire went on: Somadev, a great hermit, lived in a forest that spread along the borders of two kingdoms. Dhanadutta and Dhiradutta were the kings of the two neighbouring lands. Although the two kings competed with each other on many things, their reverence for Somadev was equal. Whenever they faced any problem they met the hermit, who never failed to give them the right solution.
Generally, the kings met the hermit individually. There had never arisen an occasion for both the kings to go to him together. The hermit had equal affection for both. In fact, it was because of the hermit that the two kings were on friendly terms.
One day, out for hunting, the two kings met in the forest. Leaving their entourage behind, both went to meet the hermit to pay him their obeisance. The hermit was pleased to see them.
