The Four Talents  

Long ago, a king by the name of King Balwant was looking around for a suitable king to marry his daughter Apsara who was a very beautiful and wise maiden. Kings came from all corners of the world. But King Balwant was not satisfied with their capabilities. Then one day four kings visited King Balwant on the same day. The first was King Paramvir from the east. He was a great soldier and was highly skilled in all sorts of martial arts. The second was King Vivek from the south. He was a very learned man and claimed to know the deepest truths of the world. The third was King Alok from the North. His kingdom was very prosperous. He claimed to be very good at using his wealth in the most productive of ways. The fourth was King Parikshith from the West. He was a very loving king and worked very hard to keep his citizens happy.

Betal, the spirit, stopped his story at this juncture and asked King Vikram, “O King, you have a fine sense of justice. You can see that these four kings are very good and worthy. But the princess can marry only one of them. Who in your opinion is the right match for Princess Apsara? Please remember that you don’t have to speak if you cannot resolve the matter. But if you do know the answer and do not answer, your head will break into a thousand pieces.”

King Vikram gave the story some thought and answered, “Even though all four were rulers, they did not all possess the talents of a Kshatriya. King Vivek was a scholar and a wise man. So by his abilities, he was a Brahmin. King Alok was very good at managing and utilizing wealth. So by his abilities and talents, he was a Vaishya. King Parikshith was a hard worker and toiled to keep his subjects happy. So by virtue of his ability to work hard, he was a Sudra. On the other hand, King Paramvir was a soldier to the core. He was brave and very talented at warfare and martial arts. Therefore he is the only Kshatriya amongst the four. Therefore, Princess Apsara would surely marry King Paramvir from the east.”

“Well said O King Vikram,” said Betal.

“But since you have spoken again, I must go back to my old haunt.” So saying, the Betal slipped off King Vikram’s shoulder and flew back to his perch on the banyan tree. King Vikram did not lose heart. He turned to go back to the tree to continue with his task of carrying the Betal possessed corpse to his kingdom.