STORY NO. 77. SACRIFICED HIS OWN SON
A Rajput called Viravara presented himself before King Sudraka of Ujjaini and wanted employment. The King asked him what wages he wanted. He said "Four hundred gold coins a day". What are your accouterments?" asked the astonished King, "These two arms, an unswervingly loyal heart, my sword, and a readiness to sacrifice everything for my master. "You demand far too much" said the King, and sent him away. But the Prime Minister said to the King, "He seems to be a remarkable man. why not your majesty try him for a week and then dismiss him if he is not worth his salary?". "Right"said the King, and employed Viravara for a week.
Viravara spent half his salary every day on gods and Brahmins, half the balance he gave the poor and spent the rest on himself, his wife and only son Saktidhara whom he loved to distraction. The King learnt all this through his spies. Viravara used to stand guard at the palace night and day most vigilantly. On the night before New moon day, the King heard the sound of a young woman's weeping. It was pitch dark. He asked Viravara to go and find out why the woman was weeping. Viravara left. The- King followed him to see what happened. Viravara asked the weeping young woman why she was weeping. She replied, "I am the Fortune of King Sudraka. He will die in three days, and I shall be left desolate. So I am heart-broken and am weeping.""Is there no way of preventing it?" asked Viravara. 'There is,"said the young woman, "But it is a terrible one. If you will sacrifice your only son, Saktidhara, possessed of all the thirty-two auspicious qualities, to the goddess Sarvamangala in the Mahakali temple, outside the fort, the King's death will be averted and he will live for a hundred years."Viravara went to his house, followed secretly by the King, and told his wife and son about what the young woman had told him. Saktidhara said, "Why hesitate, father? Sacrifice me for the sake of your master whose wages you are enjoying.'' His mother also agreed.
So, Viravara went with his wife and son to the Ujjaini Mahakali(Called Uchimakali (Ujjaini Mahakali) in South India) temple and cut off his son Saktidhara's head as a sacrifice to the goddess Sarvamangala. Then, saying, "After my beloved son's death, my life is not worth living", he cut off his own head. His wife too cut off her own head, saying, "I cannot live without my husband and son."The king, who was watching all this in astonishment, said to himself, "Why should useless people like me continue to live at the expense of such brave and self-sacrificing people?"and took his sword and proceeded to cut off his own head when the goddess Sarvamangala appeared before him and caught his sword and asked him to desist from the rash act. He told her that he would desist only if she restored to life Viravara, his wife and son. She did so, and they returned to their house, and the King to the palace. When Viravara returned, to the palace, the King asked him, "What happened?". He replied simply, "That weeping woman disappeared on my approaching and questioning her." Pleased with his bravery, self-sacrifice and modesty, the King said, "You are the model warrior" and made him the ruler of Karnataka province,' under him, with the full approval of his Prime Minister.
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