THE STORY OF MARGA SIMHA TOLD BY CHAMPAKA VALLI

Once there was a city by name Chathura Giri. The king by name Saindhava was ruling it. His minister’s name was Mukunda. They were ruling the people so that nobody got nothing problems and troubles. The king had a son. He kept the prince’s name as Chitra Sena. The king was bringing up the prince with care and affection. In their city, there was a hunter. He had a son on the same day on which the prince born. The hunted had kept his son’s name as Marga Simha. Both the boys were growing. When the prince was at 5 years age, the king had left him at a Guru Kulam to learn education. The hunter also left his son at the same Gurukulam i.e. school. Chitra Sena and Marga Simha became good friends. In their education some years had passed. They became 15 years age. They promised mutually to do not leave one another. Some more years passed. They returned home from GuruKulam. At that time, the king Saindhava had performed the coronation of Chitra Sena and made him as king. He left to forest to do penance. At the sametime, the hunter also died. After becoming king, Chitra Sena became proud. He had forgotten his friend Marga Simha. Marga Simha didn’t sense this. He boasted himself, as he was friend of the king in his colony. He had approached the royal palace to visit the king. He had thought that he would not have any problem because his friend became as king. He was waiting at the entrance of palace for 15 Ghadiyas in the day and 12 Ghadiyas in the nights. For each 2 or 3 day, the king was passing through that way. But he didn’t consider this friend Marga Simha. He didn’t enquire him for the reason of his visit and his needs. By becoming king, his eyes climbed up on to his head, then how could be considering the friends. Marga Simha sensed that his friend, the king had forgotten him. He left his home with shy. He had spent time with the savings of his father. After some days, it was over. He was struggling to lead life. By watching his sufferings, his neighbors counseled him as “You foolish man! You became poor like this by believing that the king will do some favors to you. If you patronize your inherited profession i.e. hunting, you won’t have this type of pitiable situation. Won’t you know that our profession is valuable however, it is respectable or not? Though our hunting is not respectable or glamour’s as if ruling of kingdom or service in the royal court, but our hunting can feed us. It is all enough to you to waste your time like this. At least now itself, you go to forest along with other hunters and hunt animals and birds. Sell the meat of birds and animals in city and lead life comfortably.”


In helpless condition, Marga Simha had taken his father’s hunting weapons and tools and gone along with other hunters to the forest. The hunters had hunted many animals and birds. But Marga Simha was not able to capture single animal or bird. How could he hunt? He didn’t learn the art or education of hunting. By that time, the sun set at west. It came dark night. He felt so sad. He thought, “What can I do by going home with empty hands? How can I live in the city?” By thinking this, he was walking in the forest without any destination. Because it was dark he didn’t notice the surroundings. He was walking along the way, which he found in the light of stars.

After walking and walking, he had reached a cave. There was bright light in that cave. In that light, he had seen a saint who lay on the lap of a beautiful prince. With his power of penance, the saint had brought her to serve him. She was waving hand fan to the saint and the saint was sleeping. By watching this, Marga Simha reached her with wonder. She had seen him and whispered at him as “Oh man! Are you mad? If you were here, within 2 or 3 minutes this saint can wake up. He can tear you into pieces. Go away from here.”

Marga Simha felt fear and left the cave immediately. He ran to certain distance and sat under a tree. He thought, “This woman is very beautiful. She looks like princess or divine woman. She is suitable to live with our king. If I inform this to the king, I can get some benefit.”

He had returned on the same way to his city. He didn’t go to home. He rushed to the entrance of royal palace. By that time, it was about to sunrise. He urged the security guards to let him to meet the king. The security soldiers had gone to the king Chitra Sena and said, “Oh king! Good morning! There came a man, by name Marga Simha to our palace entrance. He is clamming that he is your friend at Gurukulam. He is saying that he had seen a wonder and wants to inform you about the same. He is urging us to let him to meet you. If you order him to meet, we will bring him.”

The king felt curious and said, “Bring him” The security soldiers returned to the entrance. They had permitted him to meet the king. The royal servants brought Marga Simha to the presence of king. Chitra Sena observed something thrill on the face of Marga Simha. He said, “My dear friend! Don’t think otherwise. I didn’t forget you. Because I have no time and I’m busy in royal works, I am not able to speak with anybody. What is the wonder i.e. miracle you had seen, let me know.”

Marga Simha said, “Oh King! Because you had forgotten me, sorry, no, no, because you had no time to talk with me, I faced so many troubles to lead life. In helpless situation, I had gone to forest to hunt the animals and birds along with other hunters. Because I didn’t learn how to hunt, I was not able to capture any animal or bird. I was desperate. I didn’t like to return home with empty hands. I decided to die in that forest somewhere. I walked and walked. I had reached a riverbank and a cave beside the river. In that cave, a young woman was there. I can’t say about her beauty. She was like divine woman. I can say with confirmation that there won’t be such beauty on our earth or in some other world except her. What a beauty she was! How lovely she was! I wonder how God Brahma had created such beautiful woman. If she is with you as queen to our city, it will be prestigious to us. An ugly old saint was sleeping by keeping his head on her lap. I rushed to you to inform this.”

By hearing this, Chitra Sena felt very happy. He decorated himself with new dress and good-looking ornaments. He had taken weapons such as sword, bow etc. He said, “My friend, Marga Simha! You show the way to the cave.” Both had ridden on horses. While Marga Simha was moving ahead, Chitra Sena was following him.

After travelling certain distance, the king Chitra Sena had asked the hunter Marga Simha as “Friend! Is the cave very far to here?” Marga Simha said, “No Maharaja! We reached to near. Just behind this turn, cave is there.” Chitra Sena said, “I tell you a trick to bring that woman from there to here. Listen carefully. First, you go into the cave and keep the saint’s head on your lap. Send her to here. I’ll keep her and these horses here; I’ll come there to save you. I’ll kill the saint and then we can go to our city, happily.”

Marga Simha had accepted the plan. He had gone into the cave.

The woman whispered “Oh man! What a fool you are? You came here once at last night. I warned you to go away. Why do you come again? Enough! It seems that your life will be end like this. If this saint wakes up, he will kill you. Before meeting such fate, get out of here.”

Marga Simha also whispered to her “Oh, Woman! You are like my mother! I didn’t come for my benefit. I came to help you. You are so beautiful. Being young beauty, you should live with young king at city instead of with this saint at this cave. I felt so bad for your situation. That’s why, I informed about you to the king, Chitra Sena of our city, Chathura Giri. This saint is ugly and old. His affection on you is not permanent. If he overcame craze on you, he will go again to do penance. That’s why, you go to our king. He is there at the turning of this hill. He will marry you and make you as Queen.”

That beautiful princess was suffering there since long. Hence, happily she had welcomed the event. She had whispered “Oh man. You are like my father! Really, you are God towards me. What you done is very good to me. But how can I go from here. This saint is sleeping by keeping his head on my lap. If I remove him, definitely he will wake up and open his eyes. Then we will be in danger. How can we solve this problem?”

Marga Simha whispered “Mother! Slowly you transfer his head onto my lap from yours. Then he won’t be disturbed from sleep. You go and meet the king. Then you send him here. Both of we can cut off the head of this saint. Then we can go to our city.”

She had agreed. Slowly and skillfully, she had transferred the saint’s head from her lap on to the hunter’s lap. Immediately she had rushed to the king. Chitra Sena had received her. By watching her beauty, he thought, “What a beauty! Really I never see such a beauty like her.”

The princess had watched the king and felt happy. Both of they had hugged and kissed each other. She was in terrible tense. She was sensing danger if the saint woke up. The king thought, “I can’t leave this beauty even for a single minute. It is not safe to be here further. What is loss for me whether the hunter came out safely or not? No bother to me whatever it happens to that man.” He had rushed to the city along with her on his horse with high speed. He had taken the princess into palace. Do you hear Vikramamba! This is cheap friendship. In fact, it is dangerous. The king Chitra Sena had left his friend, the hunter, Magra Simha to the saint without considering the friendship. Though his friend had done favor to him, this king had no concern on him. He returned to city happily. Can we say that this is the friendship?”

Vikramamba was hearing the story with care since beginning. She said, “Champaka Valli. I say one word. Listen to me. It is not the spirit of storytelling to give a speech in the mid of the story. What happened to the hunter? What the saint had done to him. Let me know.”

Then Champaka Valli had continued …

“Vikramamba! If you say like that, then listen the story. The hunter, Marga Simha was waiting for the king’s arrival by keeping the saint’s head on his lap. There was no king. He didn’t turn up. The king didn’t come. But the sun light comes. The poor hunter! What could he do? He was sad. Thought, “This sin man, the king had cheated me. He had deceived me like anything. It is fact that I’m going to die in the hands of this saint.” With this thought, he felt terrible fear. There were tears continuously from his two eyes. They were falling on the saint. The hunter’s body was trembling. With all these reactions, the saint had woken up. He had seen him. With a loud shout, he had raised his hand to kill the hunter. Marga Simha was crying like anything. The saint got pity by watching the poor hunter who was trembling with fear. Being saint, he had controlled his anger and asked him with soft voice “Oh child! Who are you? Where did you send the woman from here? Why did you keep my head on your lap? Tell me what happened as it happened.”

But the hunter Marga Simha was not able to speak because of his fear. The saint had came to know what happened with his power of penance and knowledge vision. He thought I should not kill this man. In fact, he had helped me and saved me from sin. Being saint, I got crazy on that princess and left my penance. It is not correct to my faith. Now I have to drive out all of Arishadwargas and I have to continue the penance. Let me help to this poor man.”

[Arishadwargas means the emotions of human beings. They are 8 emotions Kama, Kroda, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matcharyams. That means desire, anger, miser, crazy, pride and jealousy. Indian philosophy teaches us that we should control these emotions so that we will become balanced and good persons. These arishadwargas are the root reasons for every sin in this world. By influencing with these emotion people do bad to others.]

The saint had called on the hunter, Marga Simha and said, “My son! Don’t fear. I’m assuring you that I won’t kill you.”

Marga Simha gathered some courage. He said, “Swami! I live in the city Chathura Giri. My father was a hunter. People call me as Marga Simha. The present king of Chathura Giri, Chitra Sena and I were childhood friends. We studied in same Gurukulam. Being students, we mutually promised to do not leave each other. After student hood, Chitra Sena became as king. I thought that my friend had became as king, and then there won’t be any problem to me. With this over confidence, I spent all the savings to lead life after my father’s death. I waited at the royal palace door for long time. However, the king was crossing there, but he didn’t recognize me and talk to me. I understood that the king had forgotten me. My hopes were collapsed. I was desperate. By having no other profession, I was suffering from starvation. By watching this, my neighbors had scolded me and counseled me to lead life by hunting the animals in the forest. Then I came to this forest along with other hunters to hunt the animals and birds. Since I didn’t learn the education of hunting, I could not hunt any animal or bird. I was disgusted and decided to commit suicide. Hence, I walked without destination in the forest. At that time, I came here. I had seen the beautiful woman here. I thought that if I inform this to the king, he could give money and life food. That’s why, I had gone to him and informed him. He came here. You see the turning of the hill. There he stood and asked me to send the woman by transferring your head from her lap on to mine. He promised me that later he could come, kill you and release me, from here. He made me to believe that we could go to city then happily. I agreed by thinking that he would not deceive me, because I had done favor to him. I didn’t expect that my friend could throw me in danger. I released her from you by keeping you head on my lap. I waited for the king after sending the woman from here. The king didn’t turn for me. Nobody had saved me. Later what happened, you know. This is truth. You can do what you want to do.” Marga Simha had fallen on the feet of saint. The saint pleased at him because he told truth.

The saint smiled at him and said, “Marga Simha! You are innocent. I know what happened with my penance power. You told the truth without hiding. Your attempt had saved me from further sin. Hence, I pleased with you. In this world whoever does not good things, they will face severe sorrows. You had done favor to non-eligible person like your king. On the other hand, if we make friendship with anybody, it is our duty to help our friend when he fell in any danger. In spite of this moral, your friend i.e. the king had driven you into dangers. Because of your fortune, you have over came that. Nobody will say that this is friendship. In my childhood, I had heard a story of two friends such as the prince and minister’s son. I tell you. Listen carefully and learn the moral of it.”