The Tailor As Vishnu (standard:fantasy, 1510 words)
Author: Brit_in_Malaysia	Added: Aug 21 2008	Views/Reads: 3269/2094	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A fable from ancient India of a tailor goes to unusual lengths to win a princess.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

The maiden did not dare look up. In unaccustomed timidity, she asked,
“What does the King of Heaven and the Lord of the Sun want with me?” 

“You were my wife in former incarnations,” and he knelt in front of her
bowed figure. “I have come for you, mere Saajni, my dear one.” And he 
embraced her. 

And they stood beside each other and looked upwards. “At this moment,”
he said, “we are being wed under the stars. The devas of the air and 
the water are singing. See how the stars wink and glow at our reunion!” 


And then nightly he visited the Rajkumari and as each Sunrise illumined
their lovemaking, he said a fond farewell and ascended to the heavens. 

*** 

“Doesn't our dear princess look so bright and happy nowadays,” said the
Queen to her husband at their morning meal. “I do believe she has 
consented to marry King Vikramasena.” 

“What! That tyrant, the barbaric—.” 

“But, my Lord, it is surely a match in everyone's best interests? I hear
the King Vikramasena has threatened to invade if we do not approve of 
the union.” 

“Hmm... I do not approve of his style of courtship. What does the
Princess say?” 

The Princess said, “I do not want to marry anyone – for I am already
united.” 

And she smiled, her thoughts far away... 

The King and Queen looked at each other thoughtfully. 

*** 

That night the King concealed himself to watch his daughter. And in the
morning, he said, “Your lover must die!” 

“You cannot kill my husband. He is more powerful than any upon the
Earth.” 

“Every man bleeds when he is cut by my mighty sword!” 

“Yes, but you cannot harm a God-!” 

“A God?” 

“He comes to me every night from Sani – the Sun!” 

“Aah...she is mad!” cried the Queen and fainted. 

The King and Queen were delighted at Vishnu making love to their
daughter. 

At Court, the King pronounced: “With Vishnu as my Son-in-law I will
conquer the Three Worlds.” And he refused to pay further tribute to 
King Vikramasena. 

Vikramasena, after he had led his armies into the Gandas and surrounded
the city walls, declared war and delivered an ultimatum. 

“Your Majesty, a soldier comes under a flag of truce!” 

“We will receive him,” said the King, who had refused to recruit an
army, informing the people, “with Blessed Vishnu on our side who needs 
soldiers!” 

“The Great King, His Mightiness, the Vikramasena, Lord of the North,
Brave Warrior of--!” 

“You can cut all that out,” said the King. “What's the message?”“...In
his great Mercy, my Mighty King will give you one final chance. Send to 
him your Gracious Daughter, the lovely princess, hair of ----!” 

“Are you a soldier or a poet?! I've heard enough! We hereby challenge
your Vikramasena to hand-to-hand combat with my Son-in-law. At dawn 
tomorrow. Outside the North Gates.” 

*** 

The Princess was prevailed upon to ask the God to honour the challenge. 

And as Vishnu stepped onto his flying machine, he answered,
“I...er...yes...” And the gold and silver bird flew off so quickly that 
the Princess's hair flew back in the wind. 

Hariswami watched the craft land some minutes later and helped Ajay to
push the machine into his work-building. 

“It is time to stop. Have you not had enough?” 

“No,” Ajay said. “Never! princess is mine for always even as in past
incarnations. Life without my Rajkumari will be death.” 

“Perhaps the Warrior King will imagine you to be the real Vishnu and
flee,” said Hariswami half-heartedly, for he knew Vikramasena was a 
Master of the black arts and had boasted his strength equal to that of 
any Son of Heaven. 

“I will have to fight. I promised her. And I have never broken a promise
to her. Lied to her on thing – yes, but never broken a promise...” 

*** 

From above, the real Vishnu had watched the tailor's impersonation and
He decided to take an active part in the forthcoming fray. So that dawn 
when Ajay, with heavy heart, left his Rajkumari to go to battle Vishnu 
Himself entered his body in a flash of golden light. 

As the Sun rose it illuminated the city and the surrounding Indian
forests. 

Thousands of invaders lined up to watch. The city walls took the weight
of city-dwellers. 

Nobles, including the Princess, watched from flying craft hovering
above. She watched  the familiar flashing gold and silver birdchariot 
descend to the ground. 

Out stepped Vishnu. 

Vikramasena formed himself into a bat and hid in the crevice of a large
rock. 

Vishnu levitated into the air and became a silver-white sphere and moved
in circles around the area – very quickly. 

Vikramasena resumed his form and took up his ray projector and fired
one-two-three black beams of power. 

In a flash, Vishnu adopted humanoid form, threw himself away from the
black beams. He fell onto the ground as if wounded. 

Vikramasena levitated and flew towards the body. 

Vishnu suddenly shot into the air and formulated from his right hand a
white disc of light. The discus spun around in a wide arc and 
approached his adversary from behind and cut Vikramasena in half and 
returned to Vishnu's body. 

The invaders fled in confusion as the two halves of Vikramasena's body
disintegrated into dust. 

Vishnu flew down to the ground and with lightning speed left Ajay's body
and, invisible to the crowd, sped through the clouds to another world 
that required His help and attention. 

Ajay breathed a silent prayer of gratitude to Vishnu and was covered in
clouds of red, white and blue flowers. Cheers rang out, drums, trumpets 
and conches sounded throughout the land. And the Rajkumari embraced him 
in the Sunlight. 

And so Ajay the tailor claimed the vast wealth of the defeated enemy and
married his Rajkumari and, I do believe, lived happily and peacefully 
ever after. 

*** © 1999, 2008 


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