Viksha's boon¹⁰

There was a King Viksha, who was very cruel and unkind. Nobody liked him. He wanted to conquer everybody. He said, “There are many ways to conquer people — with weapons, or deception, or other means. But in my case I want to conquer in a different way. I will conquer by touch. Whomever I want to kill, I will touch the head of the person and he will die immediately. How can I do this? I am undivine, but I do have faith in God. Among the cosmic gods I know Shiva is very easy to please. So I will pray to him.”

He prayed for many, many years. One day Shiva came and said, “You have been calling, calling and calling. What do you want? I will give you whatever you want.”

“Yes, I want something, but you can’t give it to me.”

“I can’t give it to you? Then why are you praying?”

“Yes, I have been praying to you, but I don’t remember when I started.”

Shiva said, “Many, many years ago.”

“Oh! I have been praying for many, many years? I didn’t know? I was in trance. So now you have come! I am so glad and grateful. O Lord Shiva, give me the boon that whenever I touch somebody’s head, that person will die immediately. With my touch I wish to be able to turn that person’s entire body to ashes.”

Shiva said, “Wonderful. Wonderful. I am pleased with your prayer so I am giving you this boon. Whomever you touch on the head will die immediately.”

The King said, “I am so grateful to you, so grateful! Now, may I use it on you to see if you are telling the truth?”

Shiva said, “You want to use it on me?”

“Yes! How else will I know if you are telling the truth?”

Shiva started running away. “O God, what have I done?” he thought. He ran to Vishnu’s place, and Viksha was chasing him. With his third eye Vishnu had seen all that had happened and said to the King, “Why are you running? Why are you running? Great King, you are running after Shiva. What has he done? If you ask him to come to you, he will come. Why do you have to chase him? You are the King. We all run after you. You don’t have to run after us.”

This flattery satisfied King Viksha to a great extent. He said to Vishnu, “Look at this liar! I prayed to Shiva for so many years. He came to give me the boon, but he doesn’t want me to test the boon to see if it is real or not.”

“What kind of boon?” asked Vishnu.

“I asked him for the power to burn somebody to ashes just by touching his head. He gave me the boon, but when I tried to place my hands on his head, he ran away.”

“Does it take such a long time for you to prove it?” asked Vishnu. “Just touch your own head and see if it is true or not.”

“But if I touch my head will I not burn to ashes?”

“Oh no. As soon as you are about to be burned, take your hands away. Then you will know if it is true.”

“You are right. Let me just touch my head.” As soon as he did so, he was burned to ashes.

Shiva said to Vishnu, “Oh, you saved me!”

Vishnu said, “You have saved me many times. We are inseparable friends. We shall eternally remain one. When either one of us is in danger, the other will come to his rescue.”