Brave King Vikramaditya promised to carry a clever spirit called the Betal from a tree to a sage. But the Betal warned: “I will tell you a story ending in a riddle. If you know the answer and stay silent, your head will burst — but if you speak, I'll fly back to my tree.”
Again and again the Betal told a puzzling tale, and again and again the honest king, unable to stay silent when he knew the right answer, spoke — and the Betal flew back, laughing.
The king never gave up, carrying the Betal again and again. His patience and honesty, even when they cost him, are what made him a truly great king.