A story behind rise of Vikramaditya

By Shirish B. Pradhan

Happy New Year 2082 B.S. to all! May the year shower all Nepalis with happiness, peace and prosperity!

The year 2082 B.S. has finally arrived and it might be relevant to refer to the time the B.S. era started honouring the great contribution of Emperor Vikramaditya. Way back in remote past, towards the first century before the birth of Christ, Ujjain state in India had a brave King named Vikramaditya. He was specially known for his extraordinary skill of building military organization and expand state-territory defeating all enemies who came in the way.

A wise person himself with deep insight into various types of learning and knowledge, Vikramaditya would respect scholars, researchers and those who dedicated themselves to the world of learning, research, academic pursuit and exploration. Vikramaditya is learnt to have contributed immensely and historically to mankind and human civilization through offering special honour, space and place for all those who dedicated themselves to the cause of art, literature, astrology, etc.

Because of Vikramaditya’s care and high regard for researchers, creators and scholars, a team dubbed – Nawa Ratna meaning Nine Jewels – emerged in his palace and he recognized it and personalities attached to it at the state level. Among the nine were the pioneering Sanskrit poet Kalidas, astrologer Xyapanak, traditional medicine – Aurveda – the holistic way of treating disease -founder Dhanwantari, architecture science expert Shaku, Grammarian Baraunak, dictionary amarkosh creator Amarsingh, magician ghost specialist Betalbhatta, astronomer Baraha Mihir, and poet Harisen.

Vikramaditya was completely dedicated to the service of the people and he governed in such a manner that peace, prosperity, justice and social order got fortified and remained sustainable for long. His rule was the synonym of what scholars call good governance today and what ancient scholars refer to as Rama Rajya. It actually constituted solid ground for initiating an era with a difference.

The way Vikramaditya rose to power has a very interesting reality-tale. He did not make any effort to obtain it. His elder brother Bhartihari offered him the throne because of deep depression caused by the way Bhartihari the king got deceived by his beloved third wife Pingala’s beauty and immoral character. 

One day a Gorakhnath Yogi –hermit – visited Bhartihari’s palace and gave him a magic fruit with power to keep people in eternal youth. Bhartihari thought the fruit was useless for him at the old age, so he gave it to his kept Pingala to enable her to remain in youth for ever. Pingala in turn handed it over to a horse-caretaker whom she loved a lot. The horse-keeper was in love with a prostitute, so he gave it to her. The prostitute thought it was useless for her for it would keep her always in prostitution (which she did not like), so she passed it on to the king. The king later found the way the fruit exchanged hands and saw in it immorality of the lady he loved most –Pingala. This incident made him so sad that he gave up the throne to Vikramaditya.

Later Bhartihari scripted great memorial detachment verses known as Bairagya Shatak –the notes on dispassion or renunciation messaging people about how lust spoils pleasure and mutilates life.