2023TimelyHelp

Vikraman was carrying a ghost on his back as he made his way to the funeral grounds. The ghost was hanging from a tree upside down, like a bat. The back-riding ghost addressed the king, saying, "O king! I feel sorry for you, wandering in the forest night and day. I am afraid that you will lose the object you are looking for." The ghost continued speaking to the king, "Listen to me, King. Virabahu once made a mistake. This is his story. Aboriginals lived in the Dandakaranya forest. One day, the young boys and girls of the tribe spent an enjoyable time by the lakeside. The fish in the lake were frolicking in and out of the water. One youth posed a question to the others, "Is it possible to shoot a fish the moment it jumps out of the water?" One of the youths replied, "The fish remains in the air for a fraction of a second before it falls back into the water. It is impossible to shoot a fish, while it is in the air." The other youths agreed with him. Nilima, a beautiful girl, looked at her favorite youth and challenged him, saying, "If you shoot a fish under those circumstances, I will marry you." This challenge created excitement among the youths, who were all mesmerized by her beauty. Nilima's love interest, Pratap, picked up the bow and arrow, aimed, and shot at the fish, but the arrow missed its target. Virabahu, who was standing away from the crowd, aimed and shot at a fish, causing a stir among his male friends. Virabahu approached Nilima and said, "Hey Beauteous, I won the challenge you presented to us. Therefore, you must marry me." Nilima retorted, "Marry you? Not a chance. I addressed the challenge to Pratap. I never posed it as a challenge to everyone." Virabahu contradicted Nilima, saying, "No, you did not say it that way." His friends supported Virabahu. Ganga, a friend of Virabahu, assertively told Nilima, "You should marry Virabahu." Nilima shouted out her objection and refusal, saying, "Never, never." Virabahu adamantly retorted, "Nilima, I will certainly marry you." Soon, the youths dispersed. Such disputes were common among the forest tribal residents. If someone - even an enemy- was in trouble, the opponent would help them. Once, Virabahu tried to collect a honeycomb from a tree, but the bees attacked him viciously, and he was about to fall from the tree. Pratap happened to pass by and skillfully caught Virabahu as he fell. Pratap told Virabahu, "Virabahu, if you love Nilima that much, you should marry her. But first, you must find out if she loves you." Any talk about Nilima made Virabahu angry. Virabahu said, "I don't need your advice." Soon after, he left. A few days later, the young boys and girls went on a hunt in the forest. Nilima, Pratap, and Virabahu were part of the hunting group. Afterward, they all feasted on the cooked wild animal. At that moment, a tiger charged towards the feasting crowd. Most of them ran up the hill and escaped the tiger. Nilima was the last to climb up the hill but lost her footing and fell. The tiger charged at her. Virabahu threw a large rock at the tiger, causing it to fall to the ground. Virabahu caught Nilima's hand and ran, dragging her. The tiger got up again Please finish the story as presented by me. ChatGPT Apologies for the confusion. Here's the continuation of the story as you presented it: Not knowing what to do, Nilima and Virabahu made a split-second decision. They both jumped off the small hill, while the tiger fell down and died. The shock of the fall left Nilima unconscious, with a broken left arm and bleeding. Virabahu, recovering from the fall, went to fetch water from a nearby pond. At that moment, Virabahu's close friend Ganga approached him and said, "Look at the bleeding from Nilima's left hand. Cut your left hand and mix your blood with hers. This is the tribal way of establishing a marriage." Saying this, Ganga disappeared. Hearing Ganga's words, Pratap lost his composure. He brought a lawsuit against Virabahu in the village court, accusing him of forcefully marrying Nilima. The head of the village council addressed Nilima, saying, "Nilima! Pratap has brought a case to our attention, claiming that Virabahu married you against your will and that you married him under duress. Is that true? If it is true, Virabahu will face death right now, and you can go ahead and marry whomever you want." A silence fell over the crowd. After thinking for a while, Nilima spoke, "Virabahu married me with my consent." Then, something unexpected happened. Virabahu stepped forward and said, "Allow me to tell the truth. As Ganga advised me, it is true that I initially wanted to marry Nilima while she was unconscious, and I even slashed my hand for that purpose. But as I approached her to mix our blood, I saw her face and changed my mind. Therefore, we were not a couple. I will punish myself for my crime by self-exiling from this forest." With those words, he left the premises. The ghost riding on Vikraman's back spoke, "O king! Why did Nilima and Virabahu act without mutual consent? If Nilima had told the truth to the village council, she could have married Pratap. Moreover, Nilima uttered a lie by saying she married Virabahu, whom she hated from the beginning. What was the necessity for this lie? Virabahu insisted that he would certainly marry Nilima one day. Though Nilima agreed to the marriage, Virabahu told the court that the marriage never took place and left the village for good. I do not understand the actions of either of them. If you know the answer to this question but remain silent, your head will explode into a million pieces." Vikraman responded, "Since Nilima was unconscious, she did not know what happened. Nilima's lie about the wedding is an example of the tribe's high values, where a life is safeguarded under all circumstances, regardless of innocence or guilt. A person in danger of losing his or her life will receive help, whether they are innocent or guilty." "If Nilima had said that the wedding took place without her consent, Virabahu would face death according to the court's ruling. Nilima told a lie because Virabahu had helped her when they were being chased by a tiger, and she believed that a savior should not die." "However, Virabahu's role was that of someone who loved Nilima but did not consider marrying her against her will. He told the truth about this matter. Virabahu chose self-exile from the village because his presence would further divide the community." Vikraman's response broke the silence. The ghost flew away and disappeared into the tree above.