'A Promise Not Kept' Story in English by Somdev Bhatt | Summary | Question and Answers.
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The story 'A Promise Not Kept' written by Somdev Bhatt centres around the theme of Trust, Responsibility and how manipulation of words can control someone's mind and actions. Vikramaditya, a wise king who ruled over the city of Ujjain in the first century BC, promises to capture and bring a ghost called Betaal to a sage. After he confronts Betaal, the ghost promises to accompany Vikram on one condition. King Vikram must not utter a word during the journey. Consequently, a series of compelling short stories are told by Betaal to Vikram and the end of every story has a puzzle which compels King Vikram to break the silence and Betaal to fly back to his tree. However, in conclusion, the King does manage to maintain his silence at the end of the last story and thus succeeds in his quest to get Betaal to the sage....
- A Promise Not Kept -
'A Promise Not Kept' story in english :
It was a dark, moonless night and rains were breaking out in intervals. Gusts of wind shook the trees. There were strange noises and in between the thunderclaps, the moaning of jackals could be heard. Flashes of lightning revealed fearsome faces and there was strange and mysterious giggling of the spirits of the night.
In spite of such a fearsome atmosphere, the brave king Vikramaditya did not
swerveto change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid hitting somebody or something.
a bit. He climbed the ancient tamarind tree to bring down the corpse; and soon he began crossing the desolatea place that is empty and without people, making you feel sad or frightened.
cremation ground, with the corpse lying on his shoulder.Betaal that possessed the corpse spoke: 'O King, I pity you as you are making untiring efforts without relaxing as if you wish to achieve something. Instead of enjoying a comfortable sleep on a cozy bed, you're still coming after me. You seem to be quite adamant. Such arrogance may not help you keep your promise if you have given one to anybody. You'll realise the
futilityhaving no purpose because there is no chance of success.
of the whole thing if only you listen to my story.'Betaal then narrated this story.
The ruler of Kishanagar, Rajendra, was a kind and courageous king. He was a good ruler and cared about his people very much as he would not do anything unjust. His subjects were happy and contented. They had no problems. His queen, Prema, gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Sona.
Being an only child, Sona enjoyed a lot of freedom. She grew up clever not only in studies but in the use of the bow and arrow and sword. She learnt the art of self-defence. When she reached marriageable age, her parents began searching for a suitable husband for her. But Sona disagreed with their proposal as she had definite ideas and views of what her ideal partner should be.
'Dear Father, I want my husband to be highly skilled in fighting. He should be able to overpower me in fight. If ever our kingdom faces an enemy in future, he should be able to fight and defeat them in war. If you agree to this condition then, you may make an announcement.' The King and Queen were very proud to hear about their daughter's thoughts. The announcement was made in Kishanagar as well as in the neighbouring kingdoms.
Many suitors came forward to accept her challenge as they also knew that Sona being the only heir, they would have complete sway over the kingdom once they married her. Many men also considered her an inferior fighter due to her gender and decided to belittle her in front of the people of her kingdom.
But when the suitors met Sona face to face, they realised it was not that easy to defeat her. She was a swordsman par excellence1 and her skills were unmatchable. Every one of the suitor was
routeddefeated completely in a competition or battle.
by Sona, and they had to go back disappointed. She battled with the suitors one after another and defeated them all. One among the suitors was Udayavarma, the prince of Ayodhyapuri.He watched the fight every day, by joining the crowd. He carefully watched how Princess Sona fought and the different strategies she adopted to meet the method of fighting followed by each prince. One day, he could not control himself when he saw a particular way she used the sword.
He got up and shouted 'Bravo!' in appreciation and encouragement. Sona turned to look at him, wondering who he might be who could understand the intricacies of each and every
stancethe way in which somebody stands, especially in a contest or sport.
and step during the fight. But among such a large crowd she could only get a glimpse of him.In a few days, Udayavarma had learnt all her strategies and was ready to fight with her. He announced his intention to the King and Queen.
The two fought cleverly and fiercely. Neither of them was prepared to surrender to the other. During her fight Sona tried all her tricks, but Udayavarma was able to meet each one of them. She soon discovered that he was a good swordsman and that she would not be able to subdue him so easily. Soon Sona was defeated by Udayavarma. She stopped the fight and joined her parents.
Cheers rose from the audience who were watching the proceedings very eagerly.
When Udayavarma came forward to present himself to the King and Queen, Sona recognised him as the one who had cheered her in encouragement the other day.
She asked Udayavarma and he confessed to it. Now Sona knew how he had succeeded in overpowering her. She came forward and said to him that 'My condition was that I would marry anyone who would defeat me in the contest. Though you've defeated me, O King, I cannot marry you. You yourself find out the reason.'
There was pin drop silence. Udayavarma looked at Princess Sona intently. He thought for a while and said, 'What you say is right, O Princess. I should not marry you.' He bowed to her and left the palace for his kingdom.
The King and Queen were surprised over their daughter's decision. According to the condition set by her, the winner of the contest would win her hand in marriage. Sona had herself laid down the rules. She had been defeated in a fair battle with Udayavarma, but now she was not ready to marry him.
What surprised them both was that Udayavarma, too, had meekly accepted her decision, saying he could not possibly claim her hand. How peculiar! They were unable to
ascertainto find out the truth or correct information about something.
the cause.Betaal concluded the story and asked King Vikramaditya, 'O King ! I have a few doubts. I think Sona was proud of herself that she was an expert in warfare and that's why she announced that she would marry only whoever defeated her, didn't she? She scored innumerable victories over one prince after another and was becoming more and more arrogant. Then came Udayavarma who succeeded in overpowering her. However, she did not keep her word. Why do you think she refused to marry the prince despite his victory over her? It was all because of her arrogance, wasn't it? If you know the answer to my question, then speak out. If you don't then I warn you that "your head will be blown to pieces!"
King Vikramaditya
ponderedthought about something carefully for a period of time.
over Betaal's questions. He said, 'I don't think Sona was arrogant. Though she had set the conditions for her marriage, she refused to marry Udayavarma. Although this is true, it does not make her arrogant. If we think deep, we can find out what had prompted her to take such a stand. She certainly was one who would keep her word. Unlike other princes, Udayavarma did not go for a fight with her straight away, instead he sat in the crowd and watched her fighting and in between he had studied all the strategies that she had adopted while fighting, just as a disciple would learn from his guru. A teacher cannot marry his or her student. It is a universally accepted fact. One's father, mother and teacher are all revered like a God. The relationship between a teacher and his student is more sacred than that between others.That's why Sona went back on the condition she herself had
stipulated.stated clearly and definitely that something must be done, or how it must be done.
Sona realised that Udayavarma was first her student and then a suitor and she was not willing to accept that relationship for the purpose of marriage.Udayavarma too thought on the same lines and realised that he could not marry Sona, because she was like his teacher. He respected the wishes of his teacher, that's why he decided not to press his claim to her hand.'
Betaal knew that the king would not be able to refrain from answering his questions. As soon as he heard the answer, he glided back to the ancient tree cackling in glee.
Vikramaditya drew his sword and went after Betaal.
- Somdev Bhatt
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# Summary :
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A Promise not Kept Summary :
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# Word - Meaning :
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⚈ Swerve : To change direction suddenly, especially in order to avoid hitting somebody.
⚈ Desolate : A place that is empty and without people, making you feel sad or frightened.
⚈ Futility : Having no purpose because there is no chance of success.
⚈ Routed : Defeated completely in a competition or battle.
⚈ Stance : The way in which somebody stands, especially in a contest or sport.
⚈ Ascertain : To find out the truth or correct information about something.
⚈ Pondered : Thought about something carefully for a period of time.
⚈ Stipulated : Stated clearly and definitely that something must be done, or how it must be done.
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# Question Answers :
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# Answer the following questions :
Q.
Why did King Vikramaditya climb the ancient tamarind tree? What did he bring down from the tree?
Answer :
King Vikramaditya had promised to bring the ghost Betaal to a sage. Betaal lived in a corpse on the ancient tamarind tree. So, He climb the ancient tamarind tree to bring down the ghost Betaal.
Q.
On what condition did the ghost, Betaal, promise to accompany King Vikramaditya?
Answer :
Betaal promised to accompany the King on the condition that the King would remain silent and not answer Betaal’s queries.
Q.
Who was Sona and what condition did she set for her marriage?
Answer :
Sona was the daughter of King Rajendra, who was the ruler of Krishnagar. Being an only child, Sona enjoyed a lot of freedom. She not only studied well but also learnt the art of self defence, bow and arrow and sword. When she reached marriageable age, she set some condition for her marriage that her husband should be able to overpower her in fighting. So that if ever their kingdom faces enemies in future, he should be able to fight and defeat them in war.
Q.
How did Udayavarma manage to defeat the princess?
Answer :
The prince of Ayodhyapuri Udayavarma joined the crowd of spectators When Sona battled with the suitors one after another and defeated them all. He carefully watched her method of fighting and the strategies that she adopted to defeat each price in the battle. In few days, Udayavarma had learnt all the strategies and was ready to fight with her. He fought with the princess cleverly and fiercely. Udayavarma meet all her methods and strategies of fighting and was able to defeat the princess.
Q.
What does Betaal do on hearing the answer of King Vikramaditya?
Answer :
Betaal knew that the king would not be able to refrain from answering his questions. As soon as he heard the answer, he glided back to the ancient tamarind tree cackling in glee.
Q.
Who was cleverer-King Vikramaditya who solved the tricky riddles of the ghost and finally captured him, or Betaal, who delayed his imprisonment by deluding the King with his clever stories?
Answer :
Both the king, Vikramaditya and the ghost, Betaal were clever. On the one hand, the king solved the tricky riddles by using his critical acumen and then finally captured the ghost, Betaal. On the other hand, the ghost Betaal deluding the King with his clever stories, delayed his imprisonment.
# Reference to the context.
Q.
"O King, I pity you as you are making untiring efforts without relaxing as if you wish to achieve something."
a. Who said this and to whom?
Answer :
Betaal said this to king Vikramaditya.
b. Why did the speaker pity the king?
Answer :
The speaker Betaal pitied the king for his untiring efforts to keep his promise to bring Betaal to a sage.
c. What was the speaker trying to do?
Answer :
The Speaker Betaal was trying to tempt the king into breaking his promise.
Q.
"Dear Father, I want my husband to be highly skilled in fighting. He should be able to overpower me in fight."
a. Who said this and to whom?
Answer :
The princess Sona said this to her father king Rajendra.
b. Why did the speaker lay down this condition?
Answer :
The Speaker Sona laid down this condition because she wanted her husband to be highly skilled in warfare so that he could defend and protect their kingdom if ever it faced any attack by the enemies.
c. Did the listener agree with the speaker?
Answer :
The listener king Rajendra and queen Prema were very proud for their daughter's wisdom.
Q.
"Though you've defeated me, O King, I cannot marry you. You yourself find out the reason."
a. Who said this and to whom?
Answer :
The princess Sona said this to the prince Udayavarma.
b. Why did the speaker refuse to marry the listener?
Answer :
The speaker Sona refused to marry the prince Udayavarma because she realised that Udayavarma had learnt these fighting skills by watching her battle with other suitors. So in that sense she has become his teacher and a teacher can not marry her student.
c. What do you think could be the reason for refusal?
Answer :
The possible reason for refusal could be the unfair battle between the princess Sona and the prince Udayavarma. The condition laid by the princess Sona was that her husband should be the one who is highly skilled in fighting and could overpower her in fight. But here, Udayavarma could not defeat her if he did not learnt her fighting methods and strategies. So he is not an eligible suitor for her.
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