The Faithful Prince – Story of Prince Beheramji and his Wife

Closer and closer drew the glittering circle of horsemen, while in the centre stood the golden deer, until, with marvellous speed, it fled straight towards the Prince. But the Prince was swifter still, and he caught the deer by its golden horns. All of a sudden, the deer spoke to the Prince, “Let me go, oh! Prince Bahramaji, and I will give you countless treasures!”

But the Prince laughed, saying, “Not so! I have plenty of gold and jewels, but never a golden deer.”

“Let me go,” pleaded the deer, “and I will give you more than the treasures that you currently have.”

“And what is it that you have to offer to me?” asked the Prince, still laughing.

“I will give you a ride on my back. It so happens that no mortal man has ever ridden me before,” replied the deer.

“Done!” cried the Prince happily, and he climbed on to the deer’s back. Immediately, like a bird from a thicket, the strange glittering creature rose through the air till it was out of sight.

For seven days and seven nights, the deer carried the Prince over all the world. The Prince could see everything below, and he could see the mountains and forests, and the rivers and the farms. On the evening of the seventh day the deer touched the earth once more, and the Prince got down. The deer instantly vanished.

Prince Bahramaji rubbed his eyes in bewilderment. He was in a strange land, and he thought that he had never been in such a place before. Everything seemed new and unfamiliar. He wandered about for some time looking for the trace of a house or a footprint. Suddenly from the ground at his feet, popped a really old man.

“How did you come here? And what are you looking for, my son?” The old man asked the Prince. So Prince Bahramaji told him how he had ridden on the back of a golden deer. He went on to tell that the deer had disappeared, and how he was now quite lost and helpless in this strange new country.

“Do not be alarmed, my son,” replied the lean old man; “it is true you are in a strange land. This is Demonsland, but no one shall hurt you, for I am the demon Jasdrul. You may have met me in my other form—and you saved my life in the forest… indeed, I am the golden deer.”

Then the demon Jasdrul took Prince Bahramaji to his house, and treated him like a royally guest. He gave the Prince a hundred keys, and said, “These are the keys of my palaces and gardens. You can spend your time by looking at them, and maybe somewhere you will find a treasure worth having.”

So every day Prince Bahramaji used a different key to open a new room of a different palace, which was situated in a different garden. He also examined the palace inside out. In one of the gardens he found rooms full of gold, and in another jewels, and in a third he found rich clothes and pieces of art. In fact everything the heart could desire, he was able to find, until he came to the hundredth Palace.

In that palace, he found a dungeon. The dungeon was full of all poisonous creatures, herbs, stones, snakes, and insects. But the palace stood in a garden which was by far the most magnificent of all.

The garden was seven miles in one direction, and seven miles in another. It was full of tall trees and bright flowers, lakes, streams, fountains, and summer-houses. Brightly coloured, beautiful butterflies fluttered about, and the birds sang in it all day and all night.

The Prince, enchanted, wandered seven miles this way, and seven miles that, until he was so tired that he lay down to rest in a marble summer-house. There, he found a golden bed, which was spread with silken shawls. This palace belonged to the Fairy Princess Sundari.

Now while he slept, the Fairy Princess Sundari, who had taken the form of a pigeon, happened to fly over the garden. She caught sight of the beautiful, splendid, handsome young Prince. Out of curiosity, she dived to earth. As she approached the prince, she was astonished to see such a lovely sight. She then resumed her natural shape—as fairies always do when they touch the ground—and then she stooped over the young man and gave him a kiss.

Prince Bahramaji woke up suddenly, and, and… what did he do? He was astonished to see the most beautiful Princess in the world kneeling gracefully beside him!

“Dearest Prince!” cried the fairy Princess, clasping her hands, “I have been looking for you everywhere!”

“What is your name?” Asked the Prince. No sooner did he set eyes on her than he fell desperately in love.

“My name is Princess Sundari, oh Handsome one,” She replied.

They spent every day together for the next year—walking in the gardens, chasing the butterflies, and sitting by the streams. One day, they agreed to get married without any delay. But the Prince thought it wise to first consult his host, the demon Jasdrul, seeing how powerful he was in Demonsland.

To the young man’s delight, the demon not only gave his consent, but appeared greatly pleased. Jasdrul rubbed his hands and said, “Now you will remain with me and be so happy that you will never think of returning to your own country any more.”

So Prince Bahramaji and the Fairy Princess Sundari were married, and lived ever so happily, for ever so long a time.

Now you may think that the story ends here. Well, not quite. The real adventure of Prince Bahramaji was yet to begin. And, Princess Sundari and Prince Bahramaji’s love for one another had not yet been tested.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Listen to Part II of this story to learn what happens next!

In the first part of this story, we learnt how Prince Bahramaji, who was on a hunting trip, sees a golden deer. He tries to capture the deer, but lets go of the magnificent creature when the latter pleads for its life. The deer, who is in reality the demon Jasdrul, then takes the Prince for a ride, though not quite literally. Jasdrul brings him to a strange land—the Kingdom of Demonland. There, the Prince meets Princess Sundari, and the two get married.

Now, let us listen to the rest of the story.

Prince Bahramaji and his wife Princess Sundari lived happily in one of Jasdrul’s one hundred palaces for an entire year. At last the thought of the home he had left came back to the Prince. He began to think longingly of his father the King, his mother the Queen, and of his favourite horse and dog. As he was lost in these thoughts, Princess Sundari asked him, “You seem lost, my love. What is it that you are thinking of?”

The Prince began to tell the Princess, his wife, about his father the King, his mother the Queen, his Horse Badal, and his dog Moti. He was missing them so badly, that he sighed and sighed, and refused his dinner. This went on for several days, until he became quite pale and thin.

Now the demon Jasdrul used to sit every night in a little room below the Prince and Princess’s chamber, and listen to what they said. He had built this room to make sure that the newlyweds were happy. When he heard the Prince talking of his far-away home on the earth, he sighed too. Now Jasdrul was a kindhearted demon, and loved his handsome young Prince. Moreover, the Prince had spared his life, and therefore the demon was in the Prince’s debt.

Jasdrul the demon did not want the Prince and the Princess to leave him, but he could not bear to see the sadness in Prince Bahramaji’s eyes. Even though he knew the reason behind the Prince’s plight, he did not want to reveal that he knew the reason behind it.

Finally one day, he at last asked Prince Bahramaji what was the cause of his growing so pale and sighing so often. He feared that the young man would rather have died of grief than telling his host he was longing to get away. But when Jasdrul asked Prince Bahramaji with such care and concern, the latter said piteously, “Oh, good demon! let me go home and see my father the King, my mother the Queen, my horse Badal and my dog Moti, for I miss them dearly. Let me and my Princess go, or most certainly I shall die!”

At first the demon refused, but at last he took pity on the Prince, and said, “So be it; nevertheless you will soon repent and long to return to me here in Demonsland. Your world has changed since you left it, and you will have trouble. But take this ball of hair with you, and keep it safe. When you need help, burn it, then I will come immediately to your assistance.”

Then the demon Jasdrul said a regretful goodbye, and he asked the Prince and the Princess to hold their hands together. As soon as they did so, the demon sprinkled magic dust on them, and presto!—Prince Bahramaji found himself standing outside his Kingdom, with his beautiful bride beside him. He was very happy to return to his own land, and longed to go to the Palace and visit the King, and the Queen.

But, alas! As the good-natured demon Jasdrul had foretold, everything had changed when he was gone. His father and mother were both dead, and his wicked cousin Udaybhan now sat on the throne. The new King had put a price on Bahramaji’s head, should the latter ever return from his mysterious journey. Udaybhan wanted him dead so that Bahramaji would not be able to challenge him to the throne.

Now the Prince Bahramaji, who was pale and weak, had grown long hair, and as a result, no one recognised the young Prince. When he learnt from the townspeople the tragic tale of what had happened to the King and the Queen and the creatures so dearly, he was struck with grief. He left the town with the Princess, and began to walk towards the jungle.

As they approached the forest, they saw a village and as soon as they crossed the village, they saw a small hut. And outside the small hut, a horse and a dog were tied to a post.

The Prince had found his companions, Moti and Badal. They had been banished from the Kingdom, just like their master. But the Prince’s old huntsman had given them shelter. He lived on the outskirts of a village, near the edge of the forest, in that small hut.

Badal neighed loudly and Moti barked and jumped with joy as soon as Prince Bahramaji came near them. Hearing the commotion outside, the Prince’s old huntsman came outside from the hut. And although he was overjoyed to see his master once more, he said that King Udaybhan would have them all killed if he gave the Prince shelter. Still, being a faithful servant, he agreed to let the young couple live in the barn of his house.

“My old mother, who is blind, lives in that storehouse,” he said, “she will never see you coming and going. And my dear Prince, as you used to be fond of sport, you can help me to hunt, as I used to help you.”

So the splendid Prince Bahramaji and his lovely Princess Sundari hid in the storehouse of the huntsman’s house, and no one knew they were there. The huntsman and the Prince would go hunting everyday, and Prince would pose as the huntsman’s helper. Now one fine day, when the Prince had gone out to hunt, Princess Sundari decided to wash her beautiful golden hair. She was forced to tie her hair which otherwise used to hang round her ivory neck and down to her pretty ankles like a shower of sunshine. When she had washed her hair in the stream, she combed it. In the afternoon, she set the window ajar so that the breeze might blow in and dry her hair.

That very afternoon, the Chief Constable of the town happened to pass by. He saw an open window in the huntsman’s old storehouse, and suspected that thieves might have broken in. When he peeked through the open window, he saw the lovely Sundari, with her glittering golden hair. He was so overcome at the sight that he fell right off his horse into the gutter. His guards, thinking he had a fit, picked him up and carried him back to his house. They called the local physician to check on the Constable. But he never ceased raving about a beautiful fairy with golden hair who lived in the huntsman’s storehouse. This set everybody wondering whether he had been bewitched. But the story meeting the King’s ear, he sent down some soldiers to make inquiries at the huntsman’s house.

“No one lives here!” said the huntsman’s old mother angrily, “no beautiful lady, nor ugly one either, nor any person at all, other than me and my son. However, go to the storehouse and look for yourselves.”

Hearing these words of the old woman, Princess Sundari realized that the soldiers would barge into the storehouse in no time. She quickly bolted the door, and, seizing a knife, cut a hole in the wooden roof. Then, she took the form of a pigeon again, and flew out. This way, when the soldiers would burst open the door they would find no one in the storehouse.

The poor Princess was sad because she had to leave her beautiful young Prince in this hurried way. As she flew past the blind old woman, she whispered in her ear, “I go to my father’s house in the Emerald Mountain.” Soon, she disappeared. The soldiers, unable to find anybody inside the storehouse, returned to the King’s Palace and reported that they had seen no one. King Udaybhan ordered that the Chief Constable be punished for telling lies.

In the evening when Prince Bahramaji returned from hunting, he was surprised to find that the storehouse was empty! The King’s soldiers had ransacked the house in search of the beautiful Princess. Nor could the blind old woman tell him much of what had occurred.

“I heard a voice,” she said, “A voice so beautiful, I had never heard before. And I am not sure I ever will.”

When Prince Bahramaji heard of the mysterious voice he asked, “What did the voice say, old mother?”

The blind old woman replied, “The voice whispered in my ear, and said, ‘I go to my father’s house in the Emerald Mountain.’”

The Prince knew that it was Princess Sundari who had whispered into the woman’s ear. He was first comforted, and then really happy. But soon, he was filled with sadness, because he had not the remotest idea where the Emerald Mountain was to be found. He fell into a very sad state, and as he sat down on the ground, he sobbed and sighed. He refused his dinner, and never ceased crying, “Oh, my dearest Princess! my dearest Princess!”

At last he remembered the magic hair, that the demon Jasdrul had given him. He had hidden the hair in the lining of his Kurta. Taking it from its hiding, he threw the hair into the fire. It had scarcely begun to burn when the demon Jasdrul appeared, and asked Prince Bahramaji what he wanted.

“Show me the way to the Emerald Mountain,” cried the Prince.

The kind-hearted demon shook his head sorrowfully, saying, “You would never reach it alive, my son. Take my advice, and forget all that has passed. You should begin a new life.”

“I have but one life,” answered the faithful Prince, “and that is gone if I lose my dearest Princess Sundari! And if I must die, then let me die seeking her.”

The demon Jasdrul was touched by the passionate appeal of the splendid young Prince, and promised to help him as far as possible. So he carried the young man back to Demonsland. When they landed on the ground, the Prince spent a day in his palace, while Jasdrul went to run some errands. Upon his return, the demon gave him a magic wand, and asked him to travel over the lands that lay to the north until he came to the demon Purak Chand’s house.

“You will meet with many dangers along the way,” said Jasdrul to his friend, “but keep the magic wand in your hand day and night, and nothing will harm you. That is all I can do for you, but Purak Chand, who is my elder brother, can help you in your quest.”

So Prince Bahramaji travelled through Demonsland, and crossed many rivers, forests and mountains as he travelled north towards Purak Chand’s dominion. There were many beasts, serpents, scorpions and ghouls along the way, but because he held the magic wand in his hand day and night, no harm came to him. At last he arrived at the demon Purak Chand’s house, just as the demon had awakened from sleep. Incidentally, Purak Chand, as is the habit of demons, had slept for full twelve years. Now imagine if our Prince had reached this demon’s house just when the demon had fallen asleep… he, that is Bahramaji, would have to wait twelve years before he could ask the demon for help. He could have tried waking him up, of course, but generally it is not a good idea to wake up sleeping demons. Not only do they get angry when woken up from sleep, but also they can eat you right away, no questions asked.

Speaking of food, Purak Chand had not eaten at all when he was sleeping for 12 years. So naturally he was desperately hungry, and when he saw the Prince Bahramaji, he began to lick his lips. The Prince would have made a dainty morsel for breakfast indeed!

Nevertheless, though his mouth watered, the demon restrained his appetite when he saw the magic wand in the Prince’s hand. He was curious, and asked the Prince politely what he wanted. But when the demon Purak Chand had heard the whole story, he shook his head, saying, “You will never reach the Emerald Mountain, my son. Take my advice… forget all that has passed, and begin a new life.”

But the young Prince answered as before, “I have but one life, and that is gone if I lose my dearest Princess! If I must die, then let me die seeking her.”

This answer touched the demon Purak Chand, and he gave the faithful Prince a box of magic dust. He bade him travel on through Demonsland till he came to the house of the great demon Safed.

“For,” said he, “Safed is my eldest brother, and if anybody can help you achieve what you want, then he will. But mind you, the journey to his abode is very treacherous. You will face many dangers. But whenever you are in need of something, rub the powder on your eyes. Then, say the word ‘jeeeee. jeeeee. jeeee…’ That is correct, three times. Once you say so, whatever you wish near will be near, but whatever you wish far will be far.”

So the Prince travelled on through all the dangers and difficulties of Demonsland. Along his way, he encountered even more snakes, birds of prey, and man-eating trees, till he reached the demon Safed’s house, to whom he told his story, showing the powder and the magic wand, which had brought him so far in safety.

But the great demon Safed shook his head, saying, “You will never reach the Emerald Mountain alive, my son. Take my advice, forget all that has passed, and begin a new life.”

Once again the faithful Prince gave the same answer, “I have but one life, and that is gone if I lose my dearest Princess! If I must die, then let me die seeking her.”

Then the great demon Safed nodded his head approvingly, and said, “You are a brave lad, and I must do my best for you. Take this cap made from the skin of a yak. Whenever you put it on, you will become invisible. Keep traveling further to the north, and after several days in the far distance you will see a huge green mountain. That indeed is the Emerald Mountain. Then put the powder on your eyes and say the magic words that will bring the mountain near. Remember, do not go near the mountain, for it is an enchanted hill. The farther you climb, the higher it grows, and the more treacherous it gets to reach the mountain top. On the summit lies the Emerald City. Before you enter it, you must wear your yak-cap and become invisible. Now go and find the Princess—if you can.”

So the Prince journeyed joyfully to the north, until in the far far distance he saw the glittering Emerald Mountain. Then he rubbed the powder on his eyes, and said “jeeee… jeeeee.. jeeee”.

And behold! Since he desired to climb the mountain, the huge mountain came near him in an instant, and in no time, he had climbed to the summit. Once the top was near, he could see that the Emerald City lay before him. The city was very beautiful and looked as if it had been cut out of a single jewel. But the Prince thought of nothing other than his dearest Princess.

He remembered what the demon Safed had told him, and he put on the yak-cap. In an instant, he became invisible, and he wandered up and down the gleaming city protected by his invisible cap. He searched day and night for his dear Princess Sundari, but still he could not find her.

The fact was, the Princess Sundari’s father, who was the King of the Emerald City, had locked her up inside seven prisons. He loved her dearly, and was afraid that she would fly away again. The doting father was in constant fear that his daughter would escape back to earth to her handsome young Prince. He knew from his servants that even though she was in prison, she never ceased talking about her beloved Bahramaji.

“If your husband comes to you, well and good,” said the old man, “but you shall never go back to him.”

So the poor Princess wept day and night inside the prison, for how could mortal man ever reach the Emerald Mountain?

Now the Prince, while roaming about the city, noticed something peculiar. Each day, at a specified hour, a maid entered a dark building through a certain door with a tray on her head.

Being curious, the Prince took advantage of his invisible cap, and when the maid opened the door the following day, he decided to follow her. The maid reached the large door and knocked on it three times. The door opened, and as she entered inside the building, Prince Bahramaji slipped in behind her. Once inside, he noticed that on three sides, there were tall dark walls made of stone that glowed in the dark.

On the far side was a large wooden door, and the maid was walking towards that door. As he began to walk towards the wooden door, the first door locked itself. He followed the maid’s footsteps and soon he and the maid reached the large wooden door.

She knocked on the door three times. The door opened, and once again Prince Bahramaji slipped in behind her. Again he saw nothing but large stone walls and a huge door. Once again, the maid knocked on the door and the third door opened.

And so on he went through all the seven doors, till he came to the seventh prison. Inside the seventh prison sat the beautiful Princess Sundari, weeping. Streams of salty tears flowed from her eyes. As soon as he saw her, he could not control himself, and he flung himself at her feet.

But he remembered that he was invisible, and he waited for the maid to leave. The maid put down the tray and began to leave. One by one, she locked all the seven doors.

Once he was certain that the maid had left, Prince Bahramaji sat down by the Princess. He looked at the tray that was covered with a silk cloth. The Princess moved the cloth aside, and the Prince saw that there was delicious food and sweets in the tray.

Princess Sundari began to eat the food, and the invisible Prince Bahramaji also began to eat out of the same dish with her.

The poor, lovestruck Princess had a very small appetite, almost like the appetite of a sparrow. She scarcely ate anything, so when she saw that the food in the tray was fast disappearing, she thought she must be dreaming. Then she was a little scared: she thought that a ghoul or a demon had entered her prison. By the time the whole meal had vanished, she became convinced someone was in the room with her. She cried out faintly, “Who eats in the same dish with me?”

Then Prince Bahramaji lifted the yak-cap from his forehead, so that he was no longer invisible. As soon as she saw her beloved Prince, Princess Sundari began to weep bitterly. At first she thought that she was seeing his ghost. But as he took away the cap completely, his beautiful face and warm smile melted her fears away. He clasped her in his arms, and from shedding her tears, her face changed to one with radiant smiles.

The next day, when the maid came with the food, she was astonished to find a handsome young Prince seated beside his dearest Princess. She ran to tell the King. The King at once sent his guards and ordered them to bring the Princess Sundari and Prince Bahramaji to his court. There, upon hearing the whole story from his daughter’s lips, he was very much pleased at the courage of the young Prince. He was also assured that the Prince loved his daughter dearly. He ordered Princess Sundari to be released at once; “For,” he said, “now that her husband has found his way to her, my daughter will not want to go from him.”

In time, he appointed the Prince to be his heir, and the faithful Prince Bahramaji and his beautiful bride lived happily ever afterwards as the King and the Queen of the Emerald kingdom.