YUVRAGINI: A TALE OF A PULCHRITUDINOUS PRINCESS

The Woman in the Chariot

The royal chariot was heading towards the temple when suddenly the woman inside the chariot saw a soldier brutally beating a poor, middle-aged man. The woman asked the charioteer to stop the chariot. He followed and halted instantly. A pulchritudinous woman stepped out of the chariot, stunning everyone around with her magnetic charm. She was extremely beautiful. Her long hair felt as soft as silk threads cascading down her shoulders with gentle grace, her eyes were like sparkling sapphires and her voice was the perfect blend of melody and ferocity.

She headed towards the soldier and enquired why he was beating the man. The soldier replied in anger, "This crooked weaver was given the task of weaving a robe for the royal prince, but despite giving the money in advance he didn't accomplish his task on time." The woman requested to the soldier, "Oh! Please have some mercy on this helpless man and let him go." The soldier agreed and went away in antagonism.

The poor man thanked the woman for saving him from the merciless soldier. The woman smiled and questioned, "Why didn't you accomplish the task on time?" To this, the poor man replied, "A few days ago my wife passed away while delivering our second baby and I had to look after my two little children all by myself. I'm an impecunious weaver who cannot afford to hire a caregiver for my infant. I was suffering through a lot of mishaps and couldn't weave the robe in time. And when I tried to explain this to the prince he got furious and ordered one of his soldiers to publically humiliate me."

The woman felt pity for the man and gave him some gold coins and asked him to spend them wisely. The man thanked the woman again and asked her who she was. To this, the woman replied, "I'm a human being just like you, trying to navigate the world to the best of my abilities" and went away.