"Hello friends!
This is an ancient fictional folk tale, much like the ones our grandmothers used to tell us at night to take us into a magical world of stories. I heard this story from one of my maternal grandmothers. She used to narrate it with great enthusiasm as the 'Story of King Vikramaditya'... but wait! This is not the same Vikramaditya after whom the 'Vikram Samvat' was named, or about whom the famous 'Baital Pachisi' was written.
Instead, this is a story of a different Vikramaditya from the world of folklore. Through its characters and events, our story passes through various interesting and unique turns, taking us on a journey through a singular atmosphere where imagination and emotion meet beautifully. I have tried to weave this into words with the same simplicity and essence with which I heard it. I am sure this story will touch your heart as well.
Disclaimer: This story is entirely fictional. Its purpose is not to present any historical or literary facts, but rather for public enjoyment and entertainment. I hope this story gives you a pleasant experience."
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Once upon a time, in a quiet and dense forest considered a sanctuary for sages, a pair of sparrows lived on a massive tree. There was immense love between the two birds. They had many children who had grown up and flown away. Nowadays, the two of them lived in the nest, sharing their joys and sorrows.
One chilly winter evening, when all the birds had returned to their nests after pecking for grain, these two also returned to their nest, laughing and playing after wandering all day and having a full meal. They had just settled comfortably in the nest when they heard the faint sound of someone speaking.
Peeking out from the nest, the birds saw a traveler sitting near the roots of the tree, shivering with cold. Looking at him, it seemed he was exhausted from his long journey. Fatigue and cold had left him nearly breathless.
Sitting alone under the tree, that traveler was talking to himself...
"Oh! What a terrible cold... evening is falling and now I am tired; I can't walk any further. It seems I will have to spend tonight here in this dense forest. This tree will be good for spending the night and for shelter." (He said, looking up at the thickness of the tree) "This tree is very dense, so I am sure it will protect me from the chill of the cold night."
Then, after a short pause, the man began talking to himself again…
"If only some fire could be arranged from somewhere, there would be a little more relief from the cold. Spending a winter night in this terrifying forest without fire will be extremely painful. I have no means to light a fire; I don't know how the night will pass. Ugh! This cold. If only a bonfire could be arranged somehow at this moment."
The traveler, shivering, was looking here and there, trying to cover and keep his body warm with his hands. The sound of his teeth chattering was audible even to the birds, and his trembling voice revealed that he was truly suffering terribly from the cold.
Hearing the traveler's muttering, the female sparrow said to her mate...
"Just look, how this poor man sitting under the tree is shivering with cold... I feel great pity for him; I wish we could help him in some way."
The male sparrow said... "My dear, you are right. Seeing him shiver like this makes me feel pity too... since this traveler has taken shelter under our tree, he is our guest tonight, and therefore we must help him... I once heard from a sage living in this very forest—'A householder should welcome a guest who comes to his door; if a householder does not do so, his merits are lost'... therefore, we must help him somehow. This is our duty."
The female sparrow said... "Dear, you are right and it is my wish too, but how can we tiny birds possibly help him?"
The male sparrow thought for a moment and said... "I have an idea... you gather some twigs from nearby, meanwhile I will try to bring a burning piece of wood from the nearby hermitage of the sages."
Saying this, the male sparrow immediately left the nest and flew away.
After he flew away, the female sparrow also left the nest and began picking up twigs from the surrounding area and dropping them in front of the traveler. The traveler watched this strange act of the sparrow with curiosity for some time, then whispered in amazement— "What is this tiny sparrow doing? Is she truly trying to help me? Perhaps God has sent her to help me." Thinking this, enthusiasm arose within him as well, and he too began gathering wood. The sparrow was bringing only small twigs, but he gathered large branches as well. Soon, he had a good amount of wood collected, which he arranged into the shape of a bonfire.
He was just thinking of a way to light the bonfire when the male sparrow returned. A burning twig was held in his beak, which he dropped onto the pile of wood they had both gathered. Seeing this wonderful sight, the man was overjoyed and quickly arranged the wood properly and lit the fire with effort. In a short while, he got relief from the bone-chilling cold.
Seeing their hard work succeed, the pair of birds sitting on the tree branch looked at each other happily. Satisfaction in fulfilling their duty toward a guest was reflected in their eyes. Along with that, they were also happy that their labor was successful.
The female sparrow said... "Wow! You really came up with a great plan... look, our hard work has paid off! Now he is not shivering with cold and looks happy too."
The male sparrow said... "Certainly! It was meant to be. Come, let's go and sit in our nest." Saying this, both birds went back into their little home.
They had been sitting in the nest for only a short while when the voice of the traveler came again from beneath the tree.
The two birds peered down from the nest once more and heard the man’s muttering voice. He was speaking to himself, saying... "Oh! Thanks to the help of those kind birds, I am rid of the cold, but now I feel hungry... where shall I find food in this dark night? Ah! It seems that after escaping the cold, I shall now die of hunger. O God! This journey of mine is extremely painful."
Hearing the words of the guest crying out in hunger, the birds sitting on the tree looked at each other with sorrowful eyes.
The female sparrow said... "Oh! We didn't even think that we should also feed our guest... now it has become pitch dark and there is no fruit-bearing tree nearby... what shall we do now?"
The male sparrow also became worried; all his previous hard work seemed to be going in vain. Finally, after thinking for a while, he said to the female sparrow...
"My dear! If our guest dies of hunger before our very eyes, we will surely incur a great sin... therefore, we must protect his life at all costs... I can think of only one way, but it is somewhat difficult..."
The female sparrow said... "No matter how difficult the task, we will certainly protect his life.... tell me, what is that way...?"
The male sparrow said... "We both know that there are no fruit-bearing trees nearby and in this darkness of night, we won't even be able to see enough to go far and bring some fruit for our guest. Therefore, the only way now is for me to jump into this fire, so that he may be satisfied by eating me… and we do not have to watch our guest die of hunger."
The male sparrow's words pierced the female sparrow's heart like an arrow. She cried out in distress... "No... no! Don't do that... think of some other way... there must be another path."
The male sparrow said nothing; he just watched her silently. The female sparrow realized there was no other way. She said... "Fine, if lives must be given, then I will give mine... because I do not want to live even for a moment without you."
The male sparrow said... "That cannot happen... being the head of the family, it is my responsibility to protect you along with the guest; therefore, I will be the one to jump into the fire."
The female sparrow said... "But serving the guest is my duty as well, and I want to be with you in this, or even ahead of you if need be."
Finally, an argument broke out between them. Both loved each other immensely; they had been together all their lives, so neither wanted to see the other die.
At last, as if making a final decision, the male sparrow said... "Whatever happens, I will not let you jump into the fire while I am alive, nor will I let this guest die of hunger... do as you see fit after I am gone." Saying this, without listening to anything further, the male sparrow leaped directly into the burning fire beneath the tree.
Stunned by the male sparrow's sudden act, the female sparrow screamed... "No! Stop... don't do this." She lunged to look out of the nest and, seeing her mate struggling in the fire, she turned her face away and began to weep inconsolably.
The traveler sitting by the fire saw a bird fall into the flames and tried to save it, but was unsuccessful. He too was stunned for a moment by this sudden occurrence and could not understand why the bird had done so. Then, a flash of insight struck his mind—"Is this tiny bird giving its life for me of its own will?" At this very thought, his eyes filled with tears, but his hunger was so intense that he accepted it as an act of immense divine grace.
However, his hunger was not completely satisfied by that small meal; instead, it increased. He said... "Oh! Instead of ending my hunger, this little food has increased it... this fire is also dying down now, so first I will bring some more wood to save this fire.... let me see, perhaps I might find something else to eat nearby." Thinking this, he went to gather wood.
He did not know that his words had been heard by the female sparrow sitting in the nest. She began to think... "Oh! This man's words are true... we are but tiny birds and he is a giant human... in such a case, how can a single bird like us satisfy his stomach? Surely, it is now my turn for self-sacrifice on the path of duty. Now I must jump into this fire and make a final attempt to satisfy this man, otherwise my husband's sacrifice will go in vain. Besides, I consider living without my beloved to be meaningless now; therefore, following the path shown by my husband, I shall soon reach him." Taking this firm decision, the female sparrow immediately jumped into the burning fire under the tree and, after struggling for a moment, became still.
The traveler, returning with the wood, saw another bird fallen into the fire. He was stunned! He realized that the pair of birds had sacrificed themselves for him. Talking to himself, he said... "It is a wonderful thing! I know not why these two birds gave their lives by jumping into the fire for me. I shall consider it their great kindness and will pray to God for these innocent birds, that they may receive the full merit of this gift of life. May they find peace and happiness after death and in their next life."
Then he ate the female sparrow as well and, silently wishing for the peace of the sacred souls of both birds, spent the rest of the night huddled by that bonfire and proceeded on his way in the morning.
'To be continued...'
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"Friends! Now you might be wondering—I promised you a story of a King and Queen, so where did this tale of two little birds come from? 😊
Well, please don't get 'chirpy' or annoyed! This is the very foundation of that same King and Queen’s story. This ultimate sacrifice by these tiny creatures of nature will not go in vain; rather, it is from here that the great saga begins—the saga of our fictional King Vikramaditya, the hero of 'Once There Was a King.'
What happened to these birds next? And how does the King make his entry? To find out, stay tuned and wait for the next part.
Please do share your thoughts about this story and my writing in the comments. Your feedback is the true energy behind my words.
Thank you! 🙏💕"
Read the next episode here:
https://meetu2nishabd.blogspot.com/2026/03/blog-post_11.html
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