Ashoka Sen

An Untouchable King: an Indian Folk Tale Ashoka Sen

There was a king called Trishanku. He was not only the most dutiful and kind-hearted king, he was also the best looking king on earth. But he was vain and arrogant. He wanted to go to heaven alive to show off his beauty to other gods and goddesses. The royal priests were angry with his arrogance. They cursed him and changed him into an ugly beggar in rags. Nobody could recognize him. He looked so unclean that people avoided to touch him or to shelter him. He became an untouchable beggar. A great religious teacher called Viswamitra took pity on him. He thought as a good king Trishanku deserved a place in heaven. With his power of meditation he actually made it possible for the king to go to heaven alive at last. But when he arrived in heaven with his unclean body, the gods were not pleased. Lord Indra gave him a big push and he fell from heaven with his head downwards. The religious teacher was angry with the gods and made a new separate heaven for Trishanku in the mid-air as an award From that time onward Trishanku continued to shine brightly in the sky every night, surrounded by other stars. No human being could ever touch him. Thus he became truly an untouchable king. . People in India still remember him as a scavenger king, but nobody hates him for his dirty clothes and unwashed body. They praise him and honour him for his courage and good deeds.