More than half the night had passed. In Gaya, the watchmen of every neighborhood were wandering here and there, calling out, "Stay awake, be vigilant!" The night was dark, shadows enveloped all around. The main place here is Vishnu-Paduka, and the population around it is very dense, but at this moment, instead of going into the crowded quarters, let us turn towards that small settlement which lies to the north of the city, beneath the Ramshila hill, and...

All the houses there are made of mud, with roofs of tiles. From among the inhabitants, two people, wrapped in black blankets, emerged and set off towards the Falgu river.

To the east of the Ramshila hill, right in the middle of the Falgu river, stands a tall, fearsome mound. Atop this mound lies the tomb of a holy man, and in a sturdy stone hut built at the same spot, a sadhu also resides. All around the tomb and the hut, wild trees like ber, makoiche, and dhau have grown thickly, making the place dense and overgrown. The ground is littered with so many bones that it is impossible to reach the tomb or the hut without stepping on them. Skulls of all shapes and sizes, whole and broken, roll from one place to another. No one knows when or how so many bones came to be scattered all around. The two figures who had left the settlement were now heading towards this very mound.

No ordinary person would dare approach that mound on such a dark night, but these two, without carrying any kind of light, pressed on through the darkness, stepping over bones and pushing through thorny bushes. At last, they reached the hut, and standing at the door, one of them clapped her hands.

From inside: "Who is it?"

One: "Open the door."

From inside: "Why should I open the door?"

One: "We have business."

From inside: "You people trouble me for no reason."

The sadhu got up and opened the door, and the two entered and sat down to one side. Inside, the fire in the hearth kept the hut quite warm, so the two removed their blankets and set them aside. Now it became clear that both were women, and it was also apparent that one woman's right wrist was severed, wrapped in a cloth. One woman sat silently, but the other, the one with the wounded wrist, began to speak with the babaji—

Woman: "Tell me, have you thought of anything?"

Babaji: "Why should I think of something that I cannot possibly do?"

Woman: "Of course you can do it, for she regards you as her guru."

Sadhu: "If she regards me as her guru, will she give up her life at my command? What nonsense you speak!"

Woman: "What need is there for her to give up her life?"

Sadhu: "Then what do you want?"

Woman: "Only this—that she leave that house."

Sage: That poor woman has not harmed anyone, so why are you after her?

Woman: Has she not deceived me and my people?

Sage: You gave your kingdom to another and fled; now she is the rightful ruler, so those people are counted as her servants.

Woman: I wish to reclaim my kingdom.

Sage: Do whatever you can, but I cannot help you in any way. You have known me since childhood; your father used to bring you here in his arms. I have never taken sides in anyone's affairs, good or bad.

Woman: Whatever you say, you will have to do as I command, and remember, if you refuse, the consequences will not be pleasant. I will not spare you just because you are a sage or a holy man.

Sage: (after thinking for a while) Very well, give me one more day. Come here again at this time tomorrow.

Woman: Fine, one more day then.

The two women rose and departed from there. Unbeknownst to them, a man had been hiding behind the hut for some time, and now, keeping out of sight, he followed the two women until they reached the populated area and entered their house. When the women had gone inside and shut the door—which they had left open before—the man turned back and returned to the same hut described above. The door of the hut was open, and the poor sage was sitting just as before, lost in thought. The man entered the hut boldly, bowed low in obeisance, and sat down to one side.

Sage: So, Devisinghji, you have come?

Devisingh: (with folded hands) Yes, Maharaj, I have been here since before those two arrived. Now I have just returned after following them to their house.

Sage: I see!

Devisingh: Yes, you have been most gracious in telling me about them. We have been troubled for many days. What can I say—had you not forbidden it, I would have captured both of them right here.

Sage: No, brother, doing so would have brought disgrace to our guru's hermitage. Now that you have seen where they live, you can accomplish all that needs to be done. Virendra Singh is a mighty and righteous king; no one can ever truly harm such a man. See how this wicked Madhavi has ruined her own conduct and brought such suffering upon her people! In the end, she is reaping the punishment for her deeds. Well then, may God bless you. Virendra Singh…

Give him my blessings. Ah, what a righteous and principled king your master is!

Devisingh: "Very well, then I have your permission, do I not?"

Sadhu: "Yes, go. But remember, as I have told you before and I tell you again now: do not kill Madhavi, and have mercy on poor Kamini. I consider her as my own daughter. Tell Virendra Singh that he should regard Kamini as his own child, and should not hesitate in arranging her marriage with Anand Singh. What does it matter if her father is not worthy of standing before you?"

Devisingh