The Transposed Heads

As King Vikram carried the corpse of Betaal across the desolate cremation ground, the spirit began a new tale. Two inseparable friends, Shridaman, a scholar, and Madan, a man of great physical strength, traveled together with Shridaman's beautiful wife, Padmini. During their journey, they stopped at a temple of the Goddess Kali. Overwhelmed by sudden religious fervor, Shridaman entered the temple alone and sacrificed his own head to the Goddess. When he did not return, Madan went looking for him, and seeing his friend dead, he feared he would be accused of murder and sacrificed himself as well. Padmini, discovering both men dead, prepared to end her life. The Goddess Kali appeared, moved by her grief, and told her to reattach the heads to the bodies to bring them back to life. In her frantic haste, Padmini accidentally transposed the heads: Shridaman’s head was placed on Madan’s body, and Madan’s head on Shridaman’s. When the men rose, a fierce argument began over who was Padmini's rightful husband. Betaal stopped and asked Vikram: 'To whom does Padmini belong?' Vikram replied, 'The head is the most superior part of the body, the seat of the senses and the mind. Therefore, the man with Shridaman’s head is Shridaman, regardless of the body.'