Vikramaditya then climbed the tree, brought Betal down, and placed him on his shoulder, beginning to walk. Betal resumed his storytelling. Once upon a time, in Patliputra, lived a wealthy merchant named Satyapal. Satyapal had a young boy, Chandranath, as a distant relative. Orphaned from a young age, Chandranath was treated more like a servant than a family member, a fact that caused him considerable distress. Chandranath yearned to be as wealthy as Satyapal.
One afternoon, while Chandranath was sleeping, he dreamt he had become a wealthy merchant, and Satyapal was his servant. In his sleep, he muttered, "That foolish Satyapal!" Satyapal, passing by, overheard Chandranath's murmuring. Enraged, Satyapal threw a slipper at Chandranath and expelled him from his home. Chandranath was now without a place to stay.
He wandered the streets all day, unable to bear the humiliation. He vowed revenge against Satyapal. His wanderings eventually led him to the forest, where he found a sage. Chandranath fell at the sage's feet. The sage asked, "Son, why are you so distressed?" Chandranath recounted his ordeal. Touched by his story, the sage said, "I will give you a mantra. If you recite this mantra after a dream, your dream will come true. But you may only use this mantra three times."
Chandranath felt like he had found a treasure. With a happy heart, he returned to the city. He lay down on the steps of a cottage. As he closed his eyes, he fell asleep, dreaming that Satyapal was apologizing to him. He felt ashamed of his actions and proposed marriage to Chandranath's daughter, Satyavati. Chandranath awoke, thinking, "That was a wonderful dream. This is a perfect opportunity to test the mantra." He began to recite the mantra.
Satyapal was searching for Chandranath. Seeing him seated on the steps of the cottage, he approached him and apologized for his actions. He then proposed marriage for his daughter. Chandranath could scarcely believe his ears. The mantra had worked. His dream was coming true. He accepted the proposal and married Satyavati. Satyapal arranged a separate business for Chandranath, allowing both him and his daughter to live happily.
One day, Chandranath had another dream, in which his business thrived and he became the wealthiest merchant in the city. Awakening, he recited the mantra again. Under its influence, his business flourished, and he amassed great wealth. As predicted in his dream, he became the richest merchant in the city. Other merchants grew envious and gossiped about how he had achieved his wealth.
These rumors eventually reached the king's ears. The king had his soldiers investigate and discovered the truth. Chandranath was ordered to repay the king ten times the value of the wealth he had acquired through dishonest means. Chandranath was furious. That night, he dreamt that he had become the king of Patliputra, punishing the merchants who spread the rumors. On waking, as he was about to recite the mantra for the final time, he had a moment of insight.
Chandranath wept. He did not recite the mantra, but instead went straight to the sage in the forest, begging him to remove the power of the mantra. The sage smiled upon hearing his plea. Betal asked King Vikramaditya, "Your Majesty, why did Chandranath not use the mantra and become king of Patliputra?" Vikramaditya replied, "Chandranath realized that fame and success cannot be achieved without hard work. A life where dreams come easily has no joy. The sage had taught him a valuable lesson through the power of the mantra." "Your Majesty, you are noble. Forgive me, but I must depart." Betal laughed and returned to the tree.
