The Princess’s Choice

King Atmaveera was looking for a suitor for Princess Amrita. He thought the easiest way would be to hold a test. Much to his surprise, two princes, Jaya and Vijaya, succeeded equally in the test. He then suggested that the princess should draw lots to decide.

Somehow, Atmaveera had a special liking for Vijaya, while Amrita had truly been drawn to Jaya. The king decided to play a trick. He wrote the name of Vijaya on both slips! However, the princess found out about this deception.

At the durbar the next day, the king shuffled the two slips well and asked Amrita to pick one and announce the name written on it. The princess picked one of the slips, looked at the name, and coyly said, “Father, I feel shy to mention the name of the one who’s going to become my husband. So, please read the name on the other slip.”

Atmaveera was in a fix because the second slip also carried the name of Vijaya. He could not escape reading out the name. As a result, Vijaya was eliminated, and the king arranged for the wedding of Amrita with Prince Jaya.