The Cunning Deception of Mainashri

Vikram was disturbed by stories of deception and wickedness when Betal began another tale, saying, “Let me tell you about a cunning woman named Mainashri.”

Once, there lived a wealthy man named Sagardatta, who was a widower with a daughter named Mainashri. However, Sagardatta was so absorbed in his business that he neglected to give his daughter the love and attention she needed. Left to her own devices, Mainashri grew up with a sense of entitlement and a desire for luxury without much regard for moral values.

As Mainashri reached adulthood, she decided to seek companionship but only with men who could fulfill her endless wants. She made promises of love to many suitors, never committing to anyone genuinely. One of her suitors, a sincere man named Shridut, fell deeply in love with her despite her selfish nature and asked her to marry him. Though she agreed, she cared little for him and spent her time seeing other men in secret.

One fateful night, Mainashri left her home under the cover of darkness to visit her lover, a man she had deceived Shridut for. But unknown to her, a ghost haunted her house, observing her lies and betrayals. Driven by a desire for justice, the ghost followed Mainashri and saw her interacting with her lover. Enraged by her dishonesty and deceit, the ghost took matters into its own hands. In a fit of supernatural vengeance, it killed the lover and then disfigured Mainashri by chopping off her nose.

Mainashri returned home, humiliated and furious, and quickly devised a scheme to save herself. She called the neighbors for help, blaming Shridut for attacking her out of jealousy and mutilating her. With no one else to verify the truth, the neighbors believed her and reported the incident to the local authorities.

Shridut was arrested and accused of harming Mainashri. When he tried to explain that he was innocent and revealed the story of her disloyalty, no one believed him. His protestations fell on deaf ears, and he was seen as a liar and an aggressor.

After finishing the story, Betal posed a question to Vikram, “How would you have solved this case to determine if Shridut was innocent?”

Vikram thought for a moment and replied, “I would have checked the corpse of the lover. If Shridut were truly guilty, he would have disfigured Mainashri and left. But the presence of flesh in the corpse’s mouth would have been evidence of something supernatural, indicating that it was not Shridut who harmed her but something else.”

Pleased with Vikram’s insight, Betal exclaimed, “Brilliant!” and disappeared once again, leaving Vikram to continue his journey.

**Moral:** The truth can be obscured by lies, but careful observation and logic can reveal justice. Honesty and integrity will always shine through deceit and dishonesty.