The Blind Mother's Two Sons

Betaal spoke once more, telling of a blind widow with one biological son, who had moved to a distant city years before and visited only rarely, sending money occasionally but little of himself, and one foster son, taken in as an orphaned child decades earlier, who had remained by her side his entire life, tending to her daily needs, reading to her, guiding her steps, and caring for her with unwavering devotion despite having no blood claim on her at all.

As she lay dying, she spoke her final wishes aloud but ambiguously, saying only that her "true son" should inherit her small home and modest savings, without ever clarifying which of the two she meant, and passing before either could ask her to clarify further. Both men, and the whole village, were left uncertain how to interpret her final words, and the matter was brought before a judge to settle.

"Tell me, Vikram," Betaal demanded, "which of the two sons did she actually mean?" Vikramaditya answered: "The foster son. A mother's use of the word 'true' in her final breath almost certainly did not refer to blood, which she could have simply called 'my son' without ambiguity — it referred to truth of devotion, since only one of the two had actually lived as a true son in every meaningful sense for years, while the other held only the biological title without ever living its daily substance. Blood grants a claim, but devotion is what she was actually praising in her final words." His answer given, the king's vow of silence broke once more, and Betaal vanished, laughing, back toward his tree.