On another occasion, as King Bhoja was about to ascend the throne after making all the arrangements for his coronation, the twenty-ninth statuette spoke to him: ‘O King, only that person may sit on this throne who has the magnanimity of Vikramaditya.’
“‘And what was that like?” asked the king. The statuette said: ‘The noble King Vikrama ruled an empire from the city of Avanti. Once a man learned in the science of chiromancy came there. He knew how to tell the past, the present and the future, and the auspicious and inauspicious portents, from the bodily marks of men and women. In the outskirts of Avanti he was wonderstruck to see a man’s footprint marked with the lotus sign.’
“‘Is this the footprint of some king?” the chiromancer wondered. “But how can he be travelling alone and on foot? Let me go ahead and see.” Proceeding further, he saw a porter with a load of wood on his head. “Alas!” he said, downcast, “with such a mark, if this man is merely a wood-carrier, then my attempt to study the science of chiromancy has been fruitless. What is the point of going to Avanti? I will go back.”
‘After stopping for some time, the chiromancer thought again: “Since I have come this far, I will carry on to the capital and see what Vikramaditya is like.” So he went to Avanti and saw Vikrama in the assembly hall.
‘After seeing the king, the diviner was seized with a deep despair. The king was good at reading faces, and realized that the man was distressed. “O stranger,” he asked, “how is it that you have become dejected on coming here?” “Sire,” the man replied, “on the road I saw a man bearing all the marks of a king, but he was a mere porter with a load of wood. Here I see you, who rule an empire stretching to the sea, but the marks on your body are entirely unfavourable. I am therefore dismayed at the inconsistencies of my science.”
“‘O scholar,” the king then said, “generally sciences cover both rules and exceptions. You should consider carefully what is the rule and what is the exception in this case.” The chiromancer marvelled at his words. “How deep is the king’s understanding,” he reflected, “and how sweet is his speech and powerful his comprehension!” Recapitulating all chiromancy in essence, he said: ‘O King, this science describes in general numerous attributes of men and women, denoting both favourable and unfavourable portents. But this is the exception: even if there is every auspicious mark on a person’s body, they are all rendered invalid should there be a mark like a crow’s foot on the palate.”
‘On hearing this the king had the wood-carrier brought to the assembly. A cake of cornmeal was placed on his palate, and this established a crow’s foot there. “Is there any other exception?” the king asked. “If someone’s body has all the inauspicious marks, they would nevertheless count as favourable if the intestines from that person’s left side are spotted,” the chiromancer replied. Drawing out his dagger to test this, as the king was about to rip open the left side of his own abdomen, the chiromancer restrained his hand. “Do not be so audacious, O King,” he said. “The intestines inside your belly are bound to be spotted, otherwise how could you have such fortitude and heroic courage? For,
Wealth is reflected in one’s bones,
happiness in the flesh,
indulgence in the skin,
travel in the gait, and
authority in one’s voice.
But all depends on heroic courage.”
‘Thus, O King,’ the statuette concluded, ‘if you have such heroism and fortitude, then you may sit on this throne.’