King Babhruvahana

King Babhruvahana was virtuous king who looked after his subjects very well. His kingdom was devoid of sinners. There were no thieves or diseases. King Babhruvahana went to the forest for hunting. That forest had lot of lions and deer and the king killed many deers. One of the King`s arrows had struck a deer and the king followed it. This way he got separated from his soldiers. He was feeling very thirsty. He found a pond. However he was very tired and wanted to rest. He tied his horse to a banyan tree and slept under the tree.

A ghost arrived on the scene and was followed by hundreds of other ghosts. They were in search of food. Their shout awakened the king. He saw them and wanted to shoot them with his arrow. The first preta was not frightened. Then the king enquired him about his identity. The ghost replied that he is blessed after the meeting with the King. He would no longer remain a ghost. It is considered that those who do not have shraddha ceremonies performed after their death become ghosts. Even those who die unnatural deaths would also face the same fate. The ghost asked the King to perform a funeral for all the ghosts in order to free them.

After returning to his kingdom Banga he performed the funeral rites for the ghosts. They went to heaven after that. King Babhruvahana was gifted a valuable gem as a token of appreciation.