Book 6 · Nirvāṇa I निर्वाण · chapters 70–73 · 4 chapters
A hungry Vetala (a flesh-eating spirit) of the Vindhya forest, and an unnamed king he stops on his nightly rounds and questions; narrated by Vasishtha to Rama as an illustration.
Vasishtha, teaching Rama about inquiry and liberation, recalls a story about questions once asked by a Vetala. A huge Vetala living in the Vindhya forest, who normally did not kill without cause, grew hungry and went to a city to find food. There he met a king out on his nightly rounds and told him he was caught and would be eaten. The king answered that if the Vetala ate him unjustly, the Vetala's head would burst into pieces. The Vetala replied that eating him was just, since a king must satisfy the needs of the needy, and asked instead that the king answer a set of riddling questions about the true, subtle nature of the universe, self-light, and consciousness -- how the small holds the vast, how worlds nest inside worlds, how the self keeps its own light across dreams. If the king failed, the Vetala threatened to seize him and devour his kingdom. The king answered at length, describing the universe as nested worlds without number, like fruit within fruit and leaf within leaf, all ultimately just the radiance of one conscious sun, mere appearance within pure consciousness. Hearing this, the Vetala's mind grew calm and pure; forgetting his hunger, he became still and absorbed in meditation. Vasishtha then tells Rama this whole exchange has shown how the world is built and dissolved by consciousness alone.
वेताल उवाच | राजँल्लब्धोऽसि भीमेन वेतालेन मयाधुना | क्व गच्छसि विनष्टोऽसि भव भोजनमद्य मे || ९ ||
The Vetala said: O King, you have been caught by the terrible Vetala, me. Where are you going? You are doomed. Become my food today.
वेताल ने कहा: हे राजा, तुम भयानक वेताल, मुझसे पकड़े गए हो। तुम कहाँ जा रहे हो? तुम नष्ट हो। आज मेरा भोजन बनो।
ममैतामर्थितां राजन्संभवार्थां प्रपूरय | प्रश्नानिमान्मयोक्तांस्त्वं सम्यगाख्यातुमर्हसि || १२ ||
O King, fulfill this request of mine which is for a purpose. You should rightly explain these questions that I have asked.
हे राजा, मेरी इस माँग को पूरा करो जो एक उद्देश्य के लिए है। आपको इन प्रश्नों का उत्तर देना चाहिए जो मैंने पूछे हैं।
श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच | इति राजमुखाच्छ्रुत्वा वेतालः शान्तिमाययौ | भावितात्मतया तत्र विचारोचितया धिया || १ ||
Shri Vasishtha said: Having heard this from the king's mouth, the Vetala attained peace. With a purified mind and appropriate contemplation, he became calm.
श्री वसिष्ठ ने कहा: राजा के मुख से यह सुनकर वेताल शान्ति को प्राप्त हुआ | पवित्र मन और उचित विचार से वह शान्त हो गया |
The story occupies chapters 70–73 of Book 6. Each link opens that chapter complete — Sanskrit in Devanagari and IAST, with a plain English and Hindi translation of every verse. The number under each link is its verse count.